Spencer and Valarie had been on edge since the "meeting" began. The two of them had stuck together to not get lost among the other Heroes in the crowd. They had managed to get a spot in the front row, along with a few of their colleagues from the Vinvers Branch. However, any small talk or happy reunions was squashed by the oppressive atmosphere that permeated the room. Both Heroes had waited for the outcome of the trial with baited breath.

Spencer was worried for Cynthia. He knew how the Order tended to view something that could threaten the Mamono and wasn't apart of their organization. While he hadn't seen any of it himself, he had heard the stories. The bounty hunters brought in for daring to commit the crime of fighting Mamono without the Order's explicit permission. Villagers attempting to organize to deal with a Mamono problem persuaded to drop the idea lest they anger the Order and thus lose access to much needed resources.

He figured they were just rumors. But seeing Felix and Tina in shackles...maybe there was something to it. He didn't know either of them, nor did he think Felix's decision was the right one, but that didn't mean they deserved to be chained up and treated like that. And if the Order was willing to do this to them, then what would they do to Cynthia?

Valarie, on the other hand, was worried for her fellow Heroes. When they first fought, she had thought she had seen the extent of Cynthia's abilities. Skilled she maybe, she was no Hero nor Mamono. Even if she does have no Mana, her capabilities could only take her so far. And, if she were still operating off that assumption, she would not be concerned about the current situation. There was no way a single woman could defeat an entire room of Heroes in the middle of an Order Branch's Headquarters.

But that assumption had been completely destroyed by today's revelation.

Cynthia, someone who was neither a Hero nor a Mamono and had no Mana of her own, managed to clear an entire camp of Mamono. Even if she hadn't killed them all herself, she still managed to fight her way through a veritable small army of monsters. And if the bodies left behind were any indication, there had been more than enough to fill the city streets of Vinvers twice over. Loathe as she was to admit it, even Valarie understood the kind of danger such a force would be. All but the greatest of Heroes would fall before such numbers. And even then, there was a high chance they would end up monsterized anyway.

Yet Cynthia had the power to defeat them all, come out of the battle unscathed, and without any sign of monsterization.

When Valarie first saw Cynthia return, she had been too focused on processing the carnage around her to fully understand this fact. But their walk to Headquarters had given her all the time she needed. Now, she understood how much a danger Cynthia truly was. Someone with her power could endanger not just the Mamono, but the entire world if left unchecked. And...and she wasn't sure if their current forces were enough to deal with the extremely willful criminal.

Both were expecting this trial to go poorly.

Neither had expected it to go the way it did.

And now they stood in fearful awe at Cynthia as she told Priest Galoran and Sister Viola, arguably the two primary leaders of this Branch of the Order, "no" right to their faces.

Valarie was fuming at her arrogance.

Spencer was fighting to keep Valarie from rushing forward with the rest of the gung-ho Heroes.

A twenty man squad of the remaining Heroes surged up the steps of the platform. They drew their weapons, rage at the insolence of the stranger driving them on. The melee combatants took to the front, while the magic users remained behind and prepared their spells. They did not immediately attack the Huntress, but they did cut off any easy exit by blocking all the obvious escape routes.

If she ran towards the stairs, she'd run into the main body of the squad and be captured. If she jumped to the floor, the magic users would catch her midair and deliver her to their allies to be taken into custody. And, even if she did somehow escape them, the other Order adherents in the building would surely catch her. The gathered Heroes were confident that the stranger would find it almost impossible to escape judgment.

Selina, however, was not intimidated in the least. She remained standing with her arms crossed and eyes focused on Viola as the priestess attempted to keep a neutral expression in the face of her defiance. Something that Galoran was currently failing to do as he attempted to bore a hole through Selina with his anger alone.

"I apologize," Viola spoke slowly as, barely hiding the irritation in her voice, "I believe I misheard you."

"You did not. I said I refuse to kill these two," Selina clarified for the priestess.

"I see...and you do understand exactly what you are saying correct?"

"I am well aware."

"Then, tell me, why would you do something so foolish as defy the will of the Order?"

"The first reason is because your will is not mine," Selina let her arms fall to her side. She put one foot forward, her own angry gaze matching Viola's, "You seem to forget; I am not one of you. I am not a soldier, I am not an adherent, I am not a Hero. I do not answer to you. Threaten and postulate all you wish, I will not be cowed. Neither will I ever allow you to dictate my actions. Never forget this.

Viola's expression remained calm, but her body language told a different story. Her hands were gripping each other hard enough to turn the knuckles white. Her face had grown red with rage, and it had only gotten worse as Selina's speech had gone on. Her red lips shook as she tried to hold them together and stifle the furious responses she wished to release. Anyone who knew her could see that she was struggling to maintain her facade in front of the Heroes who looked up to her.

"And the second is one that you should be aware of," Viola and Galoran's expressions changed from anger to confusion at Selina's words. The Huntress continued, "You say that the Inquisitors gave you reports on my condition. However, I do not believe they gave you the full truth."

"And on what grounds do you suggest this?" Galoran asked, curiosity overcoming his anger.

"You shall soon see," Selina left it at that. Then she walked over to Felix, paying no heed to the numerous Heroes brandishing weapons at her. The shackled man felt his hairs stand on end as she knelt to look him in the eyes. She briefly observed his form and took in the extent of his mistreatment. His ribs were visible beneath his skin, his gaunt and wrinkled face had eyes surrounded by deep black bags, and his teeth were chipped from numerous beatings.

She shook in her head in disappointment before she started to speak to the man, "Hello there, sir. Tell me, what brought you here?"

"Wha-what?" Felix asked incredulously, eyes darting between the strange woman and the priests of the Order.

"I asked why you are here. Why are you shackled to this stand like a common criminal?"

"What do you mean? They told you why."

"Yes, they did. They told me why you are here from their perspective. One skewed by religious dogma. I want to know why you, personally, did it. Don't be afraid. I am not here to judge you."

Felix's mouth opened and closed in shock. He couldn't understand why the stranger was doing what she was doing, but he couldn't help the sense of relief that washed over him. Ever since he and Tina had been captured, not a single person dared to speak to him. He couldn't blame them. He had betrayed everything the Order stood for with what he did. His friends abandoning him to rot in a cell, barely surviving on meager scraps of food and water, getting beaten when they asked him to tell them about things he had no knowledge of. They were all part and parcel of his decision.

But that didn't mean he enjoyed it. That he didn't want someone to listen to his troubles. Especially since they kept him and Tina separate at all hours of the day. And now, here was this complete stranger offering the ear he had been longing for. How could he pass up the chance?

"I...I...," he struggled to find the right words. Then he looked over and saw Tina, cowering in fear at the sight of the large group of Heroes behind them. As he watched her with shame and worry filling his heart, the words spilled out of him like a broken dam, "For her. It was all for her. Tina...she's the love of my life. We were planning to get married before she...before she turned. I...I couldn't kill her. I just couldn't. But I knew I couldn't come back to the Order. So I tried to hide. I just...I just wanted us to be able to live in peace. That's it.

The man spoke while on the verge of tears, "I know. I know it's selfish, it endangers everyone around me, and I know I'm letting an enemy of my religion live. To many, I am the worst type of scum on the face of this planet. One who puts his whole city at risk for one person. But what else would they have me do? Kill my beloved with my own hands and smile as I do it?"

Selina nods along as the man explains himself. Once his speech ends, she gives him time to regain his breath. Then she asks him, "Now, tell me; If there was a way to make your wife human again, would you take it?"

Felix's eyes widen in shock. Hope long since abandoned began to grow within his chest. His chains shook as he tried to turn his head and look the Huntress dead in the eye, "What? Of-of course! If there's a way then-"

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"Would you still love her?"

Felix paused, "What was that?"

"If she was human once more," the Huntress began to explain, "would you still love her? You had to have spent time with her before they caught you. Meaning you came under her influence while she was a Mamono. No doubt you felt immense amounts of pleasure at times. If she was human again, that would all go away. Can you still say that you would love her if she was human? Truly?"

Felix prepared an angry retort, but the look in the stranger's eyes gave him pause. Her gaze wasn't filled with judgment or disgust at the idea. All that he saw was a genuine want to know his answer. And that made him think. He thought back to the weeks he had spent with Tina after she had...changed. What the stranger had said...was true. He had done what he could to stop Tina, but there was only so much he could do against her. Especially when her "urges" reached a fever pitch.

And when they had slept together...he couldn't deny it was amazing. They had both promised to save themselves until they were married but...that vow was now technically broken. But he couldn't bring himself to say that it wasn't worth it in a way. Whether that was the Demonic Mana affecting his mind or his true feelings even he couldn't say.

However, there was one thing he was one hundred percent sure of.

"Yes," he said with as much conviction as he could gather in his state, "A thousand times yes. I love Tina because she's who she is. Mamono, human, it doesn't matter. I love her. That hasn't nor will it ever change."

Selina was silent as she allowed the man's words to sink in. Then she nodded while getting to her feet, "Thank you, sir. Now, please wait. I promise you will have your wife back soon."

She idly heard Viola asking what she was doing. She ignored the priestess and started approaching the succubus. Tina began to whimper as the tall, black figure got closer and closer. She started fighting against her bonds, eyes going wide and tail whipping back and forth as fear suffused her heart. But no matter how much she struggled, her bonds held her firmly in place.

Selina pulled the glove on her right hand off and knelt next to Tina. She took a deep breath, reached her hand out, and carefully gripped the Lesser Succubus' right hand, placing her palm against the back of the woman's.

The Mamono froze at her touch.

Everyone was still for a single tense moment.

Then Tina's mouth opened in a silent scream.

"TINA!" Felix shouted as he tried to get to his feet. His shackles held him fast, but his struggles soon stopped. His anger and despair were replaced by happiness and hope as he saw the miracle happening in front of him.

Slowly but surely, Tina was returning to normal. Her wings and tail shriveled up until they fell to the floor as black dust. Her fur followed suit, dropping to the floor in gray clumps that continued to shrivel until they were completely gone. Her horns grew smaller and smaller until they disappeared entirely. Her breasts, enlarged to DD-Cups from the transformation, shrunk until they were at her original C-Cup size.

Within moments, Tina Kolto had become human again.

The now demonsterized women fell to the floor with a tired sigh. Her eyes closed as her breathing stabilized. Faster than the eye could see, Selina took off her cloak and tossed it over the naked woman. Then she summoned the Rakuyo and sliced apart Tina's shackles. The chains and stockings clanging against the floor didn't wake Tina as she fell to the floor. Selina placed an arm under her at the last moment. Just quick enough to break her fall.

Then, once she was certain the woman's breathing was back to normal levels, she laid her down on the ground, put her glove back on, and turned to the two priests watching over her.

Both were looking at her with complete and utter bewilderment.

As Selina had expected.

Viola recovered from her shock first. Her carefully curated facade had fully cracked. Her originally serene features were replaced by angry furrowed brows and grit white teeth. Her hands gripped the edges of her armrest as her whole body shook with barely constrained fury. Selina, sensing what was coming, made her way back over to Felix and readied herself to cut his bonds as well. Just as she was getting ready to split the chains holding his arms in two, Viola got to her feet and shouted loud enough to be heard all the way to the doors, "Heroes! Capture this heretic! Stop her before she escapes with the prisoners!"

Selina cursed under her breath as she severed the chains and stocks encasing Felix's. As the man fell to his knees, feeling slowly returning to his numb arms and legs, she turned to face the Heroes blocking her escape route. They approached her with weapons drawn and eyes clouded with malice and a twisted sense of duty. Selina readied her weapon, but a battle here was the furthest thing from her mind. Not because she didn't believe she could win this fight. Skilled the Heroes were, and outnumber she maybe, but it wouldn't be the first time she's ever been forced to face multiple skilled opponents at once. She could thank the Blood-drunk Hunters who Invaded her world for that.

No, the reason for her hesitation was twofold. First, there were Felix and Tina. Tina was still unconscious and Felix was barely in any shape to run, let alone defend himself. She would need to battle with those two at her back. Something much easier said than done. And second was what would happen should she escape. While the Order didn't control Vinvers, it was still an influential force. And she would be considered a fugitive and heretic. If the City Guard refused to do anything against her, the Order could turn the situation into a way to gain more control over the City.

She bit her lip as she split the Rakuyo in two. Perhaps she could only make glancing hits and minor cuts? They may look more favorably upon her actions if she didn't kill any of them. But that would be difficult to accomplish with her foes all clumped together. She would need to-

"Heroes, hold."

The group of Heroes froze dead in their tracks. Selina blinked twice as she turned her head to look at the last person she expected to hear; Priest Galoran.

"Galoran?" Viola's tone showed she was just as surprised as the Huntress, "What are you doing?"

"I should ask you the same question, Priest Viola," the old man replied as he stood from his seat. He turned to his younger colleague and continued, "Why are you attempting to arrest Lady Albion?"

"Why am I-can you not see why?!" Viola waves a hand towards the stand, "She is releasing criminals that threaten the City!"

"No, she is releasing two people who are no longer a threat to the City. Felix's crime was harboring a Mamono and Tina's was becoming one. But Tina is now human, once more. Thus rendering any crimes null and void," in contrast to Viola and himself a few minutes prior, Galoran's voice was calm and collected in the face of his fellow fuming adherent.

"We have no proof-"

"We can get it. Heroes, one of you go to Tina and perform a Mana Transfer."

The group of Heroes hesitated for a moment, until a young girl stepped out of the group. Her black hair was long enough to cover her eyes, making Selina worry for the girl's eyesight. Yet, the Hero was able to reach Tina within moments (doing what she could to avoid staring directly at the Huntress). She knelt next to the sleeping woman, lifted up a single limp hand, and placed it in her own. Stressful seconds passed by until the Heroine put Tina's hand back on the floor. She turned to her two leaders and said in a tiny but astonished voice, "She's clean. No Corrupted Mana whatsoever."

Gasps exploded from the gathered Heroes. Whispers filled with wild imagination began to circulate among their ranks, and more than a few fingers pointed towards Selina. Some accusatory. Others with awe and a tinge of hope.

Galoran waved a hand, "And there you have it."

"It's obviously a trick," Viola replied, refusing to back down, "She did something to hide it. It has to still be there!"

"Why are you so determined to find a reason to arrest her?"

"Why are you so willing to trust this!? Why do you wish to let her get away with such heresy!?"

"Because I am no fool. I can see the value such an ability has. Think of all the Heroes we have lost to the Mamono. How many of them have been completely subsumed by the Monsters, never to return to the fold? Before, we could do nothing but hope that they would one day appear and we could give them the mercy they deserve. But now, with Lady Albion by our side, we could bring them back. Bolster our forces and finally perform a proper counteroffensive against the Mamono!"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Viola turned away from the stage to fix the older Priest with a piercing glare, "How can you even think of using the powers of a heathen that flaunts our decrees and laws? Even if her power is legitimate, it clearly does not come from the Chief God and thus is taboo!"

While the two Priest argued, Selina was making her move. She could feel the shift in the air. The tension between Galoran and Viola was starting to spread to the Heroes. Some of them had already chosen sides. One third agreed with Galoran and wished to see the extent of Selina's powers, and exactly what she could do for the war effort. One third wanted her put under lock and key to await judgment at a later date for her crimes. And the last third were either too scared to pick a side, didn't care either way, or wished to remain neutral. Confusion and uncertainty began to take over their ranks.

And the Huntress wasn't about to waste the opportunity.

She had managed to slowly and quietly back up until she was standing right before Felix. The man had just gotten feeling back into his arms and legs. He was on his knees when he saw the Huntress crouch down in front of him. She whispered as softly but firmly as she could, "Can you manage a crouch?"

Felix narrowed his eyes and tried to get onto the balls of his feet. He winced as muscles he hadn't used in weeks began to ache, but he fought through the pain as best he could. That was, until he put weight on his left ankle. Then he nearly cried out in pain but bit his lip to keep it in. He nodded to the Huntress, but she could tell he wouldn't be able to move quickly for a long time. She glanced towards the exit doors at the left and right ends of the room. Both were an equal distance away from the stage, but the right, where Tina was sleeping, had the least amount of Heroes protecting it. The question was whether Felix could last long enough to reach the door. If he couldn't...

Swearing once more, the Huntress clipped the two halves of the Rakuyo to her back. then she told the man to wrap his arms around her shoulders. She would carry him on her back while they made their escape. While initially hesitant, Felix took one look at the still arguing Priests above and then did as he was told.

Selina, neither hindered nor bothered by the former prisoner clinging to her back, swiftly made her way over to Tina. The Heroine who had checked the former Mamono was still crouched by the sleeping woman's side. But when she turned and saw the Huntress right behind her, she nearly screamed in shock. Only Selina swiftly shoving her gloved hand over the girl's mouth stopped them from being found out. Selina shushed the girl while shaking her head. The Heroine didn't act, even after Selina took her hand away from the girl's mouth.

With little difficulty, Selina scooped Tina into her arms, carrying the sleeping girl bridal style. Once she was certain Tina was secured in her arms, she whispered to Felix, "I'm going to jump off the stage. Get ready."

Felix, unable to effectively use his legs, did the best thing he could in the situation; Tighten his arms around the Huntress.

Everyone only noticed what the Huntress was doing when she was already in the air.

Viola's hands slammed down on her chair just as Selina hit the tiled floor, completely clearing the three Heroes posted to guard that part of the stage. She pointed towards the fleeing Huntress, "Stop her! Don't let her get away!"

"Heroes! Ignore that order! Defend Lady Albion!" Galoran said while quickly making his way down the stairs to his seat. The conflicting orders only added to the confusion. Some Heroes attempted to cast a spell to slow Selina down, only for those spells to be dispelled by other Heroes. Some tried to run after the fleeing Huntress only to be tripped up or outright stopped by their fellows. The area around the stage descended into pure chaos as the Heroes of the Order got in each others way.

Which gave Selina all the time she needed to reach the exit. She was through the door in a matter of moments.

Now, she just needed to find her way through the Headquarters without running into any of the Order Agents that would likely want her either chained or joining the war.

In addition, she now had to protect two people as she made her escape. One was unconscious, and the other could barely walk.

...

Selina made a mental note to berate herself for constantly getting herself into these situations later.