Gabe uttered a prayer as he stared at the nightmare that had come to life within the moon.

"Judex, protect us. For we walk through the valley where our demons dwell..."

Darkness settled over the city as the black liquid devoured the sun, and the radiant daylight gave way to the moon's glow. In its watchful serenity, the eye within the moon cast a soft purple hue across the land, blending with a pale luminescence that gently touched the earth.

Asura could not help but pause momentarily, gazing up at the spectacle unfolding above. His jaw dropped at the large shifting purple and violet eye in the moon, its color swirling within the iris. The ogre spoke with disbelief as the words came from his throat involuntarily,

"What the fuck..."

Like a painting, the eye seemed to follow them as they quickened their pace.

"We really did piss it off with that last one..."

Rose and Asura sprinted down the street, rounding a corner as the grand cathedral appeared. The massive structure loomed over the surrounding buildings, its gray stone intricately carved into elegant arches. Stained glass windows shimmered in a kaleidoscope of colors as the pale light reflected on its surface, casting vibrant patterns across the façade.

Towering columns and masterfully sculpted stonework stood as a testament to The Temple's deep reverence for their creator, embodying both grandeur and devotion in his place of worship. Along the cathedral roof were moss-green tiles, creating a beautiful piece of art within the city.

The translucent golden wall shimmered in the darkness around the building. Everything within the walls was bathed in a warm light as if resisting the darkness lurking beyond its protection. As they approached, the citizens in the courtyard became more vivid, the terror on their faces prominent.

To Asura's surprise, the crowd had thinned, albeit only slightly. Mothers and fathers held their children close, clenching onto them desperately as if they would lose them at any moment. The stairs leading up to the main doors were filled with people, all pushing and shoving to enter the cathedral before the other.

The group approached the golden wall, listening as the shouts grew louder, twisting their morality from empathy to selfishness.

"Get out of my way!"

"Move, damn it!"

"Get the hell off me!"

Children began to cry, their parents fighting for their survival.

"Save my child! Take them at least in!"

"Please, my son!"

The people fought against one another, and it became apparent that a fight would ensue if this continued. Asura and Rose entered the golden wall with ease, passing through the barrier and entering the safety of the cathedral.

As they approached Judex's domain, warmth spread over their bodies, comforting them. They all let out a sigh of relief as they looked back, finding no sign of the demon's pursuit. Asura and Rose let down their companions, placing them onto their feet as they slid off their shoulders.

Gabe smiled and leaned against Asura for a moment as the nausea washed over his body.

"Thanks."

Asura nodded,

"No problem."

Mel gripped her arm as she finished the last step of healing her body. The mana surged through her skin, burrowing into her bone and snapping it back into place with a sharp crack, echoing the sound of a break. She gasped quietly but maintained her composure as she grasped her right pistol's holsters.

As the chaos ensued, Mel pulled her silver pistol from her holster, "Thank Judex for the holy weapons returning." She lifted it above, firing her pistol and startling everyone surrounding her. The loud bang rang throughout the courtyard, silencing the fighting people and shocking the Paladins beside her.

Everyone shifted their gaze to Mel, frozen in fear as if she were the monster breaking through the barrier. The children cried, but Mel's eyes blazed with fury as she stared at the fighting citizens. Mel shouted a threat,

"Calm down and back away from the door, or the next round will not be directed at the sky."

The Paladin's gaze remained steady, her clenched jaw a silent testament to her resolve. Without a word, the citizens began to part, but suddenly, the doors burst open as Aliza pushed her way outside. They all spun around like eager chickens darting toward their feed, their shouts emerging like desperate clucks to get Aliza's attention.

"Let us in!"

"Please!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Save us!"

"Please Teleport us out!"

"Send us to Eden!"

Rose's face twisted in disgust as they spoke the name Eden. These were the same people who had rejected The Temple's protection, choosing instead to live outside Judex's sacred land. They had done so out of hatred for the laws that bound them. Yet now, after enduring relentless attacks from cultists and monsters, they came crawling back, begging for the very protection they had once scorned.

In their mercy, The Temple bestowed grand cathedrals upon the outlying cities. They bore no ill will toward those who had once spit on their generosity. The Knight of God dispatched his Paladins to guard them, though, in truth, it was an undeserved punishment of sorts, born from the selfishness of these people. And now, after all they had rejected, they dared to seek salvation from the very Eden they had once despised.

Yet, the Paladins never complained and accepted their new duties. For dozens of years, the cities were bombarded with attack after attack. However, under Mary, the cities flourished until the cultists' influence grew more substantial. Now, the people turned, despising The Temple again as they suffered from the attacks. Rose was always disgusted by the hypocrisy.

They hated the Paladins who sacrificed their lives but would cry when they deemed their work inadequate.

Aliza was swarmed in a torrenting wave of people pushing against one another. However, another deafening round rang off behind, causing them to tuck and shield themselves. Mel's pistol hung in the air as she screamed out again,

"That's my last warning."

Unlike Mel, Aliza remained completely calm, her understanding of the people's emotions running deep. A faint frown tugged at her lips, and her eyes gazed out with a sorrowful look, like a mother who could not ease her child's pain.

"We can't teleport you. There's not enough mana stored."

A person shouted from the crowd as if Aliza were making excuses,

"Then take us in! There's plenty of enough room!"

Aliza sat in silence for a moment before responding,

"If there are any children remaining, let them through. I can take them, but there isn't any room for adults."

The crowd shouted in uproar,

"LIAR!"

Mel fired again, and Asura rushed forward. The ogre's face twisted in rage as they tried to attack the Paladin. The people screamed in fear as the ogre pushed forward, but Tristen grabbed hold of the ogre's shoulder and shook his head.

"Don't..."

Asura threw his arms in the crowd's direction.

"And what? Let them be bastards?"

"They're terrified."

Asura looked back at the crowd, shivering in fear before him. Aliza's frown deepened,

"I have taken in thousands into the cathedral... I've filled every room I could since-"

The Paladin looked up to the moon, her eyes studying the mortifying existence lurking above,

"-the demon did that. But I can assure you that those in the courtyard are still protected!"

A woman with ragged clothes screamed as she gripped her chest,

"How can you be sure! If it shows up and kills us, you can't undo that!"

"I have made this barrier, not with my own strength but with Judex's. Trust in the Lord, your God!-"

"GOD ABANDONDED US! HE WOULDN'T LEAVE US WITH THAT THING!"

"I can only take the children. There is no room for anyone else."

A woman holding her child lifted her head high,

"Take me in the place of my child!"

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Aliza tightened her lips, and her brow furrowed as if she had decided their fate. Her fingers intertwined as she straightened her back, lifting her chin to look down upon the people. Her voice deepened, and resolve resonated in her tone,

"Some of you have hidden yourselves in those buildings inside the barrier, and you cast out others to live lavishly. Now, you come to me and plead to be with the people you cast out. I have taken in as many as I could and worked tirelessly to feed you all. My children, I swore to protect, were killed by this demon, and you demand I send more."

She held her hands out, and suddenly, a golden barrier rose between the crowd, pushing them apart into two separate waves as if she had parted a sea. Then, the barrier split, forcefully moving the people aside and creating a path for the Paladins to walk through.

"The children can walk through, but all of you must remain out here. I will not pull back my barrier to punish you because Judex surely has not abandoned you."

The people fell silent, their hearts heavy with shame, as Azrealia, the Archangel, stirred their guilt. Asura and the others waited as the children passed through the wall with ease. Some looked back at their parents, pleading with them to follow, but their parents urged them to go on without them.

Aliza motioned for the group to follow as the last of the children entered the building behind her. The group followed closely, their eyes focusing on the resigned faces of the people. Despite Aliza's vow that they would not be abandoned, an air of impending doom hung over the crowd as if they felt their deaths were inevitable.

As they stepped inside, it was clear Aliza had spoken the truth. Every available space was occupied. The once vast hall where he had fought was now crowded with people, sitting shoulder to shoulder, crammed together in tight clusters. To Asura, it was like a movie with wounded veterans in a war that filled the hospital room.

Asura scoffed as he looked around at the turning heads,

"You weren't kiddin'."

The children bumped against the people, finding little room to even stand as Aliza walked behind them. She shouted to the people inside the hall,

"Please make room. I need to take these children to the dorm rooms."

The people parted without a word, and as the children looked curiously at them, they all tried to smile to comfort them. Not one rejected the request as if it were an inconvenience.

"Thank you."

Aliza uttered as they began to walk through, quickly urging the children to find their way to the door on the other side. However, Mel urgently asked,

"Aliza, I know the children need to be taken to-"

The older woman turned and nodded as if she understood what Mel would say. Aliza spoke cryptically, clearly breaking her sentences to hide the gravity of what she was asking,

"I know. Go to the teleporter and get Mary. Request her aid and Mark's. Get everyone you can. Tell them it's apocalyptic."

If the circumstances were different, Mel would despise the thought of asking her sister for help. However, the eye within the moon still haunted her as if it were burnt into her vision. "What monster can even do that?" She thought as she gulped.

She recalled the day of the attack with striking clarity, a day forever etched in history as one of the most devastating blows to The Temple in recent years. Her parents were well-known figures and pillars of strength within the Temple. They played a crucial role in crafting weaponry designed to combat the monsters—weapons that the Archangel Hephestine did not create.

Though their creations were rare and difficult to produce, their accomplishment was nothing short of extraordinary, leaving an indelible mark on history. Yet, they crumbled before the demon and were powerless. Mel nodded in agreement before turning to the others.

"This thing has to die."

Gabe and Tristen agreed as they both led the way to the teleporter, departing from Aliza as she continued down another hall with the children. The burning desire to avenge their comrades and the citizens they had sworn to protect, all of whom had lost their lives to the demon, lingered deep within their hearts.

As they rushed through the hallway, the group did their best to avoid the people laying against the walls to rest. Asura noticed that not even an inch was spared from the people, and Aliza tried her best to find a place for everyone. Her concern for space to work was no longer present. Now, all she wished was to protect as many as she could.

The group rushed through the halls until they reached a large set of black steel doors. Asura recognized the familiar doors, which were engraved with the same markings as the ones in Mary's cathedral. He grabbed hold of the large rod mounted on the door as the handle, sliding the heavy doors to the side. Asura flashed a smile at Rose,

"I learned my lesson last time."

However, only Asura found the joke amusing as they all rushed inside and up to one of the batteries. The familiar sight of the black statues of angels encircling a marble platform left Asura, concluding that all teleporters looked the same.

Their vast wings stretched out, almost meeting one another, and the cloth draped over them was intricately carved from marble. Every detail was identical to the finest, most delicate lines. His gaze drifted to the towering black pillars resonating with powerful waves of mana that created a thick atmosphere as he pushed toward the center of the room.

The ogre understood he would be of no help and dragged behind Rose and Mel, who crowded an empty spot on the pillar. He was still impressed by the golden lettering, symbols, and runes, all shimmering as they contained Judex's mana throughout the room.

Though impressed, he couldn't shake the sense of unease as he gazed at the curved walls, with copper rods jutting out from their surface. To the ogre, it had a Frankenstein-like quality, as though it was unfinished and still prone to failure. "Is this how people feel when they fly on an airplane?" Asura thought as he remembered the movies he watched back home.

Rose guided the golden rod in her hand, writing Stoliagate on the pillar. However, as she finished the name, it was erased. She repeated the word, but it yielded the same result. Her brow furrowed in frustration as she repeated it again.

"It's not working."

Mel tilted her head as she watched her repeat the motion for the last time,

"What do you mean it's not working?"

"The name isn't staying on the pillar."

"How? What?"

Asura felt the mana shift with each word written, growing more chaotic with every attempt. The hair on his skin stood on end, a silent warning as the energy continued to spiral out of control.

"I think you should stop that."

Rose turned to the three men behind her, their gazes locked on the platform's center. The mana refused to seep into the surface, instead creating lightning as it was released. The bolts arced wildly through the air, striking the black marble platform rapidly. The thunderous booms echoed throughout the chamber.

Tristen's eyebrows shot up, his eyes reflecting the electric fury as the crackling bolts illuminated the scene in flashes of golden light. He muttered,

"It's not supposed to do that..."

Asura's gaze flicked to the copper rods, noting how the lightning danced wildly but never struck them.

"Ain't it supposed to hit those?"

Gabe watched in horror as the intricate golden design spread across the marble slab began to emit a hiss like water boiling on a hot surface.

"I think we're stuck..."

Mel observed as the mana resisted the enchantment's commands, refusing to flow as intended. The reason soon became clear to the group—an external force was interfering, altering the incantations woven into the surfaces. Whatever the moon was, it did more than merely watch from above. Gabe whispered to himself,

"There's no way..."

Rose remained steady, her eyes narrowing as she analyzed the strange flow of mana. Without hesitation, she pressed her palm against the battery's surface, cutting off the mana like flipping a switch. As the energy began to fade, Mel turned to her.

"What? We have to try."

Rose's expression remained firm.

"It blocked our way out."

Asura glanced toward the center.

"I'm with Mel. We need to get Mary or the old man."

Rose studied him, noting the rare trace of concern. It was unlike Asura to avoid a fight.

"You know something about this," Rose seemed to accuse the ogre with his words as if he withheld information,"

You knew from the start what it was capable of. Did you want a hard fight-"

Asura met her gaze, unshaken.

"I know of it,

He admitted,

"But I don't know it. You guys keep assuming we all live in a gated community. Like, hey, Gerald! Nice weather, ain't it?"

The ogre exhaled heavily, stepping toward the center of the room. Asura's expression darkened, shadows of unwelcome memories flickering across his face. His usual lighthearted demeanor had vanished, replaced by a solemn tone that left no room for humor,

"But I know it's a demon. A real one, not like you guys callin' us one. That thing ain't natural. A monster that gave up its soul."

Mel scoffed at Asura's words as if they were unreal,

"I thought you hated that word."

"I do when you use it wrong. We ain't demons. We're monsters. Even more than that, we're people like you. That thing ain't a person... Can't even call it a monster."

The ogre walked up the steps before the group, all of them watching as he approached the lightning crackling before him. Asura's eyes reflected the lightning as he stood before the storm, ready to embrace it.

"I won't lie and say all monsters are saints. Lots of them eat people..."

"But they do it to survive—to keep from being devoured by something stronger. If you spent every day knowing a bigger predator was coming for you, you'd crave strength, too. And yet, many still refuse to do it."

Mel studied the ogre with sharp eyes,

"Would you call Jormungandr a demon?"

The ogre never turned to look back,

"He was close... Consumed by greed, but even he was trying to survive from a bigger fish."

"A bigger fish? Bigger than that dragon? He was nearly the size of the city!"

"You've never seen Tiamat... I told you he was wounded when we fought him. Whatever you're picturing in your mind for a dragon that can hunt him, double its size."

Gabe asked as he watched the ogre stand before the relentless mana,

"What are you going to do?"

Asura flashed a smirk, leaving Gabe uncertain. It was hard to tell whether it was a sign of courage or sheer recklessness.

"Try to leave and get some help."

All of their eyes drifted toward the mana that would cripple them in one strike. Tristen asked as if the ogre should question his choice,

"Are you sure about this? You might die?"

Asura laughed at the comment,

"This? Kill me? Try fuckin' with Orthos a bit, and you'll really get your ass handed to you."

The ogre pressed forward into the storm of mana surging at the heart of the room. The loud hissing grew sharper, almost as if the energy itself recoiled at his presence. As he advanced, the swirling currents thickened, the pressure mounting with every step. Then, in a display both awe-inspiring and terrifying, bolts of mana-infused lightning lashed against his back. Each strike sent a jolt through his massive frame, forcing a roar of pain from his throat as he braced against the relentless onslaught. The sight of the attack was like lashing whips against a muscular man's back.

However, Asura never yielded to the agony of his flesh being scorched and shocked. Instead, he carried it upon his shoulders. Rose bit her tongue in shame as if to punish herself for her accusing words. She had watched the ogre time and time again endure something she could not for the sake of humankind.

As Asura reached the center, he expected smoke to roll from the statues' mouths and fall from their palms. Just as Mary's Cathedral had done before, but there was silence. There was no change in the fury of the mana storm. The mana struck him relentlessly, rejecting his very presence.

Each golden flash of lightning illuminated the room, the thunderous echoes rattling through the air, making the humans flinch as if they could feel the pain themselves. Asura let out a fierce roar. His face contorted in agony, deep wrinkles carving across his features as he shouted,

"IT'S NOT WORKING!"

Rose quickly rushed to the battery's side, etching the name Stoliagate with the rod. Yet, nothing changed. The storm raged on, striking again and again in an unrelenting cycle. Rose felt a wave of helplessness as she struggled to calm the mana, but it seemed to resist her attempts as if it ignored her touch entirely. Then, a distorted voice echoed in the ogre's mind,

"Do not attempt this again."

As if the voice commanded it, the storm ceased. Every eye watched, and every nerve waited for the next lightning strike. It never came. The hissing faded, and the raging golden lights, once so brilliant, dimmed and died. The storm's fury receded, withdrawing into the warm marble towers behind the statues.

It had returned, but its obedience was broken. It thrashed within the marble, gnawing erratically as if desperate to escape. Like an uncaged animal, the mana fought against the enchantments as the moon outside refused to allow it to pass.

Not one dared to move toward the ogre. However, Asura rose. A groan rumbled from him as he straightened, stretching out muscles knotted and spasming. His voice was coarse as he spoke,

"Well, I ain't fuckin' doing that again..."

His body quickly healed as the monsteristic properties took hold, partnered with the mana coursing through his veins. However, Asura limped as he walked from the center toward the speechless Paladins.

"We're stuck."

Mel yanked her phone from her pocket, only to immediately fumble it. Even as her fingers closed around it, she knew it was a pointless act. The lock clicked open, her sister's number flashed on the screen, and her finger jabbed the call button. It declined before it could even ring once.

"It's like Jormungandr..."

The Apocalypse's vast mana had already silenced them within the city's domain, disrupting all signals. Now, the demon that had murdered her family was replicating the effect. Mr. Smiles had ensnared them in its twisted game, and it permitted no other players.