"Finally, my turn! I couldn't wait any longer."

Kiel's body trembled from excitation.

"The moment I can get more power! With this, I'll be able to do way more!"

'Dream on. I won't give you this chance.'

Orion began to move back towards the wooden beams outside the room.

Crouched on the beams, he scanned the corridor below him, waiting a few seconds for any signs of life.

It would be unfortunate if anyone realized Orion was here before he could attempt a shot.

He had to be silent, and precise. He only had one shot and couldn't be too greedy today. Another chance would present itself for each one of them at a later date.

'The place seem cleared of life, it should be alright now.'

The sound of something boiling echoed, forcing him to act.

'I need to wait for that perfect window. The moment before he takes the drink. Not now, not yet...'

He refrained himself from jumping down as much as he could. As he listened intently, the sound of the cup being filled entered his ears.

'NOW!'

He jumped down with Alcyone in his hands, already aiming for the room. With 'Calm Analysis' and 'Eagle Eye', his vision slowed considerably while falling, before focusing on the neck of his victim.

"It's ready, you can drink it now, Kiel. Drink it and leave, I would rather not see your face anymore."

Layla wanted Kiel out of the room, and fast. Her wish came out way different than she could have ever imagined.

The moment Orion's feet touched the floor, before any speck of dust flew from the landing, and before anyone registered the noise following his descent, Alcyone's trigger clicked.

An arrow flew straight and struck its target. Though, 'struck' doesn't even qualify the event that happened.

Orion experimented with the arrow's head, creating something unusual.

-

Before coming to Eogis, on the way, he thought thoroughly about the differences between hunting a beast, and a human.

Since the targets weren't normal humans either, using magic, it meant that the moment he failed his first attempt, the next phase would be a fight without tricks.

If he could do a tremendous amount of damage and pain to the target before arriving to the second phase, then, he would have the upper hand for the rest of the fight.

Which led him to rethink about his gear.

The crossbows didn't need any particular upgrades, as each of them were magical, but the arrows that he created were simply too basic to be effective.

He tried many changes, going from the velocity to the shape of the arrows.

For the velocity, he realized that Alcyone was remarkably fast.

The arrows shot by the light crossbow were three times faster than a normal one. Usually, it took two to three seconds to hit a target, but with Alcyone, the arrow touched its target around half a second.

The shape was the most important realization. The basic arrow used for the light arrows was weak, with the head breaking inside the target. In this case, the head would vanish before the arrow got fully stuck inside.

He also realized that he couldn't pierce trees with it, and that the thick skull of the boar that he managed to break through, was most likely not in perfect shape.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The arrow never pierced through its back, which means that it was pure luck at that time.

To change the outcome of the arrowhead, and to strengthen the base, he began experimenting.

Different types of heads showed varying damage. Out of all those experiments, only two types of arrows were kept.

One arrow with three feathers, with a simple but sharpened head, made to fly through a target with ease.

The other arrow had two feathers and a broad head with three blades, made to cut pieces off flesh from the prey. The amount of damage caused by the second arrow type was ridiculous.

Replacing the basic flattened V-shaped head, the piercing arrow resisted the shock of an impact, getting halfway through a tree trunk.

The broad head, even though powerful, didn't go as far in as its brother, but ended up creating a dangerous piece of equipment. When the arrow flew into the tree, it gouged a massive part of wood in a triangular shape.

What's more, Orion managed to find another use for the arrow.

If the arrowhead possessed dents on its blades, and the feathers were slightly modified, the arrow spun at an incredible rate.

It was so outrageous, Orion swore to never use it against anyone other than direct threats. Amelia saw for the first time an arrow drill a tree, blinking wildly as she couldn't believe it.

Even if the spin was slower, it did a great deal of damage.

-

Returning to the present, the question now was, which arrow did Orion use on Kiel? The piercing arrow? Of course... not.

'You won't survive this one, it is also a warning directed at each one of you.'

The arrow traveled the distance between Orion and Kiel in record time.

Blood splattered all over. Layla realized something was odd, and turned to look at Kiel, but it was already too late.

The only thing she saw before drowning in blood was an arrow ripping Kiel's head off his neck.

The shot was clean, there were no obstacles on the way, and since the altar was higher in elevation than the table, it was perfect.

No one managed to see the arrow, only the bloody result. It was only when Kiel's head began to roll down the steps that dust scattered around Orion from his landing.

The moment everyone realized something turned terribly wrong, they looked at a fountain of blood, and a bloodied Layla in shock.

No sound besides Kiel's body tumbling down the steps, no voice, no reaction. Everyone turned towards the entrance of the room, and there, was the perpetrator of this act.

A young man, crouched on the floor, wearing black clothes, a black cape and a gray scarf. His hair presented a strange pattern of colors, being black in the back, with aspects of gold and silver in the front bangs. In his hands, a bright white crossbow.

At that moment, Layla brought herself together, and screamed.

"Y- You!"

Everyone seemed to gather the situation. The person in front of them was unmistakably related to the angels and demons. He possessed their energy, which should have disappeared.

"Just a passerby. I'll take my leave now."

'Let's leave before they all wake up. Mission accomplished.'

Orion took this moment to run toward the front door of the church like building.

"EVERYONE, CAPTURE HIM IMMEDIATELY! ALL THE ARMIES OUTSIDE NEED TO CATCH HIM!"

The Apostles all looked at Layla in a daze, her words falling in deaf ears. After a few seconds, it seemed to finally hit, and they scurried to give their orders.

'Kiel is dead?'

Is all they were thinking about. They all glanced at his head before leaving, that was smiling, locked eternally into an overjoyed state on the floor.

Four individuals remained sited at the table, analyzing the situation carefully.

With no signs of doing anything apart from rejoicing, they glared at the dead Apostles. Florian being the most grateful for this happening.

'Finally! That trash got what he deserved. Now I can finally bring the lamias under my wing. It's time to make them a true faction again.'

Olivia was thinking about something entirely different.

'Oh dear! Who was that man? He was so handsome! I've never seen someone like him before.'

Kamala and Eric were simply looking at each other, and sighed in relief.

"What are you waiting for, all of you! Move!"

"No, thanks, I won't chase after someone who cleaned the place."

Florian spat those words at Layla, which they seemed to all agree on.

"You should clean yourself before going outside, Lady Layla."

True to that, Layla was soaked in blood. Someone else's blood.

"Calm your nerves, too."

This time, it was Kamala. Layla looked at them, and then took a deep breath.

"You might be right, I'll go clean myself. Let's hope the others catch that cursed child before I do."

With a disgusted expression, she pulled her long dress closer in the air, and walked into a room behind the altar.

~

"EVERYONE, CAPTURE HIM IMMEDIATELY! ALL THE ARMIES OUTSIDE NEED TO CATCH HIM!"

The loud scream could be heard even from the forest Amelia hid in.

(I guess... he got one?)

A tensed smile appeared on Amelia's face. Sweat began to appear on her temple, thinking of the trouble he had brought with him.

(So it finally begins, we're definitely at war against the humans now.)

She realized Orion might come out at any moment, and observed anxiously for his signal.

Noticing the armies moving erratically, she watched as they showed clear confusion.

As they were moving all over the place, a considerable noise caught their attention, as a man emerged from a broken window.

(Seems like his only escape was from that window, so close to the front door too. I hope that didn't leave cuts on his face...)

...

Orion fell to the floor and rolled, cursing his current situation. Many armed soldiers with muskets and weapons of all sorts stood in front of him.

'How am I going to get out of here? I guess I have no choice.'

He lifted his left arm, before the bracelet he cherished began to reflect the light of the sun.

Amelia saw the sign Orion promised to do. With that, Amelia immediately went on to activate the 'First Gear'.