“Reality warping power?” Julia was surprised. The power to bend reality was amongst the rarest and most powerful. In the right hands, it could remake the world. “What make you say that? There are a lot of ways to circumvent my lockdown.”

“Yeah, I know there are… Rook,” Luke said and gave her a smile, sending chill up her spine. “But for the newbies to vanish without a trace? I don’t think so. It takes a lot of time and dedication to gain full control of our power. They don’t have that kind of luxury. And the more powerful their ability is, the harder it is for them to control and the easier it is for us to detect them.”

Julia looked puzzled. “That doesn’t explain why you think –

“Luke is right,” Zeus voiced his opinion. He brought up a hand. Lightning crackled between two of his fingers. A second later, the lightning exploded outwards in the form of an electromagnetic pulse. The pulse washed over a large area, lighting up all living things for him to sense. “No matter who or what it is, if they are here, I can sense them. And if they are in another dimension, they cannot avoid your vision.”

Zeus lowered his hand. A smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. His power had increased with leap and bound with a better understand of the world and its natural law. If science was allowed to flourish back when he was still human, people’s lives would be a lot better. He wouldn’t have to do back-breaking labour on the field all day just to have enough to survive another day.

“But if they are in a different reality completely disconnected from this one,” Zeus continued. “We will not be able to detect them without some extra helps.”

Julia understood. The newly spawns had escaped into another reality, likely to one created by their power. With so many Demon Spawns in one spot exchanging ideas and learning how to control their newfound ability, they could pose a threat in the future especially the one with the reality-warping power.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about them though,” Luke said before Julia could speak up. “They aren’t powerful enough to exert their will and desire onto the real world. Even if they somehow could, isn’t that’s what Minus wanted? Indirectly, but the same in the long run.”

Julia was puzzled once more. She didn’t understand how Luke came to that conclusion. Rogue power users were more of a threat to Minus than anything else. They should be kept in check or killed.

Zeus agreed with Luke’s assessment. If there truly is a reality-warper amongst the Demon Spawns, they would only bring trouble to themselves. Attempting to overwrite God’s will and law in his world will only met with his judgement.

“Where the newly demon spawns are shouldn’t concern us,” Zeus said. “They will do more damage on their own without our interference. Our objective is to summon the Gate of Hell and bring forth a Demon Lord. Has Minus decided on which one to call?”

There was silence. Both Luke and Zeus looked at Julia. She was in thought.

“Rook? What are you thinking?” Zeus asked.

“Minus said it doesn’t matter,” Julia answered tensely. “Any of them will incite a response from… up there.” Her finger pointed weakly at the sky. “And when they do, Hell will not stay put and let one of their Pillars get killed.”

“Hah! And you called me crazy. Minus is the crazy one,” Luke chuckled. “Minus wants a war between heaven and hell. Well, when that happened, which side should we be fighting for?”

“We fight for Minus,” Julia answered flatly. “Without Minus, none of us would be here. We owed her that much even if she said we are free to do whatever we want – as long as we don’t stand in way.”

Julia didn’t say the last bit. Minus didn’t say it either, but it was well implied. Minus considered those who stood in her way was her enemies.

Luke looked at Julia. “Yeah… I meant to say, which side does Minus want to win? I assume hell since we are demon spawns. But heaven is good too if that’s what she wanted. Never seen an angel, but if the murals in churches always depicted them as beautiful. I wouldn’t mind dying in their arms. It will be heavenly.”

“Only you would want to defile an angel!” Julia growled. “Don’t you have any self-restrain?”

“We’re demons. Why the hell should we have any restrain?” Luke questioned. “And seriously, angels are our mortal enemies. It shouldn’t matter what I want to do with them. Don’t tell me you want to save them like those kids. Where are they anyway?”

“A place far away from you and your sadistic game,” Julia snapped. “What kind of monster turns the entire town against their loved ones?”

“Hey! You’re giving me too much credit. I only remove their inhibitions and morals and told them to enjoy themselves. They could have stop but they didn’t,” Luke said with a devilish grin.

“Bullshit!” Julia retorted. “They can’t go against your will! If you tell them to murder and pillage, they will murder and pillage!”

“My soldiers aren’t mindless machine!” Luke snorted. He then sighed and calmed himself. “Rook, it’s too much an effort to micromanage them so I leave their freewill intact. They can feel pain. They can feel fear. They certainty could think for themselves and act accordingly to each situation. You should notice that by now.”

Zeus nodded. Luke’s creation acted like real people despite being artificial. He could see the fears in their eyes when they are being confronted with their own mortality. They would beg, beseech and plead for their lives like any living person would. And considering their freewill, their soul must still be intact. That alone brought up a lot of questions to the true nature of Luke’s power.

Julia was also in agreement. She had interacted with Luke’s soldiers and found them to be human-like in many ways. They were too human for her liking. She preferred if they were mindless machine, following orders without questions.

“I know I told them to rape, pillage and plunder,” Luke admitted. His eyes softened. “But that is just my own suggestion. Something for them to start with. They don’t have to follow it or enjoy it… but they didn’t.” His hands were placed on Julia’s shoulder. “Do you want to know why, Rook?”

Julia tensed as Luke whispered into her ears. “Because deep down… we are all monsters… you and I, we aren’t so different from them. Bloods is on our hands. Don’t think that you don’t, Julia. Just think about it.” His voice deepened. “Why didn’t you say anything when all those people were butchered? Where were you when they are crying for help, begging for mercy? Why do you only speak up when half the town was already dead? Oh… is it because of that boy? That child? Does he remind you of your little brother, your failure?”

The airspace around Julia cracked. “Shut up!”

“Woah!” Luke hastily dodged the swing that shattered the air like it was made of glass. The police station in front of Julia cracked and crumpled along with the ground and sky and everything in the same direction.

“Holy fuck, that is some powerful punch,” Luke said as he watched the fissures propagated in one direction and bringing with it, more destructions. It only stopped when it reached the edge of the town and met the lockdown barrier. Unholy energy permutated the air.

“I’m going to kick your ass, Luke! Prepare yourself.”

“I’m always prepared, Rook,” Luke taunted and did an invite gesture with his hands. The airspace around him rippled with yellowish electricity, creating little tears. Beyond the tears was an inside of a rotating machine, glowing brightly with energy as it spun up.

「Time Dilation Field Activating in 3…2…」

“Ahem…. speaking of the churches,” Zeus interjected before Julia destroyed the town, trying to hit Luke. He eyed Victoria, who was still unconscious. “I believed they are coming. I’ve already fought two of them. Killed one and captured this one.”

“Let them come. It’s not like I’m afraid of them,” Luke snorted and summoned a pistol in his hand. Before he could execute Victoria, his hand was pushed to the side. “Huh? I thought you hated the church?”

“I don’t hate the church,” Zeus pointed out before let go of Luke’s hand. “I hate the idea that we are nothing but sheep, blinding being herded into a slaughter house without ever realizing it.”

“That is some deep ass statement right there, too deep for my simple brain,” Luke said and put away his pistol. The spatial tears around him dissipated. “Since I’ve given my report, I’m going to brush up my sniper skill and gain some EXP. Just a few more kills and it will be level 55.”

A sniper appeared in his hands as Luke walked away, whistling.

“The bastard purposely left some people alive, just so he could hunt them,” Julia growled. Her anger hadn’t subsided.

“It appears to be that way,” Zeus said with a nod.

“Why did Minus allow him to join us and even make him a Knight?”

“Because Minus saw something in him,” Zeus said and picked up Victoria with one hand. Like a sack of potato, she was placed over his shoulder. “Luke isn’t all bad. He did come to your rescue against them. Without him, you would have been devoured.”

“Don’t remind me,” Julia said, shivering. “What were they anyway? They aren’t like any shadow I have ever seen?”

“Didn’t your demon say the darkness is full of unseen terrors,” Zeus questioned. “Some even give Demon Lords pause.” He looked towards the edge of the town, feeling the unholy energy lingering there. “Please refrain from damaging the Wall, Rook. We cannot allow the Shadows to breech into town before we rounded up everyone.”

“I’m sorry, but he just pisses me off sometimes,” Julia nodded.

“Only sometimes?” Zeus jested.

“All the time,” Julia growled. She flickered her hand to the side, cracking the empty air. It shattered and formed a portal into a parallel dimension. She entered the portal, followed by Zeus with Victoria slumped over his shoulder. The portal was sealed just seconds before a gunshot echoed the area and then a scream.

「Headshot: +114 EXP」

Luke whistled and pulled the lever to eject the spent shell. The shell fell and bounced on the ground before breaking into pieces with yellowish tint and vanishing. He looked through the scope and eyed the girl screaming in terror at the body on the floor with its head smashed by a 7-inch sniper round.

“Boom!” Luke mouthed over the echoing sound.

「Headshot: +109 EXP」