Judgment Day

Judgment Day

Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, o inhabitants of Dedan;

for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time I will visit him.

—Jeremiah 49: 8

" A re you here, Cherubim? " Alfonso quietly asked. He was in what once had been the count's room. On one of the walls of the study were bookshelves. Crammed in between those was an image of the Virgin and Child.

With his head bowed down in front of the picture, a dry voice called out: " The representative of God asks you, the guardian of knowledge: How many of the true faith have been martyred? "

The answer came immediately. The voice was destitute. " Nine-hundred and twenty-nine, Your Holiness. "

A person had appeared. He was standing behind Alfonso. The man stared into space with his pale eyes; it looked like he was reading writing in the sky. He started to read names as if it were a list. " Those who have been martyred as of today, December twenty-fourth, are as follows... From the monastery of Kassel: Brothers Alois Reuen, Otto Edoardo, Johan Batholemew, Karl Fritz, Adam Rust... "

Alfonso didn't know when the list of names might stop. He looked up to heavens and let out a deep sigh.

" Oh Lord, why? " He looked at the image of the Madonna and pleaded. " Why do you test us so? Why have you called so many of the faithful back to you? Why have you thrice sent those demons to us? We have already been pushed to this harsh northern climate. Are you not satisfied that our faith has been sufficient? "

Alfonso hung his head as he spoke, trying to understand why they had been challenged so much. He closed his eyes and opened his ears, but no answer came from the heavens. The marble Madonna and her beautiful child just kept smiling down at him. The only sound that came was that of the snowstorm, which had been raging since this morning.

" So this is the wonderment... The man-made information dwarf, Cherubim? "

Alfonso quickly raised his head. What was that? Where had it come from him?

The room was entirely deserted. He was the only person here. All of the priests should have been in the cathedral getting ready for midnight mass.

" Oh dear, did I surprise you? "

The same gentle voice chided Alfonso. It was a female voice. It almost sounded like a mother, reading a story to her child.

The voice echoed off the ceiling, sounding vindictive: " And this is what I am to expect from the man who flew a flag against Rome? Did you miscalculate the situation? Your dream of crushing AX and the Vatican is still but a dream. "

" Who are you?! " Alfonso twisted round, searching in the dim corners of the room for something. " Are you a man? Or a demon! Don't hide! Show yourself! "

" I am no demon. I am on your side, Alfonso d'Este. "

However, no female appeared in the room. It was a disembodied voice, resounding off the walls of the room.

" My name is Helga. Helga von Vogelweide. I am Rank 8-3 of the Rosenkruez Orden, named Ice Witch. I have come to warn you that you are in danger. "

" The Orden?! "

Hearing this name, Alfonso had frowned, doubtful. It was the terrorist group who had requested the destruction of Rome. But since their failure at Rome, he had not once spoken with the agent who went by the name of Kampfer. During the uprising in Rome, Alfonso had tried to contact him to no avail. Why were they here now?!

" Are you one of Kampfer's men?! "

" Yes, something like that. " For a moment, the woman's voice seemed pained. Her next words returned to her normal tone of superiority: " This does not matter now, Alfonso. There is a great calamity coming. Do you know that the AX Agents who came this morning are conspiring? "

" Conspiring? "

" Yes. " Ice Witch snorted a little. It reminded Alfonso of a cat, playing with a mouse. " The people of this town who were planning to use you as a hostage. . . Those three hundred citizens of Tallinn? They have already left now... Do you think they have just disappeared? "

When Alfonso frowned as the windows to the study were flung open by some unseen force, causing the cold air and the snow to flood into the room.

" They have left the city and are heading for the mountains. Those Roman dogs intend to evacuate the town and launch a major offensive against us. They intend to kill all those of the true faith. "

" WHAT?! " Alfonso almost choked on the cold air that was beating on his face. His eyes wide with panic, he ran to the open window and looked down. It was Christmas Eve, but there was not a single light on in the snow-covered town, and the streets were deathly silent. In the distance, Alfonso could just about make out small points of light moving in the direction of the mountains. They were torches leading the people away from town.

" Without the residents of this town as a human shield, the Vatican will be able to unleash their full force. They probably intend to exterminate you all. "

Alfonso couldn't breathe.

Ice Witch chuckled. " Alfonso, are you going to sit there and wait for your death? Or. . . "

" Don't you think it's strange, Antonio? " Everything was quiet. From the ceiling, the electric light lit the empty corridor. As he snuck out of the deserted bathroom, Abel looked around carefully. He muttered to his friend from under his hood.

" What's strange? " Antonio said.

" Hmm, something doesn't seem quite right, " Abel replied.

Abel and Antonio were dressed in monk's habits.

Antonio looked up and down the dirty corridor and combed his long hair with his fingers. " Seriously, what's going on?! How can one of the Vatican's most wanted be crawling round in sewers? " Antonio grumbled.

" We didn't have much choice! There was no other way in. You were the one who wanted to come! If you've got a problem, then you can just go with the others to the mountain, " Abel rebuked Antonio. He didn't take his attention off their bearing, though. As he looked around, he lowered his voice a little. " Anyway, don't you think the castle is strangely empty? When we here this morning, the place was full of New Vatican. "

" Yeah, you're right. " Antonio looked up and down. He had to have it pointed out before he noticed it. Eulis had told them about this way into the castle. They hadn't seen signs of anyone, though. As only half a day had passed since they had been in the castle, the AX Agents had expected New Vatican to be even more wary. Were they just being careless?

" Perhaps they're all at mass? It is Christmas Eve tonight. "

" I suppose. "

Abel nodded his agreement as he squinted down the dark corridor. It was certainly possible, considering the depth of Alfonso's religious passion. It would explain why there was no one in the castle. But he couldn't shake the vague foreboding he felt.

" Let's not worry too much about it. It's a good thing for us. Anyway, there was something I wanted to ask you, Abel, " Antonio said. Obviously, Antonio didn't have the same bad feeling about this that Abel did. He just kept talking. " Right, so Master Wordsworth's choice... It was to either break into the LateranPalace or find Cherubim. Why did he choose Tallinn? If it had been you, I bet you would have chosen to just save Duchess of Milan directly, am I right? "

" There are things more important to Caterina than her life. "

The first corridor led then to another corridor, which took them to an inner garden. The courtyard was overshadowed by tall buildings. The snow that had fallen here had frozen into ice, making it look like a garden of glass. Abel was silent for a moment as he carefully proceeded. Finally he spoke again: " She has made many sacrifices for that position. After obtaining such an important power... She won't want to lose it. "

" More important than her own life? " Antonio probably hadn't noticed the slight resonance of pity in Abel's voice. He shrugged his shoulders as if they were just having a chat over coffee. " She has more lust for power than I expected. Seeing how hard she worked to be a cardinal, I wonder if there is something specific she wants. "

Abel frowned. Now that they had lost Havel, he was the only one in AX who knew. It was something that couldn't be spoken about. Shaking his head, he decided that the conversation needed to be diverted toward another direction.

" I don't really know anything about that. More importantly, do you know the face of this Cherubim? This might be our last chance. It would be terrible if I saw him but didn't realize that it was him. "

" Oh, don't worry about it. You really do like to worry, don't you, Abel? My dear, sweet friend, " Antonio replied. He wasn't tense in the slightest. " I've seen him once from afar but I remember his face perfectly. I have a great memory. "

It was then that a guard stepped out of the shadow of the pillar and questioned them. " What are you two doing here? " It was a single soldier who had probably come outside to have a smoke and look at the snow. He was now eyeing Abel and Antonio suspiciously. " All the monks are gathered in the tower... You... you...?!

It seemed that the guard had remembered Abel being involved in the disruption this morning. He immediately raised his gun. Abel also hurriedly reached for his hand gun, but...

" OW. " Suddenly something pushed him from behind. Underneath his feet, the cobbles were icy and slippery. He tottered for a moment before falling forward. " AAAAAAAHHHHH! "

The soldier was about to squeeze the trigger, but Abel was now careening toward him. Abel hit him head on, and the two of them collapsed on the paving stones, a tangled mess of limbs.

" Good work, Abel! " Antonio swiftly ran over and picked up the gun that the soldier had dropped during his fall and aimed it straight at the man's head. Abel still wasn't quite sure what had happened.

" Pretty careless of you, though... " Antonio addressed the soldier who was lying on the ground. " Put your hands on your head. If you make any sudden movements, I'll shoot. Abel, are you all right? "

" A-A-A-ANTONIO! Did you just use me as a human shield?! " Abel screamed indignantly. " You were trying to save yourself! "

" Oh no, my friend. It was all just part of my cunning plan to save you. "

Antonio grinned and patted his " friend" on the back. " You don't have to thank me; we're friends after all. "

Abel had had his doubts about bringing Antonio with him, but it had paid off this time. He decided to leave it alone for once. He looked down at the soldier, who now had both his hands on his head.

" I wonder if you could tell us? There’re not many people here. Where is everyone? Are they in the cathedral? "

" They went outside. " The soldier gulped. He was probably still coming to terms with the situation. " I don't know the full details, but they were saying that the townspeople had left. They're chasing after them. "

" To the mountain... Why?! " Abel's voice was a high-pitched shriek.

The townsfolk had carefully camouflaged themselves for their escape; how had they been discovered?

" This is bad, Abel. " Even Antonio understood the gravity of this. " We need to go back. We need to let Father Iqus know! "

If things had gone as planned, the townsfolk would be entering the mountain right about now. It would be difficult to get a signal through to them once they were underground. If the Iron Maiden were overhead, then they could request a radio link, but Kate had moved away so that the Department of Inquisition would not detect their presence. If Abel and Antonio turned back now, then they would lose this chance of finding Cherubim, and they still might not be able to warn Tres and the others.

" No. We must keep going. " Abel shook his head. " Tres will look after the townsfolk. We will continue as planned and capture Cherubim. "

" What?! There are sick and elderly there! It's only a matter of time before New Vatican catch up with them. "

" If we were there, it wouldn't change anything. Anyway... " Abel pushed his spectacles back up the bridge of his nose. His expression was very serious now. " Anyway, if we can't secure Cherubim, it will be the end of us and Caterina. Tres is looking after them. I have faith in him, and we have our own job to do. "

Abel was right. But Antonio didn't seem entirely convinced: " You're right. But you can be heartless. "

" You've only just noticed? " Abel shrugged. He pushed his spectacles against his face again. His fingers were trembling a little. It was something he couldn't explain to Antonio. But he resolved to forget the people heading to the mountain and turned his attention back to the soldier. " Then one more question: Is Cardinal d'Este still in this castle? "

" Umm... " The soldier looked up in fear at the uncaring priest. He then looked to the gun in Antonio's hand. Finally, in a trembling voice, he answered, " Yes, His Holiness is in the castle... " The soldier trailed off. It sounded as if he was going to reveal exactly where.

Suddenly there was the sound of something flying above, which halted their conversation. " Antonio! Get down! "

If Abel and Antonio had not fallen to the floor, then they would have both had their heads sliced off. The decapitated head of the soldier rolled back. The gun that Cardinal of Valencia had been holding had also been sliced.

Antonio let out a holler, but Abel wasn't there. He was reaching for his own gun.

" Hah! Too late! Unbelievers! "

The sound of an old revolver rang out. Fresh blood dripped from a cut on the back of Abel's hand. The man wielding the gun smiled ruthlessly as he glared down at Abel.

" I'm glad to meet you again, AX Agents... But this will be the last time. "

From behind Friedrich, a few dozen soldiers fired a volley of bullets.

III

" Twenty-one-hundred. We should be reaching the end of the tunnel soon, " Eulis muttered to no one in particular.

Eulis looked up from his pocket watch. The inside of the giant pipe looked like a gloomy cave. Under the electric lighting, the conveyer continued to move along with a low roar. The conveyer was meant to take Oilshell from the mountain to the purification plant. Tonight, though, the belt wasn't carrying minerals. It was carrying three thousand townsfolk, all of them looking a little uneasy.

" How is your leg, Father Tres? "

Eulis and Tres were sitting at the back of the group. Eulis turned his attention away from the group of huddled, frightened townsfolk and to the priest who sat next to him. " Does it hurt? "

" Negative. There is no pain. " Tres' face was emotionless as always. He was currently treating the area on his right thigh where he had been shot that morning, when he had been defending Eulis. Under the manmade skin was shape-memory plastic, which had been pinned back to allow Tres to access the damage sections. " However, the condenser in my upper-right leg is damaged. There is a possibility that my leg will overheat in a prolonged battle. " Tres continued to assess the damage to his body.

" I see. " Eulis looked a little pained. " I'm really sorry for this morning, Father Tres. I shouldn't have said such terrible things to the person who defended me. You were right. I am weak. "

" Negative. " As ever, the mechanical soldier was expressionless. He wasn't accepting the apology. He continued to work on his leg as he spoke. " It is true that your psychological hesitation was the cause of our failure in a previous battle, but in today’s battle, you have aided the townsfolk to escape. I have to reassess your value now. "

" No. I really am weak. " Eulis was surprised at Tres' kind consolation, but still he shook his head sadly. " It's been two years since I inherited my father's position. I intended to work hard. I built roads and schools. But when it comes to war, I'm useless. "

Eulis looked down at the fragments of Oilshell on the conveyer. His eyes were full of bitterness. He screwed up his face as if he had just been forced to drink some bitter medicine. " As soon as I heard the first gun shots, I blanked out. Next thing I knew, I was outside of the castle. I am a coward. I wish I could have been born as someone who could feel joy in the heat of battle, like yourself. " Eulis pulled his character apart, bit by bit.

Tres' reply to it was calm: " I have not once felt joy in battle. " Tres did not speak out of pride, but rather to make Eulis understand. " Ever since I was turned on, I have not felt the need to fight. My battles have been because I was ordered to... or something similar. Your assessment of me has been incorrect, sir. "

" Ordered? You mean that your superiors told you to do this? "

" Negative. There was no direct order. But any task which serves to defend my mistress' life or position is my top priority. I have to neglect everything else.

" I see. " Eulis sighed. He looked back at the townspeople, who were still squatting down, glancing around in fear. There was something that Eulis prioritized over all else too. He would risk everything to save it. He would risk himself if he could save them...

" It's strange, " Eulis started to think. When Eulis turned back round to meet the eyes of the bloodless Tres this time, he smiled. " Father Tres, why will people fight to save the lives of others, even at the risk of their own lives? Why stand against those that are stronger? "

" Count, silence please. " Tres ignored Eulis' musing. He quickly turned around. He flipped the safety catch on the giant gun in his hand.

" What is it? Father Iqus? "

" The enemy. "

Their world was torn apart in the next moment.

About one-thousand feet behind them, there was a large explosion, which engulfed the pipe; the wind created by it knocked the townsfolk down.

" What was that?! " Eulis shook his head. He'd temporarily lost his hearing. But he could see that the belt had stopped moving and the townsfolk were screaming out in fear. He turned around to ascertain what had caused the explosion, but what he saw froze him to the spot. " It's them! "

A gaping hole had been made in the pipe. It looked like a huge demon had come down and taken a bite out of it. A large snow drift had also fallen into the tunnel. What really caught Eulis' attention, though, was not the destruction. From the other side of the gaping hole were a swarm of black shadows.

" Ne-New Vatican! " Eulis gulped.

" They must have detected us, " the mechanical soldier offered as a short explanation.

From armored vehicles lined up outside the hole, hundreds of soldiers had started filtering out.

" Go ahead, " Tres ordered Eulis as he changed the cartridge of his fun to tungsten bullets. " We are about seventeen miles from the mountain. If you move quickly, you will be able to arrive there within one hundred and fifty minutes. Then when you arrive, you must seal the entrance as quickly as possible. That should buy you some time. "

" What are you going to do, Father Tres? " " I will stay. I can hold them off here and buy you some more time. "

Tres watched the all-Terran vehicles maneuver their cannons. People on foot would be no match for such vehicles. Tres would have to take out the vehicles, or they would catch up with the evacuees. " Leave it to me. Hurry, sir. You are the only one who can guide them. "

" I... ah... " Eulis opened his mouth as if to say something, but Tres had already turned round. " You are not a war leader. "

The townsfolk were looking at each other with concern and calling out pathetically.

" You have a priority. That is to protect them. " " I'm sorry, Father Tres! " Eulis lowered his head defeated, his voice trembling. " I'm sorry! " " GO! NOW! "

The young Eulis turned around and began to lead the townsfolk further down the tunnel.

" Switching to Genocide-mode. Combat Open. " The unlucky soldiers' heads that got in the way of Tres' flurry of bullets were turned into hunks of meat. But it wasn't long before the cartridges in his guns ran out. Tres quickly hid himself behind a boulder. The bullets that were aimed at him buried themselves into the snow.

The soldiers made exclamations of frustration... but they didn't expect the next round of bullets that sunk into their chests.

" Deleted thirteen, downed three... " Tres shook out his wrists. White steam came from the magazines lying on the floor. " Search-mode. Locate the captain. "

While he changed the magazine in his rifle, Tres searched for the commander. The snow and geography should have been in his favor, but with this much of a strength disparity, that was no longer the case. Also, against armored vehicles, his defensive capabilities were greatly reduced. He was equipped to fight in the snow, but his polymer-based artificial skin was unlikely to be a good defense against such high-powered weaponry. He needed to take out the commander quickly. That way, he could confuse the ranks and segment them.

" Are you hiding here? Heretic scum! "

While Tres was considering his options, he heard a throaty voice calling to him. Suddenly a giant sword came crashing down, splitting the rock that Tres was hiding behind.

" God is all-knowing and all-powerful. Don't think you can escape, sinner. "

Heidrich's eyes glinted with lunacy. He roared then swung the swords, which glinted in the light that was reflected off the snow, back down to the ground. " Die! "

" Point-two-eight seconds late. "

Tres dodged, rolling backward and then springing to his feet. His artificial muscles and lightweight frame allowed him to perform some very acrobatic moves. He jumped up into the air and repeatedly pulled the triggers of the guns in his hands.

" Hah! Not good enough! " Heidrich snorted. He kicked up snow, which swallowed the M13's bullets.

Suddenly, Tres disappeared. No, he hadn't disappeared. Gunslinger had, with lightning speed, moved to the right and was now letting loose another flurry of bullets. It knocked his enemy back for a second.

Heidrich slashed at the air again, but Tres had already moved behind him. Though Tres had avoided that slash, another one came from the right. It would have been physically impossible to avoid if it had not been for his abnormal weight.

" Point-oh-eight seconds late. "

However close he had come to death, Gunslinger didn't look perturbed. As Heidrich slashed again, Tres turned his gun and fired straight at his enemy. But it was Tres' body that grumbled. He had overexerted himself; he took a step back.

Had his leg been overexerted and given in? No. From his right knee, there was black smoke pouring out. It looked like the coolant in his right leg supports had been damaged and it was now overheating.

" Praise the Lord. I've got you, AX! " Heidrich swung his sword into the air. It drew a silver line in the air.

Tres was still trying to stand back up again.

From the deep gouge in his cassock, internal fluid spurted out. Torn artificial flesh sprung out of the wound like elastic. Still, Tres tried to lift the gun...

" A mere Doll is no match to me! "

Heidrich planted a kick in Tres' chest, knocking him back down to the ground. He'd taken some substantial internal damage. His body was twitching in places. Tres wasn't trying to get up anymore.

" What foolishness. " Heidrich mocked the fallen warrior at his feet. He thrust the point of one of his swords against the man's neck. " I am a warrior of God. Sacred. I could never lose to the likes of you. I feel sorry for you, you lapdog of Sforza! " He carefully steadied his sword. This was to be the last blow.

But Tres didn't beg for his life. Instead, he murmured something colder and more unforgiving than the snow: " Shall we test how 'sacred'? "

On pure instinct, he jumped back—if he hadn't, he would have been sure to lose his head.

A dark black wind shot across the ice. The force of this entrance was almost explosive.

" Well dodged. You are more than just words, then, " a calm voice mocked Heidrich.

When did this newcomer arrive? The figure stood between the fallen tuned soldier and Heidrich. It was another young man with pale blonde hair with glittering eyes.

Heidrich turned round to the man. " Who the hell are you?! "

He yelped when he saw the man twirling a baton in his hands move toward him. Panicking, he dodged the attack, but it managed to graze his cheek. This was no ordinary man! " Another heretic, like the Doll! "

" I am Hugue, " the newcomer calmly replied. His hand twisted behind his back as if it were a separate creature to him. Suddenly, he sprang into action. He turned somersaults around the soldiers who had tried to blindside him. Lashing out here and there with his stick, he knocked a man to the ground with each swipe. He didn't once look down at the victims who lay screaming in pain on the floor. He then turned his blood-drenched staff to Heidrich.

" I am AX Agent Sword Dancer. I will not forgive this treatment of my friends, New Vatican. Leave now! "

" Leave? What nonsense! " Heidrich roared. He was seething with rage at this intrusion. " You must remember me, but do you think you could defeat me as a normal human? "

In the next instant, Heidrich changed positions, looking like a bird folding his wings. The soldier fixed his gaze and then accelerated across the snow at an unbelievable speed.

" Can you keep up with me, Sword Dancer?! "

Heidrich swung his swords. His movements were lightning-quick. However skilled the soldier, it would have taken perfect timing to counter the two swords coming from the left and right.

" You are indeed fast. But that's all. " Hugue grimaced a little as he faced the challenge. He gently moved the rod in his hand and split it into two parts. The rod was in fact a sword in its sheath. Hugue slipped out a thin metal blade. " Speed alone is not enough to defeat me. "

" What?! " Heidrich exclaimed in surprise. In a flash of blue and white light, his two beloved swords were shattered into hundreds of pieces, sparkling as they fell. " Ho-how...?! "

A tuned soldier could pluck a hummingbird out of the air. But a regular person wouldn't see a thing.

" Fire! Kill him! " Heidrich screamed. The soldiers shot at Hugue, buying Heidrich some time to put some distance between the two of them. But it wasn't enough, as Hugue ran around him.

" Those who live by the sword... "

The jumping power of a tuned soldier was enough to rival that of a vampire. It was not possible for a flesh-and-blood human to keep up. With the calm voice like that of a god of death, Hugue pulled himself close to the face of the terrified Heidrich and whispered: " Will die by the sword, Amen. "

There was a flash of blue lightning, and what remained of his swords danced up into the sky... along with the severed head of Heidrich.

The scream and gush of fresh blood seemed to come a moment too late.

" He-Heidrich?! "

The soldiers gasped in shock at the sight of their commander's destruction. In the next moment, their shock turned to horror. " Bring it on! "

Discarding Heidrich where he'd fallen, Hugue ran at the lines of soldiers. Left and right, there was a flash of light, a red cloud, and the sounds of screaming.

" Fire! Get some distance and shoot him! " The officers tried to call out their orders, but their voices couldn't get through. The murderous light danced through the ranks. It seemed to play with the fleeing soldiers as it ran through their lines, leaving behind only corpses.

" Get the mechanical soldier! We can use him as a hostage! " one officer screamed, suddenly remembering the existence of the precious hostage they had managed to capture. They could use him as a shield!

" Where is he?! Bring him here! "

However, the only reply that he got was a mocking voice: " I don't think they're going to listen. " From the driver's seat of one of the vehicles, a large soldier looked down. His lips were twisted into a strange expression, and sunglasses covered his eyes. The soldier laughed. " But we could be friends... get together... "

The laughing man next to him was none other than the mechanical soldier! When he realized it, it was too late. Leon pushed the switch that was clutched in his hand.

In the next instant, there was a brilliant white light. While they had been occupied by Sword Dancer, Leon had taken the gunpowder and covered a stolen vehicle with it. He had mixed aluminum and magnesium and ammonia in with the gunpowder. It had the effect of creating a blinding white light and a cloud of tear gas. All the soldiers in the vicinity sucked it in.

The soldiers temporarily lost their sight and coughed and spluttered in the gas. Leon took the chance to call to his friend. " Done! Get in, Samurai! "

He slammed his foot down on the acceleration. The diesel engine roared.

" There's no point staying here! " Leon yelled. Hugue nodded and deftly jumped onto the roof of the vehicle. He looked searchingly up into the clouds. " Quickly, Father Garcia. They're coming! " The heavens opened.

Hugue had been right. From the gap in the clouds came hundreds of black balls that fell down to the ground.

The soldiers were distracted and looked up to see what was going on. They didn't even have time to scream before they were obliterated in a cloud of blood. The Vulcan cannon was originally intended for anti-vehicle use. Its power was large enough to turn several dozens of humans into flying chunks of meat in one shot.

" Pretty good, Samurai! Let's go! " Leon yelled.

The vehicle accelerated quickly. A few unfortunate soldiers who found themselves in its path were hurled over the hood. The car set a course for the summit of the mountain.

The swordsman clung to the hood as the car threw him from side to side. He looked up into the sky. The cannons didn't cease. Every so often, one would hit close, by but they did not turn Hugue's gaze. He was staring intently at the three huge shadows that had appeared from out of the cloud cover. Three huge warships were descending, all with the motto " Vineam Domini" emblazoned along the side.

***

" Your Eminence, the remnants of the enemy have been almost entirely cleaned up. However, according to the reports of the landing forces, there are no members of AX among the dead. "

Half an hour later, Arnold di Cambio had received a transmission from the parachute unit. A bead of sweat formed on his tense brow. He was standing in front of the command desk on the bridge of theJahoel. His voice was reverent. " According to the prisoners that we took, they were headed with the Tallinn residents to a cave about one and a half miles from here. Shall we pursue them? "

" Of course, " the young man who sat behind the command desk replied immediately. He scratched at his black hair. He then turned his attention to the monitor and smiled. " Pursuing AX is our sacred duty. Defeating New Vatican is just a happy bonus. Captain Cambio, start battle preparations. "

" Bu-but, Brother Matthaios... " Cambio timidly looked at the Inquisition officer, who was playing with a staff in his hand. Cambio usually cut a strict figure and could strike fear in all his subordinates, but compared to the man he was now facing, he may as well have been the Madonna herself. " They are currently hiding among the residents of Tallinn. If we attack now, there will be a great loss of life to the citizens. "

" That's just too bad. We don't want to leave witnesses; I think we need to annihilate everything. "

" What? " Cambio was astonished. Was Matthaios telling him that it would be better to kill them all?

Matthaios then opened a thin file and started talking about something totally unrelated. " Did you know about this, Captain? It looks like this country had oil. Look, the cave they've hidden in is probably where they mine the Oilshell. This is really something. Oil is a precious resource that not even the Vatican has much access to. But this little out-of-the-way country has been quietly mining away. It's amazing, isn't it? "

" Um... yes? " Cambio managed a half-hearted reply. He couldn't stop the feelings that were swirling round inside him now. Cambio couldn't understand this Inquisition officer, but he had a bad feeling about all of this. And a veteran captain's instinct was always right.

The Inquisition officer closed the file and in a calm voice asked, " Captain, just as a thought... If the citizens of Tallinn were to get caught up in the fighting with AX and were, unfortunately, slaughtered, then who would this mountain belong to?

" The mountain...? " Cambio was really puzzled. What was he talking about?

However, it didn't seem like Matthaios was really looking for Cambio's input. He immediately started answering his own question: " Oil is a gem of the people. If the owners were to be annihilated, then we couldn't let it lie neglected. It would need an honest and prudent organization to oversee its continued mining. Don't you agree? "

Finally Cambio was realizing what the Inquisition officer was talking about. He wanted to take the precious oil for the Vatican as spoils of war. And to get those resources, he was prepared to perpetuate something really terrible.

" Your Eminence, you can't really—"

" Anything that happens here will be the responsibility of Duchess of Milan and AX. We were only doing our duty as we pursued the heretics. Sometimes, terrible things happen. We can't take the blame for that, " Matthaios said.

Matthaios handed Cambio the file and quietly stood up. He gently tapped the cane in his hand as he added another order: " I want you to have the Uriel prepared. I will take command of the battle. Raise the altitude of the Jahoel and be on standby. I want you to patrol and provide air support. "

When he had finished giving out his orders, Matthaios walked away from the command desk. He left the captain alone as he headed for the hanger.

If he only wanted to murder all of AX and the townsfolk, it would be simple. It would only require a few cannon shots and bombs to the mountain for it to be all over. But he was thinking of the future, and he wanted to try and safeguard the pipeline. Therefore, he had decided to launch a ground attack to prevent unnecessary damage.

" Then we will wipe out three thousand townspeople. How many years has it been since such a purification? "

Matthaios raised his hands as the elevator descended down to the hanger. His face was flushed. He was exhilarated. He reached up and rubbed his finger down an old scar. He smiled faintly.

" This will be the biggest task since Tangier. I hope I'm not disappointed. "

" You had this all planned, didn't you? Lure the main force out of the town and then target His Holiness. You think we'd fall into your trap? " Friedrich said.

The tuned soldier twisted the tips of his whips between his fingers. He glared at the intruders as he steadied himself. He maneuvered so that he wasn't obstructing the line of fire of the soldiers standing behind him.

" Trap...? " Abel shook his head as he pressed down on the back of his hand. Friedrich was making it sound like they had planned to divert attention away from the castle, using the townsfolk as a strategic distraction. " If it was all a trap, then how did you know we were here? "

" Playing ignorant? Fine. " Friedrich glanced over at the priest coldly. His gaze then moved slowly to focus on the young man trying to hide behind Abel. Friedrich s facial muscles tightened. " I can see you there, Borgia! "

" Ah, long time, no see, Father Friedrich. " Antonio waved a hand as if he had just noticed Friedrich's presence. Friedrich ground his teeth, but Antonio kept talking as if he were chatting with a friend he hadn't met with in a while: " Last time we met was at Koln, right? So it's been half a year. You're looking well! My dear friend. How's Cardinal d'Este? "

" IMPUDENT! " Clearly, he was in no mood for reminiscing and catching up. He swung his whips and roared in rage. " Just because you sold that list to Rome, do you think that we're in the same camp now?! It's unforgivable! Bringing AX and targeting New Vatican! "

" You're mistaken! " Antonio pushed his hand to his chest and exclaimed. He cried out like an actor in some tragedy. " I swear to the heavens. It wasn't me who sold them the list. I was not thinking of attacking the Pope. I came to deliver this dangerous man. "

" Ah, betrayed again! " Abel shook his head in astonishment and disappointment.

Antonio pushed him toward the line of soldiers and bowed his head.

Abel could almost see his invisible devils tail wagging furiously.

" You can cook him, fry him, do whatever you want, now... If this was all it took to prove my loyalty to Pope Alfonso, then it was very simple. " Antonio grinned.

" There are even simpler ways to prove your loyalty, Borgia. " Friedrich wasn't going to return the smile, though. He threw a handgun across the floor. It skidded to Antonio's feet. " Kill this lapdog yourself. Then you'll have proved it. "

" Antonio, pretend to do as he says. Pick up the gun, " Abel whispered. " When you pick it up, I'll move. We have one chance. I'm counting on you. "

" I'm sorry. I don't think... " Antonio was also whispering. There wasn't an ounce of guilt in his face. He picked up the gun and pressed it against Abel's back.

" Don't try to get away this time. I'm sorry, Abel. You will be a sacrifice. "

" What?! You're serious?! " Abel paled. He could feel the mouth of the gun against his back, and it sent a shiver down his spine. In front of him were almost ten soldiers, all with their guns pointed straight at him. This really looked like it might be the end of the line.

" Put your guns down! You blasphemous heretics! "

The husky, yet attractive, voice of a woman echoed down the cloister. Abel thought he could make out a slim figure at the top of the stairs. She was curvaceous. The woman was wearing a thick fur coat. Her white face was almost indistinguishable from the snow.

Both Antonio and Abel exclaimed when they saw who it was: " COUNTESS ANHALT?! "

It was Christa Anhalt. She should have been with the townsfolk who had escaped to the mountains, so why on earth was she here?! And furthermore, what was that she was holding...

" A machine gun?! Where the hell did you get that?! " Friedrich wailed.

Christa didn't answer his question. Instead, she let out a flurry of bullets from the machine gun pushed to her waist.

" Ahhhhhhh! " Abel screamed as he saw the barrage of bullets blow away the snow and head straight for them. He instinctively jumped. A good move—otherwise he would have been mincemeat in seconds.

" Ch-Christa, watch where you're aiming! " Abel called up. " Aaaah! How do I stop this thing?! " the woman holding the gun cried. The force of the weapon had pushed her against the wall, but the gun continued to spew bullets. The machine gun was fully automatic and relentless.

The soldiers who tried to aim at her didn't have a chance to target properly amid the rain of bullets coming down at them. It really wasn't a weapon for a beginner or a physically weak person. But it was doing the job. " ABEL, RUN! "

There were screams and cries of pain coming from the soldiers as the bullets came raining in. In the chaos, Antonio had quickly turned around. He had put the gun on his back and was now running toward Christa. Abel was fascinated by the sight of Antonio acting so bravely for a few seconds. He swept up the guns at his feet and then ran up the stairs.

" Ch-Christa what are you doing here? " The machine gun had finally run out of ammunition. Christa was standing there, looking a little dazed in the sudden return to quiet.

" You should have been with Tres and the others at the mountain! "

" I was worried about my husband. " Christa tensed up as if the priests were threatening her. " So I decided to follow you, but I got lost and then—"

" Abel, let's leave the talking for later! " Antonio interrupted her. Some of the soldiers who had come out of the previous chaos unscathed were standing at the bottom of the stairs. " If you want to get out of here alive, we have to do something! "

" This way. There's an elevator over here. " Christa was pointing down the corridor. They could hear the sound of bullets narrowly missing their heads. They didn't have time to hesitate. With Abel and Antonio at either side of Christa, they ran.

It was a simple but sturdy elevator. The three of them skidded into it. From behind, they could hear the sound of footsteps running down the corridor. Abel yanked the lattice gate shut, and the elevator whirred into motion with a low sound. Finally they were lifted up and taken out of danger.

" What do we do now? " Christa seemed terrified. She was huddled up on the floor. " How are we going to get out of here? And what about my husband and this Cherubim you're looking for...? "

Abel looked up to the heavens. He didn't know how they were going to pull it off either. He wanted to ask the exact same questions. They only had a few hours left until the Department of Inquisition was supposed to arrive. Would they be able to get around the castle in that time?

While Abel was lost, puzzling over these problems, Antonio approached Christa and started rubbing her back. " It'll be okay, Senora Christa. I don't suppose you saw Alfonso d'Este in your travels? If we can take him as a hostage, we'll probably be able to escape. "

" I might have seen him, but I don't know what he looks like so I wouldn't know. " Christa shook her head. She was a rural aristocrat, so she wouldn't have had the chance to meet the central leaders. " I'm so sorry. I'm useless to you. "

" No, you're not. Look, we're here. "

The chime on the bell rang, and the gates opened. The door had opened up to reveal a wide, pleasant study. On the walls were lines of bookcases, filled with books. The room was being kept warm by a roaring fireplace. There was also a desk, which was almost entirely buried in a mountain of books.

" There was a lot of noise coming from downstairs. Did something happen, Friedrich? "

One of the two men standing in front of the desk turned round. There was a moment of shock and confusion on the man's winkled face and then there was realization. " Yo-you?! "

Alfonso knew Abel's face.

Beside Alfonso was another man, who now moved in front of Alfonso to shield him.

" What the hell are you two doing here?! " Alfonso yelled.

Antonio moved faster than Abel. He whipped out his gun. " Hey, don't move! " Antonio barked. " The Lord be praised. We've been lucky today. We've found the both of them! "

" The both of them... "

" Both of them? Then this is... " Abel looked at the man shielding Alfonso. It was an old man with diluted eyes. " This is Cherubim?! "

" Abel, cut the power off to the elevator. We don't want those guys downstairs getting up here. Senora Christa, tie Cherubim up. "

Lost in his thoughts, Abel walked over to the elevator to cut off the main power.

Antonio handed Christa some cord, and she followed his instructions. Now that they had Cherubim and Alfonso, they didn't need to stay any longer. They would be able to use Alfonso as a negotiation tool to stop New Vatican from pursuing the townsfolk to the mountain. " Aaaah! "

Abel twirled round when he heard the scream. " Cardinal Borgia?! What are you doing?! " Abel couldn't believe his eyes. Cherubim's hands were tied. That was all good. Christa, on the other hand, was cowering against the wall. And Antonio was aiming the gun straight at her?! " Antonio. What are you...? "

" I'm really sorry that it had to come to this, Senora Christa. " Antonio smiled. " This cheap play is over already. I think it's time for you to tell us who you really are. Come on, Countess Anhalt. "

" I don't know what you're talking about, Father! What do you mean? " Christa cried back. Her face turned even whiter than usual. " I'm me! You know who I am! "

" You said that you didn't know Alfonso. So how did you know who to tie up? " Antonio wasn't cheerful anymore. He continued questioning Christa, all the while keeping his finger poised over the trigger. " I told you to tie up Cherubim. Without hesitation, you knew who I was talking about. How could that be? Unless you knew who Cherubim or Alfonso were in the first place. Am I wrong? "

" Ah. " Abel's jaw dropped. His gaze slid over to Christa. Antonio was right. He wasn't finished yet, though.

" There are still things we don't know. I thought that you were a New Vatican spy or possibly one of Cardinal Medici's followers. But that wouldn't explain how you knew who Cherubim was... So, Countess, tell us who you really are. "

Christa's head had dropped as the questions had continued. Her thin fingers fiddled with the fur on her coat, but she didn't tremble. " Hee hee... Idiot, " she muttered so quietly that it could almost be mistaken for a sigh. Her sensuous lips curled into a cruel smile. " I worked hard on this miserable act, but you really are idiots. "

Christa looked like a totally different person now. From under her skirt, she pulled a long, thin stick.

" Hey, don't move! " Antonio shouted. " I don't want to shoot a woman, but if you make me... "

Christa, or whatever her name was, lifted the wand she was holding and aimed straight at Antonio.

" Antonio! Get out of the way! " Abel tackled Antonio. A second later and Antonio might have been dead. The two of them rolled across the floor.

" Huh? "

There was a dull thud. Antonio and Abel looked up in horror. Something white loomed above them. Rising up the ceiling was a three-foot-tall pillar of ice.

Ice Witch waved her wand again.

" It will not be possible for you to succeed in your desire to rescue Sforza. I'll take Cherubim back to Rome for you. You can rest easy! "

A strange glowing ball of white light grew in the room.

The weather in the mountains was changing. It had been snowing heavily, but now it the snowfall was light. Mist formed a thick wall, so it was impossible to see far.

" Visibility is three feet. Fabio, Tristan, you have permission to use the infrared sensor. Be careful with it. "

Left and right of the small mountain road were steep cliffs. Special Forces Officer Ettore Berlusconi had to take special care that he didn't slip on the ice.

They had to take even more care with the metal giants they were driving. The balancer on Samson, the church mechanical suit, was perfect. With the jet skis attached, the ten-foot-tall giant could reach a top speed of thirteen miles per hour. Without slipping once, the giant continued to ascend the mountain. Because of that, they had gone too far ahead of the follow up deployment.

" Is it really all right for us to be so far ahead? Officer? Is this not going against His Eminence Matthaios' orders? "

" Don't worry about it. Our enemies are unarmed country bumpkins. " Berlusconi brushed away Corporal Fabio's doubts. " We'll kill them all with what we have here. What does the Department of Inquisition know about war? " Berlusconi was young but he had already had a lot of experience at armored infantry battle. One week ago, he was moved from the regular church army to the special forces, exactly because his achievements in this field had been recognized. The young officer was excited by his new position. " Anyway, as long as we win, then the Department of Inquisition won't complain. We'll teach them how to fight a real war. "

" But, sir, I'm not sure that the Inquisition officer we're dealing with is a novice. " Corporal Tristan now stood up for Fabio over the intercom. He cast doubt on the truth of Berlusconi's assertions. " I heard that he was a mercenary in Africa. I also heard that he took part in the Gibraltar War. "

" Mercenary? Why would a mercenary join the Department of Inquisition? " Berlusconi wasn't happy with this piece of information. To a born and bred soldier, there wasn't much of a difference between a mercenary and a rogue. " Impossible! That would make a mockery of the Vatican. " " Sir! Enemy ahead! "

Berlusconi's lament was interrupted by a scream coming out of his intercom.

" It's the civilians! One o'clock! Three, no, four of them... They've noticed us! They're running! " " They won't get away! "

His monitor screen zoomed in on a picture of four human figures running into the mist. Berlusconi screamed in frustration. Things would get more difficult if the civilians informed their friends.

" Permission to fire! They mustn't get away! " The suit quickly mobilized. There was a roar from the jet skis. " Don't think you'll get away from me! " The computer started to get the calculations that he needed. Berlusconi smiled. He was driving a piece of Lost Technology, a strong weapon that could take on even vampires. Crushing ordinary humans would be a piece of cake. He started to squeeze the trigger.

" Hah! "

But before he had a chance to squeeze, his concentration was broken by a violent attack. Something was restricting the machine's giant legs. A thin wire that had been stretched across the ground had wrapped itself around the vehicle. The same thing had happened to Berlusconi's three colleagues. All three machines came crashing to the ground.

" Cheap trick! " Berlusconi cursed the wire. His suit hadn't taken any damage but his pride had. " I won't let you get away with this! I'll kill you all! "

" Sir! The enemy! At three... no, nine o'clock. "

Thirsting for revenge, Berlusconi turned to the monitor. He could see several human figures in the mist. They looked like civilians. But in their hands were hunting guns and Molotov cocktails.

" Where did they come from? Why didn't they show up on the infrared?! "

" Calm down, Tristan. They're just scum. We'll separate and crush them one by one. "

The civilians started firing. From behind a snowdrift came a torrent of bullets raining down on Berlusconi and his men. Such small munitions wouldn't even dent the thick metal of the suit. Berlusconi was justified in laughing at their feeble efforts. " Little candy bombs aren't going to get me. Cretins. Huh? What's that? "

Berlusconi stopped laughing and squinted at the monitor. He noticed that the gray coating on his suit was turning black. Why? They were throwing dirt at his suit.

" Mud? No... it's... "

But Berlusconi wasn't given enough time to work out the origin of the mud.

" Sir! Enemy at nine o'clock! "

A figure rose out of a pit in the floor. It was a giant in torn priest garments. The man grinned and then pulled the trigger on the huge firearm he held.

The gun issued a burning flare. In the next moment, Berlusconi’s vision went white. The mud, which had been thrown onto his suit, immediately burst into flames. A war vehicle could withstand one-thousand centigrade degrees heat, but even so...

" How dare you?! "

Within the flames, Berlusconi pulled himself up to his full height and laughed.

Despite being engulfed in flames, the giant robots, now standing, were unscathed. Their casing was multilayered and could withstand millions of gunshots. Berlusconi wondered if the villagers really thought flame was going to stop them.

" I bet you think you're clever! Sorry, but you're not! " Berlusconi turned his weapon to the left and aimed at the large man.

" Sir! Enemy at two o'clock. It's snowballs! "

" Snowballs?! "

Berlusconi looked puzzled at this new report. He looked away, and his eyes met a snowball coming down on his right side. Not an ordinary snowball though; this one was about six feet in diameter.

" And now you want a snowball fight?! Amateurs! " Berlusconi screamed and punched the incoming snowball. The flaming fist of the suit melted the snowball almost immediately on contact. " Oh, I should thank you. That worked out nicely for me. "

Berlusconi once again turned his weapon to the left. This time he would kill that large man. He pulled the trigger with a snigger. However, his gun was silent. " No way! I'm out of bullets! "

That couldn't be. Berlusconi pulled on the trigger again, but no bullets were apparent. There was something suspicious about this.

" Sir... we can't move the suits! " his subordinate called over the intercom.

Berlusconi realized that the same thing was happening to his machine. He couldn't move the suit. He tried his best, but no matter what he did, his artificial muscles couldn't move it.

That mud was made of oil shale and kerosene. When mixed, they were flammable. However, when oil shale is heated at a high temperature, it becomes liquid. That liquid had then worked its way into the suit. The snow had re-solidified and acted as an adhesive.

" Sir! On your right! " Another ominous scream came over the intercom. The civilians were pushing something on the slope. It looked like a truck used for mining...

" Dynamite?! Everyone, move! "

Berlusconi slammed his foot on the acceleration. His jet skis were still attached to the icy floor, but they revved up. Berlusconi desperately tried to move the machine away from the trap. Fortunately the wire had melted in the fire. Berlusconi's machine surged forward.

" Sir! Help us! " one of his subordinates screamed. He had been a few seconds too late and hadn't managed to clear the explosion. Still, Berlusconi didn't turn round.

" Cowards! You're not getting away with this! "

He had lost a subordinate. He would have to kill all of them if he couldn't go back to his unit. He launched an attack on the large man.

The man hadn't tried to move from that spot. Instead, he had a strange, unnerving smile on his face.

" One down. I'm not done yet. "

The external microphone was picking him up. On the monitor he stood alone.

" Well, bring it on then, Samson. "

Suddenly a third voice broke in: " This is fortunate. "

In the corner of his vision, a bright white light broke through the clouds.

***

" We have confirmed that they are the bodies of Fabio and Tristan. Berlusconi's machine was found and there is evidence that he was prisoner. "

The giant metal machines were lying where they'd fallen on the scorched earth. The sergeant indicated to the soldiers to start the clean up process.

" There is no doubt that they were taken out by the enemy. I don't know how they even managed to take out three suits. This is a real loss. "

" What does it matter? We should be pleased that we got rid of unreliable equipment, " Brother Matthaios said. His face, in stark contrast to the sergeant's, was cheerful. He examined with great interest the pits and snow drifts that had been used in the fight.

" Berlusconi was no great talent. And with such a small sacrifice, we now better understand our enemy. This is very good. Look here. " Berlusconi was pointing into the bottom of one of the snow pits. " The sides are steep and the corners are clean. There are little ditches cut into the corners. Those were dug for hand grenades. These moats have dead ends and are designed to trap enemies. This is not the work of a novice. "

Matthaios crawled out of the moat and dusted himself off. He narrowed the eyes and looked fondly upon the devastation of the battle. " They either have a soldier or a professional at guerilla warfare instructing them. "

" Are there any guerrilla experts amongst the AX Agents? " The sergeant stiffened up. He understood the difficulties of fighting guerillas in mountain terrain. " Your Eminence. Shall we withdraw? After we've taken control of Tallinn, we can return to attack again. I think it would be wise. "

The mine in which the citizens were hiding was in a ravine a few miles ahead. Currently, Matthaios had one small unit of armored vehicles and one large unit of special officers. They would be limited to how many soldiers could enter the ravine; they also didn't know what sort of traps might await them there. And if the enemy had someone who had experience in guerilla warfare, the losses could be substantial.

But the Inquisition officer seemed unperturbed. " You don't need to worry. We know that there are professionals now. We have the upper hand. It's going to be all the more fun, " Matthaios said as he played with the stick in his hand. He nodded cheerfully. " It is my sacred duty to exterminate the heretics. There is no greater pleasure. That includes all those who aid the heretics, even AX. None will leave this mountain alive. "

" The enemy is very professional, " Leon said when he got down from the vehicle. Eulis had come to greet Leon at the entrance of the tunnel. " A top-rate commander. This is going to be difficult. "

" Top rate? You're the same, right, Father Garcia? I couldn't believe it when you stopped three of those machines. " Eulis looked out on the snowfield with admiration. He had not expected the citizens to return triumphant from that battle.

The men had received warm welcomes from their families. They had little prior battle experience, but they had taken down three suits. Everyone had come home safe! The whole group was giddy with the joy of victory. However, the man who had led them didn't seem to be celebrating.

He was inspecting a map and running his finger over it. He didn't look happy. " Unfortunately, that was only the warm-up. There are many troops left. We can't relax yet. This is only a conjecture, but they seem to be aiming for this ravine. There are three routes they could take. "

" They've chosen the safest. " Eulis rubbed his jaw as he looked at the map. " It looks dangerous but it is in fact the safest route. Few locals know this route. Could they have someone who is familiar with the territory? "

" In a top-class war room, they will be able to look at any map and see the potential routes straight away, " Leon replied without looking up. He wrote messy words across the crumpled map, while checking the long hand of a clock and the altitude of the moon every now and then. " As I thought. None of the routes are helpful to us. There's no mistaking it; our opponents are excellent. And also ruthless! " Leon glared at the map.

" Father Garcia? " asked a voice from behind them. Turning around, they saw a few of the townsfolk. With them was a longhaired priest who was holding a shovel in one hand. " Ah, Samurai, are you done? "

" Yes, we did what you asked, " Hugue replied curtly as he threw the shovel into the snow. " I don't think I've missed anything. But I'd like you to do the final checks. "

" What are you talking about? " Eulis asked. " More traps? " " Yes, traps—in case they send someone in after us. " Hugue started looking at the map he'd been handed. He gave a little wink to Leon then rubbed his beard and smirked. " We don't really want to be fighting five hundred men and machines. So to make sure they don't reach us, we've set up a few obstacles for them to get past. "

" Count! Count Eulis! " There was a yell from somewhere behind them. The men turned round and were greeted by a large middle-aged man running toward them.

" Sergei, what's the matter? Why the hurry? " Eulis asked his countryman.

Sergei was struggling to catch his breath though. " Th-there was news from the men we left to keep watch! The enemy... the enemy is withdrawing! "

" Withdrawing?! " Eulis opened his eyes wide. The two priests also looked at each other, both looked a little confused by this development.

" Are you sure? " Leon asked.

" Yes. The remaining soldiers are packing up their equipment and withdrawing. We did it, Count! We won! "

The large man was ecstatic. The report must have trickled through the citizens as exclamations of joy sprung up from all angles.

But, in contrast, Eulis could hear displeased voices behind him.

" I don't like this, " Leon muttered. He looked exceedingly glum. He glanced at the townsfolk, who were all aflutter. " Three suits down is indeed a considerable loss, but that would not make them run with their tails between their legs. What about the other suits? We need to know the location of those still, " Leon's voice was stern.

" Suits? They've entirely disappeared. " Sergei looked a little downhearted that his news hadn't been well received by all. " They would have been picked up by airships, right? "

" The suits just disappeared...? " Leon didn't ask any more questions. He rubbed his stubble and thought. They could have retreated until more troops were deployed. Was this just an initial retreat?

" No! It couldn't be! "

" What is it, Father Garcia? " Hugue finally got involved in the conversation.

Hugue was experienced at simple combat, but he wasn't experienced at battle and war. He knew this, and since Leon's arrival, he had served as second-in-command. But now he had something to say: " The enemy's withdrawal should be a welcome development. We must continue watching them, but we can let the townsfolk rest for now. "

" A temporary withdrawal or a surprise attack. The same thing happened in Morocco. "

But Dandelion didn't hear what his colleague had said. He was looking out over the fields like a wild beast in a trap. " This isn't good! If it's that, then... "

Leon looked flushed and tense. His cheeks were bright red. Hugue looked to Leon and realized that it wasn't his cheeks that were red, but rather it was light from a pillar of fire that had suddenly shot up.

" Damn. We're caught! "

The citizens immediately descended into panic.

VII

" Antonio, get out the way! " Thousands of little shards of ice came flying at them, all of them as sharp as razors. The two men jumped to one side. The wall that they had been hiding behind crumbled and fell to the floor into a pile of rubble.

" Good at running, aren't you? Little rats! " Helga, the woman whom they used to know as Countess Anhalt, mocked them. To her, this was disgraceful, shameful behavior. She waved her wand above her head and circled it in the air. " I am the woman who targeted Maxwell's Magic Staff and lived. You should give up now. "

The end of her small wand glowed. She was solidifying the moisture in the air into ice flakes. Each flake had razor sharp edges. The thousands of little shards danced around her wand before she threw them at the two men who were hiding behind the sofa.

" Refrigeration? Where the hell did that come from?! " Abel exclaimed.

Abel pulled on his trigger. He covered Antonio and jumped under a mahogany table. He didn't know how he managed it, but he had shot the shards out of the air.

Even so, he wasn't in the clear. He had only so many bullets. There would be more New Vatican cronies rushing to their location right now. He had to do something before they got there... but what? Abel hesitated.

" This isn't good, Abel. D'Este is getting away! " Antonio yelled, pulling Abel from his train of thought. He looked around and saw the old man escaping through a large hole in the wall.

He was dragging Cherubim behind him, desperately trying to flee the imminent battle.

" We can't let him. I'll back you up, Antonio! " Abel screamed as he watched the old man retreat into the hole. He didn't wait for an answer; he jumped out from behind the desk, gun ready. " Leave her to me. You go after him! "

He continued to shoot down the shards of ice as he charged toward Ice Witch. He had to get closer!

" What do you think you're going to do? " The woman smirked at Abel's efforts.

Suddenly, something was crawling at his feet. The floor was no longer made of stone cobbles. It was a pool of water. No, it was worse than that. It formed into an amoeba-like creature with tentacles that were now reaching out to him across the ice. " Crap! "

He wasn't going to be able to get her this way. He shot at the hideous tentacles to buy himself enough time to retreat.

The tentacles, though, weren't solid or liquid. They simply crumbled and reformed, over and over again.

" This is the Winter Maiden staff. It has a man-made soul. With the proteins that control water molecules, it can cool to one-hundred and twenty degrees centigrade below freezing point. When mixed with micro machines, it becomes living ice. " Helga snorted. She was like a cat playing with her prey. " Beautiful, isn't it? It's a fantastic pet for a witch. "

The pool of water seemed to match the personality of its mistress. It started to flow forward. It froze everything in its path as it moved. If Abel was caught in it, he would be frozen too.

" Argh! You give me no choice! "

An ominous light shone in Abel's eyes. His mouth opened a little to reveal sharp fangs.

" Nanomachine 'Crusnik 02, ' forty-percent limited opera... " His blue eyes shone red. His hair started to lift up as if each strand had a life of its own. Then...

" We've finished with the fun, heretic! I won't let you do this! " There was a dull roar of gunshots from behind him and soldiers came pouring out of the elevator. Evidently, they had managed to get it working again. They all shot at once, aiming at Abel. " No! You mustn't come in! "

Abel's eyes had already returned to blue by the time he issued the warning. The soldiers barely caught glimpse of the witch's glowing wand before they were screaming in panic. " RUN AWAY! You're... "

The warning came too late. There was a scream as thousands of tiny shards of ice went ripping through their limbs. Blood spurted across the wall. " Wh-what is this?! "

The gigantic tuned soldier, Father Friedrich, was there too. But even his twin whips weren't a good enough defense. The ice ripped through his body and he fell to the floor—a mist of blood all that was left where he had once stood.

" Stop this, Christa. They were not a threat... " Abel wasn't allowed to finish. The creeping pool of water had found its target. Abel's face screwed up in pain. Frost started working its way up his legs.

" Don't worry about those humans. Worry about yourself, Father. " However, Helga sounded less victorious; rather, she seemed a little saddened. " So this is Crusnik? The 'enemy of the world'? Pathetic! "

The witch sneered. Abel let out a scream as he was entirely encased by the water.

VIII

" Good evening, heretics. I'm Brother Matthaios from the Department of Inquisition, " Matthaios proclaimed into the microphone. The " Armor of Uriel" a blood-colored suit, proceeded slowly toward the civilians. He kept the nozzle of its flamethrower carefully aimed. " I have come here to annihilate you. Resistance is futile. I would appreciate it if you would behave while I crush you. "

The flame that came out of the end of the nozzle was terrible and beautiful. People were fleeing in all directions. Those who didn't manage to escape fell to the floor, living torches.

Matthaios gave a simple order to the machines behind him: " Number Three, Number Two: burn everything in sight. " He then returned to operating his own flamethrower. He caught a glimpse of a mother running hand-in-hand with her daughter. It was only three-hundred feet to the entrance of the tunnel. He watched as they fought with all their might to save their insignificant lives.

" The Lord is all knowing. He is all powerful. He watches over everything. If they are not meant to die here, then show me a miracle. Save them from the flames. Those lives that are not saved by the Lord's hands are worthless anyway, " Matthaios muttered to himself.

He pulled the trigger on the flamethrower. But the flames didn't consume the mother and child. A flash of white light had sliced the flamethrower to pieces before it had fired. The Uriel jumped back, narrowly avoiding having its head chopped off.

" The AX member Hugue de Watteau is here! "

The swordsman jumped at inhuman speed toward the retreating Uriel. His slashing sword created a beautiful arc in the air.

" I won’tlet you win! " Number Twotired his cannon to protect his commander. Thebullet left at the perfect angle. It was heading straight for the blonde priest. No human on the planet should have been able to outrun that. However, the bullet never found its target. The priest had skillfully avoided it. To add insult to injury, the priest then slipped through the next spray of bullets, avoiding every single one. He managed to run right up next to Number Two. " That's impossible! "

" Run. Number Two! " But Matthaios order came seconds too late. The swordsman sliced the suit's body into sections. Then he jumped back to put some distance between him and his enemies.
" Humph, so you're Sword Dancer? " Matthaios said with glee. He replaced the cartridge in his cannon. " You evaded bullets from a cannon. You really are as amazing as they say. "

" The bullets are only as fast as themen who pull the trigger. " The swordsman's eyes glittered as he spoke. " Yon can sense the movement of the person before they're even consciouslydecided to pull the trigger. Once yon have grasped that art. Then you can evade any attack. "

" I see. But how about this? Take a look behind you. " Matthaios was smiling cruelly. " What about that mother and child over there? '

The swordsman tensed. There was a woman crouched in fear, clutching her baby. He didn't know where the enemy was hiding, but he was going to find out.

" You coward! "

" Coward? That's not very nice. I'm not going to tell you to save them. But if you don't, then they'll die. " Matthaios grinned and readied his gun. He faced the swordsman who hadn't moved an inch. He was going to pull the trigger.

" Hey! Aren't you hot under all that? "

Finally, Matthaios realized that there was another voice calling to him. He turned around and saw a large man in a cassock.

" You've been doing whatever you like, haven't you? Now I am your opponent. "

" I see; there's another AX Agent is here? " He glanced at the giant and turned his machine toward the new prey. This priest was in a vehicle. He continued to keep his cannon fixed on the swordsman. Matthaios then correctly identified the new priest: " So you must be Father Leon Garcia... Dandelion? I looked you up on the Department of Inquisition's database, but there was no information on you. "

Matthaios took the other flamethrower that he had been hiding on his back. " Oh well. I guess you don't have access. Well, whatever. Maybe I'll hand you over to Intelligence Department. I bet they would love to speak to you, " Matthaios joked — badly.

He wielded the flamethrower around and pulled the trigger. But the person engulfed in flames... was Matthaios.

Leon had managed to return fire with his own attack!

" What?! " Matthaios' world went pure white. " Dammit... my monitors! "

The outside cameras were knocked out. The flash had burnt out the monitors.

Finally, they buzzed back to life. But the large man was now nowhere to be seen. And the swordsman had also disappeared from in front of his cannon. Instead, he caught a glimpse of the taillights of a retreating vehicle.

" I won't let you go, Dandelion. Number One and Number Three: follow them! "

There were three people behind him, according to his display. He ignored the swordsman who had jumped up to protect the mother and child. Matthaios howled. The two subordinates who were also recovering from being blinded ran out in front of Matthaios and began pursuing the vehicle. Matthaios could murder civilians any day of the week, but he didn't want to let an AX Agent get away. He turned his jet skis to full power and sped off.

" This is strange. "

But the Inquisition officer didn't have time to hesitate. Matthaios realized that the vehicle was heading for the south of the valley. They would find it difficult to follow there.

" He's trying to get away from the mine. " Or was he leading them somewhere?

He could be leading them into a trap, if he was playing at guerilla tactics. But Matthaios thought that was probably too obvious and would be too childish. This was the man who had managed to defeat Berlusconi and his entire unit.

However, Matthaios' guess had been on target. The vehicle was stopped in a pit. Something must have happened to the engine as, there was black smoke pouring out from under the hood.

" Your Eminence, please be careful, " Number Two warned him, scanning the area. There was something suspicious there. " I'm getting a lot of metal readings. Probably landmines. "

" Understood. " Matthaios sounded a little distracted. He moved his machine forward. He carefully stepped on a spot that was giving off a reading.

" Yo-Your Eminence, what are you doing?! " Number Two screamed.

Uriel was consumed in an explosion. He had stepped on a landmine and should have been blown to smithereens. But...

" Hmm. Not what I expected, " Matthaios muttered.

Matthaios was feeling a little disappointed. He had been looking forward to something more. He moved Uriel forward. " He can't really be this obvious about it. " The final trump card was a field of useless land mines? It looked like the end for Leon. " Fine. I'm leaving him to you now. Do what you want. "

" Sir! "

Matthaios watched the gray-colored suits run after their prey.

He stopped Uriel.

He'd thought that he had met an opponent who would really give him a run for his money, but his elation had been short-lived. The AX Agents were evidently only skilled at combat; in war, they were lacking. Matthaios had been wrong to expect more...

A voice entered the ears of the disappointed Inquisition officer. " Your Eminence. It's Gambia, on the Jahoel. "

There was a lot of background noise. Matthaios thought there must have been a weather problem causing the interference again.

" We received updated information on Dandelion from Rome. "

" Anything of interest? "

" Yes, he's a man with quite an interesting history. Special Forces Commander in the Hispanic army. His specialization was explosives. He served in both Morocco's War of Independence and at Gibraltar. He was decorated for his work. "

" Decorated at Gibraltar? " Matthaios squinted. He looked like he'd just been given a bad omen by the oracle. He thought that he had defeated this man; now, he couldn't help but look uneasy. " Why did he join AX? "

" Oh, right. Well two years ago, he killed his wife and thirty clergymen—including an archbishop. He was sentenced to death. But before he was executed, he was instead sentenced to a thousand-year prison term. There were rumors that the pardon was AX's doing. "

There was probably more to tell, but Matthaios' mind was busy working. " Hispania... Commander of Special Forces... " He reached to the scar on his forehead. " The Royal Land Forces, deployed in Africa, Twenty-Second Raid Party... 'Leoncoat. '"

All the while, his two subordinates were still chasing the vehicle. They were either delaying things or the driver had extraordinary skill, as they still hadn't managed to catch up with him. He watched on the monitor as the smoke continued to bellow from the landmine that had exploded.

As he watched, the smoke seemed to form a giant circle across the ground. It surrounded the pit, forming a perfect arc. For the first time ever, the Inquisition officer experienced fear.

" Moroccan War of Independence... Gibraltar War... Occupation of Tangier! "

No one outside of Uriel could have heard the bellows. Cambio was still talking, but Matthaios cut him off, changing the frequency to a local one. He screamed into the microphone: " Number Two, Number Three: stop the pursuit! Flee! "

The vehicle was driving back toward the landmine that Matthaios had purposefully set off minutes ago. The Inquisition officer's screams turned desperate. " Don't fire! You have to flee. It's a TRAP! "

But Matthaios' communications didn't get through. Matthaios watched in horror as the smoke continued to grow. Number Two seemed oblivious. The vehicle was littered with bullet holes already and seemed to be trying to flee to rocky higher ground. Number Two waited for the right moment and then fired.

" STOOOOOOOOP! " Matthaios screamed.

The ground beneath Number Two's feet vanished. The explosion had caused the precarious snow banks to give way. The suit lost its balance and toppled over into a wide chasm.

The Uriel was no exception. Matthaios stood, dumbfounded, as the snow caved around him. Soon the widening chasm would swallow him up too.

" Leon Garcia! At Tangier you were the one... Ah! "

That scream was his last.

***

" Well, we did it... just barely. "

He had gotten out of his vehicle and was now looking down into the deserted chasm. Leon had finished his work. He sighed with exhaustion as he tossed the remote into the hole.

Now that the mountain had swallowed the metal giants, the snowfields had calmed. The sun shone down on the completely deserted plain. They had installed plastic explosives in metal cases to make them look like primitive landmines, which could also be operated remotely. They had dug a circle of pits around the mines so that the energy of the explosions would be enough to destabilize the snow. Leon had to take the chance that he'd be annihilated along with them, but he didn't care as long as the plan succeeded.

" It wasn't easy, but I made it out alive. "

" I've seen this trick before. At the end of the Gibraltar War—during the occupation of Tangier. " The unexpected voice that met his ears was full of bitterness. " I finally remembered: Captain Leon Garcia. RoyalLand Forces, deployed in Africa, Twenty-Second Raid Party... 'Leoncoat. ' The only man to defeat me! "

Leon looked around. From out of the snow came a crimson giant, at least twelve-feet tall. Its giant claw swept Leon up... and squeezed.

Uriel's eyes were looking straight at Leon. No one should have survived that. The body of the machine was full of dents, and there were sparks coming from the knees of the suit. But the arms were in full working order.

" We didn't greet each other properly, Captain Garcia. This is the first time I have seen your face. " Matthaios laughed. His voice was full of mischief. " I was tricked by you a second time. But once again, I came out alive. I think God wants me to live. Don't you agree? "

" I think your mind is playing tricks on you. " Even though he was at the mercy of his enemy now, Leon didn't change his attitude. " I admit you have luck on your side. Can't we call it a draw today? "

" You don't shut up, do you? " Matthaios laughed cheerfully. " Well, I'm glad to find you well. Now I can avenge the disgrace that I felt three years ago. "

" Gah! "

The fist that held Leon was slowly tightening. He was starting to feel the pressure on his ribcage. Still, he didn't let it show.

" I remember that! I also remember there was a sick freak who murdered thousands of civilians at Gibraltar. Could that have been you? The Moroccan Demon? "

" I don't like that name. "

Leon seemed to have hit on a sore point for Matthaios. The voice coming from the speaker hardened.

" Three years ago, you buried me alive in sand. Today, I am Brother Matthaios from the Department of Inquisition. I am a soldier of God, working for His will. " Matthaios' eyes glittered with hatred.

Blood was starting to seep through Leon's cassock.

" There is a reason why those who die, do, in fact, die, Captain Garcia. " Matthaios laughed. He looked down and started lecturing Leon. He sounded like a missionary, explaining the wisdom of the God to the infidels. " God is omnipotent. If you are not meant to die, He will perform a miracle and save you. Like when you buried me in the sand. "

" So you blame God for everything? That's not something to admire. " Leon was starting to lose feeling in his body. The air in his lungs was slowly being pushed out. Still, from his graying lips, he managed to speaking chiding words to Matthaios: " People kill people. And people give life. That is the true miracle. You want evidence? Can you hear that noise? "

" Noise? " The Inquisition officer listened hard, but apart from the sound of Leon gasping for breath, he couldn't hear anything.

" It's a quiet night tonight. Don't try to buy yourself time... Wait, what is that?! " He did hear some interference coming through his speaker. The sound sensor on Uriel said that it was coming from the summit of the mountain. " That noise... It couldn't be?! "

The noise was rapidly increasing in volume. He looked up. The Uriel stiffened as if it had been electrocuted.

" Avalanche?! "

Avalanches usually happened in the spring, as the temperature warmed the snow and broke it up. But now, coming straight for them, was a huge sheet of snow.

" The explosion?! You planned this from the beginning?! "

" I told you—miracles happen. "

It was in that moment that the claw, which was holding Leon, started to spark and issue black smoke. It opened. While they had been talking, the hydraulics had burnt out.

" Adios, Demon. See you in hell! "

" Wa-wait! Garcia! " The suit desperately tried to chase after its prey. Matthaios reached out to grab him again, but his hand wouldn't move. The Uriel was too damaged; it wasn't going to take him any further.

" Lord, watch over me! I have lived my life correctly and followed Your will! I have looked after the faithful, Lord! " Matthaios muttered as he watched the tail lights of the vehicle drive off into the distance again.

" Why you... "

The white wall of snow swallowed up Matthaios.

" So, are you ready to depart this life, Father? " Abel could no longer answer Helga's questions. Ice Maiden had completely swallowed up the bottom-half of his body. The frost was slowly working its way up his upper-half. Soon, he would be a statue of ice.

Helga snorted as she watched the priest freeze to death. " Are you afraid to die alone? Or maybe you won't be alone. I'm sure my colleagues will have caught up with your friends in the mountain by now. And Caterina Sforza will soon be following you. "

" Caterina? " Abel's voice was weak. His words were now so faint that they were barely audible. " What about her? "

" No one's told you yet? " The witch looked gleeful. She approached Abel and stroked his cold, clammy cheek as if he were a beloved pet. " You're that worried about that woman. Ha, but you couldn't save her. That must hurt. "

" Wh-what do you want? " His lungs had started to freeze, and he was losing the ability to breathe. Yet Abel managed to push the words out.

" I have only one aim, and that is to follow His will. By the flame, we will rebuild this world anew. That is all. " As she spoke, Helga extended one of her slim arms up to the heavens. The light in the room caught the ring on her middle finger. Out of the ring shot a needle of ice. She pushed it toward Abel's temple. " Unfortunately for you, you will be dead, so you will never have the opportunity to see our new world. "

" WAAAAH! "

A sudden scream distracted Helga. " You! You're still alive. "

A black ball with whips swinging on either side came rushing toward Helga. The priest, whose upper body was covered in blood, roared when Ice Witch turned to meet his gaze.

" DIE! HERETIC! " She sliced Friedrich's body in two, like a fish. However, Friedrich apparently saw one last chance before he'd lost all control over his body. His burly arms threw one last attack at Helga.

However, she sneered at this. She took the whips in her hand. Ice slowly worked up them; they froze Friedrich in an instant. His body crashed to the floor and shattered into tiny pieces.

" Damn fanatics. Always go one step too far, " Helga grumbled as she trod on the pieces of Friedrich. She turned her attention back to Abel. " Now, Nightroad... You're next. " She turned around, smiling, but her smile turned to a frown. " What are you doing?! "

Abel, who had been so close to death, was now gripping the ice needle. She was surprised that he had any strength left in his arms. Even more surprising was that he was pushing the tip toward his own neck. It was cutting into a major blood vessel. Fresh blood was dripping out.

" Are you mad?! " Helga screamed.

She jumped back just in time as blood went flying in all directions. Blood hit the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. The Winter Maiden that had swallowed him was also dyed with the red blood.

" You're killing yourself? You're even more of a coward than I thought you were. "

" Nanomachines... "

The voice Helga heard was foreboding. It was weak but terrifying.

" Nanomachine 'Crusnik 02' forty-percent limited operation— complete! "

The Winter Maiden started to quiver and shake. Its body, still blood red, started wriggling unusually.

" What is it, Winter Maiden?! " Helga exclaimed.

This was the first time she had seen her pet behave in this way. It was if the blood that had entered Winter Maiden's body was alive. It started glittering a brighter red.

" What is that?! "

The witch stood there, stunned. She didn't know what to do. Helga had easily dodged all sorts of attacks. But now, the red Winter Maiden was coming for her.

" What are you doing, Winter Maiden?! " she screamed.

Winter Maiden had always been loyal. Something must have happened with the micro machines. No, it was the priest's blood that was causing it!

" Crap! This is your power?! "

Helga s face screwed up. Now she understood. The blood had hijacked Winter Maiden. This was an impressive power. She would have to be careful.

" This is not enough to make me flee. As you wish, I will fight you, Crusnik. "

With her other hand, she started to wave Maxwell's wand again. She was ready to unleash her full power.

Winter Maiden writhed in speechless pain. The micro machines in its body were destroyed completely by the icy laser that Helga had called forth. Now that Winter Maiden had lost its micro machines, it was nothing more than a ball of water. It spread out and then scattered into tiny drops of harmless liquid.

" Now it is your turn, Crusnik. "

Helga once again sent ice shards flying at Abel. He easily shot the shards down, but that was all part of Helga s plan. Changing tactics, she thrust the wand to the floor. In moments, the floor was frozen, and small cracks started to develop. They opened up, threatening to pull the priest down into their depths. However...

" That is impressive. But it's not enough to defeat me, " Abel taunted her. He didn't sound like himself, though. His voice was filled with what sounded like despair.

A black shadow ran up the walls and then launched itself at Helga.

" Countess Anhalt—or Helga—I will arrest you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Please do not struggle. "

The shadow appeared to defy the laws of space and time. Helga stood fixed to the spot. She had no idea what to do. She thought that she could hear two swords coming down at her from above!

But she'd misheard; weapons weren't coming at her. A pearl-colored light shone from above and caught the monster's arms.

" Ngh. " Crusnik grunted when he found his arms obstructed.

Mucus covered his arms. Something was happening. The areas that the mucus touched were turning a gray color. His arms were turning to stone. Furthermore, little fissures were growing into the stone.

" I'm being petrified?! Is that you, Basilisk?! " " Yes. It certainly was a close one for you, Countess. " Standing next to Helga was a young man. He flicked back his wavy hair and smiled. " Well, even the beautiful Winter Maiden loses sometimes. Shall we withdraw for today? "

Someone else appeared. It was a small girl in a maid's outfit, carrying a sword far larger than her own body. " Let's save the chatting for later. I'll cover you. Leave! "

Crusnik leapt into the air. He deflected the first attack from the giant sword. His body twisted in the air, and he landed like a cat on both feet. He was just about to launch an attack on his prey...

But there was no one there. The young man, the witch, and the young girl were gone. He was alone in the room with a corpse.

" They ran away... or did they let me go? " Abel muttered in pain.

He used his scythe to cut off his petrified arm in one clean swipe. Blood sprayed out and started to take the shape of muscles, finally forming into a fully functioning arm.

Crusnik was alone. " Enemy of the world? "

***

" Take us with you, Your Eminence! "

" I can't! You have to stay here. " Alfonso shut the door on the priests. It wasn't that he worried they might be too heavy for the elevator. There were only three of them: himself, Cherubim, and a monk who would act as a bodyguard. The elevator could have taken more people but he didn't want any more people that he had to look after. And, anyway, the more people, the more conspicuous they would be. They wanted to attract the least attention possible and flee Tallinn.

" I'm not finished yet! "

There was a getaway car waiting for them in the basement. With that, they would escape Tallinn and head north. There, they would hide. They could wait for the right time. They might be able to gather support in the northern countries.

" I will fight again. As long as there are people who are dissatisfied with Rome, I will fight! "

Suddenly, though, the elevator ground to a halt. " I'm sorry, it is over for you, Pope, " a sarcastic voice spoke. " You must be tired. Now, you can rest up in a nice prison somewhere. "

" Who is it?! " Alfonso saw the mouth of a gun directed straight at him. The owner of the gun pulled down his head to reveal his face. Under a pile of long, disheveled hair was the face of a smiling young man.

" Borgia. " Alfonso's jaw dropped.

" It has been a while. " Antonio smiled cheerfully, as if he had been reunited with an old friend. " I thought I could get you to do as you promised today. Do you remember? At Cologne? Do you remember when you told me you'd make me a cardinal? "

" A cardinal? What are you talking about? That was you?! The one who gave me a gift in the hope of getting a position? "

His distress was interrupted by a dull thud. The young man had knocked him on the head with his weapon. The world went black for Alfonso, and he hit the ground.

Antonio bent down and checked that the former archbishop was truly unconscious. He grimaced then looked over at Cherubim, who was still staring blankly into space, " Well, you'll have to be patient for now, Archbishop. You can reveal your true power later. There is a much higher place. " Again he smiled like an animal eyeing its prey.

" In the trial of Cardinal Caterina Sforza, we find the defendant guilty of heresy and request the death penalty. "

The female prosecutor, Sister Paula, read out her closing statement. The courtroom fell into silence. The crimson cardinal who sat on the judge's bench didn't raise an objection. There was not a single whisper from the gallery.

In the end, it was Francesco who spoke, his eyes closed: " I am sorry, Duchess of Milan. " Professor turned to the defendant. " If I could... I'm sorry. "

" It can't be helped. They had excellent evidence. No one could hope to defend me. " Caterina glanced over sympathetically to the man who had fought her case for the last few weeks. She looked over at her half-brother, who was maintaining the awkward silence as he sat among the other top clergy members. She sighed.

In fact, no one gained anything from this trial's outcome. Francesco only welcomed more scandal by doing this. The Vatican now looked very murky.

However, it would have been impossible to interrupt the trial. As soon as it started, the evidence mounted up against her—a suspicious amount of evidence—and Caterina had been found guilty.

" Everyone! Silence! Silence, please! "

The sound of a hammer hitting wood interrupted the beauty's thoughts.

The jury had reached their decision and had returned to the courtroom. The atmosphere of the court was tense as the judge unfolded the paper.

" I will now read out the judgment. This judgment follows intense consideration. It carries the same weight as an imperial command. For the glory of God, " the judge read out the proscribed words before continuing on: " This trial has brought to light serious accusations of heresy perpetrated by the defendant, Caterina Sforza... "

" Wa-wait! " The voice was meek, but everyone in the courtroom had heard it. All eyes focused on its source. Caterina was no exception. She opened her eyes and looked around at the young boy in white clothing who had entered the room.

" Alek?! What are you doing here, child? "

Alessandro winced. Another figure followed behind him. It was a blonde priest with tattered clothing. Alessandro looked like he was about to cry. " Pie-please wait before deciding on judgment. I bring an important witness. "

The other intruder now spoke: " I'm sorry for the intrusion. I am Nightroad of the Papal State Affairs Special Operations Section. " Nightroad nodded gently to Alessandro and then turned to look around the courtroom. His face was deadly serious. " We have carried out our own independent investigation into the accusations concerning Cardinal Caterina. We have found an important witness in this case. I would like you introduce former Archbishop of Cologne, Alfonso d'Este. "

As a third figure entered the room, the clergy frowned.

This priest was in a similar state of disarray. He screwed his face up as he looked around. He had once been the most powerful man in the Vatican, but now he was public enemy number one.

" Everyone, our investigation has found that there are serious questions about the authenticity of the list of names. In fact, we believe the list to have never existed in the first place! " The blonde priest paused to let this information be digested by his audience. " The names of participants in New Vatican are memorized by each participant; it is never written down. It follows that the list is a fake. D'Este himself will bear witness to this. "

" Objection! " the prosecutor shouted. Sister Paula threw an out-off-character glare at the priest and then said with hostility in her voice: " Cases have been made by the prosecution and the defense. We've made our final statements. Additional witnesses will not be permitted at this stage. "

" Oh my, Vice Chief. Have you forgotten Article 26, Section 8, of the heresy laws? It states that new evidence may be presented until the judge has made his statement, " Professor countered.

His argument was logical and true; Paula had no choice but to relent.

Professor had looked exhausted, but he now had renewed vigor. He started to speak more nuggets from his vast knowledge: " There is also the edict of Bonifatius of August third, five-twenty-eight AD. Are you aware of the Sabatini trial? What? You don't know? Fine, let me explain it to you now... "

" That's enough, Professor Wordsworth. " All eyes were now on Francesco, who had been maintaining his silence in the gallery until now. " The Department of Doctrinal Affairs and the Department of Heresy Investigation drops the case against Cardinal Sforza. " Francesco spoke quietly, and his tone was carefully moderated. " In the light of this new witness, we will reinvestigate the authenticity of the list in question. Is that acceptable to you, Your Eminence? "

" Huh? Oh! Yes! " The young Pope nodded his head like a broken puppet. He appeared confused but had at least understood that Francesco was dropping the case. " Th-thank you, brother. "

" The Pope has proclaimed it... Paula, I leave the rest to you. " With a short order to his inferior at the prosecutor's bench, Francesco flicked his cape and left through the door.

Caterina watched him go, one of her eyes twitching from behind her monocle.

" I guess we can bring this matter to a close now? " Caterina turned back and looked at the four priests who were lined up in front of their superior. They were dirty and bleeding in places. However, the beauty did not flinch; she looked at them with such gentleness that one might doubt she was human. " It looks like you've had a hard time of it. "

" It wasn't all that bad. " The blonde priest scratched his head to hear his superior's gratitude. His colleagues behind him nodded in acknowledgement. " Anyway, we should thank you. You've had a lot of heartache. "

" I'm so glad that you're all right, sister. " The young boy hiding behind the priests spoke up, but he quickly bowed his head as he started to blush. " I was so worried about you, but Francesco wouldn't meet me. So I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry. "

" Thank you, Alek. " She wiped the tears from the pale Pope's face and then planted a kiss on his forehead. " It was because of you that the false accusations were dropped. Thank you so much. "

" Sister... " Alessandro went even redder and looked away.

Caterina was about to say something to her tearful younger brother, when...

" Lady Sforza? "

It wasn't one of her inferiors that shattered this touching moment. At some point, the severe-looking woman in a suit and holding a fat file had approached them.

" I'd like to speak to you about the witness your staff members collected. I think that the Department of Inquisition would like to be involved in the questioning. Would you permit it? "

" Of course, Sister Paula. " Caterina looked kindly at the woman, but there was also the glint of something else in her eye, like a shadow on a piece of perfect steel. " But shall we leave the details for another day? I'm very tired. I was very nearly burned at the stake... So I think I'd like to relax today. "

" I'm very sorry for the trouble. You have some very capable men working under you. " Despite Caterina's passionate remarks, Paula remained unmoved and did not let her guard drop for an instant. " Capable and loyal. You are very lucky. "

" He is not my man, Sister Paula. He may look it, but I think he is simply another individual with the same purpose... Or perhaps a reliable knight? " Caterina rejected the nun's suggestions. But in her eyes, it was evident that she was proud of her jewel. Then, as if the heresy trial had never happened, she turned and left—the most beautiful cardinal in the world... with her knight following closely behind.

" Come and visit me whenever you wish, Sister Paula, — however often you wish and about whatever. "

***

" What wisdom, " a sing-song voice said to Francesco. The youth next to him smiled. He had been sitting at the fountain as if he had been waiting, and now he stood up. " It wasn't all that difficult, Cardinal Medici. You have to admire such strength of heart. "

" They must have help from a cardinal... Master Borgia? " Francesco glanced at the young man with the stupid grin. Francesco didn't have an accusatory tone; he was simply stating facts. " It would be difficult for a priest to get an audience with the Pope. Only a cardinal could have obtained it for him. "

" It would have been very difficult indeed. " The young man didn't seem fazed at all. He smiled like a naughty boy. " The Department of Inquisition accused Cardinal Sforza. The case didn't have to be dropped because there was new evidence. But because His Greatness the Pope intervened, you had to step down. Nosy of him. "

" No, that's not it. " The young man was clearly pleased, but Francesco wasn't going to bite. " I wasn't enjoying that monkey show, so the Pope's appearance was right on time. "

" Oh, Your Eminence? " Antonio prompted Francesco.

Francesco started to walk across the garden. His face suggested he had forgotten that he was supposed to wait on the Pope, who was also his little brother. " I must return to my work. I must ensure that the relevant steps are taken to end the trial. There is much to see to—including our next battle with that woman. " He acted as if he were surveying his territory, not an ounce of defeat in his demeanor. He walked with a strong pace...

Francesco said something that no one could have heard but himself: " I have to find a solution to the issue of this woman. Power that will mean no one will be able to save her! "

The man with the greatest power in the Vatican pledged as much to himself and surveyed his battleground.

In the winter sun, the Cubola shone bright white.

***

" It was not my intention to criticize you, Countess Vogelweide. " Magician's voice was the same as ever. He looked up at the winter sunlight peeping through a crack in the curtains. " Your actions put the Orden in a very precarious position. I would like you to be aware of this. "

" What happened was a series of unfortunate coincidences. " Ice Witch raised her eyebrow. She internally cursed her bad luck that this man had total monopoly over her beloved. She continued her empty words: " We do not want to get our hands dirty with these New Vatican people. It was just coincidence that Sforza was rescued. Please believe this. "

" Do not be mistaken, Countess. I am not trying to criticize you. It is just that these unfortunate coincidences have put us in a dangerous position. That is all I am saying. "

Magician looked up at the beautiful Ice Witch. Her eyes betrayed nothing. There was nothing to reveal what her true meaning, whether she knew of what had happened or if she was truly dumb. She may as well have been a dead fish.

" Cherubim reached the Vatican with information, due to these unfortunate coincidences. It is only a matter of time before they discover our locations—including this place. "

" Leave that to me. " If she had taken offense before, she was now trying to smooth things over. Helga's voice cracked in shame as she realized the trap she had created for herself. " Let me take responsibility for this. For my honor. "

" I see... Well, I will not deny you this. Countess, I will leave this matter to you. I wish you the best of luck. "

" Sir! "

With Ice Witch's acknowledgment, Magician's image disappeared.

Helga now glared at the empty space. This man was always hovering with the one she loved. If he hadn't been around...

" You'll see, Magician. When this is over, you'll... " The words spilled like daggers from her plump lips. She would get rid of him soon. That was certain. But she couldn't make any mistakes until then.

" First, Sforza and AX. "

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