With her authority as a countess, Alpha bypasses all barriers and arrives directly before the Holy Maiden.
As the countess kneels and prays for a swift vengeance, she feels her scabbard grow increasingly hot. Her blade has always resonated with her murderous intent.
Whatever wish you have, you may confide in Mother Superior, my child.
Alpha's shoulders tremble as she clutches her stomach as if in pain, yet her unrestrained laughter echoes all the way to the vaulted ceiling.
I wish for your death.
Zoya Nevaliya. I wish for your death.
My dear! She's been possessed by demons!
The Holy Maiden remains composed even upon hearing her name, raising her sacred relic in self-defense as her disciples rush forward.
As her cloak slips from her shoulders, Alpha looks up, her mismatched eyes gleaming like gems. Blood-red, rosy dim light seeps from her bestial horns, her white hair curling like flames at its crimson-tinged tips.
Oh my, Countess, it's you. I should not be passing judgment upon you here, but alas, your soul is too deeply entwined with evil...
Light emanates from the sacred relic as wind sweeps through the chamber. Mia's dress billows, the chandeliers sway, and the piano plays spontaneously. Doors and windows shut, the distant wails of an infant echoing.
In the name of the divine, I command you to say the demon's name, so that it may be cast out.
Zoya Nevaliya. Caught stealing at thirteen by her parents and confined to the attic, she set fire to the house in the dead of night. After escaping, she feigned amnesia to live in a convent.
By the essence of the divine, I command you to say the demon's name, so that you may be forgiven.
Zoya Nevaliya. Falsified the ledgers of her convent for profit at nineteen, then framed the abbot when discovered. The abbot, disgraced and desperate during the investigation, took his own life. Zoya fled.
With a cold sneer, the Holy Maiden presses her sacred relic against Alpha's spine, triggering a mechanism that drives a needle deep into her flesh. As the serum flows in, Alpha thrashes wildly like a feral beast.
Alpha collapses to the floor, limp and helpless, encircled in golden light like a sacrificial offering—a lily, or a lamb awaiting slaughter.
By the grace of the divine, I attest that she is beyond redemption. Only the purification of fire can cleanse her soul.
Once the woman before the Holy Maiden vanishes, her secrets will be "secrets" again. If necessary, everyone else in the hall can join the Countess in death.
Before lighting the fire, the Holy Maiden leans down to whisper, her voice as hoarse and menacing as a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
You deserve to die, just like my parents who were too poor to buy me new clothes, that abbot who couldn't look me in the eye, and those investigators with their endless questions about my business.
Why do troublemakers like you keep showing up in my life? I don't enjoy getting my hands dirty, you know, but you all leave me no choice.
See that deity behind me? He's always on my side. I always get away, no matter how dangerous the situation. If I pray, the divine will answer.
No. I forbid it.
Alpha opens her eyes, her blade pressed against the Holy Maiden's chest.
That pathetic serum never posed any threat. The Countess has only been acting to draw out the Holy Maiden's confession—Alpha wants to hear the sinner admit her sin.
I forbid the divine to show you mercy.
The Holy Maiden retreats, but the Countess pins her dress to the floor. Desperate, she tears away her robes to escape, revealing her true form: half her body is covered in writhing vines.
Screams erupt throughout the hall as the crowd frantically rushes toward the exit. The faithful disciples close the doors, preventing anyone from escaping.
The Holy Maiden uses her vines to scale the wall in an attempt to flee, but the Countess pursues relentlessly, severing branches and cutting off every escape route.
Why won't you stop hunting me?
Aren't we monsters and Aberrations more alike compared to humans?
The Countess does not answer. Leaping into the air, she drives her blade through the Holy Maiden's heart, pinning Mia firmly to the wall.
You think the people down there will thank you for killing me?
No, they'll only despise you more! They'll fear you and resent you for destroying another safe haven they clung to.
They embrace a false saint yet reject true heroes. I offered them the slightest pleasure, and they surrendered everything with both hands. That's humanity!
Die.
Your sins are yours alone. And the only one who has come to pass judgment upon you is...
The Countess pulls a gold coin from her collar and bites her lip to draw blood, marking the coin with it. She places the bloodied coin on the Holy Maiden's forehead.
The false Holy Maiden's breath quickens at the sight of the coin. Today's reckoning was ordained long ago, and there is no escape.
As her death draws near, Zoya finally remembers that name.
Lu... Lu... Luci...
The unfinished names dissolve into pants as the Holy Maiden's throat constricts, the pooling blood inside beginning to suffocate her.
Alpha. My name is Alpha.
We've traded our lives with blood and gold. I, Alpha, pass judgment upon you.
Go to hell, Zoya Nevaliya.
Arrested for fraud at 24, she began serving an organization after prison, using her position as Mother Superior to lure and capture children for the "Aberration" project.
943 children, most of whom did not survive. The youngest one was barely 1 year old, and the oldest not yet 14.
The essence of the research is to throw human children into the Mist. The children would transform in excruciating agony, with only a handful of them displaying slightly higher resistance.
These children would be subject to further tests until they evolved into... monsters that retained human cognition, also known as Aberrations.
Blood Filtering was what the organization called these experiments. I often wonder if those who passed the Filtering were ascended humans, or... fallen monsters.
They were monsters. Now I see with perfect clarity... those who presume to wield divine power will only ever create flawed imitations.
Mother Superior, didn't you love making those orphans call you "Mom"? All while you were piling up gold with their lives. Go see your beloved children now! Go feed them in hell!
Those burning souls are crawling over to claim a kiss from you. They're crying. Can you hear them?
Alpha slowly withdraws her blade, but silk threads spill out instead of blood... As she looks on in confusion, tree vines silently emerge behind her.
The branches charge in unison, lunging for the Countess' heart. By the time she notices, the branches are already at her face. She tries to dodge, but the vines manage to pierce her shoulder.
The situation worsens suddenly. In response, Alpha thrusts her blade into her shoulder, severing the vines. Tearing open a bottle of alcohol with her teeth, she leaps backward and withdraws her blade.
Amber alcohol flows across the battlefield from her leaps. Branches thrash wildly in the air, desperately seeking Alpha's shadow, but she moves too quickly for them to catch.
After landing safely, Alpha picks up a lamp and ignites the curtains. Fire spreads like stars across the sky, quickly forming a chain that reaches the agitated Holy Maiden, completely extinguishing her final struggle.
She killed the Holy Maiden.
This is blasphemy.
The disciples lunge at Alpha, their movements shifting from running to crawling. Their bodies stiffen, their gazes turn vacant, and, without warning, they mutate from humans into beasts.
Mist creatures... These cultists are Mist creatures! They've mutated!
What the hell? But there's no fog around! Run, goddammit!
Though dangerous, the disciples are thankfully few in number. The crowd gradually gathers behind the Countess as they escape.
Take the side door. There are no disciples there.
The fire continues to burn, the suffocating heat bearing down and driving the crowd to sprint toward the door again and again. When the iron door finally bursts open, people pour out in a desperate flood.
In the chaos, a woman falls, her infant's remains scattering across the ground. She crawls on the floor, desperately trying to gather the bones.
Stop! Don't step on my baby!
She's crying! Can't you bastards hear her? The Holy Maiden said...
At the mention of the Holy Maiden, the woman seems to notice something. Her gaze shifts to the swarming crowd, to the crawling disciples, to the burning tree-shaped Mist creature.
This frenzied world verges on the edge of spiritual sight. The woman stares blankly as a stranger drags her away by the arm.
