My mind began to churn at overdrive.

We were in the center of the Japanese Branch of the Exorcist Union.

That alone was bad enough.

This place was crawling with powerhouses.

Multiple Gods, Rank 5 Exorcists, and Rank 4 veteran combatants who had survived decades of conflicts.

They could wipe us out.

On the other hand, what did we have?

Valen was there, but his head was still regenerating, flesh knitting slowly, and the fatigue on his face was obvious.

He could fight if forced to, but against Rank 5 Exorcists who were at peak condition, I doubted he could do much.

Dante was the other option.

His ability was powerful, terrifying, and unpredictable.

Dante and Vampire Prince Valen were our only two fighters capable of standing in this place.

The crewmates were still recovering from their injuries.

Some were leaning against walls, others sitting on the cracked floor, trying to steady their breathing.

They could move, but that didn't mean they could fight at full strength.

And then there was the inn girl.

The Cursed Spirit protecting her would only protect her.

It didn't care about us. It didn't care about collateral damage or tactical positioning.

Worse, given our location, if every powerhouse stationed in this branch attacked at once, even that guardian might not be enough to save her.

So, asking for her help was useless.

'Damned Fate.'

I had been worrying about reaching home on time today.

Being stuck in the domain had messed up my schedule.

Now I had to worry about whether I would even survive long enough to think about home.

There was no time to waste.

The area we were currently in didn't have any strong Exorcists present.

It was more of a hall connected to various room where injured Exorcists were being taken care of.

The Gods and Rank 4 and Rank 5 Exorcists would start converging on our location soon.

But we still had at least thirty seconds.

Thirty seconds was everything.

"Dante! Combat form!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

At the same time, I rushed forward and grabbed the broken Judy and Saint Maverick, hauling them up with brute force.

My arms screamed in protest, but I ignored it.

"Crewmates! Attack! Don't enter the enemy line too deep!" I barked.

They reacted instantly. Even injured, even exhausted, they were veterans.

They knew how to follow orders when it mattered.

Exorcists were going to die here.

I did not like that thought.

Every Exorcist here was someone who could have helped fight the invaders in the future.

Every death was a loss we couldn't afford in the long run.

But ideals didn't matter if we died now.

I had already declared myself an enemy of the Monkey King, and by extension, the Exorcist Union.

Valen had killed the messengers they sent to meet me, which was as good as spitting in their face and daring them to retaliate.

There was no backing down anymore.

'I will try to end the fight by escaping quickly. If we do it as fast as possible, no one should die.'

Dante released his combat form.

At some point earlier, he had put his clothes back on.

Now, without hesitation, he removed them again.

Since I hadn't activated Hollow Eyes yet, all I saw was his normal form.

Just Dante, standing there, eyes unfocused, shoulders rolling as if something inside him was trying to crawl out.

But judging from how everyone else froze, stiff as statues, they were seeing something very different.

Good, I thought. If this keeps them locked in fear, we can escape.

Dante's body started to shudder.

At first, I thought it was something normal.

Then the sounds began.

Wet, uneven sounds, like something tearing and reforming at the same time.

And then he went berserk.

Exorcists had already gathered around us, alerted by our arrival.

They were thrown aside as if struck by invisible giants.

Some flew into the walls with bone-shattering force.

Others simply collapsed where they stood, huge gashes appearing across their bodies without any visible attack.

Blood sprayed.

The smell of iron filled the hall.

The crewmates managed to hold their ground.

They were Rank 4 in combat strength, and they knew how to defend themselves.

Even so, they were clearly under pressure.

The inn girl was frozen.

'…what?'

I was shocked as he stared at her.

'Why is she being hit by a mental attack after looking at Dante's form?'

'She is a Cursed Spirit. This shouldn't happen.'

But the truth was before my eyes.

She stood frozen, eyes wide, unable to even scream.

'Dammit!'

It did not help that Dante was going on a rampage and attacking everyone.

If Dante attacked her, her guardian would retaliate.

And if that happened, Dante would die. Perhaps me too, because I was his partner.

'Why is he rampaging?'

'Is someone using a mental attack on him?'

The thought hit me like a hammer as I moved.

I threw Saint Maverick and Judy toward the back of the hall, where the others were already retreating.

"Saint Maverick! You know what to do!" I shouted.

He gritted his teeth and nodded, clutching the key tightly in his hand.

Then I leapt.

I crossed the distance in an instant and threw myself over the inn girl, covering her with my body.

At the same time, I activated Hollow Eyes.

I could block attacks for her only when I could perceive the form of Dante attacking her.

But the moment the eyes activated, instinct screamed at me.

Don't look.

I did not look back.

Dante was being stared at by over twenty people.

Whatever eldritch horror that created, whatever impossible form emerged from overlapping perceptions, I knew one thing for certain.

If I looked, even for a moment, I would die.

Closing my eyes wasn't enough.

My skin crawled as if it had developed its own thoughts.

My tongue felt like it was floating, disconnected from my mouth, brushing against emotions of everyone in the surroundings.

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