"Take this, you bastard! Die! Boom!"
On the barren road, W laughed wildly as she hurled Originium grenades one after another at four fleeing Sarkaz men.
"It's that W! Damn it, we didn't do anything to you! Why are you attacking us?!"
W's distinctive laugh, her face now uncovered, and her signature Originium Arts made it easy for the Sarkaz to recognize her. Their leader shouted, trying to reason with her.
Unfortunately for them, W wasn't interested in talking. Her attacks continued, merciless and relentless.
They were a group of Sarkaz bandits, and frankly, their timing couldn't have been worse. Just as they were about to rob a small Sarkaz village, Daniel and W happened to pass by.
Then, like a cat toying with mice, W began hunting them down one by one. Now, only four remained.
"Let's fight her head-on!"
"That's right! There's no way she's got that many grenades left!"
Following slowly behind, Daniel shook his head as he watched the four Sarkaz bandits stop to make a final stand.
How many grenades W could carry—only she knew. But when she claimed, "Just one left," that was always a lie. Countless enemies had fallen for that trick over the years.
And that was before W had access to spatial storage. Now? Her arsenal was essentially infinite.
"So much for that Sarkaz honesty."
As Daniel watched the four bandits suddenly spin around and flee instead of charging, he was momentarily speechless. Clearly, each of them had the same idea: use the others as a distraction and escape alone.
When they all realized they were thinking the same thing, they didn't even feel embarrassed. Instead, they turned on each other—shouting, accusing, even attacking.
"Die."
Their betrayal seemed to enrage W. In the blink of an eye, she hurled several dozen grenades, obliterating all four.
Daniel now understood why W was so angry. Those Sarkaz had picked up deceitful habits. But he wasn't surprised. After all, Sarkaz were a race, not a single person—even the Inquisitor of the Unshackled Alliance, Xuan Tie, was Sarkaz.
"What a vast land."
This time, Daniel and W hadn't used an aircraft. Instead, they were traveling from Kazdel to Laterano by off-road vehicle. This gave Daniel a more intimate understanding of the terrain—completely different from what one sees from above.
"Sarkaz and Laterano really are mortal enemies."
As they approached Laterano's border, they witnessed multiple clashes between Sankta and Sarkaz. Quite a few Sarkaz factions apparently made their living robbing Sankta caravans.
"If things continue like this, trade with Laterano will be a pain."
While healing Exusiai's sister was one reason for this trip, Daniel had another goal: to establish trade with the Landen Monastery.
Contact was established through Shi Dejia (Acousitcs), whom Wei Yenwu had introduced to Rhodes Island. From there, cooperation with Che City was arranged.
It was only after meeting her that Daniel realized most people had forgotten Laterano had another major power besides the Church—the Landen Monastery.
Though Shi Dejia described it as something like a retirement home, citing financial struggles that forced its members to seek outside aid, a closer listen to her words revealed the truth: elite archers like her were common in the monastery. She wasn't even the strongest among them.
Whereas the Laterano Church was composed mainly of Sankta who wielded guns, the Landen Monastery was composed mostly of Liberi who used bows. They formed the Landen Guard.
The monastery was originally established to accept non-Sankta followers from outside Laterano. Kelsey's time as a monk, for instance, technically made her part of this faction. Only Sankta could join the main Church.
This stemmed from the Sankta's empathic resonance ability.
Even the most titled of Laterano's enforcers—"the One Who Speaks Suffering," "Chainsaw Saint"—should have been a Landen archer, not a gun-wielding executor.
In terms of archery skills, the Landen Monastery was top tier. Even Stormeye of Rhodes Island had praised Shi Dejia's technique.
"What are you smiling at?" W asked as she drove.
"Nothing. Just remembering something amusing."
Daniel was thinking about their first meeting with Shi Dejia, and his later conversation with Amiya about the Landen Monastery. Shi Dejia had worked hard to produce results—visiting important people through connections with bishops, signing several business agreements.
Yet she still felt she wasn't doing enough—especially compared to her sisters who had gone out with her. She always carried dozens of promotional pamphlets. When Daniel met her, she handed him a stack.
Amiya had also received some. She later admitted that if not for Wei Yenwu's introduction and the presence of several Sankta at Rhodes Island, she'd have assumed the monastery was a bankrupt front company.
Even more amusing, Amiya said the monastery felt strange—being a "religious institution" that also operated a mercenary group, a ranch, a farm, and a brewery.
Daniel had laughed and pointed out the irony, reminding her that Rhodes Island wasn't so different. Amiya innocently replied that Rhodes Island was a "legitimate medical company."
That left Daniel speechless. With so many elite operators, a Medical Department with higher combat power than some guards, and even facilities to mint pure gold bars… and she still called it "just a medical company"?
In that case, a monastery with mercenaries, a brewery, and a farm? Totally legit.
"This is Laterano, huh. Definitely unique."
In terms of grandeur, Laterano couldn't compare to Victoria's Londinium. Across Terra, only Yan's Imperial City or Ursus's capital could stand beside it—unless you counted the destroyed Golden City.
Still, Laterano had its charm. When they reached the city's outskirts, the first thing Daniel saw was the towering angel statue—though it shattered his expectations of what angels looked like.
Because the massive angel wasn't holding a book or harp, but two guns—one a revolver, the other a hand cannon.
Even smaller angel statues were armed to the teeth.
"So... truth lies within gun range, huh?"
"What an amusing city."
Reading the entry guidelines posted at the gate, Daniel chuckled. Most of it was standard—abide by the law, respect local customs—but one line stood out:
"If you hear gunshots or see a building collapse, do not be alarmed. This is normal."
Even though he'd read about it beforehand, seeing it for himself still amazed him.
"Security's tight. Must be because of the upcoming Summit of All Nations."
Given Laterano's unique status—and the fact that their deity really existed—Daniel took no chances. He and W entered at night to avoid detection, especially since bringing a Sarkaz into the city could raise issues.
"It's a beautiful place. No wonder some call it sacred. A symbol of hope."
The streets of Laterano were quiet at night. As Daniel and W searched for an inn, two figures emerged from an alley—a Sankta woman and a young girl, likely mother and daughter.
The pair seemed surprised to see Daniel and W but didn't alter their path.
And then—the unexpected happened.
Just as they were about to pass each other, the little girl suddenly stumbled. W reflexively reached out to steady her—only for the child to look up and see her face.
W instantly froze.
The moment she entered Laterano, she'd been discovered. If it had been an adult Sankta, she might have silenced them on the spot. But a sweet, innocent child? W couldn't bring herself to do it.
She'd always been soft toward children. During the Che City crisis, she'd even saved and trained two kids—though her method of "education" was... controversial.
But W wasn't being cruel. She just wanted those children to understand reality: in a world that devours both adults and children alike, only the strong survive.
Fortunately, those children passed the test. Daniel had only learned the story because he once saw them spot W and run toward her excitedly. When he asked, W explained the lesson she'd given them.
"Careful," W muttered as she tightened her hood and prepared to leave. But the little girl suddenly tugged her sleeve, beaming up at her.
"Big sister, are you Sarkaz? Your horns are so pretty! Just like my daddy's!"
Such innocent words froze W in place. Her mouth fell open, stunned. Daniel swore—he'd never seen her make that face before. Not even when she saw Theresa again.
"Sarkaz…"
The Sankta woman—presumably the girl's mother—spoke coldly, raising her guardian rifle toward them.
"W, what's wrong?"
Daniel instantly blurred forward, appearing beside the woman and disabling her Originium Arts with a touch. He gently pressed her shoulder to keep her from moving, then looked at W—her reaction was completely unlike her.
"You said your father is Sarkaz?"
"Yeah! Big sister, your horns are beautiful! Can I touch them? I haven't seen my daddy in a long time…"
"She's telling the truth?"
W ignored the child and looked straight at the Sankta woman. The girl, sensing tension, quickly ran to her mother's side. Daniel and W didn't stop her.
"Don't worry. We mean no harm," Daniel said, withdrawing his hand—but not before confiscating the woman's gun.
"Yes."
Now free, the Sankta woman shielded her daughter and nodded.
"This... this can't be. A Sarkaz and a Sankta... how could something like this happen?"
W looked dazed.
"What's the big deal? Even if Sarkaz and Sankta are enemies, not every pair has to fight. If that were true, you and Exusiai would've killed each other already."
Just because two peoples are historical enemies doesn't mean individuals can't connect. Romeo and Juliet, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai—there are plenty of examples.
"You wouldn't understand. I need to take her to see Her Highness. Immediately."
"Her Highness? What's your status in Kazdel?"
The Sankta woman looked surprised.
"What's going on? Do you need help?"
Just then, a young male Sankta approached from down the street.
"It's fine. They were just asking for directions. I was going to guide them."
The woman responded quickly, throwing W a look before taking the girl's hand and walking away.
W followed.
Daniel turned, smiled at the white-haired Sankta man, waved politely, then followed the others.
The young Sankta watched them leave for a long moment before turning away.
"I'm Feliara Peralta, and this is Cecilia. As you heard, her father is Sarkaz."
Inside her home, the woman introduced herself and her daughter.
"You realize what that means, right?"
By now, W had calmed down.
"Of course. That's why I brought you here. As you can see—I don't have much time left. I want you to take her away from Laterano. Protect her."
"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to her."
"Wait. W, what's going on?"
Seeing W so serious, Daniel was puzzled. He knew better than anyone how rare it was for W to act like this—the only other time had been for Theresa.
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