"Bang bang bang bang bang bang!"
Aiming at the slumbering Hanass, Royale pulled the trigger. Six silver demon-hunting bullets, carrying the blessed power of the Evernight Goddess, thundered into Hanass's corrupted body.
"Ahhhhh!"
Hanass jolted awake from his sleep with a heart-wrenching scream. The skin struck by the demon-hunting bullets instantly turned black and stayed that way, like rotting wood struck by lightning.
Then the blackness rapidly spread and crumbled. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen and curling into a ball, no longer moving.
Did we get him?
Klein thought nervously.
"Clink, clink."
Royale expertly ejected the spent shells and reloaded. Then she approached Hanass, pressing the gun barrel directly against his head.
She wasn't about to take any chances. While Hanass was vulnerable, she would fire another round of demon-hunting bullets!
But just as Royale's gun touched Hanass's head, he suddenly looked up.
"Praise the Lord."
Hanass said with a crazed smile.
Something hidden beneath his black robe began to stir. Only when she got close enough did Royale see what it truly was: two human faces! One large, one small, embedded directly into Hanass's chest and abdomen.
Through the black robe, the two faces twisted and convulsed, their frozen agony almost tangible!
With Hanass's prayer, both faces simultaneously opened their mouths:
"Praise you, my Lord,
Your will be done on earth,
As it echoes in our flesh and blood."
The words were indescribably corrupted. The two mouths opened and closed continuously, forming a twisted duet as blasphemous, mad prayers poured forth!
BOOM!
Klein felt his brain buzz as if a bomb had detonated inside his skull, his consciousness blanking for an instant.
When he came to, he was already lying on the ground, nosebleed trickling down to his chin, dizziness and pain flooding his mind.
What the hell...
The shrill blasphemous language still echoed.
Klein barely lifted his head to see Royale collapsed on the ground, blood flowing from her nose and mouth, unconscious. She had been closer to Hanass and suffered a greater impact.
In the hall covered with bullet marks and gore, only Hanass remained standing.
The two faces beneath his black robe continued their chant, and with the corrupted words, the wounds from the demon-hunting bullets had already healed.
He spread his arms with fanaticism and devotion.
"This is the supreme power of my Lord! In my sleep, I received His revelation!"
Damn it...
Klein cursed silently. He wanted to struggle to his feet, but his body refused to obey.
The corrupted sounds constantly assaulted his brain, leaving his limbs powerless.
If he hadn't already adapted to the whispers from above the gray fog, he would probably be completely unconscious like Blaine.
The two faces beneath the black robe continued praying. In the gaps between words, desperate pleas and weeping emerged.
"Darling, please stop..."
"Daddy, it hurts..."
Klein noticed that Hanass, who had been in constant ecstasy, suddenly froze upon hearing the woman and child's cries, pain flashing across his face.
But very quickly, those traces of emotion dissipated, and he laughed again.
"Hahaha... This is... this is the Lord's blessing! This way our family can be together forever!"
Tears streamed down Hanass's face, his expression a mix of joy and despair.
He had completely lost his last shred of humanity, fully immersed in his faith in the evil god.
He tenderly stroked the two faces on his abdomen, yet ignored their screams and wails, only offering the purest, maddest prayers to his "Lord," forcing those two faces to continuously emit corrupted words in extreme torment.
This lunatic... did he sacrifice his own wife and child?!
Klein's scalp tingled as disgust and rage surged through him. He had never seen this side of Hanass before.
Indeed, once someone became a follower of an evil god, no matter how normal their behavior, they had essentially become a monster wearing human skin!
After muttering to himself for a while, Hanass suddenly moved again. He looked at the fallen Royale, hunger and greed flashing in his eyes. He opened his mouth, split to his ears, his white teeth covered in bloody mucus.
"Daddy, I'm hungry..."
"Darling, let's eat her..."
The two faces on his abdomen also spoke in unison, encouraging him to continue.
Oh no!
Klein snapped to attention. This guy was going to devour Royale! He had to stop him!
But Hanass's blasphemous words continued, and Klein couldn't stand up at all.
Seeing the man already crouching down and opening his mouth toward Royale, he gritted his teeth and whispered:
"Blessed be..."
"Bang!"
At that moment, a crisp sound cut through Klein's whisper. He saw an exquisite teapot fly across the hall, hitting Hanass squarely in the head and shattering.
"Go to hell!"
A roar came from behind.
A figure rapidly crossed the distance, rushing before Hanass. Gripping a solid walking stick with both hands, he swung it in a full arc and struck Hanass viciously across the face.
"SMACK!"
Like smashing a watermelon or crushing a bug, the satisfying sound rang out.
Hanass fell backward, a deep impression of the walking stick carved into his face. Klein looked at the figure in surprise. It was the very person they were supposed to protect: Silas Londor!
"Scream! Scream all you want!"
Silas's eyes were bloodshot, blood trickling from his nose and ears. He cursed at Hanass through gritted teeth, the walking stick repeatedly smashing down on Hanass's head.
Spattering blood landed on his face and hands, hissing and burning as it raised wisps of smoke, but it couldn't stop him from striking with lethal force.
"Ahh... praise the Lord..."
The beaten Hanass spoke in a garbled voice. Then the two faces on his abdomen simultaneously opened their mouths.
"Watch out!"
Klein urgently warned, but it was already too late. A piercing howl accompanied by corrupted language erupted from those two mouths together, surging toward Silas.
Klein, who only caught the aftershock from behind, felt like his brain had been hammered again, dizzy and aching.
Through blurred vision, Klein saw Silas stop his movements and stand motionless.
"Hehe..."
Looking at Silas, who seemed to have fallen into a stupor, Hanass gave a chilling smile. "You have the Lord's... oh, oh, oh..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Silas lifted his foot and kicked viciously between Hanass's legs!
(/n: oooof)
"CRACK!"
The sound of something shattering rang out. Even as an observer, Klein felt a chill down below.
"What's the matter? You're screaming so loud... didn't your Lord bless your family jewels?"
Silas sneered coldly and kicked again. Blood was gurgling out from his nose and ears, but his consciousness remained clear.
Though his face was fierce, his mind was racing, thinking about how to eliminate this monster.
Why did Silas appear at this moment?
Because from the very beginning, he never intended to entrust his life entirely to others.
After hiding his sister Cecilia, Silas had slipped out of the lounge and hidden behind a partition to observe the scene.
The previous battle had been intense, and neither of the two Nighthawks present had noticed him.
Hanass seemed to have spotted him but had been too battered to act.
So initially, as a bystander, Silas had been relatively safe.
Until Hanass awakened the two faces beneath his black robe and used them to amplify his ability to corrupt others.
The vile, corrupted words had initially shocked Silas greatly. But just as his mind was about to collapse, the phantom ocean he had felt when drinking the potion appeared again.
It was as if invisible tides gently cradled his mind, resisting the chanting.
However, this power seemed limited.
While resisting the erosion, the cool sensation was gradually fading. If Hanass wasn't dealt with, madness would eventually await him too.