The three of them walked outward and stood on the balcony, seeing a nun lying in a pool of blood downstairs.
With just one glance, Kanna recognized that this girl was the very one who had spoken to her at the entrance, and she snapped her head up toward the third-floor spot right above where the nun had fallen.
A wisp of torn cloth was hanging on the wire mesh outside the balcony.
She sized up the two nuns standing nearby, noticing that although their expressions were extremely surprised and their faces showed fear, their eyes—those eyes were as calm as stagnant water without a living current, not at all what a frightened person would possess.
It was these two who had done it; Kanna understood in that very instant.
Heh, I knew it, they've gone crazy. First her, next is me, and then you... none of you are getting away! Dona also recognized the person in the pool of blood, her eyes filled with despair as she retreated step by step into the room.
At this moment, the two nuns opposite also noticed Kanna's gaze, and after flashing an eerie smile, they walked toward the hallway at the other end.
Seeing that provocative smile, Kanna instantly snapped.
There had always been praying mantises trying to stop a chariot, but she had never heard of mere crickets daring to provoke the majesty of thunder.
Accompanied by crackling sounds exploding across her body, before Ilena beside her could even react, Kanna had already appeared in front of the two people.
Her small hands possessed infinite power at this moment; she grabbed the back of their necks, one in each hand, and before the two could react, she forcefully brought her outstretched hands together in front. The two were pulled toward the middle by her and instantly squeezed together.
Then, leaning back, she directly stuffed them headfirst straight into the stairwell in a standard upside-down dive.
By the time Ilena reacted and rushed to the edge of the stairwell, she only saw two completely unrecognizable corpses inside the stairs.
"Kanna, you!" Seeing this bloody scene, even an Inquisitor who had experienced hundreds of battles felt a stir of discomfort in her stomach.
"Those two killed that person, and I'm just upholding a simple principle: those who kill shall be killed."
Even with the scene so bloody, Kanna didn't have a single drop of blood on her. She jumped onto the balcony, let out a cold snort as she looked at the crowd pouring out of the church, and walked toward the bedroom.
"But you can't just kill them like this! Since you knew these two had problems, wouldn't it have been a better choice to use them to catch the big fish behind the scenes?" Recalling the scene just now, a chill ran down Ilena's back. Kanna's series of actions had taken less than the blink of an eye. Even if it were her, she would likely have perished on the spot. No wonder Kal'tsit wasn't worried about Kanna's safety at all; turns out she was the most dangerous one of all.
"There are only a few of us on this floor. Aside from you and Dona, no one saw me make a move. I'll leave the rest to you, Inquisitor sister." As she spoke, Kanna walked back from the hallway.
Dona had seen Kanna's actions, but she was still immersed in the image of that girl's death and hadn't recovered her wits at all. It wasn't until Kanna walked up to her and patted her shoulder that she let out an "Ah!" and rushed back into the bedroom, slamming the door shut tightly.
"Eek!" Just as Kanna walked back into the room, a terrified scream came from downstairs on the other side of the corridor, as people coming up from below noticed the bloody crime scene in the hallway.
The nun in the very front saw the blood and chunks of flesh all over the hallway and her eyes rolled straight back as she fainted, and it was only because the person behind caught her that she didn't topple straight into the pool of blood.
Yet looking at the crimson blood dripping down the stairs, no one dared to walk upward.
"Clack, clack..." Footsteps came from upstairs, and amidst everyone's terrified and guarded gazes, Ilena came into view.
"In the name of the Inquisitor under the Iberian Church, I declare that I suspect heretical cultists have mixed among us. These three nuns were all murdered by heretics, so from now on, everyone go to the plaza outside and gather! Remember—everyone!"
Having no other choice, Ilena could only choose to seize the initiative, using her identity and authority as an Inquisitor to control the deterioration of the situation.
As for why she let Kanna go back, it was because of Dona. Since the other party would murder an ordinary person just over a slip of the tongue, Dona certainly wouldn't be spared by them. Now that she knew Kanna had the strength to protect an important target, given the current shortage of manpower, even if Kanna's actions were somewhat excessive, she could endure it. After all, compared to Kanna, the methods Inquisitors used to torture Abyssal Cultists in the prison were far more brutal.
As for what uncontrollable consequences Kanna's actions might bring, that was also within Ilena's tolerance range. After all, compared to seeking justice for two individuals suspected of being "Abyssal Cultists," dealing with the "Abyssal Church" together was every Inquisitor's highest priority.
Accompanied by a burst of footsteps, the people outside also heard the shouts from the dormitory here and walked up.
"Dean Green, there is a traitor among us. I now declare the monastery to be in a state of war, with myself as Inquisitor taking full command. In the name of the Iberian Inquisitor, I order you to immediately seal the monastery. Everyone must gather together, living and eating together from today on. Anyone who leaves, even to use the restroom, must report it!"
Looking at Green walking up from below, a wave of disgust surged from the deep recesses of Ilena's heart, though she still restrained the urge to draw her longsword and give the opponent a slash. She issued the orders belonging to an Inquisitor in a rigid tone.
Seeing the blood dripping from the stairs, how could they not know what had happened? Those two were individuals they had temporarily arranged to be there, and looking at them up on the floor now, things looked grim, making these people's complexions turn extremely ugly.
Yet in present-day Iberia, an Inquisitor's words held supreme authority within the Church. Every church had to unconditionally obey an Inquisitor's arrangements when a war broke out, so when Ilena first declared a state of war, the authority of the entire monastery was temporarily transferred into Ilena's hands.
Upon hearing Ilena's words, Friar Green involuntarily took two steps back, and it was a good thing someone behind him supported him so he didn't collapse.
With trembling hands, he looked toward the hallway, his lips constantly twitching and his face as pale as paper. "How could this... how could this be..."
At this moment, he seemed to have aged a great deal, finally looking somewhat like a seventy-year-old old man ought to.
"What are you standing around in a daze for? Do you want to defy orders!" Ilena drew her longsword from her waist and slashed it across the wall, pulling out a deep sword mark that made everyone look at her with terror-stricken faces.
Chapter 114: Monastery Upheaval
"Listen to the Lord Inquisitor, everyone go down and gather!" Accompanied by Dean Green's powerless words, the crowd nervously began to walk downward.
Before long, nearly fifty people, from friars and gardeners to kitchen maids and stable hands, had gathered on the platform downstairs.
At this moment, a figure walked toward the dormitories, but before she had taken even two steps, a sword beam swept past right in front of her feet, blocking her path.
"Didn't I say that everyone is to gather in the plaza? Ms. Lucy, what are you trying to do?" Ilena looked over with a stern gaze.
Seeing Ilena's murderous gaze, Lucy panicked a bit. She swallowed hard as she looked at the tip of the sword pointing almost directly at her nose. "I, I just saw that Dona wasn't around, and didn't you say everyone was gathering below? So I wanted to go up and bring her down. Yes, that's it!"
"You don't need to worry about Dona, you just need to take care of yourself." Saying this, Ilena glanced around the surroundings; meeting her gaze, most people involuntarily lowered their heads.
By now, everyone had gathered. Even the others who had initially been clueless now knew about the bloody murders that had just occurred in front of this dormitory and in the hallway, and for a moment the crowd grew somewhat restless and uneasy.
"Quiet!" With a wave of the longsword in her hand and accompanied by Ilena's low roar, the crowd quieted down as well.
"Ilena!" At this moment, Kanna's voice came from upstairs. Everyone looked up and saw Kanna holding a lantern standing by the balcony edge, dropping the lantern in her hand down when she saw Ilena looking over.
Ilena flexed her legs and leaped into the air in a single bound, catching the lantern steadily with a very relaxed and smooth posture. She nodded at Kanna above, then her face turned serious again as she looked at the crowd.
"Everyone probably already knows about the murder that just happened. Yes, not an accident, it's a murder. Dangerous heretical cultists have mixed among us. He threw a nun down from upstairs to her death, and the other two were murdered in the hallway, with extremely cruel methods. But fortunately, I wasn't far away. Although I didn't catch sight of the culprit, in such a short time they definitely haven't had the chance to run out of the monastery, so they must still be among the crowd."
Since the bodies were still laid out not far away, hiding it was impossible, so Ilena simply seized the opportunity to improvise, framing the incident of the two "Abyssal Church" nuns onto a non-existent person, and using this as a reason to seal off the entire monastery.
Hearing Ilena's words, those "Abyssal Church" believers hiding in the crowd were dumbfounded. After all, among the three dead, aside from the one who was thrown to her death, the other two were their "compatriots." How could they possibly have killed their "compatriots" using such brutal methods?
Without even needing to think, these people guessed that those two had probably been discovered by the Inquisitor while committing the crime, resulting in the two being caught up to and killed at the stair landing when they tried to escape through the hallway.
It was just a pity their side hadn't expected the other party's actions to be so prompt, resulting in no follow-up plan keeping pace and the hateful Inquisitor seizing the initiative.
Standing outside Dona's door and finding that the aura of Dona inside the room was gradually stabilizing, Kanna breathed a sigh of relief, then walked into Ilena's room, took down the other's lantern, and threw it down from above.
With a longsword in one hand and a lantern in the other, Ilena indeed looked imposing, instantly subduing this group of people harboring various hidden agendas.
Hearing Ilena's declaration from below, she couldn't help but wear a peculiar expression. Truly, only the person who wronged you knows just how wronged you really are.
She couldn't help but admire how quickly Ilena had reacted and devised a method of control to bring the monastery under her sway.
Among the gathered crowd, a few people shifted positions and stood together.
"What's the situation?"
"Damn it, why did it have to alert the Inquisitor!"
Although their complexions remained normal, the few of them whispered about what had just happened, and before long they pieced together the cause, cursing involuntarily:
"Lucy is an Iberian curse word! At such a critical moment, she goes to kill an unrelated nun and even exposes our presence! I swear to Iberian curse word..."
If it weren't for the current public setting and the presence of many others around—especially the Inquisitor's gaze—they would have already dragged Lucy out to be burned at the stake.
Lucy also guessed that she had made a mistake, but she neither dared to return to the formation nor dare to turn traitor, so she could only hide on the outer edge of the crowd, hoping to survive by relying on the Inquisitor's oversight.
Seeing Lucy standing on the outer edge of the crowd looking terrified, Ilena was still a bit baffled. Judging by the previous situation, the other party was definitely a member of the cult, and even held a certain status; so why was she standing outside and even so close to herself? Weren't she afraid of being discovered by her own abnormal behavior and being dragged out?
If Ilena were to find out the reason, she would probably laugh herself to death in exasperation, never expecting that she herself, the biggest enemy, had become the other party's protective talisman for survival.
Upstairs, Kanna opened the door and walked in after Dona had calmed down. At this moment, Dona was standing dazedly by the window, looking out at the calm yet slightly rippling dark sea.
Kanna walked over and sat down beside Dona. Kanna knows you definitely have secrets, and you don't have to tell me because I'm not interested. However, if you want to survive, I suggest you tell what you know to Ilena or Kal'tsit.
"It's useless," Dona shook her head, her expression extremely desolate.
"Do you know what attitude the Inquisitors have toward people of the 'Abyssal Church'... It's not like no one has ever surrendered to them, but the ending... Let's put it this way: although they are still alive, perhaps death would allow them to regain peace."
Perhaps knowing that she didn't have long to live, Dona actually looked much more relaxed.
"Want to hear my story?"
Then, Dona spoke of her own accord.
She was originally an ordinary girl, the most ordinary of all. Her dream was to spend her youth in the monastery, learn a practical skill, marry an ordinary boy, harvest an ordinary family, and finally grow old ordinarily.
Yet reality was that during a chance occasion, she was tested and found to have a fairly high "talent," making her suitable as a womb to become a vessel for those monsters and humans to combine, used for breeding the offspring of monsters and humans.
When she saw those disgusting monsters, incomparable terror welled up within her; she was unwilling to become a breeding tool for these terrifying creatures. In order to escape the cage that locked her up, she desperately starved herself to become thin enough to slip through, and then took advantage of a moment of negligence by her captors to run outside.
Chapter 115: The Caged Bird and the Gift
Yet she dared not go home, because her own parents were also members of the Church, and upon hearing of her talent, she had even been "offered" to the other party by her parents. Not knowing how many of the other party's people were still in the city, she dared not return to the city and could only run outward, ultimately collapsing on the main road due to prolonged starvation...
After listening to Dona's story, Kanna finally understood why Dona had that kind of look when she came back; it was the despair of a dead heart after utter hopelessness. Moreover, even if she claimed she had no connection to the "Abyssal Church," her parents both did, and she had even seen those monsters from the "Abyssal Sea." The Church was impossible to let her leave without confirming whether she had been polluted.
Therefore, within the Church, she would either become a breeding machine or die a miserable death; even if the Church were defeated, in the Inquisitor's hands, her most likely fate would still be that of a caged bird.
"It's not the end yet. You actually don't have to be so desperate. What if there's still a turning point!"
This comfort was something even Kanna herself didn't really believe, but at the moment there were no further methods.
Dona shook her head and stopped speaking.
Facing this situation, Kanna also felt a sense of powerlessness where she couldn't apply her strength. She felt in her pocket, pulled out a lollipop, and handed it to Dona.
"Have some candy! Grandma said that if you're unhappy, eat a piece of candy; sweetness can always bring a feeling of happiness."
Dona was stunned for a moment, and finally smiled helplessly. To think she had been talking about such matters to a mere child—how could she understand? However, after speaking it out, she did feel a lot more relaxed.
She took Kanna's candy, peeled off the outer wrapper, and held it in her mouth—truly sweet, only she wondered if she would still have a chance to taste it.
On the other side, Kal'tsit left after finishing her communication with the lighthouse keeper.
Upon stepping out, she was surrounded by a group of people.
"This lady, please come with us. Don't refuse this proposal; after all, it's out on the street, and if we resort to force, nobody's face will look good." The leader raised his head and spoke in an extremely arrogant tone.
"Heh! When did Iberians learn Siracusa's style?" Facing this, Kal'tsit crossed her arms and showed no fear at all.
The leading man pulled out a small knife, gesturing with it in front of him, and threatened unceremoniously, "Don't toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! You wouldn't want a few cuts to appear on that pretty face of yours, would you?"
Kal'tsit looked indifferently at the other person without saying a single word.
"Are you going or not!" Seeing that someone was pointing and talking about the situation here, the man also grew somewhat anxious.
"Heh! I suggest that the next time you want to invite someone like this, you should go to Siracusa to learn more, instead of just showing off when you only know some superficial tricks..." Kal'tsit felt a headache coming on as she looked at the man in front of her acting like a clown. This guy was probably a total idiot—he didn't even lead the way, knowing only how to blabber blindly.
When he finally figured out the reason, the man's expression became extremely colorful. He glared resentfully at Kal'tsit. This woman was not simple; with just a few simple movements, she had turned the passive into the active. Clearly she was alone and being surrounded by his group, yet it ended up looking like he was her vanguard leading the way for her.
The old Liberi upstairs saw everything below, but he could only sigh up there. He could not leave this place, otherwise those heretical cultists would inevitably reach their tentacles into the lighthouse, so he could only watch Kal'tsit being taken away by those people.
Kal'tsit followed those people all the way, and when they reached their ultimate destination, her pupils constricted involuntarily.
This place was none other than the Rock Bay Town Hall.
As a theocracy combining politics and religion in Iberia, every city had two brains; now, the brain at the monastery had been confirmed to be corrupted, and while the Town Hall's status hadn't been clear before, judging by now, it should be rotting away just as badly.
With this thought, Kal'tsit walked into the Town Hall with an expressionless face.
Upon entering, she couldn't help but frown slightly. Although her sense of smell couldn't compare to a monster like Kanna, the heavy, fishy, and rotting stench mixed together inside was very rich, and without needing any discernment, one could tell how terrible the situation inside was.
As she entered, the heavy doors slowly closed. The curious people around who had seen Kal'tsit being surrounded and brought in also dispersed. In their eyes, Kal'tsit must have broken the law and been caught red-handed; as ordinary commoners, they didn't dare to provoke the noble lords of the Town Hall.
Upon entering the room, Kal'tsit found that the gazes these surrounding people cast at her were filled with malice, and they didn't conceal it at all. She couldn't help but sigh.
Originally, she had intended to investigate quietly and leave once things were clear; as for whatever happened here, it should be the business of the Iberians and the Inquisitors, and she didn't want to get involved at all. But judging by the current situation, it was completely unavoidable.
Stepping into the main hall, she saw a dozen people surrounding her from all directions, boxing her in the middle.
"This lady, two matters. I hope you can give us a satisfactory reply," a man of about thirty years old holding a cane in the front raised his hand, making a gesture of two and speaking with deliberate elegance.
"First, what did that old man on the lighthouse say to you? I hope you can tell us word for word. Second, I see the lady is also a cultured person; I hope you wouldn't mind us occupying a tiny bit of your time. I'd like to introduce you to our Church... Don't be nervous, in our Church there is no class oppression, no distinction between high and low, and we are all treated equally as 'compatriots'..."
The man's voice rose and fell with inflection, as if he were giving a grand speech.
"The Abyssal Church. Sure enough, it's you bunch of rats." Kal'tsit's eyes didn't have a single ripple of emotion, and a dark, prismatic stone was trembling slightly in her hand.
Hearing Kal'tsit's words, the man was slightly startled, his face darkening instantly, and the surrounding people all cast murderous gazes at Kal'tsit.
"What do you know! Iberian Inquisitors care about nothing except urging slaughter, and what does the Church do besides collect taxes? They do nothing at all! Whereas the Church has granted us eternal life. Look at this face of mine; who would guess I'm already an old man past fifty! Envious? This is the gift given to us by the 'Abyssal Church' that you disdainfully dismiss!
Since you refuse to become a compatriot, then there is only one choice left: become food for the abyssal depths!"
Accompanied by his shouting, the floor of the Town Hall grew damp, and the people around rushed toward Kal'tsit with distorted expressions. In the dim shadows, unspeakable tentacles slowly protruded, and the entire hall instantly transformed from bright to gloomy and dark, as if they had entered an underwater world.
Seeing this situation, Kal'tsit didn't panic either. She stepped forward, dodging the sudden attack of a tentacle emerging from behind, and then dropped the stone in her hand onto the ground.
Chapter 116: The Beast-Fighting Cage
Accompanied by a piercing screech, a huge and terrifying monster appeared before everyone.
Making their faces, already distorted by the corrosion of the deep sea, look even more twisted and horrific.
Before you continue