John

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	John Preston
Alias(es)	The Strongest Cleric 61
Gender	Male
Affiliation	New Government Church; later aligned with the Resistance 61 64 67
Occupation/Role	Church cleric and elite enforcer; hunter of “emotion criminals” 61 64
First Appearance	Chapter 61: The Strongest Cleric, John

Background / History

John served as the Church’s strongest cleric, tasked with eliminating people who refused Prozium and suppressing emotional “contraband.” He accepted orders without hesitation and initially defined the proper response to emotion criminals as: “Eliminate the emotion criminals and burn the contraband.” 61

During a Church assault on a Resistance hideout, John methodically killed the defenders with his twin cleric guns before confronting Li Zu. Li Zu instinctively replicated John’s Gunfighting technique, prompting John to conclude that his opponent was a fallen priest; John then attempted to execute him. 62

Li Zu escaped after Hawkgirl intervened, leaving John unconscious. Upon waking, John experienced emotion for the first time: he found sunlight and the surrounding world captivating, and secretly felt relief that women and children had escaped the raid. 63

John subsequently crushed his Prozium vials, partnered with Li Zu, and helped infiltrate a Cleric training camp. Li Zu’s emotional laughter converted much of the camp, while John became a figure the newly awakened clerics looked to for direction. 64 65 67

After the Church’s emotional-control system was dismantled, John turned against Li Zu’s belief that freedom and chaos were interchangeable. Their final gunpoint confrontation ended when Li Zu vanished, leaving John to face the consequences of the revolution. 69

Personality

Before regaining his emotions, John was controlled, expressionless, and absolute in his obedience. He showed no visible reaction to danger, collateral deaths, or Partridge’s suspicious behavior, because he lacked the capacity for suspicion itself. 61

His awakening did not make him reckless. John concealed his relief over the Resistance escape, destroyed his Prozium in private, and continued presenting an emotionless exterior around Church personnel. 63 64

After joining the Resistance, he retained his discipline and combat restraint. He could incapacitate hostile civilians without killing them when Jurgen objected to lethal force, and he grew wary of Li Zu’s willingness to treat human liberation as a game. 68 69

Abilities & Skills

Gunfighting

John is a master of the Church’s Gunfighting discipline, using precise angles, body mechanics, and muscle memory rather than conventional aiming. He can reliably hit a target once his arm reaches the required firing angle. 62

• Wields twin specially modified cleric guns, using them as firearms and close-range striking weapons. 61 62
• Can shift his pistols into automatic fire to suppress multiple opponents. 61
• Remains accurate and composed under heavy machine-gun fire and at point-blank range. 62
• His shots are described as certain to hit when executed through Gunfighting’s practiced formula. 62

Close-Quarters Combat

John combines gunplay with rapid movement, disarms, pistol strikes, and evasive footwork. 61 62

• Broke an attacker’s throat with a pistol strike, then immediately fired a finishing shot. 61
• Avoided Li Zu’s fire axe while continuously repositioning his guns for lethal shots. 62
• Fought through crowds without firearms when Jurgen wanted attackers subdued rather than killed. 68

Cleric Conditioning

As a Church cleric, John was conditioned through Prozium to suppress emotion and obey directives. 61 64

• Initially lacked emotional responses such as fear, suspicion, or hesitation. 61
• Regained emotions after his encounter with Li Zu and deliberately stopped taking Prozium. 63 64
• Retained enough control to conceal his emotional awakening from Church colleagues. 63 64

Equipment

• Twin cleric guns — Specially modified pistols used for Gunfighting, melee strikes, and automatic fire. 61 62
• Prozium vials — Former emotion-suppression medication; John destroyed his own supply after awakening. 64

Relationships

• Li Zu — Initially pursued him as an emotion criminal and suspected fallen priest; later worked beside him to undermine the Church. Their alliance collapsed over Li Zu’s embrace of chaos. 62 64 69
• Cleric Partridge — Church partner who quietly hoped John would regain his emotions and later found him after his defeat by Hawkgirl. 61 63
• Jurgen — Resistance leader who regarded John as a valuable potential recruit. John later fought alongside him, though he restrained Jurgen from shooting Li Zu. 63 68 69
• Cleric Brandt — John’s replacement Church partner after his awakening; Brandt noticed the shattered Prozium vials and later confronted John on behalf of the priest. 64 69

Notable Quotes

“Eliminate the emotion criminals and burn the contraband.” 61

“No one will escape from here.” 62