Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

The power of the beast...

To humans, he is a benefactor; to beasts, he is the serpent of original sin, a seven-headed, ten-horned dragon.

Perhaps, that dog inadvertently unleashed another kind of power within that flesh and blood.

Indeed, as the price of bearing both light and darkness, this has led to many things having two sides.

Tsk, this is a bit of a headache. It seems that flesh and blood that has lost the control of the main body is ultimately a problem. It would be better to get rid of it as soon as possible.

"Looks like we'll have some work to do these next few days."

"us?"

Aozaki Touko frowned slightly and looked up at the claw resting on her shoulder.

“We’re partners, I know you definitely won’t abandon me, Orange!”

Samael blinked, his face earnest.

"I can help you, but I have one condition."

Having already been tricked several times, Aozaki Touko was not moved by emotional appeals at all. She placed her hands on the table, leaned forward, looked intently at Samael, and made a request in a low voice.

"After this is all over, I want your body!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Samael instinctively crossed her arms over her chest and shrank back, like a little girl about to be violated, while her shimmering eyes seemed to be brewing some kind of excitement.

Do you want me to sell myself? Well… not impossible…

"Cough... I mean... I can borrow your body to study it..."

Realizing the ambiguity in her words, Aozaki Touko's expression stiffened. She quickly moved away, sat back in her original seat, turned her face away, and coughed dryly to explain.

Although Aozaki Touko explained the purpose of the request and repeatedly assured the safety of the research subjects, the other party agreed to the condition.

But she always felt that the way that guy looked at her was strange.

It seems to contain a certain sense of frustration and regret...

Aozaki Touko felt a sudden surge of unease. She quickly grabbed a city map she had prepared in the house, spread it out in front of her employer, and got down to business.

"Tonight, think about where your body parts might be missing, mark the area on the map, and we'll start tomorrow, beginning with the stray cats and dogs in the neighborhood."

"If it's just cats or dogs that accidentally ingest it, it's fine; it's never been a problem."

The magic has faded from their physical form, so even if the cats and dogs in the city show signs of mutation, they won't cause much trouble.

After all, the four major exorcist families, one magician, and a branch of the Holy Church in Misaki City are not to be trifled with. If they couldn't even handle this little bit of trouble, they might as well give up.

Samael frowned and sighed as he flipped through the map of Misaki City in front of him, his eyes gleaming with a deep, unsettling light.

"The problem always lies with people. What I fear most is that some malicious individuals might use my body to do strange things; that would be a real problem..."

Aozaki Touko was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this.

"Since you're so worried, why didn't you ask your colleagues for help during the call? Aren't you a member of the Dark Council?"

"If I can handle the problems I've caused myself, I'd like to try dealing with them on my own first, and I need to hurry."

Samael shrugged, looked up at Misaki City under the night sky outside the window, and spoke in a meaningful tone.

"As for reinforcements, they might already be on their way by now..."

Meanwhile, in the village of Brakmoya, at the hilltop castle.

laugh! laugh! laugh! laugh!

In the spacious hall, accompanied by the surge of magic, several beams of light and shadow appeared on a crystal round table in front of each seat, each engraved with a different emblem.

Holo, sitting in the second seat, happily munched on an apple and announced the latest news with great enthusiasm.

"Little Samael just called. The technical department has located the location through the phone number; it's Misaki City, Japan."

Suddenly, the lights and shadows on each person's seat flickered and swayed, and sighs of relief rose and fell.

"See? We told you long ago, this thing is still jumping around, so we don't need to worry about it. That stinky guy is tougher than a cockroach. Even if we die, he'll still be alive and kicking."

Holo first glared at the three-foot-long, coiled, purplish-red snake in the center of the round table, then, with the air of someone who had been there before, reprimanded the members of the Dark Round Table who were attending the meeting.

How dare you criticize us? I wonder who started complaining about shedding so much lately that they don't even feel like eating apples anymore...

The Dark Round Table members murmured amongst themselves, scoffing at the composure of a certain wise wolf at this moment. However, the good news at hand swept away their accumulated worries of the past few days.

"Since everything's alright, when is he coming back? I've been covering for him for a week, and I still have a ton of paperwork to process!"

The outspoken Dragon Witch was the first to slam her hand on the table, glaring at everyone in accusation.

"Are you afraid you'll have to cover a few more days?"

"Huh? Why?"

“I only said he wasn’t dead, not that he was alright. The guy said on the phone that he was in some trouble, and that the situation was probably a bit tricky.”

Holo chewed on a juicy apple, rolling her eyes and grumbling about her troublesome little brother, while muttering to herself.

"Looks like we'll have to find someone to bail him out..."

In an instant, the light and shadows present shook violently, and they all raised their hands, their eyes filled with longing, pleading with Holo.

However, before anyone could even open their mouths, the great wise wolf flatly refused.

"Dream on! If you all run away, who's going to do the work?"

whispering sound……

Seeing that they would have to continue their shifts and their plans had fallen through, everyone hung their heads in frustration, showing little interest in the roundtable meeting.

"If we can't do it, are you going to run away by yourself? That's disloyal!"

Jeanne Alter glanced at Holo, who had rejected everyone's applications, and protested indignantly.

"Don't worry, we'll stay here and keep you company..."

Holo glanced around with a sullen expression, then turned to look at the corner of the conference room, her amber eyes flashing with cunning and mockery.

"Of course, whoever caused this should be responsible. So, you'll be the one to bring little Samael back. No objections, sir of Millennium City?"

"I will bring him back safe and sound."

A resolute low murmur rang out clearly, and Black Princess Altruki emerged from the dark corner, a small white beast resting on her shoulder.

"Tch, can you even do it?"

Still unwilling to give up, Jeanne Alter's tone rose, expressing deep doubt.

"This time, I won't hold back."

Hei Ji met the skeptic's gaze with a deep look, her scarlet eyes flashing with a dark and resolute light, her lowered fist unconsciously clenching.

"Whether facing Zhu Yue or Arcueid..."

For a moment, the answer made Jeanne d'Arc Alter, who was just venting her frustration, pause and instinctively fall silent.

Eee...

A moment later, the door opened slightly, and the person and the beast walked away into the distance, their backs to the light.

Tsk tsk, you definitely made the right choice, there's going to be a good show to watch.

Holo's lips curled up, her amber eyes brimming with schadenfreude and anticipation.

"Don't worry, the King of the Dead Apostles of Millennium City, plus Fou, the Primate Killer, are more than enough to flatten Misaki City."

Martha pondered for a moment and offered words of comfort, giving a younger saintess a way out.

"Tch, what's so great about it? I could do it too."

Jeanne d'Arc Alter grumbled angrily, but seeing that things were beyond her control, she obediently bent down and sat back down in her original position.

As the meeting was brought back on track, Xianlang, who was in charge of the overall situation, looked around and pondered before asking questions.

"Just to be on the safe side, do we have any useful people left in Misaki City before Eltrauge arrives?"

“The power dynamics in Misaki City are complex and intertwined. We haven’t had time to fully infiltrate it yet, so there are no branches under the council there.”

Aurora, who was in charge of coordination, pondered for a moment, frowned slightly, and then added.

"However, there is one person in the area who is one of ours and may be able to provide some assistance to His Majesty."

So, it was her?

Holo quickly glanced at the documents Aurora had sent her, her brow unfurrowing. She then tossed the documents to the two petite figures beside her.

“Abby, Lavinia, it seems you two will be in charge of the coordination. Have her secretly search for Samael's whereabouts in Misaki City. If necessary, she can provide some assistance.”

Upon hearing that they could help, the two outer goddess priestesses picked up the documents and stood up excitedly.

Holo casually held down the two somewhat impatient little ones and gave them earnest instructions.

"Don't make this public, and don't reveal Samael's identity to her."

"why?"

"You have to give a man some face..."

Upon hearing this, Abi and Lavinia nodded, seemingly understanding, while several figures in the adjacent seats swayed slightly, as if they had grasped something.

Hollo's amber eyes swept around, taking in the women who had quieted down considerably. A slight smile played on her lips as she quickly moved on from the topic.

"How's that small French town doing lately?"

"The outer magic traps have been dismantled, some pollution has been purified, no villagers were injured, our people are retrieving the remains of the Blood Ancestor nearby, and the situation has been brought under control."

Martha, who was in charge of cleaning up the mess, started to report, but then seemed to think of something, paused, and frowned as she added.

"However, the Church of Christ also intervened; they took away a little girl from the village named Noel..."

"They really know how to seize any opportunity; I'll wipe them all out sooner or later!"

Jeanne Alter frowned slightly, feeling somewhat displeased upon hearing that French clergy had been mobilized.

Arecia and Noel are the two parties involved in the Roja Reincarnation incident.

After the battle of Fuhailin, Eltluch, who had escaped ahead of time, took the child, Elessia, who was the host of the Roja, to the council headquarters and entrusted her to them.

To prevent Roya from making a comeback, and for safety reasons, the child is under the council's surveillance, and her parents have been temporarily forgotten.

As the dominant force in France, the Church somehow got wind of the impending war and brought Noyer, another party involved, into the church system, openly obtaining the consent of his parents.

"Don't worry, I've spoken with the church leader, they won't make things difficult for the child."

Martha pondered for a moment before explaining, calming Jeanne Alter's emotions. Then she looked up at Holo with a strange expression.

"Regarding the Church, there's something else we should be aware of. With the Vatican's papacy nearing its end, Cardinal Laurentis, the most likely contender, seems to have recently disappeared..."

Chapter 84 Idiots are contagious

As rays of light pierced through the clouds and sprinkled across the earth, announcing the arrival of dawn, Samael and Aozaki Touko, who had been resting briefly in the safe house, packed their bags and prepared to set off.

Are you sure you don't want to come with me?

"I'm not sure of the exact location. The drop points marked on the map are numerous and scattered. If we split up, we can collect the items faster."

"Then be careful."

Aozaki Touko handed one of the two rune stones on the table, which she had made overnight, to Samael. This one was stained with a trace of her blood and could detect scattered limbs within a hundred-meter radius.

"Don't worry, what danger could there be in broad daylight?"

Samael chuckled in response, casually taking the runestone and stuffing it into his pocket.

"Besides, I'm not a porcelain doll that breaks at the slightest touch."

As he spoke, the Ancient Serpent brandished the two black Colt M1911s he had taken from Natalia's safe house, tucked them into his waistband, and then grabbed several magazines loaded with pyrotechnic bullets and three tactical grenades with runes engraved on their casings. Pulling up his trench coat, he looked exactly like a ruthless bandit heading out to rob a bank.

"Alright, let's split up and check the marked locations on the east and west sides. We'll meet back at the safe house at 10 p.m. and gather information there. Don't act rashly."

Seeing that the guy was still stuffing all sorts of random things into his trench coat, the slight worry that had been rising in Aozaki Touko's heart vanished.

That firepower is so great that even an ordinary magician couldn't withstand it, let alone that dog from last night.

Plus, this guy is tougher than a cockroach, so if you run into him, it's others who should be careful.

"Okay, I'll contact you if there's any trouble."