Amon sent Balam back to his mother’s side.
“Mother, I return this prodigal son to your embrace, praying that he repents in your arms.”
Amon paused briefly to catch his breath before continuing his prayer.
“Always accept us with your grace…”
He murmured quietly, then finished, “Deliver judgment befitting the sins he has committed. Amen.”
After completing his prayer for Balam, Amon cremated Balam’s body in a furnace.
Although it didn’t turn to ash, it was still cremation in essence.
With everything done, he made the sign of the cross and stepped out of the workshop.
***
The disciple of Yotron, the owner of the workshop, had watched the entire process unfold.
When Amon was far enough away, the disciple whispered to his master, “Master, are we safe?”
“Hang crosses in every workshop.”
While the two were having this conversation, Amon rejoined Sonia.
They then arranged for the forgotten victims and their families to be sent to the United States before returning to their lodging.
As always, they reported to Cassie.
“This time, I met the people behind Neville Pharmaceuticals.”
The report skipped the part about assassins sent by Miller Pharmaceuticals—it was a routine occurrence.
Instead, Amon reported the unusual aspects right away.
He was convinced that Balam had used the same means as the attackers to attempt suicide.
Behind Neville Pharmaceuticals, there were these individuals.
Amon went on to describe their characteristics.
“They used holy power. Though it felt slightly tainted compared to mine or Sonia’s, it was undeniably holy power.”
Another notable feature was that they had horns on their heads and physical abilities beyond human limits.
There were also other characteristics too inexplicable to attribute to ordinary humans.
“Balam’s claws were threatening enough, but his true danger was his invisibility. That ability was why we didn’t detect him until he made the first move against Sonia and me. He could even make only parts of his body invisible, which made gauging the gaps in his claws incredibly difficult.”
Amon sighed and continued, “When those transparent claws retracted in front of my blade and then suddenly extended toward my chest, I felt my heart drop. I only dodged it thanks to instinctively stepping back, but it was a chilling experience.”
Even Amon, who prided himself on knowing Balam’s patterns, became cautious after that.
The same applied to the nameless woman who had faced Sonia.
She possessed insane durability and strength that surpassed Balam’s.
Sonia’s weapon was in the category of anti-tank weaponry, so her durability wasn’t as emphasized.
But in terms of sheer resilience, she was akin to a tank.
Add to that her explosive speed despite her small frame, and it was a wonder Sonia managed to take her down.
“I can say for sure—they’re both at the rank of division heads.”
Amon spoke with confidence.
***
But what truly mattered wasn’t their combat abilities.
The most critical part was the inverted pentagrams etched on their bodies.
“I have a rough idea of who they are.”
[Sectarians?]
“Close, but a bit different.”
[How so?]
“They do believe in an actual being. The entity they believe in isn’t quite a goddess, but from a human perspective, it’s divine enough.”
Amon’s demeanor grew heavier.
“I may not know everything, but I can confidently say this: Those people must be eliminated.”
Amon wasn’t someone who sought to purify the world with fire.
He also had no intention of hunting every heretic in this world.
But these individuals were an exception.
If left unchecked, they would repeat the atrocities they committed millennia ago.
***
Cassie chimed in.
[Well, considering they’re manipulating megacorps from the shadows, it seems like they’ll cross paths with me too.]
Cassie didn’t care much about heresy.
However, seeing how strongly Amon opposed them, she assumed there was a reason.
Thus, she decided to stand with him, even crafting a pretext.
[I’ve had my own run-in with sectarians before. Better to root them out before they make their move.]
Amon hesitated briefly about involving her but dismissed the thought.
‘Worrying is pointless.’
After all, she was not only a seer but also the head of a megacorp.
She was out of Amon’s league to worry about.
Moreover, knowing her personality, she would join them regardless of his concerns.
‘Sonia said the same thing.
Pushing someone away out of misplaced consideration only breeds mistrust.
If they’re your ally, trust them.’
Recalling that day’s lesson, Amon gratefully accepted Cassie’s support.
“Thank you.”
[It’s nothing. But there’s a problem.]
“What is it?”
[The two people you encountered—how strong are they in their organization?]
“Balam—he’s the 51st-ranked demon.”
[What?]
“Of the 72 demons, he’s ranked 51st.”
Balam was famous as one of the 72 demons of Solomon.
Although Amon didn’t remember all their names, he was certain about Balam, as he was a notable one.
[An actual demon you’d remember?]
Cassie perked up at Amon’s comment.
[Can you explain?]
“Based on what’s online or what I know?”
[What you know.]
Amon nodded and began.
In this world, Balam was known as a demon who appeared out of nowhere.
His origins were unclear, and his associated abilities were limited to foretelling the future and granting invisibility to his contractors—fairly “ordinary” demon traits.
But the Balam Amon knew was once human.
This was precisely documented in Punk City 1.
According to the records, in ancient times, shamans and seers were common worldwide.
It wasn’t superstition but the reality of a world where magic truly existed, causing even those who should study science to focus solely on magic.
Balam had been one of countless shamans of the time but was notable for his skill.
In an era where magic was crudely developed, his foresight and curses had relatively high accuracy.
His appointment as a royal court shaman proved his capability.
However, Balam’s arrogance knew no bounds, and he committed forbidden acts.
“Balam sought to be chosen by the goddess.”
Chosen prophets or shamans received the title of Seer.
Seers were unparalleled in power, making the title highly coveted.
But Balam wasn’t chosen.
A mere boy was chosen instead.
Though Balam worshipped the goddess while honing his craft, all he received was rejection.
“He worshipped the goddess’s power, not the goddess herself, which is why he wasn’t chosen—but he never understood that.”
Balam grew envious of the Seer.
Blinded by jealousy, he broke taboos three times.
“The first time, Balam tried to intercept the goddess’s visions meant for the Seer.”
For this, Balam lost his sight.
Through prayer and repentance, he regained it.
However, repentance was fleeting, and he broke a second taboo.
“When he realized he couldn’t surpass the Seer, he cursed him with a plague and denounced him as a false prophet.”
Of course, the goddess wouldn’t stand idly by.
Balam could not stand up after that day.
It was as if his lower body had suddenly become paralyzed, and his legs refused to work.
The loss of his sexual function was an added punishment.
He attempted to ride a donkey to move around, but every donkey he mounted threw him off its back.
To the crawling Balam, the donkeys began speaking to him in human language, warning him that his plight was divine punishment and urging him to stop his wicked schemes.
From then on, Balam shouted curses at the goddess and committed his third taboo.
“He sent prostitutes to the prophet and his followers, trying to lure them into adultery.”
He believed this would be the ultimate insult to the goddess.
However, the goddess was already aware of his plan.
Before Balam could execute his scheme, the goddess struck him and the prostitutes with seizures.
The seizures continued until their lives came to an end.
“This is the story of Balam when he was still human.”
***
[Interesting. But what does this have to do with him becoming a demon?]
“I was just about to explain.”
Balam died, but when his soul was cast into hell, a saintess of sin living there transformed him into a demon.
From then on, Balam became a demon.
‘This ties into Punk City 1.’
Punk City 1 tells the story of a nameless mercenary hunting down the saintess of sin who appears in the holy city.
During the journey, Balam appears as one of her followers and serves as a mid-level boss.
Naturally, Amon left out any mentions of the boss fights, the game’s lore, or reincarnation while explaining to Cassie.
Cassie, having heard the story, was shocked.
[The summoning incident involving the saintess of sin? That’s a threat to the Vatican’s very existence! Isn’t this top-secret information?]
“It’s classified as zero-level, only known to the Pope.”
[How do you know that?]
“Hexen Group’s rights fund.”
[What…?]
Amon had forfeited a significant portion of the Hexen Group’s rights fund in exchange for certain privileges from the Vatican, one of which was access to secrets known only to the Pope.
[Is it okay for me to know this?]
“Don’t worry. I’ve thought it through.”
There were other rights involved, so it wouldn’t cause any issues.
“Sonia already knows, so I’ll explain to you in more detail later.”
[Thanks.]
In any case, Balam was once human before becoming a demon.
‘Recognizing the similar patterns made things easier.’
Of course, the real-world encounter introduced some deviations, but most were manageable.
Amon had his reasons for charging at Balam immediately and methodically dismembering his limbs.
“You didn’t even wait to confirm his face before attacking just because you saw the pentagram, right?”
Sonia pointed this out from the side, but it was true.
“By the way, what were we talking about before this tangent?”
[We were discussing Balam’s rank in the organization.]
Ah, that’s right.
“Balam is ranked 51st among the 72 demons who follow the saintess of sin.”
[So, he’s basically one of the weakest?]
“Extremely weak.”
He wasn’t quite a grunt, but in Punk City 1, he was a boss encountered early in the game.
‘Compared to the ones that come later…’
Punk City 1 was an open-world boss-rush game where players roamed a vast world while fighting an endless stream of bosses.
The game, being the company’s first title, suffered from poor difficulty balancing and received a lot of criticism.
In that game, Balam was infamous as the “Refund Demon.”
‘At first, players would get sent flying by a mini-cross in the blink of an eye.’
Even Amon had fallen victim to him many times before earning his veteran title.
An organization where the weakest members were division head-level and fifty stronger entities were still waiting?
Cassie’s expression darkened at the thought.
[With this level of strength…]
“We’re vastly outmatched.”
There were likely still 70 of them left.
If they decided to mobilize, an entire corporation could disappear in an instant.
‘Of course, that’s unlikely.’
But Amon wasn’t worried.
They were forced to remain in the shadows.
“Times have changed.”
Their reign of terror relied on a past era when the strong were few.
In a world where advanced technology could easily create strength, they couldn’t operate as openly as they once did.
‘An organization with 72 members, each stronger than a division head?’
‘It was a significant threat to a corporation but not a global catastrophe.’
‘If they tried to destroy a company outright, every other company would unite against them.’
As always, the powerful protect themselves, and they would bury the past to maintain their dominance.
This collective response would force the organization to face a united corporate front.
“Don’t worry too much.”
At the very least, all 70 of them wouldn’t come charging at once.
They understood their limits.
‘They won’t act until they reach a world-ending level of strength.’
It would take a DLC-level upgrade or hidden boss-like powers for them to move openly.
Amon reassured Cassie with this certainty.
“I’ve got it under control, so don’t worry.”
[Got it. I trust you. By the way, what’s their name?]
“Their name? Why the sudden interest?”
[The organization’s name. They must have one.]
“Oh…”
Amon retrieved the name from his memory.
“Goetia.”
It was the name of the demons who once nearly brought about the end of the world.
***
With the report finished, Amon was about to end the video call when Cassie stopped him.
[Wait, Amon. I need to talk to Sonia.]
“… Should I leave?”
[No need. You already know everything anyway.]
Amon, understanding what Cassie intended to say, kept quiet.
There were no secrets between him and Sonia since the day of their promise, save for Amon’s past life.
Because of this, Amon could already guess what Cassie wanted to say.
[Cassie began, “Sonia…”]
“Go ahead.”
[Remember when you told me that no matter what happened, we’d stick together?]
Cassie took a deep breath and briefly glimpsed the threads of Sonia’s fate.
Whatever she saw, she spoke with determination as she addressed Sonia.
[It’s my turn to say it now. No matter what happens, we’ll stick with you.]
“… Thank you.”
[And trust Amon more. He already knows everything, so just let him in.]
Sonia glanced at Amon, who shrugged in response.
Through the screen, Cassie gave Sonia advice.
[He’s sacrificed and waited for you because of you. Make sure to thank him later.]
With that, Cassie ended the call as if her business was finished.
Before the call fully disconnected, Amon spoke into the mic.
“You sounded like a prophet just now.”
[Because I am one!]
“Really?”
[Hey!]
Amon chuckled as he ended the call.
He then extended his hand toward Sonia.
“Shall we go eat?”
Sonia resisted the urge to apologize and instead spoke the words she had promised.
“Thank you for waiting for me, truly.”
“This is nothing.”