"Please get away from there, Sister Paula!" Abel shouted as he landed. His gun's sights already had aligned precisely on the Lady of Death. "We, AX, are collecting this missile! We won't let you blow it up!"
"Do you think you can get away with interfering with the Bureau of Inquisition, agent?" Paula asked quietly as she regarded the new intruder from the corner of her narrowed eyes. "This is an official operation, according to the Department of Doctrine. Your obstruction of it will inconvenience not just you but also Cardinal Sforza. You continue to act, knowing that?"
"If the matter becomes public, isn't it your superior who will be inconvenienced?" asked Abel. As Abel glanced at his former colleague crumpled on the floor, he realized that Havel's injuries were more severe than he had initially thought. If Havel weren't treated quickly, he'd likely lose his life. "A cyanide compound, prohibited by church law from diversion to weapons, is loaded on this missile. If the other cardinals and common lords learn of it, it will be a huge scandal and Cardinal Medici will be put in danger."
"You learned that much?" asked Paula. All of a sudden, her tone softened and she lowered the hand she'd been holding up vigilantly. "So, what do you want, agent—to save the life of this apostate?"
"I want to save the lives of all the people in this city, including him," Abel replied as he edged closer to Havel's side. "Please get the army to recognize the bloodless surrender of Brno. You can't say you can't do it. It should be fully possible under Cardinal Medici's authority."
"Sorry, but that's unreasonable, Father Abel," Paula answered kindly, disappearing the moment the words left her mouth. "I can't let you leave here alive."
By the time he turned his head in the direction of the voice he'd heard, a hand blade spun out from the same direction, causing a gust of wind. If he hadn't accidentally raised his right arm, Abel's head would have had its carotid artery gouged out. The percussion revolver, which received the brunt of the attack in place of its owner, had its gun body amputated, revealing a sharp cross-section.
"To destroy the people of this city, leaving not one alive— that is our objective. We can't recognize a bloodless surrender now when it's too late, can we?" Paula asked, throwing her deadly hand blade at its target, who jumped back with mechanical precision. "Father Nightroad, I won't let you return alive, either, since you have knowledge of the hydrocyanic acid gas."
"Ugh!" Abel cried, his eyes reddened pondering his impending death. He parted his lips to reveal his fangs and hurriedly recited a curse: "Nanomachine 'Crusnik 02' 40% limited oper ..." But Abel's incantation wasn't finished.
"You're slow," Paula mocked.
Right when he thought Paula's figure had been erased, a spinning kick assaulted the priest with a force that could've instantly killed a bear, causing his body to fly backward.
"Gah!" Abel cried.
"AX Agent Abel Nightroad. Code name: Crusnik," Paula said, peering down coldly at the priest writhing on the stone floor, vomiting blood. "Six feet tall. Weight: one hundred forty-three pounds. Age: unknown. Place of birth: unknown. Battle strength: assessment B-; however, battle strength assessment in the battle mode called Crusnik: A++."
First grasping Abel's silver hair, Paula used her strength— uncanny for such a delicate outward appearance—to lift the priest's body. "I've collected data on all you agents, and naturally, I've also analyzed your weak points. Father Nightroad, if you can't transform into Crusnik, you're worthless."