During class.
On the podium, a professor wearing thick glasses was explaining the complex Principles of Magic Circuit Nesting in a rhythmic tone. His chalk left behind difficult runes and energy flow diagrams on the blackboard. Most students were focused on taking notes or frowning in an attempt to understand.
Hell sat in the last row by the window, his chin resting on one hand. His gaze seemed to fall outside, but in reality, his mind was wandering. He had little interest in the professor’s lecture. This knowledge had little practical meaning for him. He did not need a Goddess Armament to fight, much less understand the theory behind how such weapons operated.
Just then, his phone in his uniform pocket let out a very slight vibration with a specific rhythm.
*Buzz… buzz… buzz…*
The vibration was not a normal call or message alert. Instead, it was three short and one long, carrying a subtle pattern. This was a special vibration mode Hell had set up himself, specifically corresponding to a deeply hidden, specialized application.
He nonchalantly adjusted his sitting position and leaned forward slightly. Using the desk as cover, he pulled his phone from his pocket. The screen lit up, showing a flashing icon. It was an unusual software icon; in the center was a rather eerie pattern that exuded an ominous aura.
This was the exclusive encrypted communication software used internally by the executives of the Eternal Night Gospel Church. It did not run through conventional network protocols but relied on a special magic-based channel. Its security was extremely high, and only those with specific “permissions” and “marks” could install and use it.
Hell glanced at the professor, who had turned his back to write on the board, and then scanned his classmates, who were either buried in their notes or daydreaming. Ensuring no one was paying attention to his corner, he lowered his eyes. His fingertips quickly swiped to unlock the screen before tapping the constantly flashing icon.
The software interface transitioned into a minimalist dark style. The background consisted of flowing shadows that seemed like living things. At that moment, the message notification bar within the app was flashing continuously.
Hell opened the message list. What caught his eye was a private message from a user with a unique profile picture.
The avatar was a simple outline of a pure white mask without any facial features. In the very center of the mask, a distorted and arrogant capital letter “S” was sketched in what looked like wet red paint.
Adjudicator of the Eternal Night Gospel Church — S.
This software was a special communication tool that only core members at the Adjudicator rank or above were qualified to possess. It was the primary channel for them to pass information, receive instructions, and even conduct certain secret transactions. Most contact between Adjudicators was done through this app, which both ensured efficiency and maintained their policy of non-interference.
Hell looked at the private message from S. The content was only a single, brief sentence.
“V, did you know? T died yesterday.”
The text was a cold white, standing out starkly against the dark chat background.
Looking at this line of information, Hell’s heart — hidden beneath a calm surface — did not ripple in the slightest.
He naturally knew T was dead.
Because… he was the one who killed him.
Amidst the ruins, using T’s own gun, he had given that idiot — whose head was full of nothing but filth and who had nearly ruined an “important tool” — a swift end.
However, on the screen and in front of S, he obviously could not show any knowledge or abnormality.
He paused for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts, and then his fingertips tapped quickly on the virtual keyboard to reply. His tone was flat, carrying a hint of appropriate indifference.
“Is that so?”
“I didn’t know.”
Sent.
S’s avatar flashed again, and a new message popped up, still in a brief and direct style:
“The location of T’s death has been confirmed as Academy City Eden. Preliminary analysis suggests it was the work of the ‘Annihilation Angel,’ Artemis.”
Next to the white avatar, a typing indicator appeared, as if the sender was weighing their words.
“According to the organization’s current speculation, the true identity of Artemis is very likely a registered student of Eden Academy.”
The final sentence carried a clear implication:
“That area… I remember it being within your jurisdiction, right, V?”
Hell looked at the characters jumping on the screen and lightly rubbed the cold side of his phone with his fingertip. He replied quickly with only one word.
“Correct.”
After replying, Hell narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze fell on S’s avatar on the screen, but his thoughts were spinning rapidly.
Although the true identities and appearances of the Adjudicators in the Eternal Night Gospel Church were highly confidential — they did not even know each other and only went by masks and codenames to ensure the organization’s secrecy and the safety of its members — each Adjudicator usually had a relatively fixed “responsible area” or “range of activity.”
This served as both a division of labor and a disguised division of influence.
And he, Adjudicator V, was responsible for the Academy City Eden area. More specifically, the core of this city — Eden High Academy and its surroundings.
Many other members within the organization guessed that V was either an inconspicuous faculty member in the academy or a special worker hidden in the city’s shadows.
After all, being able to remain undercover for a long time in a place like Eden Academy — where Goddess Angels might appear and security was relatively tight — while providing effective intelligence and cooperation, suggested an adult or a professional. Almost no one would think that this Adjudicator, codenamed V, who was considered skilled at planning and acting with mystery, was actually just a second-year student at the academy.
The reason was simple.
In the original story, the point in time when Hell joined the Eternal Night Gospel was exactly six months ago. According to the organization’s internal standards, he was still considered a “newbie” with shallow seniority. Furthermore, in the past six months, the original Hell, acting as V, had never independently executed any important combat or sabotage missions.
His “work” was mostly cooperating with the actions of other Adjudicators, providing intelligence support, terrain analysis, or occasionally offering “sinister” ideas.
More importantly, the original Hell had never truly revealed his special ability, Mutual Slaughter of All Things, to any organization members.
After all, once this ability was activated, the effect was too horrifying and did not distinguish between friend or foe. The original owner himself was full of apprehension and fear regarding this power, fearing that exposure would bring unnecessary attention or even an internal purge.
Therefore, in the eyes of the other Adjudicators, V’s image was exactly what T had mocked yesterday: someone with a bit of fame in the organization but who had never shown actual combat capability. He was more like a strategist hiding behind the scenes, providing intelligence and coming up with schemes from time to time.
After all, aside from cooperating and offering ideas, the original Hell wasn’t very good at anything else. And for someone who could think of such “wicked ideas” that benefited himself at the expense of others, who would think he was an underage student?
This layer of identity had instead become Hell’s best cover.
As for this Adjudicator S who was currently contacting him…
Hell’s understanding of S was limited to an “encounter” on the second day after he had transmigrated. At that time, he had just finished merging his memories and his head was still a mess when he received an encrypted instruction from the organization, asking him to assist S in an intercept mission for supplies on the outskirts of Academy City.
Operating on the principle of observing first to avoid blowing his cover, he had braced himself and provided several suggestions that seemed casual but targeted the enemy’s weaknesses based on the limited information provided and his own knowledge of the original plot. As a result, that mission went unexpectedly smoothly, achieving the goal with almost zero cost and yielding extra intelligence.
After the operation ended, S had taken the initiative to contact him through the app, her tone carrying clear appreciation and gratitude. After some back and forth, the two of them developed a bit more “familiarity” than they had with other Adjudicators. Of course, this “familiarity” was limited to text exchanges on the app.
Regarding S, Hell only knew that the other party was likely female and had a slender figure; everything else was unknown. As for her name, appearance, age, or abilities… they were all mysteries.
After all, in the original story, most of these villainous executives were just background characters for the protagonist’s party to bond over and grow against — disposable cannon fodder with extremely limited descriptions. The character Hell he had transmigrated into was already considered an “important cannon fodder” with more scenes and specific plotlines regarding his failure.
Just then, S’s avatar flashed again, and a new message arrived.
“Regarding this matter, the higher-ups might issue an instruction for you to handle Artemis. Since she was able to kill T, her destructive power cannot be underestimated. V, you… be careful.”
Hell looked at the warning from S. His fingertip paused on the screen before he typed a reply, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
“Are you… worried about me?”
A few seconds after the message was sent, S’s avatar blinked. She replied with a simple smiley face emoji, followed by a sentence.
“Only because you’re so useful.”
Immediately afterward, she sent another message.
“If you need help, you can tell me. It’s not like… I can’t give you a hand.”
Hell looked at this message, his pale face showing no change in expression as he typed a reply.
“Then thanks in advance.”
Almost the exact second this message was successfully sent, the software’s special notification sound rang out again.
Within the app, an avatar far more eerie and unsettling than those of S and V lit up, accompanied by a mandatory pop-up dialog box with a crimson border.
The avatar was of an indescribable shape, appearing as if countless distorted shadows and broken runes were forcibly pieced together, with an inverted rune pattern faintly visible in the center. This was a special account used by the high-ranking members of the Eternal Night Gospel to directly issue top-secret or important mission instructions to Adjudicators.
Inside the crimson dialog box, there were only three lines of text — cold to the point of being unquestionable and carrying a blood-soaked aura:
**[Executor: Adjudicator V]**
**[Mission: Identify the true identity of the Annihilation Angel, Artemis, within your assigned area (Eden High Academy).]**
**[Requirement: Confirm target and eliminate.]**
Those three short lines exuded an overwhelming aura of slaughter.
There was no reason and no explanation — only an order and a target. Find her, and then, kill her.