The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 104

On that fateful evening, the doorbell at 121A Kirk Street rang once again. Mrs. Van Ruth paused before opening the door, her eyes landing on the smiling man standing before her. She hesitated briefly before speaking.

"Lloyd?"

Joey nodded, and Mrs. Van Ruth stepped aside, watching as he ascended the stairs. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction; after all these years, Lloyd had finally expanded his social circle.

Yesterday's chase had caused quite a stir. However, thanks to the Purge Agency's control over public perception, it was simply framed as a pursuit of a fugitive. The demon had been forced into a steam vent by Lancelot, whose slash had ruptured the pipes, releasing a torrent of scalding steam. They all assumed the creature had perished in the searing heat, but when the cleaners later searched, they found no trace of a body. They scoured the steam vent's depths but came up empty-handed.

This added yet another layer of mystery. According to the reform index, the demon was indeed dead, but no one could locate its corpse.

Joey knocked on the door before pushing it open and stepping inside. He had been assigned as the liaison between Lloyd and the Purge Agency, a role initially held by Shrike, who was too busy managing the myriad disputes of the lower city to deal with Lloyd, the troublesome detective.

The room carried a faint scent of tobacco. Lloyd was nestled in a sofa by the window, an ashtray beside him still smoldering with a spent cigarette. He seemed oblivious to Joey's arrival, staring blankly out the frost-covered window that blurred the winter view.

"Mr. Holmes, here is the final report on the case. If you confirm it's accurate, we'll proceed with archiving it."

Joey placed a file on the low table in front of Lloyd and then took a seat opposite him. Though they had only been working together for a few days, Joey had already grown accustomed to Lloyd's peculiarities. The detective was an enigma, at times like a stray dog with no clear purpose, racing joyously into the wind, tongue lolling out. Yet, at other times, he was a beast with sharp fangs, unwavering in his pursuit of demons.

Lloyd was an unpredictable man, one whose next move was always a mystery. Joey found a strange pleasure in trying to guess what Lloyd would do next, akin to the thrill of winning a lottery.

After a moment, Lloyd seemed to snap out of his daze. He glanced at Joey and then at the file. Joey expected him to make some small talk before reviewing the document, but, true to form, Lloyd defied expectations. He wrapped his blanket tighter around himself and reached for a bottle of liquor beside the sofa.

"Care for a drink to warm up?"

"..."

"Ugh, it's maddening. The heating pipes on Kirk Street burst due to old age last night. The repairmen worked through the night but couldn't fix it. The whole street has no heat, and I nearly froze to death."

Lloyd took a swig from the bottle, muttering.

"That old hag downstairs wouldn't let me sleep on the first floor, even though it's so warm by the fireplace..."

Joey smiled politely and nodded. Indeed, having come from outside, the temperature difference hadn't struck him, but now, hearing Lloyd, he felt the chill in the room.

"Well, Mr. Lloyd, if you could review the follow-up on yesterday's case, we'll be ready to archive it."

Lloyd picked up the file but hadn't read more than a few pages before his curiosity got the better of him.

"Why ask me? I'm not part of the Purge Agency."

"But you are an experienced demon hunter, and you were involved in the pursuit."

That was true. The Purge Agency's understanding of demon hunters was still rudimentary. Even with Ed's corpse for dissection and study, their efforts only deepened the mystery. The powers of a demon hunter were unique, their blood granting them strength and senses far beyond ordinary humans, not to mention the mysterious abilities named after angels.

Lloyd said nothing more. Arthur's curiosity about demon hunters' powers was insatiable, and it would be odd if the Purge Agency's interest in him waned.

"So, you're attributing all those murders to it? Makes sense."

Lloyd intended to ask more but found his answer in the file. It detailed similar incidents across Old Dunlin before yesterday's tragedy—brutal murders and bloody revenge, all likely the work of the same demon. Yet, Lloyd still had questions.

"This demon didn't strike for the first time yesterday. Its initial attack was half a month ago, killing a gang member in a small district. The last victim was just a worker."

Lloyd sensed something amiss. Setting the bottle aside, he scrutinized the file, piecing together a puzzling narrative.

"What's wrong?"

Joey noted Lloyd's increasingly serious expression and felt a surge of excitement. There was more to learn from this demon hunter.

"I think the Purge Agency has noticed it too. This demon's choice of targets is odd."

Lloyd observed.

"Odd? But... aren't demons like wild beasts, acting without any discernible pattern?"

Joey was perplexed. To him, demons were chaotic creatures, monstrous beings that disrupted humanity's stable order, driven by an instinct to kill any living being.

"No, even beasts have patterns."

Lloyd dismissed Joey's notion, unfolding an old map of Old Dunlin on the table.

"This is where it first appeared, in the chaotic lower city. It would have been the perfect hunting ground, but it didn't stay. It kept moving deeper into Old Dunlin, with the last killing on the other side of the edge."

"A beast killing for food or sport wouldn't leave the lower city... It's driven by something else, perhaps vengeance."

Lloyd realized there was a gap in their information. He looked at Joey, this heavily labeled man, and asked seriously.

"Joey, has the Purge Agency ever encountered rational demons?"

"Rational demons?"

Joey was taken aback. Demons were chaotic beasts, so why label them rational?

He didn't answer immediately, but his astonished expression gave Lloyd all he needed.

"A rational demon? What do you mean?"

Lloyd pondered, trying to explain in a way Joey would understand.

"A rational demon can retain some degree of sanity... In other words..."

Lloyd shook his head. Joey didn't need the deep lore of the demon hunter's tales.

"Think of a rational demon as unstable, constantly on the brink of total corruption, not controlled by any safeguards, driven by faint sanity within a wild body.

A demon hunter."