Previously...

He scavenged almost every corner he could find in each villa and apartment, until he got his hands on a unique antique wine. This wine was the only one that made him tipsy and into a drunk in a matter of minutes. Now, his vocabulary changed to a knight in the middle ages who sometimes speaks Shakespearan English.

Kaiyn, Benedict and Renji unfortunately were roomates at this time and these two were unlucky enough to deal with a reincarnated nobleman during the 16th century.

"Whose turn is it to take out the trash? It's you, right?", Renji comes out of his room, newly awake.

"Uh yeah sure no problem dude.", Benedict replies as he stands up from his sofa.

"Nay, I say. Nobody shall perform an action disrespecting my wishes. No one shall touch the rubbish~", Kaiyn lifts his finger, with the wine bottle still on his other hand.

"Oh what is it now?", Renji places his hand on his forehead in disappointment.

"DO NOT SPEAK UNLESS SPOKEN TO, PEASANT! AND YOU! DOWN ON YOUR KNEES!", Kaiyn seemingly, for some reason has grasped on a king's staff out of thin air.

"S-So can you like let me go now?", Benedict asked Lord Kaiyn. Kaiyn hushes Benedict, placing his hands on Benedict's face and softly caressing it.

"Hah... funny lad, aren't you? You honestly think you can escape your fate? I bethink not, good sir.", Kaiyn takes another sip at his wine then slaps Benedict with the back of his hand.

"OW, DUDE! THAT HURT! WAIT- NO NO NO! RENRENRENREN HALP-", Benedict gets interrupted by Kaiyn placing his hands on Benedict's face again, squishing his cheeks.

"I am certain that every other peasant loves their king, aye? Then... this rubbish, no one appreciates such filth around the kingdom, do they? If only there was a way we could maybe help clean the place up?"

"Bruh, he was literally just going to start cleaning and throwing the trash out.", Renji says to Kaiyn.

"Silence, heretic. I shall deal with you later."

Benedict simply couldn't take it anymore and took out the trash, crying and sobbing.

"See how easy that was? At times like this, someone just has to teach the little boy how to live. Unless of course, you are willing to trade one of your stable boys. Hah!"

"You've never drank wine in your life, have you?"

"Heh, nev'r upon mine own life!"

"I... see... listen, why won't we just uhh take a break and let both of us clean the place, right? You've contributed so much to defending this errr kingdom after all."

"..."

"... Kaiyn?"

"You Ale-Soused Apple John! But that is a shrewed and valorous idea!", Kaiyn runs into his bedroom and jumps to his bed, immediately falling asleep.

...

While Kaiyn was sleeping, Renji and Benedict were suddenly summoned to the church by Fiona. They were informed that the other huntsmen dispatched from the Weeping Rose on a hostage rescue operation were coming back. There was a commotion outside with the people screaming with joy as some reunite with their loved ones who were kidnapped by the Weeping Rose. One man with blonde hair and short beard was idolized by many, the so-called hero of the church, Vicar Pierre Salvador.

"No, thank YOU for encouraging me to be the hero of the people! Everyone's a hero! I appreciate all the faith you have given to me, and I couldn't have done it with my friends!"

Benedict's eyes widen at the sight of Pierre. He knew that deep inside, he wants to be where Pierre is standing right now; a beacon of hope for the people in an apocalyptic world.

The group of huntsmen and huntresses made their way inside the church where Benedict and Renji were summoned as well.

"Jeez did you really have to hog all the attention back there? You still need proper time management.", a petite girl with glasses says to him in an irritated tone as she walks beside him.

"Sorry about that, Eileen. I'll do my best next time then!", Pierre replied to the girl.

"Hey there, new guy! My name's Uriel Metatron, but y'all can just call me Uriel. I'm excited, are you gonna join us as well? What're your powers? Do you have speed like me? Or do you maybe have super strength?", the boy impatiently wobbles around, running with incredible speed around Renji and Benedict.

"I uhh... slice stuff.", says Renji with confused eyebrows.

"And I like spaghetti.", Benedict replies with a childish smile.

"You know, sometimes your optimism can be kinda obnoxious.", Eileen replied to Pierre.

"Well, thinking positively got me where I am now!"

The two stopped arguing and bowed their heads down at the sight of Fiona entering the cathedral. Alongside her were her bodyguards Samantha and her sister Lily. Kaiyn was nowhere to be seen, as expected he has passed out from the mysterious wine he was drunk.

"Where's the Icelander?", Lily asks curiously, tilting her head.

"Guy's a stubborn prick. If he doesn't wanna come along then fine.", Samantha replied with a sigh of disappointment.

"Oh, do not worry. I have already sent him on a mission outside the walls. I already knew meetings like these are not his type.", says Fiona.

"W-With all due respect ma'am. You should have told us about that earlier.", says Renji, still with his head bowed and kneeling down.

"Are you questioning our grace? Have some damn respect, you should be grateful that she was kind enough to give shelter to outsiders like you!", says Eileen to Renji.

"No, he has a point. I am certain all of us here know the feeling of having our loved ones separated from us in this constant state of death and decay we are experiencing. Therefore, his reactions are normal. I understand your concern, and I ask for your forgiveness."

"You mean... you know what he thinks of the religion overall...", Renji says with a trembling arm.

"Yes. It just so happened that the priest whom he had bad experiences with is my own successor. That is why I am here to clean up his mess and redeem our holy name."

"I-I see... I apologize on his behalf- and I also apologize for my disrespect.", Renji bows his head once more.

"As I said, your reaction is appropriate and normal. Now, Pierre.", Fiona shifts her attention to Pierre as he responds by kissing the back of her hand and tells everyone the report of the mission where they have come from.

"Madame. We have successfully retrieved all hostages who either were still living or had the will to live. The Weeping Rose are working on their genetic technology and they are doing this by kidnapping human women and forcing them to bear their young to evolve and find better cells to replace themselves and boost their capabilities."

"Unfortunately, some were either dead already or were begging to be euthanized because they have already lost their will. We fulfilled their wishes and dispatched a GPS tracker on an officer that fled from our clutches. We never had a chance to interrogate them because they all had spare cyanide ready to be activated inside them in case of that situation.", Uriel follows up as he stands as well.

"I wish they was a way to erase all the things I've seen in there... but someone has to remember.", Eileen stands as well as she shakes her head in sadness.

"We did everything we could, but we still couldn't prevent them from fully doing all those vile acts fully...", the other girl with a bonnet says.

"You did everything you could. That is exactly why I sent him out there, to clean up the mess and scout around. He IS an actual demicorpse after all, so his strength and abilities still rival yours.", says Fiona as she pats Eileen's hair.

"Shouldn't we start explaining what they're gonna be doing from now on?", Samantha grumpily intervenes.

"Oh, right. Basically, we're artificial demicorpses. The infection coursing through our veins is a man-made imperfect copy of the original."

"Say what now...?", Benedict asks, dumbfounded and confused.

"Basically, we did this to have an easier time keeping up with the strength of actual demicorpses without the consequence of the hunger for human flesh and blood. The downside is that they are limited to one form of an Apex which is angelic wings- and that's exactly where our kind's name: celestial came from. We still have a sense of taste to human food and can thrive off it, unlike a real demicorpse. That's about it I guess.", Uriel explains to Benedict and Renji.

"So now, we're giving you a choice. Would you join our crusade as the last remaining hope of mankind at the cost of your own humanity?", Samantha slowly walks up to Pierre's group and goes in the middle and reaches her hand out to Renji.

"The offer is nice and all... I'm willing to sacrifice and put my life on the line just to end this apocalypse instead of surviving on my own and running away like a coward... but that doesn't mean I want to become a celestial. I want to show the people that a normal human is capable of being so much more, no matter how high the stakes are. I'm no hero, no demicorpse, no celestial- just someone who is brave enough to stand up to the face of evil.", Benedict intervenes, standing up and putting up a determined face.

"Heh. That was oddly satisfying to hear. What about you sword guy?", Pierre asks Renji.

"If that's his choice then so am I. But please we do need your guidance along the way.", says Renji.

"Very well then it is decided. You will have your first mission after Jötunnson finishes his little expedition. Samantha, I want you to keep an eye on him and act as his teacher.", says Fiona while maintaining stable eye contact with every individual in the room.

Fiona leaves and assists the prince and princess in the throne room. Meanwhile, the small group of determined individuals got to know each other while setting aside the formality.

"I haven't really introduced myself yet, huh? My name's Sylvia O'Conner. Sorry for not talking that much earlier. I erm... I won't let you down!", says the girl with the bonet coming out of Pierre's back.

"Eileen. Before any of y'all ask yes I'm single now fuck off with that question. If you need advice on combat I'm your best bet, not a flex.", says the girl with blonde hair and glasses.

"Don't mind her she's always like this. Anyways I'm Uriel! People out there call me the prodigal son or some stuff probably because I'm the youngest fighter in here, I dunno.", Uriel says as he scratches his head.

"Oh, piss off. The only reason people like you is because you keep acting like a damn supermodel whenever we walk in the city.", Eileen replied.

"Call it what you want! In my opinion, being irresistible like me is a good impression on people who are constantly terrified of what's outside there~", Uriel says back to Eileen.

"It's always these two arguings... Yeah, anyways I'm Pierre, obviously. The leader of the celestials. I'm also acting as a bishop figure for the church and attend religious meetings.", a tall man with an eyepatch introduces himself.

The celestials got along well with Renji and Benedict. As Samantha's sister Lily approaches Benedict to talk within private. It was to consult him about his goals and beliefs.

"Have you heard about the tale of the first huntsman of the church?", said Lily as she looks at Benedict who was sitting down on a bench with a table, eating spaghetti alone.

"Oh not yet really. I'm always up for a story!", Benedict smiles as Lily wipes the sauce from his cheeks.

"The first huntsman of the church was a noble man. He wields something that was quite too large to be called a sword, yet too sharp to be under the class of a hammer. It is very heavy and needed two arms to carry. However, not many people can just get their hands on it, not just because of the weight but also the compatibility; it was made out of a tusk of a demicorpse apex. When a human makes physical contact with it, their cells enter a trance where they turn on one another and kill each other. This is why only a celestial or demicorpse can wield it: and we think your angry friend who's out on an assignment is the most compatible one."

"That means that the first huntsman was a celestial... but why are you telling me this? Why won't you guys tell him yourselves in the first place? I'm just here to give the people some morale and fight to do what I can.", Benedict replied with a worried look.

"You heard why earlier, because he hasn't really come to good terms with the church. It would be better if you two were the ones who would tell him.", said Lily as she places her hand on Benedict's shoulder.

Benedict nods and tells the whole thing to Renji. Benedict leaves afterward and left Renji to talk with Samantha.

"Tell me... why did you two refuse the offer other than your passion for humanity? Is it to surpass the celestials?", Samantha asks, raising an eyebrow at Renji.

"No way... that's absurd.", Renji replies, drinking coffee.

"Himura Renji, you can lie to others and me but you can't lie to yourself. I know, seeing people with better skills earned from experience and a little genetic engineering can make someone a bit competitive, but try not to get stuck in that thought too much.", Samantha says to Renji, ruffling his hair.

"I understand... sorry for blatantly lying. From now on, I'll start off on small demicorpse cases lying around. I promise to take it slow and avoid being a burden!", Renji bows his head in respect.

Everyone grew to a mutual agreement to let Renji and Benedict become students to the celestials. They start off by scouting and patrolling around for minor demicorpse activity. Eileen rides a taxi in the night, alone. There was an abandoned highway connecting to the neighboring walled city for to the north. It was either that or a swampy jungle and travel via a raft on a river. This time, Pierre has chosen a taxi on the abandoned highway.

"Where are we headed boss?", the taxi driver asks Eileen.

"To the neighboring walled city, please.", Eileen replied politely as he takes a seat on the back.

"... is something wrong?", Eileen asks as he notices the taxi driver staring at him using the mirror on top of the driver's seat.

"No, not really.", the driver replied.

The trip goes on as the driver turns on the headlights, speeding up just a little bit on the highway. Trees were collapsed, the land was full of dead bodies and vandalism. Eileen gets a look around the taxi and noticed a thing on the driver's ID.

"You make burgers?", Eileen asked the driver.

"Huh? Oh right, my hobby. It's a little bit embarrassing and I don't really have that much confidence in it but I do like the taste of it, how about you?", the driver replied with an awkward smile while scratching his head.

"Hamburgers huh... haven't had one in a while. Although I grew to hate it, too much oil for me.", Eileen replied with sad eyes filled with nostalgia.

"That's too bad. I made some for today too.", said the driver.

"Lunch... today?", Eileen's suspicion starts to arise.

"Yep, I make some in my free time.", replied the driver to Eileen.

"Hang on, this place is okay. I'm dropping here.", said Eileen, raising her hand.

"Here? If you say so.", the driver replied, stopping the vehicle.

Eileen suddenly forces the hand-break lever on the taxi, quickly peeking her head near the driver's seat and showing her huntress badge on the face of the driver.

"I am a huntress of the holy church- adept at tracking, investigating and most of all fighting demicorpses. Tell me- why were you lying about making burgers and whatnot? My nose is better than any normal human being. The smell of blood... if you lazily wash it off I'll still know about it."

Eileen's intimidation had a negative effect on the driver as he forces the hand-break lever down and crashes the taxi onto a wall. Eileen manages to jump out of the vehicle before this happened. She releases her signature weapons which are two short blades meant for quick bleed-inducing stabs and assassination. These blades were crafted from a demicorpse's apex.

"That's quite a tasty smell... don't you agree... dear huntress?", the driver walks out of the crashed vehicle, revealing his demicorpse colored eyes and crouching on all fours.

Eileen didn't have enough time to defend herself quick enough against the demicorpse's incredible speed. She did manage to stab him on the kidney before her daggers get knocked away. She was now on a bad spot, pinned down and powerless.

"What are you gonna do now that you're unarmed!? You're defenseless! First, I'm going to have fun with you and let our child grow up into a deadly killing machine! Then when he becomes strong enough, I'm going to eat them myself to absorb his powers!", the driver gently puts his mouth closer to Eileen as the two struggled, he was trying to remove Eileen's clothes but at this point, she has had enough.

"Well... isn't that just the most wholesome thing a dad can do. If only mine wasn't such a rotten bastard.", Eileen kicks the demicorpse on the stomach and knocks him away, spreading her white angelic wing apex of a celestial.

"What!? That's not possible! I thought the celestials were just a legend made up to scare demicorpses!", the driver's feet shake in fear.

"Scum like you who use human females to multiply just for your own power should always be afraid of us celestials. You do not deserve our sympathy.", Eileen shoots her sharp feathers from her wings, hitting them on all parts where it would hurt. She follows up with a punch and pummels him down onto the ground, stepping on his face afterward.

"That's quite enough.", a familiar voice intervenes from the shadows.

"Pierre. You didn't need to come here. I had it in the bag.", Eileen snobs at Pierre and steps harder on the demicorpse's head.

"Don't get carried away. Article 23- never inflict more pain than necessary. It is part of the demicorpse countermeasures code, isn't it? Besides that, we might get information from him. More importantly, I'm going to be the one who needs to finish him off.", Pierre says as he walks nearer to Eileen.

"No. For the sake of the argument, even if we do get hit we'll heal sooner or later, right? Tch... if we follow dumb codes like article 23 then good luck having a harder time exterminating all demicorpses from this world.", Eileen eventually takes her to leave in a bad mood.

Those last words made Pierre think about his leadership. With Renji and Benedict on his back, Eileen went on her own decision at this time and went off without permission. They may be celestials but that doesn't mean that they are unstoppable.

"Let her be. I already understand why her way of thinking is like this. Though, let's talk about that in another time.", Pierre smiles and wraps his arms around the two students.

"I wonder how Kaiyn is doing on his own assignment..."