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Luna’s statement was made with clear intent.

There would be blood spilled before they made their final escape.

[Do we have to?] Eva asked. She didn’t want to see people lose their lives here unnecessarily. It was hard to deny the simple fact that while still part of the Aurora Church, most were simply civilians.

[We can try to ensure no one else gets hurt, but that changes the fact that there are a number of people who need to die to ensure everything goes, and stays well.] (Syrus)

[I… I understand.] (Eva)

There were at least three people they had to kill.

The trio that kidnapped the children had to die.

If they didn't, everything they would do to rescue the children would be for nothing.

Those three knew what the children looked like and knew where they came from. The fake names certainly were helpful for the children, but that would mean nothing if they could be spotted again. Anlesa didn’t know who else knew about the children; it was too good to believe that only those three knew about them, but it was likely only those three cared about them. Susan and Billy were still locked in a building that people didn’t go to; likely the only person who would see them was the priest who had to deliver food, and they saw hundreds of children, so forgetting what three looked like was easy.

That thought process worked for Susan and Billy, but the worry was for Jerry. If he were locked up somewhere private, then everything would still work, but if they were parading him around the church like a new pet, then things would become tricky.

If it were the latter, then Syrus wouldn’t be able to keep to the goal of keeping killing to a minimum. They would need a louder bomb for the church to truly forget about the children. If that scenario did occur, Syrus was thinking of at least crippling the church's combat force rather than hurting the regular priest. She never was a fan of bringing civilians into conflict and found the idea repulsive but kept those thoughts more to herself.

[Those three…] Eva understood who their targets were, but even she was debating the success of the plan.

It was a very simple goal, but the execution of it could be a bit complicated for Anlesa.

They had appearances of the three descriptions known, but while two were detailed enough to spot from a crowd, the third’s description was pretty much just ‘old man’. Anlesa didn’t know the strength of those three, but knowing their names also helped in the operation, as it was potentially possible to ask some questions.

A priest walked by Anlesa.

“Morning.” Said the priest.

“Morning,” Luna replied, folding her hands into the proper greeting position.

[So, how should we assassinate them?] (Syrus)

[It needs to be quick, and preferably, their body should be lost in a fire or decaying somewhere out of sight.] (Luna)

[Under rumble could work if we dent a skull with a rock.] (Syrus)

[That… would work.] Luna replied. Syrus’s methods were a little shocking when spoken. [The difficult part is finding them and deciding when.]

Anlesa could find all three, then kill all of them, or find them and then immediately kill them as they appeared. It was a hard decision; even choosing somewhere in between was hard. Luna didn’t know these people; they were strangers, and they had no way of knowing what their plans were. The risk was that the longer they were alive, the more chances they had of spreading information about the children.

Of course, there was always the possibility that the information had been spread to the point of no return, but that was a risk Anlesa was willing to take.

As they kept moving, Syrus heard the sound of wooden boards moving and a latch being clicked open.

[Sounds like a gate.] (Syrus)

[Based on the direction, one of the side gates. They are usually locked with a door that fully covers the entrance.] (Luna)

They were near the eastern wall of the church. The central cathedral loomed over them, and there was still a small distance to the closed-off area that surrounded the cathedral.

Outside the front opening, there were only a few paths to the cathedral and the central area that people could access. It was another level of privacy that the church had.

Anlesa moved towards the sound to see who was entering or exiting. This wasn’t the first person they had seen entering. Whenever they saw someone go towards an exit, they tried to have a little peek, just in case Jerry was there.

However, the person they saw was a slight surprise.

[Oh, Joseph has returned.] (Luna)

Joseph Sunrise Dawn Starcaller had returned to the church after his defeat by Luna.

[Already? No much fanfare.] (Syrus)

[It was supposed to be a quiet mission, but I think the actual reason for coming through the back entrances is his exhaustion.] (Luna)

Luna saw Joseph enter through one of the side gates and walk through a sliding wall that would take him to the central church area.

[Are there more entrances like that?] (Syrus)

[Yes, but none do exactly what we want. They mostly head in and out of the main church building.] Luna answered. [But if we do need to use one, I know which to take.]

[Should we be worried now that he is also here?] (Eva)

[I wouldn’t be, we can always have Luna traumatise him again.] (Syrus)

[I would be happy to.] (Luna)

Syrus let out a small internal chuckle. [That’s good, but not only that. Him being here might actually be a blessing.]

[Huh?] Eva paused. [But isn’t him telling the church about Lu–Eliana a bad thing?]

Eva chose to use Luna’s previous name for the sake of the discussion because she felt that was right.

[Lilly, you are near the correct answer with how you worded it. Yes, they will be informed of Eliana. Not us. The only time we take up that appearance is if we decide to, but we are still a separate being.] (Luna)

Syrus continued. [Eva, think about it. How much chaos the church is going to be in once they hear a saint has returned from the dead, not only that, one that they had killed.]

[What happens if they don’t believe it?] (Eva)

[That’s fine, it will still be on people’s minds for a while. Long enough to make our escape and assassination plans easier.] Said Syrus. [We just need to keep up this game of hide seek, and ensure everything goes well, even if that means rolling with the hits.]

They continued to move while planning their murder attempts. Soon, the day sped by, and night began to fall.