Chapter 104: Binding
The eight mediums simultaneously produced blessed papers.
They chanted prayers, like a low-pitched chorus, calming the mind.
Using the papers as instruments, they drew symbols in the air before attaching them to their respective sacred implements, shouting again:
"Holy warriors, hurry, hurry, by divine command!"
The sacred implements, imbued with the blessed papers, were struck against the sides of the Soul Collector's head. The Soul Collector melted like cotton candy in hot water.
An invisible force dissolved it, and the black mist around it rapidly dissipated.
The Soul Collector's greatest advantage lay in its agility and unpredictability. If it couldn't be defeated in one go, it had a way to escape.
However, it first used its last wisp of black mist to possess Brother Kane, attempting to use the opportunity to complete the Seven Souls Ritual.
With Kane killed, it fully revealed itself, trying to solve the problem with violence—the most foolish approach.
Although the mediums were outnumbered, there were eight of them present. If it continued its guerrilla tactics, constantly targeting and harassing a particular medium, it might still escape once the formation was disrupted.
Instead, they chose a direct confrontation.
Now, trapped and locked in by the sacred formation of eight mediums, it was impossible for it to disperse back into black mist.
"I will make you unable to ascend to heaven or descend to hell, your unclean souls cannot be defeated, and no method can exorcise evil."
The Soul Collector murmured in an ancient tongue, accompanied by the buzzing of flies, repeating over and over, reaching everyone's ears.
Unfortunately, few present understood the language and couldn't comprehend the Soul Collector's angry curses.
They only found this foreign evil spirit a bit noisy.
The black mist dissipated in large swaths, and the head, originally the size of a bull's body, shrank to the size of a normal human head.
Marcus, wielding the blessed sword, cleaved the Soul Collector's head of smoke in two with a single strike, only for it to instantly reassemble.
This sword was ceremonial; it seemed ineffective.
Marcus tossed aside the blessed sword, still stained with Kane's blood, and pulled out a thick consecrated talisman over a foot long, slamming it down on the Soul Collector again.
It felt like hitting a solid object, producing a slight resistance.
The Soul Collector's small head couldn't withstand Marcus's power. With a sound like a balloon exploding, the soccer ball-sized head of smoke completely burst.
The last wisp of black mist automatically entered the wooden box.
This final transformation of the Soul Collector looked frightening, but it was actually a desperate measure, unleashing all the power accumulated over the past five years.
Marcus used pliers to pick up the cedar wood box from the pit and put it into a canvas sack.
The mediums couldn't leave easily yet. It was because the eight of them had sealed off this place that the Soul Collector had lost its means of escape.
Otherwise, it would have already secretly slipped out some of the black mist.
Now they had to continue to guard the area for a while to ensure there were no future problems.
Marcus then picked up Brother Kane's body, which had slumped down, and walked towards the RV by the roadside.
The mediums looked at Kane's corpse and sighed. Master Alex's eyes were also filled with sorrow; his fellow medium had finally faced his destiny.
Once inside the RV, Marcus took out two syringes of vampire serum and dripped them into Kane's eyes.
To complete the mission, Kane still had to be saved.
Although his sword pierced Kane's abdomen, the location was right next to his navel, avoiding damage to arteries and kidneys, only injuring his large intestine.
He would die, but at least not so quickly.
Looking at Kane's frail, weakened body, Marcus considered whether the serum would be enough since Kane was injured anyway.
He then worried that it would worsen the injury and require more serum, so he abandoned the concern.
Kane would have to recover on his own.
As the serum took effect,
Brother Kane let out a painful groan and sat up abruptly.
He coughed violently, spitting out a black blood clot the size of a grape—the corrupted blood in his body.
Kane glanced at the dimly lit interior of the RV, then at Marcus:
"Mr. Davis, am I dead? That Soul Collector?"
Kane's memory was still stuck on the moment Marcus stabbed him with the sword, his body turning cold, and he lost consciousness.
"What do you think?"
Marcus didn't answer, but asked instead.
"When you see Father Goldstein later, have you thought about what to say?" Marcus pointed to Kane's torso, now that his wounds had healed.
"I..."
Kane thought about his current appearance and was momentarily speechless, but as his brain regained oxygen, he realized he was still alive.
About half an hour later, the mediums finished their ritual.
Now all the black mist of the Soul Collector had been weakened and entered the wooden box, which Marcus had put into his bag.
However, the Soul Collector was still not destroyed.
Marcus and the others returned to St. Michael's. Several mediums were somewhat apprehensive on the way. They usually wouldn't encounter a single evil spirit for several years, and when they did, it was always a newly manifested one.
Evil spirits like the Soul Collector, with many criminals offering them sacrifices, were considered powerful in the current spiritual community.
Except for Father Rodriguez and Father Thompson, who were relatively close by, the others had already returned to their own churches. They were old and couldn't withstand the strain; they needed to go back and recuperate.
"What do you all think is the best way to completely eliminate the Soul Collector?"
"Otherwise, if this thing escapes, the consequences could be dire."
Inside St. Michael's, the sack containing the Soul Collector was placed on the table. Everyone stared at the sack, and Marcus asked.
"For an evil spirit like the Soul Collector, we can only choose a consecrated place to suppress it. We don't have any better methods."
Master Alex frowned as he finished speaking and looked at Father Goldstein and the other two.
If he had a better method, he wouldn't have chosen to secretly bury the Soul Collector under the big tree at the town entrance five years ago.
Now it seems that this method is not safe at all.
"If someone channels divine power, walks the path to the other side, and drives the Soul Collector down to hell, and actively cuts off contact, it might be possible to completely seal the Soul Collector."
"However, first, this person's life force must be strong enough, and second, if the contact is cut off, the person will also die."
Father Thompson hesitated for a moment, glancing at Marcus and Kane, before speaking.
This meant that whoever was willing to sacrifice themselves had a chance to seal the Soul Collector in hell.
Marcus would definitely not sacrifice himself; he wasn't that selfless. If it weren't for the mission, he wouldn't have provoked the Soul Collector.
That left only Brother Kane. Upon hearing this, Kane's eyes showed a hint of determination.
However, if Kane sacrificed himself to eliminate the Soul Collector, it would mean he was still following his destiny, which would be equivalent to Marcus's mission failing.
First, he hadn't changed Kane's fate, and second, sealing the Soul Collector in hell didn't necessarily constitute elimination.
"If we combine the power of the previous eight mediums to perform a ritual lasting eighty-one days, perhaps we could directly eliminate the Soul Collector,"
Father Goldstein hesitated before speaking. However, after saying this, he himself felt it was impossible. Everyone was getting old, their health was failing, and they all had their own family matters. Their presence here was due to his influence over the past few decades.
After all, now that the Soul Collector had been captured, the immediate danger had become a matter of careful containment, and everyone was thinking of self-preservation.
Moreover, this method clearly didn't meet Marcus's expectations. Even if he could find a few mediums, eighty-one days was too long.
Now the Soul Collector's power had been weakened to its limit; the difficulty wasn't weakening, but eliminating it.
Marcus pondered for a moment before speaking,
"Since that's the case, I'll try my method first, but I shouldn't elaborate."
"I request that everyone study this further over the next few days to see if there's a better solution."
"Ideally, we'd like a proper resolution."
Marcus thought of the holy water he'd obtained from Father Henderson's contact, but he also suddenly became curious about the Soul Collector's "Seven Souls Transformation" ritual.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter Rewards
500 Power Stones = 1 New Chapter
10 Reviews = 1 New Chapter
Thanks for reading!
20+ advanced chapters available on P1treon: DarkFoxx