"Ugh, ugh ah ah ah ah!!!!"
"Let me out!!!"
"…"
Archibald was in front, with the old man and York behind him. As the three of them reached the door, the screams from inside grew even more frantic.
"…"
"I'm going to kill you all!!!!"
"I will definitely kill you all!!!"
"…"
Suddenly, bang bang bang bang!!!!
It was unclear what was happening inside, but a series of crashing sounds suddenly erupted.
Screech screech screech!!!!
This was immediately followed by an extremely grating friction sound.
"Father, Father York, Marlon is moving the bed!!" the old man said, terrified.
"Sometimes when I go in, he'll move that bed to the door by sheer force. It's not something a human could possibly do…"
"Hmm, it will be alright."
York, who had been by the old man's side, deliberately took off his cross and hung it around the old man's neck, speaking calmly in a steady voice.
"The Lord is with us."
The old man instinctively clutched the cross at his chest, looking up at York.
York smiled and nodded.
His confident smile was very infectious, and the old man's previously hurried breathing began to steady.
"I'm opening the door!"
Archibald secretly glanced inside, then bravely opened the door.
As the door swung open, a gust of strong wind suddenly erupted at the doorway.
Archibald, who was at the very front, bore the brunt of it. His eyes widened, and he felt as if he had been hit by a car, about to be blown away.
"It's over!" he cried in his heart.
However, just as Archibald's feet left the ground, York silently stepped forward, blocking the old man, and casually grabbed Archibald's shoulder, pressing him back to the ground. His internal magic was automatically consumed.
[Two points of magic used]
[Magic: 132 / 134]
After this, York looked inside.
A man with a pale, withered face, as if devoid of life, was squatting on the bed, watching them with a twisted smile.
York instinctively narrowed his eyes.
Every part of the man's body showed signs of demonic possession. His facial features were, of course, beyond description, and the reddish glow in his bloodshot eyes made even an ordinary person feel extremely eerie.
Besides this, the man's body posture was also very uncoordinated, as if manipulated by an invisible force. His limbs were twisted, and he was squatting in an unnatural way, looking both bizarre and terrifying.
"Calm your mind and focus!"
York quickly observed Marlon's state, then continued to look at Archibald, who seemed to be still in shock.
"Don't be afraid! If you are afraid, your weaknesses will be completely exposed."
The steady voice was very abrupt in this situation, yet it could calm people's hearts. Archibald gritted his teeth, looking at Marlon inside, and nodded seriously.
York released his hand and returned to his position, allowing Archibald to lead the way inside.
Even though the lights were on, the room still appeared dim to the eye.
"Hehehe!!" Marlon, with his uncoordinated posture, watched the three of them enter, shifting his body.
"My dear father called a rookie priest? Oh no, wait!!"
Marlon twisted his head to an incredible degree, his bloodshot eyes fixed on York behind them.
"And a real priest?"
Marlon said this in the growling tone of a wild beast. He suddenly opened his drooling mouth towards York and roared.
"What an unpleasant smell!!!"
"…"
Marlon's expression, combined with his twisted body posture in the dimly lit room, was exceptionally terrifying.
The old man shivered and immediately hid behind York, not daring to look again.
Archibald's breathing also became rapid. He instinctively looked at Father York behind him, seeking some sense of security, but only saw Father York, who was completely calm, gesturing for him to begin the exorcism.
"Whew…"
Archibald could only turn back to the terrifying Marlon, swallowed non-existent saliva, and then pulled out a bottle of Holy water from his backpack.
"Hehehe!! My dear, are you going to give me a bath…?" As if sensing something, Marlon's bloodshot eyes suddenly shifted to Archibald.
He spoke normally in the first sentence, but in the second, he instantly became ferocious. His twisted limbs reached out towards Archibald but were pulled back by the thick ropes binding his limbs, creating a series of taut rope sounds.
"I'm going to kill you!!!! I'm going to kill you!!!"
His appearance was extremely terrifying.
Archibald swallowed non-existent saliva for the second time, then, following the trained exorcism steps, sprinkled Holy water on Marlon and around him, praying as he did so.
"Lord, please forgive our sins and purify our hearts.
Grant us courage and unwavering faith to resist the tricks and incitement of evil spirits.
We believe You are omnipotent, and You possess the power to conquer evil.
We ask You to use Your strength to drive the demon from the body of the possessed.
In Your name, we command all evil presences to leave this place.
For You are absolute truth and justice; evil cannot compare to Your glory.
We ask You to defeat the evil spirits with Your hand of judgment, drive them out, and bring peace and blessings to those who suffer."
"…"
York listened to Archibald's prayer, feeling somewhat perplexed.
Ultimately, the Church was still a bit conservative, using an ancient method of exorcism in modern times.
Demons hated everything of God—they hated Holy water, the cross, and the recitation of the Bible—because these things caused them pain and discomfort.
This was indeed true.
But discomfort and pain were like daily bread for some demons. Like people with masochistic tendencies, pain was a form of pleasure for some demons.
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!"
Marlon seemed to feel discomfort. His squatting posture turned into rolling around on the bed, like a drug addict in withdrawal, thrashing about.
Seeing the effect, Archibald's spirits lifted, and he recited faster and faster.
After completing a chapter, Archibald stared at the somewhat distressed Marlon, sprinkling Holy water and shouting loudly.
"Who are you! Why are you possessing his body!!"
Hearing the interrogation, York also looked at Marlon on the bed.
Archibald had reached the stage of demanding the demon's true name. If successful, he could use God's power to command the demon to return through God's decree.
However, Marlon stared intently at Archibald, roaring in a wild beast's tone.
"Damn priest!!!! God's, ah, bug!!!"
He stared at Archibald, opened his mouth, and roared.
"Get out!!!!"
"…"
It seemed as if a gust of wind came from his wide-open mouth, suddenly lifting Archibald's feet off the ground and sending him flying outwards.
But just like before, York, who had been watching, immediately stepped forward and braced Archibald, preventing him from being blown away and hitting something, thus getting injured.