"Don't be afraid. Our negative emotions are a perfect meal for it. That's why she left us here."
Hearing the occasional roars behind him, Jeffrey felt a sense of despair creeping in, but he still didn't give up on offering a glimmer of hope to the others, like Officer Baker, Adolf, and Ronald.
"We have to hold on until Father Yorkes arrives. As long as Father Yorkes comes..."
However, he was interrupted by Officer Baker beside him, who said with a pale and miserable face.
"Father Yorkes is only human. What can he do even if he comes? Run away with us?"
His words were disheartening.
Emotion is a strange thing; within a certain range, it can be contagious.
Just like how you might involuntarily laugh when you hear laughter.
As Officer Baker spoke, despair instantly spread among the twenty-three people fleeing together.
Some employees who had already broken down could no longer suppress their emotions as the roars behind them grew closer, and they began to sob instinctively.
Jeffrey didn't know how to answer. Although he knew some secrets through his mother and that the Church wasn't as harmless as it appeared on the surface, he didn't know if Father Yorkes was an Exorcist like the ones his mother had mentioned.
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed from behind.
Jeffrey's eyes turned cold as he looked back.
At the edge of his vision, three Monstrous Beasts appeared. They looked like zombie wolves from a movie, with stitched-together bodies larger than tigers.
"Roar!!!!"
The three beasts, their bloody maws filled with disgusting fluids and sharp teeth, charged toward them on all fours.
"Oh my God..."
"..."
Someone in the crowd tripped in panic. Within a few blinks of an eye, the three beasts were pouncing toward the fallen employee.
"Roar!"
It wasn't hard to imagine the unspeakable tragedy that would occur once they were caught.
At the critical moment, a shout suddenly rang out.
"Repello!!!!!"
As the word fell, the three beasts were sent flying backward with a bang, as if struck by something.
The fallen person stared blankly at Jeffrey, who had suddenly appeared beside her.
"Go!"
Jeffrey clutched a Bone Necklace, aiming it at the three beasts as they shook their heads and prepared to stand back up.
"Go!" he emphasized again, his expression solemn.
The person who fell snapped out of it and tried to get up, but her legs gave way. The shock of nearly dying had left her weak with fear.
"I..."
Before she could finish through her tears, Officer Baker suddenly appeared and supported her as they ran, with another colleague helping on her other side.
"Buddy! Don't die! Wait for me to come back!"
Hearing Officer Baker's words behind him, Jeffrey looked at the hideous beasts that had already gotten back up. He grinned and kissed the Bone Necklace.
"Mother, please give me strength."
"Repello!"
"..."
With Jeffrey suddenly stepping up to hold them off, the group resumed their flight and soon reached the sixth floor.
By this time, the atmosphere among the crowd had become even more depressed. Except for Officer Baker, who was gritting his teeth, everyone else was running listlessly.
"Lord, I am Your faithful servant. Lord, please lead me out of this predicament! Please give me the strength and courage to face these difficulties..."
Ronald, a believer himself, clutched the crucifix on his chest and muttered incessantly, seeking some form of psychological support.
But his prayers seemed to go unanswered. More despairingly, he saw an identical beast suddenly appear at the intersection ahead.
Like the others, Ronald stopped and stared blankly at the beast blocking the exit, the hope in his eyes gone.
"Lord, can You not hear my pleas..."
"F**k!"
Officer Baker cursed and drew his service pistol, but he knew his Glock 19 was useless against such beasts. Even if he emptied the magazine, the bullets would be like tickling the creature.
"Who will help me lure this one away?"
As he loaded a magazine, Officer Baker looked at the crowd, seeing only eyes that had accepted their fate.
"F**k! Looks like it's up to me then!"
Officer Baker shook his head and charged toward the beast at the intersection with his gun raised. He was prepared to die; it was his duty as an officer, a profession that made his wife proud.
"Roar!!!!"
However, Officer Baker noticed that the beast didn't even spare him a glance. Instead, it was nervously snarling at the corner of the intersection.
"Roar!!!"
Noticing this, Officer Baker was stunned. While remaining alert, he gradually slowed his pace.
"Nervous? What?"
Before he could figure out why such a monster would feel nervous, a flash of cold light suddenly appeared before his eyes. He saw a longsword appear out of nowhere, accompanied by a gust of wind, and pierce through the beast's head. The force behind it was so violent that it pinned the beast's head to the ground.
"Roar!!"
The beast's painful howl drew the attention of the despairing crowd.
Like Officer Baker, they saw a priest in clerical robes, carrying a large backpack, suddenly appear beside the beast. As he leisurely pulled out the longsword, he effortlessly decapitated the beast with a single stroke.
Blood pooled on the floor, yet not a single drop splashed onto the priest.
This simple yet absurd scene struck them with a profound sense of shock.
"Fa... Father Yorkes?"
Only Officer Baker stared at the priest, dazed and dumbfounded. It was as if hope had arrived from the most unexpected person just when all hope was lost.
Swish!
York flicked the Knights Sword to shake off the foul blood before turning to look at the stunned crowd and Officer Baker in the hallway. He knew there would be survivors.
"Officer Baker?"
Officer Baker was still dazed, seemingly unable to react.
"Father Yorkes, you..."
At this point, Officer Baker found himself speechless. Then, remembering something, he said urgently.
"Father Yorkes! There's also Jeffrey..."
"I know."
York glanced at the first task that wasn't yet completed and sheathed his sword, walking toward Officer Baker.
"Ms. Hardy is very worried about you."
As he spoke, York walked past Officer Baker and nodded to the dazed crowd, whose eyes followed him.
"I've cleared a safe exit for you. Get out of here quickly."
With that, York covered several meters in an instant with steps that didn't even seem fast.
He had already smelled a heavy scent of lava and sensed a ripple of magic.
"Lord, so You did hear my pleas..."
Among the crowd, Ronald held his crucifix and watched the disappearing priest, his eyes full of devotion.
At that moment, in another dim hallway, one person had volunteered to be the final line of defense against the beasts.
"Repello!"
Jeffrey chanted a Knockback Spell, repelling the three beasts once more. As he saw Abigail appear at the end of the hallway, his face grew even paler.
He could feel the energy within the Bone Necklace growing weaker; it could probably only support two more chants.