With a roar, the dark force erupted, causing the entire space to shake violently.
Father Diego immediately felt immense pressure as the holy power within him rapidly drained.
This indicated that the demon's power, which he had initially suppressed, was growing stronger. The scales of victory, which had initially tilted in his favor, were now slowly rising, returning to their original position.
This meant that to win, he needed to place a heavy wager to tilt the scales of victory back in his favor.
The rapid depletion of his power caused visible beads of sweat to appear on Father Diego's forehead.
Brother Wolaway, noticing this, sensed something amiss. He gripped his knight's sword tightly and leaped toward the suspended Lady Mehliban, slashing at her.
But to Wolaway's dismay, Lady Mehliban extended her hand and grabbed the blade mid-swing.
The inertia and his strength were absorbed completely.
"I said you would all die! And you will die!" Lady Mehliban grinned, her human teeth transforming into sharp fangs.
The speed of her transformation was alarming, indicating that she had been thoroughly corrupted by the demon's incarnation. Once the demon's form was fully realized, her soul would be entirely controlled by this unknown demon, turning her into its mindless slave.
Wolaway's heart sank. He channeled his holy power from his grip to his sword, enhancing its sharpness and demonic-slaying properties.
Lady Mehliban's hand, which had easily caught the knight's sword, was severed by Wolaway's empowered strike.
But to his shock, her hand, dripping corrosive blood, healed instantly.
The rapid regeneration indicated that the demon had begun to dominate Lady Mehliban's body, achieving a corporeal form.
"Brother Wolaway!"
Father Diego's shout came from behind. Wolaway swiftly moved aside, clearing the path for Father Diego.
Father Diego splashed holy water at the suspended Lady Mehliban.
The holy water sizzled on her body, emitting smoke, but instead of melting her away, it revealed demonic markings beneath her skin.
These marks, with their unnatural color and shape, were clear signs of the demon's manifestation.
Seeing this, Father Diego quickly opened his Bible and began to chant.
He was determined to fight to the end. Observing Lady Mehliban's state, he knew it was unlikely she could be saved. Even if she were saved, she would no longer be the same person.
She had become the slave of this unknown demon, her body and soul entirely its possession.
Saving her would be akin to saving a fanatical cultist.
Thinking of Lady Mehliban's previous piety, Father Diego felt a mix of sadness and anger.
A devout believer of the Lord turned into a demon's slave! This must not happen.
"The Lord's hand has created the most wondrous world! Almighty God, God of gods, God of all things, grant your follower the power to eliminate this danger! Empower us at this moment! Let us use your mysteries, your grace!"
Father Diego chanted loudly, using the power of the scriptures to exhaust his holy energy, breaking the cross around his neck and extending it toward the suspended Lady Mehliban.
"Exorcise the demon! Expel the sickness! May she be blessed and free from harm! I command you to leave, demon!"
Instantly, the space transformed again, and white chains appeared from the void, binding Lady Mehliban's limbs and forcibly pulling them apart.
By now, Lady Mehliban had transformed into a full-fledged demon.
Her height had increased to over two meters, with prominent ram horns on her forehead. Her limbs had turned into beast-like claws, sharp and menacing.
When Father Diego uttered these words and the white chains bound the demon, thick smoke billowed out.
"Roar!"
The bound demon's face contorted in pain, showing it was truly hurt by this scene.
Unlike earlier, this genuinely caused it pain.
"In the name of Jesus Christ!"
Father Diego's face turned pale as his holy power drained to maintain the binding, but he continued to hold his cross toward the screaming demon.
"I command you to leave Lady Mehliban's body! I command you to depart, in the name of Jesus Christ!"
Despite the demon's howls of pain, it did not leave. Instead, it glared angrily at Father Diego.
"Your power is no match for mine! You have failed!"
Indeed, as the demon claimed, Father Diego had just fallen short.
By now, his holy power was nearly depleted. The space, once stable, began to waver.
This indicated that the suppression field was fading without a steady supply of holy power.
Once it vanished, recreating the current situation would be nearly impossible.
This meant Father Diego's exorcism had failed.
This also implied that this demon was exceptionally powerful, possibly a demon lord. Its corporeal form was unmatched by any name he knew.
Moreover, he lacked the strength to compel the demon to reveal its true name.
His power was insufficient! Perhaps a more powerful cleric could force the demon to reveal its true name.
With a spurt of blood, Father Diego collapsed from the excessive drain.
"Father Diego!"
Brother Wolaway rushed to his side, his knight's sword plunged into the wooden floor, his holy power surging to stabilize the situation.
But the intense drain also made him feel a deep sense of dread.
The powerful demon's invasion created numerous entry points, overwhelming him.
Despite his efforts, the unknown demon absorbed all his power.
"Damn it!"
Wolaway cursed, maintaining the exorcism ritual with one hand while supporting Father Diego with the other.
Watching the bound and struggling demon, he resolved to sacrifice his life to save Father Diego.
But Father Diego gently pushed him away, smiling warmly.
"Go, take Daken, his wife Yano, and the children with you!"
Brother Wolaway's eyes widened. "Father!"
He knew this meant Father Diego intended to sacrifice his life to continue the exorcism, uncertain of success, hence urging him to take everyone and leave.
"Only I can stop it! Go!" Father Diego calmly ordered.
"This is my command!"
His eyes and voice were so firm that Wolaway trembled.
"Father, I can also..."
But before he could finish, Father Diego interrupted him calmly.
"If you don't leave, no one will know what happened here. If the exorcism fails, we, along with Daken, Yano, and the children, could all be possessed."
Wolaway hesitated, gritting his teeth! He knew this but...
"I need you to tell Bishop York! Only Bishop York can successfully exorcise this demon!" Father Diego smiled.
"Perhaps I can succeed too. Even if I don't, I'll return to the Lord's embrace! Brother Wolaway, this is our mission!"
Father Diego easily pulled out Wolaway's knight's sword from the floor and handed it to him.
"This is my command, Brother Wolaway!"
Wolaway looked at Father Diego, seeing the determination in his eyes.
He exhaled, suppressing his sorrow, nodded, and took the sword, bowing as always.
"Yes, Father!"
Just then, with insufficient holy power, the demon finally reacted. Though bound, it glared at them, growling.
"You will all die!"
With its growl, grotesque heads began protruding from the walls.
The demon was calling for reinforcements, preparing to summon its followers, causing immense pressure to fall on them. The surroundings, including the exit, were engulfed in darkness.
At that moment, Father Diego stepped forward, his Bible flipping open, emitting a radiant yet gentle light, a sign of life force consumption.
This power could only be released by a bishop-level cleric.
With this burst of energy, a bright light dispelled the descending darkness, solidifying the white chains binding the demon.
The grotesque wall heads shrieked and receded.
In an instant, everything returned to normal, and the demon roared in pain again.
"Go!"
Facing the demon, Father Diego remained calm, raising his cross toward it.
Wolaway clenched his teeth, knowing that delaying further would waste the opportunity Father Diego created, squandering his life force.
"Yes, Father!"
Wolaway took one last look at Father Diego's back and left swiftly, disappearing from the room.
"No one escapes!" the demon growled.
But Father Diego smiled slightly, flipping open the Bible and chanting.
"The Lord said, 'In the evening, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Him, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
I command you in the name of Jesus, by His power and authority, to expel the evil spirit within you!"
The demon's efforts to hinder Wolaway failed, unable to stop him.
Hearing the priest's prayers, Wolaway's eyes reddened. He grabbed the bewildered Daken, Lady Mehliban's son, and rushed outside.
He quickly gathered Yano and the children into the car.
In this situation, they moved quickly, each taking their seats.
Lady Mehliban's family looked confused and terrified, realizing the exorcism had failed.
This meant their family member, Lady Mehliban, was beyond saving.
Driving, Wolaway said with a pained voice, "The church has a bishop here. The demon will eventually be driven back to hell."
"What about Father Diego?" Daken asked with a strained voice.
Wolaway's eyes reddened further. Suppressing his emotions, he pressed the gas pedal, speeding away.
"Father Diego has returned to the Lord's embrace!"
With Wolaway's pained voice, the house behind them burst into a bright white light, then fell silent.
As the car left, an angry roar echoed from the house.
"Damn bugs! I
will make you wish for death!"
—
Meanwhile, Bishop York, heading to Hilly's lab with Erin, suddenly stopped, frowning in a certain direction.
Erin paused behind him. "What's wrong, Bishop?"
She followed his gaze, feeling a stir, realizing it was in Father Diego's direction.
"Nothing."
Bishop York shook his head, suppressing the sudden unease, and continued walking with Erin.
_________________________
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