Long-term salvation

Inside the house, the possessed boy smiled grimly, but the next second, he closed his mouth like a duck with its neck pinched, and a strange hoarse sound came out of his throat in fear - Rhodes stood behind everyone, watching him indifferently.

On the wall, when no one knew, the cross was quietly turned back to its original position.

"Let me see... Hmm... Hey, isn't this Asmodeus? One of the seventy-two demon gods, ranked 32nd, and the king of the demon gods." Rhode sneered and slowly stepped forward, causing the people around him to subconsciously make way. "Where are your seventy-two legions? Where are the eighteen evil spirits who serve you? Why are you so lame?"

"...You...How could you be here?!"

"If God isn't here, then my presence is enough, isn't it?" Rhodes said casually. He pulled the Bible from Father Amos's hand and tapped it with his fingers, making a crisp sound. "Why are you here, in an old Spanish monastery?"

"What's it to you—Pfft!"

Before the demon could finish, Rhodes slapped it in the face with a Bible. The possessed boy's face was almost stunned. Then, facing the fearful and hateful gaze, Rhodes said calmly:

"Did I let you talk?"

"..."

Another Bible fan came, and Rhodes continued to speak in a vulgar tone:

"Why don't you answer my question?"

"You, you fucking——"

"Did I ask you to speak?"

Rhode raised his eyebrows, and this action immediately made the demon subconsciously raise his arms to cover his head, and replied angrily:

"You didn't even let me speak just now. How could you humiliate me like this?!"

"Oh, I see." Rhode turned his head and looked at the stunned crowd with their mouths wide open. "Didn't I make it speak just now?"

"Actually... yes, Lord Rhodes," Constantine hesitated for a few seconds, but chose to tell the truth, "You did say that."

"I see, I was wrong. Let me put it another way." Rhodes opened the Bible, tore off a page, and gently fanned the possessed boy's face. "Demon, why aren't you wearing a hat?"

Suffering such humiliation, Asmodeus roared and pounced on Rhodes. It then lay back on the bed at an even faster speed, showing a peaceful expression. The bridge of its nose that was hit by the fist was hanging limply, and dark brown blood slowly flowed out, making a hissing sound as if it had been burned.

The demon took several seconds to recover. It scratched its face in pain, leaving streaks of blood that appeared and disappeared amid the boy's mother's sobs. After a few breaths, Asmodeus looked at Rhodes angrily.

"You, bright morning star! Why did you come here, just for this weak lamb... What... What are you going to do?!"

Rhodes ignored the demon's resistance and struggle. He held down the possessed boy's hands, leaving a few scarlet-gold marks on the thin palms - this made Constantine, who was watching everything in front of him, look at him with envy - without paying attention to those admiring eyes, Rhodes indifferently stuffed the Bible page into the boy's mouth, letting a ball of golden flame ignite in it!

The possessed boy rolled his eyes and fainted. The next second, a demonic scream of agony erupted from the boy's throat, and a pitch-black arm struggled through the flames, attempting to throw the burning Bible page away.

However, Rhode didn't intend to let the demon go.

You have toyed with human bodies and souls unscrupulously. Now it's time for you to taste the feeling of being toyed with yourself.

"Want to shake my hand? Sure," Rhodes said with a smile, grabbing the hand and shaking it vigorously a few times, as if he didn't care about the smell of burnt meat at all.

"Asmodeus, you're a really good fellow. Next time I'll introduce you to Baal, Mary Magdalene, and Anubis. My girls really need a new toy. The Pazuzu we had last time wasn't quite up to par."

Hearing this, the demon howled in horror. It couldn't imagine how these names came together. And "my girls," what the hell was that? This couldn't possibly be the fabrication of the person before it. Those cold eyes revealed seriousness and murderous intent, without a trace of lies.

Wait, wait, wait, think calmly... What can you even think of?!

Suddenly, Asmodeus felt a little regretful. He shouldn't have caused trouble in a place where God was not there and had not seen him. At this moment, the devil prayed to God in a low voice, hoping that He could take a look here and listen to what the Son of Man in front of him was saying!

Unable to hold on any longer, the pitch-black arm suddenly exploded into a pool of black mud. However, such a filthy thing could not touch Rhodes' body. As it splashed down, it turned into a wisp of foul-smelling green smoke and dissipated!

The demon retreated into the boy's soul, licking its wounds, keeping the fires of resentment and ambition burning as it bided its time... waited for the inevitable investigation by these men.

"Is this the end?"

Bishop Raphael asked subconsciously. He wanted to go forward to check, but Father Amos raised his hand to stop him. The latter whispered:

"Not yet. The boy hasn't woken up yet. The darkness still lingers on him. But Bishop, did you see it? The marks on the boy's hands, the golden flames in his mouth. Did you hear what the devil just said?"

Bright morning star.

How could the demon not hear the words spoken with such awe? Bishop Raphael smiled bitterly. What else could this creature say in such fear?

Is it the “true vine,” “Immanuel,” or “the firstborn Son of God”?

"Something here is supporting Asmodeus's power. We must find it in this short time. Expel it? Of course, just shoot this poor child in the head, but I'm not sure if this will allow the demon to possess someone else again... Each of you here has a flaw in your heart, and is the demon's favorite food."

Rhodes, who had no intention of gathering his troops, sighed and stuffed a few more pages of the Bible into the boy's mouth as if burning paper money. Combined with the crying of the two women, the entire exorcism scene looked like a folk funeral in the Zhendan Republic.

After stuffing the Bible back into the hands of Father Amos, who looked distressed, Rhodes told him to continue burning paper money for the boy. Then he ignored the priest's painful expression, walked out of the room, and lit a cigarette outside.

"What should we do now, Lord Rhodes?"

Bishop Raphael followed and asked, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and at the same time sincerely confessed to God for what the Holy Trinity had done to the Son of God who had come.

"Nothing that is covered up will not be revealed. Nothing that is hidden will not be known. Go underground. This monastery itself is problematic. Moreover, its location in Seville is where the Spanish Inquisition was prevalent."

At this point, Rhodes frowned as some broken memories surfaced in his mind and complained to Bishop Raphael:

"You shouldn't have let me come here alone. Otherwise, we wouldn't be stuck here."

"Merciful savior... please don't send Baal and Anubis. My heart can't take it."

Chapter 224: The Gate to Hell (3.6K·1/3)

The severely injured demon shrank back into the boy's body, and looked at Rhodes angrily with the corner of his slightly open eyes, but the latter just placed a pile of crosses and statues of the Virgin Mary on the boy's bed... Although they were of no use, at least Father Thomas could use more wood to continue burning the Bible after he finished burning it.

After letting Father Thomas, who looked distressed, stay in the room, Rhodes led Father Amos, Bishop Raphael and Constantine out. They passed through the increasingly dark chapel and came to the courtyard of the monastery.

The darkness that lingered here was even thicker than when Rhodes arrived. Even the sun's rays could not completely illuminate the place. It was as if the day had been shortened by a supernatural power, causing the dark night to come earlier and faster.

Looking at the dark clouds gathering in the distance and the sun that was already obscured by the mountain peaks, Rhodes frowned slightly. Some strange premonition was gnawing at his brain, issuing a warning.

"It's going to rain," Rhodes said with a hint of worry. He bent down and picked up some dirt from the ground. "This is not a good thing. The evil creatures will become stronger with the nourishment of the cold rain, and the darkness will provide them with cover."

"My Lord, what should we do next?"

Bishop Raphael asked in a low voice. He smoothly changed the way he addressed Rhodes and was secretly pleased that the latter did not refute him out loud.

Rhode, his mind in a state of confusion, ignored Bishop Raphael's shifting words. He pondered for a few seconds before walking to the circular well in the center of the courtyard. After tearing away the vines with the discerning Constantine, Rhode saw the Vatican's emblem on the stone disc.

Upon seeing this, Bishop Raphael and Father Amos exchanged a glance, and then the four of them pushed the disc away, revealing the contents of the well below.

skull.

Human skulls were neatly embedded in rows along the walls of the well. There were so many of them that they could have covered the entire circular well, spiraling all the way to the dark depths at the bottom. Plants had grown there over the centuries, but even mosses, which could survive in Antarctica, had withered and shrunken here, as if some terrifying entity had completely drained away their tenacious vitality, leaving them as lifeless specimens.

The only spot not inlaid with a skull was the coat of arms of the Spanish Inquisition, but that, like the surrounding skulls, had become as stained and stained, a brownish-yellow hue that only comes with age.

"These are all victims of the Inquisition," Rhode said grimly. He saw the darkness surging at the bottom of the well. As he lifted the lid, the system informed him of the rising pollution points in the inner world. "Pagans, heretics, atheists, innocent people, they all died here, carrying with them resentment and hatred."

"Is this also the work of the devil?!"

"Don't blame all the evil in people's hearts on creatures from the otherworld, Bishop Raphael," Rhodes lit a cigarette, letting the smoke dissipate in the increasingly fierce wind. He looked up at the gathering rain clouds and said calmly, "These 'demons' recorded in religious texts were mostly born from human thought and strengthened by the power of human emotion—you understand what I mean."

If we do not do evil and do not believe in religion, these "devils" will naturally not be born, and this is especially true for the evil of persecuting innocent people in the name of justice.

“…You will lead the world.”

"And then let you all rise to prominence?" Rhodes sneered. "Another Christian church? Where are you planning to set it up this time? Madrid, Spain?"

This sentence made Bishop Raphael look a little ashamed and terrified. He did not explain anything further, but took a half step back and continued:

"My Lord, if that's the case, what should we do now? Continue investigating the underground area?"

"It's obvious."

As Rhodes spoke, he flicked his unfinished cigarette into the well, instantly igniting the gas and sulfur fumes inside. Golden flames shot straight into the sky! The blazing flames danced on everyone's faces, casting their disparate shadows on the wall, constantly twisting.

At the same time, in the room, the eyes of the possessed boy opened again, and the devil's beastly pupils were faintly visible in his pupils.

"Mr. Rhodes," Father Amos said as they were walking towards the underground area. He quickly walked over to Rhodes and asked, "What are you worried about? I feel like something is wrong...very wrong."

Then the old priest lowered his voice again, and said in Latin with his lips barely trembling:

"I'm not Bishop Raphael, who is overwhelmed by ecstasy and awe, nor am I his gloomy and fanatical guard. I am more concerned about the boy in the room. So, what will we face next?"

"It's a sealed demon, and I suspect that the seal is beginning to collapse faster because of my arrival."

Rhode said this as he walked into the underground corridor. A corner of the masonry had been smashed open, revealing a heavy stone doorway behind it, naturally emblazoned with the Vatican's coat of arms. Bishop Raphael was still faithfully recording the entire scene with his camera, while Constantine's face remained expressionless, as dead and cold as ever.

"You mean those... blasphemous people in the past set up..." Father Amos considered his words carefully. "How did they seal it?"

"First, I must correct you, Father Amos," Rhodes said, raising his voice slightly. He walked to the smashed masonry and leaned forward to gently stroke the Vatican emblem on the stone door. "Sealing, or using some method to contain and monitor creatures from the other world, is just a means to an end. It doesn't matter whether it's sacred or not. Otherwise, what are all those private prisons in the United States for? Are they really so kind as to allow criminals to return to society?"

"This……"

"So, the arrival of powerful psychics like us is like the last straw that breaks the camel's back, the last drop of water that pops the balloon... Perhaps this was the devil's plan, to possess the body of a powerful psychic, break the seal, and spread fear and darkness—it just didn't anticipate my arrival, but by some strange coincidence, it achieved its goal of breaking the seal."

Rhodes retracted his hand and snapped his fingers. Two rows of weapon boxes appeared in front of them, leaving Bishop Raphael and Constantine looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Grab your weapons. I expect you to know how to pull the trigger. M4 assault rifles, FAL rifles, and... well, M9 pistols. Remember to save the last bullet for yourself."

"This, this is sacred—"

"Nothing. The weapons I requested from Atlas last week are just ordinary weapons. If these things are sacred, then money is also sacred."

Rhodes calmly put on the chest ornament and watched Bishop Raphael wipe the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief - he really didn't dare to agree with him anymore. If he said one more word, the man in front of him would definitely bring up the matter of the indulgence.

How dare you even mention this?! Even the Pope would have to commit suicide in front of this guy!

"You'd better pray that the enemy you face next has a physical form, something bullets can handle."

As he spoke, Rhodes took a step forward and kicked the stone door open. When the stone door shattered on the ground, the rich smell of sulfur wrapped in dust rushed towards him.

However, there were no restless demons inside, only mummies bound in iron cages, and eighteen corpses standing upright on both sides for burial.

This place looks like a cemetery, but countless sins are rotting in it.

Come here... come to me...

Suddenly, everyone heard this sound - a faint demonic sound came from behind the iron door deep in the tomb. A cloud of dust seemed to be spewing out and retracting with the breathing of a certain creature. The air became sticky and adhered to people's skin, squeezing their lungs and brains, and disrupting the reason and thinking of ordinary people.

To witness the truth, yes, the truth is important, but you can't know the truth without going into the darkness, so... come... come to me...

"It's coming from deeper inside," Bishop Raphael said slowly, holding the pistol awkwardly. "My Lord, should we leave or go check?"

The bishop turned his head and saw Rhodes and Father Amos studying the golden ring on the finger of the mummy in the iron cage. This was an archbishop from the Vatican. He sealed himself here to prevent the demon from escaping due to failed exorcism. After hearing this question, Rhodes, who was confused and a little impatient, said without looking up:

"Just let it go when it tells me to? Don't you even think about your own status... Just let it wait!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Bishop Raphael seemed to hear the faint devilish sound pause for a few seconds, and then some tiny whispers were heard, which sounded like a dark curse in impotent rage.

Throwing the gold ring to Bishop Raphael, Rhodes told him to bring it to the Pope after returning to the Vatican. Then he walked in front of everyone, kicked open the iron door, and continued to go deeper inside:

After walking through a short stone corridor, a wide cave appeared in front of them. A blasphemous inverted pentagram was engraved on a tall stone tablet. Traces of torture instruments and dry brown residues that looked like human blood were everywhere, as if time had never flowed here.

In the very center, there is a dead puddle. The puddle is a perfect circle, reflecting the figures of all those who come here.

Except Rhodes.

A chill wind blew through the cracks in the rocks, and a few drops of rain drifted down from above. If one looked up, one could see a faint glow—the open well. Rain had already begun to fall outside... The speed at which the rain clouds were gathering had exceeded anyone's expectations!

A desiccated corpse sat on the throne. Rhode reached out and took the diary from the corpse's hand, flipping through a few pages. He confirmed that the person was Brother Deohada, the former chief exorcist of the Vatican. He looked rather miserable. The diary recorded that the demon possessed multiple people simultaneously. Combined with the remains of the archbishop outside, it was clear that this place had also witnessed a terrible battle.

Unfortunately, these people are the same as the demons born from religion, bound by "characteristics". Of course, there are differences between humans, and only those who are fearless, determined and kind can fight against them, and use the emotional power of extraordinary will and faith to drive out the demons.

Or, with iron and fire, with blade and gunpowder.

"It seems they didn't...huh?" Rhodes turned around and saw -

Bishop Raphael saw darkness crawling out from the corner, condensing into hundreds and thousands of people he had seen, killed, or indirectly killed. Their faces were crowded together, pressing towards the bishop like a wall, denouncing his sins and shamelessness!

Father Amos was suddenly transported back to his youth as an Italian guerrilla, where his unit was ambushed and he had feigned death to escape. Now, his dead comrades were rising, spitting at him as he lay on the ground, and angrily asking him why he didn't stand up and fight!

Constantine gasped in pain as he saw the false stigmata begin to appear on his hands, arms, and abdomen. A woman's low laughter and scolding accompanied him, accompanied by the satisfaction of seeing the foolish people acting recklessly under her command. The false stigmata spread upwards, almost completely covering his entire body!

Everyone's faith is being tested and everyone's soul is struggling in the darkness.

"That's enough, go back."

Rhodes said so.

He was staring indifferently at the stagnant water in the round pit, the cracks in the inner world beneath the water, and the seventy-two legions of demonic troops that were ready to move.

"The lambs here are sheltered by me. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep!"

Chapter 225: The Raging Demonic Tide (3K·2/3)

"I am the Good Shepherd!"