Chapter 340: Allen Performs an Exorcism for the Barry Family
"Who's Barry?"
Bruce leaned in toward the newspaper and spotted a story.
It described a family of three facing paranormal events and seeking professional help.
"In another multiverse, he's the Flash. He can run fast enough to chase time," Allen replied earnestly.
Unfortunately, Bruce didn't believe a word of that multiverse nonsense and didn't bother asking further.
Once he understood the situation, Allen decided to investigate.
To him, paranormal events were nothing more than minor inconveniences.
The real reason? He still hadn't found a good way to gain experience.
"Shouldn't this be a job for an exorcist? Do you even have those kinds of skills?"
Bruce was already tempted to back out. Before meeting Allen, he'd always scoffed at anything supernatural.
Now, he'd rather believe ghosts exist than mess around and tempt fate.
"As long as you've got hands, you're good."
Allen had a priest class—when it came to ghosts or demons, all it took was a point-blank Shame Beam to finish the job.
He turned to look at the plaque on the wall.
Broadway Theater.
"Let's suit up first."
Allen casually pried open the theater's back door and brought Bruce inside to find an outfit suitable for an exorcist.
…
Night fell.
Outskirts of Los Angeles.
Inside a lavish mansion.
The Barry family huddled nervously in the living room, too frightened to sleep.
"Henry, maybe we should just move out."
"Nora, we don't have the savings for that."
"I'm really scared. There's something wrong with this house."
"Don't worry. I'll stay right here with you."
…
Barry curled up on the couch, watching his parents speak in hushed tones. He felt utterly helpless.
Not long ago, the whole family had moved to Los Angeles. They'd been thrilled to find a mansion being sold at a shockingly low price. His father Henry didn't hesitate to buy it, and his mother Nora had fallen in love with the place the moment they moved in.
Barry himself had loved the new setup, and after landing an internship as a forensic specialist at the police department, everything seemed like it was finally falling into place.
But good times lasted less than three days. Bizarre, inexplicable events began occurring one after another.
The constant stress wore their nerves thin. They became so on edge they didn't even dare sleep at night, afraid they might wake up lying out on the lawn again.
"Barry, why don't you stay in the police dorms for a few days? Come back after the exorcist fixes everything," Henry suggested.
"No, Dad. I don't want to leave you two alone."
Barry shook his head and reassured them, "You both try to sleep on the couch tonight. I'll keep watch. I can nap at work for a few hours tomorrow."
Thud thud thud…
Outside, a sudden wind kicked up, rattling the windows.
"Don't worry. Just a loose latch," Henry said, trying to calm his terrified wife. He went to close the unlatched window.
Snap!
Ahh…
Suddenly, the house was plunged into darkness.
Nora screamed, clutching her head in terror.
BOOM!
A bolt of lightning lit up the night sky.
In that flash, the terrified family clung to each other, eyes darting around the room, as if evil spirits lurked just beyond the darkness.
Creak…
The front door swung open.
Nothing but pitch black beyond it.
BOOM!
Another flash of lightning—and suddenly, two shadowy figures stood at the doorway.
A flashlight beam cut through the dark, followed by a stranger's voice.
"Don't be afraid. We're exorcists."
Hearing that, the Barry family immediately felt a little safer.
It was Allen and Bruce, who had found the place using the newspaper article's address.
The flashlight swept around the room.
Allen located the breaker box and calmly walked over to inspect it, while Bruce still didn't dare enter the house.
Click!
Allen flipped the breaker.
Lights snapped back on.
The Barry family could finally see them—both men wore long black robes, giving off a strong supernatural aura.
"Just a tripped breaker."
As Allen reset it, he also quietly removed the ceramic insulator from the switch lever.
All without sparing a glance at the ghost hovering beside the box.
Worth noting: this ghost was an alternate version of Quicksilver.
Tate blinked in confusion, looking at Allen, then at the copper contacts on the breaker, completely dumbfounded.
Ghosts fear electricity. If he'd touched that copper strip with his bare hands, he probably would've been vaporized on the spot.
"There's a seriously ominous spiritual pressure in this house," Allen said, his eyes scanning the room.
Chairs, sofas, tables, stairways—ghosts were everywhere, watching him.
Of course, he wasn't about to call them out in public. That would be no fun.
"Father, please help us," Nora pleaded, clinging to Allen like he was their last hope.
"Don't worry, ma'am. Exorcising spirits is my duty."
Allen added, "But I'm not clergy—I'm a wizard, graduated from Hogwarts."
As he spoke, he pulled out a wrinkled certificate and flashed it in front of Nora before tucking it back away.
"As long as you can drive out the ghosts, wizard or not doesn't matter."
Henry stepped forward and grabbed Allen's hand with resolve. "As long as you solve the haunting in our house, I'll make sure you're paid."
"Let's all have a seat and talk."
Allen looked mildly uncomfortable being clutched so tightly by the couple.
Once everyone sat down around the couch, Bruce reluctantly entered, his eyes darting about nervously.
"Have you been experiencing strange phenomena?" Allen asked, already knowing the answer.
With this many ghosts in the house, how could things possibly have been peaceful?
Still, he had to go through the motions—it made things look professional.
"Yes, sir wizard, ever since we moved in, we haven't had a single peaceful night. We wake up in the yard, things get moved around for no reason, we hear strange noises…" Nora began listing all their experiences.
Behind them, a group of ghosts stood rolling their eyes.
Just a few mild scare tactics and the whole family had already lost their minds. If they turned up the intensity even a little, they'd probably be driven insane.
"I can confirm there's a demon in this house."
Allen said with a completely straight face, "A demonic invasion typically occurs in three stages. First, they instill fear through disturbing events to weaken the victim's mental state. Second, they begin appearing more frequently to keep the victim in constant terror. And third, once the victim's spirit breaks down, the demon possesses them and steals their soul."
"Luckily, you're only in the first stage. It's not too serious." He offered a solution: "The three of you should temporarily stay elsewhere. Once I've driven the demon out, it'll be safe to return."
"What a fraud," one ghost muttered.
"Can't even tell the difference between ghosts and demons. I really thought we had a real exorcist this time."
"I can't wait to prank him so hard he runs off crying."
…
The ghosts chattered away, completely unaware of the sly glint in Allen's eyes.
He could hear them because of his All-Knowing Spirit Sense—a class skill tied to his wizard profession.
Unless a ghost chose to be seen or heard by ordinary people, they were no different from air.
That night, the Barry family packed up and left to stay in a cheap motel.
"Master, is there really a demon here?"
With only the two of them left, Bruce's use of "Master" wasn't without reason—it always came out when he needed Allen's help.
"There's no such thing as demons, Bruce. Trust science."
Allen peeled off the theatrical costume and explained solemnly, "Gods and ghosts are all made-up nonsense cooked up by religion. You actually buy into that stuff?"
Bruce fell silent for a long while before asking, "Then how do you explain yourself?"
"I'm obviously human. You ever see a god downing burgers and Coke?"
"…"
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