Chapter 162 — Meeting Hans Again
As the dust finally settled,
a massive silhouette stood framed in the shattered doorway.
Abraham narrowed his eyes.
That corrosive walker Mashal summoned… it looks different.
The monster charged.
Abraham didn't move.
Instead, several humans whose minds had been corrupted by the runes staggered forward, forming a living shield.
With a thunderous impact, they were all sent flying.
"Mashal," Abraham said calmly.
"I see it now."
A man stepped out from beside the stage.
"So you've begun twisting our methods for your own use?"
Mashal sneered.
"Has the Church truly fallen this far?"
Yet even as he spoke, he was sensing the condition of the Corrosive Walker through the ritual array.
His expression darkened.
"Why are there so many missing?"
Earlier, Mashal had been fully focused on maintaining the blood curse.
To perfect the sacrifice, the children's blood had to be driven into a violent boil.
So he let the Corrosive Walkers roam unchecked.
But now, his summoned army had vanished.
He stared toward the entrance, searching for the hidden hand behind this.
What answered him…
was a tide of monsters pouring through the corridor.
---
In the Corridor;
Haggai glanced sideways while directing Bruce and the others.
"He's not seriously planning to steal all the glory, is he?"
Earlier, Gideon had insisted on saving the children himself,
leaving the others to draw attention from the front.
Naturally, Haggai wasn't thrilled.
Borha had entrusted him with dismantling the ritual.
As the greatest biblical scholar in the Vatican in a hundred years,
why should a random parish priest steal center stage?
When he voiced his objections, everyone immediately turned on him.
"Father Haggai, someone as brilliant as you should command the front line."
"Come on, Haggai, don't be sulky. I just found a toy car—"
After rejecting Caroline's bribe,
Haggai finally agreed to stay.
And Gideon had given a single, firm instruction:
"Do not reverse the ritual before the children are safe."
"Tch… how did he suddenly become the one in charge?"
Haggai muttered,
then waved another monster forward.
---
Backstage
Gideon stopped before a wooden door.
He activated Holy Sight, confirming it was safe before pushing it open.
The waiting area was deathly quiet.
The only sound was his boots against the floor.
Then—
"You're… Lorraine's friend, aren't you?"
Gideon turned.
Hans was sitting calmly on a bench.
Beside him knelt a little girl.
Her face was bruised.
A faint footprint was visible on the front of her dress.
When she noticed Gideon looking at her,
she shrank back, fear obvious in her eyes.
"Bishop Herrman," Gideon said quietly.
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"Thank goodness! How is it outside? Has anyone been hurt?"
Hans stood abruptly, anxiety written all over his expression.
"Oh God… the cultists stormed the hall and trapped me here with poor Mira…"
He launched into a retelling of events—
The Hans Version.
Gideon listened patiently.
Then asked:
"How can I get you out?"
Hans froze.
He clearly hadn't expected such a direct question.
"Well… they've deployed several small isolation arrays," he said after a pause, gesturing vaguely.
"Perhaps you should go help the children inside the sacrificial formation first?"
A carefully prepared suggestion.
Gideon didn't move.
He could already sense the violent energy nearby.
The sacrificial array was powerful—
yet something else inside it was fighting back.
Something holy.
Although the ritual's power had weakened, it could still hold for a little while longer.
The reason Gideon kept asking questions was simple—
he wanted to disrupt the old man's rhythm.
He checked the locations Hans had pointed out and, sure enough, found several ritual devices.
"They're extremely unstable," Gideon muttered thoughtfully.
"Destroying them directly would cause the power to spiral out of control."
Fortunately, after learning Haggai's reversal method, dismantling the setup wouldn't be difficult.
Still, Gideon deliberately furrowed his brows.
"What's wrong?" Hans asked anxiously. "Is there a problem?"
"My abilities are limited," Gideon said.
"I can only save one person."
A sharp glint crossed Hans's eyes—gone in the blink of an eye.
"If that's the case… then save Mira—"
"Bishop Herrman, I must rescue you first."
"…What?"
Hans thought he'd misheard.
"You are a man of the Church," Gideon said solemnly.
"You are under the Lord's protection. When breaking an array, the backlash against holy power is far less for you."
Hans was inwardly delighted, though his face showed nothing.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to know such things."
Gideon hesitated slightly before adding, "When I was at the Vatican, Father Haggai taught me…"
At the mention of the name, all doubt vanished from Hans's heart.
Someone of Haggai's status was not known to ordinary parish priests.
"Well then…" Hans sighed. "All right."
He turned to the little girl.
"Mira, you'll have to wait just a bit longer."
He gently placed a hand on her head.
Mira trembled, lowering her eyes.
"This child has been frightened far too much today," Hans said with visible regret.
Gideon watched silently.
"Let's begin," Hans said, standing up.
Gideon nodded and placed several holy icons on the floor.
"This is… ritual exorcism?" Hans raised an eyebrow.
"You're very young to have mastered something like this. You have a bright future ahead."
Then he casually added:
"By the way, how is Ed recovering? It must be hard for Lorraine to take care of him alone."
Gideon's body visibly stiffened.
Hans noticed—but said nothing.
After a pause, Gideon spoke quietly:
"They're both dead."
"What?!"
Hans cried out. "What happened?!"
"The hospital was attacked by a cult," Gideon said, fists clenched.
"When I arrived, it was already too late."
"Later, the news reported an incident here at city hall. You mentioned you'd be attending… so I came."
Hans stood in silence for a long time before sighing deeply.
"May their souls find rest."
He crossed himself.
Doubt completely vanished.
Soon, the ritual was complete.
"Bishop Hermann," Gideon warned,
"I'll open a passage, but it will only stay open briefly. You must move quickly."
"I understand," Hans nodded solemnly.
Gideon gripped the crucifix and began chanting the reversal prayer.
White light rose from the ground.
Dark energy seeped out from around Hans and Mira.
The two forces twisted together—
and a narrow passage opened in midair.
"Now!" Gideon shouted.
But he needn't have.
The moment it appeared, Hans kicked Mira aside and leapt forward.
"Your kindness saved my life," Hans said with a smile.
"How shall I ever thank you?"
But the instant he touched the passage's border—
a violent force slammed him backward.
"What?!"
Hans looked up in shock.
Gideon had stepped back inside the isolation barrier instead.
He turned to the little girl and extended his hand.
"Your name is Mira, right?"
"I'm here to save you."
Mira stared at him—then shrank back.
"Hey! What is the meaning of this?!" Hans roared furiously.
Gideon glanced back at him calmly.
"You still don't understand?" he said.
"You've been played."
---