Chapter 169 — Guest Professor
Powerful.
Winged.
And shaped like a human.
The first thought that crossed Gideon's mind was—
"An… angel?"
But almost immediately, he realized something was wrong.
Within her body, he sensed a distinctly human soul—
only now it was being wrapped and dominated by a foreign force from beyond this world.
"Is this… injection?"
Since the hospital incident, Gideon had gathered more than enough knowledge about this power.
According to the cultists—
It was a "gift from the True God."
A blessing that allowed humans to gain demonic strength…
And even permit possession.
"Troublesome…"
He narrowed his eyes.
Outside the city hall, he had already set two containment arrays.
On top of that, Haggai had reversed the core ritual formation.
Together, the defenses here were on par with a full diocesan cathedral.
And yet—
This woman had torn through it with a single strike.
And judging by her posture—
She wasn't even trying yet.
Worst of all…
The two trapped cultists clearly regarded her as their leader.
Gideon immediately abandoned any thought of charging in head-on.
He glanced at the people around him.
Yes, they had numbers—
But real combat strength?
Maybe five at best.
"…Should I just run while everyone's distracted by her?"
He took one step—
And felt his sleeve being tugged.
"Which bastard is trying to kill me now?!" he screamed internally.
Caroline leaned in, whispering,
"She's the one who chased Archbishop Borha away earlier."
The problem?
The corridor was dead silent.
Everyone heard her.
Gideon felt his soul leaving his body.
WHY would you announce that in public?!
Sure enough—
People began slowly backing away.
Her name alone had panic value.
Beside him, Bettice stepped closer.
"The purity of her power is extremely high. She's undergone complete injection."
"Ordinary holy artifacts won't work. But Archbishop Mattheus has one—"
She turned—
And froze.
Her teacher was gone.
"Archbishop?!"
She widened her eyes—
Only to see Mattheus already halfway down the hall, waving frantically for her to hurry.
She swallowed—and promptly grabbed Gideon's other sleeve.
Gideon: ???
"Injection consumes enormous energy. If we just hold out, we should—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
The woman outside had vanished.
Gideon's expression darkened.
Bettice followed his gaze—
And saw her.
Xila had somehow appeared beside the cultists.
No sound.
No warning.
No disturbance in the air.
Bettice hadn't noticed anything.
Gideon's hand slipped into his satchel—
Fingers gripping a bottle of twenty-year holy water.
He had seen her move.
And to be entirely honest—
Even Holy Step wouldn't outrun her.
If a real fight broke out?
He would be betting his life on formations and artifacts alone.
Then—
Xila lifted her head.
And looked straight at Gideon.
For a moment—
He thought she was about to strike.
The next instant—
She slammed her hand into the ground.
A glowing pentagram erupted beneath the three cultists.
Power surged upward like a pillar of light, blasting everyone nearby backward.
Bettice gasped.
"A teleportation array…!"
"And it doesn't even need sacrificial components?!"
At the center of the formation—
The three figures began to flicker and blur.
Just before vanishing—
Xila looked back and asked calmly:
"Hey, priest…"
"What's your name?"
Mashal also stared straight at Gideon.
The surrounding clergy all turned to look at him as well.
Under countless gazes, Gideon's expression remained indifferent.
After a brief pause, he finally spoke.
"Barry Allen."
Mashal clenched his jaw.
"Very well. I will take your life, Barry."
The teleportation array flared violently. Light pierced through the ceiling, and in the blink of an eye, all three vanished without a trace.
Just then—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several piercing sounds tore through the air.
Five beams of brilliant holy light streaked across the sky and plunged directly into the five points of the pentagram etched into the floor.
An overwhelming surge of holy power erupted, sealing off the surrounding space.
Gideon raised an eyebrow and looked in one direction.
In the next instant, Archbishop Jolan appeared.
Unfortunately, he had arrived just a step too late.
The teleportation ritual had already ended. Only three faint afterimages lingered for a moment before completely dissolving.
Jolan closed his eyes and stood still, attempting to trace the residual energy of the spell.
Gideon, however, studied him with curiosity.
Jolan's entire body glowed with radiant white light, and a golden cross had formed upon his forehead.
Through Ethereal Sight, Gideon could see that the archbishop's flesh and blood were no longer purely physical.
They were woven almost entirely from holy power.
And the strength within…
Was terrifying.
"What kind of form is this…?" Gideon wondered silently.
"Holy Spirit Possession," Haggai whispered beside him.
"It's a blessing from the ancestral saints of the Church. Those who receive it gain power drawn directly from Heaven's source."
"Power of angels?" Bettice asked.
Haggai shook his head.
"Not angels. These are the saints and clergy who served the Church over the past thousand years."
"So long as their spirits acknowledge you… you can receive this blessing."
"As for angelic grace…"
Haggai hesitated, recalling an ancient relic he had once glimpsed in the Vatican archives.
"There are records of such a blessing. But no one alive has ever truly witnessed it."
He left one thing unsaid.
That same relic also described another power—
God's Blessing.
In the entire recorded history of the Church, only five individuals had ever received it.
Every one of their names was now engraved in sacred history.
Gideon stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Jolan's state resembled "injection" in some ways.
It was probably a high-level application of holy power.
But being strengthened by outside forces…
Gideon narrowed his eyes slightly.
Nothing in this world came without a price.
He made a mental note to treat any such "blessing" with caution.
Soon after confirming the heretics had escaped, Jolan dispersed the Holy Spirit form.
---
Two Weeks Later
The anniversary incident gradually faded from public discussion.
To the outside world, the Philadelphia mayor declared the event a terrorist attack.
Sixteen clergy members and thirty civilians lost their lives.
A memorial was erected, and compensation was given to the victims' families.
Meanwhile, statewide efforts were launched across Pennsylvania to purge extremist groups.
Many cultists hiding under the banner of "salvation" were arrested.
Philadelphia experienced an uneasy but temporary peace.
Within the Church, prayers were held for the fallen sixteen.
And commendations were issued to those who played significant roles during the incident.
One name rose above the rest—
Haggai.
The young priest was praised for not retreating in the face of evil and for rescuing over a dozen disabled children.
The hundreds of drugged civilians were also credited to his efforts.
Overnight, Haggai became well-known throughout the Church.
---
Dey Seminary
Bishop's Office
"Why is all his credit being shoved onto my name?"
Haggai held a newspaper with an irritated expression.
Jolan merely smiled.
"You should be happy. Your promotion to bishop is practically guaranteed now."
Slap!
Haggai slammed the newspaper onto the floor.
"If I become a bishop using someone else's achievements, doesn't that just mean I'm inferior to him?!"
Caroline tilted her head.
"Uh… isn't that already kind of true?"
"CAROLINE!"
"I mean—technically true! But… the Church must have a deeper reason!"
Jolan shook his head helplessly.
"This assignment is my decision," he said.
Haggai looked over, confused.
"Gideon is highly talented in theology and extraordinarily clever. Most importantly—he knows when to hide himself."
Jolan picked up the newspaper.
"Someone like that needs to enter the Vatican."
"The internal struggle between the two factions has long crossed the line of balance."
"If we push him forward now, he'll only attract enemies."
"And I don't intend to let him be taken by someone else."
Haggai grew even more annoyed, hands on his hips.
"Then aren't I the one in danger?!"
Jolan chuckled.
"You can't even use holy power. What could they possibly do to you?"
"Besides… you're from the Isaac family."
"They don't know your real surname!" Haggai snapped.
Jolan smiled without responding.
"You only changed the order of your name," Caroline said seriously. "Any child could tell."
"You—!"
"That's enough!" Jolan interrupted.
"The Church has already issued a bounty on the three cult leaders. They won't reappear anytime soon."
"We're also returning to the Vatican. Something serious happened west of the Holy City."
"Over a hundred clerics vanished without warning."
"High command believes this is connected to the cult's blood sacrifices."
Haggai finally nodded reluctantly.
Caroline pointed at a document on the desk.
"What's that?"
Jolan glanced at it.
"A reward… for him."
---
Dey Commercial Street — House of Repose
Gideon opened a letter that had just arrived.
To Father Gideon,
In recognition of your exceptional abilities in theology and exorcism, and in accordance with Canon Law Article 372 and Vatican decree,
you are hereby appointed Visiting Professor at Dey Theological Seminary.
You will assume responsibility for practical exorcism training classes.
Please report by the date stated below.
Gideon stared at the insignia enclosed with the letter, bewildered.
"What the hell is Jolan planning now…?"
Since returning from City Hall, he had been staying at the House of Rest.
He had read the official reports.
And unlike the public—
He knew the truth.
After the cultists escaped, Jolan conducted a wide-scale "cleansing" under the excuse of purifying residual corruption.
It was a ritual that altered memory—
Used to conceal higher powers from public knowledge.
For now, such things could not be revealed.
Even Bishop Hans was officially listed as "killed in the incident."
Gideon wasn't thrilled—
But he understood.
Politics demanded sacrifices.
The Dey Church was left without leadership.
To avoid factional disputes, the Vatican appointed Jolan as acting bishop.
And now—
This bastard had dragged him into it too.
Teaching students?
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
But Jolan clearly knew persuasion was required.
So the letter had come with a separate package.
Inside—
A metal vial.
Gideon opened it carefully.
Pure holy energy spilled out, overflowing instantly.
His eyebrows rose.
"This is… holy oil."
"And the quality is… fifty years?!"