Bloody hell!
This thing just won't die!
You must know that the bullets in Ruboo's pistol were soaked in holy water.
He recalled the priest's solemn assurances yesterday about having performed dozens of exorcisms in his lifetime, claiming his blessed relics were the ultimate antidote to the supernatural.
Unconvinced, Ruboo fired again.
Yet aside from momentarily hindering the corpse's movements, it proved utterly ineffective.
He whipped his head round to ask Madison, "What passages from the Bible do priests typically recite during exorcisms?"
He had memorised some previously, but in his current state of panic, they had all vanished from his mind.
"Eh?" Madison looked utterly bewildered.
Ask her about seasonal fashion trends, and she could rattle them off effortlessly.
But the Bible?
She'd long since forgotten most of it.
"I command you... to get lost?" Madison replied, sounding rather unsure of herself.
Ruboo was utterly speechless.
Madison shot him a disapproving glare and reminded him, "I'm a witch, you know!"
Oh well, so be it!
Ruboo fired another shot, sending the corpse crashing to the ground. Before it could rise, he swiftly drew his crucifix and Bible, forcing himself to overcome his dread as he approached. Pressing both items firmly against the lifeless form, he declared in a commanding voice:
"In the name of God, I command you to leave this place and return to hell!"
Building upon what Madison had told him, Ruboo repeated these words over and over to the corpse.
It seemed to have some effect.
As the corpse's screeching grew more piercing, Ruboo, buoyed by this, was about to redouble his efforts when—
A gust of wind swept through.
The impatient corpse lashed out with its sole intact left hand, swatting the crucifix and Bible from Ruboo's grasp.
Ruboo scrambled away from the corpse in a panic.
"Didn't they say the cross and Bible would work? The priest betrayed me! Television betrayed me!"
Watching the corpse spring to its feet with remarkable vigour, seemingly unscathed as it charged towards him, Ruboo cried out for help: "Madison, it's down to you!"
Boom!
The words had barely left his mouth when a fierce, invisible force erupted from Madison's palm. The corpse couldn't withstand it, crashing backwards with a thud and embedding itself deep into the wall.
"The very thought of women becoming such hideous monstrosities after death fills me with profound revulsion," Madison remarked, her lips curling in utter disgust.
Having used Ruboo's earlier struggle with the corpse as a buffer, she had regained her composure and now truly unleashed her full power.
"GRRRR!!!"
As if enraged by Madison's words, the corpse tore itself free from the wall and charged forward with frenzied fury.
The cool-looking Madison showed no sign of panic. With a flick of her wrist, the corpse flew backwards once more.
Crash! Crash!
The ensuing moments became a one-sided beating for the corpse.
"Cool~~" Ruboo whistled excitedly at the spectacle. "Madison, that's the spirit! You look utterly captivating right now."
"Is that so? So this is the style you favour," Madison remarked, stealing a moment to wink at Ruboo with irresistible allure.
But soon, their laughter faded.
On the surface, Madison clearly held the upper hand. Not only could the female corpse not get close, but it was taking a beating the entire time.
Yet what unsettled them both was that no matter how severely injured the corpse became—even when Madison twisted its entire body into a pretzel with her mind—it refused to perish. Worse still, it seemed to be regenerating its wounds, appearing utterly indestructible.
"Ruboo, we must devise another approach," Madison cautioned, her brow furrowed.
A witch's power was not infinite.
She couldn't sustain her abilities indefinitely.
Realising the gravity of the situation, Ruboo muttered "I know" repeatedly, his gaze darting around the room as he racked his brains for a solution.
First, he looked towards the Containment Book, attempting to summon it and direct it towards the corpse. Yet, there was no reaction whatsoever?
Though the tome contained all supernatural entities, it showed no inclination to act, clearly awaiting Ruboo to personally deliver the spirit into its maw.
One plan failed, and Ruboo frantically sought alternatives.
"Ruboo, if all else fails, we simply retreat," Madison shouted.
Seeing Madison poised to make a hasty retreat yet still taking the time to warn him, Ruboo—who reckoned their brief flirtation hadn't been entirely wasted—was about to agree when his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the luggage bag containing the golden arm.
His eyes flashed with ferocity as he retrieved the golden arm from the bag. Charging towards the corpse, he bellowed, "Madison, pin it down for me!"
Madison gritted her teeth, stretched out both hands, and used what little strength she had left to pin the corpse firmly in place.
Ruboo reached the corpse and immediately wielded the golden arm like a hammer, smashing it down with all his might.
"You wanted the golden arm? I'll give it back to you now! Right back to you..."
With each utterance of "I'll give it back," Ruboo swung the golden arm, striking the corpse with all his might.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Sickening fragments of rotting flesh splattered everywhere.
To any uninformed observer witnessing this scene, Ruboo would appear to be a depraved corpse-mutilator.
Yet the corpse, which should have been the victim, strangely ceased its howling. Instead, it fixed its gaze intently upon the golden arm, its expression agitated as it cried out:
"My golden arm... my golden arm..."
"It's your golden arm... it's your golden arm..."
With each utterance from the corpse, Ruboo echoed her words, all the while swinging the very golden arm she so desperately craved.
By the time Madison finally relaxed her grip, utterly exhausted, the corpse—which should have regained movement—remained motionless, allowing Ruboo to continue.
Only when Ruboo could no longer muster the strength to swing the golden arm did he notice the corpse had long since regained its mobility.
Startled, he began to retreat when the corpse slowly extended her left arm, pointing towards the golden arm and declaring:
"My... golden arm!"
With that, her form collapsed and vanished into thin air.
Ruboo stared blankly at the scene.
Was that it?
He glanced at the golden arm in his hand. What had been a mere act of venting had unexpectedly hit the mark.
Was the corpse's weakness also a golden arm?
Still a novice in the supernatural, Ruboo could only speculate thus.
But why hadn't the Containment Log stirred?
Ruboo looked towards the Containment Log in his mind, yet it remained utterly still.
No, there was something.
[Containment Level: 10]
On page 000—his own entry—Ruboo discovered to his surprise that the containment level, previously at zero, had risen to ten.
What on earth was this?
Had the female corpse been disposed of or not?
Ruboo shook his head. Though he was the master of the Book of Containment, there were still many things he did not understand.
Just then, Madison approached, surveying the spot where the corpse had vanished. She exhaled in relief. "Well done, Ruboo! That should settle it."
Ruboo observed this, sighing softly:
"Resolved? Perhaps."