"I'm not sure," Lucas said. "I followed a shadow to that place earlier. I don't know whether it was a person or a ghost."
He continued, clearly unsettled. Although he had only caught a brief glimpse of the figure, with his eyesight he was certain it had been real—not some illusion caused by light or reflection. Yet from the moment he entered the crypt until now, the figure had never appeared again, which only deepened his suspicion.
"This place really is strange in every possible way," Wong said as he scanned their surroundings.
The group then left the underground crypt together. Coincidentally, the prayers in the main hall had just ended. Under Sister Agatha's instructions, someone was sent to guide them to the room where the possessed girl was being held.
They walked down a long corridor. On both sides were cell-like rooms, resembling prison cells. Crosses hung along the walls—almost every doorway had a cross mounted beside it. All of them were pitch-black, clearly ancient.
As Daimon passed those crosses, he glanced at them repeatedly, subconsciously touching the bracelet on his wrist.
Led by the novice nun and the archbishop, they arrived at a door at the end of the corridor. The door was clearly very old—rotting wooden planks reinforced with a heavily rusted iron frame. The cross hanging on it was just as black as the others.
"Jenny is inside," the novice nun said softly. "Because she can bewitch people with her words, several nuns have already been influenced by her. That's why I take care of her personally every time."
She didn't seem affected by Jenny's words herself.
However, Lucas and the others could clearly see traces of demonic corruption on her—fortunately, it was shallow, only on the surface, not deep enough to affect her mind.
"Open the door," the archbishop ordered.
The nun took out a key and slowly unlocked the door.
Creeeak—
As the door opened, a dense wave of demonic energy rushed out. Daimon reacted instantly, thrusting both palms forward as hellfire burst forth, scorching the incoming miasma.
If demonic energy entered the body, the result could range from severe illness to death.
Under the burning hellfire, the demonic energy was quickly eradicated, and the room's interior became visible.
Just as described, the room was little different from a prison cell. Stone walls surrounded it, and dim sunlight filtered through an iron-barred window on one side. The light fell directly onto a rusted iron bed, where a filthy little girl lay restrained with iron chains around her wrists and ankles.
Sensing the presence of others, Jenny opened her eyes and looked at them through her tangled hair.
"Jenny, are you feeling better?" the novice nun asked gently as she stepped forward.
For some reason, she showed no fear toward the possessed girl—only concern.
Jenny said nothing, staring intently at Lucas and the others who had entered behind the nun.
"Her condition fluctuates," the nun explained. "When she's doing better, she can communicate just like a normal child."
She affectionately stroked Jenny's hair.
"Don't be afraid, Jenny. These people are here to help you. They're going to ask you some questions. Answer them honestly, okay?"
Jenny nodded dully, her gaze never leaving the group.
The archbishop stepped forward and gently held Jenny's thin, fragile hand.
"Hello, Jenny. I'm a priest from the Vatican. You're safe now—you don't need to be afraid. We're all here to help and treat you."
His voice was gentle, like a grandfather speaking to his granddaughter.
"Can you tell me about the one inside your body?"
He asked directly. From Jenny's calm demeanor, he could tell she wasn't currently possessed, so he judged that she was conscious.
Jenny nodded, still staring in Lucas's direction.
The archbishop followed her gaze and asked curiously,
"Are you looking at him?"
He pointed at Lucas.
Jenny shook her head slightly, but her eyes remained fixed on the group.
The archbishop pointed at them one by one. When he pointed to Daimon, Jenny finally nodded.
"He says that person is Satan's son," she said hoarsely, her voice like someone who hadn't had water in days. "He's not a good person."
"He?" the archbishop asked. "Can you tell me who 'he' is?"
Jenny shook her head. "I don't know. When he wants to come out, he just comes out."
"Do you know what he looks like? Is he a man or a woman?"
Again, Jenny shook her head.
"Neither. He has the head of a crow. He helped me chase away the bad people who wanted to hurt me."
Everyone immediately understood what she meant—everyone except Lucas, who looked utterly confused. He hadn't studied the relevant lore and hadn't had time to cram.
"Who's the bird-head?" Lucas asked, his clear eyes radiating pure ignorance.
"If Jenny's description is accurate," Elsa explained, "then that crow-headed figure is Amon. He sometimes manifests as a human-shaped creature with a raven's head to manipulate people."
The Bloodstone family archives contained vast records of dark creatures, meticulously collected by her late father, Ulysses Bloodstone. Even the Seventy-Two Demons of Solomon were documented in great detail.
"Ohhh," Lucas replied.
He didn't really care whether Amon had a bird's head or not. His job was simple—kill Amon the moment he was expelled from Jenny's body.
As always, exorcism wasn't his specialty. Killing demons was.
That was his profession.
After all, he was a demon hunter—not a demon… hunter.
Besides, Daimon and Elsa were the ones responsible for the exorcism. Wong was likely the contingency plan—the failsafe.
"Jenny," Daimon suddenly asked, "has that person come to see you in the past few days?"
Jenny didn't answer. Instead, she looked at Daimon with deep wariness, as if he were extremely dangerous.
Immediately, everyone turned their eyes toward Daimon—including the novice nun. Jenny's earlier words, "son of Satan," had clearly frightened her.
After all, Jenny was merely possessed by a demon. Daimon, on the other hand, was the son of the King of Demons himself. In terms of danger, he was far more threatening.
The novice nun looked at the archbishop in confusion.
Shouldn't you explain this?
Has the Church really fallen so far that it's now cooperating with Satan's son? Have they no shame at all?
Sensing Jenny's tension, the archbishop smiled gently and patted her head.
"Don't be afraid, Jenny. He's not a bad person. He's here to help cure you."
His words worked wonders. Jenny visibly relaxed and turned her attention to the archbishop.
"He came yesterday," she said. "He told me some people would come here to hurt me and that I shouldn't cooperate with them. He meant you, didn't he?"
The group was stunned.
Had their mission been leaked?
But after a moment's thought, they realized—
That didn't seem possible.
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