章 210: Chapter 210: Summoning
This seemed somewhat illogical.
In a typical exorcism, demanding the demon's true name is a common step.
But why is that important?
Because, besides successfully exorcising the demon, forcing it to reveal its true name means the demon is truly defeated by the Church and loses the opportunity to return.
As speculated earlier, the human world is a battleground between God and Hell.
When a demon successfully corrupts a human, leading them into the abyss, it's a point for Hell. Conversely, when a priest, as a representative of God, successfully exorcises a demon, it's a point for God.
Therefore, in every encounter with a demon, forcing out its true name is a standard procedure.
Only by knowing the demon's true name can its return be prevented.
"Remember this."
York took out Ernst's fifth report and placed it aside for special attention.
He then looked closely at the description of its appearance.
"Indeed, there's a change."
York scrutinized the portrait on the report.
After the fifth exorcism, Ernst's appearance changed significantly from his earlier fullness. He became thinner, and his eyes sharper.
"So what exactly happened during this fifth exorcism?"
Although the report seemed normal, even the change in appearance was explained, York felt the issue lay in this fifth encounter.
"Continue."
York picked up the sixth report.
It was another spirit incident, but...
"The time gap between the fifth and the sixth exorcism is too long, over a year."
He confirmed the time and narrowed his eyes, any oddity now a potential clue.
He then picked up the seventh report.
Another spirit incident, close in time to the sixth.
The eighth report was also a spirit incident, around the same time.
The ninth was a demon, similar timing.
The tenth, a monster incident, also close in time.
...
York read all the way to the seventeenth exorcism report before stopping.
He had a vague understanding.
Over five years and seventeen exorcisms, except for the gap between the fifth and sixth reports, the rest were spaced similarly.
Overall, there were no obvious points of suspicion, but he found a breakthrough.
York placed the reports back into the file bag, picking up the fifth report, and remembered Ernst's suicide photo, sighing.
"What exactly did you experience in this fifth exorcism?"
After a moment of silence, York stood up to destroy the file bag, ensuring no demon names were leaked.
After destroying it...
York, following his plan, took out two boxes of holy hand grenades, holy timed and remote-controlled bombs from the armory. He also prepared equipment he hadn't used before: an advanced drone and a long, heavy knight's sword.
This was his best setup for both close and distant combat.
As for firearms, as his power increased, they had become less essential. He only brought his standard Ryan revolver.
The reason for this preparation was simple.
Since the person was dead, and he had a breakthrough, there was only one way to find the reason behind Ernst's suicide.
That was to find the demon from the fifth report and ask it directly.
"It's that simple, probably only I can do it."
York glanced at the back of his vehicle, got into his modified Ford Raptor, and started the engine.
"The biggest challenge now is how to find this particular demon without its true name, relying only on its physical description."
Thinking this, York pressed the accelerator and drove in a certain direction.
He needed to find a remote place.
Amidst the roaring engine, York mused to himself.
"Rather than troubling victims, it's easier to summon a few demons and ask them."
...
He needed a place close yet secluded. In all of New York State, only one place met York's criteria.
The Catskill Mountains in New York State.
Part of the Allegheny Plateau and the Appalachian Mountain range, most of it is in southeastern New York.
Although the mountain range has many private properties and is a popular summer retreat and recreational site, there are vast, isolated forests and desolate wild areas, not completely barren but close enough.
York drove swiftly.
He reached the highway near the Catskill Mountains in the afternoon.
The further he drove, the taller the trees lining the highway became. With winter approaching, the trees were bare, an unattractive sight that York found satisfying.
Near winter, there were fewer tourists, with only some adventure seekers, making encounters rare.
Like now, the quiet highway was dominated only by his roaring Ford Raptor.
When he reached a path leading deep into the mountains, York steered into it.
At the end of the path was an abandoned, overgrown villa, once a deserted outpost of the Church.
As a priest in New York, York knew all this.
Anywhere in the United States, he could find a place.
As he delved deeper, the surroundings became more desolate.
After a long drive on the increasingly rough path, he stopped at the sight of the deserted villa.
"Finally here. Only in such a place can one make more noise."
York instinctively licked his dry lips.
Summoning a demon wasn't particularly dangerous for him; the challenge was getting it to answer honestly.
That's why he prepared the holy hand grenades, just in case.
If the demon cooperated, well and good. If not, exorcism was the only option.
With this thought, York drove past the abandoned villa and continued until the road ended.
He then got out and started preparing in the desolate woods, arming himself fully with grenade belts and strapping the heavy knight's sword at his waist.
He took several holy remote bombs from the back of the truck, dug holes in a flat area, and buried them.
After finishing, he also tied a visual camera to a nearby tree.
"That should do. Five kilograms of TNT equivalent enchanted with forty points, approximately equivalent to two hundred kilograms of TNT plus five hundred points of holiness should be enough..."
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