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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York scanned the desolate environment around him, his magical power surging within him instantly.
"My true name is Sereska, and the related summoning circle is…"
With a thought, the deep red circle formed instantly in the air under York's control, pressing down and etching itself into the ground, eventually creating a glowing pattern and intricate lines.
This was the pattern and lines that made up the summoning circle with its summoning effects.
"Is this about right?"
York was uncertain; he had created this summoning circle based on the information in the Book of the Dead.
"The true name is Sereska, known for deception and trickery, delighting in capturing human souls for amusement, and imprisoning them in a web of nightmares of his own making..."
Recalling this information, York took out a walkie-talkie that could connect to a smartphone and, after adding a couple of points of blessing, threw it at his feet.
He walked back, pulling out his phone and swiping to find the software that connected to the walkie-talkie.
Under special modifications, the voice from the walkie-talkie was amplified immensely.
Like now, a simple hello from him was simultaneously broadcast from the device with the same volume.
"Not bad, but I wonder if my idea will work."
Muttering to himself, York got back into his car and drove away from the circle, stopping only after a good fifty meters away.
Before summoning, he took out a tablet and, through the pre-set camera, could clearly see everything in the circle from fifty meters away. Even without this, his mental map gave him a godlike view of everything.
"Everything's ready, let's see if it works. Judging by the Bluetooth speaker's blessing, it should probably work."
York sighed and added a couple of points of blessing to his phone. He then started reciting the summoning spell according to the information about the demon named Sereska.
As he recited, York kept his eyes on the tablet.
Through the walkie-talkie, he could also hear the sounds from the other side.
"The spell:…"
"…"
York noticed a significant change in the deep red circle.
"It's brighter; like when I used the Bluetooth speaker to play exorcism prayers, it should be effective."
York didn't stop the incantation until the end, when he uttered Sereska's true name and offered his sacrificial item.
"O deepest demon of hell, Sereska, please open your all-seeing eyes upon me, listen to my words. In your great name, I request the power of demons. I swear in this darkness, I will offer my soul, Joseph Johnson's, to you…"
At this moment, York stopped the somewhat chuuni summoning language and looked at the tablet screen where the circle glowed dazzlingly, smiling.
Although he was Joseph Johnson, he was also York. With two souls merged into one new soul, even if he was willing to sacrifice York's or Joseph Johnson's soul, the demon from hell couldn't get anything from him.
Because in essence, his soul was already not just York or Joseph Johnson, but a brand new one.
This trick was always reliable.
York watched the emerging figure in the light, a strange glimmer in his eyes.
"Everything in the Book of the Dead is true."
When the light in the circle on the screen converged at a point, a huge and ugly spider emerged, just as described: delighting in weaving thin threads to capture human souls for amusement, imprisoning them in its own web of nightmares.
"So that's why it took the form of a spider? It's a pity I can't..."
He stopped mid-sentence, his face breaking into a smile as he realized the random task he thought wasn't triggered had been activated.
"That Book of the Dead really is a treasure for me."
[...]
[Condition Met: Random Task Triggered]
[Task Requirement: Slay Sereska]
[Task Reward: +15 Attribute Points]
[Accept/Reject]
"Accept."
York accepted the task.
[Acceptance Successful]
Listening to the mechanical voice, he watched Sereska on the screen, now a solid spider entity, and casually pressed a button on the bomb remote.
Click!
With that sound, an explosion boomed.
Boom!
The tablet screen went black instantly.
A strong shockwave followed, shaking the modified Ford Raptor.
The surroundings were engulfed in violent shockwaves, causing a huge howling noise in the forest.
...
Sitting in the driver's seat, York stared ahead at the holy light and giant smoke column rising into the sky, unflappable.
He could hear the agonized howls and curses from there.
"Holy light!"
"Who!!! Damn it!! Who is it!!"
"..."
York's mental map instantly changed with the angry voices.
In the map, he saw the spider form on the ground.
But unlike the form seen earlier, all the sharp legs of this spider had melted away, and even its body was missing many lines.
"The power of holy light didn't disappoint, even if the firepower was lacking. Using just the holy light was enough to inflict critical damage on a dark creature like a demon."
Listening to the pained howls, York calmly restarted the engine and drove the Ford Raptor towards the rising smoke.
"..."
"Where's the person!"
Sereska, lying in the middle of the circle, had an
expression of extreme fury that could melt icebergs. Under the sudden shower of holy light, its true form was invaded and suffered irreparable damage. It would require a long period of recuperation or the consumption of enough souls to rid itself of the residual holy light and recover.
"That damn guy, Joseph Johnson? With such a huge commotion, he must be dead."
Sereska, seething with rage, flailed its now stump-like limbs, using all its dark power to transform into a naked human form covered in dark runes.
It was a muscular man with a fierce and gloomy face, towering in stature.
Sereska clenched its fist, trying to get accustomed to this human guise.
Though it was severely injured by the unexpected blast, it had successfully reached the human world from hell. As it was a human-initiated summoning, even with its injuries, it could use at least two-thirds of its power.
Humans were so weak, and Sereska believed that their incredibly delicious souls would surely heal its injuries and even make it stronger.
As a human, Sereska, clutching its bleeding chest, stumbled out of the pit, heading aimlessly to the right.
"Damn it! The injuries are too severe."
Just then, Sereska abruptly stopped and turned to the left, hearing a noise.
A dark object appeared before it - a vehicle. And it noticed the human sitting inside.
It also sensed and smelled the enticing power of a soul.
"Joseph Johnson?"
York, sitting in the driver's seat, remained focused on the scene unfolding before him, the holy light and the huge smoke column covering everything, his demeanor as steady as a mountain.
He could hear the demon's agonized cries and curses.
"The power of holy light has proven effective again, even if it's not as strong as expected. Just its presence can deal devastating blows to a demon, a creature of darkness."
Hearing the continuous screams of pain, York calmly restarted the engine and drove the Ford Raptor towards the rising smoke.
"..."
"Where's the person!"
Sereska, in the circle, faced a blazing wrath that could instantly melt glaciers. The sudden assault of holy light had infiltrated its true form, causing irreparable damage that would require long-term recovery or consumption of enough souls to remove the remnants of the holy light and heal.
"The accursed Joseph Johnson? With such a commotion, he's probably dead."
Sereska, snarling with fury, swung its now-shortened limbs, converting all its dark energy into a human form, a naked man covered in dark patterns.
A robust man, fierce and grim-faced, imposingly tall.
Sereska clenched its fists, trying to adapt to this human guise.
Although it was caught off-guard and wounded, it had finally arrived in the human world from hell. As the summoning was initiated by a human, even with its injuries, its strength could still reach two-thirds of its full capacity.
Believing humans to be frail, Sereska was convinced that their delicious souls would not only heal its wounds but also strengthen it.
Transformed into a man, Sereska clutched its bloody chest, emerging from the pit and staggering aimlessly to the right.
"Damn it! My injuries are too severe."
At that moment, Sereska suddenly halted and looked to the left, alerted by a sound.
A black object - a vehicle - came into view, and Sereska noticed the human inside.
It also sensed and smelled the soul power, irresistible to it.
"Joseph Johnson?"
___________________
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If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
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