Chapter 29

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Translator: True Detective

Chapter: 28

Chapter Title: Begone, Demon!

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The children who had been about to attack Sister Shin Seo-hyeon all froze in place, as if time itself had stopped.

The children who had shattered the saint's barrier, erased the circle of salt drawn around her, and were trying to drag her outside—they all halted their movements in unison and turned to stare in one direction.

The monstrous evil writhed its body as it approached them.

"H-Hubby...? Where... where are you...? Don't abandon me... Hubby... Hubby..."

A pitch-white face riddled with holes.

A monster that crushed swarms of pests with a mere gesture while searching for some unknown "hubby."

An ultimate evil spirit of unknown origin, having devoured countless spirit mediums, exorcists, and shamans, had crawled into the underground mall's sealed zone to unleash its grudges.

The Korean Buddhist Association had given up on exorcising it, sealing it away like a bound spirit in one place. Now that monster was loose in the world again, spreading terror.

Terror began to frost over the faces of the runaway kids, their eyes rolled back under the demon's control.

It was primal fear, an instinctive rejection of encroaching death.

"Sowol! Over here!"

"Ah...! Hubby...! Out all night with another woman... I thought you'd abandoned me..."

The White-Faced Bride, radiating murderous intent in all directions, broke into a beaming smile the moment she spotted the Fixer and approached him.

Her demeanor was utterly bizarre, handing over the bag to the Fixer as if demons were beneath her notice, utterly carefree.

'What... in the world...'

Sister Shin Seo-hyeon, seeing the White-Faced Bride manifested in the present world for the first time, broke out in cold sweat, her body rigid.

How could a human tame such a monster?

Was he not afraid?

The Fixer was casually stroking the head of the monster where eyes should be, a gaping void pouring out despair.

It was a scene Sister Shin Seo-hyeon couldn't comprehend, but to the Fixer, there was no prettier or more reliable ally.

"Here, the item Hubby asked me to bring..."

The Fixer checked the paper bag Sowol handed him.

It contained various items, and he pulled out the one that seemed most helpful in this situation.

"This should do it."

The dharma tool that Woo-hyeon Monk had given the Fixer in gratitude after the Cursed Mountain Lodge raid.

The Fixer wrapped the prayer beads, infused with 20 years of the monk's 'Buddhist power,' tightly around his right fist.

"This is the human-made ultimate demon-slaying weapon: 'Prayer Bead Knuckles.'"

As the Fixer wrapped his hand with the power-infused beads, the demon recoiled in horror, stepping back.

It wore an expression of bewilderment, as if seeing something incomprehensible.

"I may lack deep faith or piety myself, but if I don't have it, I can just borrow some and smash with it."

This was the Fixer's way.

Priests used only consecrated relics, monks only handmade dharma tools.

But the Fixer, unbound by religion, used whatever helped.

Utilizing anything at hand to resolve incidents—that was the essence of a 'Fixer.'

"Sowol. As you can see, there are a lot of enemies. Protect the Sister."

"Got it... Hubby plans to fight that wicked thing directly?"

"Looks like it needs some education. Seems like it just came down from the countryside recently. Doesn't know how scary the city is."

Treating a demon crawled up from hell like a country bumpkin, the Fixer intended to teach it the terror of the human world.

As his words ended, the demon shrieked hysterically at the trembling children.

"What are you doing?! Move! Clear out everything that entered my domain at once!"

At the demon's frenzied cry, the fear-stricken children bared their teeth and charged at Sister Shin Seo-hyeon again.

The White-Faced Bride restrained her strength to avoid killing the children, half-tossing them aside as they rushed in, but they flew back only to keep lunging at the Sister.

"Sister! Are you coming to your senses?!"

"Y-Yes...!"

"Then recite the prayers again. And use the items in this bag!"

Most of the sacred items Sister Shin Seo-hyeon had brought were smashed or spilled by the demon.

They had no holy water, no incense to drive out demons, no chalice or holy oil.

They needed to use something else.

"This is..."

Sister Shin Seo-hyeon pulled the White Lotus Order handmade incense stick from the bag.

Suddenly realizing something, she crumbled the incense stick by hand and stuffed it into the overturned censer.

She also added water, salt, and a cross to the sprayer in the paper bag, made the sign of the cross, and recited prayers.

She had seen the Fixer improvise with items to fit the situation.

Now she borrowed that method outright.

With the enemy before her, if she lacked teeth, she'd bite with gums.

Was there a law against using items from another faith?

For salvation, nothing was off-limits.

That was Sister Shin Seo-hyeon's realization from observing the Fixer's actions.

Having hastily made holy water, the Sister nodded to the Fixer.

"Once more. I shall perform the exorcism rite. Please, hold back that wicked evil surging with malice."

Light returned to the Sister's eyes.

The will to fight welled up within her once more.

Now, all figures corresponding to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were gathered here.

"Trinity...! Damn spawn of Christ. Monkeys not fit for the fires of hell dare... Do you think that changes the outcome? Nothing changes. This world will drown in darkness, and you monkeys will wail in sin before perishing."

The demon, its momentum broken, desperately vented its despair.

Calamities hidden in shadows flooded the space.

A wave of malice crashed in.

A tide of pests sought to devour the resisting humans, overwhelming Sister Shin Seo-hyeon.

At that moment, the Fixer activated the cassette player he had ready.

Click.

The recording of the Reverse Root Washing Sutra echoed.

The oncoming wave of insects parted in two.

As the sutra's teachings flowed from the cassette player, the Fixer charged through the split path of calamities toward the demon.

"You bastard! What did you play?!"

With the Sister's reclaimed prayers and the sutra recording resounding together, the demon clutched its ears, screaming in agony.

Shaking his head at the demon's pained face, the Fixer replied.

"Harsh on the ears? I hate that you don't know the goodness of the Reverse Root Washing Sutra."

"Wh-What...?!"

The Fixer's fist slammed into the forced priest's abdomen.

The demon spat blood and crumpled, no chance to react to the swung punch.

None of the demon's powers or attacks had touched the man.

He had dismissed him as an ignorant monkey, yet his fists were brutally savage beyond imagination.

"You crawled into the present world, yet can't endure this? Weakling. I'll beat you until you're sick of it. So you'll never eye the human realm again. I'll etch the terror of this world deep into your soul."

"Don't... spout off relying on that paltry power!"

The demon's thrust hand morphed into a blade, piercing the Fixer's side.

Only quantified damage registered.

Pierced in the side, the Fixer showed no pain, not even a drop of blood.

Instead, the direct attack dispelled the veil hiding the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man from the demon.

"Wh...?"

Only then did the demon realize.

The being before it was no ordinary monkey.

How had it failed to detect the one guarding Sister Shin Seo-hyeon until now?

Only after he entered its domain did it notice?

Everything became clear.

"Why...? How...?"

A dazed question.

Ultimate terror, bewilderment, and rage filled the demon's eyes.

The demon panicked.

Trial befell it.

The trial called 'Denial of Existence.'

"W-Wait. This is wrong. Something... something's off!"

Having sensed something from the Fixer, the demon tried to flee the scene.

But the Fixer had no intention of letting it go easily.

He grabbed the back of the fleeing demon's head, yanked it back, and smashed his prayer bead-wrapped fist into the stumbling demon's skull.

Bam!

"Graaaah-!"

"Why run from me? The human world you so desired is right here."

"Th-This isn't it! I wanted the monkeys' agonized screams! Let go! I'm going back! Let me go!"

Scoffing at the demon's frenzy, the Fixer relentlessly pummeled its face.

The demon spewed shattered teeth yet kept trying to escape, only for the Fixer to grab its legs each time, slamming it to the ground to thwart flight.

"A golden chance to enter the world you longed to manifest in, yet you keep trying to return to hell! If you're a demon, endure with grit! If you can't take this pain, don't covet the present world from the start!"

Merciless beating.

Fists swung to vanquish evil slowly destroyed the forced priest's body, and the demon within spat blood, crying in pain.

As Sister Shin Seo-hyeon said, exorcism was torture ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for demons.

Inflicting maximum pain without killing.

To make it flee to hell on its own.

To make it confess its name, repent its sins.

"Pathetic sight, demon! If you want to leave so bad, just cry out your name to Jesus! Say it! 'My name is Andromalius!' Why can't you?!"

"N-Name! I'll say my name!"

"Filthy worm! Breaking from this much? And you call yourself a demon?"

"Graaaah! What do you want from me?!"

To the wailing, hair-tearing demon, the Fixer offered the answer.

"Isn't this the descent you craved? Don't lie to yourself. You wanted to come to the present world. So why abandon your dream now? Giving up over this? Disappointing."

"Don't talk nonsense! I'll say my name! Please!"

"I won't let you utter your own name. Andromalius."

"Y-You...!"

Shattering the demon's hope, the Fixer resumed beating it.

Not even giving it a chance to speak its name.

"Don't lower affinity on your own! Don't even think you can escape. I'm not done yet. You can't end it whenever you please."

The demon's will had broken long ago, but knowing that, the Fixer showed no mercy, relentlessly crushing it.

So it would never dream of returning to the present world, stuffing maximum pain into it while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the forced priest's body held.

Thus, the exorcism rite matured, the demon wailing in torment.

The moment had come.

Sister Shin Seo-hyeon raised her voice in prayer.

In her hands: a sprayer full of holy water and a censer packed with White Lotus Order incense.

She stepped out of her confining circle, slowly approaching the demon.

Her authority erased the demon's malice.

The White-Faced Bride guarded her side, shoving aside charging foes and crushing swarming insects to clear the path.

The demon, battered to a bloody pulp by the Fixer's fists and slumped, looked up at the approaching Sister with half-lidded eyes.

It resembled a sinner begging salvation.

In truth, the demon now sought salvation from Sister Shin Seo-hyeon.

"Pl-Please... let me... say my name..."

The Fixer grabbed the demon's tear-streaked head and wrenched it back.

Sister Shin Seo-hyeon sprayed holy water from the sprayer, purifying the forced priest's body.

She lit the incense-packed censer, lifting it high; white smoke billowed, ensnaring the demon to prevent escape.

"Thank you for your efforts, Fixer. And now, I'll bring this to an end. Thank you, Father."

Gratitude to the forced priest who had held on till the end to torment the demon.

His body had endured even the Fixer's unrelenting fists—which made demons tuck tail—keeping the flame of life alight until the demon's will broke.

Knowing this, the Sister thanked the priest who endured to the last and issued the final decree.

"Foul spirit, I cast you out. In the name of the Almighty Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I command you. Begone, liar and tempter of evil. Your dominion ends here. Your time is over."

She swung the incense, recited prayers.

Simultaneously, the Fixer's fist struck the demon again.

"Guhk..."

"Now, your final chance. Shout your name. Confess your sins to the Father in heaven and beg forgiveness."

At the Fixer's command, the demon gazed at the underground mall's ceiling and closed its eyes.

Then murmured softly.

"My name is Andromalius. Devourer of your hidden lies, exposer of hypocrites cloaked in justice. Obedient to the king's command, judge of truth, sentinel against perjury... Though I retreat today, on the day your lives end... I shall drown this world in terror once more."

In short, a declaration of defeat: it wouldn't emerge until Sister Shin Seo-hyeon and the Fixer died of old age.

Thus ended the demon's confession.

The entity dwelling in the forced priest's body was engulfed in smoke, expelled in a burst of light.

Black ashes scattered, the evil routed.

Exorcism success.

The dark clouds over the peninsula gradually cleared, the rain ceasing.

The sun rose.

Drained, Sister Shin Seo-hyeon collapsed into the White-Faced Bride's arms right there.

Soon, lights flickered on in the underground mall's sealed zone where they were.

The children, minds stolen by the demon, fainted one by one into sleep; swarming bugs and rats vanished without trace.

"Cough... Cough."

As the demon retreated, the forced priest—whose breath had stopped—suddenly hacked up coughs.

Black blood poured from his mouth, and he drew a deep breath.

Surviving direct hits from the Fixer's fists was nothing short of a 'miracle.'

"You helped till the end."

The Fixer wiped the beaded sweat from his brow as he watched the breathing priest.

He dismissed the floating quest completion and challenge alerts, then headed to the newly appeared elevator in the corner of the sealed zone.

The sun had risen; Exit 32 was gone.

To extract those trapped in the back world, one more person's help was needed.

"Excuse me, could you lend a hand?"

"Yes... I'll help. That's why... I came..."

The Fixer, with the White-Faced Bride, loaded the fainted Sister, runaway kids, and priest into the elevator and pressed the 1st floor.

The long, long night ended.

Now, time to go home.