The Returned Saintess’s Exorcism Broadcast (Episode 3)
“Breaking news! The serial killer who plunged the Republic of Korea into terror, Kang Sangdae, has been arrested!”
“Live update! Serial killer Kang Sangdae has been taken into custody and is currently being transported!”
“This case is especially shocking—a brave woman managed to subdue the culprit…”
“The woman’s identity remains undisclosed under witness-protection protocols…”
Internet, television, communities—everywhere you looked, the arrest of serial killer Kang Sangdae dominated every feed.
‘I never said I did it, but…’
I knew mentioning myself would boost my stream numbers. No—Kang Sangdae was just a crazy guy. Not a demon host or heretic, so there was no reason to drag him into my broadcast.
‘They were trying to turn even this kind of material into content. I was only supposed to be doing a regular sermon stream.’
I told myself I wasn’t, but I still kept an eye on the viewer count and overall visibility. Watching the news with a snack and a beer, the countdown finally began.
“December 31! The happiest news of the year—let’s connect to our live van in Jongno!”
“Yes, this is Jongno District in front of the Bell of Jijang. Crowds are gathered here waiting to hear the midnight bell. We’ll be doing individual interviews!”
A brown-haired female reporter walked through the crowd, asking families, couples, students, elders, and children the same questions: what they thought was the most meaningful event of the year, what disappointed them most, and what they wished for next year.
‘Something meaningful for me…’
For me, that would be arresting Kang Sangdae today.
‘What do I actually want to do next year?’
I needed to grow my stream and become a famous streamer. No—expand church outreach and save more souls from demonic temptation.
‘Existing religions will get even stricter, though.’
Right now it was only a few fans from other faiths causing chaos in the chat, but once I grew bigger they’d start nitpicking. I’d have to handle that too.
‘The next thing I’ll regret…’
Flashbacks of nations shattered by demons and the Holy Kingdom I’d once belonged to flashed across my mind. Ordinary people terrified, dying slowly, yet the human armies that never gave up, the inquisitors and priests who stood before the demons. I took a long swig of my beer.
‘What am I thinking? I should have been praying that demons never appeared on Earth in the first place.’
Yeah. Yeah. That was it. Stream and outreach came later. That was why I started broadcasting, wasn’t it? To prepare for the demons.
“And twenty seconds remain! Ten seconds from now! Everyone together! Ten!”
Whether it was the alcohol or just my thoughts, the countdown started.
“10!”
The people on television began the countdown together. From three I joined in too.
“3! 2! 1! Happy New Year!”
Cheers erupted as the bell rang in the new year.
BOOM!
The beautiful sound of the bell filled the air, marking the start of another year.
“Huh? The bell… there’s a crack!”
Even though it had been rung so hard it should have been flawless, a crack had appeared. The ringers looked panicked, gesturing at us, but no one paid attention.
THUD!
“The bell… it cracked! What is that… inside?!”
The camera caught what the reporter’s scream couldn’t describe—a massive black gate.
“That! Film that! Film it!”
The camera zoomed in on the gate as the reporter yelled.
“O ye who gaze upon this gate, abandon all hope.”
Ah. The Hell Gate. Why was it appearing here all of a sudden?
“What kind of writing is that? It looks like ancient script!”
Good thing the inscription was in Kristia’s language—only I understood it. Otherwise no one else would have figured it out. Better that way.
“But why is the gate on the bell? Is the history of Korea about to change?”
People watching were awed, curiosity stronger than fear. After all, the gate had only just appeared; no dimensional breach had opened yet. Phones went up, cameras rolled, and the live broadcast captured the pure chaos of people screaming into their mics.
‘I have to get them out.’
But how? Calling the station wouldn’t help—phones were probably dead. And even if someone answered, it would just look like a prank call.
‘That’s it! My stream!’
I turned on my camera immediately. But no one was there. Of course—everyone who would normally watch me was watching bigger channels tonight. Especially me.
‘No schedule… that’s right.’
Right then the reporter screamed again.
“A portal of red light just appeared from the gate!”
Big trouble. The gate was mocking me, opening both ways to connect Hell.
“Who’s coming out from inside?!”
‘No. Please run.’
But the first thing that emerged was not what I expected.
“It’s out!”
A small demon shaped like a green volleyball with a gaping mouth.
“What a cute green ball.”
The reporter’s eyes went wide as she tried to spin it positively. But this was not cute. This was the vanguard of Grymor’s pestilence legion—the Plague Spore.
“The moment I speak, the market official lifts the green ball!”
Seoul’s mayor, head held high like a wax statue, grabbed the creature without fear and smiled.
“KUUUUEEEEK!”
The Plague Spore let out a screech and vomited disease directly into his body.
“Aaaah!”
“Drop it!”
“Someone stop that thing!”
A simple low-tier demon. Once it expelled all the plague, it would die, but it carried lethal pathogens. I had to kill it before it could spread them.
“Market official!”
Police officers finally managed to shoot the dead Plague Spore while others tried to save the trembling crowd. One by one they collapsed and died.
“The market official has passed away.”
The reporter’s voice shook as screams and murmurs filled the air. But the horror didn’t end there.
“The market official just rose again!”
He stood up straight, then bit into the neck of one of the people nearby.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Get him off!”
Anyone killed by a Plague Spore rose as an undead attacker. In this world the most famous name for them would be “zombie.”
“Wait! More green balls are coming out!”
Plague Spores poured out, charging at people and spitting more disease. The screen filled with panicked crowds, undead, and the high-ranking demon’s laughter echoing from inside the gate—then the broadcast cut.
“Uh… um… this is…”
The anchors at the desk tried to keep a straight face, but how could they explain this? Only I knew what these demons were.
‘Again. It’s happening again.’
The demons that invaded the fantasy world had come to Earth. And I had come back to face them too.
‘Is it possible the goddess sent me back to Earth because…’
Compensation? Mercy? No. It was simply to prepare for the demons flooding in.
‘If that’s the case, why didn’t she tell me sooner!’
I punched the wall in frustration. Merci had always been like this—never revealing anything until it was already too late.
‘More vicious than the demons themselves.’
Now what? Had the humans of Earth prepared to fight? If not, then it was just me. What could I even do?
‘Would my actions even matter if the end was already decided?’
People would despair, fall to demonic temptation, become corrupted, heretics, and the demons would grow stronger.
‘This time the demons might actually win.’
That was the moment the chat lit up.
- Hey, hello?
Right. I left my stream on. But who was this? In the middle of chaos?
“Who is this?”
- Ah! It’s me! Convenience store part-timer! I was watching the New Year’s bell live and suddenly thought, ‘Why not hop in!’
Convenience store part-timer. In a situation like this—must be a unique person. And not just him. One by one, familiar usernames started joining my stream.
More and more people were flooding into my stream. Good. The fantasy world was different.
Streaming. No limits on distance. And I could spread faith and hope. The sense of belonging and unity in the chat would let us fight the demons.
The demons’ weakness was simple: corruption didn’t spread. Corruption was gone. Human hope and faith were rock-solid.
In the fantasy world it all failed. But this time would be different. And the goddess herself had entrusted me with this important mission.
‘So that’s it. She didn’t send me here to torment me. She sent me to use modern tools to stop the demons.’
Ah. My outfit wasn’t the Inquisitor’s uniform I usually wore for streams.
“Hold on a second.”
I changed into my Inquisitor’s uniform to calm the viewers.
“Everyone, thank you for waiting. I am Hanai, the Holy Kingdom’s Inquisitor. The demons I warned you about have finally appeared on Earth. In times like these, your faith is more important than ever.”