67: Chapter 67 Who is the Real Monster?

"Where is he?"

"That big guy called Asmodeus."

"Where is he?"

Emma suddenly spoke up.

"Upstairs."

Amorth took a deep breath and stuffed the flask back into his pocket.

"In Henry's room."

"Follow me."

The ancient wooden stairs emitted an overburdened creak.

Amorth walked at the very front.

He tightened his grip on the crucifix in his hand once more, while his other hand carried the leather case filled with holy water and scriptures.

With every step, the resistance in the air grew stronger.

That was the demon's force field.

Asmodeus did not welcome guests.

Especially guests carrying the Holy Light.

Qin Ming walked behind, holding Emma's hand.

He walked with ease.

That viscous air, filled with malice, seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall a meter around him.

Even Emma didn't feel any discomfort.

"The smell here is really awful."

Emma wrinkled her nose and waved her hand in disgust.

"It's like a thousand dead rats rotting in a sewer."

"And the smell of burnt sulfur."

"That is the scent of Hell, child."

Amorth said without looking back.

Cold sweat had already broken out on his forehead.

The closer they got to that room, the stronger the mental pressure became.

This wasn't just possession.

This was a total occupation.

The boy's soul was being squeezed out of his shell bit by bit, replaced by an ancient monster that had lived for thousands of years.

They reached the end of the second-floor hallway.

The heavy oak door was tightly shut.

An eerie red light seeped through the cracks of the door.

That light didn't look like lamp light; it was more like the phosphorescence emitted by some kind of biological tissue.

"Wait a moment."

Amorth stopped at the door.

He turned around and looked at Qin Ming and Emma solemnly.

"Listen."

"No matter what happens, do not look directly into his eyes."

"Do not answer his questions."

"Demons are skilled at digging out the deepest sins and fears in your heart; he will use your guilt to break you."

"Remember, those are the devil's lies."

Qin Ming looked at this rambling yet responsible old man.

"Guilt?"

Qin Ming tilted his head and glanced at Emma beside him.

"I don't think we need to worry about that."

Qin Ming shrugged.

"We have nothing to feel guilty about."

Amorth opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to argue.

Everyone has sin.

Everyone has guilt.

This was the fundamental tenet of Christian doctrine.

But seeing the calm, even somewhat bored expressions of these two children, he swallowed his words.

"Fine."

Amorth turned back around.

He raised the crucifix and violently pushed open the door.

Boom!

A wave of heat mixed with a foul stench rushed toward them.

The room was a mess.

Furniture was overturned on the floor, and the wallpaper was torn, revealing the moldy stone wall beneath.

On the large bed in the center of the room.

A little boy was tied tightly to the bedpost with thick leather straps.

Henry.

That originally cute American boy was now unrecognizable.

His skin showed a deathly gray, cracked appearance, and his veins bulged like black earthworms.

His eyes had no whites.

There was only a turbid, yellow glow.

His mouth was stretched to an exaggerated arc, the corners torn and leaking black slime.

Seeing someone enter.

The "Henry" on the bed stopped struggling.

He slowly turned his head.

His neck made a tooth-aching sound of bones grinding together.

"Father..."

The voice sounded like two pieces of rusty iron rubbing together.

Carrying playfulness and mockery.

"You're here again."

"Is your whiskey finished?"

"Or are you ready to come join me in Hell?"

Amorth raised the crucifix, just about to speak.

The monster's gaze moved past the priest.

It landed on Qin Ming and Emma behind him.

Those turbid yellow eyeballs suddenly froze.

The originally playful expression solidified on his face.

Asmodeus smelled it.

He smelled an aura that he extremely loathed, yet instinctively felt wary of.

It was pure Light.

But next to this light, there was also a little girl.

There was no light on that little girl.

Nor was there any fear.

Only a kind of... chaos more pure than a demon's.

"Oh..."

"Henry" let out an eerie laugh.

He stuck out a long, blackened tongue and licked his lips.

"It seems you brought sacrifices."

"Fresh and tender..."

"Delicious..."

Before he could finish his words.

Qin Ming let go of Emma's hand.

He took a step forward and stood in front of Amorth.

His leisurely posture was like he was strolling through his own back garden.

"Asmodeus."

Qin Ming called out that name.

His tone was as flat as if he were calling a dog.

The monster on the bed jerked violently.

Having his true name called out made him feel enraged.

"Shut up! You..."

"Shh."

Qin Ming raised a finger to his lips.

Just like the gesture that clown had made to Qin Ming before.

"You have no right to speak here."

Qin Ming turned his head to look at Amorth.

"Father."

"According to the procedure, shouldn't you recite a few verses of the Bible and sprinkle some holy water first?"

"Or can we skip straight to the 'beating' phase?"

"Beating?"

Asmodeus, controlling Henry's body, let out a burst of piercing, wild laughter.

The laughter shook the window glass, and the crucifix on the wall even turned upside down.

"Ignorant brat."

"I am the incarnation of Lust, I am a Prince of Hell, I have already, since the time of King Solomon..."

"...already been sealed in a jar."

Qin Ming interrupted his chanting.

He picked his ear somewhat boredly.

"Asmodeus, if your true body had descended, even if it were just an avatar, I might give you some face and be a bit more serious."

"But the current you."

Qin Ming looked up and down at the unrecognizable boy on the bed.

"Is nothing more than a wisp of a fragment that slipped out from a crack in the seal."

"Like biogas floating out of a sewer."

"Aside from the stench, you're worthless."

Asmodeus was provoked.

Black veins writhed frantically on Henry's face, and the surrounding temperature instantly dropped to the freezing point.

Countless black mists condensed in the room, morphing into the shapes of poisonous snakes and fierce beasts, lunging at Qin Ming with bared fangs and claws.

"I will devour your soul!!"

Qin Ming didn't even dodge.

He just slightly raised his hand.

Buzz!

The holy halo behind his head instantly materialized, turning into a golden ring that fell into his hand.

This was not just a symbol of status.

It was also a holy brick with a hardness comparable to diamond.

Qin Ming took a step forward.

Shrinking the ground into an inch.

The illusions formed by the black mist melted away like snow the moment they touched his body.

The next second.

Qin Ming was already standing at the head of the bed.

He didn't recite any incantations.

He didn't sprinkle any holy water.

He just swung his arm wide, and the halo in his hand, accompanied by the whistling sound of wind, smashed heavily onto "Henry's" forehead.

Clang!!

A crisp sound.

Like the sound of a bell being struck in a temple.

Golden ripples surged outward from the point of impact.

"Aaaah!!"

Asmodeus let out a shrill scream.

This strike didn't just hit the physical body; it directly struck his spiritual form.

That burning sensation of the holy attribute made him feel as if someone had poured lava into his brain.

"Did I let you speak?"

Qin Ming was expressionless.

Hand raised, halo fell.

Clang!

"Asmodeus, I exorcise you."

Clang!

"I seal you."

Clang!

"Son of God, Qin Ming, commands you to get out!"

With every word spoken, Qin Ming smashed down hard.

The rhythm was extremely strong.

Say thank you.