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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 4: How to Ward Off Evil Spirits
Ray Anderson was born with the constitution that attracts wandering spirits.
Unless he receives a powerful god and drives away these clinging spirits, he's destined to suffer from his medium's constitution for life.
This remained true even after his reincarnation into another world.
"This is on a different level from the usual wandering spirits I attract."
Grrrr!
The wolf-shaped leader emanates a different kind of spectral energy compared to ordinary wandering spirits.
At minimum, it's an evil spirit, a 'red' one that has devoured several people.
'There's black mixed in. Did it absorb mana scattered when the warlock died?'
The evil spirit expanded the wolf's muscles and raised its sharp claws. Having mutated from mana, its size was as large as a lion.
Wandering spirits usually possess small animals or birds, not large beasts like this.
It must be thanks to the mana scattered when the warlock's soul was torn apart, contaminating the surroundings.
The wandering spirits lurking nearby absorbed that mana, gaining strength.
Grrrr...!
Despite facing the fiercely growling wolf, Ray wasn't frightened at all.
In his previous life, he had encountered a Romanian vampire, and the werewolf he faced at the Florence church was even more massive than this creature.
The only difference now is that he lacks the silver bullets made from melting the Florence church's silver cross, nor does he have Van Helsing's stake.
Moreover, Father Johan, who had protected Ray until now, is gone too.
"The absence of the Father is significant indeed. Seeing how these creatures now bare their fangs when they couldn't even come close before."
Hehehe...!
The wandering spirits smiled.
They had settled in this area, drawn by Ray's soul, for a long time.
But they had always been blocked by the old priest who guarded Ray.
The old priest who exerted supernatural strength under the sunlight and shook souls with commanding words is now gone.
The warlock killed him with a curse.
The old man had endured for a long time with his aged body.
"Put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith."
Squeak squeak!
The spirits possessing animal bodies gave vile smiles.
Foolish one.
The old priest who protected you is gone now.
Your commanding words hold no power, and it's night, so the sun cannot shelter you either.
How will you face an evil spirit empowered by mana and countless wandering spirits?
"In dealing with ghosts, the first method is intimidation. Write or draw symbols they dislike and make them pass by without peeking."
"...?"
The evil spirit possessing the wolf frowned.
Having evolved beyond an ordinary wandering spirit into an evil one, it could understand Ray's words.
"The second is the method of fire. Drive away evil spirits with fire using the yang of fire to repel the yin of ghosts. The idea of blowing up a possessed house with gunpowder does make sense."
Why was he speaking nonsense in front of them?
More importantly, why does Ray Anderson appear so calm in this predicament?
Ray closed the Bible in front of the evil spirit.
"My faith is insufficient to defeat these supernatural beings with commanding words, so I must resort to the third method."
"...?"
"The third method for dealing with ghosts."
Ray raised his fist.
"This is a fist. The right hand is justice, and the left is judgment. Today, I will perform the oldest exorcism method.”
???
The answer came immediately.
Ray suddenly rushed forward and punched the wolf spirit right in the face.
"Kyaang?!"
With tremendous force, the house-sized wolf crashed into the church wall.
The wolf spirit couldn't understand what had just happened.
Did he just punch me?
The wolf spirit was bewildered by this absurd exorcism method.
But among ways to exorcise spirits, there actually exists a legitimate "beating method."
From folk beliefs to Catholicism, Orthodox, and Protestantism. It's a commonly used method, and Taoism also favors peach wood clubs.
The Russian Orthodox Church and modern Protestantism particularly favor this method, which is why exorcisms sometimes result in deaths due to excessive beating.
"Begone! Violence solves many things!"
The joke about "physical exorcism" was a fact proven throughout thousands of years of religious history!
"Keek?!"
Setting aside the effectiveness of the beating method, the wolf spirit is still in shock.
What was that? That numbness?
It was superhuman strength impossible for a normal human.
Such power was what the old priest exhibited under sunlight.
But now it's night.
The dark time of night.
Yet Ray's strength was no less than that old priest's.
That wasn't all.
The wolf spirit's body, hit by Ray, was burning in real-time.
"Kee, keeek...!"
Looking closely, Ray's fists were coated with holy water.
He had prepared holy water and soaked his fists in it.
A fist dipped in a basin of holy water and swung carries powerful purifying effects.
Especially when that strength is amplified several times by the sun's blessing.
"Take up the shield of faith! Extinguish the evil one with arrows of fire!"
Bwack!
"With the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit! The word of Lord Sol Invictus!"
Merciless violence pounded the wolf spirit.
Normally, Ray would have avoided physical contact.
Even as the reincarnation of Pastor Kim, a master exorcist, the opponent is an evil spirit possessing a beast.
A beast's physicality is inherently threatening to humans.
But today, Ray received the sun's blessing.
He had witnessed his spiritual mentor, Father Johan, lift logs effortlessly under sunlight and battle bears.
Krung!
Even if the wolf counterattacks and tears his shoulder, if he can endure the pain, he'll certainly recover.
"In omnibus sumentes scutum fidei! In quo possitis omnia tela nequissimi ignea extinguere!"
Reciting battle prayers that boost dopamine while boldly facing the enemy, an adaptation of methods used by Germanic berserkers in his previous life.
With modern knowledge that moonlight is reflected sunlight, Exorcist Pastor Kim's experience, and the blessing of the sun god's power, why fear a mere evil spirit possessing a beast?
"I command you in the name of Lord Sol Invictus! Evil spirit, retreat!!"
"Keek?!"
The wolf staggered from the holy water fist that caved in its face.
"Sol Invictus's fire is consuming fire! It burns everything! Evil spirits shall depart in Sol Invictus's name!"
Prayer texts commonly recite phrases to drive away evil spirits.
This is because the power contained in commanding words is mighty and reduces evil's resistance through faith.
The beating method follows the same logic.
Violence and assault "physically" break the evil spirit's will, lowering its resistance.
Thus, the evil spirit cannot resist Ray's commanding words. This is "physical exorcism."
"Keeeeeek!"
The evil spirit screamed and struggled from physical pain and the separation of its soul through commanding words.
"Sheesh... My prayer power is indeed lacking in this world."
If he were Pastor Kim from his previous life, the evil spirit would have been expelled by now.
"But greater power can fill the lacking parts."
Ray dipped his fist generously into the holy water basin.
Seeing this, the wandering spirits possessing beasts were terrified.
This guy isn't a clergyman.
The night deepens.
The battle against wandering spirits targeting his soul continued with tireless supernatural strength under the sun's blessing.
Cock-a-doodle-doo!!
The rooster crows, announcing the break of morning.
Since ancient times, the rooster's crow has been considered auspicious, driving away darkness and calling forth light.
This is why the rooster's image appears among the sun cult's symbols.
"Whew...!"
Hearing the rooster's crow, Ray leans against a wall.
Around him lay scattered corpses of cockroaches, rats, wild boars, and a massive wolf.
The midnight battle had ended in Ray's victory.
But Ray was too exhausted to revel in victory.
"Good grief... I can't keep doing this."
He needs to find another way.
***
News of the plague incident in Obello village reached Father Maxcel, who was returning to the Solar Theocracy.
Something seemed strange.
The plague didn't have eyes, yet it killed only adult men and women?
It seemed unnaturally targeted, didn't it?
Maxcel decided to trust his sense of unease.
Preparing for the worst case, he resupplied his weapons and quickly headed to Obello village.
And on the way, he detected horrific traces of mana.
Maxcel's power to detect evil tracked traces of mana.
The thicker and more powerful the mana, the more keenly it reacted, enough to make him nauseous.
This was why Maxcel had outstanding achievements among armed priests.
"Lord Sol Invictus..."
Following the thick mana traces, he arrived at a mountain not far from Obello village.
There, seeing the massive "burnt offerings" and sacrificed animal corpses, he realized:
A terrible spell had been cast on Obello!
This revealed the true nature of the plague in Obello village.
'I must hurry! Whatever they're plotting, the remaining people in Obello village are in danger!'
Such a scale of burnt offerings and mana surely meant they were planning something terrible.
There was reportedly one priest in Obello village, but he died in this incident.
To save the defenseless people, Maxcel rushed without taking time to request help from the Solar Theocracy.
And there, he encountered three unexpected corpses.
"Hmm? Who are you?"
It was Ray, burying beasts and demon followers contaminated by mana.
***
After confirming that the bodies Ray had killed were undoubtedly the devil's minions, Maxcel helped him complete the purification of the corpses.
"Anything that once held mana must be thoroughly burned. This prevents contamination of the surroundings."
"I see. I've learned something new."
Maxcel took a moment to converse with Ray, who was helping him incinerate the evil creatures' bodies.
"Deacon Ray. Your actions last night were extremely brave and commendable, defeating a warlock who was among the most blasphemous of heretics."
"As a servant of Sol Invictus, I only did what was natural."
What was natural... he says, but is it really?
The reason warlocks and witches have been able to evade the church's eyes for ages is that they appear no different from ordinary people on the surface.
Fundamentally, they're not different from humans.
Methods to identify them are limited.
Either one possesses special powers to detect them, like Maxcel, or catches them using magic.
It's difficult.
And statistically unlikely.
Ray said he suspected them because they possessed a grimoire made of ‘human skin.’
He immediately judged them as heretics when he saw the apprentice warlock's book bound in human skin.
But could one really be certain they were heretics based only on that?
Of course, possessing tools or equipment made from human byproducts was sufficient for the church to classify someone as a heretic, even before considering if they were warlocks.
What's surprising is this young deacon's determination.
The resolve to kill someone is harder than one might think.
Normal people hesitate and deliberate before choosing to kill.
Even knights or mercenaries who live close to death are the same.
Yet this young deacon showed unwavering determination in taking three lives without the slightest hesitation.
'He's a fanatic.'
A choice made from innate instinct rather than acquired experience.
And despite this, he shows no doubt that he made the wrong choice, a pure certainty.
No doubt about his faith, and a fanatical belief that heretics must be eradicated without hesitation.
It's undoubtedly a dangerous temperament.
But Maxcel, who had felt limitations during his long years as an armed priest, was tempted by this born zealot.
'Even trained armed priests aren't this resolute when facing heretics. A moment's hesitation, and you'll be killed by those evil creatures.'
That's why the church has struggled with manpower shortages for ages.
No matter how well-trained, catching those who deal with demons is challenging.
Their inherent wickedness means they have no hesitation in killing people.
Conversely, what about the church's clergy?
They are mostly people of character.
Devout, pure, and innocent.
They were chosen by Sol Invictus and granted powers because they proved their faithfulness.
But that purity becomes a significant vulnerability when hunting heretics.
'But this boy...'
He had no doubt in his faith, no hesitation in his actions, and was resolute.
His mercilessness toward suspected evil made even Maxcel marvel.
He didn't hesitate to stab the bodies of believers to counter the warlock's spell.
'A zealot who eliminates evil without regard for means or methods. This is what we need.'
Ah, Lord Sol Invictus.
Is this truly what you desire?
What intention do you have in arranging this meeting for your son who always worries and agonizes?
Maxcel pondered.
But his contemplation didn't last long.
He believed this was also a relationship destined by Sol Invictus.
"Brother Ray. I have a proposal for you."
"Please speak, Father."
"Would you... consider joining the Solar Theocracy's armed organization?"
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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