Watching her figure approach him, Valak suppressed the malice that threatened to spill over from his eyes and turned his head away without making a sound.

As they walked together from the chapel toward the corridor, Seia finally spoke. "Sister, have you seen a priest or a stranger dressed as a nun?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

She was probing for their location.

Valak gave a subtle nod, pointed in a certain direction, and began to lead the way without a word.

He didn't look back. Due to their difference in stature, his stride and pace were naturally greater than Seia's, forcing her to exert more energy just to keep up with him.

Even without turning around, Valak could sense her struggle through the slight, rhythmic hitch in her breathing.

The thought amused him more and more.

"When God closes a door, He opens a window."

Despite her immense talent and rare blessings, her physical vessel was fragile and weak.

Humans were such pathetic creatures—devoid of perfection and riddled with inevitable flaws. And these weaknesses were exactly what demons excelled at seizing, much like Father Burke, who was currently being toyed with by Valak, trapped by his own inner demons.

Once a demon takes hold of a weakness, an exorcist's power withers away.

This little girl had no inner demons, no psychological cracks; therefore, her flaw had to be physical—a frailty of the flesh. That was "fairness" in action.

This was why humans could never truly defeat demons.

Knowing the absolute advantage Hell held over Heaven in this world, Valak's heart grew lighter. This realm of mortals would soon become a playground for demons.

"Please... wait a moment..."

The girl's voice was noticeably breathless. Even knowing her companions might be in danger, she had to maintain enough strength to avoid being a liability in combat. Her current state would undoubtedly hinder her, so she was forced to take a brief rest.

Realizing she wouldn't waste any more energy, Valak wasn't disappointed; this was enough for now. He came to a halt and pointed toward a closed room just a short distance away.

They were close now. Valak knew that humans often became reckless when they felt the goal was "right before their eyes" or when they were down to their "last breath," and he had deliberately engineered this situation to exploit that urgency.

Sure enough, Seia didn't hesitate for long. Abandoning her rest, she pushed forward, readied her weapon, and quickly threw the door open.

In the silent, unlit corridor, the only light came from the moon, casting pale beams through the windows. But the moonlight couldn't pierce the walls to reach the room beyond; it illuminated only a small patch of floor by the threshold.

Facing the pitch-black void of the room, Seia immediately looked back at the nun who had led her there, only to find the woman had vanished without a trace.

She had no choice but to pull out her Holy Grail, pouring holy power into it to serve as a light source for the room.

But...

The door didn't lead to a room at all. Instead, it opened into a long, straight passage with no turns, ending at another closed door.

To ensure an escape route, Seia didn't close the door behind her as she entered the passage. However, the moment she stepped inside, the door slammed shut on its own.

Finding the lock immovable no matter how she tried, Seia raised her gun and aimed directly at the door handle.

This caught Valak off guard for a second. He quickly surged his dark power onto the door just before she pulled the trigger, barely managing to keep the lock intact.

Realizing bullets were useless against the door, the blonde girl turned and proceeded down the hall with wary steps.

The entire passage was deathly silent, save for the sound of her footsteps and the labored breathing brought on by the strain of channeling holy power.

The surrounding darkness felt like a massive hand waiting to swallow her whole. To conserve energy, she maintained only a minimal glow, which lit the path barely a step or two ahead of her.

Under the weight of that suffocating silence, Seia reached the door at the end of the passage, only to find it just as stubbornly locked as the first.

She frowned slightly. A sudden sense of impending danger behind her made her spin around instantly.

The corridor was a black void, but as she thrust the Scriptural Chalice forward, the light revealed the source of her dread.

In the space that should have been empty stood a group of nuns, their faces obscured by black veils. They stood perfectly still, like wax figures.

Valak expected the girl to be paralyzed by the sight, but her expression didn't change at all. Instead, she immediately leveled her blessed pistol, the muzzle flashing with a relentless tongue of fire.

Valak: ...

Is there really a person in this world who feels no fear? And a little girl at that?

Is your heart truly so steadfast, so devoid of cracks?

Valak had to admit, his interest in this girl was peaking. Originally, he was only interested in Irene.

While Irene's talent for holy power wasn't as great as this girl's, it was sufficient for his needs. Besides, he was a demon; once he possessed a body, he couldn't care less about its affinity for the divine.

The real reason he wanted Irene's body was because of the blessing of the Virgin Mary. If he could claim that vessel, he could use it to defile Mary's sanctity. That was the prize.

But now... he found himself wanting this girl too. Not her body, but her pure and powerful soul. Such a soul would be incredibly precious, whether used as nourishment or kept as a trophy.

Seia was unaware of Valak's shifting fantasies.

She could sense that the nuns before her were being driven by Valak's malevolent power. They weren't all from the current generation; in fact, none of them seemed like fresh souls.

Under the influence of the Holy Grail, these nuns regained a flicker of their own consciousness, but just as Valak sensed, even with their awareness returned, they were powerless to resist his command.

After all, he was a demon—and not just any demon, but one of the seventy-two pillars of the Ars Goetia, a Great Duke standing at the peak of the demonic hierarchy.

Looking at the gifted young exorcist before them, the nuns' hearts bled, yet they were forced to lunge at her in a frenzied swarm.

In the face of their assault, Seia's response was the steady click of the trigger.

Unlike the jokes some might make, Seia's gun—augmented by blessings and her own strength—really could send people to meet God.

Of course, since God is everywhere, "sending them to God" was more a matter of delivering them to Heaven.

However, the passage was too narrow, and her magazines were limited. Even though Seia used her agility and small stature to maneuver through the cramped space, emptying three clips, her meager stamina finally gave out before her ammunition did.

Valak allowed a smile to spread across his face. On his command, one of the nuns lunged, grabbing Seia by the shoulder and pinning her to the ground.

But before his triumph could deepen, the thunderous sound of a door being smashed open and a burst of light invaded the narrow, dark passage.

Father Burke's voice rang out, powerful and resolute in prayer:

"In the name of the Father! And of the Holy Spirit! I beseech the Lord! Jesus Christ! Ruler of this world! Let the Holy Fire descend!"

--+--

T/N: I have a Patreon!

It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!

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If you guys wanna check it out.