Chapter 263 — Return
Gideon shook his head slightly.
When his vision cleared, the scene before him looked strangely familiar.
Am I… back? he wondered.
But before he could think further, the violent winds in front of him shattered his train of thought.
Cracks had already begun appearing in the surrounding space, and Rossi, Catherine, and the others were clearly struggling to hold on.
Seeing this, Gideon didn't hesitate.
In an instant, he appeared in front of the two possessed girls. A pale golden barrier materialized around him.
Bang! Bang!
The raging winds slammed against the shield, producing deafening impacts.
Taking advantage of the moment, Gideon reached into his pocket and pulled out a cross. Beneath it, hidden in his palm, was the silver medallion.
"Still here," he murmured, his eyes lighting up.
He pressed both items against the demon's spiritual body.
The next moment—
A halo of light enveloped the demon.
Suddenly, the direction of the raging wind reversed.
The entire storm began spinning around Pazuzu as its center, forming another massive vortex.
"This is… hol—"
The demon's voice echoed through the air.
But before it could finish speaking, the halo swallowed its spirit entirely.
The room abruptly fell silent.
Gideon quickly put the silver medallion away and activated the surrounding formations again, purifying the remaining traces of evil energy.
Only then did the other three slowly lift their heads.
---
After the Battle
Rossi glanced at his arm.
Several cuts lined the skin, thin streams of blood still flowing from the wounds.
Catherine's clothes were torn in a few places.
Ralph was in the best condition—he had been standing farther away, though the violent wind had left his face stinging.
All three silently shared the same thought:
That was close.
The demon's strength had far exceeded their expectations.
If Father Gideon hadn't intervened, they might have lost their lives today.
Feeling the powerful holy energy lingering in the air, Rossi couldn't help glancing at Gideon.
He realized he had greatly underestimated this priest's strength.
In that situation, Rossi himself could only focus on protecting his own life.
But Gideon had stood directly against winds sharp enough to slice like blades.
Catherine felt the same way.
The sacred artifacts Gideon used radiated such powerful energy that even she felt intimidated.
Those definitely weren't ordinary low-grade relics.
But Catherine chose not to ask questions.
Besides respecting others' privacy, she was also hoping to buy some sacred artifacts from Gideon in the future.
Ralph, on the other hand, remained calm.
Finally got out once, and he still ended up saving us…
He sighed quietly to himself.
---
Confirmation
Meanwhile, Gideon repeatedly used the formation to scan the area.
Only after several checks did he finally confirm that the demon Pazuzu had truly been completely destroyed.
He fed each of the two girls a bottle of holy water.
Then he waved toward the worried parents waiting outside.
"Angela!"
The Black father rushed inside first, pulling his daughter into a tight embrace.
The white couple followed immediately after.
Both families thanked Gideon and the others again and again.
But aside from Gideon, the other three quietly stepped back, allowing him to stand at the center.
Each of them had their own principles.
None of them liked claiming credit that didn't belong to them.
Gideon could only respond to them one by one, while also giving some important advice on how to prevent supernatural incidents.
During this time, Rossi approached Chris.
With his keen senses, Gideon overheard their conversation. Rossi asked Chris for Regan's address, saying he wanted to visit the "exorcism witness."
Although he used the excuse of investigating the demon's origin, Gideon knew Rossi's true goal—
the Apostle Medallion.
Thinking of this, Gideon slipped a hand into his pocket.
Not long ago, outside Chris's house, he had been pulled into the vortex.
At the time, he quickly realized he could not move at all and could only cling tightly to the holy silver medallion in his hand.
Inside the vortex, he had witnessed many strange sights.
Chaos, evil, holy light, souls…
The place was filled with bizarre and surreal phenomena.
There were bright sacred stairways rising toward the clouds in the sky.
There were also rivers of molten lava flowing in endless abysses.
Further away, Gideon even saw enormous shadows looming within thick mist—faint, indistinct shapes that radiated a mysterious and dangerous aura.
Throughout it all, he remained wrapped in that crimson beam of light, rapidly moving in a single direction.
Several times during the journey, thunderous sounds echoed nearby, as though some existence was drawing close to him.
But suddenly a pure and immaculate holy light descended from the sky above, greatly increasing his speed.
By the time he could move again, he had already returned to the house.
At that moment, Gideon finally understood the purpose of the silver medallion.
The blood of an apostle could activate the medallion, allowing it to absorb the most fundamental energy around it.
The crimson beams of energy he had seen earlier—and even Pazuzu's first attempt to draw power—had all been caused by the medallion.
Once enough power was accumulated, it gained the ability to affect the surrounding space itself.
That was the reason Gideon had been able to return.
While traveling through that chaotic realm, the medallion had shone like a brilliant star, always pointing toward a location high in the sky.
Gideon didn't know what place that was.
But judging from the pure holy light he had received, he had a faint guess.
Could that place… be the legendary "Unknown Space"?
Before this, Gideon had still been somewhat skeptical about the idea of summoning angels.
But after experiencing that journey, he now fully believed it.
Above the clouds, he had clearly felt an aura that could only be described as terrifying.
The return trip had completely drained the medallion's power.
But thinking about the future summoning ritual, which would likely require a similar amount of energy, Gideon immediately made a decision.
He absorbed the remaining spiritual body of Pazuzu inside the house.
Though the demon's remaining evil power was small, the silver medallion still managed to absorb a portion of it.
Only then did Gideon put it back into his pocket.
---
Afterward
"Father Gideon, you saved us again this time."
Ralph spread his hands helplessly and gave Gideon a hug.
"When did you join the Exorcist Guild?" Gideon asked curiously.
"Ah!" Ralph shrugged.
"After the Plague Zones incident, I wanted to travel around and make a name for myself. You know… independent men are more attractive."
"Oh, so it's for Sadie," Gideon said thoughtfully.
Ralph immediately jumped in protest.
He denied it repeatedly—claiming things like "demon nests are a man's true home" and "women only slow down my path to becoming stronger."
But when Gideon calmly said he might repeat those exact words to Sadie later, the southern demon hunter quickly surrendered.
"Hey, tell me the truth."
Ralph draped an arm over Gideon's shoulder and lowered his voice.
"You don't like Sadie, right?"
Seeing Ralph stare at him intensely, Gideon slowly shook his head.
"Great!"
Ralph clenched his fist with excitement and sighed in relief.
"I've been treating you as my rival this whole time—it was exhausting! If that's the case, I'm heading back to Saint Freyan tomorrow. Plenty of idiots in the south are still chasing after Sadie."
Gideon shrugged.
Knowing Sadie's personality, Ralph's romantic journey would likely be far from easy.
All Gideon could do was silently wish him luck.
---
"Father Gideon."
Catherine walked over.
Ralph instantly understood the situation. He nudged Gideon with his elbow and quickly found an excuse to leave.
After the hunter walked away, Catherine smiled.
"You've helped me again. I really don't know how to thank you."
Gideon waved it off.
"We were all completing the commission. It was just a small effort."
Catherine nodded.
In the past, most of the companions she encountered either schemed over evil materials or coveted her body.
Few people were like Gideon—focused purely on purifying demons and spirits.
That only increased her favorable impression of him.
"Could you… give me a way to contact you?" she asked, brushing back her hair.
"You know, I need high-level sacred artifacts to maintain my witchcraft. If you ever have extra stock… please let me know."
Gideon accepted the contact information.
"No problem."
After all, she might become a regular customer.
If he produced more "scrap artifacts" in the future, he could at least earn some money.
---
Later, Father Rossi came to say goodbye.
He explained that he would follow Chris to find Regan and investigate the origin of the demon.
Therefore, he wouldn't continue traveling with the group.
As for the commission exchange, his status within the guild meant that his absence wouldn't affect anything.
Naturally, no one objected.
Before leaving, Chris also approached Gideon to ask about exorcism techniques.
She planned to record his advice and include it in the next edition of her book to warn more people.
Gideon gladly agreed.
Finally, Gideon and Catherine used their own methods to purify the entire house once more.
After confirming nothing had been overlooked, they said goodbye to the two families.
---
Three Days Later – House of Rest
Gideon had already submitted the commission.
After saying farewell to Catherine and the others, he returned to his shop on Deyi Merchant Street.
He carefully placed the box containing the Holy Apostle Medallion away.
Then he focused on the text that appeared before him.
During the exorcism, the system panel had already updated.
Only now did he have time to examine it.
After such a long time, the current progress of his events was as follows:
Messenger of Sin
Current Progress: Tier 2 (367/1000)
Holy Water Purification
Current Progress: Tier 2 (989/1000)
Holy Relic Furnace
Current Progress: Tier 2 (762/1000)
These had only increased in progress without fundamental changes.
However, the previous event "Scripture Reading" had evolved into:
[Missionary]
Current Progress: Tier 2 (2/1000)
Ability Obtained – Soul Cleansing
Your study of sacred doctrine has surpassed ordinary understanding.
Every time you recite scripture publicly, your soul power leaves an imprint upon this world.
Your existence itself becomes a manifestation of truth.
When Gideon first read this description, he was confused.
But he quickly conducted an experiment.
Now, whenever he recited scripture toward evil spirits, he felt his soul becoming more aligned with the world itself.
It was a transformation at the essence-of-life level.
Previously, Gideon had been an ordinary human belonging to this world.
But now his soul rank had risen, like moving from a three-dimensional world to a 3.1-dimensional existence.
The change was small, but it allowed him to perceive things ordinary humans could not.
For example—
The will of the world.
He could vaguely sense a supreme presence governing this world.
It had no form.
He could only receive its messages on the soul level.
The feeling it conveyed was one of helplessness.
Helplessness toward the evil on earth… and even toward holy power itself.
It seemed to believe such forces should not exist in the world.
After sensing it briefly, Gideon immediately forced himself to withdraw.
Even that short contact left his mind in chaos, as though it might explode.
He realized something very clearly—
He must not interact with that existence directly.
At least not until his Missionary progress increased further.
Although he didn't yet understand the purpose of this event, Gideon believed the system would not provide such a feature without reason.
So he temporarily set it aside.
---
Another Advancement
Another event, "Ignatian Exercises," had now evolved into:
[Holy Body]
Progress I: Skin (Completed)
Progress II: Bones (Not Started)
Progress III: Blood (Not Started)
Ability:
Chosen by the Holy Light—significantly increases the efficiency of theological training related to the body.
This event was easier to understand.
Among the stages of sacred cultivation, these three stages were closely connected—and extremely difficult.
Gideon had only completed the Skin Stage so quickly because of the mysterious panel.
The next two stages would take considerable time.
The Bone Stage required linking holy power with every bone in the body.
The Blood Stage required releasing one's own blood and blessing it with holy power.
Only then could a priest do what Father Rossi once did—
write sacred vows with blood to seal demons.
Both stages required enduring great pain.
Many clergy members never completed them in their entire lives.
The system's assistance would undoubtedly provide Gideon with tremendous support.
After clarifying his next cultivation direction, Gideon rested for a day.
---
Early the next morning, Bente arrived at the House of Rest with a message from the temporary dean of Dey Theological Academy, Father Matthew.
"The dean says there's a commission you must take. Archbishop Jolan handled similar cases before… and you've also been involved in one."
This only made Gideon more curious.
A case once handled by a Vatican archbishop was now being handed to him—a newcomer.
"Professor Flora in the commission office has prepared the documents. She's waiting for you."
Soon, Gideon followed Bente to the academy's commission room.
"Father Gideon, these were specifically requested by the dean," Flora said, handing him a thick stack of documents.
Gideon sat down at a nearby table and began reading.
The case concerned Maine State.
In a small town called Derry, disappearances and murders occurred every 27 years, lasting about one year each cycle.
For decades, no suspect had ever been identified.
Most victims were children under fifteen.
During the active period, the town frequently discovered the children's belongings nearby.
Sometimes clothing.
Sometimes toys.
Sometimes…
Pieces of their bodies.
Seeing this, Gideon immediately understood why Archbishop Matthew had contacted him.
Years ago, when child disappearances occurred across North America, Gideon had provided crucial clues to Archbishop Jolan.
Those cases were later proven to be the work of members of the Wings of Vengeance.
However, since the incident at the conference, Gideon hadn't heard anything about them.
Have they resurfaced? he wondered.
Then he frowned slightly.
"…But compared to those angel-related fanatics…"
"This case feels more like that other American Horror story."