[Chapter 208: Bride-in-Black]
"Hoo--!"
Dalton, who had been in a suspended state, suddenly jolted upright, his chest heaving violently. His eyes snapped open with a sharp pop, shifting from confusion to sheer terror in an instant.
"Mommy! Mommy!" The child's desperate scream shattered the heavy silence hanging over the room.
"Dalton! My baby!" Renai seemed to lose her mind, grabbing the waking child and pulling him tightly into her arms as tears streamed down her face. "Oh God, thank you, thank you..."
...
Just as mother and son were lost in their reunion, the temperature in the room dropped alarmingly. A biting wind of dark energy rose from the floor, causing the curtains to flap violently.
On the recliner, Josh's physical body lay still, his eyes tightly shut. Suddenly, a phantom materialized -- a figure wearing a tattered black wedding dress, its face grotesque and twisted like an old hag's, emitting the stench of decay as it lunged toward Josh.
Just before it could reach him, a burst of golden light erupted from Josh, slamming into the phantom.
Boom!
The phantom was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, tumbling through the air before regaining some semblance of form. It stared in shock at Daniel, who had appeared beside Josh in an instant.
"Parker Crane, did you really think I wasn't prepared for a pervert like you?" Daniel's cold voice echoed sharply through the room like a thunderclap on a clear day.
"And who are you?" a cold, genderless voice hissed from the phantom.
"You don't know me, but I know you," Daniel replied calmly. "Or should I say, Mr. Crane? A pervert abused by his mother since childhood, psychologically twisted, and eventually castrated himself."
The Bride-in-Black -- Parker Crane's wretched spirit -- twisted its hideous face in fury. "Go to Hell and die!"
It screamed, transforming its entire body into a swirling ball of pitch-black smoke, mixed with countless sharp nails and seething resentment. It swept toward Daniel, blotting out the ceiling.
The room temperature plummeted again, frost creeping along the walls.
Terrified, Renai clutched the still-weak Dalton tightly and shrank back to the head of the bed, watching the "old woman" from a nightmare manifest before her.
"Mommy... what... what is that?" Dalton whispered, trembling.
"Don't be afraid, baby. Don't look." Renai covered her son's eyes, though she trembled herself.
Daniel didn't flinch. His hands moved rapidly, forming seals.
"Five Thunders Edict, Celestial Thunder! Fall!"
Rumble!
Though confined indoors, the sound was like thunder booming across the void. The ashwood sword in Daniel's hand crackled with pure, potent lightning as it struck directly into the black mist.
"Ah--!"
From within the darkness came Parker Crane's agonized wail. The decades of condensed hatred and pain began vanishing like snow under the blistering sun, dissolved by the Radiant Sovereign's thunder magic.
Daniel pressed forward, snapping back a consecrated Five Emperors Coin from his wrist.
With a flick of his finger, golden light stabbed the Bride-in-Black's forehead.
Bang!
The shadow was knocked back several yards, its once-solid spirit form flickering translucent.
"Mr. Cross! What about Josh? Josh hasn't come back yet!" Renai's voice cracked with panic as she huddled at the corner, clutching Dalton.
"Don't worry. Once this old nightmare is vanquished, Josh's Soul will naturally return."
Daniel's eyes blazed like twin torches. He swapped the consecrated ashwood sword for the copper coin sword.
"Break, Go!"
He flicked his wrist. The Sovereign Yearblade exploded, releasing 365 small coin swords that flew like shooting stars, piercing the Bride-in-Black's spiritual form.
Pfft, pfft, pfft!
The black phantom was riddled with holes, dark energy leaking out like water from a burst dam.
"No... this can't be! I've been plotting for decades. How could it end like this?" the Bride-in-Black snarled in disbelief.
"Give me the body!" It abandoned all pretenses, condensing its hatred into one dense point.
Its entire spirit formed into a sharpened black arrow and shot directly toward Josh's brow.
"Hmph! Trying to escape, huh?"
Daniel snorted coldly and stepped forward with one commanding word: "Rise!"
Golden light surged, sealing the entire room.
"Ah!"
A scream echoed as the Bride-in-Black's arrow-shaped form reappeared.
"Fall!"
Celestial Thunder crashed down, striking the arrow. It disintegrated instantly, collapsing into nothing.
Though the Bride-in-Black appeared to launch one last attack, its true Soul had already slipped away in an effort to flee -- unfortunately for it, Daniel saw through the trick.
The Bride-in-Black's Soul collapsed on the floor, faint and pathetic, barely holding together.
With a bone-chilling smile, it hissed, "Hehehe... hehehehe... Exorcist... do you think you've won? You... will die soon too... I'll wait for you in Hell..."
"You won't get the chance to go to Hell."
Daniel's expression was cold and merciless. He reached out his hand: "Come."
Pfft, pfft, pfft!
The 365 tiny swords whirred up, piercing the Bride-in-Black's failing form before retracting and reforming into a copper coin sword in Daniel's hand.
The Bride-in-Black shuddered once more before collapsing into nothingness with a soft "pfft."
[Ding! Killed a C-rank ghost, gained 1,000,000 merit points.]
...
As the phantom dissipated completely, the suffocating chill in the room slowly faded.
Renai held Dalton tightly, tears of relief streaming down her face. She looked anxiously at Josh, still motionless on the recliner.
"Mr. Cross, is Josh..." she asked, voice shaking.
"Don't worry. It's time to bring him home."
Daniel approached the altar, his expression calm once again.
He relit a stick of soul-summoning incense, the curling blue smoke ascending smoothly.
Without interference from outside evil, the process should be seamless this time.
Holding the Edict of Sealed Authority, Daniel stepped forward as powerful energy stirred.
Between the living and the departed stand only the boundaries of lawful order.
By the Edict of Sealed Authority, I command the hidden path to be opened and every barrier to be broken.
Josh, wherever your soul may wander, answer this summons and return to your rightful vessel.
Defy this command, and all unlawful bonds shall be consumed by the Flame of Judgment.
By sealed authority, Manifest!
As Daniel's incantation ended, the crimson knot on Josh's wrist trembled violently.
Josh's body jerked on the recliner; his eyelids fluttered erratically.
His chest heaved noticeably, blood rushing back into his face at a visible speed.
"Josh!" Renai breathed, surprised.
Seconds later, Josh's eyes opened slowly.
His gaze was unfocused at first, heavy with weariness as if emerging from a long journey.
But soon, it sharpened as he saw his wife and son at the bedside.
"Renai... Dalton!" His voice was hoarse but filled with raw excitement as he struggled to sit up.
"Josh! You're back! That's wonderful!" Renai cried, enveloping Dalton and rushing to embrace her husband.
The family of three clung to each other, tears of joy flowing freely.
...
Daniel watched the touching scene, nodding slightly as he prepared to pack up and leave.
Though this mission had its twists and dangers, it had ended in perfect success.
He had also destroyed a troublesome evil spirit -- a welcome victory.
But just as Josh's Soul fully merged with his body and his awareness cleared--
A sudden shift swept through the space.
A terrifying aura descended into the room.
On the wall, a blood-red mark slowly materialized.
An ominous, hideous ram's skull.
*****
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