[Chapter 234: Powerful Suppression]
"Get lost!"
Daniel formed a hand seal with his left hand, and power gathered in his palm.
"Edict of Soul Suppression! Suppress--!"
A thunderous sound exploded down the corridor, and visible shockwaves shattered the black hairs into fragments.
Toshio fell from the ceiling, and before he even hit the ground, Daniel struck him with a bolt of lightning.
His body screamed in agony, turning into a wisp of smoke that shrank back into Kayako's form.
Kayako crawled on the floor, surrounded by black mist, her eyes locked intently on Daniel. A croaking sound grew louder from her throat.
The temperature on the entire second floor plunged below freezing, frost spreading thickly over the walls.
"Time's almost up. I'm done playing with you. Suppress!"
Another muffled thunderclap rang out.
Kayako's figure stiffened, her eyes losing focus.
"Five Thunder Doctrine, Celestial Lightning!"
Daniel shaped another hand seal.
Boom!
A massive bolt of lightning crashed down, striking Kayako squarely.
"Ah--!"
A sharp, ghostly shriek echoed through the air.
Kayako's body twisted violently under the relentless lightning, and her dark, resentful energy began to erode, bit by bit.
Suddenly, her figure vanished, attempting to escape.
"Do you think you can get away?"
Daniel stepped forward, a mysterious power sealing the entire house.
Bang!
Moments later, Kayako reappeared and collapsed to the floor.
Her whole form had become almost transparent, as if she could dissipate at any moment.
"It's over!"
Boom!
A blinding white light flooded the second floor.
When it faded, silence returned to the corridor.
That damp, foul stench disappeared completely. Only a few strands of broken, withered hair remained on the floor, quickly turning to ash.
[Ding! Killed a C-grade ghost, obtained 3,000,000 merit points.]
[Ding! Killed an E-grade ghost, obtained 50,000 merit points.]
The System notification echoed in Daniel's mind.
Kayako, like Samara, was a C-grade ghost, though by a slight edge in minor Order, stronger than Samara.
Back then, he'd struggled to deal with Samara.
But now, handling Kayako -- who was even stronger -- felt like a complete stomp.
This was a clear sign of Daniel's growth.
...
With the deaths of Kayako and Toshio, the frost covering the second-floor corridor melted rapidly.
It pooled into murky puddles that dripped down the stair edges.
The heavy, oppressive stench vanished.
Sunlight finally pierced the invisible barrier, flooding the corridor with warm patches of light.
The temperature inside began to rise quickly.
Daniel descended the stairs.
The living room on the first floor was bright again, but the eerie silence lingered.
"Bleargh--"
Violent retching sounds came from the guest bathroom, accompanied by heavy panting.
Daniel approached and stood at the door.
Christopher Nolan knelt by the toilet, gripping the rim tightly, tremors running through his body. His expensive deep gray suit was wrinkled, his tie crooked, and his face pale to the point of near transparency.
He'd even thrown up bile.
Hearing footsteps, Christopher Nolan swung his head around, eyes wide with terror and confusion.
Only when he saw Daniel did he slump to the floor, drained of strength, breathing heavily with remnants of sickness on his lips.
"Master... Exorcist... Cross..." Nolan's voice was barely a whisper, hoarse and broken.
Daniel leaned against the doorframe, gazing down at him. "It's over. That mother and son have gone to whatever awaits them, if God will even take them."
Christopher Nolan's eyes glazed over for a moment, before the weight of Daniel's words sank in.
He leaned against the wall, struggled to stand, then walked to the sink.
He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face.
"Is it really... really gone?"
He stared at his reflection, still fearing something pale might suddenly appear behind him.
Daniel said calmly, "If you want to see something else, I can help you. But you won't be seeing that mother and son anymore."
Nolan shuddered. "Don't. I never want to see them again, or anything like them."
He wiped his face and exhaled deeply.
His senses slowly returned, and he looked at Daniel with a mixture of awe and respect.
The thunder from the second floor and those shrill ghostly screams had completely upended his modern, logical worldview as a director.
"Thank you... truly, thank you."
With trembling hands, Christopher Nolan pulled a checkbook from his inner suit pocket.
His hands shook so much that he ruined two checks while filling in numbers.
Finally, he handed Daniel an $80,000 check.
Daniel took it without expression, glanced briefly at the amount and signature, then tucked it away with a subtle flick.
"From now on, stay away from old houses that have been abandoned a long time," Daniel advised calmly.
Nolan nodded repeatedly, his face a tangle of complicated emotions. "I won't step foot in a place like that ever again."
"That's all. If anything else comes up, you can call me anytime."
Daniel turned and headed for the front door.
...
Back in his luxury mansion in Beverly Hills, Daniel entered the System interface.
[Merit points: 8,392,300.]
"More than three million merit points... this trip was definitely worth it."
A slight smile touched the corner of Daniel's lips.
The exorcism of Kayako had been a high-level challenge; if he'd faced her right after his transmigration, he wouldn't have stood a chance.
But now, urban legends at this level were just slightly bigger experience packs in his eyes.
Still, even with over eight million merit points, he couldn't level up yet.
That was a bit frustrating.
"Chris."
Daniel called casually.
The phone screen lit up, revealing the succubus's exquisitely beautiful face.
The succubus looked wary. "The aura of that house was truly disgusting -- I didn't even dare to probe my Spiritual Sense inside."
Daniel replied, "Kayako is still very powerful. It's no surprise you weren't a match. How have things been with those two women lately?"
Chris instantly slipped back into a professional demeanor, fingers scanning rapidly across the screen.
"Rachel is already on standby with the film crew. As for Anne, she's recently received several scripts with explicit scenes, but she's rejected them all without hesitation."
Daniel laughed. "She's got Hancock and The Devil Wears Prada now. Why bother with those cheesy explicit scripts?"
"Master, the messages from Amanda and Jessica have also increased lately." Chris said, "Since the promotion for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants wrapped, Amanda has been turning down all script offers. She's been waiting for your opinion."
Daniel raised an eyebrow and smiled. "She's definitely patient."
Chris clicked through more info. "It's the same with Jessica. Fantastic Four has made her incredibly popular. But she feels the commercial roles coming her way are too shallow. Besides showing off her body, they have no depth. She wants to hear what you think."
*****
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