Soren stared at the quest objective—"completely kill"—and his brows drew tight.
Valak wasn't like the ancient Creeper or Yutun.
Right now it was only a consciousness projection riding a human body. Its true form was still rotting in Hell.
If he wanted the system to count it as a full kill, he had to drag the real demon out and finish it.
Just exorcising the projection wouldn't cut it.
He glanced sideways at Constantine.
Setting up a proper summoning circle meant convincing the old chain-smoker. And just to be safe, he'd need a backup plan in case things went sideways.
If this worked, he'd finally have enough points to unlock Alastor.
…
"This is insane!"
The car screeched to a stop on the shoulder of the road.
Constantine's hand shook so hard the cigarette nearly fell from his lips. He stared at Soren like the kid had lost his mind.
"Valak is one of the seventy-two pillars of Solomon! You seriously want to draw a summoning circle and yank its true body into our world?!"
Constantine's voice cracked with panic.
Soren gave him a calm look. He knew exactly why the exorcist was freaking out.
Years ago Constantine had tried the same trick to save a little girl. The ritual spiraled out of control, the demon he summoned dragged the child screaming into Hell, and the guilt had haunted him ever since.
"Relax, Constantine," Soren said evenly. "Times have changed. We're not helpless."
"What the hell can the two of us even do?!"
"I already called Papa Midnight."
Soren stayed ice-cool. "The barrier between worlds is cracked, but the old contract between Heaven and Hell still stands. For Valak to break the rules and fully descend, it'll have to pay a massive price to fight the contract."
"The second it steps into our world, it'll be at its weakest. We hit it with your suppression array and I'll end it in one shot."
Constantine blinked. "You beat the shit out of Papa Midnight last time. You're not worried he'll sabotage the ritual and sell you out?"
"He's a pure businessman. He only cares about profit. Besides…" Soren smirked. "I've got you watching my back."
The car fell quiet.
Constantine gripped the wheel, cigarette smoke curling out the open window.
Cold wind whipped through. In his head he replayed the memory of Soren one-shotting a demon and stomping Papa Midnight into the dirt.
He had to admit it—the kid really did have the firepower.
Constantine took a long drag and asked quietly, "Why are you so dead set on killing it? Wouldn't exorcising it be enough?"
Seeing the fight had gone out of him, Soren smiled faintly.
"After this is done, I'll owe you one."
…
Next door.
The entire Hudson family was crammed into the neighbor's living room. None of them dared set foot back in their own house.
It was broad daylight outside, sun shining, but inside it felt like the middle of winter.
Twelve-year-old Janet Hudson—the demon's main target—lay pale and trembling in Lorraine Warren's arms.
As a seasoned medium, Lorraine could feel the little girl's terror radiating off her in waves.
"When is the Church team getting here?" Peggy Hudson asked, eyes red and puffy. "Can they actually fix this?"
As a single mom raising five kids, the past few days of nonstop hauntings had pushed her right to the edge of a breakdown.
"Don't worry," Lorraine soothed, gently stroking Janet's hair. "The Vatican is sending one of their top exorcists. He's handled cases far worse than this. He'll end it."
Right on cue, tires crunched on gravel outside.
Soren and Constantine stepped out. The pack of reporters camped on the street swarmed like sharks smelling blood, cameras flashing.
Every lens locked onto Constantine.
The guy in the dark-red coat with the white streak in his hair might as well have been invisible.
Once Constantine finished barking at the press, the Warrens came out to greet them.
Ed Warren's gaze lingered on Soren for a second. The kid's outfit was… unconventional. He didn't remember any young, flashy exorcists on the Vatican roster.
Soren ignored the stares. His mind was locked on one thing: drag Valak out and put it down for good.
"You go inside and get the full picture," he told Constantine. "I'll wait out here for Papa Midnight."
Constantine nodded and followed the Warrens into the neighbor's house.
A few minutes later a black Mercedes rolled up. Papa Midnight stepped out in a sharp suit, keeping a careful distance from Soren. Wariness flickered in his eyes.
"Five million, as agreed. This is life-or-death work."
"Money's not a problem. You bring the materials?"
Papa Midnight nodded and patted the trunk.
Constantine came back out with the Hudson family and the Warrens trailing behind.
Soren gave them a short nod. "Everybody inside."
Ed Warren stepped forward. "We'd like to come too. We might be able to help."
"Stay out here," Soren said flatly. "Keep the neighbors and reporters back. We don't need any casualties."
The Warrens hesitated, looking to Constantine.
He gave them a tight nod.
The second they pushed open the Hudson front door, a wave of icy malice washed over Soren.
His eyes flared crimson. In his vision the whole house was choked with thick black mist, all of it flowing toward a single room upstairs.
He looked straight at it.
If memory served, that was the bedroom covered in crosses in the original story—the spot Valak had chosen as its anchor.
Soren told Papa Midnight and Constantine to head upstairs and start drawing the array. He stayed downstairs with Janet to make sure the demon didn't try anything cute.
Over an hour later.
Soren led the trembling girl up the stairs and into the room.
The air smelled foul—like piss mixed with something metallic. He didn't even want to know what materials Papa Midnight had brought.
Every inch of floor, walls, and ceiling was covered in intricate runes.
A massive, layered summoning circle dominated the center of the room.
All the cheap wooden crosses on the walls had been swapped for pure silver ones.
The three men gently placed the shaking Janet in the middle of the array.
"Don't be scared," Soren told her softly. "Just stay still for a minute or two and it'll be over."
The instant she stepped fully inside the circle, Janet's head dropped like a broken puppet.
When she lifted it again, her face was iron-gray, pupils vertical and glowing yellow. Her mouth stretched into an unnatural, venomous grin as she stared at the three men.
Soren thought, Valak commands snakes. Guess the rumors weren't bullshit.
Constantine saw the demon had taken full control. He pulled out an old Bible and a cross soaked in holy water, then began chanting the exorcism rite in Latin.
The ancient words echoed through the room.
Janet let out a scream that wasn't human.
She clutched her head, rolling across the floor in agony.
"No! No!" she wailed one second.
The next her face twisted with pure hatred. "Damn exorcists!"
As the chant grew faster and more forceful, Constantine stepped forward and slammed the silver cross against her forehead.
"In the name of the Lord—be gone!"
Hiss!
White smoke rose from the girl's skin. A black shadow was violently ripped out of her body.
A demonic nun in tattered habit stood in the air—face like a corpse, empty eye sockets glowing with sickly yellow light.
The instant the spirit fully manifested, Soren raised his right hand.
A massive purple ghost hand appeared, snatched Janet off the floor, and hurled her out of the room.
"NOW!" he snarled.