WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 57: Yurim Hotel Exorcism Ritual (4)

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Once, when Pastor Kim explained exorcism methods, he said there were three kinds.

“The first is the intimidation method. Ghosts and goblins all have things they hate, you see? Prayer verses, talismans written in dog blood, things like that.”

I think he had called it Fun Exorcism Stories for Kids who Got Bored During Sermons, but it really did not sound like something he should have been telling children.

“The second is the fire method. Since ancient times, fire has been said to possess a strong yang energy that drives away yin energy. That’s why rituals that purify with fire have always existed.”

“So setting it on fire fixes it?”

“For minor ghosts, usually. Your suggestion to blow up the haunted residence of a Chief State Councillor with artillery was actually pretty good.”

He had said something completely insane, but apparently it was more effective than I thought.

Most minor ghosts could be dealt with using missiles.

I had not known why Pastor Kim had experience firing missiles at the time.

“But the intimidation method and fire method do not always work. They can be difficult to prepare, and you will not always have the right response or enough firepower.”

That was why exorcism history had passed down its most orthodox and reliable method.

“This.”

Pastor Kim showed me his clenched fist.

“A fist?”

“Up close, it is a fist. From afar, it is physical force. If you cannot drive away monsters and evil spirits with the power of words, the most universal method is called the beating rite.”

Thinking back on it now.

It might have been Pastor Kim’s early education for me.

* * *

Thud!

The man’s head snapped to the side from my punch.

“Y-Yohan?”

“Gari Bodhisattva?!”

Pastor Go and Taoist Cheongmyeong spoke in startled voices.

I did not stop.

Just as Pastor Kim had once taught me.

I sprinkled holy water over my fists.

Once, Pastor Kim had slipped knuckle guards onto my hands and made me read what was written on them.

Romans 16:20 and Mark 1:25 were engraved across each knuckle.

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet!”

Romans 16:20.

“Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’”

Mark 1:25.

“Now, this is a fist! The right hand is justice! The left hand is judgment!”

Thud! Wham! Thud! Wham!

I beat the demon-possessed man.

I beat him and beat him and beat the hell out of him. Pastor Kim had told me to hit them only enough that they would not die, but I had no idea how much beating it took to kill a person.

Ah, whatever! He was possessed by a demon, so he had to be tougher!

Thud! Wham! Wham! Wham!

I had no idea how long I beat him.

Two people grabbed my arm as I kept pounding him hard enough to make the reddish water in the bath splash around.

“Yohan! Stop hitting him!”

“H-He’ll die at this rate!”

“Huff! Hah! Huff!”

I only managed to pull away after the two of them practically dragged me back.

“Sis! Drag that over here!”

【Po!】

Eight-Foot Sister dragged over the man, who had been beaten unconscious and fallen into the bath.

The naked man’s body was fully exposed, but that was not important right now.

“His base is still human, so he passes out when you beat him.”

“Right. A demon possessed him, but his body itself has not changed.”

Pastor Go hurriedly began tying the man up.

“Taoist Cheongmyeong, take out any talismans or protective straw ropes or whatever you have.”

“Ah, y-yes!”

Taoist Cheongmyeong took out a protective straw rope.

Pastor Go sprinkled my holy water over the thick straw rope and consecrated it.

Then he tied the man to the handle attached to the high-pressure bath in the sauna, removed the rosary from around his neck, and placed it on the man’s chest.

“Phew... This buys us some time, at least.”

“Won’t the demon try to escape?”

“As long as it possesses a human body, it cannot physically exceed human limits. This is not the demon’s true form.”

“So it’s different from Decarabia.”

Decarabia, one of the seventy-two demons, had been summoned by magicians in its true form.

Unlike that grotesque monster shaped like a pentagram, this demon had possessed the form of a fairly normal person.

“For a demon to descend in an incarnate form is, simply put, close to suicide. Even if it has a spirit body, it stands out too much. Usually, it gets expelled quickly.”

Come to think of it, the Decarabia that had descended was a spirit body with physical substance, like Gari.

If something like that wandered around, it would be spotted immediately even with just a wanted notice.

Until now, demons had not had much to worry about since their souls returned to Hell even if they were expelled, but Gari and I had changed the situation.

“Transcendent beings like angels and demons face enormous restrictions when descending into this world. Possessing a human body, like in this case, is the most common method. My guess is that Angel Gari is not the true body either.”

That seemed right.

The glimpse I had caught of Gari in my dream had looked different somehow.

“This has become troublesome. If it had appeared in an incarnate body, we could simply destroy it and eat it. But if it is in human form...”

“Because we can’t just kill him.”

“Th-Then can’t we kill him?”

Taoist Cheongmyeong said that.

“I-If the demon succeeds in possessing him like this, won’t that be a disaster? If we kill him now, the demon’s possession will fail, right?”

“...That is not wrong. What do you think, Yohan? Do you think killing this person is the right thing to do?”

“...Um, this might sound irresponsible.”

When I thought about what Taoist Cheongmyeong had said, it did not seem wrong.

Considering the disaster that would happen if the demon successfully descended, ending it with one person’s sacrifice would be the safest and most rational choice.

“I want to do everything I can.”

That was all I could say.

It might have been irresponsible, but I felt like I had to.

“We will begin the exorcism ritual. Take out the Bible. I will lead it.”

We quickly began preparing for the exorcism.

We formed a barrier by pouring holy oil in a circle around the protective straw rope that bound him like handcuffs.

“Salt is the standard for an exorcism ritual, but your holy oil should have a similar effect. The point is to block any exit the evil spirit could use.”

“I’ve poured all the holy oil. What’s next?”

“Tie his legs too. If the demon harms itself, the innocent possessed person will be hurt.”

We bound his feet tightly too. Then Pastor Go dabbed holy water onto his fingers and recited a prayer.

“Lord God, merciful One who grants peaceful rest to our souls. Give us the strength to overcome hardship, guide our path, and protect us from the enemy’s iron chariots.”

Around then, the man spoke.

“W-Who are you?”

He sounded like a man asking us what was going on.

If not for the stench, his innocent tone might have genuinely fooled me.

“Do not be deceived. It is the demon’s lie.”

“A demon? I’m Oh Taek-min! I live in Junggye Jugong Apartment Complex 5 in Nowon-gu, Seoul! My parents! My parents will be looking for me!”

“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command you, demon, leave that body at once!”

Pastor Go shouted at the bound man while sprinkling holy water.

Nothing happened.

His shout only echoed emptily through the bathhouse.

“P-Please... I think there has been some misunderstanding. Please untie me.”

His slumped shoulders. His wet eyes. His pleading voice.

He looked like an ordinary victim to anyone. If I had not known the truth, I would have pitied him as an innocent casualty.

“Th-That... works, does it?”

“Heh!”

The man smiled.

The harmless innocence of the young man from moments ago was gone, replaced by a sly, twisted grin.

“It doesn’t work on you. It usually works on other people.”

“Other people?”

“Family. People around him. You could hope for someone to call the police.”

Exorcists performing an exorcism ritual were certain that demons existed.

They might fear demons, but they would not mistake one for a person and stop the ritual.

But the possessed person’s parents or children, or police officers who arrived after receiving a report of a disturbance, would fall for that crafty act.

The demon had stopped pretending because there was no outsider nearby who could be fooled.

“Yohan, do not speak with the demon. Talking to those with serpent tongues will only shake you.”

“Yes...”

The man chuckled.

“Three years, perhaps. Since I settled in this dragon node... I have starved for quite a long time.”

Crack! Crack!

The bound man's arm twisted unnaturally.

I ordered Eight-Foot Sister to pin him down.

Eight-Foot Sister pressed the man down with Benkei’s Iron Staff.

Only enough to keep him from moving, restraining him with the staff that subdued demons.

“I ate cockroaches, and I ate spiders. Rats were a fine source of protein! A human body needs to keep eating!”

The whites of the man’s eyes turned black.

He no longer seemed to have any intention of hiding himself.

“Wicked spirit! Shut your mouth! In the name of He who commands the authority and spirits of heaven and earth, I say this! Shut your mouth!”

Sssssss!

“P-Pastor Go! The rosary!”

The rosary placed on the man began glowing red.

The metal was heating up until it looked ready to melt.

Smoke rose from the man’s skin as well, but the demon paid it no mind and shouted.

“Why do you think I stayed buried here for years? I gathered strength!”

“Wicked spirit! Speak your name! Truly, truly I tell you, you shall not harm that innocent lamb!”

“This weak body does not concern me! I deliberately did not take a body, gathering the energy of the dragon vein and waiting for the right moment!”

Crash!

Crash! Craaash!

Every mirror in the bathhouse shattered at once.

The filled baths erupted as if bombs had gone off, spraying bloody water, rat bones, and other filth everywhere.

“U-Uaaaaah!”

“Yohan! Yohan...! The rosary...!”

“You want my name? Then I shall tell you. My name is Martim! I am Martim, ruler of space!”

“...!”

The demon revealed its own name.

At that instant, Pastor Go hurriedly shouted.

“Martim! Leave that body at once...!”

“Solomon. I have been waiting for you.”

“...!”

It was the same sensation as when we had first been dragged into the sauna.

The floating feeling of my body hanging in midair.

When I came to my senses, I was underwater.

Mmph! Mmph!

Did I fall into a bath?

When?

No, more than that, it was impossibly deep for a sauna bath.

As if I had been swallowed by the sea.

Hot.

The water was hot enough to peel my skin away. It made me realize I was in the middle of a bath... no, a hot spring.

All around me was a Red Sea stained crimson, a dark ocean without a single speck of light.

The demon of space...!

Right, that bastard. He had called himself Martim.

Martim, the eighteenth of Goetia’s seventy-two demons.

Also called Bathin, his authority was a leap beyond space.

It was said to be magical power that let contractors leap through space, but it seemed it could also move a third party into another space like this.

It must have used that magic to pull us from in front of the sauna inside.

Dangerous.

This was really dangerous.

Where was Gari? Where was Gari now? Was I alone here? What about Eight-Foot Sister? Pastor Go?

I was running out of breath.

The heat of the spring water felt like it was burning my skin.

I had to do something.

Anything.

I pulled out all the holy water and holy oil I had.

I opened the caps, scattered them around me, and prayed.

“Amen!”

───────

Nothing changed.

Nothing changed at all.

What could a few bottles of water possibly change when poured into an ocean?

A wave of heat rolled in and swept over me as if mocking me.

The harsh roar of the current sounded like loud, cackling laughter.

Regret rushed over me.

I remembered what Taoist Cheongmyeong had said.

Should we not have just killed the man and stopped the disaster?

Should I have? I should have.

Forget a crisis for the world. I was about to die right now, so there was no need to take this risk.

“Yohan, what do you think? Do you think killing this person is the right thing to do?”

I had given an irresponsible answer.

I had said I simply wanted to do everything I could.

This was the result.

I would either drown or burn to death in spring water hot enough to scorch my skin.

“...”

Why had I made that choice?

I must have arrogantly believed that Gari or Eight-Foot Sister would protect me, at least.

Until now, I had safely and easily defeated evil without much danger.

I had been arrogant enough to think this time would be the same.

If I went back... if I could return to that moment, would I make a different choice?

“Yohan. Christians... no, religious people must live differently. They must live in a way that sets them apart from people who do not believe in God. That is how they become an example and live without shame.”

All of a sudden, I remembered Pastor Kim saying that.

It had probably been somewhere we were volunteering.

“Do you have to live a life of sacrifice if you believe in Jesus?”

“No, it is a little different. More than sacrifice...”

Pastor Kim scratched his cheek as if embarrassed, then smiled.

“It is love. Live a life where you love someone.”

We could have easily expelled the demon with the man’s life.

We could have ruined its possession and its plan.

But that would have meant losing to the demon.

We would have given up love for something more comfortable and easier.

I could not do that.

At least, I could not.

Whether I wanted it or not, I had been saved by an angel, and I was one anointed by the Throne.

The moment I realized it, I smelled something even underwater.

A dignified, refreshing scent that cut through the sour, fishy stench.

The dragon node.

I swam toward the source of that scent.

I took out the replica of Helena’s Holy Nail from my pocket.

I drove the nail into the spot I had located by instinct, striking it with my fist.

Thump!

The suddenly fierce current tore at my flesh.

Even as the heat felt like it would melt my eyelids, I brought my fist down again.

Thump!

Rats and spiders bit me in the crimson water.

They could not stop me.

Thump!

Finally.

Beneath the black mud.

A massive vein appeared, faint red light leaking out from it.

The dragon node.

It was like the spine of a dragon running through the earth, stretching endlessly along a red mineral vein.

I declare this place.

“This is my Father’s dwelling, and therefore a most holy sanctuary!”

Declaration of the Holy Realm.

At that moment, a pillar of light pierced the heat of the deep sea and rose toward the sky.

* * *

A pillar of rising light.

As if answering the pillar that climbed to the edge of the darkness beyond the sea of stars, pillars of light rose from two other places.

The three pillars, forming a perfect triangle, rose at the same time, and the clouds began to part.

【......】

Within the splitting clouds, it too revealed itself.

God’s chariot.

The King’s Throne.

Footnotes:

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