In the church, black magical energy slowly seeped out from the cracks in the ground, then slithered up Kirei's neat black trousers like a venomous snake. The magic slowly tightened, causing the black trousers to wrinkle, clinging tightly to Kirei's muscles. Paired with the indifferent expression on the priest's face, it instead broke through his ascetic aura.
This black magical energy continued to move upwards, like one small arm after another, gripping Kirei's body firmly. At the same time, they pulled slightly outwards, as if wanting to tear his clothes apart. If some young girls who hadn't had a boyfriend in a long time were to see this scene, they would probably scream. After all, strictly speaking, Kirei was not bad-looking. Most importantly, his physique was excellent. A man who was good-looking and had an excellent physique was probably not only liked by some girls, but probably coveted by some boys as well.
[God said all beings are equal, therefore I too should be born. Kirei, let me be born.]
A thick malice entered his ears. No matter how clear or gentle this voice was, it couldn't change the fact that it sent a chill down one's spine. Evil was the only feeling; there was nothing else.
However, whether this was gentleness or evil, in the heart of this young priest, it seemed that neither positive nor negative could affect him. It was just that the fragments brought by this faint malice made him unconsciously curl his lips into a smile. Why did his heart seem to beat faster? What was the emotion contained within his chest?
It was as if his empty heart had received a bit of satisfaction. That's right, all beings are equal. It should be born! Since it had its own consciousness, it was also a life. Since he was a clergyman who served the Lord, he should treat a new life equally. He would wait until after it was born to pass divine punishment and judgment upon it.
Feeling the black magical energy on his body, Kirei took a deep breath, as if he had made some kind of decision. He slowly raised his arms. The magical energy that was tightly wrapped around him began to gradually seep into his body. The stirring emotions in his heart finally broke through a crack. Yes, that was right. He was a born monster...
I really want to see the form of the Flower of Evil blooming in the world of men.
For a moment, the entire church was stained with a hint of darkness. The statue of the Holy Mother in the center of the church shed black tears from the corners of its eyes. The holy windows made of stained glass shattered with a crash. The bells at the top of the church began to toll continuously.
The old priest resting in the back of the church tightened his grip on the cross in his hand and suddenly woke up from his dream. He had been in this land of the Far East for a long time, always supervising the Holy Grail War. But this did not mean that he had forgotten the knowledge he had learned in the church. This pure evil thought... either an evil spirit or a demon had been born, or something even purer. In any case, it was definitely a great enemy of their church. What kind of existence could actually be born in a church?
Old Father Risei picked up the cross in his hand, and even took out holy water from his storage. Step by step, he carefully came to the main hall of the church. Here, moonlight shone down. The shattered glass reflected a subtle light. The statue of the Holy Mother, illuminated by the moonlight, still had that appearance of weeping tears from the corners of its eyes. Those black tears completely defiled the holy face of this Holy Mother.
A dense aura of evil was still wandering in the church. This made the old priest's muscles tense. Although he was already old and not as strong as he was when he was young, he had not relaxed his vigilance. He had been training his body every day. Therefore, even if his physical functions had declined, he was definitely not an existence that could be easily defeated.
Applying the holy water to his fists, Risei slowly opened his hands. He seemed to see that in the dense darkness, someone seemed to be being entwined by pure malice.
"I announce—
I am the one who kills, and I am the one who gives life. I am the one who harms, and I am the one who heals. No one shall escape my hand. No one shall escape my sight.
Return to dust.
The defeated, the aged, be summoned by me. Entrust yourselves to me, learn from me, and be loyal to me.
I grant you rest. Do not forget to sing, do not forget to pray, do not forget my name. My body is light. I will release you from all the heavy sufferings of the world.
Cast off your disguise.
For forgiveness with vengeance, for trust with betrayal, for hope with despair, for light with darkness, for the things of this world with a dim death.
Rest is what I bring. Your sins shall be burned and branded upon you.
Eternal life can only be granted by death."
Risei began to call upon the Lord's miracle. The Holy Canticle was a form of magic unique to their church. To the believers of the church, they believed that magic was a heretical act, something that should not be learned. However, if the form was changed to the church's style of magic (that is, "miracles"), then it was allowed to be learned. That was the standardized simple ritual "Baptism Rite"—the greatest anti-spirit magic. This ritual, by using the universal foundation of "doctrine," could function anywhere in the world. It had absolutely no physical interference power like other magic that could shatter rocks with magical energy, but it would exert immense power on spiritual bodies. A spiritual body subjected to the Baptism Rite would, due to the Lord's teachings, be immediately sublimated and return to the "Throne" where it should be. This was the so-called exorcism.
Under the chant, the fists stained with holy water began to faintly emit a holy light. Next, he would exorcise with his fists. The moon moved in its orbit in the sky. Finally, through the broken glass window and the fragments on the ground, a part of the moonlight was projected into that darkness. The figure standing in the middle of the malice was finally revealed.
The chant in Risei's mouth came to an abrupt halt. He looked at the person standing in the middle of the malice with some disbelief. What a joke! Why is it my own beloved son, whom I am most proud of, who can be said to have mastered all the knowledge of the church, and whose faith in the Lord has not the slightest deviation?
Had Kirei's faith deviated? No, it had not. His faith in the Lord was still firm. With such a firm faith, he was still an excellent believer. When exorcising, he would also perfectly display the power belonging to the Lord. Kirei's faith had only been distorted in its understanding. Or rather, that correct ideal, under his true nature, had already become somewhat unrecognizable.
Kirei did not turn his head. After hearing his father's voice, he raised his hands. "Father... I am reminded of that day again. The thought I had at that time—was it because of my own pleasure, or was it the sorrow of wanting to kill the one I loved with my own hands? I have never been able to find the answer before."