Chapter 23: Mary Shaw Breaks Down
The stereo was something Gideon Black had picked up from a defunct store.
Playing church hymns during exorcisms could exert a suppressive effect on evil spirits—though only select sacred compositions had such power.
This time, Gideon wasn't aiming for purification.
He was trying to provoke Mary Shaw.
He twisted the volume knob, turning it up a few notches.
"You sure this'll bait her?" Huang Ren gripped his club tightly, eyes scanning the surroundings.
"We're being so brazen—no way she doesn't take the bait."
Gideon nodded, then gave another order: "Go hide behind that pillar. Once she shows up, run to our agreed rendezvous point."
Huang Ren gave a curt nod and ducked behind a nearby column.
Moments later, black mist began to pour into the theater, and Mary Shaw materialized in its wake.
Her gaze instantly fell on the stereo.
Without hesitation, she hurled a chair toward it.
But just half a meter from impact, the chair abruptly dropped mid-air.
She spotted a protective charm resting atop the stereo—identical to the one she'd seen on the old iron bridge.
"A troubled soul who can't even find calm in music?" a voice quipped from the shadows.
Mary Shaw turned to see a black-robed priest.
Her expression contorted. "You're the one who defiled my theater!"
"Guilty as charged. Just added a few bricks," Gideon replied, unbothered.
He was adorned with five crosses on his chest, and more strapped to his wrists and ankles. The soft clinking of metal echoed with each step he took.
"You deserve to die!"
In an instant, Mary Shaw blinked in front of him, clawing toward his throat.
But her hand collided with an invisible barrier.
"So it was you last night too!" she hissed, teeth gnashing.
"Indeed," Gideon said with a calm smile.
"You filthy servant of the Church... chained slave of sanctity..."
She spewed insults through gritted teeth.
Unfazed, Gideon interrupted, "By the way, where are my companions?"
Seeing Mary Shaw unscathed, he figured that Luen and the others had likely failed.
Still, they were exorcists from the church. They should've had something to protect them.
Mary Shaw grinned grotesquely. "I've turned them into puppets. Gifted them with eternal life."
Gideon wasn't buying it. "You sure about that? Because if not, I'll dismantle your child."
With that, he pulled out a puppet—Billy.
Billy was now strapped with various holy relics, just like Gideon.
Then he took out a screwdriver and aimed it at the puppet's eye.
"No—!"
Mary Shaw panicked.
She had lost contact with Billy the previous night and assumed he had been destroyed.
"Give him to me!"
She restrained her murderous intent.
"Sure, I can give him back," Gideon said casually. "But where are my friends?"
He slowly inserted the screwdriver into Billy's eye.
"STOP!"
Unable to remain calm, Mary Shaw finally caved. Puppets were everything to her—they were her pride, her soul, her tether to existence.
"They're in the basement. First level, modification room."
Gideon tossed Billy toward her.
She caught him—and frowned.
"You actually believed me?"
Though she had told the truth, she was still surprised by his trust. If he was truly that naïve, she wouldn't mind exploiting that.
"Of course not," Gideon replied with a chuckle.
"But I also made a few tweaks to your other puppets. Lie to me, and I'll burn every last one."
Mary Shaw froze.
She had checked them while repairing—nothing seemed out of place.
But considering how many times she'd been duped already...
"Damn it! I'm not lying! What did you do to my puppets?" she shouted, her voice laced with desperation.
Gideon smirked. "Is that how you ask someone a favor? Come closer and I'll tell you."
He gave a playful wave.
Mary Shaw was overcome by a feeling she hadn't felt in decades—humiliation.
But her puppets were her life. With great reluctance, she floated closer.
"SPEAK!" she roared.
"Right... now," Gideon said softly—and stepped back.
Mary Shaw blinked in confusion, just as a noise echoed above.
She looked up.
Whoosh!
A bucket of holy water splashed down, drenching her completely.
Sizzle... sizzle...
Mary Shaw let out an ear-piercing screech as the blessed liquid corroded her.
She flailed desperately, but the sacred water clung to her like a second skin.
Moments later, she and Billy were reduced to ash.
It was all part of Gideon's trap—set up during his last visit.
After entering Ravens Fair, his ability Holy Water Blessing had reached full charge.
It had evolved.
[Holy Water Blessing]
Current Level: Tier 1 (0/1000)
Ability Unlocked:
Devout's Grace – Holy water you create now holds a spiritual potency lasting 20 years, with heightened purifying power against evil.
He had tested its effectiveness back then—and the results were now evident.
Gideon made his way to the basement, where he quickly located the three captives.
But…
Mary Shaw had planned to turn them into puppets. This involved organ modification—so, naturally, they had been stripped.
When Olivia first saw Gideon, her stern face lit up with joy.
It was rare—she even had dimples when she smiled. For a moment, she looked... almost charming.
Then she noticed his gaze lingering.
Flushing, Olivia lowered her head.
She was strapped to a chair, exposed, with no privacy.
Sweaty from the struggle, her body had a faint sheen that was... distracting.
"Ah, uh..."
—
Half an hour later, the five of them emerged from the theater.
Luen and Jamie were clearly shaken but alive.
Olivia took a deep breath of fresh air.
Gideon, walking at the rear, had a fresh red handprint across his face.
"All I did was untie you. Contact was inevitable..." he muttered bitterly, glaring at Olivia's back.
Huang Ren, upon hearing the story, shouted in frustration—he'd missed everything because he'd been packing their gear.
As the group left, flames engulfed the theater behind them.
---
Gideon Black had already prepared an explanation for Mary Shaw's disappearance—
While she was distracted by the music, he mimicked Olivia's exorcism chant and, using the holy artifacts provided by her and Luen, severely wounded Mary Shaw. She vanished shortly after.
Naturally, Huang Ren didn't expose the truth—he already knew Gideon had his own methods.
"She might try to resurrect herself at the cemetery," Olivia suddenly realized. "The ritual you set up may not be enough to stop her."
But Gideon calmly told her, "The graveyard's already been dug up."
"That's… actually the safest move."
Everyone was stunned. That was ruthless.
Not even the teachers at the Exorcism Academy would go so far as to desecrate a grave.
Then Gideon opened the trunk of the car.
"When I visited the manor, I found out Mr. Ashen had already been turned into a puppet… by this woman."
Inside lay Jamie's stepmother—Ella—tightly bound, with talisman-covered papers stuck all over her body. She glared at Gideon with hatred.
This man not only ambushed her, but also pasted damp holy papers all over her under the guise of an exorcism.
She wanted him dead.
Still, this severed the connection between Mary Shaw and Ella completely.
Nearby, Jamie stood frozen in shock after learning the truth about his father's fate.
Under pressure from Gideon, Ella confessed everything.
She had long held a grudge due to years of domestic abuse. In her anger, she colluded with Mary Shaw and helped turn Mr. Ashen into a puppet.
Jamie stood there, speechless for a while.
But on the way back, he slowly accepted the truth.
He also resolved to fulfill his father's final promise—to rebuild the church in Ravens Fair.
As for Ella, Luen and Olivia took her back to the diocese for custody.
Before leaving, Olivia thoroughly searched the town once more, but found no trace of Mary Shaw.
She could only leave a few holy artifacts for Henry and the others.
With all of Mary Shaw's hideouts destroyed, she could no longer remain in the human world for long.
The cold-faced but warm-hearted nun never learned the full truth.
As they parted, Olivia mentioned that the reward for the commission would arrive in a few days.
She also sincerely apologized for doubting Gideon in the beginning.
"If not for your careful planning," she said, "I might never have seen my family again."
Luen felt the same way.
This mission had changed both of them.
They realized that the traditional exorcist training they received had many flaws—such as recklessly confronting demons without proper defenses.
Both swore that after returning, they would follow Gideon's example—never again throwing themselves into danger so blindly.
Watching the two express their sincere admiration, Gideon had no idea...
They had already begun veering off the traditional exorcism path.
---
Once the others were gone, Gideon turned to Huang Ren.
"Come with me. We're going back to Ravens Fair."
Huang Ren looked confused. "Go back? Don't tell me Mary Shaw's still—?"
To his surprise, Gideon explained that he needed to erase all the traces of the rituals and holy objects he had set up in the town—just in case the Church sent people to investigate.
Huang Ren was stunned.
His understanding of Gideon deepened once again.
So, the two of them spent the next three days meticulously removing every remaining trace of exorcist presence from the area.
---
Meanwhile, in the western district of Philadelphia, two new visitors arrived.
"Emma, today we're visiting Aunt Bailey—your mother's old friend."
David Grossman spoke as he looked at his daughter.
A model white-collar gentleman, David was fit, handsome, and drew admiring glances from many young women as they passed.
His daughter, Emma Grossman, had inherited the best traits of both parents—a face like an angel's.
She carried herself with grace and warmth, the picture-perfect example of a well-raised child.
"Okay, Daddy. I'm looking forward to it," Emma said with a gentle smile—
as she kept her eyes coldly fixed on the women trying to flirt with her father until they turned the corner and disappeared.