Chapter 216 – Schemes and Breaking the Deadlock
"An arrogant, delusional fool," the Native American evil spirit snarled.
At the same time, pitch-black green sludge began to seep from the cracks in the dungeon walls, flowing from all directions toward Gideon.
Gideon appeared not to notice. His tone remained calm.
"If I'm not mistaken, you already began interfering on a mental level the moment we entered the residential area."
"This ability isn't the usual illusion creation," he continued, searching for the right word.
Then realization struck.
"It alters human choices."
The moment he said this, the evil spirit fell silent.
"The change in how the two women addressed me, Judy's unusual initiative, even the tone of their voices…"
Gideon's eyes turned cold.
"I noticed it early on. But you sensed my caution. So when I tried to send Judy and the others back to the truck, you used the excuse that something might be hiding in the darkness—and guided Judy into rejecting the idea."
"That was clever. If you'd used any other reason, I might have noticed immediately."
The evil spirit snorted.
Gideon continued, unhurried.
"But unfortunately, you were too eager. You tried to bait me with saintly remains to provoke greed, then used children to give me a convenient excuse to compromise."
"Heh. True," the evil spirit mocked. "I overestimated your moral restraint."
"Hmph. Such a clumsy trick—any criminal with half a brain could see through it," Gideon shot back.
"Slave of the Church!"
In this contest of who broke composure first, Gideon clearly won.
He pressed on.
"Here's some advice for next time. Saintly remains contain pure holy power—they naturally repel evil. Any sane evil spirit would never allow something like that nearby."
"Of course," he added lightly, "perhaps evil spirits don't possess what humans would call a brain."
His words were openly provocative.
The evil spirit slammed violently against the iron bars, warping them with brute force.
Gideon, however, remained expressionless.
From the moment he agreed to enter the house, he had been making a series of decisions—
Do I proceed? Yes or no?
And every single time, he chose yes.
That alone was wrong.
Under normal circumstances, Gideon would never have accepted Leonard's invitation—
let alone entered a cellar, a location practically synonymous with disaster.
He didn't know when the influence began.
But that only proved one thing:
The evil spirit before him was extremely dangerous.
Even now—
The spirit pretended to lose control, deliberately drawing Gideon's attention.
Yet the corrosive sludge had already crept silently to their feet.
Gideon placed a holy statue on the ground—his last remaining one.
The next instant—
Buzz!
Multiple barriers glowing with white light sprang into existence, enclosing Gideon and the others.
Clarity flooded his mind.
The anxiety and agitation that had plagued him vanished instantly.
"So a thirty-year holy artifact can block this kind of mental interference," Gideon thought.
Along the way, he had rarely used high-grade holy items—
clearly another consequence of the spirit's influence.
At the same time, the sludge surged forward.
Hiss—hiss—
The collision of forces released thick white vapor, rapidly filling the corridor.
Then the people on the ground began to stir.
"No—don't come closer!"
Judy's eyes were wide with terror, her forehead drenched in sweat.
The others looked no better.
"Gideon!"
Spotting him, Judy scrambled over and pulled out a crucifix from her pocket.
"Earlier… I only glanced at that thing once, and everything around me changed."
Her voice trembled.
"They were locked in cages, treated like livestock… and it felt like all of it was our sin—"
Gideon cut her off.
"Maybe they suffered greatly. But right now, that thing is trying to kill us."
He placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Don't let the enemy cloud your judgment."
"…Okay." Judy nodded hard, her gaze gradually settling.
Lynn stepped forward as well.
"Father Gideon… I'm sorry. I—"
Gideon waved his hand.
"This isn't the time for apologies. We need to figure out how to get out of here."
Lynn froze.
She had already prepared herself to be harshly scolded—
even to stay behind alone and buy time for the others.
Her nose stung unexpectedly, and she quickly lowered her head.
After blinking a few times, she spoke again.
"Do you have any ideas?"
Gideon rubbed his chin.
From the entrance of the villa to the cellar, the evil spirit had countless opportunities to strike.
Yet it never directly harmed them—instead, it kept setting traps and luring them step by step.
That earlier "rescue the children" performance looked very much like a ritual meant to lift some kind of seal.
So Gideon concluded that the evil spirit could not escape on its own.
It needed someone else to解除 the seal for it.
And that person had to belong to the Church—
even more specifically, a certified clergyman.
That explained everything.
After the truth was exposed, the evil spirit still allowed Gideon to speak at length.
It, too, was stalling for time.
The totemic symbols on Leonard's body could tightly restrain his soul—and even allow possession.
Yet the evil spirit never used that ability against Gideon.
There were only two possible reasons:
First, it believed such a method unnecessary.
Second—and more likely—possession could not truly break the seal.
Otherwise, with so many families having lived in this house over the years, the evil spirit would have escaped long ago.
Once he understood this, Gideon had a plan.
"In a moment, I'll go first," he said in a low voice, handing out several high-grade holy artifacts.
"You stay behind and cover the retreat."
"…Okay—wait, WHAT?!"
Lynn stared at him, convinced she'd misheard.
In a situation like this, shouldn't it be I'll cover you, you go first?
But Judy knew Gideon would never act without reason. She nodded calmly.
"Alright. I'll protect them."
Gideon nodded. Then, as if remembering something, he beckoned Judy closer.
The two whispered for a moment.
Then Gideon straightened and looked toward the corridor entrance.
Boom!
Cracks spread beneath his feet as he launched himself forward like a cannonball.
"F–Father!"
The Lutz couple froze, stunned that the priest had apparently abandoned them.
The next moment, the dark green sludge surged after him.
Before leaving, the evil spirit glanced coldly at those left behind.
After a snort of disdain, it pursued Gideon.
---
Gideon frowned as he stared down the seemingly endless corridor.
The cellar should not have been this large.
He immediately closed his eyes.
Earlier, he had placed multiple holy statues throughout the villa.
As long as he could sense their holy energy, he could determine direction.
"Found it!"
His eyes lit up as he smashed through a wall with a punch—
Only for dense white maggots to pour out.
Gideon dodged instantly.
Behind the wall lay a damp, rotting cave.
"…Has my perception been interfered with as well?" he thought grimly.
There was no time to dwell on it—the evil spirit was already close.
He fled again.
---
Elsewhere.
"What… what should we do?"
Kathy clutched her children, panic written all over her face.
"That guy ran off, but the evil spirit chased him," George said, picking up a stick and stepping forward.
"At least this area should be safe for now."
He was the only adult man present—he had no choice but to stand guard.
But Judy spoke up calmly.
"No, Mr. George. Right now, we have a very serious safety risk."
"…What? Where?" George asked, scanning the surroundings.
Before he could react, Lynn suddenly tackled him to the ground and bound his hands with rope.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" George shouted.
Judy explained, "Your mind was previously affected by the evil spirit. It may have left something behind."
"That makes you the most dangerous one here."
George: ???
---
Gideon had changed directions countless times.
Every time he thought he had located a holy statue, the result was another false scene.
A troubling thought surfaced.
Am I still under mental interference?
He glanced at himself—thirty-year holy artifacts hung all over his body.
And his mind felt steady, not anxious.
"No… perhaps this is exactly what it wants me to think," Gideon realized sharply.
Once he doubted himself, he'd fall into a mental loop—
even begin questioning whether escape was possible at all.
That would truly trap him here.
He shook his head, restoring his resolve.
"If it truly had the power to break the seal, it wouldn't need to play this chasing game."
Gideon stopped running.
Seconds later, a distorted soul form appeared.
Its agonized wail alone could drag an ordinary person into a mental nightmare.
But with abundant holy artifacts and the mental fortitude granted by Sacred Doctrine Study, Gideon remained unaffected.
"Oh? Have you decided to give up?" the Native American evil spirit rasped mockingly.
"Many before you made the same choice."
Gideon didn't answer. He studied it carefully.
Then his eyes lit up.
"A faint yellow-green aura… the Sin of Deception," he thought.
"What is it lying about?"
His gaze sharpened.
The answer came instantly.
"The holy statues."
Every time he approached one, the path became blocked or corrupted—
yet other routes remained unobstructed.
Combined with the altered terrain, the false walls, and the early mental interference—
Gideon realized the truth.
"This thing is likely an earthbound spirit."
That explained its ability to warp terrain within its domain.
To confirm it, Gideon closed his eyes again, locked onto a statue's aura—and charged.
"Pointless struggle," the evil spirit sneered, chasing after him.
Soon, Gideon reached another wall.
With a thunderous crash, it burst open—
white maggots flooded out, along with over a dozen dead spirits trying to encircle him.
A dead end.
This time, Gideon didn't dodge.
He splashed holy water, incinerating the charging spirits.
The maggots, however, were unaffected.
"So these insects aren't manifestations of evil energy," he muttered.
Without hesitation, he rushed straight through them.
Moments later, the evil spirit arrived.
"You've cornered yourself," it hissed.
Sludge surged from all sides.
"Oh? Why are you suddenly using so many tricks now?"
Gideon smiled.
"Could it be… I guessed right?"
"Arrogant fool—die!"
Before it could act, Gideon turned and punched forward with full force.
The wall shattered like paper.
A wave of pure holy power surged outward.
He was back in the living room.
A radiant corridor of holy light formed from the entrance to this point.
The evil spirit howled, warping the terrain—
the floor became a pool, corrosive liquid surging upward.
The two forces locked in stalemate.
"Don't forget," the evil spirit sneered,
"your companions are still down there."
"You think I didn't see through your 'bait'?" it continued.
"That man has lived in this house for a long time."
Gideon shrugged.
"Of course you saw through it. Otherwise, why would my companions still be unharmed?"
"As for Mr. George… you're welcome to try."
The evil spirit felt sudden unease.
It activated a hidden method.
---
In the cellar—
George's expression suddenly changed. His eyes turned cold.
Then he froze.
Figures sat calmly before him.
"He's changed!"
"Oh, my George—"
"Don't worry. He can't do anything."
Confusion flashed across George's eyes.
He looked down—his limbs were tightly bound, talismans affixed to the ropes.
No matter how he struggled, even empowered by evil energy, he couldn't break free.
A girl stepped forward, holding a glass bottle.
"Mr. George," Judy smiled sweetly.
"You must be thirsty."
"DAMN THAT PRIEST!"
---
In the living room, Gideon knew instantly—Judy had succeeded.
He raised his cross and silently recited sacred doctrine.
A beam of holy light erupted from the statue, plunging downward and carving out a narrow passage.
He had deliberately chosen the formation's position earlier—
the cellar had merely prevented activation.
Now, the statues resonated.
Moments later, figures emerged from the stairwell.
"Gideon!"
Judy ran to him excitedly.
"When it tried to possess Mr. George, I chased it out!"
George lowered his head, embarrassed.
Gideon smiled.
"I'm proud of you."
Together, they followed the holy path out of the villa.
Behind them, the evil spirit could only curse.
---
Golden light streaked across the horizon.
Warm sunlight bathed the treetops, banishing the night's chill.
They reached the road where the car was parked—some distance from the villa.
Only now did Gideon understand why the spirit had prevented them from returning earlier.
A boundary of evil energy cut across the road, enclosing several villas.
The car lay just outside it.
The evil spirit emerged but could not cross.
It could only glare.
"Let's leave," Lynn said shakily.
"Not yet," Gideon replied, pointing at the spirit.
"We're taking the spoils."
Everyone froze.
"Hand over the evil energy you're carrying," Gideon said calmly,
"and I'll cleanse you."
Silence fell.
---