Chapter 243: You Call This a Trade?
"Wizard Zor, please place the holy relics at the marked positions on this map."
Gideon handed over a folded sheet of paper as he spoke.
Zor unfolded it—and immediately recognized it.
"This is… the blueprint of the villa? Where did you get this?"
"That's not important. Miss Madison is still waiting to be rescued."
Naturally, Gideon couldn't very well admit he had stolen it from the police station.
"You're right. I'll go at once!"
Watching Zor hurry back into the villa, Gideon slowly turned his head.
"Miss Madison," he said with a faint smile, stepping into her line of sight, "given your despicable conduct, I have absolutely no obligation to save you."
"You're only still alive because these evil spirits remain useful."
"So before they're fully purified, I suggest you think carefully about what you're willing to offer in exchange for your life."
Madison's pupils flickered.
For the first time, an inexplicable fear rose in her heart toward the man standing before her.
---
Before long, Zor returned.
At the same time, Gideon felt the presence of the holy relics now positioned throughout the villa.
From this moment onward, this entire plot of land stood beneath the dominion of holy light.
After instructing Lainie and the others to wait outside, Zor hoisted Madison onto his back and followed Gideon down into the villa's cellar.
This was the place where the evil aura of the house was strongest.
The moment he stepped inside, the skin he wore began to stir restlessly.
Gideon raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps this time I can complete the reconstruction of the entire hand."
With that thought, he approached a wall.
Bang.
With a single strike, he blasted a breach straight through it.
Squinting, he waved away the dust.
Behind the broken wall lay a much larger hidden chamber.
The air was thick with the stench of age and rot. Dark red stains lingered across the floor.
If his guess was correct, this was where the Nazi doctor had once conducted human experiments.
Gideon stepped through the opening first.
Thanks to the holy relics arranged throughout the villa, he was already certain there was no immediate danger inside.
Zor followed close behind, curiosity written across his face.
The room had remained almost exactly as it had decades ago.
Hospital beds. Logbooks. Surgical instruments.
And in Gideon's ears echoed waves of anguished cries—the laments of wronged souls who had died here.
"This place… the resentment here is overwhelming," Zor muttered, swallowing hard. Sweat beaded across his forehead.
The evil aura in this chamber had clearly surpassed what he could endure.
"Wizard Zor, I'll take it from here," Gideon said with a polite smile. "Please wait outside the villa."
He had no desire for witnesses while he cultivated.
"Very well…"
Zor took out a small glass vial.
"This is a healing potion I prepared myself. It may prove useful…"
"Thank you," Gideon replied, accepting it calmly.
---
After Zor left, Gideon uncorked the bottle.
A distinct herbal fragrance immediately wafted out.
At the same time, his brows lifted slightly.
The liquid inside the glass vial actually contained a trace of Origin Force. Such a phenomenon usually appeared only in high-quality artifacts.
"Could this guy actually be a genius in healing?" Gideon mused inwardly.
After storing the potion away, he walked over to Madison.
The witch stared straight at him, clearly wanting to speak.
Gideon, however, acted as if he hadn't noticed. He casually turned her to face the wall and even draped a tattered old cloth over her head.
Unknown surroundings. Darkness. And a man with ill intent nearby.
Anyone placed in such a situation would feel despair.
Satisfied with this small indulgence of his darker humor, Gideon began exploring the hidden laboratory in earnest.
It didn't take long before his eyes lit up.
He found a larger chamber. In the center stood an old restraint bed, surrounded by a full array of experimental instruments.
But what truly caught his attention were the bloodstains on the floor and equipment—and even fragments of human remains.
This was clearly the doctor's primary "workspace."
And the evil aura here was the most concentrated in the entire villa.
Perfect for cultivating the skin.
After setting up a defensive formation, Gideon rolled up his sleeve without hesitation.
---
Meanwhile, where Madison lay—
Her skin suddenly bulged upward, forming five or six distorted faces of different shapes.
Spiritual fluctuations surged through the air.
Madison's heart tightened.
The evil spirits were trying to burst out of her body.
If she allowed it, half her body would be corroded instantly.
She forcibly mobilized the last of her magic, maintaining the balance of the sealing spell.
At the same time, her mind edged toward collapse.
That damned priest had thrown her here!
Compared to her panic, the spirits inside her were ecstatic.
Originally trapped within the witch—and facing a priest wielding high-grade holy relics—they had thought their existence was nearing its end.
But unexpectedly, that foolish priest had brought them to this laboratory.
This place was their domain.
Given enough time to absorb the evil energy here, they could completely break free from this woman.
And then—
The two humans would pay.
Yet as they drew upon spiritual power, they were stunned to discover something impossible.
The evil aura in the laboratory was rapidly diminishing.
How could that be?
Over a hundred people had been slaughtered here. Their souls had been so tormented that even the gates of Hell had refused to open for them.
The accumulated corruption should have been terrifying.
And yet—
It was disappearing.
---
At that very moment, Gideon had entered a critical phase.
Centered around him, the surrounding evil aura was drawn inward, forming a small vortex around his left hand.
Anyone unaware would have mistaken the scene for a cultist preparing a sacrificial ritual.
He channeled holy power into his left hand, clashing directly against the evil energy gathered there.
Gradually, threads of spiritual light extended outward, weaving into the skin inch by inch.
In his mind, he reconstructed the image of a left hand.
It was a hand he saw every day—more familiar than any other.
And now, he deconstructed it entirely.
In reality, the skin around his left hand grew firmer and more refined as the surrounding evil energy dwindled.
Suddenly, the skin turned pale and smooth.
He opened his eyes.
"Finally… the reconstruction of my left hand is complete."
He examined it curiously.
"…Is this really the skin from my backside? Why is it so pale?"
His mouth twitched slightly as he restored both areas to their proper positions.
"I thought I might manage a second reconstruction this time."
Looking at the now nearly drained chamber, he shook his head.
Fortunately, he had left some material unused.
---
Returning to Madison's room, Gideon removed the cloth from her head.
She shot him a sideways glare, long lashes trembling. Her eyes were red, tears slipping down her cheeks—a picture of grievance.
"Tears will only ruin your makeup," Gideon said calmly. "They won't save your life."
This woman was venomous at heart. Had she succeeded in scheming against him earlier, he doubted she would have shown mercy.
He felt no sympathy.
He turned to examine the other half of her body.
That side had withered, skin shriveled. Under the surface, numerous spirit forms writhed like stranded fish.
"Thank you for the hospitality," Gideon said lightly. "The evil aura here was quite abundant."
The spirits froze.
Madison's mouth opened, and a low male voice emerged.
"So… it was you."
"Are you Doris? Or Marcus?" Gideon asked.
Those were names listed among suspected deceased in the records.
"Who are you? How do you know that?"
"I also know some of you were used as experimental materials by that Nazi doctor—and died full of resentment."
"If you know that, you should release us—not strip us of our environment!" the spirit roared.
"Release you?" Gideon snorted.
"Yes, you were murdered. But since then, you've killed many innocents. For example, that mother and her two daughters."
"They summoned us with a spirit board to profit from it! They deserved death!"
"Spare me the righteous excuses," Gideon waved dismissively. "The mother only meant to modify the board to earn a living. You approached them first."
"Your past may evoke sympathy—but after you chose to fall further into corruption, you still expect release? Absurd."
The spirits shrieked in fury.
---
Elsewhere, in the Exorcist Guild Hall—
A practitioner pacing before the commission board glanced up.
The high screen flashed: Anonymous 947 — Resentment Value +800.
"That's a massive spike… must be a 'Dangerous'-level commission."
Even among "Primary Evil" cases, such a sudden surge was rare.
The hall buzzed briefly before attention shifted elsewhere.
---
Back in the cellar—
"What do you want?" the spirits hissed. "Do you expect us to spare this woman?"
"You're evenly matched in strength," Gideon said with faint disdain. "And you think that's a bargaining chip?"
"Then what do you want?!"
Gideon smiled.
"There's still plenty of evil energy within your spirit forms. I happen to be interested."
He raised his little finger.
"How about this—you release all that power, and I'll grant you a swift purification."
Silence.
Give up their power…
In exchange for being purified?
Even the spirits' expression through Madison's face twisted into something like: Are you joking?
"As humans, do you really think we'd agree to that?" they snarled.
"Even this woman betrayed her companions for cooperation."
Madison avoided Gideon's gaze.
"I only tried negotiating to save some effort," Gideon said calmly. "So that's a no?"
"Are all your priests as foolish as you?" the spirit sneered.
Gideon's pupils ignited with golden patterns.
With the second ring complete, he could now influence the surrounding spiritual aura.
He seized control of the residual evil within Madison, enveloping the spirits with it.
The spirits tried to break the witch's seal—
But suddenly, the evil aura they once thrived in felt alien.
They could no longer draw power from it.
Instead, it slowed them.
Madison's other half gradually stabilized.
"You're not from the Church!" the spirits shrieked.
Gideon ignored them.
He focused.
In his perception, each spirit's outline became clear—men, women, even the doctor himself.
"So even the Nazi doctor became experimental material in the end," Gideon thought.
He began isolating them one by one with holy power.
Extraction was delicate work.
He had to prevent backlash and avoid wasting energy.
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
In his pupils, a third golden ring rapidly etched itself.
---
Half an hour later—
"Exhale…"
Gideon smiled with satisfaction.
Madison's body now bulged with dozens of evenly spaced swellings—each containing a spirit.
Her conscious eye overflowed with terror.
"Don't worry," Gideon reassured gently. "You won't feel any pain. I'll ensure your safety."
To her, he looked nothing like a human.
He was a demon.
---
Gideon withdrew a sheet of paper.
"If you won't willingly offer your power, I'll have to extract it."
"You'll gain nothing from us!" the spirits spat.
He stroked his chin.
"Interesting."
He began reading from the records.
"Some remains were found in a pitch-black chamber. The victim's tongue and vocal cords had been removed. Lips sewn shut…"
Several spirit-filled swellings trembled violently.
"…Another corpse found with fragments of soft tissue in the brain belonging to a different individual. Quite inventive."
"Stop—!"
He continued.
"A body discovered preserved in frost, alcohol, and honey. A cross embedded in the heart, inscribed with strange runes…"
"Enough!"
Gideon's voice remained calm.
"I intend to let you experience, as spirits, the torment you once endured."
Madison's terror finally broke free.
This man—
Was not even a demon.
He was something far worse.