Entering the Church
Julie raised her hand, revealing a small silver crossbow.
The weapon carried the same sacred aura as the holy water, its energy naturally restraining against vengeful spirits.
Without hesitation, Julie loaded a short arrow, aimed at the distant Pyramid Head, and fired.
The simple arrow, once released, was infused with divine power.
Pyramid Head lifted his massive blade to block. The arrow struck with a metallic clang, bouncing away—but the sacred energy seeped into the weapon.
Decay spread from the point of impact, and the great knife began to crumble into ash.
Reacting quickly, Pyramid Head hurled the weapon aside before it could destroy him as well.
A guttural roar echoed from beneath the iron pyramid helm as the monster charged forward barehanded.
Julie quickly reloaded and fired again.
With its heavy body, Pyramid Head lacked the speed to evade. Two arrows struck, tearing open massive wounds in its torso.
The injuries looked severe, but they weren't fatal. The creature pressed on, closing the distance rapidly.
Xu Mo calmly analyzed the scene. Against ordinary spirits, Julie's crossbow could end a fight in one or two shots. Even a powerful specter like Sadako would fall under sustained fire. But against a being like Pyramid Head—an avatar tied to Silent Hill's very fabric—the effect was limited.
It wouldn't die easily.
Behind them, more monsters were drawing near. Xu Mo made his choice.
Raising his pistol, he infused the bullet with ten times the usual energy and pulled the trigger.
The shot hit squarely.
For an instant, Pyramid Head froze—then erupted in a massive explosion.
The triangular iron helm tore free, crashing to the ground and rolling twice before coming to rest at their feet.
Everyone stared in shock.
"Is… is that really just a pistol?" Jason muttered, swallowing hard. The destructive force was more like a rocket launcher.
Julie's expression shifted to disbelief.
The silver crossbow she wielded was a priceless treasure, won through hardship and luck. It was the reason she had risen to the ranks of the top ten ghost hunters in only two years. Yet compared to Xu Mo's pistol, it seemed insignificant.
Even knowing the weapon was modified, she struggled to accept it.
Hunters lived by an unspoken truth: the only tools truly effective against evil spirits were ancient relics—treasures bound to sacred power. Modern weapons simply didn't compare.
But Xu Mo's pistol was a modern creation.
That meant he possessed a method to transform weapons into anti-spirit tools. If one could be made, so could more.
If I could acquire such a weapon, Julie thought, my chances against even the strongest spirits would soar past sixty percent…
Her gaze toward Xu Mo grew intent, curiosity and desire mixed in her eyes.
Xu Mo ignored her and strode toward the church doors.
The others hurried after him.
On the steps, he pushed at the doors, only to find them barred from the inside. Clearly, those within had heard the battle outside—they simply refused to open.
Extending his psychic sense, Xu Mo swept the church interior. Over a hundred people were inside. A dozen stood braced against the doors, following the orders of a middle-aged woman with short hair.
"Hold them back!" she commanded. "They're all devils' incarnations! If we let them in, none of us will survive!"
Her words roused more townsfolk, who pressed forward to block the entrance.
The woman smiled coldly.
She was Christabella, bishop of the church's cult, Alessa's aunt—and the very one who had ordered Alessa burned alive, triggering the nightmare of Silent Hill.
Seeing armed outsiders, she panicked. With no modern weapons in this world, sheer numbers meant power. She had manipulated nearly all the townsfolk into her thrall, but if those outside forced their way in, the balance could shift.
Better to let them die outside.
Xu Mo took it all in. He knew these people—every last one of them had taken part in Alessa's torment. None were worth saving.
Without hesitation, he turned from the door, raised his pistol, and blasted a nearby window.
Glass shattered. He pulled a grenade from his pack, yanked the pin, and tossed it inside.
Those watching from behind him blinked in surprise at his casual efficiency. So he dabbles in explosives, too…
Inside, Christabella basked in the obedience of her flock when the object clattered to the ground at her feet.
Her face drained of color.
"Grenade!"
She stumbled back, but it was too late.
BOOM!
The explosion ripped through the church.
Blood splattered the doors. Screams filled the air. Several cultists lay dead, torn apart; others writhed with shrapnel embedded in their flesh.
Christabella herself was spared, but one of her feet was mangled, blood pouring from the wound.
The defenders at the doors had all fallen.
Xu Mo reached out with his psychic power, swung the doors wide, and stepped calmly inside.
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