Chapter 2977: Standard Exorcism Procedure

'Is it really this hard to kill?'

He had anchored the pleasure, only to be counter-anchored in return. Given the astonishingly high Rank of this malice, it was quite obvious who it belonged to.

'Excellency Father's Amnion?'

Considering Aike was one of the killers who had taken it down, a last-minute possession made a certain amount of sense.

The problem was, even for an ancient veteran, wasn't this vitality a bit too tenacious?

It had already been in poor condition. After Fu Qian repeatedly stoked the flames, the Night Watchers had firmly resolved to surround and kill it.

At the same time, with the Warehouse's cooperation, even its most deeply hidden resurrection beacon had been dismantled.

And yet, just a few days later, it already had the strength to glare at the King of the Abandoned Prison?

Calling it a legendary survivor wasn't enough anymore; one might as well respectfully address it as an immortal entity.

'Interesting!'

Savoring the malice, Fu Qian felt no dissatisfaction in that moment—only the joy of a new discovery.

No matter how fiercely Excellency Father's Amnion staged its comeback, it just meant killing it one more time. At most, Excellency Aike, caught in the middle, would simply have worse luck and suffer greater collateral damage.

However, if she was truly being personally possessed by an ancient veteran, it seemed her outcome couldn't get any better anyway.

But this was exactly what Fu Qian was curious about.

Others might not know who he was, but did Excellency Father's Amnion really not know?

Did it lose even the basic instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm?

Upon encountering the King of the Abandoned Prison personally saying hello, not only did it fail to run, but it even hissed back?

To be honest, this mindless display was just as abnormal.

After all, it was an entity that knew how to build a Safe House in the sea of mind. It shouldn't have been this stupid.

Combined with this abnormal recovery speed—

"Audacious monster, show your true form at once!"

Instead of rushing to detonate the Calamity, Fu Qian roared that classic line.

'...Are you seriously performing an exorcism right now?'

Although it didn't quite match his identity as an academic worker, Professor Fu's imposing roar carried an intense sense of déjà vu.

Combined with his coffee grounds divination and pantomime performance, it surprisingly didn't feel out of place in the slightest.

At that moment, even Aike clenched her jaw and refrained from voicing any objections.

After all, practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Never mind how outrageous it looked, just look at Professor Fu's verifiable track record from moments ago—he had genuinely discovered something incredible—urgh!

However, this resolve couldn't keep Aike strong for even another second.

In the next moment, her body jolted. Even her clenched jaw turned weak as cotton, failing to hold back a low gasp.

"It feels like it's really acting up..."

As a master of transformation, Aike felt the scorching breath she exhaled and knew perfectly well that it wasn't an illusion.

Her originally hard teeth felt as though they were being corroded by flesh and blood, turning into tender buds of flesh.

Even the slightest clatter between them sent indescribable sensations surging through her.

'It seems it really isn't it...' At the same time, Fu Qian also reached a conclusion.

The changes on Aike's body were simple. Following his angry shout, the Emissary on her face reacted to the stress and unexpectedly continued to spread to other parts of her body.

Although the outline of the mask was maintained, the bloodstains on it were already surging beyond its boundaries, crawling all over Aike.

It looked exactly like a legendary evil spirit possession.

As a result, his demand to "reveal its true form" became even more fitting in that moment.

"Heh heh... what do you mean by true form? Even for yourself, can you accurately define this concept?"

The evil spirit was even speaking.

A highly infectious laugh erupted from the mouth of the "Emissary", going so far as to question Fu Qian's logic.

"Whether you can or not, I can. Just like this—"

Without even giving Fu Qian a chance to retort, the "Emissary" continued to declare that it harbored no such doubts. With that final sentence, the face stretched and twisted, unexpectedly extending right off Aike's body.

It didn't drop to the ground. Instead, supported by the wisps of blood spreading from above, it stretched upward into an enchanting, alluring curve. Ha—

Aike finally couldn't bear it anymore. Strange noises slipped from her throat, and her body swayed involuntarily—following that curve.

Indeed, as if a True Martial Soul Avatar had manifested behind her, the bloodstains entangled on Aike's body centered around the mask and quickly outlined a dazzling, illusory form.

And she herself was merely a small constituent part of it, losing all control over her own self.

...

'Not very smart, as expected. I tell you to reveal your true form, and you actually do it?'

As the situation deteriorated so rapidly, Fu Qian watched the scene unfold before him and let out a rather unconventional sigh of emotion.

It didn't matter how outrageously the tone of the situation had shifted in the eyes of others.

If one thought about it carefully and truly distilled the core essence of this moment, wasn't it just an exorcist roaring at a demon to reveal its true form, and the other party actually complying?

Calling it straightforward was an understatement. After all, it was an ancient veteran with abundant survival experience; it really didn't seem like something it would do...

'Is it not Excellency Father's Amnion?'

But this oppressive might was absolutely genuine.

After revealing its "true form," one could feel even more clearly that it wasn't making an empty show of strength. The aura of a higher entity pressed down solidly—

"Perish."

Unfortunately, this imposing momentum was only maintained for a split second. Professor Fu didn't even stand up. At that moment, he pointed a finger at the top of Aike's head and coldly spat out a single word.

No matter what kind of thing you were, once you revealed your true form, slaying the demon and eradicating the evil was standard procedure.

The long-accumulated Power of Calamity exploded with a bang.

...

'Hmph, Your Excellency's bearing may be extraordinary, but my sword has never been dull.'

'During this autumn of many troubles, who would dare come out to perform exorcisms without a few tricks up their sleeve?'

The way the target revealed its true form, to some extent, proved his earlier judgment once again.

Namely, the elements on Aike's body related to the Seed of Ecstasy were exactly what had induced the Emissary Mask to condense its seed.

Their foundational powers were interconnected. Faced with the threat of the King of the Abandoned Prison, they had chosen to fuse together to mount a resistance.

One couldn't say this choice was completely flawed; after all, the momentum post-fusion was genuinely terrifying.

However, it was far too instinctual in the end, acting completely as if it hadn't checked the King of the Abandoned Prison's past combat record.

Additionally, the form of the Calamity's eruption this time was finally the Golden Flame of Madness.

The blood-red traces were instantly enveloped, vanishing piece by piece under the incineration.

Yet, miraculously, the boundaries were distinct. The target was strictly limited to the "Emissary" and the flaring mass that had protruded from it, without touching Aike in the slightest.

All in all, the visual resemblance to an exorcism grew stronger and stronger.

But as everyone knew, exorcists often suffered backlashes.

The might of the Tyrant might be unstoppable, but the target had also proven that it wasn't just making an empty show of strength.

Almost at the same time, Fu Qian felt thousands of tentacles erupting within his body.

They didn't want to crush his sense of self; they wanted to crush everything.

Even though he logically didn't intend to do so, the pleasure of slaughter seemed to come alive, forcibly mobilizing this power.