[Chapter 303: The Demon's True Name, the Authority of God]
"The name... I saw a name in the vision... in the Bible..."
Lorraine clutched her forehead in pain, her fingers digging into her hair as she desperately tried to remember.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, her pupils shrinking. "Valak! Its name is Valak!"
Ed's face lit up with joy as he gripped Lorraine's hand tightly. "That's great! As long as we know the demon's true name, we have the authority to banish it! This is God's guidance!"
Daniel, however, remained expressionless.
"Authority?" Daniel scoffed. "That's one of the seventy-two pillars of Solomon. If shouting a name could curse it to death, Hell would have been empty long ago."
Ed's smile froze. "But that's what's recorded in the scriptures..."
"It's better to have no books than to believe them blindly," Daniel interrupted sharply. "There's no harm in trying, but don't pin all your hopes on it. Any other details?"
Lorraine shook her head, pale-faced. "No more. Only this name. It's a demon that profanes the image of a nun; it's the Marquis of Snakes."
Daniel nodded and asked no more.
He looked up, his gaze piercing through the ceiling, staring directly into the depths of endless darkness.
"Since you refuse to come out, I'll force you out."
Daniel turned to Peggy, who was huddled trembling in the corner. "Mrs. Hodgson, come here for a moment."
Peggy stood shakily, shielding the children behind her. "What is it, Master?"
"Later, there will be a lot of commotion." Daniel pointed to the surrounding walls. "Your house might not stand. The walls could collapse, the roof might be blown off, it might even turn into rubble. You should be mentally prepared."
Peggy glanced at the mess in the hallway, then at the spot where The Crooked Man had just disappeared. She gritted her teeth, her eyes hardening with determination.
"As long as it saves my children, this house can burn for all I care. This place has already become Hell; I don't want to stay here another minute."
"Good," Daniel replied.
With a flick of his wrist, several pieces of crystal carved with runes appeared in his palm.
These were the ward items he had created earlier, used to set up the Nine Wards of Eternal Confinement.
Since the opponent was hiding in the shadows, he would use these wards to lock down every inch of space and force it to reveal itself.
Daniel moved to the center of the hallway, preparing to throw the crystal pieces.
Suddenly,
The sound of rain outside the window stopped. It didn't gradually fade but came to an abrupt, complete silence, as if someone had hit a mute button.
Immediately after, all light vanished instantly.
The window at the end of the hallway, which had let in a glimmer from the streetlights, was now pitch black.
That darkness was as thick as ink, clinging tightly to the glass.
The lights in the house flickered once and then went out with a sizzling sound.
"Ah!"
The children screamed in terror.
Ed quickly pulled out a flashlight and pressed the switch. Nothing. He tried a backup flashlight -- still nothing.
"What's going on?" Ed's voice carried a hint of panic. "All the electronic devices have failed."
Daniel stood quietly in the darkness, the crystal in his hand casting a faint glow.
He sent out his spiritual sense, only to find the outer walls of the house blocked by a cold, slimy power.
"It's not a power outage," Daniel's voice was calm but clear in the oppressive silence. "We've been isolated."
He walked to the window and pushed hard. It didn't budge an inch. It was as if welded onto a steel plate.
"It's stripped this house away from the real world."
Daniel turned around and faced the shivering crowd in the darkness, a cold sneer curling his lips.
"Good trick. It doesn't just refuse to leave; it wants to keep us all here."
"Ah--!"
Janet and her younger siblings screamed again, hugging each other tightly, trembling.
The sudden, complete darkness seemed to suck the air dry.
"Don't panic," Daniel's steady voice cut through the darkness without a single flicker of doubt. "Ed, Lorraine, stop holding back. Take everything out of that box of yours. Now's not the time to save money."
Ed snapped to attention and hurriedly pulled out items from his large leather bag.
Scritch~
A thick white candle was lit.
It was a holy candle baptized at the Vatican; the flame was small but held a dim yellow circle of light in the pitch-black hallway.
By candlelight, Ed held up a large silver crucifix in his left hand and flipped open the heavy Bible with his right.
Lorraine clutched the pendant at her chest tightly, closing her eyes in prayer.
"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!" Ed's voice was loud, echoing in the enclosed space, trembling but full of determination. "Begone, evil thing! This place is protected by the Lord; it is no place for your insolence!"
As he recited, the flame of the holy candle suddenly shot higher.
A sacred and solemn aura radiated from Ed, pushing back the surrounding malevolence.
Daniel was not idle either.
He stood with his feet slightly apart, steadying his stance. His hands quickly formed seals in front of his chest as he chanted in a low voice,
Source of Heaven and Earth, fountain of sacred might,
Through ten thousand trials, strengthen my spirit.
Let divine authority answer my call,
And let my power be revealed....
As the incantation progressed, tiny specks of fluorescent light began to rise beneath Daniel's skin.
A sign of magic power flowing beneath the surface.
The golden light was weak but rapidly strengthening, reflecting the candlelight in Ed's hand.
However,
Just as Daniel reached the midway point of his chant,
Puff.
As if someone had blown a soft breath into their ears, the holy candle in Ed's hand went out without warning.
Darkness counterattacked instantly, thicker and more oppressive than before.
"What's happening?!"
Ed frantically struck another match.
The match flared for a second, then went out as if doused with water, leaving only a wisp of blue smoke.
No matter how hard he tried, the flame refused to light.
"Damn it!"
Cold sweat covered Ed's forehead.
He suddenly raised the crucifix and roared into the dark void,
"I know who you are! I command you to leave! In the name of the Lord, I banish you -- Valak! Go back to Hell! Valak!"
He shouted the demon's name.
According to Lorraine's prophecy, this should have been the demon's Achilles' heel.
For two seconds, the air held a dead silence.
Then,
"Heh... hehe..."
A burst of contemptuous, cold laughter echoed, sounding as if it came from the depths of a sewer, drilling directly into their minds.
"Valak...?"
The voice wasn't loud, but it pierced their brains.
"You think that by calling out my name, you can command me? Foolish mortal... Your crucifix is rotten wood, and your scriptures are waste paper. In here, I am God."
Ed's hand suddenly grew hot, and a wisp of blue smoke rose.
"Ah!" he cried out in pain as the crucifix slipped from his hand.
Lorraine's eyes snapped open, terror etched across her face.
It was useless.
Truly useless.
The law of true-name exorcism had failed.
This was not just a threat to their lives -- it was a devastating blow to their decades of faith.
"Mr. Cross was right..." Lorraine backed away, trembling until her back hit the wall. "We... we can't deal with it."
*****
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