[Chapter 306: Seven Lamps of Dominion Rite, Empower!]
Daniel stared at the pale face right before him, the violet-gold vortex swirling steadily in his eyes without a flicker of hesitation.
"Limit?"
The corners of Daniel's mouth curved into a slight smile as he softly uttered a single word: "Boom!"
Boom!
The sound was deafening, but it didn't come from the sky -- it erupted beneath their feet.
The thirty-six lightning-struck wood Ward Stakes that had been buried around the house exploded simultaneously.
The thunder's power, accumulated over time, discharged instantly along the Ward lines.
Terrifying violet-white thunder surged violently, piercing through the floorboards and bursting through the walls like furious dragons charging into the stormy sky.
The roof of the Hodgson house shredded like paper, blown away by the violent airflow and crackling lightning.
Wood chips, broken tiles, and rain filled the air, shaken into dust by the tempest.
Peggy screamed, clutching her children tightly; Ed and Lorraine were thrown back against the walls by the shockwave but ignored the pain, stunned by the scene unfolding before them.
The darkness, once thick as ink, was ripped apart by the sudden thunderous light.
Countless violet bolts, as thick as a child's arm, intertwined in the air, merging into a giant airtight cage of lightning. It locked Valak firmly in its center.
By Heaven's Thunder, let the divine decree descend!
Thunder Altar, seal the wicked!
Sanctum Ward, rise and bind all corruption!
Daniel formed a hand seal and made a sudden gripping motion. The lightning cage constricted instantly.
Billowing black smoke poured from Valak's nun habit.
The abyssal darkness it once harnessed shattered rapidly before the powerful, rigid thunder -- like boiling water flicked onto snow.
"Ahh!" Valak screamed sharply.
It slammed violently against the lightning net, trying desperately to break free.
A thick bolt of lightning struck its face with tremendous force, sending it flying backward to crash heavily onto the broken floor.
"A Ward?!" Valak clutched its scorched half-face, panic flickering in its yellow eyes for the first time.
"When did you set this up?"
It sensed this was more than mere lightning -- it was vast heavenly power locking down every spatial node.
Its teleportation was blocked.
It tried to summon more shadows to repair its defenses, but the dense electric arcs shattered the darkness before it could form.
This house had been turned into a thunderous prison.
Daniel stood outside the lightning Ward, the wild wind tossing his hair in every direction.
Though he'd trapped Valak, he knew well that a Demon Projection of this caliber could only be held temporarily -- it wouldn't die like this.
Absolute power was necessary for its complete destruction.
He released the Edict of Sealed Authority, and the thunder-struck ashwood Sanctum Blade hovered in front of him.
Taking a deep breath, Daniel formed a hand seal with both hands.
Seven Lamps of Dominion, let your holy radiance govern the firmament.
His voice grew majestic and resonated, making everyone's eardrums buzz.
Sovereign Judge of the Highest Order, let your glory shine without measure.
As he spoke, dark clouds parted mysteriously at one corner of the night sky. Though it was nighttime, the light of seven stars shone directly down through the shattered roof, illuminating Daniel.
Above the heavens and across the earth, cut off corruption at its source.
Let your authority descend upon this altar and make judgment manifest.
Boom!
Daniel's clothes exploded apart.
Muscles expanded wildly, bones crackled sharply like snapping dry twigs. Bathed in golden light and starlight, his stature grew rapidly.
Seven feet... eight feet... nine feet!
In the blink of an eye, a giant wrapped in orange-red air with muscles bulging like boulders stood towering upon the ruins of the second floor.
The terrifying pressure made Valak tremble uncontrollably inside the thunder Ward.
Daniel advanced.
His nine-feet-tall form took a step forward; the ruins below him strained and snapped.
Without hesitation, he plunged directly into the darkness that lightning had recently torn open but was now surging closed again.
A sharp sizzle sounded as golden light met black mist -- the sound of hot iron entering boiling water.
The golden light surrounding Daniel cut through the thick darkness like a razor blade, carving a path forward.
His thunder-struck ashwood Sanctum Blade hovered at his side, flickering with electric sparks.
Valak, trapped in the center of the thunder Ward, stared up at the approaching giant, a strange smile crossing its pale face.
"Beneath the abyss, all laws are void."
It spread its arms, its nun habit billowing violently.
From all its orifices gushed a black gas, denser and purer than before. No longer misty, it was thick and viscous like pitch, carrying a nauseating stench of rot.
The lightning cage that had held it went out silently the moment the black gas touched it, as if a flame deprived of oxygen.
The thunderlight dissipated into nothing.
Freed from restraint, the darkness struck back fiercely. No longer passive, it surged toward Daniel like a living, wild thing.
The golden light flickered violently.
Daniel's forward steps faltered.
The surrounding glow shrank.
Fifteeen feet... nine feet...
In moments, Daniel stood like a lone beacon in the deep sea. His golden light illuminated only a six-feet radius.
Beyond that was absolute pitch black -- the kind so thick you couldn't even see your own hand.
Even the ground behind him quickly vanished into darkness, cutting off all retreat.
"Ahh! It's coming!" Peggy screamed in despair.
The darkness swallowed Daniel's light and kept spreading toward the corner where Ed and the others cowered like terrified prey.
Its advance was terrifyingly fast.
"Back up! Move back, now!" Ed threw aside a useless flashlight and spread his arms, trying to shield Lorraine and the Hodgson family.
The Silver Cross in his hand glowed faintly, like a firefly in the dark.
The darkness was upon them in an instant; its cold, desperate aura grazed the tip of Ed's nose.
Ed closed his eyes, bracing for death.
Swish!
But just as the darkness was about to engulf them, an earth-yellow glow flared beneath the floorboards.
A circular Ward light screen flashed up unexpectedly, completely shielding the group huddled in the corner.
Zzzz!
The black tide slammed against the light screen with a grinding, piercing shriek, but it couldn't advance an inch.
Ed opened his eyes, gasping.
He looked down to see several unremarkable crystal stones set in the floor cracks, glowing with a warm shimmer.
"Another Ward," Lorraine said, leaning weakly against the wall. "He set it up long ago."
In the darkness, Valak ignored the smaller resistance like ants. Its focus remained fixed on the stubborn golden light before it.
"How much longer can your light last?" its voice echoed from all directions.
The darkness pressed harder. The golden light surrounding Daniel was compressed tighter, almost clinging to his skin.
But on his giant face, not the slightest flicker of panic appeared. He lifted his head, violet-gold flames burning in his eyes as they pierced the surrounding blackness, locking onto Valak's position.
"It will shine until I kill you."
Daniel raised his right foot and stomped down hard.
*****
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