Chapter 252 — Beron's "Good Deed"
"I have to admit, letting Meryl deal with you may have been a mistake."
Beron's voice echoed from the darkness.
"Fortunately, I prepared thoroughly. Even if you're from the seminary, you're still going to hell today!"
"As for you, Miss Catherine—since you've already seen too much, you'll be coming with me."
Catherine's brows knit tightly together.
"Beron, you've released this many evil materials. Aren't you afraid this place will be overrun? Every exorcist in the Guild could be affected."
"Hmph."
Beron's tone was dismissive.
"The materials chamber was built here precisely for situations like this. Those people aren't so easy to kill. Besides…"
"Even if it does trigger a descent of evil, do you think I'd care?"
Hearing that, Catherine stopped arguing.
She took out a silver bracelet and began chanting softly.
The next moment—
A wave of energy spread outward from the bracelet, forming a protective field around both her and Gideon.
"This is…?" Gideon raised a brow.
"It's a mental witchcraft technique," Catherine explained quickly. "It can resist hallucinations caused by evil spirits."
"There are too many spirits in this room right now. My spell won't last long. We should take the manager and leave immediately."
It was a perfectly reasonable suggestion.
But Gideon had other plans.
If Beron escaped today, someone this vindictive would certainly prepare an even bigger trap next time.
Besides—
There were this many evil spirits here.
To Gideon, that meant one thing:
Materials for practicing theology.
If he happened to consume a portion of the evil materials while heroically helping the Exorcists' Guild clean up this disaster… that wasn't unreasonable, was it?
"Miss Catherine… right?" Gideon turned toward her.
"Please take the manager and leave first. I'll buy you time."
Catherine stared at him in surprise.
"…Understood. Be careful."
She didn't try to persuade him further. That would only waste precious time.
Instead, she removed a ring and handed it to him.
"This can also resist spirit intrusion. When you… come out, you can return it to me."
Hearing that, Gideon instinctively took a half-step back.
Why did she sound like she was raising a death flag?
"Uh… thank you for the thought, but I have something similar. You'd better keep it for yourselves."
He rubbed his nose lightly.
Only then did Catherine realize—they weren't close.
Using someone else's exorcism item without knowing its origin did carry risk.
"S-Sorry. That was presumptuous of me."
She lowered her head slightly. "We'll go first."
Catherine hurried to Meryl's side and helped the injured manager to her feet.
"…I still don't know your name."
Her voice drifted back toward him.
"Gideon Black," he replied calmly.
"You should go."
To prevent Catherine from saying anything that might jinx the situation, Gideon didn't give her another chance to speak.
Gideon… please be careful, she thought silently.
Then she helped Meryl out of the room.
"So you just let a helper walk away? I can't tell whether you're confident or simply foolish." Beron's voice rang out again.
Gideon shrugged. "Who knows?"
"Though I should thank you. While we were talking just now, you didn't make a move."
"You—!" Beron clenched his teeth.
He had tried. Several times.
But the spirits' mental assaults had been blocked by Catherine's defensive spell. And the evil entities themselves seemed restrained by some unseen force, unable to approach the three of them.
"Hmph. Let's see how long you can hold out." Beron gave up arguing.
With this much evil energy in the room, the drain on holy power would be enormous.
Once Gideon exhausted himself, Beron would make sure he suffered.
"Before we begin properly, let me offer you a suggestion," Gideon said calmly.
Beron narrowed his eyes.
"I'm curious about this Archbishop Saddu you mentioned—and why you're targeting Miss Catherine."
Gideon raised a finger.
"When you beg for mercy later, you can use that information as bargaining leverage."
Veins bulged on Beron's forehead.
"You filthy insect! How dare you mock me!"
He stopped holding back and threw out the rest of his evil materials.
Dozens of silver canisters shattered across the room.
"So that's your entire stock," Gideon thought.
"If I get my hands on you, I'll skin you alive and carve your flesh piece by piece!" Beron roared from the darkness.
Meanwhile, Catherine had gone far enough that the protective barrier above Gideon's head began to fade.
Beron seized the opportunity.
All the silver canisters exploded at once.
A flood of evil spirits surged toward Gideon.
The next moment—
White motes of light shimmered into existence throughout the chamber.
Every spirit froze in place.
"This is—"
Beron stared in shock.
A powerful formation had activated.
Some spirits tried to flee, but no matter which direction they rushed, they were slammed back.
"You set up a formation of this scale?" Beron's face went pale. "Aren't you afraid of exhausting yourself?"
Gideon snorted. "You can stop probing."
He tossed several holy artifacts onto the ground—then removed his shirt.
"You… what are you doing?" Beron felt a chill run down his spine.
Gideon didn't answer.
He walked toward a section of the room where the concentration of spirits was slightly thinner.
The spirits lunged wildly at him.
Holding a cross in one hand, he extended his left arm directly into the swarm.
Holy power clashed violently with evil energy.
Crackling sounds echoed through the chamber.
Beron's eyes widened. "That's… Skin Reconstruction? You're cultivating theology?!"
He never imagined this madman would practice in such a dangerous environment.
Worse—
All of Beron's preparations had become cultivation fuel.
"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!"
He clenched his fists helplessly.
Beron couldn't control the spirits. He merely carried items that dulled their perception, preventing himself from becoming a target.
And now, with the outer formation sealing the room, he couldn't even release them elsewhere.
Even more terrifying—
Gideon was practicing a second holy art.
That meant he likely possessed two Marks.
Beron realized he might have provoked a true genius.
Do I… actually have to beg?
---
On the other side—
The evil energy around Gideon's position had nearly been consumed.
He had completed half of one leg's reconstruction.
"Guild materials really are top quality," he nodded in satisfaction.
"With what's left, I might finish the entire skin phase today. Mr. Beron is quite the benefactor."
He glanced toward the darkness.
He had prepared countermeasures in case of a sneak attack—but Beron hadn't moved.
Just then, Gideon subtly shifted aside.
A cane stabbed into the ground where he'd stood.
Beron lunged forward, smashing another canister over Gideon's head.
Evil energy engulfed him.
Beron immediately grabbed the cane and thrust it toward Gideon's heart.
Thud.
The cane failed to pierce his skin.
"Impossible… You've already completed reconstruction?"
Beron stared in disbelief.
"Even with two Marks… Even if one discipline has reached third-tier holy art… you're too young to have made progress in the other!"
That level of speed Beronged only to ancient Vatican bloodlines.
"Made progress?" Gideon's voice echoed calmly.
"Look again."
Beron tried to retreat—
But hands seized his hair.
His face slammed into the ground.
Again.
And again.
"I heard you enjoy stepping on people. Why not experience it yourself?"
Crack.
The floor fractured.
Beron's face was soaked in blood.
Meanwhile, the evil energy around Gideon dissipated.
"I can go faster," Gideon mused.
He retrieved part of his holy artifacts, increasing the number of spirits he absorbed at once—carefully keeping within safe limits.
A vortex began forming around him.
All remaining evil energy rushed inward.
Beron lay trembling.
He had never experienced being surrounded by so many spirits.
To him, it was suicide.
Only Gideon's control prevented him from collapsing entirely.
His mind echoed with one thought:
Why did I provoke him?
From up close, Beron saw that Gideon's skin reconstruction was nearly complete.
Second-tier holy art—almost finished.
On someone this young.
"Mon… monster…"
After more than half an hour, the last trace of evil energy vanished.
Gideon sighed.
"Still short of the head."
He flexed his fists.
Dense runes shimmered across his skin, shifting fluidly.
A faint white glow formed over his body.
"Third-tier holy art: Holy Light Shield… But without completing the head, I can't form a full barrier."
He smiled.
"This trip was worth it."
He looked down at Beron.
"C-congratulations… on your breakthrough," Beron forced a crooked smile through broken bones.
"You were threatening to flay me alive not long ago. Now you're so polite," Gideon sneered.
"Will you let me go… if I tell you about Catherine?" Beron whispered.
"You still don't understand your situation."
"…Fine."
Beron spoke.
"Catherine is from the Vatican—member of the Isaac family."
Gideon raised a brow.
One of the founding families of the Holy Land.
"She uses witchcraft."
"Yes… I don't know why either."
"Why target her?"
"She fled the Vatican years ago to escape an arranged marriage. Archbishop Saddu ordered us to retrieve her before the Isaac family does."
"And you waited?"
"Orders. It wasn't time."
"And the high-tier holy artifacts?"
"She used forbidden witchcraft when she fled. Only high-tier artifacts suppress its backlash. Control that—and you control her."
"I see."
So Catherine truly had been seeking him for artifacts.
Beron lifted his head weakly. "You'll let me go now?"
Gideon stared at him.
"You think that's possible?"
"You have no honor!"
"A man without principles begging for honor?" Gideon laughed coldly. "Did you ever spare your enemies?"
Beron cursed—
But a silver canister jammed into his mouth.
His eyes filled with terror.
A spirit flooded into his body.
Cold.
Howling.
Soul-tearing agony.
His skin blackened.
His pupils went dark—
Then snapped back into focus.
Something else looked out from within.
Gideon dumped an entire bottle of holy water over him.
Sizzle.
Beron's body dissolved into bone and ash.
---
Gideon walked to the unconscious black-robed knight.
He had spared him.
The Guild would need someone alive—lest they accuse Gideon of "damaging materials."
He gathered his artifacts.
Footsteps echoed in the corrido AAr.
Manager Farlin appeared at the entrance.
Catherine stood beside him.
When she saw Gideon unharmed, her eyes lit up instantly.
A third figure stood with them—
A rugged man dressed like a Southern hunter, an old-fashioned demon-hunter firearm at his waist.
Farlin spoke urgently:
"Mr. Gideon—are you alright?"