[Chapter 63: The Hot-Tempered Daniel Cross]
I humbly petition the keepers of divine judgment.
Let their appointed guardians descend, clothed in holy light.
Below, corruption stirs -- imbalance spreads, and malevolent forces roam unchecked.
I request divine empowerment to enforce judgment and end this disorder.
Let consecrated steel be raised against the fierce and defiant, suppressing ill omens.
With the seal in hand, I receive the granted mandate.
Manifest divine authority now and resolve this calamity.
By law and command, without delay.
Far from Upton Manor, Daniel had set up an exorcist altar. Clutching the Sanctum Blade, he invoked Rite of Divine Empowerment.
Boom!
The seal burst into a ball of fire, and at once a fierce, overwhelming force surged into Daniel's being. His entire body trembled under the onslaught of power, as if it might erupt like a volcano at any moment.
Daniel's outward appearance remained unchanged, but the aura radiating from him had shifted completely. It was now commanding and intense, crackling faintly with streaks of lightning. The power stirred his emotions -- his normally controlled demeanor gave way to a raw, irritable energy, on edge and ready to snap.
"Let's go!" Daniel declared, waving his hand to pack away the altar into his System space. He then slid into the Rolls-Royce, drawing astonished looks from Douglas and Sheriff Ford. The sheriff hurried to the driver's seat and took the wheel, while Douglas settled beside Daniel.
At such close quarters, Douglas felt the electric tension radiating from Daniel. His heart raced, sweat gathering on his forehead.
...
The car soon arrived at Upton Manor, where two rows of heavily armed men stood stiffly on each side of the driveway, lending a grave, oppressive atmosphere. The vehicle stopped before the grand main building.
A steward-like man appeared and led Daniel and his companions into a lavish reception room. Yet inside, no one awaited them. After Daniel and the others sat, their guides quietly left, leaving the trio alone in the vast, empty space.
Daniel's face turned cold; he knew exactly what the hosts were doing. The tactic to keep visitors waiting -- pressure by neglect -- was all too familiar form of a power play.
The Divine Empowerment thrumming inside Daniel was strong and would not be drained quickly by such inaction. Still, the sensation of his body swelling with energy, ready to burst, churned uneasily in him.
Normally, Daniel could endure such discomfort calmly. But now, his temper was razor sharp, and the hosts' silent arrogance grated on his nerves.
Smack!
Daniel slammed his palm onto the table, cracking it violently, shards flying. Douglas and Sheriff Ford stared in shock.
Bang!
Daniel kicked the chair behind him, splintering it into broken pieces.
Bang, bang, bang...
He continued to pummel the remaining furniture, turning the once elegant room into a chaotic heap of ruin.
Douglas and Ford were frozen, caught between instinct to intervene and fear of Daniel's volatile, overwhelming aura.
...
At that moment, the double doors swung open.
A sharply dressed man in his thirties stepped inside, his gold-rimmed glasses gleaming against an austere, pale face, clean-shaven and cold. Heavy footsteps followed -- powerful, muffled thuds that made the floor tremble slightly.
The source was a towering figure behind the man -- fully black, almost polished to a shine, and muscular beyond belief. Where the Consecrated Thrall they'd encountered before had stood 6'7", this one easily reached 8'2", filling nearly the entire doorframe with broad shoulders. It radiated a dark, curse-infused energy.
Daniel recognized the malign aura instantly. Tanusha had been right -- the Consecrated Thralls grown by Morian and Tanusha were weak by comparison. This servant was several tiers above anything they'd seen.
The man in the suit entered with a faint smile playing on his lips, though his eyes betrayed arrogance. Neither sheriff nor billionaire seemed worthy of his notice.
But when he took in the shattered ruins of the reception room, his smile faded instantly.
"This..." He stared at Daniel and the others with disbelief.
"You're the one requesting to see me?"
A calm, controlled voice cut through the tangle of tension -- Daniel's voice, seething just beneath the surface.
The man looked up and realized the exorcist standing before him. They'd done their homework on Daniel -- knew he'd helped people with supernatural troubles in Hollywood and already gained some reputation. He had even slain a Thrall alongside Morian's sacrifice.
That was why they wanted this meeting -- to size up how capable the Exorcist truly was.
Yet here was Daniel, wrecking their reception room before talks even began.
The man suppressed a surge of anger, but Daniel's oppressive presence kept it bottled.
His gaze flicked nervously to the towering Consecrated Thrall behind him.
"I killed one of those last time," Daniel said flatly. "Wonder how strong this one is."
He clapped his hands, and lightning crackled ominously. A jagged streak arced between his palms with a sharp "crack."
Lightning was the embodiment of potent divine energy, hard, and fierce -- and the bane of all evil spirits.
Consecrated Thralls, forged from dark curse energy, were vulnerable to such elemental wrath.
The man's expression darkened. He'd planned to have the Thrall test Daniel's strength. Now, however, Daniel's overwhelming aura and crackling lightning had already conveyed everything he needed.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Daniel stepped forward. His height of 6 feet barely made him look like a child next to the 8-foot monster.
Yet the sheer force of his presence, the raw power in his body, and the flickering lightning made him loom larger than the towering Thrall.
The ground beneath quaked under his steps, and the man with glasses' heart raced.
"Come on, show me what you've got."
Daniel closed the distance, the pressure mounting, tightening like a noose.
Just as he prepared to strike, the man raised a hand sharply.
"Wait a moment."
"Is there something else?" Daniel's brow furrowed, his tone sharp and impatient.
The man flicked a dismissive wave: "You leave first."
Without hesitation, the Consecrated Thrall pivoted like a machine and disappeared down the hallway.
"Hmm?" Daniel's voice held a note of dissatisfaction.
The man smiled thinly. "I just wanted to meet and get acquainted today. No other agenda. No need to fight -- we wouldn't want to damage the relationship between us."
"Hmph." Daniel snorted coldly. "Since there's nothing more to discuss, you can talk amongst yourselves. I'm here for the fight. Don't bother me with other matters."
*****
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