"It seems something has happened."
Meanwhile, inside the stone chamber.
Seeing Eileen with her eyes tightly closed and frowning, York knew she might have encountered or seen something.
"Generally speaking, as long as it's not a painful expression, everything is manageable."
York shook his head, glancing toward the corpse while waiting. He hadn't paid much attention to it upon entering, focusing instead on the spirit communication ritual.
In the dim candlelight, the nun lay against a pile of bags, her face down, her black habit covered in frost.
Observing habitually, York's gaze drifted downward and immediately found something odd and unsettling.
The nun's right hand was hidden behind her, as if she was concealing something.
Glancing at Eileen, whose brows were beginning to relax, York stepped forward, stopping in front of the hanging corpse and squatting down.
Due to the natural cold storage, the decomposition of this corpse wasn't as advanced as the other nuns outside, but it was still significant, with flesh hanging loosely from the skin and muscles.
Seeing the aged face, York reached for the nun's hidden right hand and pulled it forward.
Unexpectedly, with a crack, the nun's right hand, long dead, broke off and fell.
York was momentarily stunned but didn't dwell on it, turning his attention to the fallen right hand on the ground.
The hand, dry as wood, was clenched tightly, revealing a dark corner of something in its grip.
York felt a stir of curiosity and pried open the clenched hand.
Forcing open the index finger and then the next, as each finger was pried open, a dark key came into view.
"This is…"
York picked it up, recognizing it as a key similar to those used for ancient treasure chests.
He chuckled to himself, finding the coincidence almost too perfect, reminiscent of religious films from his past life where the protagonist's every step seemed divinely arranged, ultimately proving to be fate's design.
"If I'm not mistaken, this key will have its corresponding purpose, like unlocking something…"
York pocketed the key, pondering a future inquiry with the old man.
Asking him, "Are you a prophet? Or can you really communicate with God?"
Just as he pocketed the key, York heard something and turned towards the staircase.
Noise was coming from above.
With his current senses, he could hear a surge of footsteps approaching rapidly.
Boom! Then the sound of a grenade exploding suddenly resonated.
"It must be nearing the end."
York looked back at Eileen, who was frowning suddenly within the center of the formation.
Trusting in Hill's abilities, despite the lack of his own weapons, York believed the firepower would hold.
So, his most important and immediate task was to protect Eileen.
Indeed, York's guess was accurate.
In the psychic space.
Eileen, pulled aside by the abbess, evaded the gaze of another nun.
Following the abbess through the dim underground, they arrived at a very familiar place.
Also, the last scene Eileen saw, she scanned the stone chamber with the statue of the Virgin Mary, searching for anything suspicious.
She knew this was where the blood of Jesus was hidden.
"Where did you hide the blood of Jesus?"
However, the abbess didn't respond, as if unable to speak, pointing at the statue of the Virgin Mary, then staring towards the exit in horror.
"Uh?"
Before Eileen could turn to look, she felt a pair of iron-like hands grasp her neck, pressing her against the wall behind.
Bang! The impact was fiery. Eileen instinctively grasped the pale hands choking her, struggling to breathe, her eyes fixed on the figure before her.
She finally recognized the nun at the end of the corridor.
With a pale face, dark eyes, and lips, exuding an evil aura.
Definitely the embodiment of a demon! Heh! As the nun revealed an evil smile, Eileen felt her breath fading, consciousness blurring.
At the brink, a gentle voice called out to her.
"Come back, Eileen."
As her consciousness faded, the demon's guise as a nun shifted from a stiff smile to anger…
Snap!
Eileen became aware she could breathe again, eyes snapping open, gasping for air, her senses still lingering in the recent experience.
"Are you alright?"
The priest's steady voice comforted Eileen, who took a deep breath, scanning her surroundings.
"Hehe."
York admired Eileen's cautious demeanor, suggesting she listen to the sounds above.
Realizing the sudden explosions, Eileen looked up at the young priest in the candlelight, back in the familiar stone chamber, the formation beneath her fading, confirming her return.
"Father, I encountered an evil nun…" Fear flickered in Eileen's eyes.
"She was emanating a deathly aura."
"That was the demon's projection," York calmly explained.
"It seeks the blood of Jesus, just like us. You must have found its hiding place."
Eileen looked up at the knowledgeable priest, puzzled.
"That's why we've come this far without it showing itself. It's waiting for you to find the blood of Jesus."
York, loading his grenade launcher, explained.
"There's a sealing formation here limiting its true form, so it needs the blood of Jesus to break the seal."
Without waiting for Eileen's response, York urged.
"We must hurry. Lead the way to the blood of Jesus."
Eileen, pausing her thoughts, nodded seriously.
"Okay, Father."
"Let's go."
With no hesitation, York led Eileen towards the staircase.
The commotion above intensified. By the time they reached halfway, three explosions had sounded, indicating Hill had used three grenades.
Ordinary grenades, without a double buff, struggled against supernatural entities unless of higher yield.
York, feeling a sense of duty, pulled out a holy grenade, moving past Hill, who was sticking to the wall, and followed Eileen.
"Father York!" Hill, seeing them, felt moved.
"Did it work?"
Boom! The fourth grenade exploded, its power dwarfed by York's holy grenades, lacking even a shockwave.
York nodded, hearing more noise from a left turn, casually tossing another holy grenade in that direction.
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