Anton looked at Henry calmly; the deceased could never make him angry because he knew perfectly well what he was up against, and a dark entity could never provoke his anger in this life.
"Priest Anton..." Thomas, who was still being held by Anton with one hand, widened his eyes in surprise. Only after being lowered to the ground did he regain his composure.
"[You have used 400 Faith points...]"
Anton nodded indifferently, pointed at Henry with his open hand, and said, "You can proceed, Priest. Show me what you can do."
Thomas took a deep breath and began trying to determine the true name of the demon within the child's body, who had just displayed telekinetic abilities by tossing him.
"Look at me, spawn of evil. What is your true name?" Thomas asked, holding a rosary and a Bible in both hands. Despite numerous attempts, he had not discovered the demon's name.
"Ahhhhhhrgh!"
"I am your father!"
"Your mother once surrendered to me, and because she wanted to keep me by her side, she abandoned you as a child."
"Look at me, cursed priest." You broke your vow of chastity by fornicating with that lady."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Throughout the room, the roars of the being hiding within Henry's body became increasingly aggressive. At this point, Thomas began to feel the pressure, reflected in the cold sweat covering his forehead, but he could only persist in asking questions.
Thomas then looked back at Anton, who had uncovered his hands in a somewhat peculiar manner.
"Priest Anton, should I continue?" Anton nodded affirmatively. "Never give up until your body is completely destroyed, and even then, your duty is to vanquish evil at the expense of your life."
Hearing these words, Thomas had no choice but to take a few steps forward and raise his cross in front of the malevolent spirit. At this point, all he could do was read from the Bible in his hands.
"Jesus, by your Mighty Blood of Liberation, Healing, and Redemption, shed for our salvation; combat the enemy of my body, mind, soul, and spirit; ward off from me every fiery and poisonous dart of the evil one. Let me not fall into temptation, oh Jesus; by your glorious redeeming blood, free me from all evil."
"Deus refugium nostrum et virtus, populum ad te clamantem propitius respice; et intercedente gloriosa et immaculata Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum beato Josepho ejus Sponso, ac beatis Apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo, et omnibus Sanctis, quas pro conversione peccatorum, pro libertate et exaltatione sanctae Matris Ecclesiae, preces effundimus, misericors et benignus exaudi. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum."
As Thomas began to pray, the dark entity within Henry became uneasy due to the Bible's content. However, it only made him more aggressive, slowly revealing his true appearance.
"Jajaja, you don't have enough faith, you foolish child! Look at me when I speak, you bastard!"
"Je je je! Uhhhhhh!"
"I will definitely kill you! Ahhh!"
"Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae," Thomas repeated while feeling a chilling sensation covering the palms of his hands.
Anton's eyes darkened as he observed Thomas, whose forehead was covered in sweat.
"The demon's power to influence has grown stronger. As I suspected, this is no ordinary foe we're facing."
"Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae."
After repeating the same prayer several times, Thomas began sweating even more. He realized his prayers weren't proving effective, but he continued praying nonetheless.
"Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae. Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia ergo, Advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. Oh clemens, Oh pia, Oh dulcis, Virgo Maria."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
At that moment, Henry, who was possessed, lifted his head, looked at Anton with bloodshot eyes, and smiled while addressing the terrified Thomas.
"Thomas Esquibel... Have you heard it? I found out your name before you found out mine."
"Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi." Thomas, immersed in prayers, stopped and sighed lightly as his breathing became heavier.
Anton, who saw this, shook his head and thought, "Never listen to a demon."
Indeed, Henry blinked with his blood-red eyes, staring at Thomas, not ceasing to disclose more information about him.
"Have you forgotten? You killed a cat that hit your car. Haha, do you know how many people cried for the death of that wretched creature you killed?"
Henry kept talking, becoming more explicit and detailed, including what happened to Thomas when he was a child.
The sweat on Thomas's forehead thickened, and his face became increasingly grim. As a spectator, Anton allowed Henry to slowly break down Thomas's psychological defense, keeping his eyes fixed on him while silently assessing his score in his mind.
The psychological quality and structural defense of a mature exorcist are generally relatively strong. Otherwise, they won't be able to withstand the impact of bloody scenes, strong mental pressure, and crushing confessions, let alone confront the demon directly.
But, to be honest, Anton could empathize with Thomas's feelings. If the demon attacked him for his own faults, it would be fine. If it also affected innocent family members, he would die mercilessly.
Henry smiled when his simple words were enough to affect Thomas, who felt increasingly pressured about the trust on his shoulders.
"A dirty priest who broke his vow of chastity—what exactly do you hope to achieve as such an inept exorcist?"
"Shut up!!!" Thomas shouted, pointing his rosary at Henry.
"My God, do you really have the confidence to be an exorcist?"
"I'm curious how you felt after breaking your vow."
At that moment, Thomas, feeling more suffocated, succumbed to the words of the demon inside Henry. His already limited confidence was shattered, and any possibility he had of doing something was broken.
Crack!
At that moment, Thomas was sent flying backward, and his body collided with a large glass, startling Julie, who witnessed this paranormal event with her own eyes.
"Uhhhhh!"
"Thomas, open your eyes." Anton saw the lost look in this exorcist's eyes and knew he had fallen into an illusion.
Anton shook his head, extended his hand toward Henry, and, using his divine authority, murmured, "I command you to speak your name, as I am the brightest light in this world."
"In the shadow of the night, I rise as the reaper of evil, the bearer of the brightest light. My mission in this life is to vanquish all darkness daring to taint the world."
Anton, who invoked control with the aura of divine energy, extended his hand and applied pressure to Henry's four limbs. Then he summoned the hand of God over his right hand. As a blood cross formed in his right hand, it began to drip blood, and he showed it directly to Henry, who struggled to break free.
"Julia, take Priest Thomas and stay as far away from this room as possible. From now on, I will take charge."
"Yes, I will do that."
At that moment, Henry looked at Anton, and after exerting his force, many things in the room rushed toward him at full speed.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Raising his hands, Anton covered his head and resisted all the impacts.
"Ha ha ha!! Do you think your light can overcome the shadow that lies deepest? I am the essence of darkness itself, and no light can extinguish my presence."
"I am your nightmare!!!"
The sound of the scream was too loud and had the effect of dark erosion around the room. Witnessing this, Anton simply used faith power to surround his body and expel the darkness.
"[1,500 faith points have been used...]"
Unaffected by the blows, Anton murmured, "Now you will face an exorcist of the Association of Light. Can you withstand my methods?"
Henry grinned maniacally and said, "I can feel that you do all this out of convenience. Do you think you can balance your blood-filled life with being an exorcist? In the end, you'll have to choose a path, haha."
"Your methods are indifferent to me. Today, I will show you my exorcism methods."