"Old man Jeremy's possessed form has existed for over 25 years...so believe me, his strength is far superior to the intelligent possessed you've battled." the leader declared gravely.
"Twenty-five years?" Damian stammered, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"That's longer than I've been exorcising, and longer than he's lived." he thought, glancing at Eddy.
"Could it be that you underestimate us compared to our supposed foe?" Eddy asked, his voice steady and challenging.
"No... I just think you don't grasp the gravity of the situation. If old man Jeremy's possessed form escapes that house, the destruction and calamity it could unleash would be unimaginable." the leader replied, taking a measured sip of his tea.
"Hmm... it would be a perfect opportunity to face foes worthy of my attention." Eddy mused lightly.
"Why did you call on us? Isn't number 2 available?" Damian inquired.
"He's currently out on a mission, along with number 4, Tsumigi Hayashi. You two were the only available high-rankers, so..."
The leader responded. The room fell into a tense silence as Damian pondered the assignment.
"Do I take the silence as a sign of reluctance?" the leader probed.
"We'll do it," Eddy announced.
"On one condition," he added firmly.
"Hahaha! You want to make a proposal?" the leader asked, amused by the exorcists confidence.
"Can I not?".
"Go on lad."
"If we succeed in slaying Jeremy's possessed form, we want one month off duty." Eddy stated.
"One full month?" the leader questioned.
"I don't think it's too much, considering we're risking our lives against an unknown and formidable foe."
"Hmm, hahaha... it's a deal, but on one extra condition." the leader conceded.
"Which is?" Eddy asked, wary.
"You take a member along with you-"
"No. We don't need any dead weight or potential casualties." Eddy interrupted.
"She's not dead weight... she's the highest-ranked member in the guild. Sky Barlowe." the leader clarified.
"That doesn't mean anything. She'd still be useless in battle." Eddy retorted.
"Besides, we work better as a team of two."
"The only number better than two is three. If you want the deal, then you obey orders. Do this, or get the hell off my floor." the leader commanded.
As the hours passed, the sky darkened with clouds, casting a foreboding atmosphere over the city of Maddenport. Lightning flashed across the sky as a taxi carrying Eddy and Damian sped down a lonely road. When they arrived at their destination, they stepped out, the taxi immediately speeding away, leaving them facing the ominous silhouette of Jeremy's mansion.
"You ready?" Damian asked Eddy, his voice tense.
"Let's get this over with." Eddy replied, his gaze fixed on the foreboding building. They moved towards the mansion, but a sudden shout stopped them in their tracks.
"Ahem!"
They turned to their rear in response to the call only to see a young girl, looking no older than 18 , dressed in an exorcist uniform with a sheathed metal blade at her belt. Despite her youth, she had an impressive figure, well-developed muscles, and a striking physique. She was a perfect blend of beauty, brains, and brawn, a true work of art.
"I'm Sky Barlowe..." she announced confidently, her eyes blazing with determination.
"And I'm here to ensure this mission succeeds..."
"Huh?" Damian exclaimed, his eyes widening.
Sky took a deep breath, bowed her head slightly,and said, "My name is Sky Barlowe. I was instructed to join your expedition today. I hope we can get through this successfully and maybe make it a regular thing!"
"Damn, she's hot," Damian thought, unable to help himself.
"This is Barlowe?" Eddy studied her carefully for a few moments, scrutinizing every detail.
"Just as I thought, she's deadweight." he concluded silently
.
"Stay out here and keep watch." Eddy
commanded, walking up to the door.
"What? Keep watch? I'm the highest-ranked.
member in the holy exorcist guild. I can do a lot better than-"
"Are you attempting to disobey a superior's orders while in the field?" Eddy interrupted, turning to Sky to face her with a steely gaze.
"S... I'm sorry, sir." Sky stammered, her confidence momentarily shaken.
"Good. Damian." Eddy gestured for Damian to follow him into the haunted house, leaving Sky standing outside all alone.
Damian and Eddy entered the building, which was unlike anything they had imagined. Despite being abandoned for the past 30 years due to rumors of it being haunted, the interior was impeccably maintained. There wasn't a single speck of dust to be seen. The curtains were open, allowing light to flood the room, and everything was in its perfect place. The only anomaly was the portraits, all of which had been ripped, broken, and torn to shreds.
Now, there was only one task left: find and exorcise all the possessed spirits in the haunted house.
"Don't you think you were a bit harsh to the new girl?" Damian asked, breaking the silence.
"She doesn't belong with us. She'd be deadweight." Eddy replied curtly.
"That's just plain cold, even for you."
"I'll take upstairs," Eddy added as he walked away.
To Damian, Eddy was just being his usual callous self. But the truth was, Eddy had never faced a possessed spirit older than three years.
Now, he was sent to hunt down a possessed
spirit that could potentially kill him. For the first time in a very long time, Eddy had a hunch that
at the end of the day, one of two things would
happen: either he wouldn't go home in one piece, or he wouldn't make it out alive. Whatever the case, he needed personal confidence as a first step to ensure his survival, so perhaps that was why he deceived himself to believe that he could beat the possessed one-on-one.
Eddy moved through the mansion, making his
way to a hallway. As he stepped through the corridor, he meticulously observed every corner.
Suddenly, he sensed an enormous amount of aura emanating from behind him. He turned around to see a deformed creature-a possessed spirit-standing with a hunchback, drooling. It had a huge lump on its back, forming a terrifying hunchback structure. On the lump was a massive mouth filled with several layers of teeth, drooling a stream of saliva down its body. Its eyes and nose were absent, replaced by another mouth with crooked teeth located on the left side of its chest.
"Jeremy?" Eddy asked, slowly shifting sideways with his hand on his katana.
He assumed a waki stance, ready to attack the beast. It moaned loudly while another mouth made a clicking noise. Faster than the eye could see, Eddy slashed the possessed spirit in half, from the top of its head to its supposed groin area, then sliced it into eight pieces. He immediately returned to his original position and sheathed his katana.
"Done... no, that possessed spirit was far too slow and easy to be one that had lived for 25 years. Something's not right..." he muttered,
sensing the same strong aura he had felt before.
Wasting no time, he immediately turned around to see the exact same possessed spirit, reassembled back to its original form.
"Impossible. I just exorcised it a few seconds ago. How could it—"
The possessed spirit formed a sheathed katana out of thin air, identical to Eddy's, then took a
waki stance just as Eddy had. Clicking menacingly once more, it swiftly charges right up to Eddy.
As the possessed spirit lunged at him, Eddy's mind raced, as he contemplated his next possible move.
"This isn't just any possessed spirit. It's learning. Adapting."
The air crackled with tension as the two faced off, the eerie silence of the mansion amplifying the sound of their movements. Eddy's heart pounded in his chest, but his grip on his katana was steady. This battle was unlike any he had faced before, and he knew that only his skill and wits would see him through.