Chapter 13 - Saving Sister Irene
After quickly dispatching the demon blocking his path, Roy immediately pursued the direction where Sister Irene had been taken.
He felt a growing sense of urgency.
"Truly worthy of being one of the 72 demons of hell."
Despite his caution, Valak had still managed to outwit him.
If Sister Irene were fully taken, Valak's true intention would undoubtedly be to possess her, just as it had in the movie.
Thinking of this, Roy quickened his pace.
This time, the challenges were far greater and more perilous than before.
Father Burke had clearly been deceived, and his current fate was uncertain.
And Sister Irene had been captured and was entirely alone.
Elsewhere...
Father Burke, led hurriedly out of the passage by the nun, found himself back at the surface near the monastery.
However, as he looked around, the nun who had guided him suddenly vanished.
"Hello? Where are you?" he called out several times, but there was no response.
Realization dawned on him, and his expression darkened—it was a trap.
Just as Father Burke was about to re-enter the passage, he heard a scream coming from the monastery.
He hesitated, glancing back at the entrance to the passage, but the persistent cries forced his decision.
Gritting his teeth, he turned and sprinted toward the hall.
Reaching it, he kicked open the doors, only to be greeted by a horrifying sight.
The nuns, who had been praying earlier, now lay scattered across the floor. Their fates were uncertain.
To make matters worse, there were far fewer nuns than before—only four or five remained.
"Are you all right?" Father Burke called out, rushing to the side of one prone figure.
As he reached out to help her up, the nun's head snapped up suddenly.
ROAR!
The nun let out a piercing shriek, her hands lunging for Father Burke's throat.
Her face had turned a ghastly blue, and her eyes were white and lifeless.
Father Burke struggled as she tightened her grip on his neck, cutting off his air.
With no other choice, he pulled out the cross from his pocket, pressing it against her forehead while chanting prayers aloud.
The ornate cross began to glow red, burning the nun's flesh.
"Ahhh!" she screamed, writhing in agony as flames engulfed her body.
Within moments, she was reduced to ashes.
Just as Father Burke caught his breath, a sound behind him made him whirl around.
The remaining nuns, who had appeared lifeless on the floor moments ago, were now rising.
Their faces bore the same fate, and they lunged at him with unnatural speed.
Gripping his cross in one hand, Father Burke braced himself.
But before he could act, a small boy appeared behind him.
From the boy's mouth slithered a snake, which coiled tightly around Father Burke's neck.
The nuns howled as they charged toward him.
Within seconds, Father Burke was overwhelmed.
***
Roy continued his search and finally reached the chamber.
He kicked open the door and froze.
The hall was filled with people in coarse sackcloth hoods, standing eerily still.
At the center of the room was an inverted pentagram, within which Sister Irene hung suspended at an unnatural angle, her body twisted in ways that defied physics.
Roy's brow furrowed.
"Has Irene already been possessed?"
Despite his arrival, the demons did not attack him.
Instead, they parted, creating a wide passage for him to walk through.
The scene made him even more wary.
Clenching his right hand behind his back, he cautiously approached Sister Irene.
Reaching her, he used his left hand to lift the sack covering her head.
As the sack came off, Sister Irene's head snapped upward.
Her once-soft features were now grotesque—her face blue, and her eyes pure white.
She let out a scream, the force of which whipped Roy's clothes violently.
Roy staggered but quickly tore the vial of the Blood of Christ from around her palm.
Without hesitation, he struck her face.
A resounding slap echoed through the hall.
The force hurled her backward, before she crashed to the ground.
Sister Irene, now possessed, slowly rose, her twisted face glaring at Roy with unbridled hatred.
When her gaze fell on the stigmata on his right hand, her expression darkened even further.
From the depths of her being, Valak emerged.
With an ear-splitting scream, Valak lunged at Roy.
The demon slammed him against a stone pillar with immense force.
However, Roy's expression remained the same, and Valak enraged by his reaction, opened its mouth to release a snake.
The creature shot toward Roy, attempting to burrow into his mouth.
Roy immediately swung his right hand, now smeared with the Blood of Christ to Valak again.
The blow made the demon separate from Sister Irene's body.
Roy let out a relieved sigh. His foresight in smearing his palm with Blood of Christ had been vital.
Without it, even the power of the stigmata might not have been enough to expel Valak.
Sister Irene collapsed, coughing up as the possession lifted.
She half-knelt on the ground.
When her eyes met Roy's, she broke down, throwing herself into his arms and sobbing uncontrollably.
Roy gently patted her back. "It's over. You're safe now."
"Valak isn't defeated yet. You must…," whispering the rest into her ear.