Holy Orders: America’s Most Overqualified Exorcist

Chapter 7 – At Twenty-Two, Treated Like a Pawn

Gale motioned from the front, leading the participants through a door in the main hall.

Gideon quietly gathered his things and followed at the end of the group.

To his surprise, the room beyond was yet another grand hall—this one taking up three floors of vertical space. It was a full-fledged indoor theater.

At its center was a circular stage, surrounded by concentric rows of seating rising up around it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 13th Street Exhibition. Please find a seat anywhere," said Johnny, standing center stage with a microphone in hand.

Five assistants stood stationed at the edge of the stage.

Once the participants were settled, Gale descended to the stage as well.

Gideon chose a seat near the exit after scanning the room for a moment.

"Greetings, everyone. I'm Gale Tiago—one of the organizers of this exhibition."

She stood confidently under the stage lights, addressing the crowd with a firm and clear voice.

"You're all aware—supernatural incidents have been on the rise across the states in recent years…"

This was Gale's long-awaited moment. She was the youngest administrator in the history of the Paranormal Council.

Ever since her promotion, she had faced relentless scrutiny—many believed she lacked both the seniority and the strength for the role.

In response, she personally oversaw every mission and investigation, gradually establishing herself as an indispensable figure within the Council.

This exhibition was a critical turning point. If it succeeded, she'd finally have the qualifications to contend for the Council's next heir.

"...In light of this crisis, the Council has decided to select five powerful exorcism artifacts.

"The chosen wielders of these artifacts will be tasked with establishing regional branches, operating with full Council support…"

Murmurs rippled through the audience. Many looked excited—eager.

The Paranormal Council held immense influence, with deep-rooted power in numerous regions.

To be endorsed by them was a guaranteed ticket to fame, resources, and a meteoric rise.

Gideon, however, frowned slightly.

It all looked glamorous on the surface, but power always came with a price.

Once under the Council's patronage, one could hardly refuse when they came knocking with "requests."

All that glory… in exchange for obedience—and potential danger.

A bad deal.

"I can't believe I'm analyzing this. Normally, I'd have dismissed it out of hand. Guess I've been getting ahead of myself lately…"

He mentally cautioned himself not to lose perspective.

Just then, movement drew everyone's eyes back to the stage.

"As of now," Johnny said, raising his hand, "the majority of supernatural incidents involve demonic possession."

A side door opened.

A group of robed men carried out a shirtless man bound in chains.

The man's body was covered in wounds. A thick iron collar rested on his chest. His eyes were entirely white, and he muttered in some unknown tongue.

Johnny took out a ceremonial dagger and slashed across the man's cheekbone.

But a moment later, the man's flesh began to squirm—and the wound healed completely.

A collective gasp rose from the audience.

Supernatural regeneration and a dead language—classic signs of a high-level demonic possession.

"A month ago, this man attempted to summon a demon," Gale explained. "Luckily, we intercepted the ritual in time."

"Unfortunately, no matter what we've tried, we haven't been able to destroy the entity inside him."

"That's why today's test is simple—anyone who can harm the demon will pass."

With that, she signaled the demonstration to begin.

First up were a few women holding crystal spheres. They climbed onto the stage and chanted spells.

But within seconds, the crystals shattered—and the women coughed up blood before collapsing.

They were quickly carried offstage, replaced by the next challenger.

This one wielded a silver longsword, aiming directly for the possessed man's neck.

He managed to decapitate him—but the demon-possessed body simply regenerated again. The sword, meanwhile, had dulled.

Next came curses, talismans, detection devices…

None of them worked. All failed without exception.

The possessed man opened his mouth and let out a few distorted howls—almost like mockery.

A heavy tension filled the room.

Even Gale, watching from the side, couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Many of the ancient exorcism relics present had been invited by her—yet even that wasn't enough?

"Father by the door, why don't you give it a try?"

Johnny pointed toward one side.

At this moment, everything was seemingly under control, and he could barely contain his excitement.

Gideon blinked, momentarily confused, then realized the people in front of him had all turned to look.

Dozens of eyes now fell upon him.

Danger.

"What? He's a priest?"

"Hey, don't joke around. Let me try again instead."

…

A microphone was thrust in front of Gideon's face.

Just then, he came up with a plan.

"May the Lord bless you all. I believe I should take up the Bible and, under the Holy Cross, persuade the evil spirit to leave. In doing so, the child will be saved."

His words were met with an uproar of laughter.

"Hah! Are you serious?"

"You call that an exorcism? What is this, Sunday school?"

"Guys like you should go back and play church somewhere else."

…

Gale, seeing the priest put on the spot, decided to help by changing the subject.

Not far away, Judy looked on with worry.

Lorraine gently patted her daughter's head, thinking perhaps she'd exaggerated too much.

As a trained exorcist, she understood better than anyone—Church exorcisms were extremely difficult to master, far beyond the grasp of an ordinary local priest.

But as for our Gideon?

He didn't care what others thought.

Right now, he only wanted to get out of here!

From the moment the possessed individual had stepped onstage, he had sensed something was wrong.

Thanks to his ability "Cleansed Sight," gained through the rite of Holy Water Purification, Gideon could clearly see—the evil spirit wasn't fully restrained. It could break free at any moment.

As someone who worked tirelessly in community service, Gideon had encountered many cases of possession.

He knew how cunning evil spirits were. They needed constant suppression—there was no way it would just sit still like that.

To him, it felt like…

"The evil spirit is cooperating with them."

But no one else seemed to notice.

And that wasn't the only anomaly.

Gideon also noticed that each of the five assistants onstage stood atop a strange V-shaped symbol.

Each pointed toward the stage center, but the connecting lines were deliberately missing—leaving only sharp angles.

If all five were connected, they would form a pentagram.

And that… was the symbol of Satanism.

Realizing this, Gideon knew he had to get out now.

He stood, quietly backing toward the exit while everyone remained distracted.

Those nearby assumed he was embarrassed and slinking away, so no one stopped him.

He was nearly at the door when he bumped into someone—his protective charms scattering to the ground.

"Sorry about that."

The man, Senter, bent down. As his hand touched one of the charms, he hesitated for a moment… but still picked it up.

"Be careful not to lose these. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Gideon took it with a smile and a quick "thank you."

But the suited man stepped into the aisle—blocking his way.

Behind him, several others had gathered near the entrance at some point—each holding what looked like weapons.

Gideon's eyes narrowed. There was something dark going on here.

And when Senter bent down earlier, Gideon had noticed, in the shadows behind his ear—three digits: 666.

The Mark of Satan.

He hadn't been wrong.

Time to activate Plan B for escape.

These thoughts flashed by in mere seconds.

Gideon now feigned indignation.

"I've reconsidered. I must try again—with the Exorcist's Bible. The Lord will surely redeem that child."

Senter's eyes flickered with scorn, but his expression remained polite.

"Of course. Please proceed to the stage."

As long as he wasn't trying to escape, Senter had no reason to stop him.

After all, a little priest daring to stand against Satan?

How laughable.

"These damn priests never change," Senter sneered inwardly.

Gideon stepped toward the stage, holding what appeared to be a Bible.

Inside its hollowed-out center was a vial of holy water—aged ten years.

It had been blessed during a sacred ceremony at the Vatican years ago.

When he first became a priest, he had managed to "obtain" it from an old mentor—it had remained one of his trump cards ever since.

It wouldn't hold up against Satan himself—but for powerful evil spirits, it was more than enough.

Just as Gideon was going towards the stage with the "Bible," the final performer took the stage.

A spiritual medium stepped forward, placing her hand behind the possessed man's head. Her eyes instantly turned white.

Moments later, her expression shifted—to pure terror.

"It… it's not bound at all. You… you're with the Sa—"

But before she could finish, her head flew into the air.

A geyser of blood shot out.

Behind her, one of the assistants was holding a bloodied axe.

Chaos erupted in the theater.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Gale shouted in shock.

But before she could do anything—her body suddenly froze.

She slowly turned… and met Johnny's cold, murderous gaze.

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