Holy Orders: America’s Most Overqualified Exorcist

Chapter 8 – The Sacrificial Ritual

"Heh… You've done well all these years," Johnny whispered with a twisted grin, tightening his grip.

"For his glorious arrival… I need you to die."

Gale's body suddenly felt weak.

She slowly lowered her head.

A black, upside-down crucifix had been plunged deep beneath her left rib cage, emanating a sinister aura.

A moment later, darkness took her.

Johnny shoved her aside casually.

Thud.

Her body hit the ground with a lifeless crash—no sound, no movement.

"You... You actually killed Ms. Gale?! What exactly is the Council trying to pull?!"

"Hmph! Isn't it obvious? These two are cultists!"

"With this many exorcists present, you're walking straight into your graves!"

...

The exorcists sprang into action, preparing to strike.

But more black-robed figures surged out from both wings of the stage, blocking their path.

Meanwhile—

The audience section had descended into utter chaos.

Panicked civilians fled their seats, desperately pushing toward the exits—only to find them sealed shut.

Several who attempted to force their way out were cut down in full view of the crowd.

Blood on the floor served as warning enough.

Everyone froze, paralyzed with terror.

Johnny's excitement grew.

He raised a hand.

Five of his assistants stepped forward, each drawing a ceremonial dagger—then without hesitation, drove it beneath their ribs.

With trembling hands, they tore out the still-beating sacs of flesh from their own bodies and placed them on the ground.

Blood began to flow, tracing outwards from a sharp V-shaped corner—drawing a large, crimson pentagram.

Simultaneously, Johnny chanted dark incantations.

The blood-drawn star pulsed and glowed an eerie red.

Gasps erupted from the exorcists.

The blessed tools in their hands—the crucifixes, rosaries, relics—all flew from their grip.

Drawn by some force, the sacred objects hovered above the heads of the possessed—and rapidly began to rot before their eyes.

"What the hell is happening?!"

At that very moment, everyone present felt a jolt of pressure deep within.

Blood began seeping from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—drawn from them like rivers toward the center of the stage.

Lorraine gripped the cross around her neck, chanting scripture in a trembling voice. The bleeding stopped—barely. She was barely holding on.

Then her eyes darted in panic to her daughter.

If she was struggling this badly—then her daughter...

But to her shock, Judy was only unconscious. Completely unharmed.

"What…?"

Lorraine noticed a faint glow on Judy's neck.

Something there—radiating a soft, holy light.

...

Elsewhere—

Renai lay on the floor, paralyzed with fear.

She didn't understand what was happening. All around her, people were writhing in agony, collapsing one after another.

But she—she hadn't been touched.

A strange warmth bloomed in her thigh.

She reached into her pocket—and pulled out a glowing white cross.

It was the one she had bought from that weird priest, Gideon Black.

She realized—it was protecting her.

Eyes darting across the room, she spotted her best friend, Laura.

Laura lay in a pool of blood, her face pale, barely breathing.

Renai crawled toward her, grabbed her hand, and clasped the glowing cross in both of theirs.

...

In a dark corner of the theater, Dustin slumped in his seat, unconscious.

But in his pocket, four beams of white light were still glowing—faint, but unwavering.

With the situation under control, Johnny licked his lips and prepared to begin the Descent Ritual.

"Wait."

Senter stepped onto the stage. "There's one more exorcist relic."

Johnny raised an eyebrow.

He glanced around—the exorcists had already been stripped of all their tools. Even their bodies had become fuel for the sacrificial circle.

But Senter pointed toward the edge of the stage.

There, a black-robed man stood silently, holding an exorcist's Bible.

It belonged to that priest.

Johnny had struck just as the priest turned it in—before the relic could be corrupted.

And now, the priest lay beneath the seats in the audience, limp and still.

Senter had already checked—blood was still flowing from his body, being drawn toward the ritual circle.

Johnny chuckled dismissively. "That bumbling priest? Senter, you're giving him far too much credit."

"Details decide outcomes," Senter replied coldly.

"Countless predecessors failed for ignoring the smallest things."

Clearly, he knew his Church history.

Johnny still didn't buy it, but he grudgingly nodded. "Fine. Have him bring it."

He waved a hand.

The black-robed assistant approached with the exorcist Bible in hand.

Meanwhile, under the theater seats—Gideon Black was preparing to act.

When he witnessed the medium's beheading and saw everyone paralyzed, he had immediately collapsed in place, drawing no attention.

Because of his constant cultivation in holy virtue, Gideon was immune to the pentagram's corruptive force. His body was still protected by sacred power—and equipped with relics.

In fact, he was now the most stable person in the entire theater.

Still, to avoid tipping their hand too early, Gideon lay beside another victim—shielding them with a protective charm, while letting the victim's spilled blood mask his own presence.

Through his demon-trapping array, he sensed a dark presence awakening—centered in the possessed host on stage.

He also overheard Senter's conversation.

And so, he waited.

Onstage—

The black-robed assistant held the exorcist Bible above the possessed one's head, then opened it.

A tiny glass vial tumbled out—and shattered against the host's skull.

Splash!

Holy water poured down in a stream.

The possessed figure screamed in agony—an unearthly, piercing shriek.

It thrashed violently, trying to shake the water off.

But the holy water multiplied, running down its body, soaking into its skin.

Within moments, the creature dissolved into a heap of ash.

"Impossible!!" Johnny stood frozen, dumbfounded.

"Holy water... Damn it!" Senter growled, unable to maintain his calm.

That host had been their carefully prepared vessel for the Descent—now destroyed so easily?

As the two stared in disbelief, the holy water began to seep into the pentagram.

The ritual collapsed.

The flowing blood reversed direction—racing back into the victims' bodies.

One by one, the unconscious began to stir. Realizing the exits were no longer guarded, panic took over.

They fled in a stampede.

Lorraine held her daughter close, escaping with the crowd. Before leaving, she turned and looked back—

But didn't see the figure she had hoped to find.

Onstage, Johnny was panicking.

"D-Did we fail...?"

But then, a low voice rumbled from behind him.

"No. The Descent must be completed."

Johnny stiffened.

He turned—and saw a dagger embedded in his chest, piercing his heart.

The scene felt eerily familiar.

Behind him stood Senter, hair disheveled, eyes consumed with madness.

Splurt.

Blood erupted from the wound, painting the floor.

"O Lord of Darkness and the Abyss…"

Senter began chanting, using Johnny's blood to complete the ritual.

This wasn't improvisation—it had always been part of his contingency plan.

Johnny was the backup vessel.

And Senter was his own backup.

"The Descent must be fulfilled… I'll become the vessel myself!"

Gripping an inverted crucifix, Senter's body radiated a dark aura.

The pentagram slowly began to reactivate.

Then—

A calm, firm voice rang out:

"By the purity of the Lord, let evil find no place to dwell…"

Senter's body spasmed.

He felt his power being suppressed—and the ritual halted again.

He turned.

It was that damn priest.

"You?! Who are you really? A secret Vatican bishop?"

Gideon Black didn't answer.

He simply continued reciting exorcist scripture, voice unwavering.

He knew—any pause would give evil a chance to regain strength.

And if it had a chance, he would die.

Senter snarled.

"You're a priest. Are you really going to let all those ignorant fools die just to stop me?"

He forced his withered body to resume the ritual.

"The entire building's sealed. They won't escape—wait, WHAT?!"

Mid-Sentence, Senter gasped.

Thanks to the power amplifying him, he could now see what was happening throughout the theater.

And what he saw made his face twist in disbelief—

The crowd had burst through the main doors and fled.

That shouldn't be possible!

The locks…!

It had to be that priest again!

Enraged, Senter pushed past all limits, pouring his very soul into completing the Descent.

Then—it happened.

Somewhere, a passage opened.

A moment later…

A soul-numbing force filled the air.

Death. Darkness. Cold.

Senter's eyes rolled back. His body convulsed, wind roaring around him.

Gideon could feel it—something had entered Senter's body.

And the exorcist's Bible alone was no longer enough to contain it.

He activated his demon-sealing array.

The wind stopped.

Gideon exhaled.

It seemed... he had succeeded.

But then—

A voice echoed in his ears, distant and bone-chilling:

"Such weak, yet utterly pure light… so disgusting."

"Holy Child… I'll be taking your soul."

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