"Where is this?…"
Gerry, who had slept in a daze after returning to the hotel, suddenly "woke up" to find himself in an unfamiliar church.
Its overall layout was somewhat similar to the church in Christian Town, but this place exuded a vintage style everywhere.
Moreover, in the position of the idol, it was not the Holy Mother Mary, but Jesus nailed to the Cross.
Yes, the statue currently placed in the church of Christian Town is indeed that of the Holy Mother Mary.
In the "dream" realm, as Gerry was observing his surroundings, a white light suddenly flashed before his eyes, and a woman enveloped in a holy halo appeared before him.
"You… are you the Holy Mother Mary?" Gerry's throat tightened after seeing the woman's face clearly.
There was no mistake; this holy woman before him was exactly as described in the Bible as the Holy Mother.
"No, although my name is also Mary, I am not that Holy Mother.
I am Mary Elnor, the woman Satan left in the human world—" Mary Elnor explained her identity.
What is the Devil's woman? Of course, she is also a Devil.
Hearing the woman introduce herself, Gerry was startled and retreated to the foot of the Jesus idol, saying, "This is a church, what do you want to do?"
"Of course, I came for you.
You have congenital heart disease and are about to die; Jesus cannot save you, but I can." Mary Elnor revealed a strange smile.
'Heart disease? What a joke—' Gerry was certain he was very healthy and had no congenital heart disease at all.
But before Gerry could retort, he found that he could no longer control his body.
As his thoughts merged, Gerry saw his previous "self" from a third-person perspective.
He was 100% sure that the young man in the priest's attire before him was not himself.
"What do you need me to do for you?" Then, the young man before him, beyond Gerry's control, began his own actions.
This young man in priest's attire was Alice's grandfather, and everything in the dream took place in 1944.
After merging with the memories, Gerry finally understood his state; he was now reviewing Alice's grandfather's "story" from a third-person perspective.
In the story, Alice's grandfather, in order to cure his heart disease, agreed to a "deal" with Mary Elnor.
He helped Mary Elnor build an idol in the church and helped her collect faith.
And Mary Elnor, in turn, helped Alice's grandfather regain his health—
As for Mary Elnor's reason for collecting faith, she said she needed it to enhance her strength so she could go to Hell to see her lover, Satan.
Of course, these were all excuses; in reality, Mary Elnor's relationship with the Devil King was not that intimate.
At most, she was his concubine or maid.
Of course, Mary Elnor truly wanted to increase her strength, but collecting faith was false.
What she truly needed were the souls of the believers.
In the dream, Alice's grandfather quickly realized this.
As believers in the town began to die one after another, he finally chose to confront Mary Elnor, the Devil.
Then, he publicized the fact that Mary Elnor was a Devil, then gathered the town residents and tied Mary Elnor, who was possessing the idol, to a large tree in front of the church and burned her.
The "story" ended with Mary Elnor's distorted face in the flames.
'Burn her well—'
The matter had a perfect ending, making Gerry, who watched it all from a third-person perspective, unable to help but applaud.
Then, he woke up.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Gerry, who had truly woken up this time, also connected the entire incident.
'The flames did not completely burn Mary Elnor to death; she should have been sealed in the doll by Alice's grandfather before his heart disease relapsed…'
'This is equivalent to offending the other party to death.'
'That night, unknowingly, I stepped on and broke the doll sealing the Devil, releasing Mary Elnor, the Devil…'
'The current situation is Mary Elnor seeking revenge on Alice, the priest's descendant…'
"Oh no, Alice is in danger—" Gerry, who had understood the whole story, realized that the girl who had been blessed by the miracle should now be the Devil's prey.
Mistakenly believing that he had caused all this by stepping on the doll, Gerry felt he needed to do something for the girl.
So, he put on a T-shirt and rushed out of the hotel, running towards the church.
By this time, it was already evening, and the foggy Christian Town seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist.
"Don't you want some? This pizza tastes good—" In front of the church in Christian Town, Mike was already eating dinner and offered a slice of pizza to Father James next to him.
In Christian Town now, except for those who had been treated by Alice and became "believers," other residents still maintained their normal appearance.
However, as the strange events at the church became more severe, those normal residents all hid in their homes and generally would not go out.
The pizza Mike was eating was a rare commodity that members of the X Squad had gone to a half-closed restaurant in the town to buy.
"I'm not hungry, thank you—" Father James, with a deep frown, refused Mike's offer.
He was a little confused; at a time like this, how could Mike still appear so relaxed?
"What exactly are your plans?" Father James watched Mike eat five servings of pizza, then leisurely drink two large cups of milk tea, and finally couldn't help but ask.
"Plans?" Mike leaned against the sports car and said, "Wait for the Devil to appear, then eliminate it, and it's over."
The reason he was blocking the church entrance was to monitor Alice.
As long as this girl was there, the Devil would definitely appear again.
Moreover, according to the information Mike had collected, Alice would descend a "miracle" and bestow "blessings" upon believers every evening.
Looking at the sky, it should be about time.
Just then, the church suddenly became brightly lit, followed by hymns praising Mary.
"Finally, I've been waiting for you," Mike's lips curved into a smile.
In his perception, the originally unremarkable church was now emitting a rotten, foul odor.
This was a sign that the real entity had appeared—
"Let's go, let's go in and see," Mike stood up and walked towards the church door, not forgetting to call Father James.
"What did you find?" Father James's spirit sharpened, and he caught up, asking, "Also, how do you plan to get in?"
The church door had already been locked from the inside by Alice and the "believers," making it difficult to enter from the outside.
Of course, none of this was a concern for Mike; he gently pushed the church door, and with a "crack" of breaking wood, the door was smoothly pushed open.
"What did you just say?" Mike, who had entered the church, turned back to look at Father James, whose eyes were wide outside the door.
"No, nothing…" Father James swallowed, looking at the scattered wood chips on the ground, then composed himself again and said, "I mean, did you find something when you suddenly acted?"
"Yes," Mike nodded, turned to look at the girl devoutly standing beneath the Mary idol deep inside the church, and spoke in a low voice, "The Devil has already jumped out itself."
Power of Corruption… Possession Ability… Seduction Ability…
The floating characteristic traits in the air also proved that Mike's perception was indeed correct.
At the same time, the believers surrounding the girl Alice all seemed to be experiencing a final burst of energy, their conditions becoming very spirited.
Only Mike knew that their life force was draining away, or more precisely, their soul energy was decaying.
It wouldn't be long before this group of people would likely die one after another, in a way that would show no discernible cause upon examination.