6 The Word of God

Anton sighed deeply and turned his head towards those boys, waiting for what they were going to ask.

"Do you think God can pee?" A boy asked loudly, raising his hands to the sides.

"Hahaha!" His companions laughed together; the laughter was harsh and mocking. Obviously, these young people were only seeking their amusement; Anton felt no remorse in his heart, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly. As a man who had been in the presence of death, he knew that everyone would eventually suffer from their sins, and these kids would be no different.

Unlike the peaceful world in his previous life, there were demons and supernatural beings that appeared in reality—things that could only be found in fairy tales. He didn't know if a god from any religion existed specifically, but he did know the existence of an entity that could very easily be God. If Christian tools were useful, it was due to the faith placed in them; that was the theory, but everyone thought differently about their rights. As an exorcist priest, he knew that holy water was effective, and silver crosses and rosaries were also effective against dark beings, so his opinion on the matter should be more open-minded.

In addition to this, the most powerful proof that God exists is that the demons and evil spirits he exorcised cursed God at the end of their resistance. Does this show what? God could really exist, and His presence in this world was stronger than in any other.

If these young people dared to ridicule the name of God in vain like this, they would be punished accordingly for their actions—maybe not now, but they would be punished. Thinking about this, Anton smiled modestly and said, "I will pray for your souls."

"Hahahaha, this stupid priest."

"Will you still pray for us? Haha, if God exists, let a damn lightning strike me!"

Faced with Anton's calmness, these kids became even more foolish. Anton only felt pity for them, took his gaze off them, and said, "Remember this lesson; we are not in this line of work to take care of such kids but to clear the path for people who truly deserve peace."

"Yes, Father!" The driver nodded with a look of understanding. He, as a future exorcist priest, had to have an unbreakable will; he shouldn't doubt why he was seeking the path of light, or he would end up rejected.

Anton, who looked at his assistant's tough expression, asked, "Are you Carlos? I heard that they put you under my care; did it really happen that way?"

"My name is Rafael Dubois."

Anton nodded and said, "A good name; let's hurry and finish this as soon as possible."

Rafael smiled slightly. A few minutes after driving, they parked on the side of the street at Anton's request, and both walked. At that moment, an old man with white hair suddenly appeared from the building next to him and walked slowly towards him.

"Good morning, you must be Priest Anton."

"That's me. Nice to see you, sir!" Anton nodded upon seeing that old man who had suddenly appeared and asked, "Are you going to the hospital?"

Although he didn't know everyone in this place, he knew this old man because he often went to the church to pray for his seriously ill wife. From what he had heard, this old man was a war veteran, but now, due to age, he has retired.

"Yes, Priest Anton," the old man everyone called Smith nodded, and his gaze landed on some young people who were in the distance, making a lot of noise.

"No need to pay them any attention. They're a bunch of scum not worth saving; they will drown in their own crap sooner or later."

"Sooner or later, everything is paid in this world." Anton nodded and smiled slightly as his gaze moved between the buildings.

"I hope you can pray for my wife; I'll leave you to your business." Old Man Smith held Anton's hands before going on his way.

Anton looked into the eyes of that old man and said, "I'll be praying for your wife, Mr. Smith. Take care, and remember to eat well to stay strong."

"Thank you for your kindness." Old man Smith smiled gently.

Anton nodded, walked through a small alley, and headed to the area where Lucia and her family lived. After walking through puddles and mud, Anton and Rafael arrived at their destination, a beautiful wooden house with a backyard attached to it.

Speaking of which, the security of this community was one of the best. Some police patrols often passed through the streets, and there was an absence of criminals wasting time; it was considered a middle-class area.

As Mr. and Mrs. Rossi, along with their daughter Lucia, waited for them at the door of their house, they immediately came to greet them.

"Priest Anton..."

Anton ignored the anxious looks of the two adults, turned his head to Rafael, and ordered, "Before identifying the entity, take care of the initial procedures."

"Yes, Father!" Rafael, holding a large black suitcase, placed it on the ground and took out some incense sticks. Then he took out a gold burner with chains and prepared the equipment to begin suppressing the evil.

"Don't be alarmed; first, my companion, Priest Rafael, will take care of protecting you."

Lucia looked at her parents, who had fallen silent. They had heard stories but never imagined that Anton would be prepared for this.

"In the name of heaven, light, and earth, cleanse this domain and bring light to the darkness that torments this family." Anton began speaking in Latin, walking around the house while Rafael spread the incense, swinging the chains and the burner.

Normally, demons or spirits mark the family for the purpose of jumping from one body to another. But now that the house was protected and none of the members of the Rossi family showed any changes, it meant they were okay.

"Finish the preparations." Rafael sighed as he broke a cold sweat; he never expected Anton to give him so much work right at the beginning as his assistant.

Anton observed attentively before letting his guard down. Demons and evil spirits are genuinely dangerous, so he has no choice but to take many precautions. After all, the abilities of these dark entities are very malevolent. Although he and Rafael may be protected from cursed possession, the victim's family is not protected.

"You know how this works; don't mention anything about it and stay silent, watching how we do the job. We know your son is being possessed by an evil entity; I'll make sure it doesn't escalate, so only one of you can accompany me."

Anton would prefer it to be the boy's father; his mother could be very dramatic, and Lucia wasn't an option within his standards.

"Priest, let me accompany you."

"Mr. Rossi, are you ready?" Anton asked, looking at this man, who seemed stronger than he appeared.

"I am..."

Anton nodded, took out three silver crosses, and said, "Everyone put on a cross; besides you, no one else can accompany us."

When performing an exorcism for a particular family, he usually lets their relatives follow him throughout the process to reassure them; after all, the possessed owner was unconscious.

But Lucia shouldn't witness something like this; even though she seemed to be of legal age, it wasn't recommended because many people are traumatized by what was about to happen. That's why, on this occasion, Anton would only accept the boy's father.

In this world, to be a priest, one needed more than just belief; for that same reason, no one questioned that Anton could be one at an early age.

"Thank you for your help, and sorry for not contacting you first." Mrs. Rossi looked at Anton and felt she should have visited him before going to church first.

Anton nodded, looked around once more, and said, "Very well, Mr. Rossi, lead me to see your son."

"Alright..." Mr. Rossi had wanted to visit a doctor first, but it was too early, and what his son Josh had was not exactly a disease that could be cured with medicine.

Everyone knows exactly when something dark is lurking around them; that's why they prioritized contacting a priest to take care of it.

"Identify the entity; that's the first thing that's theoretically done."

Rafael nodded and pulled out a massive Grimoire, looked around, and followed Mr. Rossi, who was leading them to his son's room.

For some reason, this time, Anton felt more uneasy. Although it didn't look as bad as other exorcisms, he knew it wouldn't be easy to do this job.

There were no traces of evil entities in the house, cursed targets, or evidence that someone had played with black magic in this place.

Following Mr. Rossi's steps, they reached the second floor, where there was soon a change in the air that even Rafael felt.

The smell that could be perceived was similar to burnt coal, something one could smell when close to a bonfire.

This smell in these kinds of situations was evidently related to a demon; the gates of hell had been opened, and this job was very dangerous.

"Incorporeal entity, the darkness level is high, and besides possession, there are no changes in the environment," murmured Rafael, identifying the type of entity they were about to eliminate.

Anton furrowed his brows and looked towards the end of the hallway, where a door with a silver cross hanging on the outside was located.

"Mr. Rossi, think carefully about what I'm going to ask you: Did you correctly place the cross outside the door?" Anton took off his trench coat and left it aside, pulling out a silver rosary.

He asked this question because the cross was slightly tilted, enough to know that this spirit was quite capable. The degree of inclination could also represent the strength of evil. If it were completely inverted, they would be dealing with a powerful entity.

"Yes... It was correctly placed. Lucia put the cross perfectly." Mr. Rossi's voice trembled as he said this.

Upon hearing this, Anton slightly squinted his eyes, took off his leather gloves, and walked towards the door, followed by Rafael.

The closer the distance, the colder the atmosphere became, and it might even seem like the body's five senses were blocked; there was no sound, and even external sounds seemed to have disappeared.

"Don't play with me!" Anton murmured as he knocked on the door three times, and it began to tremble.

Rafael looked at Mr. Rossi and said, "Give me the key to the door."

"Yes..."

Anton took the key and opened the door directly. But even before the door opened, a voice as thick as an old man's was heard from inside.

"Now, this is more fun, hehehe."

When the door opened, it shook violently. Anton then saw Josh tied to the bed on all fours. His body, except for his underwear, was exposed, revealing his thin and inhuman appearance. His deathly white eyes fixed on Anton's attire, and a wide smile formed on his face.

"What are my eyes seeing? Damn, you smell like garbage."

Josh, who was acting abnormally, changed his expression and looked at his father as if he hadn't been acting strangely a moment ago. "Daddy, do you remember when we went to that horrible church? That priest was there; he took me to a dark place and started playing with me. Are you going to let him into my room?"

"Josh, what are you saying, son?"

Anton cracked his fingers and said, "Don't talk to him; stay aside, or Rafael will take you out of this room. If you want to save your son, don't answer his questions. He is not the Josh you know right now."

Mr. Rossi was interrupted by Anton, who was staring fixedly at Josh in the center of the bed.

Rafael, who had put on a priest's attire, began to look at Mr. Rossi and pointed to the corner of the room.

"That's better..." Anton nodded at this, approached his backpack, and took out some special objects he would need.

Josh, who had remained silent, roared loudly: "Old demon dog, are you going to let them play with your son's body? Damned coward, you've always wanted to kill me, and now that you have the chance, you do nothing."

Mr. Rossi remained silent on the side, simply holding the cross to his chest and silently praying.

In the next second, Josh, who seemed fine, suddenly changed shape and behaved like a lunatic, fiercely struggling against the restraints holding his body.

"Hahaha! Damned priest, you won't be able to save this child's life!"

"Did you hear, old idiot? Your son is going to die; he will burn in the flames of hell."

In just a few brief seconds, Josh, who was a child of no more than ten years old, behaved like a madman.

"You have a lot of confidence in yourself." Anton murmured as he looked at Josh coldly; his eyes contained no emotions of fear, and his gaze was as cold as frost.

He had walked through hell, so this was nothing compared to what he had experienced. So, he would personally take care of sending him back where he belonged.

"Let's begin..."