Just thinking of that, Su Fan activated his spiritual perception and scanned the area once more.
After multiple sweeps, there was still nothing unusual.
Su Fan withdrew his perception, but barely a moment later, he released it again, thoroughly observing every corner and shadowy spot in the building.
Still, nothing.
[Looks like it really did run.]
A demon of that caliber, if it suddenly launched a surprise attack, could actually pose a threat to Su Fan himself.
But if it did, Mengtou’s early warning system would certainly trigger.
All those repeated checks weren’t because he was paranoid about the demon hiding in the shadows—he just wanted to make sure it wasn’t lurking around watching him.
Su Fan walked to the doorway and looked down at the unconscious man slumped against the doorframe, recognizing who he was.
It was John, Mia’s husband, one of the family members tormented by the Annabelle doll.
The reason he was here was most likely to protect Father Andrew.
He trusted his wife enough to seek out a priest for help, and he was grateful enough to want to protect the injured priest from the demon.
Compared to the oblivious male leads in most horror movies, he was already miles ahead.
“How is he doing?”
“His soul has calmed down, but the demon branded him earlier, so his body is pretty weak.”
Teresa gave her answer.
“Can you remove it?”
Su Fan raised his hand, ready to draw a talisman.
“If it’s too difficult, I’ll take over.”
“It’s not hard. I already used holy water, salt, and prayers to erase the brand.”
Su Fan nodded in acknowledgment.
Having worked together a few times now, he had come to recognize Teresa’s abilities.
Aside from direct combat being a bit lacking, she was a very capable member of the clergy.
That was also why he felt comfortable leaving the others in her care.
After getting John settled, the two stepped into the ward.
Aside from the bed where Andrew lay in the center, there were no other beds in the room.
Clearly, this was arranged to give him a better environment for recovery.
But from the looks of things, it didn’t seem to be helping much.
Just as Su Fan was considering whether to try using talismans to heal Father Andrew, the old man slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing Su Fan and Teresa standing before him, a look of peace settled over his face.
“You’re here…”
“It must have been a difficult journey… you must have faced no small amount of danger along the way…”
Andrew spoke in fits and starts, having to pause for breath after every few words.
Teresa couldn’t bear to see Father Andrew struggle so much and instinctively wanted to pray for him, but the old man cut her off.
“Don’t waste God’s miracles on an old man like me, Teresa. You have far more important things to do.”
He turned his gaze to Su Fan, his eyes filled with admiration.
“I heard from Raphael. You’re remarkable—defeating evil on your own, without relying on God’s power.”
“A powerful and mysterious young exorcist. With your help, Teresa… will surely complete the mission given by the Vatican.”
“But you must be careful. Demons aren’t just fearsome in strength—what they excel at most is exploiting the weaknesses in people’s hearts to shatter their faith.”
With that, Father Andrew took a few deep breaths, his chest heaving like a bellows.
“You’ve come face to face with the demon, and you’re also a member of the clergy… Do you have any idea what its true identity might be?”
In response to Su Fan’s question, Andrew shook his head.
“There are countless demons that share the same traits. I can’t accurately deduce its true name.”
“Do all demons have a particular fondness for mothers and children? Or is this just this demon’s unique preference?”
The Weeping Woman, Eurynome, Bathsheba, and now this demon—all of them had targeted single mothers or young pregnant women.
Not a single one seemed to deliberately go after men.
“Compared to other identities, mothers are closer to God, because mothers who give birth share in the joy of creating life alongside God.”
“Tormenting a mother, or making a mother kill her own child—these acts are considered by demons and their followers to be a great blasphemy against God.”
Seeing that Father Andrew wanted to explain further for Su Fan’s sake, Teresa stepped in and spoke on his behalf.
Soon, she noticed the contemplative look on Su Fan’s face.
“Su, have you picked up on something?”
“A bit of a thought. But I need more detailed information.”
Su Fan said softly.
Perhaps, these three cases he had taken on were all orchestrated by a single demon behind the scenes.
Why did he make that connection?
Because the demon’s uncharacteristic retreat earlier reminded him of Bathsheba.
Before she was sure she could defeat Su Fan, Bathsheba’s strategy was either taking hits or fleeing—never engaging him directly.
Rather than outright taking lives, she preferred to break people down psychologically and make them crumble on their own.
The patterns of torment were eerily consistent.
Perhaps the powers of the previous two evil spirits were actually derived from that red demon that had just retreated.
“Father Andrew, do you clearly remember what happened the night you were injured?”
At Su Fan’s prompting, the priest began recounting the strange events that occurred after he had taken Annabelle away from Mia’s house.
The car had stalled several times for no apparent reason. The roads were completely empty.
The radio was nothing but static, punctuated by a repeating phrase: “May God have mercy on your soul.”
Along the way, he saw countless hallucinations. With no other choice, Andrew relied on constant prayer to overcome those perils.
In the end, he made it back to the church safely, though not without difficulty.
But just as he picked up the doll and stepped onto the church steps, he felt a presence of evil behind him.
He turned around—and there stood a woman, her abdomen soaked in blood, her neck still gushing crimson.
“Right then, I knew it was no ordinary evil spirit. The church doors were right in front of me, so I clutched the doll and ran inside.”
“But just a split second before I crossed the threshold, I was yanked back by an immense force and thrown onto the road…”
The narrative ended there. Su Fan and Teresa both knew that after that, the priest had lost consciousness.
“I could feel the demon’s hunger for souls. More than the ones it takes by force, what it truly desires are souls willingly offered by people kneeling before it.”
“I don’t know if any of this will be of help to you.”
“Not a whole lot. Might as well be nothing.”
Teresa was stunned when she heard that. She looked at Su Fan, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something, but she held back.
You sure have a way with words.
Hearing Su Fan’s response, Father Andrew was left speechless.
“For now, just focus on recovering here. Leave the rest to us.”
Su Fan’s tone was casual, even a little offhand.
“Teresa, we’re not done yet. Let’s go.”
