Exorcist of the American Nightmares

"..."

"Another perfect score! All bulls-eyes!"

Amidst the exclamations of the staff inside.

The woman with a simple ponytail, dressed in a light shirt and jeans, cool and detached, turned around, first setting down the still-smoking large revolver in her hand, then removing the noise-canceling headphones from her ears and placing them on the table.

"Thank you."

Eileen turned to the staff member who had appeared beside her, her voice calm.

"You can clean up now."

"Yes, ma'am."

Watching Eileen leave, the staff member swallowed an imaginary gulp of saliva and lowered his head as he walked past.

On the table, a round of pistols had been laid out, already fired.

It was a full set of pistols, including every type available on the market.

A total of fifty-seven pistols.

This meant that the seemingly slender woman with the ponytail had just fired nearly six hundred bullets.

Ordinary people would have numbed hands after shooting two to three hundred bullets.

The staff member glanced at the large revolver, his heart trembling with awe.

The Smith & Wesson Model 500, firing .500 S&W Magnum rounds, used the largest X-frame from S&W, and was the most powerful mass-produced revolver in the world today.

The bullet weighed about 22 grams, with a muzzle velocity of 602 meters per second, giving it a muzzle energy of 4109 joules.

To put it in perspective, the .50 Desert Eagle has a muzzle energy of only about 2400 joules.

And the commonly used AK-47 rifle by criminals has a muzzle energy of about 2000 joules.

Simply put, a novice using this revolver could easily risk breaking bones if not handled correctly.

And to have a customer who finished shooting a full set of pistols and then used a high-power revolver as a finisher, in his over ten years at this club, he had never seen such a thing.

Adding to that, her rapid fire, all bulls-eyes achievement, that was even more...

"Who exactly is she?"

The staff member remembered the woman who had just left, recalling how she often came alone or with companions to practice shooting, and couldn't help shivering.

Despite her beautiful appearance and exceptional demeanor that was striking, he would definitely keep his distance.

No! Not at all interested! Nor dare to!

...

Outside.

In a nearby room.

Eileen glanced at the hurriedly departing staff member, feeling a bit puzzled.

These staff members seemed to be avoiding her.

But she didn't dwell on it, instead looking forward to the platform.

There stood two men.

One tall and slim, the other tall and robust.

"Brother Hillis, you need to find your own rhythm."

The robust man's voice had a very reliable steadiness.

"Everyone has their own shooting habits. The standard definition of posture is safe and reliable, but at the end of the day, there's also your own rhythm and habits..."

Hearing this, Eileen watched Mr. John Wick, who was instructing, and Brother Hillis, who was shooting, but in her mind, a different scene surfaced.

It was the memory of her bishop teaching her.

"It's been five months now, when are you coming back?" Eileen pursed her lips.

Five months isn't long, but for her, it felt very lengthy.

Lengthy enough that many things had been happening.

Having finished her business, Mr. John Wick came over.

Meanwhile, at Pluto Church, Ms. Camille had been constantly inquiring about the bishop's news.

Her son, Saxon, and Ms. Emilia's wedding had been on hold, waiting for the bishop.

Given the secret level of information about the crack, she couldn't disclose the truth, which was frustrating because she didn't know the bishop's exact situation, although she firmly believed he would return.

They had no way to find out any information about the inside of the crack.

Apart from the bishop, any force from this world would disappear upon entering the crack, then cease to exist.

This was concluded after countless experiments.

According to Brother Hillis, the crack leads to another space or dimension.

A different energy field, it automatically isolates all foreign matter, like their supernatural powers...

Bang bang bang!

Hillis fired rapidly, emptying the magazine in one go.

Then he waited for the notification from the other side.

"Eight bulls-eyes, two nines..."

Hearing the announcement, Hillis's face showed dissatisfaction, and he put down the pistol.

"I don't seem suited for combat."

John Wick shook his head, calmly saying, "Twenty-five meters, moving target, these results are actually very good. Most people can't achieve this."

Hillis removed his noise-canceling headphones and sighed, "Still not enough, you know Eileen..."

He was cut off by a noise from behind.

"I'll be right back."

Hillis turned around and saw Eileen standing by the door,

 holding a phone, her expression somber. She removed the phone and spoke only one sentence.

"Something's wrong with the monitoring device you left."

Hillis's eyes widened slightly, knowing what that meant.

...

In a hall layered with compounded magic circles.

What used to be invisible to many clergy was now clearly visible as they all gathered here.

They watched the occasionally visible magic circles, their expressions very solemn.

Ordinary people might not see it, but they could see very clearly.

The hall, enveloped by Bishop York's magic circles, was experiencing extremely terrifying energy fluctuations.

These energies made the surrounding air twist, creating wave-like patterns.

Waves kept crashing against the magic circles.

"All the faithful have been dispersed," reported a voice.

"Hmm."

Following York's instructions, as the actual leader, Eileen nodded, her eyes showing a hint of worry as she looked at the hall before her.

Her thought was that she believed her bishop would definitely return, but she couldn't be sure that this outbreak from the crack meant his return.

Because these cracks were not always calm.

Thus, each crack was managed by a bishop-level clergy member, tasked with suppressing any outbreaks.

"How are things inside?" Eileen looked to the side.

At that moment, Hillis was also quite somber. He watched the visible ripples crashing against the magic circles and said in a deep voice.

"The values are continuously rising, preparing to reach the limit."

Hearing this, Eileen felt powerless, only able to stare at the hall emitting terrifying fluctuations, falling silent.

Everything that could be done, had been done.

All they could do now was watch and wait.

Wait for the fluctuations to subside, to be smoothed over by the magic circles, or wait for the bishop's return.

"The energy values being released have gone off the charts."

With Hillis's words, the magic circles in the hall began to fully appear before all the clergy, including Eileen.

Layer upon layer, impacted by the forces, the patterns of the magic circles lit up, emitting power that countered the energy spilling from the crack.

Fortunately, the power of the magic circles was stronger, instantly suppressing the disturbances erupting from the crack.

No more explosive incidents occurred.

It was evident that York had made ample preparations before entering the crack.

Inside the crack.

York looked at the light before him and muttered to himself.

"Finally, here."

He stepped forward with his right foot, his left following, and the sight of departure appeared before him.

The hall hadn't changed, except for some monitoring devices Hillis had made.

Just stepping out from the crack, York, feeling as if a long time had passed, couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Everything in the passage was chaotic, the distortion and falsehood of space made one unable to perceive the existence of time. At first, it was fine, but the longer he walked, the easier it was to doubt his own existence.

He could only count silently, plus the daily 0.5 fixed tasks, to determine how long he had been walking.

According to the total of 20 points added after entering the passage, it indicated he had been walking for at least 40 days.

Now, finally, all senses had returned.

Through the hologram, watching the many clergy assembled as if facing a great enemy, watching Eileen with her hands crossed in front of her chest, seemingly praying, watching Hillis pacing back and forth, York couldn't help but smile.

They were obedient, retreating to a safe place whenever there was activity in the crack.

His gaze shifted elsewhere, and York raised an eyebrow.

He saw John Wick sitting in the cathedral.

"Seems the Reaper has also returned."

York exhaled lightly, his movements casually dispersing the energy filling the hall's passage.

Then, thinking of something, York turned back to confirm.

The crack, like a dragon, finally disappeared cleanly.

This meant that the crack that had been plaguing Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, was finally resolved.

It meant that Buenos Aires, the largest city in Argentina and the second largest metropolitan area in South America, would enter a very peaceful, regular period.

Apart from the original paranormal events, there were no other suspicious incidents.

The impact of the crack was like that of an invasive species, disrupting ecological balance, damaging the environment, or having other negative effects, affecting many aspects of life.

Confirming the disappearance of the crack, York walked down from the high platform, unconsciously recalling the situation of all current cracks.

"Besides Country H, it seems Argentina doesn't have any imminent cracks about to erupt."

Thinking of this, York couldn't help but exhale lightly; he could finally rest for a while.

After entering the crack, every day was spent trying to resolve it, either looking for spatial nodes or finding routes that could trigger random tasks.

Frankly speaking, he felt tired—not physically or mentally, but from being in a strange world without his ties.

For him, life in other worlds, although not much different, at

 the end of the day, he was still an outsider or a passerby.

In the Decay World, he left humanity with powers to resist evil.

In the Chaos World, he left humanity with five weapons capable of threatening the Titan gods.

Each weapon could obliterate a country, with power enough to be sensed by Zeus, who was also in the same Chaos universe.

This was his gift and safeguard to the humans of the Chaos World, in case any Titan god went mad.

Regrettably, compared to the trump cards of the Decay World, the power of the sun god couldn't be used.

"Perhaps each world has its own characteristics." York shook his head internally, carrying a backpack that would be very large for an ordinary person, and walked towards the main gate.

"After all, the most familiar is the world under my feet, or should I say, the main world."

...

The clergy gathered in the designated safety area, their gazes fixed on the hall, ready to act.

The device in their hands showed activity, and Hillis glanced at it, his heart relieved. He looked at Eileen, who was silently praying.

"It should be fine now, the values are rapidly decreasing! Ready to return to normal."

With these words, the tension among the clergy also relaxed.

Before the bishop returned, no one wanted to see any major disturbances from the crack, because they didn't know if it would affect the bishop inside.

Eileen opened her eyes and looked at Hillis, who nodded, and receiving confirmation again, she also couldn't help but exhale deeply, releasing the pressure inside her.

But then, she noticed that Brother Hillis was staring ahead in a daze, his expression blank.

Eileen sensed something, subconsciously turned her head, and followed Hillis's gaze forward.

Then, she too froze in place, her mouth slightly agape.

A robust figure with a large backpack was leisurely closing the main gate of the hall, unremarkable and devoid of any significant aura, just like an ordinary day, very sudden, very abrupt, as if forcibly inserted into the scene.

York turned around, seeing the stunned clergy because of his sudden appearance, and smiled.

"How is it, don't recognize me?"

"Bishop!"

Eileen suddenly woke up, a surprised look appearing on her usually cold face, she ran towards her bishop like a girl from her past.

"Truly worthy of my idol, earth-shaking when he moves, completely ordinary when he doesn't."

Hillis laughed happily, following behind Eileen.

And behind him were the equally awakened clergy of the Ellis Cathedral.

Seeing a group of people coming to greet him, watching the excited Eileen who had run quite a distance, York's smile remained unchanged, and he walked down the steps.

"Hmm, I'm back."

...

Vatican City.

In a room that blended elements of Renaissance and Baroque styles.

A large high table was occupied by a group of elderly men.

Some wore black clerical robes, equivalent to the position of Prime Minister or Crown Prince, the black-robed archbishops, and some wore purple-red clerical robes, roughly equivalent to Cabinet Ministers, appointed by the Pope to lead various dioceses in handling affairs, the red-robed archbishops.

A document was being passed from one archbishop to another.

It finally stopped in the hands of Archbishop Cecil at the head of the table, who glanced at the document and then looked at the contemplative assembly of archbishops, smiling.

"Just a few hours ago, we received a message from Ellis Cathedral that Bishop York has confirmed his return."

This group of archbishops, representing the power of the entire church, exchanged glances, and finally, the white-haired Archbishop Richard spoke on behalf of everyone.

"I heard Bishop York wants to take a rest for a while?"

Archbishop Cecil nodded, his smile unwavering, pleased that York seemed to have found some divine artifact in the Argentinian crack, something that could awaken His Holiness Gregory.

"Although we don't know exactly what world is inside the crack, it's definitely not easy. Bishop York managed to resolve the second world crack in such a short time, surely at a great cost; he deserves a rest."

Archbishop Cecil spoke calmly, "Don't forget that His Holiness Gregory only resolved four world cracks in his lifetime..."

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