New Gods of North America

Lina was over there using spider silk-like stuff, dragging someone—who I couldn't tell—towards the detective agency's courtyard.

"Chameleon" and Liam, who even managed a "salute" as he ran past Wayne, were following behind her.

Wayne couldn't retreat at this point.

If none of the detective agency's people were around, what would happen if the Exorcism Department "snatched" the extraordinary materials later?

Continuing to approach the "danger," Wayne soon saw a bloated monster, whose height, if it stood up, could probably reach the second-floor ceiling.

The monster was hunchbacked, and its outline was actually quite "robust," but unfortunately, it was covered in corruption and festering sores, with many holes—perhaps breathing holes—that opened and closed irregularly, constantly dripping strangely colored fluids.

Its head was noticeably swollen and protruded forward, its eyes bulged like "light bulbs," and the corners of its mouth extended to below its ears. Its claws still had a human-like shape, but the nails were thick, sharp, and "curved backward."

At this moment, the monster was stepping on a fallen horse, eating the corpse of its companion.

The scene wasn't like a wild beast burying its head in the ground to enjoy its prey, but rather, it was hunched over, with its upper body raised, tearing at the corpse with both hands, left and right, able to bite off a head in one go and chew it.

How should I describe it?

The tragic atmosphere was a bit like the dark masterpiece Wayne had seen in his previous life, "Saturn Devouring His Son,"

and a bit like Tom Cat giving a concert...

David Mills quickly caught up to Wayne and issued instructions to the Exorcism Department members who were following behind:

"Ghoul type! Suspected 'Life' domain, everyone, try to keep your distance to avoid casualties! These guys are likely to get stronger as they eat."

"Yes!" The response from nearby also carried a sense of seriousness, lacking the previous ease.

No way? This thing is actually a "ghoul"?

Wayne originally thought that the small picture books of folklore had already tried their best to "terrorize" ghouls,

but looking at it now, that was basically a version with skin smoothing and beauty filters applied.

Apart from the so-called "dog head" and "claws" being somewhat accurate, the rest was completely unrelated to the traditional image of a "ghoul," okay?

Especially since the flesh and blood on this monster seemed to be constantly festering into liquid,

it not only gnawed on the corpse in its hand, but even occasionally "slurped" the blood dripping from its own body.

Even the wendigo Wayne had seen in person

looked more like a proper monster than this...

The church's fighting style seemed to have fallen behind the times.

Although the members of the Exorcism Department mostly wore standard outfits similar to those of the Georgeburg police, and were clearly equipped with guns,

the tools they chose to take out were still "last version" stuff.

Several crossbow bolts were quickly fired from folding crossbows, one of which, attached with a thin rope, pierced the "ghoul's" shoulder. An exorcist tied the end of the rope to a large tree and then, as the monster cried out in pain, yanked it hard.

The barbs on the metal arrow seemed to have successfully embedded themselves in the monster's flesh, and bottles of holy water and oil also burst on its body at the same time.

"Bang!"

The monster directly threw a corpse it was holding at the "crossbowman," and its bloated body, like a cheetah, quickly ran on all fours for a couple of steps, then leaped—

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Wayne raised his revolver, using his hand to assist in fanning the hammer for rapid fire.

The monster, after being hit, did not change its trajectory, howling as it landed with a net that had unfolded in mid-air. Its momentum was slightly impeded, failing to knock the "crossbowman" to the ground, but it still sent him flying backward with a single blow.

Several exorcists were busy circling around a bit further out, one of them quickly half-caught and protected his colleague who had been knocked away, pulling him away.

The net was torn open, but the thin rope attached to the crossbow bolt seemed "hot" and elastic.

The monster failed to score a hit, and unable to break free from the crossbow bolt and rope for the time being, its body quickly turned towards Wayne, but first chose to pick up the corpse of its companion and take another big bite. Under its blown-out eyeballs, a new pair "popped" out again.

Wayne suddenly felt that what he needed now was a convenient "medium" that he could carry with him at all times, and that could be made into a "bomb" to throw at the opponent at close to medium range, filling the gap between shooting distance and close combat.

There was nothing to be picky about at this time. Wayne held a bottle of holy water that he had brought with him in his left hand, injecting spiritual power into the glass. His right hand held the pistol.

While retreating to find cover, he planned to blow out the monster's eyeballs when it jumped again.

This damn thing can jump so far,

even if it can regenerate, it probably wouldn't look too good to have its head bitten off...

The monster didn't give Wayne too much time. After swallowing and then taking another bite, without even chewing, it pounced towards Wayne again.

"Careful!"

"Bang!"

One of its eyeballs was blown out in mid-air, and the rope behind it snapped after reaching its limit. The monster's large body landed with a splash and a slight tremor.

David Mills, not knowing where he found it, leaped onto the monster's back with a slender rapier, his whole body glowing. The glow was transmitted to the tip of the rapier and then pierced into the monster's spine.

The monster howled in pain on the spot, swinging back for a blow. David Mills half-fell and half-blocked, rolling away a distance.

Wayne barely dodged the monster's claw strike, which could have dug a hole in the ground, leaving a holy water bottle filled with two layers of spiritual power in its place.

"Bang—"

The monster's half of its chest and abdomen was hit by fragments, leaving some liquid, but it didn't seem to be badly injured.

An elbow that directly contacted the "bomb" was successfully blown off.

Hiss...

This thing is really disgusting, even eating its own arm. The sound is crisp, like chewing sugarcane, and the wide mouth is still dripping grayish-green juice.

David Mills took a leather shield thrown by a companion, trying to attract the monster's attention with the glow.

Several fires had already been lit around, and the exorcists outside had begun chanting scriptures.

The exorcists, who were constantly shooting crossbow bolts and setting up ropes and sprinkling things in the "arena," also seemed to have completed the initial arrangements.

The monster's arm was regrowing.

Wayne shot out its eyeballs again twice as it tried to jump, then held a holy water bottle with both hands, injecting spiritual power into it at maximum power.

Finally, David Mills and an exorcist shouted to attract the monster's attention. The monster, without waiting for its eyes to regrow, directly pounced over.

A spiritual force began to rapidly conduct along the ropes on the ground, and a magic circle seemed to faintly light up around it.

The holy water bottle, which had consumed nearly half of Wayne's spiritual power, rolled to the spot where the monster landed.

The exorcists' chanting seemed to have reached a certain point of resonance,

and as the surrounding fire suddenly blazed to its maximum and then went out instantly, David Mills' leather shield was broken, and he rolled backward.

It felt as if some power had erupted in the magic circle in an instant.

Wayne's bomb also chose to "detonate" at this time—

"Bang!!!"

Within the range of the magic circle, it was as if a "giant wind" was blowing upwards from the ground, and the monster's silhouette was also blown to pieces at the center of the magic circle.

The hat on Wayne's head didn't seem to be blown at all, but Wayne's whole brain suddenly went "blank," and the remaining spiritual power in his body was "blown away" like sand, almost to the bottom.

Wait,

how does this magic circle also weaken "allies"?

You didn't tell me in advance...