Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Gate of Hell
"Awooo!"
At the moment the ghoul was hit by the shotgun, its whole body was riddled with bullet holes, showcasing the full power of the holy bullets.
It directly turned the slender ghoul into a plug, crashing down to the ground.
Before it could resist, Dahuang immediately pounced forward, tearing its head apart, and soon the ghoul gradually became motionless.
It was only then that Sun Yan noticed the ghoul was wearing a black priest’s robe, indicating his identity and origin.
"Looking at the corpse spots on the skin and the fingernails on both hands, he should have encountered an accident within the last week. A priest died in this kind of place, it seems the church has also noticed the anomaly of this church, but their response seems to be minimal," Sosia observed the ghoul’s body and gave her judgment.
"Things are getting more complicated. I’ll try and see if I can find his soul, maybe I can ask for some useful information."
Sun Yan took out the Soul-Calling Banner and shook it beside the ghoul.
After a few minutes, the flag suddenly stiffened, pointing directly to a location. Sun Yan looked up to see a faint soul slowly walking out of the darkness outside the door.
His eyes filled with panic as he stared at Sun Yan, gradually getting closer.
"How should I address you, Father?" Sun Yan asked.
"You shouldn’t have come here. This place has already been occupied by Andros. No one can stop it from escaping," the priest said with tears streaming down his eyes in despair.
Sun Yan remained calm, "Then you shouldn’t waste time. Quickly tell me what you know about this place. Maybe I can still try harder."
"A year ago, a group of Mexican merchants chose this place as their transaction site, but they decided to double-cross, shooting all their clients and stealing their cash. Those bodies were buried near the church. They didn’t realize what this meant. Death broke the seal, and the sealed Andros began to awaken, secretly accumulating the power to escape.
Those merchants who escaped were all bewitched by Andros and started bringing living people to this place to offer sacrifices to the demon, accelerating Andros’ revival. By the time we discovered all of this, the situation was already out of control. The Underworld had already emerged between Hell and the human world, and if it wanted, it could isolate us in the human world. No matter how many exorcists were dispatched, they couldn’t find Andros’ hiding place."
"Underworld!" Sun Yan said, startled.
He had seen this term in the "Mountain Chasing Manual." It refers to an alternate dimension attached to the human world, often called the ’Back World.’
The Underworld exists in the gap between the human world and Hell. Only human souls and demons from Hell can enter; ordinary humans cannot perceive its existence.
Only now did Sun Yan realize the meaning of a "side quest." Compared to the human world, the Underworld truly feels like entering a side quest, where no matter how much destruction occurs, it won’t affect the stability of the human world.
"Once in the Underworld, no one can leave here alive. Your souls will be trapped here as prisoners, accelerating its escape from the seal. Once Andros enters the human world, who knows how many lives will be lost," the priest sighed sorrowfully.
"Andros hasn’t entered the human world yet, which means its power hasn’t fully revived. We still have a chance to send it back to Hell, or even destroy it, right?" Sosia asked.
The priest hesitated, then quickly shook his head, "No, you don’t understand how powerful it is. Mortals simply cannot match it. This kind of crazy idea is just going to throw your lives away. At that time, your souls will not only become accomplices of the demon, but your bodies will also turn into damned monsters."
"You’re too pessimistic, Father."
Sun Yan gave a disdainful smile. "If there’s no escape from the Underworld and you’ll die doing nothing here, then why not give it your all. Demons bleed too, and if killed, they die. We have a chance."
Sosia smiled, "I like that perspective."
She showed the shotgun in her hand, "Father, this gun’s filled with holy bullets, empowered by God. Do you think holy water would be a match for Andros?"
The priest was suddenly speechless, not daring to reply.
He feared Andros, feared the terrifying power of the demon, but his faith hadn’t collapsed yet. God still held a lofty position in the priest’s heart.
Not believing in holy water would be akin to not believing in God, and the priest couldn’t bring himself to destroy his faith like that.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he could only reluctantly say, "What do you plan to do?"
"Simple. Take me to Andros. I want to see if I can send it back to Hell."
...
There is a tunnel under the church, and at the end of the narrow tunnel is where Count Joseph held a secret witchcraft ritual to summon Andros.
If no familiar person leads the way, outsiders cannot find the entrance to this tunnel at all because it is so well-hidden.
A statue of Holy Mother Mary slowly moved, revealing a stone staircase leading downward.
The priest stood beside Sun Yan, warning, "You need to be careful. This is where I died, and I’m not sure what it’s like at the end of the tunnel."
Sosia took the lead, blazing the trail. Whether it was the Exorcising Holy Flame in her hand or her own werewolf bloodline, her combat effectiveness when facing demons was far superior to Sun Yan’s.
Sun Yan’s real adversary was the Seventy-Two Pillar Demon God, ’Andros.’
Reaching the bottom of the stone stairs, what lay before them was indeed a narrow tunnel stretching endlessly. Both sides of the tunnel walls were embedded with black crosses identical to those surrounding the church, seemingly trying to prevent something from escaping.
Sosia forged ahead while Sun Yan, along with Dahuang, followed closely, eyes constantly surveying the path ahead and behind.
Suddenly, Sosia stopped in her tracks, as she spotted a broken Face-Covering Angel statue inexplicably placed in the middle of the road ahead.
It was identical to the Angel Statue they encountered earlier with Geralt.
The priest exclaimed in alarm, "It’s not good. Andros has already found you. It’s starting to make its move."
Bam!
Sosia didn’t bother with words and squeezed the trigger directly. Since Geralt could defeat the demon hidden in the Angel Statue, she naturally could too.
The moment the holy bullet hit, the surface of the Angel Statue cracked open, revealing the Crow-Headed Demon hidden inside. Sosia, without hesitation, pulled out Geralt’s Silver Cross and smashed it towards the demon’s face.
The priest hurriedly explained, "No, you don’t have faith in God, and without the Bible’s True Words, the cross in your hand cannot exert its exorcising power."
Sun Yan swung the Ghost Torturing Stick and struck the Crow-Headed Demon struggling to escape from the Angel Statue, causing its body to emit white smoke with a sizzle at every hit.
You don’t need to believe in God; this is the mysterious power from the East.
Taking this chance, Sosia reloaded the shotgun and shoved the barrel viciously into the mouth of the Crow-Headed Demon. Pulling the trigger, she smashed the demon’s head to pieces on the spot.
"Only dispatching this low-level demon to block us? Looks like Andros’ power hasn’t recovered enough to make a personal appearance. We still have a chance." Sun Yan patted Sosia’s shoulder and said, "Let’s push forward, seizing the moment."
No matter how long, the tunnel must have an end. After walking for an unknown period, a large door secured with dozens of rusty iron locks appeared before Sun Yan and Sosia.
The door was engraved with chaotic English letters, as if someone had scratched them out with a nail.
Sun Yan recited the combination of letters in his mind, slowly articulating its meaning, and his expression became grave.
"Gate of Hell."