People are scared in America, my uncle is Dante

Her eyes rolled back, revealing the whites of her eyes, as the red light of the magic circle flashed faster and faster.

This malice attempted to forcibly cross dimensions, trying to penetrate Annie's body.

A flash of cold light appeared in Suren's hand as he slashed his greatsword directly at Annie's neck.

"Clatter".

Her head was severed, and it fell to the ground along with her body, knocking over the screen behind her.

Having lost its container, it also lacked any physical body to possess.

Malice roamed wildly in the attic, trying to escape.

A surge of immense magical power erupted from Suren's body, coalescing into a giant hand that seized the ball of malice.

Magic and malice clashed, erupting into a hissing, boiling sound.

But this malice was ultimately like boundless water, and it soon vanished completely.

"despair!"

A sharp, clicking sound suddenly appeared in the attic.

Suren sheathed his greatsword and looked behind the screen that had been knocked down by Annie's corpse.

Inside is a life-sized wooden puppet.

In front of the puppet, two corpses kneel side by side, their bodies in a worshipful posture.

One of them was short and looked like a young child.

The other body had completely rotted skin and was covered in dirt.

Having acquired the Demon-Slaying Holy Flame, Suren pressed the gun barrel against the puppet's face.

"Bang!"

The silver bullet, imbued with magic, blasted the puppet's head, along with the cursed wooden wall behind it, into dust.

The shockwave swept out, extinguishing the few remaining candles in the attic.

"Tap, tap..."

The sound of climbing came from behind Suren.

Steve's head had barely poked out when the sight of blood and the stench almost made him vomit.

When he saw the corpses scattered all over the ground, and his wife lying in a pool of blood, her head severed from her body, Steve's hands went limp, and he almost collapsed.

"Annie..."

Steve's eyes were bloodshot as he endured the pain and crawled on his hands and feet to his wife.

He had actually noticed his wife's unusual behavior long ago—

Sleepwalking at night, strange graffiti on the walls, and frequent neurotic talk...

But he chose to escape, deliberately avoiding these things, naively believing that as long as he pretended to be deaf and dumb, everything would be fine.

Now, his wife and this group of naked corpses shattered his illusions.

Suren looked at the pitiful man: "Living under the same roof, didn't you really notice anything at all?"

Steve shuddered, scrambled to his feet, and said in a hoarse voice, "Yes... I know..."

He was like a soulless zombie, staggering down the stairs and leading Suren to an old, locked bedroom on the first floor.

Several dusty cardboard boxes were piled up in the room. Steve opened one and turned to the side so that Suren could inspect it.

There were several books in the alley, the markings on their covers exuding an eerie atmosphere. Upon opening them, one found they were all about black magic and ancient rituals of sacrifice.

Suren pushed aside the books, and underneath, there were many envelopes and an old black-and-white photograph.

In the photo, an old woman with a somber face, wearing a crown, sits on a high chair.

At her feet knelt a group of naked men and women.

Suren picked up a notebook and quickly scanned the notes inside, piecing together scattered clues in his mind.

Steve's mother-in-law is the leader of this cult.

The demon they were trying so hard to summon was not an ordinary demon, but Paimon, the demon god of hell.

This is the ninth King of Hell among the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, possessing the power to access all the hidden knowledge in the world.

Contrary to what Suren had just guessed, Annie lured Suren here not for a human sacrifice, but to use his body as a vessel to contain the descending consciousness of the demon god.

Paimon is attracted to the male body.

Before her death, this mother-in-law had placed a sliver of Paimon's consciousness into her granddaughter Charlie's body.

But that was only a temporary measure.

Their real target was Steve and his wife's biological son.

The ritual to awaken Paimon has extremely strict conditions, requiring the heads of an old man, a boy, and a young man as anchor points, and all three heads must be related by blood.

Thus, this mother-in-law used her own life to complete the offerings for the "elder."

He ordered cult members to orchestrate the tragic death of his youngest daughter, Charlie, to complete the sacrifice for the "boy."

At the moment of Anne's most mental breakdown, these cult members, disguised as members of a mutual aid society, approached her.

They used lies to deeply brainwash Anna, claiming that as long as she completed a certain ritual, she could communicate with her daughter and bring her back to life, gradually leading her to set up the ritual for the demon's descent.

Anne herself was the last "youth" sacrifice in the ceremony.

This explains the scene in the attic where Anne cuts her head off with piano wire.

The cult members wanted her to commit suicide in front of her son.

Using such shockingly bloody images, they destroyed the son's mind and will.

In this way, Paimon can take over this young body without any hindrance.

This perfect plan, unfortunately, ran into problems just as it was nearing completion.

They chose a container, but instead went to the women's restroom to play a prank, and were killed by the enraged Carrie.

Seeing their years of hard work go down the drain, the cult members were furious.

Upon discovering Carrie's special nature, they immediately changed their strategy, attempting to capture the witch and use her as a transitional vessel to carry the demon god's consciousness.

As luck would have it, their agent offered himself up, causing them to change their minds again.

Suren threw the notebook back into the box.

In the eyes of cultists, this younger male body was clearly more in line with the preferences of the demon god Paimon.

That's why when Annie saw him at the coffee shop, she changed her mind and said she didn't want compensation, but only hoped that he and Carrie would attend the funeral and apologize.

Having figured all this out, Suren made a slight thought and threw these relics into Silent Hill to destroy them. These harmful things should be destroyed as soon as possible.

He turned and left the villa.

It was dark outside.

The cult members who were originally standing guard outside the house have now vanished without a trace.

The cult members who initially stood below the bookstore have now vanished without a trace.

Suren took out her phone and dialed Detective McLean's number.

"It's me. The extortion problem is solved."

Suren said calmly, "You handle this. Bring plenty of body bags; the scene is a bit messy."

The sound of a chair sliding and a string of indistinct profanities came from the other end of the phone.

……

Early in the morning, Suren returned to the office.

A soft light streamed into the hall, where Patty was curled up on the sofa, covered with a thin blanket.

Hearing the noise, she rubbed her eyes groggily and got up.

"You're finally back! Hope you're alright, no limbs missing?"

Patty glanced at Suren and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that his clothes were intact.

"That bastard family... are they settled?"

"Yes, it's resolved."

Suren nodded. "Those people won't cause any more trouble."

Upon hearing this, Patty's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Suren changed the subject: "However, you've made a bit too much of a commotion. Someone might already be eyeing Carrie."

Hearing this, Patty's heart, which had just settled, jumped again.

She bit her lip and pondered for a moment before suggesting, "How about... we let Carrie lay low at the firm for a while?"

With a hint of heartache in her eyes, she said, "Her mother passed away when she was in high school."

"Now that this has happened, she can't go back to school..."

Suren inwardly applauded her suggestion, as it coincided perfectly with his previous thoughts.

Having Carrie work for me at the firm would save me a lot of trouble, given her abilities.

Even if he doesn't need her later, she will still be able to protect himself and Patty.

"You can stay here."

Suren put down his water glass and, feigning difficulty, added, "But I don't keep idle people here..."

Patty had known Suren for so many years, so she naturally knew what he was thinking. She nodded and said, "Let her be in charge of the office's daily cleaning. That way, I can relax a bit."

"Leave it to me, I'll talk to her!"

Offering direct charity or sympathy would only make Carrie, who is sensitive, feel apprehensive.

Only by finding a reason for her to work could she feel at ease staying.

Just then, Carrie came down from the second floor, still sleepy-eyed and wearing Patty's pajamas.

Patty stepped forward, took her hand, and explained that the matter had been resolved and the decision to let her stay at the agency temporarily.

"Just stay here and rest easy. We'll talk about it again once things calm down in a few days."

She affectionately put her arm around Carrie's shoulder, glanced at Suren out of the corner of her eye, and said deliberately, "Besides, staying at school makes it easy for people to point fingers at you."

"That guy Suren is always out and about, so it'll be a good opportunity for him to take you out for a stroll and clear your head."

Suren facepalmed. "You make it sound like I go sightseeing every day. I'm just taking on freelance work to earn a living, okay?"

"Where's the money?"

"..."