How a Former Pastor Lives in Another World

4

The Art of Exorcising Evil Spirits

Ray Anderson was born with a constitution that attracts spirits.

Unless he exorcises the spirits drawn by his powerful divine gift, he’s destined to be tormented by them for life.

This remained true even after his reincarnation in another world.

“These spirits are of a different caliber than the usual ones.”

Growl!

From the leader shaped like a wolf, a different kind of eerie energy could be felt, distinct from the ordinary spirits.

At least a malevolent spirit, a ‘red’ one that has devoured several humans.

‘Black is mixed in. Did it absorb the scattered magic while killing the sorcerer?’

The evil spirit inflated the muscles of the possessed wolf and sharpened its claws. Due to the magical transformation, its size was as large as a lion’s.

Ordinary spirits usually possess small animals or birds, not such large beasts.

It must be due to the magic scattered when the sorcerer’s soul was torn apart, contaminating the surroundings.

The nearby spirits absorbed this magic and grew more formidable.

Growl…!

Despite the ferociously growling wolf, Rei was not frightened in the slightest.

In a past life, she had encountered a vampire in Romania, and the werewolf she met in the Florence Cathedral was even larger than this one.

The only difference now was the absence of silver bullets forged from the melted silver cross of the Florence Cathedral, and Van Helsing’s stake.

Even Father Johan, who had always protected Rei, was gone.

“The absence of the priest is indeed significant. The creatures that usually wouldn’t dare to show themselves are now baring their fangs.”

Chuckle…!

The spirits smiled slyly.

They had been drawn to Rei’s soul and had settled in this area long ago.

But they were always thwarted by the old priest who guarded Rei’s side.

The old priest, who used to shake souls with his voice filled with commandments under the sunlight, exerting tremendous strength, was now gone.

Killed by the sorcerer’s curse.

The old man had held on for a long time with his frail body.

“Put on the belt of truth, wear the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith.”

Squeak!

The spirits, borrowing the bodies of beasts, grinned wickedly.

Foolish thing.

The old priest who protected you is no longer here.

Your commandments will not exert their power, and since it is night, even the sun cannot protect you.

How will you face the strengthened evil spirit and the countless spirits with your own strength?

“The first method in dealing with spirits is intimidation. Write down pictures or phrases they dislike, post them, and make them pass by without peeking.”

“……?”

The spirit possessed by the wolf furrowed its brow.

He had the wit to understand Ray’s words, having transcended a mere ghost to become a malevolent spirit.

“Secondly, there’s the method of fire. To drive away evil spirits with fire, using the yang of fire to vanquish the yin of the spirits. It makes sense to try and blow up the haunted house of Yeonguijeong with a cannon.”

But what could be the reason for such nonsense in front of them?

No, above all, why is Ray Anderson’s expression so calm in this dire situation?

Ray closed the Bible in front of the malevolent spirit.

“My faith was insufficient to overcome the monstrous strength with the power of words, so I must resort to the third method.”

“……?”

“The third way to confront a ghost.”

Ray clenched his fist.

“See, this is a fist. The right hand represents justice, and the left, judgment.”

Today, I will perform the oldest method of exorcism.

???

The answer to the mystery came swiftly.

Ray suddenly charged and struck the wolf spirit’s face.

“Keang?!”

With terrifying strength, the wolf as big as a house crashed into the church wall.

The wolf spirit couldn’t comprehend what had happened to it.

Was it hit with a fist?

Baffled by the absurd method of exorcism, the wolf spirit was flustered.

However, among the methods of exorcising spirits, there indeed exists the physical method.

From folk beliefs to Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Protestantism, it’s a commonly used method, and in Taoism, a peach wood club is favored.

This physical method is especially favored by the Russian Orthodox Church and modern Protestantism, which is why, during exorcisms, there are often cases where the patient dies due to the beating.

“Be gone! Strong physics can solve many things!”

The joke of physical exorcism has been proven true throughout thousands of years of religious history!

“Kieek?!”

Putting aside the effectiveness of the physical method, the wolf spirit was still reeling from the shock.

What was that numbness just now?

It was a monstrous strength that couldn’t possibly belong to a human.

Was this the same monstrous strength that the old priest used to wield under the sunlight?

But now it is night.

The dark hours of the night.

Yet, Rei’s herculean strength was no less than that of the aged priest.

And that wasn’t all.

The body of the wolf spirit struck by Rei was burning away in real-time.

“Kii, kiiik…!”

If you looked closely, Rei’s fist was drenched with holy water.

He had prepared it in advance, coating his fist with it.

A fist plunged into a basin of holy water and swung carries with it a powerful purifying effect.

Especially when that power is amplified several times over by the blessing of the sun.

“With the shield of faith! To annihilate the wicked with fiery arrows!”

Thwack!

“The helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit! Soon, I shall wield the words of Lord Soltera!”

Merciless violence pummeled the wolf spirit.

The usual Rei would have avoided physical contact.

Even if he was the reincarnation of Pastor Kim, a master of exorcism, his opponent was a spirit possessed by a beast.

The physicality of the beast was threatening to humans in itself.

But today, Rei had obtained the blessing of the sun.

He had witnessed his spiritual mentor, Father Johan, lifting a log under the sunlight, battling a bear.

Growl!

Even if the wolf counterattacked and bit his shoulder, if he could endure the pain, he would surely recover.

“In omnibus summentes scutum fidei! In quo possitis omnia tela nequissimi ignea extinguere!”

Chanting the battle prayer that elevated dopamine, he bravely confronted the enemy, applying the methods often used by the Germanic Berserkers in his past life.

With the knowledge of modern man that moonlight is reflected sunlight, the experience of exorcist Pastor Kim, and the blessing of the sun god empowering him, there was no reason to fear a mere spirit possessed by a beast.

“By the name of Lord Soltera, I command thee! Spirit, be gone!!”

“Squeak?!”

The wolf staggered under the crushing blow of the holy water-soaked fist.

“The fire of Soltera is an extinguishing fire! A fire that consumes all! Evil spirits shall depart in the name of Soltera!”

In prayers, it is common to recite phrases that expel evil spirits.

This is because the power contained in the spoken word is mighty, and the resistance of evil is whittled away by the spoken word formed by faith.

The beating method follows the same logic.

Violence and assault physically break the evil spirit’s will, diminishing its resistance.

Thus, the evil spirit cannot resist Rei’s incantations—this is precisely ‘physical exorcism.’

“Kiiiiieeek!”

The evil spirit writhed in agony, tortured by the physical pain of the beating and the soul’s detachment caused by the incantations.

“Sseup…! My prayer power is indeed lacking in this world.”

Had I been Pastor Kim in my past life, the evil spirit would have been expelled by now.

“But greater power can compensate for what’s lacking.”

Rei drenched his fist generously in the holy water basin.

The sight made the lowly spirits within the beasts panic.

That b*stard isn’t a clergyman.

The night deepens.

The struggle against the swarming spirits targeting his soul continued with inexhaustible monstrous strength under the protection of the sunlight.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

The rooster crowed, announcing the break of dawn.

Since ancient times, the rooster’s crow has been considered auspicious, dispelling darkness and summoning light.

This is why the symbol of the Solar Church includes the image of a rooster.

“Hoo…”

Rei leaned back upon hearing the rooster’s crow.

Around him lay scattered the carcasses of rats, wild boars, and a sizable wolf.

The midnight battle had ended in Rei’s victory.

But Rei was too exhausted to revel in his triumph.

“Aigoo… I can’t go on like this.”

A solution must be found.

***

The plague incident in Ovello Village had also reached Father Maxell, who was en route back to the Holy State.

Something was amiss.

A plague that doesn’t have eyes but selectively kills only adult men and women?

Wasn’t this unnatural selectiveness as if it were targeted?

Maxell decided to trust the dissonance he felt.

Bracing for the worst-case scenario and after being armed, he swiftly headed to Obelo village.

And on the way to Obelo village, he sensed the dreadful traces of magic.

Maxel’s power of demon hunting was to follow these traces of magic.

The stronger and denser the magic, the more acutely he reacted, almost to the point of nausea.

That was why Maxel was considered one of the top exorcist priests.

“Oh, Soltera…”

Following such dense magic, he arrived not far from Obelo village, in the mountains.

There, he realized upon seeing the mass ‘burnt offerings’ and the sacrificed animal carcasses.

A terrible spell had been cast over Obelo!

It was the moment the true nature of the plague that had been in Obelo village was revealed.

‘We must hurry! Whatever those fiends are plotting, the remaining people of Obelo village are in danger!’

With such a scale of burnt offerings and evil magic, it was clear they were concocting a heinous act.

There was supposed to be a priest in Obelo village, but he had heard that the priest had died because of this incident.

To save the defenseless people, Maxel ran without even taking the time to ask for the help of the Holy Nation.

And what he encountered there were three unexpected corpses.

“Hm? Who are you?”

It was Ray, burying the followers of the demon tainted with magic and the herd of beasts.

***

Maxel confirmed that the corpses Ray had slain were indeed minions of the devil and helped him complete the purification of the bodies.

“Anything that has been touched by magic, even once, must be thoroughly burned and incinerated. That’s the only way to prevent the surroundings from being contaminated.”

“I see. I’ve learned something new.”

Maxel had a moment of conversation with Ray, who was helping him incinerate the bodies of the wicked.

“Subdeacon Ray. Last night, your actions were incredibly brave and commendable. You’ve taken down a heretic magician, one who was exceedingly blasphemous.”

“It’s only natural for someone who serves Soltera to do such a thing.”

Natural, he says… But is it really?

Magicians and witches have been able to evade the Church’s eye for many years because they appear no different from ordinary people.

Essentially, they are no different from humans.

There are limited ways to distinguish such individuals.

Either possess a special power like Maxel to detect them or be caught in the act of using magic.

It’s a difficult task.

It’s statistically unlikely.

Ray said the reason he suspected them was because they possessed a grimoire made of ‘human skin’.

Upon seeing the heretical book that the wizard’s apprentice had, he immediately judged them as heretics.

But can one really be certain of heresy based solely on that?

Of course, if one possessed tools or equipment made from human by-products before becoming a wizard, it would be enough for the church to deem them a heretic.

What’s astonishing is the decisiveness of this young subdeacon.

Deciding to kill someone is harder than one might think.

A normal person would ponder and hesitate before choosing to kill.

Even those who live close to death, like knights and mercenaries, are no different.

Yet this young subdeacon showed resolute determination, taking three lives without a moment’s hesitation.

‘He’s a madman.’

A choice made not from acquired experience, but from an innate instinct.

Despite this, he has a purity that harbors no doubt about the wrongness of his choice.

No doubt in his faith, and a zealotry that eradicates heretics without hesitation.

His nature is undoubtedly dangerous.

However, Maxel, who had felt his limits while serving as an armed priest over the years, was tempted by this natural-born fanatic.

‘Even trained armed priests aren’t so decisive against heretics. Hesitate even a little, and you’ll be killed by those vile creatures.’

That’s why the church has struggled with a shortage of manpower for so long.

No matter how much training one receives, it’s a daunting task to catch those who would deal with demons.

Their innate malignancy leaves them without any hesitation to kill.

On the other hand, what about the church’s clergy?

They are mostly people of character.

Faithful, chaste, and pure.

They have been chosen by Soltera and granted powers because they have proven such faithfulness.

But that very purity becomes a great vulnerability when hunting heretics.

‘But this boy…’

He has no doubt in his beliefs, no hesitation in his actions, and is even decisive.

His mercilessness towards suspected evil left even Maxel tongue-tied.

He didn’t hesitate to stab the corpses of the faithful to counteract the wizard’s magic.

‘A zealot who spares no means to annihilate evil. He’s exactly what we need.’

Ah, Solterasi.

Is this truly what you desire?

Why have you arranged such a meeting for your son, who has always been so contemplative and tormented?

Maxel pondered.

But his contemplation did not last long.

He believed it to be a connection bestowed upon him by Soltera.

“Brother Ray. I have a proposal for you.”

“Speak, Father.”

“Do you… have any thoughts of joining the armed forces of the Theocracy?”