Chapter 15: 15:March of a Hundred Ghosts

The hours passed quickly while we waited. Seth spent the rest of the day preparing the golems and equipment, while Saulo trained until he fainted and I put him to sleep on the sofa.

And I? I just rested and ate to recharge my energies.

Due to the physical exhaustion from repeated use of the Shekinah during the morning, I had to rest and eat constantly—after all, the best way to restore energy is by consuming calories and resting.

As the late afternoon arrived, I send a message to Sachiel asking her to isolate the area and prepare to sedate the civilians if a conflict were to start.

With everything ready, I get up and go to my bedroom to get my equipment.

Upon entering the room I lock the door, go to the wardrobe and open it to fetch my gear.

First, I took out some clothes—a suit and a pair of dark blue pants that match—and quickly changed into them. These are the church's female combat garments; men wear cassocks.

Protection against spirits, increased resistance, healing abilities to stop bleeding and cleansing are the four skills possessed by these clothes—what a exorcist needs to succeed.

After dressing, I open one of the drawers and look at some weapons: a Beretta APX pistol, a golden staff that extends into an axe, a red dagger and a blue whip.

Considering that a considerable number of enemies are expected and that the fight will take place here, I will use the whip due to its proximity to water. I grab the whip and tuck it into my waist, also taking the dagger just in case.

With my weapons chosen, I close that drawer and open another, taking out a gold cross and a pendant, then removing my silver cross from around my neck and storing it in the drawer.

I close the drawer and the wardrobe, then head to the bathroom to tie my hair in a ponytail to avoid hindering me in the upcoming fight and putting the gold cross across my neck.

Finally, I change into a more suitable pair of shoes for fighting in rivers, allowing me to walk on water or slippery surfaces.

With everything prepared, I leave the bedroom, lock the door and go back to the living room.

Seth was already waiting standing beside the sofa. He was wearing a dark cassock with a gold cross around his neck, holding a black axe, and around him were several small golems—about eight—awaiting his command.

"All set, brother?"

"Barrier strengthened, passage prepared, golems on standby and energy lines locked. The boy will be safe."

"Are you really going to use the axe? It's not very good for group combat."

"I'm less agile than you, but I can withstand more attacks. That makes the axe a more suitable weapon for me. Be careful, understand?"

A slight chuckle escapes my mouth as I reply, “I was the one who taught you to fight, little brother.”

“As far as I remember, it was the other way around,” Seth heads to the kitchen to prepare two cups of coffee. I don't respond to the tease and just sit in a chair, gazing at the sunset through the window.

The sunlight was descending to the northwest, its last spark of light fading with time in that city of beautiful waters.

Seth places a cup of coffee beside me on the table, and I calmly drink it.

“... Sour,” I look at Seth.

“You didn't like it?” He's enjoying his cup of coffee sitting in another chair.

"Trying out weird stuff again, weren't you? What did you add this time?"

“Kelpie's saliva. I found it by chance the last time we were in Rome.”

“You know I hate it when you test flavors on me without warning,” I set the cup down on the table.

“I'll warn you next ti—” Both Seth and I get up and look out the window. The moon is already in the sky, and a red light is illuminating the city.

“The moon appeared too quickly, the mage has already summoned his servants,” I just nod in response.

As I approach the window, I can see the sky—there are no clouds, the only thing in the sky is the red moon, symbolizing an impending disaster.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“That mage really wants to kill us. Which window do we use to get out?”

“The one in the office is the safest, since that’s where he performed the barrier ritual. Let's go there,” I follow Seth and his golems to the office.

Outside, the winds are moving rapidly, swaying the river and the few trees in the area. The sound of approaching creatures is noticeable even inside the house.

I can hear the sounds of wolves, wind spirits, and frogs—it's going to be a busy night. I clutch the cross around my neck as Seth begins his prayer, his body transforming into a rocky armor.

I move closer to the exit window and stand beside it, the small golems lined up in front ready to jump. “Ready, brother?”

“Don’t die from carelessness,” Seth opens the window and the small golems jump out, falling onto the street in front. Seth then leaps out, and I go last, landing on Seth's shoulders to descend to the ground.

I stare at the river while we wait for the enemies to arrive and clench my fists. The lack of information about their identity and number is a serious danger that puts us at risk of death here—we prepared as best as we could...

The water of the river begins to slow in its current, the temperature around us dropping rapidly, causing the water to freeze. The streetlights go out, and the moonlight is suddenly shrouded in darkness. I grab my dagger while asking Seth to defend me.

“A constant fire will burn over the altar; it must not be extinguished,” invoking a passage from the Talmud, Vayicrá 6:6. My dagger ignites in flames, and I raise it to the sky. A bright, torch-like flame illuminates the dark surroundings and dispels the darkness that had gathered. The streetlights regain their glow, and the crimson moon shines in the sky, enabling us to see the enemies.

A horde of spirits stands before us. Ice spirits fly over the water, freezing it; armed wolves prepare to attack; winged beasts of various shapes gather into small gray clouds; flaming foxes reveal themselves, along with many other creatures.

What is the Night Parade of the Hundred Demons doing here? The mage we're hunting isn’t Chinese?! I grab the whip’s handle and unwind it from my waist. The flaming dagger in my hand prevents the creatures from approaching, but it won’t hold for long.

This is the oriental equivalent of the Wild Hunt. We're going to die here. I look at Seth, who slowly steps forward with the golems—small creatures growing in size into stone combat machines, three meters tall with massive bodies for striking and enduring attacks.

“Afraid, sister? Aldwin dealt with something similar recently. You shouldn’t be scared of just that,” Seth’s voice is calm, but I notice a flicker of fear in him.

Of course he's scared—I should be the one calming him! Grinding my teeth, I step forward, causing the spirits to back away from the dagger.

“I'll throw myself into the frozen river to get a better reach. I hope your shoes work, or I’ll punch you after all this,” the shoes I put on just now, like all our combat gear, were made by him.

"Our clothes haven't failed us before, and they won't now either," Seth raises his right hand and closes it, signaling the golems to wait.

I bring the dagger close to my face and recite Genesis 1:3, "Let there be light," then throw the blade into the midst of the horde of creatures. The dagger explodes in a bright light that repels the creatures and blinds them for a few moments.

With that, I jump onto the frozen river while Seth and the golems advance against the army of creatures, taking advantage of the blindness.

The first four golems, upon reaching the Yokais grabbed two each; flaming foxes and armed wolves were used as clubs to strike other Yokais. Meanwhile, Seth and the remaining four formed a wall in front of them.

When I land on the ice my shoes activate keeping me standing on the surface without slipping.

The spirits regain their vision and attack. Wolves join the golems to fight with swords, but are repelled by their rocky bodies followed by heavy blows. Seth jumps into the air and lands on a fox, crushing it to the ground with a punch.

I smile as I watch the scene—until ice spikes fly toward me at high speed.

I leap over the frozen river to avoid the ice spikes, approaching the riverbank, and declare the activation of the whip, "Yam!"

The whip glows blue, and I swing it in the air with a strike. Meanwhile, the spirits fire more spikes. The shining whip cuts through the spikes in half, turning them back into water.

“Did you like that?!” The response I get is an ice spike being created above and thrown downward in my direction. I jump out of the breaking frozen river just as the spike lands.

That was close—I nearly died! The ice spirits move in the air and merge into a larger horde. One of Seth’s golems has already been destroyed, and the rocks on its body are cracking.

In such a short time?! I run to join the battle against the horde while moving the whip. The weapon extends into the air, its tip falling into the river.

Fireballs fly toward me, and I pull the whip out of the river. The water rises along with the weapon, and with a flick, the whip transforms into a barrier that hits the fireballs, turning them into a large wall of steam.

I move the whip again in the opposite direction, aiming at the horde of spirits behind the vapor wall. I can hear the screams of some Yokais as they are hit and shattered, the wall dissolving shortly after.

Seth was behind the fog wall; another golem had been destroyed and now he was attacking with the axe, golden lightning emanating from the weapon and streaking across the line toward the Yokais, opening gaps in the horde.

Despite that, Seth’s body was all cracked and there were burn marks all over the rock.

Damn, damn, damn—I’ll have to use Samson’s strength! Ice spikes fly toward me, and I leap away again, the spikes embedding into the ground.

Using the whip I grab each spike and throw them back to the spirits in the air, destroying the them with the impact of the stakes and I turn to face the horde.

I see Seth and the six remaining golems retreating and forming a wall as the yokais roar. Most of the wolves have already been destroyed by Seth; only the foxes and the aerial yokais remain. I approach Seth.

“Hey, brother, how are you feeling?”

“I’m about to break apart completely. Do you have a plan?”

“I actually do, but you wo—” The sound of water rising beside us makes me turn my face toward it.

What I see next is a giant skeleton emerging from the water—an creature fifteen times larger than a human, its body emanating a red aura identical to that of the moon in the sky. Two shiny rocks in place of eyes; it was the last Yokai that needed to appear. Along with it, several frog Yokais leapt out of the water.

“Gashadokuro.”