Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Chapter 409: The Final Ritual (4)

"Kanji!" Mina yelled. Haejong's body was going cold and the souls inside were being tormented by whatever was happening inside the fort. The moon above them was completely overshadowed by the eclipse and a very foul smell of sulphur was filling the area.

She gagged in disgust and moved away to throw up on the ground. Mina belched, the smell getting unbearable by the minute. Even though she did not eat anything for more than a day, the stench was so bad that she could help but throw up whatever liquids her stomach would churn out. 

Wiping her mouth, she crawled back to Kanji. His eyes were unfocused and she hugged him with all her might as if trying to protect him from whatever the hellish forest was throwing at them.

"Please, stay strong!" she begged. "Don't go! Please...please"

In his dazed state, Kanji felt her tears falling on his forehead. He wanted to hold her but the body was becoming weaker by the second. 

"It's okay" he whispered. "It's okay...You'll be okay"

"No" she sobbed. "I won't be okay! I'm not ready to be okay! Don't go. Just don't go! Not now! Not ever! Please...please"

She cried hard but it was of no use. No matter what she did, she would not be able to stop him from leaving.

.

Junho and Shinjin were chanting nonstop for the past hour. Their faces were all red and sweaty but they did not give up which made even Jason astonished. The men were adamant on this spell, trying to finish it perfectly as if their lives depended on it.

"Oh you bereaved demon drowning in the fires of obsession and desire, leave the body of Jang Kanji and begone!" They said in unison.

"Oh you bereaved demon drowning in the fires of obsession and desire, leave the body of Jang Kanji and begone!"

Their chants were being drowned out by the strong gale which hit the fort. The whole place was curtained by darkness because the moon was hidden behind the dark eclipse. Junho, still repeating the chant, motioned at Jason's watch.

"12:03 AM!" he yelled over the loud wind. Anna was still out cold and had been thankfully unconscious throughout the whole event. She could not interfere even if she wanted to because no one there would hesitate to kill her on the spot.

"Oh you bereaved demon drowning in the fires of obsession and desire, leave the body of Jang Kanji and begone! BEGONE!"

The seconds weret ticking and the spell was beginning to gain dominance. The battle between two dimensions heated up as everyone geared up against the demon who was hellbent on destroying their lives.

I'll save my children! Junho vowed inwardly, throwing more salt into the center.

"Oh you bereaved demon drowning in the fires of obsession and desire, leave the body of Jang Kanji and begone!"

...

Gayoon was trying not to gasp out loud as the crack above their heads widened and several hands began to creep out of it. The hands were marred with tar and soot because of the years of fiery hellfire the souls were burnt in. Rotting and burnt to a crisp, the hands were almost reaching out towards Gayoon, as if determined to pull her into hell with them. 

Minho was also gaping at the dead hands which were desperate to touch them. He used up all his energy and pulled at the invisible hands which held him captive.

"Bring me Ahin!" Anyal ordered. "Bring me Ahin and take this child! I offer you her as a sacrifice, oh Lord of Hell! She's the child who treads between life and death. She's the one who holds the powers of the Blue Priestess! You know you'll never get another one like her!"

"What the fuck are you blabbing?" Minho cursed but Anyal's lips curled into a smirk.

"I told you, Hwang Minho, you had the key to destroying any demon," he revealed. "Your daughter is the key! You really don't know the truth about her, do you?"

The demon let out a shrill laughter because he had sensed it from the very beginning. There was no mistaking the girl and the soul hidden in her. It was only a matter of time when they would find out but he was not going to tell them anything more.

"You're a liar!" Minho shouted. "I don't care about any of your bullshit! I'm taking my daughter! Let me go! You got what you wanted!"

"But that's not all," Anyal said. "The ritual isn't complete without a...sacrifice."

Minho froze. Sacrifice?

"The Lord of Hell isn't that generous," Anyal revealed. "Even if I take Ahin away, he'll come after us. So I'll have to break Ahin's contract with him and give him something even more valuable than her soul! A soul he can't refuse. And that soul is your daughter's one!"

The final piece of the puzzle fell in its place. Minho slowly turned towards his daughter who was unconscious. She...she was the puzzle. Anyal was not after just a Transporter. He was also looking for a soul to sacrifice.

"If she wasn't around, your detective lover's soul would have done the trick as well," Anyal went on. "But a hybrid making up of the powers of a Seer and Transporter is a rare one. Only one person in history had this mix and that was the Butterfly Priestess. Now, this girl has it too. The Lord of Hell will be pleased"

The crack above them was only increasing. Gayoon had inched closer to Anyal in the meantime, hiding her face. The demon was so engaged with finding Ahin that he did not notice her at all. 

"Ahin" he whispered. "Ahin, come to me"

Anyal's eyes scanned the numerous souls above them which were wailing to be let free. He searched for her until his eyes fell on a particular rotting corpse-like soul which was looking straight at him.

"An...yal" it whispered. "An...yal"

"Ahin!" he whispered. Minho was still as a statue, not speaking nor reacting. The crack was now wide open and several spirits were pushing the gate ever further, trying to come out. 

A long hand reached out to grab the little girl who lay unconscious. Minho watched the hand descending towards her.

"No" he whispered. "No"

His eyes briefly met Gayoon's, who was now behind Anyal. The demon was still watching his dear Ahin. Suddenly, his senses were alert and he remembered his servant.

"Anna," he began. "I'm supposed to reward you for your hard work."

The demon was secretly creating another circle to create a portal and throw his servant off a cliff but he needed to trick her first. Gayoon checked her watch. Only 15 seconds to go.

"Your soul will be freed too," he claimed, still creating the circle. "I-"

"NOW!" Gayoon shouted and before Anyal could react, she grabbed the demon from behind, tackling him to the ground. 

In a flash, she struck the ring in thin air and used its remaining powers. Jina immediately woke up, having pretended to be unconscious this whole time and threw a handful of salt at the hand which was about to grab her. The hand temporarily halted, giving her enough time to run towards her father. Jina threw salt on Minho's hands and instantly the invisible hands let go of him.

"Patentibus!" Gayoon shouted. A portal erupted and Junho's face came from behind it.

Anyal was trying to fight off Gayoon but she had laced her own hands with salt. She was well prepared with salt and peach leaves to fight the demon if needed.

"You, the demon named Anyal, who is in love with Princess Ahin, has sinned and killed many innocents!" Junho boomed in a thunderous tone. "Oh you bereaved demon drowning in the fires of obsession and desire, leave the body of Jang Kanji and begone!"

Junho threw a mixture of peach and salt at Anyal who hissed in pain. 

"Gayoon!" Minho rushed to her side with Jina, holding down the demon. Junho threw more of the mixture at Anyal, not stopping the chant while Shinjin purified the air.

The gates of hell were beginning to close and a loud cry was heard. Anyal looked up to see that Ahin was being pulled back to hell as the gates closed on her face.

"NOOOOOO!" he screamed, watching his beloved being thrown back into hell. 

"The demon Anyal, you are to leave Jang Kanji's body and are condemned to that of a mindless being!" Junho cursed. "Come out! COME OUT!"

Anyal's face distorted and the body was shaking. Gayoon, Minho and Jina kept a hold on Kanji's body as the demon was being sucked out by Junho's chant.

"NOOOOO!" the demon kept on screaming. In the struggle, Minho glanced behind Gayoon.

A line of reapers were racing towards them, hungry to cut down anyone in their way. Instantly, he grabbed Jina and pushed her out of the portal.

"AAAAH!" Jina yelled as she fell on the other side. She looked around and saw that Minho and Gayoon had grabbed Kanji's body and within a split second, they jumped out of the portal. Jina caught a brief glance of a red and black humanoid creature trying to reach out from the spot where Anyal was casted out but before it could do anything more than raise its hand, a swarm of reapers pounced on it. 

Minho did not waste any moment and closed the portal. Anyal's faint cries of pain echoed in their ears until they disappeared. 

"Is it all over?" Jina whispered.

Her parents did not reply but automatically reached out to hug her. Junho and Shinjin collapsed to the ground while Jason was stupefied by all the things that had transpired.

"It's over," Minho whispered.

"It is," Gayoon sighed, wiping a tear from her eye.