Chapter 268: The Man Who Can Never Be Saved

Panic-stricken, Constantine ran toward the church exit.

He had never intended to confront Namus head-on; he simply hadn't expected to encounter its avatar today, and thus fell under the spell of its buzzing—a sound with terrifying magic, capable of stirring the deepest desires in a person's heart, amplifying them, amplifying them again, until reason was lost.

He saw Namus, having lost its prey, emit an angry buzz, saw it charge at the priest inside the church—yes, of course; since he had escaped, the unlucky one would naturally be this priest.

Constantine stood by the door, face filled with terror, watching the swarm of insects knock the priest to the ground, watching him struggle in despair, waving the cross in his hand, watching Namus extend its long tongue toward the priest's mouth.

He felt like a bystander at a traffic accident; apart from coldly watching, he had no way, could do nothing.

Constantine, could do nothing.

He screamed and sprinted, running out of the church; at the same time, a familiar figure brushed past him, sprinting into the church.

"Old Ma! Don't go!"

Emma and Constantine both screamed and turned back; they saw Ma Ma Zhaodi holding a wooden sword, his figure flashing like a ghost a few times before he stood firm inside the church.

Ma Ma Zhaodi had no time to answer Constantine's question for the moment; at this very moment, he had already seen Namus's true form, which had dissolved into a thick, black swarm of insects, that terrifying evil power also spreading through the air, about to pour into the priest's throat.

"Damn it, take this sword!"

He thrust the wooden sword he held forward, and a crack of thunder suddenly exploded, deafening. A blinding crimson lightning bolt shot from his hand, striking the sky-obscuring swarm of insects.

In that instant, Constantine couldn't help but blink—when the light of Lei Ting flared, the shadows of the Three Saints on the stained glass were also illuminated with flowing brilliance, the huge stained-glass projection cast upon Old Ma's body, as if draping him in a layer of hazy radiance.

Was it an illusion?

Boom!

"Buzz~"

That sword strike nearly tore Namus's spirit body apart; inside the church, the black insect cloud began to scatter and crash about in all directions, a million voices simultaneously emitting a confused, weak buzz—it seemed not to know what pain was.

"What are you waiting for? Run!"

At Ma Ma Zhaodi's shout, the priest snapped out of his daze, stumbling toward the church door. Ma Ma Zhaodi waved his hand, and a vine immediately pulled the wooden sword from the ground back into his grasp.

"Sorry, I'm a bit late." After sighing with relief, he turned and left the church, explaining to Constantine: "That man didn't die just now, so I stayed to check the situation."

"You—"

Constantine hadn't time to say anything before the priest rushed out too, slamming the door shut behind him; his hands and feet were trembling as he shouted, "Run! We must run quickly! The devil is about to burst out!"

"Run for what?" Constantine asked. "That sword strike nearly sent Namus to meet Satan; a few more strikes, and that guy will be directly cut to death."

"Uh," Ma Ma Zhaodi displayed an awkward yet polite smile: "No, that one strike has already exhausted my magic, or as you would say, my mana."

"?"

Thump!

At this moment, the great door of the church behind everyone began to thump; after just one impact, the wooden door already emitted a cracking sound of being unable to bear the load.

"Run first!"

Ma Ma Zhaodi immediately took out two Talisman papers and pasted them onto the door.

【Spirit-Suppressing Talisman

Price: Five thousand US dollars

Note: The most impartial Talisman; whether it's a great demon or a little ghost, breaking it requires the same amount of time—but then again, is that reasonable?

Note 2: What is your relationship with True Eye?】

The thumping inside the door continued, but Namus seemed indeed temporarily trapped; Constantine dragged Ma Ma Zhaodi and fled, running and running until the two gradually left the priest behind.

"Don't worry about him; he's already safe," Constantine said to Ma Ma Zhaodi. "We'll just leave him behind to avoid trouble."

"Alright," Ma Ma Zhaodi said. "But we've already run far enough, and your lungs are about to burst—"

"Cough! Cough! Cough—"

Before the words finished, Constantine began coughing violently; he stopped, coughing so hard he could barely catch his breath by the roadside, only returning to normal after a long while.

"Smoking too much is bad for your health," Ma Ma Zhaodi patted Constantine's shoulder. "Running a few steps makes you like this; you're already lucky you didn't cough up blood."

Constantine ignored him; he pulled out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. The scene just now had been too thrilling; he urgently needed to light one to calm his nerves.

If not for Emma, Namus would have turned me into a dried corpse, Constantine thought; I owe her one again. Perhaps, I also owe Ma Ma Zhaodi one.

Ma Ma Zhaodi saw he wanted to catch his breath, so he didn't speak further; the two walked silently along the road.

Constantine had originally thought he long ago had no more of those superfluous things as "guilt" and "conscience," but when he ran out of the church, he knew he was wrong.

At that time, his mind was full of the priest's wretched state; he knew he was powerless, that Namus was far stronger than him; he knew he just wanted to survive, that fleeing was not wrong; he knew that if he died in the church, no one could cooperate with Midnight Father and resolve this crisis.

He had ten thousand reasons to survive.

But when he ran out, his mind couldn't help but think that, apart from escaping, he truly could do nothing.

Perhaps he knew that Constantine's survival meant that innocent priest's death; perhaps he actually wanted such a result because he feared death and loved life. Deep inside, a voice reminded him: selfish, shameless, incompetent, Constantine, this is your true nature; you were never a hero who exorcised demons and saved the world.

He wanted to deny that voice, but he couldn't; so he kept running, throwing everything behind him. Until he saw a person running toward him, running straight into the church to deal with the demon he dared not face.

"Ma Ma Zhaodi! Don't go!"

He screamed and turned back then, wanting to stop that person, because he knew Ma Ma Zhaodi might have many strange things about him, but he was a righteous good man; he shouldn't die.

At least not die meaninglessly.

But things went against his expectations; Ma Ma Zhaodi struck Namus with a sword and saved that priest.

Seeing this scene, Constantine felt a sense of relief in his heart—at least this time, no one died because of Constantine.

Am I saved?

Yes, even though I must continue being scum, even though ghosts still follow me one by one, tonight, I did not carry an extra life on my back.

Constantine lowered his head, took a drag of his cigarette, and thought silently: I am saved, though only a little.

This feeling is so good.

(End of Chapter)