75. Extraction
The entity hissed, its stolen body twisting grotesquely midair, when Marcelline stepped forward—
each footstep heavy with power, like the ground itself bowed under her presence.
She lifted her hand—
glowing gold, crackling with ancient demon lightning—
aimed straight at Eleanor's heart.
A killing blow.
A clean, instant, permanent execution.
The entity shrieked.
And then—
"STOP!!"
Maximilian's voice ripped through the chaos like a blade.
Marcelline froze mid-strike, inches from Eleanor's chest.
Max stood there—
blood on his shirt, eyes red, fists trembling—
but his voice carried a force even Marcelline had to respect.
"That's my mother," he shouted hoarsely.
"Don't kill her… please."
His voice cracked at the end.
Marcelline turned her head slowly.
Her glowing yellow eyes clashed with Max's—
a demoness facing a man who looked like he had lost everything in one night…
but still had enough strength to stand tall and protect the last piece of his family.
A mortal with unbreakable will.
Her gaze softened by a single shade—
not pity.
Respect.
She sighed deeply behind the mask.
"Fine," she muttered.
"I won't kill the vessel."
Her eyes narrowed sharply.
"But I am killing the parasite."
Her fingers flexed once—
power humming along her bones.
If she couldn't destroy the body…
She would destroy the soul bound inside it.
Marcelline didn't even move her lips.
She chanted silently, mentally—
words in a language older than hell itself.
The air turned gold.
The walls shook.
Light twisted.
Before Max could blink—
BOOM—
Marcelline struck Eleanor's chest—
So fast no human eye could track.
Not a punch.
Not an attack.
A soul-severing hit
delivered with absolute precision.
The blow never touched Eleanor's skin—
it pierced through her, striking the exact demonic core inside.
A sound like ripping metal echoed through the mansion.
The entity SCREAMED inside Eleanor.
A shrill, inhuman shriek ripped the air.
Then—
The soul was yanked out.
Forcefully.
Violently.
Like tearing a parasite off a living heart.
Eleanor's body dropped limp—but safely—into Max's arms.
Max collapsed to his knees, holding her, sobbing in relief.
Kyron gasped, falling over Chloe and Aiden, trying to protect them with his own body.
But the entity—
The true form—
A dark, writhing, shadow-like mass of claws and fangs—
was exposed.
And furious.
It tried to dart toward the priests' bodies—
to snatch another vessel—
But it had taken only one step when—
CRACK—
Marcelline kicked it.
So hard it went flying across the hall—
slamming into the wall with a thunder that bent the metal frame.
The creature shrieked in a deep demonic growl—
the whole mansion trembling from the sound.
Marcelline tilted her head, yellow eyes glowing brighter.
"Trying to run?"
Her voice dropped into a deadly purr.
"Cute."
She stretched her fingers, power dancing between them.
"Let's begin, monster."
The entity shrank back instinctively.
It knew.
It understood.
It wasn't facing a human.
Not a priest.
Not an exorcist.
It was facing something far worse.
A demon royal.
A hunter.
And it was already too late.
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