The pitch-black demon-hunting firearm was pressed against the forehead of the wraith, and the young demon hunter whispered expressionlessly.

“Have a... nightmare!”

Bang!

The mercury bullet easily shattered the wraith’s head into fragments. Wisps of white flames quickly burned along the wraith’s misty body, but what followed was a shrill, piercing scream and even more violent struggling. Cracks spread across the chains of the Five Elements Spirit-Trapping Array at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Casually putting away the demon-hunting firearm, Charles Carter spread the fingers of his left hand, wisps of blue cold light flickering to life. His right hand pressed on his sword, index finger gently tapping the silver blade. Amid the faint sound of the sword’s hum, silvery-white flames slowly rose.

Crack...

The spiritual energy chains slowly shattered...

“Ah oh ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!”

Almost in the same instant as the sharp scream rang out, the now much-diminished wraith stretched out its claws, suddenly stabbing fiercely toward Charles Carter’s forehead. At the same time, Charles Carter abruptly leaned back, his waist bending at a ninety-degree angle. Watching the wraith’s claws nearly graze his forehead, his left hand, charged to the limit and blazing with blue cold light, suddenly lifted upward, gripping tightly onto the wraith’s manifested wrist.

The blue light instantly flared.

Like ink dropped into water, a frosty chill instantly spread through the wraith’s entire body.

A cold gleam burst in Charles Carter’s eyes. With a forceful twist of his waist, the slightly frozen wraith was hurled like a stone, violently thrown out of the room through the window.

Tap tap tap...

With hurried footsteps, Charles Carter rushed to the window, sword held in reverse grip. Without a moment’s hesitation, he leapt out, eyes locked on the falling block of ice. Silver battle aura blazed like fire along his sword.

“Slash!”

With a thunderous shout, the demon hunter’s figure plummeted like a meteor. The battle aura-ignited longsword drew a straight silver line through the air, slashing through the wraith’s chest. The core, already cracked from before, was completely shattered in that instant.

The wraith’s twisted body, encased in ice, went utterly rigid.

Boom!

With a loud explosion, raging black mist erupted from the wraith, instantly engulfing a three-meter radius around it. At the same time, fierce silvery-white radiance blazed from Charles Carter’s body. By the time Charlie Carter and the others rushed out, the wraith’s figure had already vanished, and a three-meter area around Charles Carter was shrouded in pitch blackness.

As if scorched by fire, the once lush grass was now all ink-black. Amid a low, whistling sound, the knight’s sword was slowly sheathed. The demon hunter frowned slightly, gripped the hilt, and swept it forcefully to the side. With a bang, the scattered weeds turned to black ash, drifting in all directions.

Like the wings of death, filled with an ominous aura.

But that omen had already been broken...

Tap tap tap...

From the drifting, fading ashes, the demon hunter emerged, face a bit paler but still expressionless, sword in hand. His black pupils swept over the priest, whose face was blank with shock.

“I need an explanation... about your concealment of the situation here, and...”

“Your ability!”

His cold, clear voice was heavy with gravity.

Chapter Six: The Wraith Farm!

A moment later, Charles Carter was once again seated inside the house. Compared to when he first entered, now only Charlie Carter could still sit normally in front of him. The Smith family huddled in a corner, the two adults tightly embracing the children with the mirror, while Michael Thompson supported the now-treated Sheriff, who sat on a chair by the door.

Everyone looked at the demon hunter sitting upright on the sofa, their faces clouded and unreadable—

That single wraith was terrifying enough. Even the trained Michael Thompson found it hard to suppress the instinctive weakness and fear brought on by the wraith’s natural aura of curse.

But the young man before him, no older than himself, had easily slain a wraith when Charlie Carter the priest was already prepared to fight to the death!

What kind of strength was this!

But... what kind of ruthlessness as well!

“Now, explain.”

Left hand resting on his sword hilt, Charles Carter looked at the still-gentle priest before him and spoke, the heaviness in his heart no less than that of those around him. “Your eyes... can see the dispersed forms and the possessing wraith-like entities?!”

“...Yes, that’s right.”

Charlie Carter spread his hands and gave a wry smile. “Although I don’t know how I got this ability, I am indeed different from other priests or knights.”

“You can only judge wraiths and witches by their chaotic aura and malice, but I am different. I can see them, so I can distinguish whether it’s a wraith or an innocent person possessed.”

“...Is that so? That really is... a very good ability, very good...”

Charles Carter’s eyes closed slightly. After a long pause, he slowly asked, “So...” The demon hunter leaned forward, his eyes as sharp as blades, staring intently at the priest, and asked word by word.

“...Just how much have you actually seen?”