Ellen’s blast seemed to have somewhat reversed the Cursed Corpse technique and given the corpse some of the sentience it had when it was alive. Her demon worked with the literal power of love and turned it into a tangible force.

I didn’t know how her technique did it. But I assumed this was some kind of power of love bullshit. Now wasn't the time to question everything I knew about this world and whether there was logic to the power of love.

"Could you extend that barrier past the colosseum and into the rest of the city?" The corpse asked. His voice was raspy like he had drunk nothing in decades. "You could single-handedly clear the city with that."

"Maybe if I was at my best, but I'm far from that right now," Ellen answered calmly.

This corpse was no longer something that would just follow orders given to it, and when this zombie was alive, Ellen would have been no challenge to someone like him.

The mummified undead ripped off three of the seals attached to him, and foul-smelling Ord seeped out.

Ord was a magical energy; it had no taste or smell. But this undead's Ord smelled like a sewer.

Except for the smell, there didn't seem to be any other change.

However, I knew that wasn't the case. Taking out one sealing talisman would unleash an Ord that no human should be able to handle.

It was as if I was staring at a monster with an infinite pool of inner energy. Usually, an undead was weaker than when they were alive, but this guy might be the exception!

"You can strengthen seals and barriers," Ellen narrowed her eyes. “There is only one person I know with a special ability like that, and he has been dead for over a decade.”

"Well, I wouldn't consider myself quite living anymore,” the zombie shrugged. “By the way, am I still considered the sexiest exorcist? Or are those kinds of magazines no longer around?"

Ellen's expression turned stony, and she acted as if she didn’t even hear his questions. "So the Shi Clan robbed your grave?"

"I think that's obvious by now."

"If the world knew the Shi Clan did something that happened to their beloved hero. People and exorcists alike would pick up arms, and the Shi Clan would be done." Ellen's words had hidden meanings between the lines I couldn't understand.

Or maybe I was reading too much into this.

"Well, I don't mind humanity using my corpse. I’m useless to anyone if I was left to rot into nothingness. Though I don’t like how they used my power," the zombie frowned and looked toward the golden pyramid. His eyes narrowed as if he was looking at something no one else could see. "So that guy is still alive? It seems he has gotten stronger."

That guy? Who was he talking about?

"It looks like I have little time," he put his hand on Ellen's shoulder.

"Will the ability aim for demons underground?" I asked. Carpy was preparing for my fight against the Demonic Exorcist. He was my lifeline in this world, and there was no way I would let him die.

"Yeah, most of them. At least those around the surface level," the zombie acted very human-like. "A lot of Masters will lose their tamed demons. But that's better than all of them dying."

A wave blasted out as Ord that reached up to the sky spread around fast. I couldn't even twitch my fingers before everything was enveloped in a dense barrier, and the cries of anger, pain, and many other emotions rang out from demons all around the city.

"Your demon's ability is something else," the zombie congratulated Ellen. "Even my power doesn't seem to cause any kind of damage to it. While it might be only a high-class demon power-wise, its abilities seem like some of the best out there."

He took out a kind of talisman that I had never seen before and stuck it into Ellen's forehead. "This was a talisman I had been working on before my death. Since healing potions are very ineffective due to their fast expiration dates and cost, I created a healing talisman. Unfortunately, until my death, I could only make something that could heal a scratch."

The zombie's Ord covered the talisman and strengthened it many times over, causing rapid healing energy to wash over Ellen and return color to her face.

She stared wide-eyed at her wound, which was no longer there. "This-"

Before she could get a word out, a scream came from the colosseum arena, and its source was Agon. He had fallen to the ground while clutching his stomach. "Everyone! Run away! It is coming out again!"

The other exorcists didn't seem to understand what he meant by that.

"Is he hurt? Someone get him some aid!"

"He is clutching his stomach and screaming that something is coming out. He is clearly suffering from explosive diarrhea."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Did you get hit in the head or something?... He obviously just needs to fart."

While the exorcists were joking around, relieved that no demons were around anymore, Agon was writhing in pain. His sclera turned yellow and his pupils turned into dark slits, just like a snake. Purple energy hugged his body as the sound of hissing snakes began to emerge .

But before I could even blink, the mummified zombie stood before Agon.

"Oi, Orochi. I worked hard on that seal, so don't go breaking it all wishy-washy," the zombie crouched down, turned Agon around, and put a hand on his stomach. "Sleep for a little bit, will ya? I know you're mad at me, but now we're both creatures past our time. Let the youngsters show off a bit."

An explosive amount of Ord concentrated on Agon's stomach and returned him back to normal.

Agon opened his eyes groggily. The zombie smiled and asked. "Kid, do you know about your old man?"

"Old man?" Agon frowned in confusion. He still didn’t seem fully awake.

"Your father," the zombie clarified.

"No-"

"I don't have much time left, so I will tell you a bit about him. He was tall, handsome, strong, awesome, charming, had good teeth, and was the strongest exorcist." He had no shame while talking about himself.

"Humble too," Ellen added sarcastically.

But the zombie turned around and gave her a thumbs up. "Of course, his only weakness was being too handsome and too humble!"

Ellen gave me a side glance and looked disgusted. “He’s like the grown-up version of you, and I hate it.”

What the hell? Why are you mad at me for something someone else said?

Also, with all the shameless stuff you did with me and the teasing. Someone might assume she had a taste for younger men.

Just to be safe, I’d better keep some distance from now on.

***

Apollo walked along the hallways of the golden pyramid. Everything was pitch black and felt like a never-ending maze. Around every dark corner, a strange shadow seemed to laugh at them. But before he could blink, those dark creatures slithered away, making him wonder if it was all just a part of his imagination.

"Are we really going on the right track?" Apollo was sure that they had passed the same corner three times by now.

"Yes, the logic here doesn't work like in the real world. The labyrinth doesn't have pathways that lead to our destination, but we must walk a certain way to open the door." The Demonic Exorcist explained while humming a strange tune.

Apollo would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he was afraid of being alone with his new friend. The Demonic Exorcist might snap out of nowhere and kill him.

But Apollo's job will soon be finished, and he could return to being a normal Special Class Exorcist. Maybe with all the money he would make, he could find some nice girl and settle down.

He had outlived the odds of survival as an Exorcist, and it was better not to test his luck any further.

"We're here," said the Demonic Exorcist.

They walked into a room that looked like a grave dedicated to a great king of a past long gone.

Pillars were spread around the room, and each of them had a torch attached to them. In the end, there was a wall with strange inscriptions.

"So this is the seal that imprisoned Tamae No Mae," the Demonic Exorcist rubbed his chin. His eyes wandered from letter to letter, as if he was reading the inscriptions. "I can't read anything. This seal is next level. The previous Sage was no joke, he may have been one hell of an arrogant bastard, but he was strong."

'Should you be calling other people arrogant? Wouldn't you die of hypocrisy?' Apollo wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Where are Roc and Pixie?" A feminine voice came from behind one of the pillars.

The woman that appeared left Apollo tongue-tied, and only two words could describe her, unnaturally beautiful. There was no imperfection on her skin or blemishes, and her haunting purple eyes could make any man feel an enchanting chill run down their spine.

Her dark blue hair looked as if it was made of the deep sea itself. Two foxy tails swished behind her, and if Apollo concentrated, he could make out two folded pointy ears.

"They're both dead," the Demonic Exorcist shrugged casually and turned back to the seal on the wall.

"So, let me get this straight. They were both with you and 'coincidentally' died? Pixie and Roc aren't some amateur Exorcists." She narrowed her eyes. "A more believable story would be that you killed them or led them to their death."

The Demonic Exorcist sighed and turned toward her. He opened his mouth, about to say something. Before a word could come out he closed his mouth and frowned.

He turned toward the entrance. "Someone dangerous is looking at us."

Dangerous?

Apollo was confused. The people the Demonic Exorcist would consider dangerous were very few and in between. He usually saw such people as fun to play with.

So the only logical conclusion was that the Demonic Exorcist was acting like this to subvert the question she had asked earlier.

Noxy, the two-tailed fox was known for massacring the Seimei Clan and scheming many other Clans' downfalls. Someone like her should be able to see through such a cheap scheme.

"World, start the unsealing ceremony immediately," said Noxy. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were sharp, showing she was cautious of something. "Where the hell did a monster like this come from?"

Apollo didn't let his mind wander anymore and used his special ability, creating a giant key.

{God's Door}

A golden key the size of a short sword manifested in his hand. He plunged the key into the seal, and immediately the key that was supposed to open all doors… got stuck.

It was some kind of failsafe against abilities like his, Apollo reasoned. But he was a Special Exorcist, and even amongst similar abilities he stood at the top.

Closing his eyes, he felt the life energy inside him and sacrificed ten years. Ord burst through the key, and he turned the key.

Clank!... The writings on the wall started turning, and the dark ink slowly lost its color.

Finally, Tamae No Mae, the nine-tailed fox would come out into the world again.