544 A Darker World, The Exorcist, A Conceptual Change of the System, A Peace Accord and The Squeals of Father Karras.

The atmosphere of this world was gloomy...

It didn't matter whether it was day or night, whether the sun was shining or if it was cloudy; there was always an inherent sense of coldness, as if the sun never warmed the world, as if something was wrong.

When Allen first arrived in this world, he felt that, but he thought it was just because a demonic procession was happening nearby. However, this time, when he returned during the day, with a cloudy sky, the same feeling of "unease" hung in the air.

"A charming world…" Wednesday said as she appeared next to Allen, closing her eyes as she felt that she could get used to this world. "Would you mind if we had a house in this world?"

Wednesday, who rarely made requests, smiled faintly as she stared at Allen. Talking about the budget, she could easily buy a mansion on her own, but she still wanted to ask her master for permission.

"I don't know, it depends if the will of the world doesn't end up summoning the devil and empowering it to kill me."

Wednesday pulled a suitcase from her inventory and opened it. She took out a machete but put it back, then pulled out a wooden stake. She looked at it and placed it in her belt, "That would be problematic, I don't think I have enough wooden stakes to kill the devil~"

"Huh? Oh… that was a joke." Allen took a moment to understand Wednesday's actions but immediately raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that for vampires?"

"No, if it's soaked in holy water, honey," Wednesday replied while blinking, expressionless.

Allen smiled with some mischief. "Wouldn't it be better to throw holy water directly at them, honey?"

Wednesday tilted her head, expressionless. "But how would it reach his heart if I don't stab him?"

"True…" Allen nodded but then widened his eyes slightly, pulling out a Desert Eagle pistol titled "Our Father," and smiled. "Isn't a bullet better?"

Wednesday shook her head. "That's not as elegant as a stake, darling…"

Allen shrugged and hugged Wednesday. "You're absolutely right…"

Jalter, who was standing behind the two, looked at them with confusion, not understanding what kind of strange and twisted relationship they had.

Among the dolls, one of the quietest, or rather, one who is very careful with her words and speaks little, is Wednesday. Jalter knows that each doll is peculiar, but this one in particular is like a creepy mystery locked in a haunted house.

"Jalter, where is Father Merrin?" Allen asked, letting go of Wednesday after kissing her.

"Two streets east…" Jalter stopped thinking and followed Allen as he headed toward the location.

"Don't worry Father Merrin, I'll save you" said Allen being pained by Merrin's cruel fate, as if the bastard hadn't left him abandoned to his fate earlier.

"But... he's already dead!" said Jalter with a grumpy look on his face.

Wednesday turned to look at her, "Since when does that matter...corpses also have the right to rot in an environment that makes them feel comfortable like a dissection lab or a cursed catacombs..."

"Sure..." Jalter didn't want to argue with her, but he was starting to get irritated at how well these two complemented each other. "Hmph"

Kurumi – Tsundere~

Rebecca – Pfff

Harley – Hahahaha

...

In an alley a few streets away from the hilltop house, Allen peeked from around a corner, watching a group of officers cordoning off the area while forensic officers examined the corpse of Father Merrin.

"At least I won't ruin my image…" Allen muttered.

Returning to the exorcist world was already awkward enough after his dramatic and enigmatic farewell, but he had no other choice. He had to give Father Merrin a dignified burial. That legendary man, who lived tormented by demons, didn't deserve such a miserable end.

Allen prepared his Neuralyzer to intervene, take the body from the forensics team, and give it a proper burial.

*Earthquake*

It was subtle… very subtle, but Allen felt a tremor. It wasn't on the ground; it was something that traveled through space and even time itself.

"What was that?" he looked grimly.

Artoria frowned as she appeared in doll form next to Allen. "That felt… very strange."

Gwen – Gwen raised an eyebrow suspiciously "Allen, did something happen?"

MJ – MJ pouted "You still haven't told me why you returned to that world."

"Wait… I don't know either."

Allen felt a strange sensation, and Artoria felt it through her connection with him. It was similar to what he felt when he faced Markus but fundamentally different.

[Right at this moment?! Damn it… I'll have to force the activation of the functions… even if it's only partial.]

'System?'

Allen wanted to ask what was going on, but he also remembered that the system hadn't been very active lately. When he asked what was wrong, it said most of its processing power was occupied with a "system upgrade." Allen didn't ask any further, though he remained curious whether this new upgrade was different from the previous "evolutions."

[Allen, soon I will answer all your questions, but for now, could you please accept what will happen without questioning me?]

Allen smiled, 'I'd never doubt you, basically, I'm still alive because of you…'

[Thank you… "cough* Host, I'm afraid this world is about to be destroyed.]

'What?'

[The fate, the will of the world, or whatever you want to call it, is causing a collapse in its own world.]

'Why?'

[I'm afraid it's because of your existence, no, more precisely, because of what we did to alter this world…]

'What? But I've altered universes before!'

[Yes, but before we were not so powerful and the worlds in question were not weak]

'Strong? Weak?'

[Host, worlds don't collapse just because the future changes, otherwise, there wouldn't be infinite variants of the same universe. However, there's a big difference when someone like you alters it…]

[When we first started this journey, you were like a saltwater fish swimming in a freshwater river, where the river represents the world. Your existence was illogical, but it didn't affect the flow… However, when you started swimming against the current, it caused a disturbance in the river that began to become problematic for it. The last time you faced Markus, you felt it, didn't you? This… resistance, hostility, this force that tried with all its might to destroy you.]

'Yes…'

[Now that I've become more powerful, I also realized that not all worlds are the same. Some are "larger," for lack of a better word. In these, there exist very powerful beings. A world like this, with your current existence, and unless we camouflage you as part of the world, will try to destroy you… But on the other hand, if we enter a "smaller" world, it won't attack you, not because it doesn't want to, but because it can't… and if it tries, it will end up self-destructing.]

'So, does that mean I'm dangerous to this world…?'

[I'm afraid you're a whale so large, you're blocking the river…]

'I don't understand, if this happens when this world tries to attack me, why doesn't it just stop?'

[Host, the world is like a river; it cannot stop. Even if something obstructs it, the water will flow, even if it overflows. It's its nature.]

'This is bad. Should I leave?'

[One option is to use the simple method of leaving the world and giving you an identity in it… and then return, so the river would be ready from the beginning of time to accommodate someone like you and me. However, I have a new option~]

Hearing the system's playful tone, Allen raised an eyebrow. 'I'm listening.'

[Hehe, we can negotiate with the will of the world!~]

'Huh?! Is that possible?!'

[Host, antagonizing the will of the world is quite common in many stories, but I don't see the need to do so… We should find a way for both of us to coexist.]

'Is that even possible?'

[It is for the new system~]

Allen wanted to ask what it meant, but the system fell silent, and Allen felt that he should wait. Also, he explained to the girls and the chat that they should wait a minute before hearing the voice of the system.

[Allen, the will of the world has agreed to negotiate.]

["Good day, there's no need for us to destroy each other, Mr. Walker. Just help me not to die… and I won't oppose your visit."]

'...!' Allen was surprised to hear the voice of an elderly man, who sounded extremely tired and pained. 'If Sis, I accept. I have no reason to refuse.'

["Thank you…"]

Allen felt as if the elderly man disappeared, but that was normal; he didn't have a connection with Allen and could only communicate through the system. Allen gasped, feeling that meeting that elderly man was far more difficult than meeting The Devil, but he didn't say it out loud.

[Request – "Save the World." Requirements – Follow the mission chain of the will of the world to give this world a new path now that the original destiny is broken. Be careful with the use of abilities; the poor old man won't be able to withstand it. Party Members – 3. Reward from the will of the world – ?????]

[Main mission – "Rescue Father Merrin."]

[New functions unlocked: "Mission Tracker," "Will Limiter," **** Some functions are locked until the update is completed...]

'I see…' Allen had been through so much, it wasn't strange that he could handle all the information that appeared before him.

Allen must follow the missions of the Will of the World to maintain peaceful relations and avoid its destruction. Upon seeing how the system referred to this as "negotiation," he realized there might be a chance the world wouldn't accept it and would instead act like the Will of the World in Invincible, putting obstacles in his way or even attacking him... Another detail is that these are not like regular missions; Allen is not obligated to fulfill them. Additionally, the Will Limiter indicates how much alteration the world can endure, although it's just a recommendation, and Allen can exceed this limit at any time.

'Sis, I don't understand this limit. Is it different from the one I had before?'

[Yes, this limit doesn't restrict your power, but your actions... you'll figure it out.]

Allen snapped out of his trance, facing the girls and the chat, all waiting for his response. Instead of answering, Allen forced his clairvoyance with The Absolute.

...

(Future Vision)

Allen walked up to the police officers, who immediately stopped him upon seeing someone suspicious approaching the crime scene.

"Stop, sir!"

"This is a crime scene—"

Allen pulled out his Neuralyzer and erased the memories of the two officers. He then walked past, and more officers aimed their guns at him.

"Stop right there!"

"It must be the suspect!"

Allen ignored them, and they fired; the bullets hit him without effect.

"Huh?!"

"It's a monster!"

Allen disappeared and left them unconscious, hitting them as he went. He headed to the ambulance, ripped open the door, scaring the paramedics, and took the corpse of Father Merrin.

'Sis?'

[Did you really have to do it like this?]

[Will Limiter 27%]

Allen deactivated the clairvoyance and returned to the beginning. However, he decided to try again. This time, he went even further, using his abilities, including reality manipulation.

[Will Limiter 86%]

Allen tried once more. This time, he only used invisibility and stole the corpse while everyone was distracted.

[Will Limiter 14%]

After several attempts, Allen understood how this worked. Unlike the previous limiter, his power wasn't restricted. However, the more reckless things he did, the closer he got to what the world could endure. This depended on the world. For example, in the Invincible universe, his actions wouldn't have reached even 0.1% of the limit. But he didn't need to worry about it, considering his hostile relationship with the Invincible world.

'What happens if it reaches 100% before completing the mission chain?'

[Don't worry, the bar doesn't fill permanently. Remember, the river always flows. Even if you reach 99%, if enough time passes, it will begin to drain, and the world will assimilate these changes as something it was always meant to have.]

'I understand...'

Allen smiled with relief. He could be many things—an obnoxious bastard, a womanizer, selfish, prideful, and with a nature that led him to enjoy humiliating his enemies—but he hadn't sunk to the level of destroying a world just for his whims. So, he was relieved when he heard the world could still be saved.

Allen had already figured everything out in his head. He knew it would be easy to recover Father Merrin, but he had to think about not filling the Will Limiter too much. Because if a demon or a very powerful evil spirit appears out of nowhere, he will need his power.

'One more thing. What are the registered companion members?'

[Depending on the missions and the world, several companions will be recommended for you to carry out the tasks. Since they are registered, their actions won't alter the world too much, but everything they do will fill the Will Limit bar.]

'Sounds unpleasantly complicated...'

[Knew you'd say that. Remember that we can do whatever you want, even fight with the old man~]

Allen remembered how the Will of the Invincible world pushed him to replace Cecil as the antagonist of the third season.

'Nah sis, we'll do it this way for now. If it gets too lazy or complicated, I'll just quit...'

[Yes.]

"Alright, it's time to move..."

Allen now had missions, a goal, and even a couple of rules. But how he carried them out would depend on him.

...

Father Karras returned to the church with a heavy heart. Father Merrin had died mysteriously, and he needed to go identify the body. It was a great sorrow for him.

Father Karras lit candles and prepared to pray for Father Merrin's soul before going to the morgue.

"Father Merrin, you offered your life to God until the very end. Please find the peace you couldn't find on Earth, in Heaven..."

"Father Karras..."

"Ahhh!"

Allen appeared at his side, sitting in the now-empty chapel. Upon realizing who it was, Father Karras was stunned. Allen was a suspect in Merrin's death; Karras understood that he had appeared out of nowhere, and Father Merrin was dead not far from the street. However, he had witnessed Allen's passion when confronting the demon to save the girl, so even though everything pointed to him, Karras didn't want to doubt Allen.

"Father Walker, what are you doing here?!"

"Father Karras, I've come to talk to you about The Exorcists initiative..."

Allen spoke with terrifying seriousness, a level of pressure that made Father Karras swallow nervously.

"Father Walker... who are you?" the man said, trembling.

"Father Karras, you must have many questions, and I will try to answer them all. But you must understand that this world is very dark, with ancient evils everywhere, and only some can face them."

"I..." Karras felt his chest tighten. He was just an ordinary man, weak, with wavering faith, because he felt powerless against monsters like demons, and sometimes he wondered why God left them so unprotected.

"Demian Karras... you're a good man, even if you don't believe it, because the true nature of a human being comes out when their life is in danger... and I know what you would do."

Both Allen and the Chat remembered the famous death of Father Karras—he shouted to the demon, "Take me," and after being possessed, he threw himself out the window.

Father Karras didn't understand why this young exorcist had so much faith in him, but something inside him ignited, and he decided not to let him down.

"Tell me what you need, Father Walker."

"Heh, that's the look!" Allen got up, walked to the door, and kicked it open, but he used too much force and broke it. "I'll tell you the details on the way, but let's go save the world with the power of God's love!"

"Father Walker, the door wasn't closed..." Karras said with pain, watching the old wooden door shattered by Allen's kick.

"Rubbish, we're going to attack the police and steal a corpse. We don't have time for doors!"

"Huh?" Karras went pale, but Allen grabbed him by the collar and dragged him. "Father Walker, we need to think this through. What you're suggesting sounds more like a criminal act!"

"No!"

Allen's response was quick and concise. This was a race against time, for on Father Merrin's chest, a demonic symbol began to appear.

[Will Limiter 3%]

===

A/N: Don't worry if this information-laden chapter left you confused, in the next one you will see how part of the new system works.

PS: The Will Limiter will only be active in the worlds where Allen managed to negotiate a truce, so for example in Invincible it will not exist, besides it does not limit his power, it only prevents him from solving all his problems by exploding planets and tries to make him more creative.

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