After Azazel turned to ashes, the evil aura hanging over the battlefield seemed to stall.
But the Winchester Brothers and Wu Heng kept their eyes fixed on the still-open gate to Hell, which continuously leaked black mist and faint shrieks.
Suddenly, the roiling darkness within the gate churned violently as if vomiting, and a familiar figure was abruptly "pushed" out. As though breaking free of some restraint, he staggered and fell onto the open ground before the gate.
It was John Winchester!
He looked utterly exhausted, covered in filth, but he did not seem seriously injured. He coughed violently as he struggled to rise.
"Dad!" Dean and Sam cried out at the same time, overwhelmed by immense joy.
Ignoring their own injuries, they immediately struggled toward their father, wanting to take him away from this dangerous place.
However, just as they were about to touch John, something strange happened. Both of them grabbed at empty air, passing straight through his body.
The remnants of demonic black mist around them, which had fallen into chaos after Azazel's death and were either retreating through the gate or fleeing in every direction, seemed driven by rage or vengeance. They suddenly gathered together, winding around John's limbs and body like icy black shackles.
"What?! Let me go!" John shouted in shock and fury, trying to struggle free, but the black mist possessed tangible strength and bound him tightly.
Dean and Sam tried to reach for him, but they could not touch John at all. Wu Heng had already seen it: John was now a soul, and his body was gone.
Then even more demonic black mist converged into a powerful force, dragging John toward the bottomless gate to Hell!
"Let him go!"
Dean's eyes went bloodshot. Without a second thought, he was about to