Chapter 83: She and He |
"D*** it! Evil God! The Master of the Blood Banquet..."
If not for having once faced a Saint, Shad would have crumbled the moment that figure appeared.
His vision blurred, a ringing buzz filled his ears, his sense of smell became jumbled, taste failed, balance faltered, touch vanished, memories faded, and emotions spiraled into chaos.
Shad wanted to laugh hysterically, to weep uncontrollably, to kneel in prayer, and yet also to curse the heavens.
Although his mind remained eerily calm, his body was utterly out of control. The mere shadow of a higher-dimensional being appearing before it fully descended was enough to nearly drive his body insane.
This was no borrowed manifestation through a Saint; this was the direct descent of an Evil God.
"No, I can't go mad so easily! The doctor and the others are still waiting for me to lead them out. Miss Anat is counting on me to safeguard her token. And Mimia... Mimia is waiting for me to return home!"
He had once been terrified upon arriving in this world, but he had never been a coward. Human courage was a hymn, and though he owned almost nothing in this world, it made him cherish what he did possess all the more.
Sheer stubborn will kept him holding on, as he bit down on his tongue hard enough for the pain to jolt him awake. But what mattered most was the protection from the Creator of Innocence, which at this moment unleashed its full power, allowing him to barely regain control of his body.
"This is really bad," Shad thought. The blood banquet had begun, and the other living sacrifices in the room had already gone completely insane. They tore into each other, moving toward death the moment the shadow of divinity stepped into this place.
【Now that you're conscious, will you escape?】
A woman's whisper brushed against his soul, paradoxically sharpening his focus. In that instant, Shad felt a disconnection between his body and spirit. His body raged in madness, but his soul remained steady.
"Even if I could run, what about here? What about the doctor and the others? What about this city? I'm no righteous savior, but no matter what, I can't just leave now."
In the blood mist, the shadows of the frenzied monsters danced faintly, while dismembered human limbs adorned the silver and gold tableware, beckoning him to join their feast.
Dragging his unruly body, Shad approached the increasingly clear red-robed figure.
【You still have a way.】
"Even if I die, it won't be on the path of retreat. I have a crazy idea, though it's just a document-grade relic."
【And it's your only idea.】
Shad managed a shaky nod, forcing himself to put on the Vampire Ring.
The ring could absorb the blood of humanoid creatures it touched to heal its wearer. All the other sacrifices were dead, and the twisted creatures in the blood mist surely didn't count as humanoid. But aside from himself, there was another presence here.
His vision warped even more, the blood banquet nearly overlapping entirely with the banquet hall of Lakeside Manor. The shadow of the Evil God was fully descending; soon, its true form would arrive.
Supporting himself on the long table, Shad avoided the empty chairs and the elegant tableware and delicacies. With each step forward, the real banquet hall faded, while the illusory, blood-soaked hall became more vivid.
By the time Shad staggered to the lone golden chair at the head of the table, he began to doubt whether his new life was all just a dream.
"Sorry. If I die, you'll disappear too, right?"
【Do you finally believe that I am you?】
An impulse to collapse gripped Shad, but his courage and determination pushed him to extend the hand wearing the Vampire Ring, reaching toward the faintly unreal, red-robed shadow of the Evil God.
His consciousness wavered, the blood mist ravaged his body, and the shadow of the Great Being loomed closer. He felt as if he were attempting to touch the abyss, and the abyss was devouring him in return.
"It doesn't matter whether you're me or not anymore. I'm sorry I couldn't show you more stories, more journeys."
At that moment, Shad realized that whether she was truly him was irrelevant; having someone accompany him in his final moments of life was what mattered. She had always been with him, even now.
The shadow of the Old God quivered slightly, turning toward the man about to fall. The immense pressure made him tremble, and the protection of the Creator of Innocence was about to dissipate. If he fell here, he would become part of the feast, like the other sacrifices.
His fingers inched forward. Through his blurry vision, his hand was less than an inch away from the shadow of the Evil God. But then, a soft crack sounded—the amber in the ring fractured, and the ring itself failed to withstand the proximity to divinity.
"Of course. A document-grade relic can't affect a god," Shad muttered as he collapsed toward the blood-red, squirming carpet.
【It’s useless in others’ hands, but you’re different, Outsider, because…】
"Sorry."
"Why apologize?"
A warm and soft feminine presence embraced him from behind, holding him upright. Her head rested on his shoulder, her long hair brushing against his cheek. Reality or illusion, Shad could no longer distinguish.
【You still refuse to accept my existence?】
She whispered in his ear.
"Are you really me?"
He murmured in reply.
【Does it matter? You’ve come this far and should embrace it. If you can’t accept the present, how will you accept yourself?】
She asked softly.
"Will you always be with me?"
He asked with the last of his strength.
A gentle laugh reached his ears, her hair brushing lightly against him.
Her hand held his, and the barely conscious Shad could not see what her arm looked like.
【Of course, Outsider. I am with you.】
Together, they reached forward, whispering in unison:
"You are me..."
【...I am you.】
Shad’s hand touched the not-yet-manifest shadow of the Old God, The Master of the Blood Banquet. The cracked amber in the ring shattered into dust, and the band rusted and crumbled.
As the corroded metal fell away, the phantom of the Evil God was drawn into Shad’s hand. He felt as though a mountain had been crammed into his arm, a twisted, furious power surging through his soul. The banquet blurred, his soul expanded to its limit, and the distorted monsters in the blood mist howled. For a fleeting moment, Shad saw himself seated on the imposing golden chair.
But he also felt an unending emptiness in his stomach and heard the woman laughing melodiously:
【You have touched the shadow of the Old God “The Master of the Blood Banquet.”】
【A being born in the endless feast, immersed in desires and indulgences, taboos and blasphemy. It lingers in the shadows of humanity’s hearts at the twilight of antiquity, traversing freely through jubilant banquets.】
【You have heard the story of the Old God “The Master of the Blood Banquet.” You have learned the miracle of the Old God “The Master of the Blood Banquet.”】
【Outsider, you have engraved the Silver Blasphemy Rune – Gluttony.】
An insatiable hunger wrenched Shad from the brink of death. The power extracted from the shadow healed his grievous wounds and compensated for the insignificant cost of writing the script.
Behind him, bells tolled, whistles screamed, steam roared, and massive hammers struck.
The rotating brass Fate Wheel reappeared in the material world, bearing a silver rune dripping with blood: Gluttony.
At the same time, a single droplet of golden liquid seeped silently into the Fate Wheel.
【Shad, perhaps this is your blood banquet welcome.】
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