Volume 7 The Inverted Man Chapter 82 Preparation for the Ceremony
Blue Mountain Island, inside a virgin forest.
Worrying that holding the ceremony outside of the city would be discovered by the official extraordinary people, Verdu Abraham made use of the seal and “teleported” out of Bayam to this place off the beaten path.
Touching his ribs, which were beginning to ache again, Verdoux took off his classical robe and put it aside.
Immediately afterward, he set up the altar, lit the candles, and burned the correct essential oils, pure dew, powdered herbs, and other items.
After completing the front, Verdoux took two steps back, lowered his voice, and chanted in ancient Hermetic:
”The great god of war;”
”Symbol of iron and blood;”
”Lord of turmoil and strife ……”
The sound of whistling winds followed, echoing endlessly within this dark forest.
Amidst the movement of the trees’ branches and leaves swaying lightly, two of the candles on top of the altar suddenly emitted a crackling sound.
The flames of their corresponding candles suddenly rose, from “saplings” to “giant trees”.
At the same time, the color of the candles changed from orange to white.
The wind through the forest became more and more violent, and the two white pillars of fire intertwined and twisted into a blurred and gigantic figure.
At this instant, Verdu Abraham could only feel indescribable gazes cast from on high, falling upon him.
He busily lowered his head and spoke:
”Great God of War, the humble believer would like to pray for your help.”
As he spoke, Verdoux had been adjusting his mind, trying to remain calm.
–He knew from one of his family’s books that the most important thing to do when praying to the “God of War” was to tell himself not to get angry.
The huge figure of blazing white flames kept spewing streams of flame to the side, and said in a language Verdoux could understand but didn’t know what it belonged to:
”Humble mortal, the gods are not there to fulfill your wishes.”
”Go ahead, say your prayers, and it is up to me to decide whether or not I ultimately help you.”
Verdoux had long ago constructed a ventriloquism and said with a little retrospection:
”Great God of War, what can I do to bring my ancestor, Mr. Bertram Abraham, the ‘Gate’, back to the real world?”
”A ritual that sacrifices a ‘Trickster’, a ‘Secret Mage’, and a ‘Parasite’ should have been clear to you long ago. ” The Flame Giant said in a low, menacing voice.
The same answer as the one given by that student of Dorian …… Verdoux said with a dark sigh:
”Great God of War, if I want to ask you to help me with this ritual, then what do I need to pay?”
The Flame Giant looked down at the Astrologer and said:
”The corresponding price is not something you can pay, your pale and small soul is not even qualified to be the remaining ashes.”
Just as Verdoux burst into a fit of disappointment and unusual frustration, the flaming giant continued:
”But Mr. ‘Gate’ can.”
”Besides, I’m in a good mood today.”
”Sacrifice a portion of your blood to me as a seal for the contract, and I will ask Mr. ‘Gate’ for the corresponding price.”
It could still be like this? Verdoux was subconsciously a bit skeptical, but after a turn of thought, he thought that there was nothing wrong with it:
Indeed, only the ancestor Bertram Abraham was qualified to deal with such a hidden existence as the “God of War”!
Whether Mr. Gate would be willing to make such a deal or not never crossed Verdoux’s mind, as there was no doubt in his mind that anyone in a state of banishment and sealing would want to get out of it, even if it cost him a lot of money to do so!
”Yes, great god of war.” Verdoux thought for a moment before his head snapped up and he agreed.
He whirled around and changed the ritual, adding the sacrifice and bestowal part, and stabbed his arm with an iron dagger, letting some dark red blood out.
When his blood turned into red “pearls” and passed through the “door of sacrifice and bestowal”, it became extremely dark, as if there were countless monsters lurking there.
In the next second, a mass was spat out from behind the illusory door.
It was a translucent mass of flesh with slippery tentacles, and on top of it, one twisted worm after another crawled in and out.
Just by seeing this thing, Verdoux’s head was dazzled, as if he had been doused with a large amount of glue.
At this time, a bit of firelight fell and enveloped his body, coloring his vision with a layer of bright red.
With the help of this layer of bright red, Verdoux no longer appeared abnormal from looking directly at the mass of flesh.
Immediately afterward, another mass was spat out by the Gate of Sacrifice and Giving.
It was a bird with a misshapen head, each of its feathers glittering with a faint starburst, and a worm-like light that sometimes burrowed into and sometimes filled its body.
”Star Worm”…… Is this a monster that possesses the extraordinary characteristics of the “Secret Mage”? The previous one corresponded to the “Trickster”…… Indeed, both “Secret Mage” and “Trickster” are just names of magic potions. It’s true that “Secret Mage” and “Trickster” are just names for magic potions, and don’t just refer to human beings, and the same goes for demigods unless they are specifically qualified as half-human …… Verdoux has a deeper understanding of the pathway he’s in, and through that, he understands the current situation.
This means that the ritual to help Mr. Door get out of trouble can be performed by the “Diviner”, “Apprentice” and “Thief” monster demigods. “The ritual to help Mr. Gate out could be done with the monstrous demigods of Diviner, Apprentice, and Stealer, and without Verdoux having to do it himself, the great God of War had already prepared everything.
It was hard for Verdoux to suppress his inner joy, and he looked at the “Gate of Sacrifice and Giving” with great anticipation, waiting for the third sacrifice to be spat out.
A second later, something flew out of the darkness behind the door and landed on the altar.
It was an unconscious raven, only shaped like a crow, of course, with a ring of black around its right eye, and each feather of its body nearly transparent, with ring after ring on it.
”The ‘Parasite’ counterpart of the monster ……,” Verdoux’s heart rejoiced, sincerely praising the great “God of War “.
……
Inside the Church of Bones.
”You only have divinity left?” Klein asked in a low voice as he looked at the huge cross in front of him.
He felt that relying on a separated identity or a personality to be resurrected was bound to have certain problems, even if that identity or that personality had a real physical body, truly extraordinary characteristics and some degree of self-knowledge, it would not be close to perfect.
And Adam’s manifestations deepened his suspicions in this regard.
Sitting next to him, wearing a simple white robe, Adam made little change in expression and remained in that sermonizing state:
”Yes.”
”I am only complete when I am one with the ‘real’.”
Sure enough …… Klein sighed:
”Although the ‘Real Creator’ is the embodiment of negative personalities and extreme emotions, k inherited humanity because of it?”
”So, k went crazy.” Adam spoke as if he were a stranger.
Klein thought for a moment, and while deciphering the remaining contents of the second Blasphemy Tablet, he opened his mouth and asked:
”If you do become one, which one of you will take the lead?”
”That’s what we’ve been competing for since we awakened.” Adam said as he loosened his grip on the silver cross pendant.
That’s why you got the first Blasphemy Tablet through Amon, hoping to master the Sea of Chaos and gain the initiative? Klein nodded with a slight frown and said:
”In this matter, you seem to have a tacit understanding, the ‘True Creator’ has never used your identity to make a fuss and introduce external forces to deal with you.”
”This is a matter between us.” Adam replied in a calm manner.
Klein was silent for a few seconds before turning to stare at the “Profane Slate”:
”I’ve always felt that the death of the ‘Red Angel’ and a lot of things in the Fourth Age weren’t that simple.”
Klein had been inquiring and probing, and besides wanting to learn more about the hidden secrets and gain more knowledge, he was also stalling for time to maintain the current state of getting along.
He was more interested in staying awake than being hypnotized by Adam and becoming muddled, or just falling asleep.
With that thought in mind, Klein looked down again at the bloodstained cross stake stuck in his chest, only to realize that the twinge of pain it brought was so real.
”Why do you say that?” Adam asked without answering, looking like he was ready to start praying at any moment.
Klein weighed his words:
”Before the return of the ‘Black Emperor’, there was only one true god in the Solomon Empire, the ‘True Creator’, and the uniqueness of the ‘Red Priests’, who supported Alistair The great nobles and powers that supported the self-reliance of Tudor occupied the four ‘uniquenesses’ of ‘Imagineer’, ‘Door’, ‘Error’ and ‘Fool’. ‘ Four ‘Uniquenesses’, both sides combined, even counting Urolius, the King of Angels, can’t fight against the six True Gods such as Black Night, and, the K’s still have Uniquenesses such as ‘Judge’ in their hand ……”
”In this case, no one will suspect you even if you don’t plot against the ‘Red Angels’, of course, an insane ‘Blood Emperor’ might be more useful to you.”
Adam said as his eyes remained unchanged as he gazed at the giant cross:
”You don’t understand because you don’t know enough.”
”In the Fourth Era, besides the three empires and the true gods and angelic kings behind them, active on the stage of history, there is also the Witch Cult, and the Moss Ascetic Order, and the infiltration of the ‘Abyss’ and the hidden development of the ‘Craftsmen’, and the And the Southern Continent Byron.”
”And that’s not all, there are not a lot of additional, sufficiently critical factors to be called critical.”
Klein nodded thoughtfully and said:
”For example, the conflict between the six gods?”
Adam smiled warmly:
”More than that.”
Not waiting for Klein to ask another question, Adam added flatly:
”You should have been to Banshee.”
Klein’s heart fluttered and he opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Adam continued:
”In addition, after my fall, the encroachment of the Outer Gods on reality has significantly deepened.”
……
Above the gray mist, inside the ancient palace.
The “Prayer Point of Light” representing Bernadette had been expanding and contracting due to the unanswered prayers, and swept away the halo of light.
This stimulated the vortex of transparent worms, which frantically swung its slippery tentacles and lashed at the spot.
After one empty turn, one of its tentacles hit the right “prayer spot”.