Chapter 176: A Successful Ritual?

- Central Abelis, Near Labyrinth City – Gilgamesh's POV –

I’ve had this suspicion for years, one that I couldn’t shake. It was one that I developed soon after meeting my… that little lamia girl. In the grand scheme of things, she wasn’t that important. I’d certainly seen more influential individuals in my long life but… for some reason events seemed to converge around her like they were orchestrated.

Even me. I hadn’t told Rose the truth when I originally kidnapped her. I hadn’t cared whether she was the new Demon King or not, in fact I’d stopped interfering with the world for hundreds of years at that point and even I had no idea why I’d done something active like kidnapping her. At the time that is.

Now though, I could recognize a subtle influence pulling at my soul, like a sort of compass pointing me north this pull seemed to point towards the depths of the Church forces. I didn’t know how or why but I knew that the young woman that reminded me so much of my darling daughter was there, something deep inside me called for me to interfere and, despite my long inaction, I’d finally step onto the stage once more, I was finally willing to unleash my everything for someone again, and may the Gods save anything that got in my way.

- Central Abelis, Near Labyrinth City – Karen's POV –

A massive explosion rocked the plains, the impact from its shockwave strong enough to shake the ground even here, miles away from its center in the Church forces. Wide-eyed disbelief overtook everyone present as eyes looked towards Rose’s grandma Daisy to see if this was her doing only for her to shake her head alongside our shocked gazes.

[That’s far beyond even something I’m capable of, I don’t know what’s happening but whatever it is we can be sure the Church wasn’t planning for it to happen. Look.] – Daisy de la Amchier

Following her gaze, we saw the panicked Church forces chaotically trying to deal with whatever was attacking them only for their efforts to disintegrate as another earth-shattering explosion rocked the plains. Whatever was going on they weren’t the cause of it, but more importantly…

[We can use this chaos to try to rescue our baby girl!] – Lily de la Amchier

[You’re right! Women! Stop standing around in a daze and take this chance! We don’t know if we’ll get a better chance to stop those Church bastards than this! Charge!!!] – Robert de la Amchier

Standing around in a daze for several seconds after his order it finally broke through to those nearby that whatever was happening was a good thing and a cheer broke through the ranks as the first few of the bravest rushed towards the panicked Church soldiers followed by the rest as they realized what was going on. I had something more important than foot soldiers to deal with however…

- Central Abelis, Church Ritual Site – Rose's POV –

I finally came to, pulling myself out of the darkness that had taken me forcibly. I had another to protect now and I’d never allow anything to happen to Mary just because I was unconscious during that time. Unfortunately, though, my determination was meaningless as I woke only to find myself hogtied and incapable of any movement besides ineffectual wriggling.

Luckily, however, it seemed that those Church bastards hadn’t had long to do whatever they had planned, and Mary was bound right besides me in the middle of a large circle of white robed priests, overseeing which was the Pope that had captured me. Gone was any semblance of kindness, replaced instead with arrogance and a sort of religious fervor that comes with the conviction that you believe that your actions are divinely mandated. I’d seen such eyes before, both in this world, and in news broadcasts back in my old life, and every time such eyes led to horrific events. I had no reason to believe this would be any different.

[Behold! The moment of our God’s descent is upon us! Using the blood of this wretched abomination before us we shall purify the land of all her ilk. A fitting end for beings that should not exist in this world!] – Pope Francis X

Raising a knife to the sky as if to call down divine judgment on his actions the words of a mad man echoed through the clearing which I now noticed was interlaced with some kind of pattern. Too low to the ground to see the entire thing I could tell even from my position that it likely had something to do with this ritual of theirs.  Some kind of magic circle perhaps?

Hoping against hope that Mary had woken up around the same time I had I squirmed closer to her huddled form, ignoring the speech that the cultish leader of the Church was giving to his adoring mass of cult followers. I had to focus on surviving and waiting for an insane man to finish his rant wasn’t high on my list of priorities at the moment.

[Hey! Mary! Mary! Are you awake?] – Rose

[Mmm… Mhm…] – Mary

Luckily, she was and, while that damned Pope droned on in the background, I took a second to check for injuries to my newly found little sister, her shivering form making me worried about them hurting her. Finding none I quickly realized why she was shivering as I wiggled myself into a position where I could see her face. Closing her eyes tight while shaking I could almost feel the terror radiating off of her. In our past lives Mary had always put up a strong front, she’d played the part of a confident young lady almost to perfection but, as the only one that was close enough to her to see the faces she made when she no longer had to perform for the public, I knew that she was anything but. The face she wore when she was with people, she wasn’t close to, was one that she’d inherited from our parents, it was the mask she put on to protect herself when, in reality, she was the type to get easily scared and turn to those she trusted for protection. And… I was no longer that person.

The fact that she was here, hugging herself, instead of trying to get protection from me showed that, while I might have been able to convince her logically that I was once her big brother she hadn’t truly accepted that fact, her heart still viewed me as a stranger.

That, however, was a problem for later, when we got out of this situation with our lives, a possibility that was becoming less and less likely by the second as I realized that the Pope was finishing his speech.

[And so, with the spilling of the blood of Leviathan we commit this beast to our God, Amen!] – Pope Francis X

Approaching me, who was still tied up, I could only ineffectually glare at the man gleefully wielding a knife that I had no way of escaping from, my only recourse being to cover Mary with my own body so that he couldn’t get to her without going through me first.  Giving me a look of bemusement as if to ask why he should waste time with some puppet instead of the sacrifice for his ritual I flinched away from his blade as he leaned down and… lightly cut my palm with the blade?

[H-Huh?!?] – Rose

[The ritual is complete! Behold as our Lord God shows himself to his believers!!!] – Pope Francis X

Surprise filled me as he pulled away, the cut from his blade already starting to close. He… didn’t kill me?

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to ponder the strangeness of these circumstances for long as I felt massive pressure pushing down on my soul as if every star in the sky was ripping me apart, only barely hanging on by using the skills that Love had instilled with me as the pressure increased and I felt my soul start to give.

And then. It stopped.

[Wh-Who are you?!? How dare you interrupt these proceedings!!! Guards! Kill this interloper!] – Pope Francis X

Instantly the pressure vanished, as if it had never existed in the first place, the light from the symbols carved into the ground around me, that I had only noticed were glowing now, beginning to fade as the familiar lopsided grin of a certain old man stepped between the Pope and I. His face the last I thought I’d see in this situation.

[It seems I made it, good.] – Gilgamesh

- Central Abelis, Church Ritual Site – Gilgamesh's POV –

I barely made it in time, making my way into the Church camp I only found where Rose was being kept because of a certain loose-lipped man in high-ranking Church robes who, despite his intellectual looking appearance sang like a canary as soon as I prodded him for directions. Something about the way he looked at me was unnerving, as was his choice of companion, but I didn’t have the time to deal with it while trying to make it to Rose before the unthinkable happened. I’d deal with whatever he had planned after finishing up here, although now that I was here, I wasn’t sure that’d be as easy as it sounded, the presence that had nearly taken Rose’s body now freely roaming around what I know knew was some kind of ritual site.

Seemingly wandering within the boundaries of the carved lines I barely suppressed a shiver as I faced down the foolish Pope and his forces, dealing with… whatever that was, came later.

- Central Abelis, Church Ritual Site – Rose's POV –

We were saved. I had never seen the Old Man use his full power before but, even with that, I knew he was far beyond anything the Church could throw at him. His history alone showed that he was basically unstoppable besides another Demon King or a literal dragon showing up to face him. It was over.

And, seconds later, standing over the groaning soldiers that the Pope had foolishly tried to stop him with, I knew I’d be able to keep Mary safe, the panicked look of confusion on the Pope’s face more than enough to convince me that it was over.

Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed in the next breath as the Pope’s expression shifted from confused fear to ecstasy and religious fervor.

[Yes! My Lord God! Use this vessel as you see fit! Strike down these unbelievers for their insolence at resisting your mercy! Fill me with you- AHHHH! AHHHHHHHH! IT BURNS! WHY DOES IT…?!? ARGH! UBUBAGAH!!!] – Pope Francis X

The sound of skin and bone ripping and tearing filled the clearing as everyone, Church fanatics and us, looked on in horror as the once jubilant Pope screamed in pain, his form twisting and growing as his voice deepened to one that I was terrifyingly familiar with, it’s rumbling laugh resembling my grandfathers as I realized what the voice from the void had been as it tore its way out of the skin of what had once been the Pope, his dying gurgle fading into an unmistakable rolling grumble of laughter. Standing before me, still helplessly tied up, was a dragon of immense size, rivaling that of my grandfather.

[Hello, niece… Well then… Goodbye.] – Giant Black Dragon

And with that it opened its mouth, death approaching uncaringly.