51 Edge of Despair
It was a difficult, tight movement, but he managed to unsheath the dagger, holding it with trembling, anxious fingers as he carefully flipped it around, holding it in such a way that its sharp edge pressed against the ropes tied around his wrists.
Come on…! He thought.
Periodically glancing up to make sure the fiendish cultists weren’t looking at him, listening to the grumbles of the demon and the cheers and chants of the followers, he began rapidly cutting away at his bindings with his dagger.
He summoned all of his strength and all of the speed that he could, biting away at the rough, tightly-wrapped ropes before finally–they were cut away.
His eyes widened in surprise in triumph, not wasting the opportunity as he quickly did away with the same bindings around his ankles.
The moment he stood to his feet in the midst of the depraved ceremony, a few of the hooded figures were drawn to him from his movements, but it was too late–he reared his fist back, preparing to bash the cage door away.
“Cast: Breaker Fist–!”
[Spirit: -200. Remaining Spirit: 2350/2700]
Using the condensed power at his knuckles, he slammed his fist against the cage, causing the metallic door to burst open and fly back, crashing into one of the approaching cultists as now the entirety of the group was drawn to him.
Cah-In’s eyes widened with an indescribable anger, “…Heretic! You seek even to writhe in mud whilst we bestow upon you a worthy fate, despite your sin?!…Unacceptable! Much has been lost today: Hah-Gaal…my loyal Yu-Jin…This day will not be lost due to your abhorrence!”
As those words spilled from the man’s lips, jabbing his bony finger towards him, he didn’t listen, only intending to cut through that man first on his path to saving the girl.
…I’m going to kill you…! He thought.
Retrieving both daggers from their sheaths and squeezing them tightly in his grip, he kicked off with a [Blink Step], aiming for the man’s throat as it was all that filled his convicted vision.
But, all he found was a widened smile stretching across the cult leader’s repulsive lips.
“…That’s no good, sinner…”
Before the edge of his blackened blade could reach the pale neck of Cah-In, his arm was halted in its movement–no, it was his entire body.
What’s going on–? He questioned.
Something held onto him, so tightly and fervently, squeezing him–not quite enough to cause damage, but enough to stun him in the pain that accompanied its tight hold.
Standing just in front of him but with a single hand held up, having snapped his fingers, Cah-In looked at him with his white-voids for eyes.
“You were told to sit quietly, were you not? You broke quite a simple request without much hesitation–my, you truly are a sinful one, aren’t you?” Cah-In reprimanded him with his grin.
As he looked down, he realized what it was that stopped him: black chains, sprouting from the ceiling, floor, and walls, all wrapped around him so swiftly that he didn’t even recognize them coming into play until just then.
From one set of bindings to another, he was bound even more vigorously this time, with no room for escape.
“As punishment for your inability to remain silent in your actions, you will bear witness to the feast–there will be no looking away.”
Cah-In snapped his fingers again, manifesting another link of black-steel chains that descended from the ceiling at his behest, wrapping around the red-haired young man’s neck and forcing his gaze to point towards the altar.
“No…! No! Stop it!” He begged, crying out. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
His trembling, emerald eyes met directly with the azures of the girl’s who looked at him tearfully with desperation filling her benevolent, frightened eyes.
“Cast–”
“That will not do.”
Another snap, another set of chains.
They wrapped around his mouth, pushing past his lips and binding his ability to speak as the abhorrent metal sat past his teeth, pressed against his tongue as he was left unable to conjure any words.
“Hk…ggk…”
He attempted to speak, but no such ability was afforded to him.
“Again and again, you rebel against salvation for your sins. That is the nature of humanity. That is why God has mourned us. That is why Heaven must be kept safe,” Cah-In said.
There was nothing he could do. His joints were bound by the tight, squeezing chains, his tongue was blocked by the steel, and his gaze was forced to watch as the chimera-like beast from Hell parted its bleeding, gargantuan maw, revealing an endless valley of teeth awaiting.
After struggling, letting out muffled noises, Cah-In waved his finger, momentarily releasing the chain around the young man’s tongue to let him speak.
“Cah-In…! Let her go!”
His pleas were ignored as he fought against the holds of the chains, being suspended in midair as he was forced to be a part of the spectators.
“Just take me–! You don’t need both, right?!…Just…let it be me…!”
This time, his weak pleas seemed to meet the pale man’s ears as he looked back at him, holding an idle, but almost damning expression as shadows crept over his face.
“…How noble you are, sinner. However, you have not listened to a single word I’ve spoken, have you?” Cah-In addressed him quietly, “This is not a game chosen by whim; this is a mission–one of which you are a key piece to. By feasting on one so delectable, filled with sin, battered in sorrow, and marinated in despair, Barbas’ power will grow. As he grows, he will fully incarnate–and once that is done, his legions will birth from the soil of this decaying world. And when his legions ravage this crumbling world of sinners, the princes, dukes, and kings of Hell will come as well. Soon after, humanity will bathe in the pits of the underworld, while Heaven remains open only to us, the diligent envoys of God.”
Finishing his words, Cah-In waved his bony finger once more, causing the black, unsavory chains to hold his tongue as the maddened man returned his sights to the horrific event.
Unable to do a single thing, he did the one thing he could: close his eyes as tears crept through his tightly-shut blinds, still being forced to listen.
The sounds of the beast’s heavy breaths exuded, and following were the noises of the girl’s struggles against the altar in some vain attempt to break from her bindings–however, with a stomach-churning squelch that filled his own eyes like an orchestra of sorrow, all faint hope was lost.
The moment it met his ears; blood profusely falling to the ground like a dreadful downpour, the crunching of bones, and tearing of flesh–he struggled and fought against his bindings, screaming out though muffled.
It was all in vain.
He knew he couldn’t do a single thing, yet the mixture of sorrow and rage provoked him to wrestle against the chains, unmoving as he could begin to hear the spectating cultists clap.
For him, it felt as time was halting to a crawl, allowing the wave of negative emotions to flood through his body, washing over any hope he had with utter despair as his body fell limp.
He didn’t want to believe it; over and over, and over, and over, and over, and over–he wished for this all just to be a nightmare.
Clenching his eyes tightly, he yearned for nothing more to wake up in a cold sweat in his bed, finding his companions smiling beside him.
“Marvelous! Barbas has fed!” Cah-In announced, overjoyed.
–But, that was impossible.
Kamou…Kamou…Kamou…please…why…He thought.