Chapter 1320 - Burial
Chapter 1320 - Burial
With Merem leading the way, despite it not really being all that necessary, Vahn visited several sealed chambers, each structured like tombs. This was one of the reasons why the Burial Agency was known as such. They scoured the earth for anything detrimental to their religious doctrine and, to ensure it never had the chance to lead their obedient followers astray, the truth was, quite literally, buried.
Most of the entities imprisoned by the Holy Church were unique Spirits that produced valuable resources but, located at the deepest levels, behind several layers of protective measures, three distinctly powerful existences were sealed away.
The first of these entities was a Dead Apostle known as El Nahat, a peculiar individual who embodied the concept of Refraction. He had the innate ability to turn into a copy of any singular target and, by injuring or destroying himself, he, in turn, assured the destruction of the target. It didn't matter if his opponent was someone with an even higher grade of immortality as El Nahat's ability allowed him to functionally erase his own existence for a short moment, guaranteeing the death of all but a few select individuals.
Due to his nature as a Dead Apostle, El Nahat was an obvious target for elimination by the Holy Church but, upon learning of his ability, they instead used the interval when he was incapacitated to seal his Ego and the remnants of his body away. They unabashedly made use of the heretical ability and, despite everything he had experienced, even Vahn was prepared to see the chamber in which El Nahat was sealed...
While El Nahat's body would be destroyed upon the activation of his ability, there was always one part of him that remained, at least after the Holy Church's intervention. This was the man's stomach and, for reasons Vahn would never be able to guess, the church had functionally stretched the tissue until it covered every surface of a 5x5m cube, giving it a peculiar fleshy yet reflective appearance...
Bound in the center of the horrifying room, a man with hundreds of black rods piercing every joint of his body could be seen. His movements were further restricted by a straight jacket that seemed to be sewn from fabric inscribed with holy text. This meant that, unless he was brought out by another, El Nahat couldn't move a single muscle. Even his eyelids had been surgically removed, forcing him to stare at his own figure reflected in the surface of his own stretched stomach...
After a momentary pause, one experienced by all his vessels simultaneously, Vahn blinked back to awareness as he unhesitantly said, "Okita, destroy him completely...he is too far gone...give him the peace he deserves..."
Merem seemed somewhat surprised by Vahn's decision but, before he could interject, Okita's sword flashed with an intense red light. The luminance became so powerful that it shifted to pure white in an instant, blinding both Vahn and Merem for a brief moment. Then, when the light faded away, a complete void where even the Laws themselves didn't exist persisted for several long seconds. It was a peculiar sight as, until it collapsed, a black spherical 'gap' existed, one which seemed to possess an indescribably beautiful light at the very center...
Okita's Noble Phantasm, [Decisive Blade - Endless Three-Stage] was an Anti-World Noble Phantasm made possible by her unnaturally long odachi, [Rengoku no Ha], meaning Purgatory Blade. Using it, she could even kill things that do not exist and, if the situation called for it, even things that were intrinsic to the structure of the World itself. It was a technique that transcended even True Magics, making it equal to an Administrative Function when used to its fullest potential.
As a result of its power, Okita's mental processes operated on fundamentally different wavelengths than normal humans. She was, in essence, an Anti-World Class Divine Spirit given human form as, despite not being a Counter Guardian, her power was directly tied to the Counter Force. If she was to be capable of using it at her leisure, the World itself would reject her existence as she was a force of absolute and inviolable destruction...
In spite of her nature, which was virtually incapable of emotion, Okita had learned how to emulate the emotions of others through observation. Thus, after completing her deed, she skipped over to Vahn's side, causing Merem to take a few steps back as his instincts, as could be expected, sent very loud warning bells throughout his mind. Every fiber of his being was warning him to stay away from the taciturn woman and, for a brief moment, he almost activated his final trump card on instinct...
Without even acknowledging Merem's existence, Okita stopped right in front of Vahn as she bent forward slightly to make her head more accessible. Vahn, as always, gave her head a gentle pat as, while it sometimes felt like he was training a pet, Okita needed positive feedback to know when she was doing well. Since she only considered his words to have any weight, it fell upon him to guide her, something that weighed on Vahn's heart and mind when she picked up bad habits from the other girls.
Deciding not to mind things too much, Vahn gave the now emptied room one last look before making a mental note to destroy the entire thing later on. For now, he turned to Merem and urged the slightly pale youth to lead the way. There were still two other entities of import sealed away by the Holy Church, each possessing even higher designations than El Nahat due to the nature of their existence.
Though he hadn't really been harboring thoughts of rebelling against the Empire any time soon, Merem stopped wearing his false smile and, instead, began treating his current guide duty seriously. He was quickly learning that Vahn could be very 'extreme' in his responses and, instead of coveting greater power, the latter wouldn't hesitate to destroy powerful trump cards, seemingly as an act of mercy. This made Merem realize that he had gotten off relatively leniently as, if Vahn had decided to extend his 'mercy' to him, even being a Planet Terminal wouldn't have guaranteed his life...
After passing through a series of security measures, and one massive vault, Vahn entered a distinctly less mortifying room, this time appearing as a genuine tomb with a coffin. The top of the coffin had the visage of Virgin Mary carved into it but, after breaking through the various seals and curses that would normally prevent access, he quickly removed the lid to reveal its contents. Inside, an obviously female figure covered from head-to-toe in bandages inscribed with sacred text had been effectively mummified by the Holy Church.
Pressing his hand against the woman's abdomen, Vahn confirmed what he already knew as, despite still living, all of her internal organs were missing. The bandages completely shut down her ability to regenerate so she was effectively just an organic container, one pumped full of holy water. As for the location of her organs, Vahn knew they had been used as materials to produce various weapons and holy relics but, once she was unsealed, they would cease to exist as her regeneration functioned in a similar way to his own.
Though Merem had already explained who was sealed away, Vahn confirmed with Alaya before he made any attempt to remove the bandages. The last thing the world needed was another powerful force to influence their decisions so he listened patiently as Alaya explained, "Lilith, the Mother of Daemons and the first of the Succubi. She is one of the first humans to earn the favor of the Gods and, as a result, received great power. So long as she is not allowed to roam freely, her existence poses no immediate danger to the Empire."
Alaya wasn't the type to mess around when it came to matters related to the preservation of humanity, or any matter, really. Thus, with her assurance that Lilith wouldn't be a problem, at least beyond the scope of his ability to deal with, Vahn began to remove the bandages. He ultimately only had to expose a part of the pale skin below for the rest of the bandages to burst apart in a small explosion of force. As a result, the figure of an inordinately beautiful woman who had a striking resemblance to Semiramis appeared before him...
At first, the woman in the coffin had been bald by, after mere seconds had passed, silky black hair pooled around her head and shoulders. What was visible of her pale skin regained a healthy glow and, if not for the intricate runes covering everything but her face, breasts, abdomen, and genitals, Vahn imagined her complexion would even rival Da Vinci's. Instead, she gave off an amorous feeling that simultaneously felt 'wrong' at the same time...
As if to emphasize this incongruity further, the runes were quickly covered up by a thin layer of black, snake-like scales. Her previously delicate fingers became a little thicker as the digits formed blackened nails at the end. This same phenomenon happened to her feet but, compared to the more noticeable changes, these were relatively minor...
By the time half a minute had passed, the emaciated figure became a voluptuous woman with what could only be described as an 'exotic' appearance. This was complemented by the fact she had a set of curved horns protruding from her scalp, much like a ram. On her back, she had two sets of wings, both pitch black in color but, as if to create even more of an incongruity, one pair was covered in a fleshy membrane, much like a bat, while the second set was comprised of metallic black feathers, each glistening with a dangerous light.
Completing Lilith's appearance, a tail with a pronounced ridge protruded from her lower back, it's thickness nearly rivaling that of her rather plump thighs. The underside was pale, like the belly of a snake, while the back was covered in black scales. In a way, she reminded him a lot of Terra and, if not for the fact he knew she was a Succubus, he would have assumed she was a True Dragon based on appearance alone...
Further cementing the comparison with Semiramis, Lilith eventually opened her eyes while moving to a seated position within the coffin. She had pale-gold irises with very distinct, cat-like pupils. The only real difference between her eyes and those of Semiramis was the fact that, rather than a gentle curve forming the slit, Lilith's eyes were closer in form to diamonds. This wasn't noticeable when they were contracted but, once they dilated slightly, the angles became very pronounced...
After staring back at Vahn for several seconds, Lilith tilted her head to the side and asked, "Are you a God...?" in a curious tone. Vahn, however, noticed the inherent charm contained in her seemingly innocuous question, a testament to the fact she was, indeed, a Succubus. Not just any Succubus, either, but the Queen of the Succubi. This put her on par with peak Tier 4 existences and, under the right conditions, she would even be able to match existences like Merlin in influence. Some mythos even blamed Lilith for the existence of sin itself, a rather ridiculous thought if you considered the fact that sin itself was arbitrarily decided by beings with power.
Considering he would be charged with protecting her for the foreseeable future, Vahn answered her question with a curt nod, explaining his status without exposing exactly what his Divinity was. He was pretty sure she had already realized it, as she actually had a fragment of a Sex Divinity herself but, as this was neither the time nor the place to discuss such things, he largely talked around the matter. It was more important that she was aware of her situation.
Much like Merem, Vahn gave Lilith the option of living a free and unfettered life. She would have to follow what he was calling the Common Law but, so long as she didn't cause chaos and unnecessary harm, he had no intention of imprisoning and using her. This explanation was ultimately needless, however, as Lilith very plainly stated, "I am a willing servant of the Gods, always and forever. As the one to release me from my bindings, you are now my Lord and Master. Your will is mine to follow, your desires mine to fulfill...in fact, I'm quite looking forward to it~"
Toward the end of her words, Lilith seductively licked her lips in an obvious intent to entice him but, as someone who habitually spends time with Da Vinci, Vahn was largely immune to such things. He was very aware of her 'intent', as he couldn't turn off his own Divinity, but there was an order to all things. Thus, for the time being, Vahn handed Lilith a spare [REquip] system, explaining its functions so she could wear proper clothing rather than walk around completely naked...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Could you call this self-reflection...?','Merem be sweatin...','Lilith's face when she realizes how many women are 'ahead' of her in the hierarchy (O ^ O)...','I wonder if anyone can guess the identity of the Holy Church's most important secret~?)
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