The church of Balione within the capital city of Reinicha isn’t simply a church. It is more of a monastery that encompasses almost the same amount of land as the King’s court itself.
Though the church is considered to be intertwined with the state, in reality, both are segments that operate and represent as single separate entities.
The massive monastery is separated into four unequal parts. The smallest of which is opened to the public at all times, for the common folk and the bureaucrats alike to pray and pay homage to the divine lord that has graced his people with life.
The second smallest portion of the monastery houses the majority of its occupants including the priests, missionaries, and The Holy Order of Balione.
The last secluded section of the church belongs to none other than Lord Ioe himself and those who belong to his inner circle of supporters, and their entourage.
Somewhere in the inner sanctum.
A chorus of moans and pants echoed through the doors and down the hall, granting an unwelcomed performance to all those who stood guard. It was once again the time of day that he would bring scantily dressed ladies into the inner chambers of the holy church, and today was no different. As disgusted as they all might be, none of the guards or clergy members would dare to voice their displeasure in his presence, for the man in question was none other than Lord Arbious, the fourth son of the late Lady Joséphine.
Being the fourth son of a great noble family meant he had been a spare child with limited usage for his family, had he even been the third son he would have at least been prepared on the off chance that both his elder brothers were to perish. The only use that remained for him was to secure influence and allies through political marriage, which for the fourth son of a great house would only be with those from lesser families. Yet in a strange twist of fate, his mother, Lady Joséphine, was somehow able to arrange for him to marry the esteemed Duke Wilhelm’s eldest granddaughter.
Though to someone like him the family status of the women he chose to spend his time with was a non-factor. Beauty was all that mattered, so what if she was a shoemaker, farmer, or noblewoman, what difference did that make? When in bed they are all the same, tools of divine pleasure given to man with the grace of his holiness.
To no one's surprise, his engagement was called off immediately after his many affairs came to light. In order to repair the damages caused by this foolish son, there was no choice but to send him down the journey of the priesthood. This journey, however, was nothing short of banishment, a political tool for any family to rid themselves of troubled youths and problematic adults all the same.
As dismayed as he was, it actually was a blessing in disguise. Rather than the Veauharnais family name, it was the holy church of Balione that protected him. The church barred not an unmarried man and his many affairs, especially one with the particular gifts as he.
For under the lord’s divine grace, as long as one serves his holiness faithfully, such small blemishes are nothing under the eternal radiant light. Though a tool was still a tool, a change of hands does nothing to alter that fact.
Lord Ioe had even made him a lord of a small estate within the sacred church, the estate of eternal imprisonment.
…
A pair of rushed feet paused in front of what was pretty much the pleasure chambers. After a brief moment of hesitation, the double doors were pushed open, and a man knelt down at the open entryway.
Before him was Lord Arbious, intertwined with each and every woman in various positions all over the chamber.
His lord was a man of very few principles, the most important of which was to never disturb him during his hours of pleasure. For unless you had a death wish, that chamber was to be sealed and undisturbed. He had heard rumors that this was how his predecessor had met his maker.
With his fear of consequence aside, he spoke: “An urgent message my lord, the—"His message was cut and lost in the cacophony of loud moans.
With his eyes still firmly on the floor beneath him, he gathered his will once more and uttered the words: “My lord, this is an urgent matter that requires your immediate attention. My lord!”
The sounds of pleasure did not yield, on the contrary, they actually intensified. Yet without the need to look up, he could sense the overwhelming killing intent from his lordship.
“You’ve best have a reason for your life to not end at this very moment.”
Cold sweat poured out of every inch of this man, for that threat was not empty like the heart that towered before him. Still, the hesitation lasted for only a fraction of a second, for the consequences of his delay would certainly be worse than death.
“Intruders have breached that level.”
“What did you just say!?” Arbious shouted.
His demeanor quickly changed at the mention of that sacred place, for his lordship’s anger was no longer directed at him. Yet judging by sound alone, none of the pleasures of the flesh have staggered at all.
“I've a confirmed report of a single intruder on that level, our men have requested urgent reinforcements.”
“How did an intruder find his way down there!? What are you fools doing out there?!”
“Apologies my lord, we have not been able to confirm how the intruder has infiltrated the sacred place. However, I’m sure with some time we would have a more conclusive answer.”
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“That’s not important now, is it? How have the inner guards not dealt with the situation.”
“My report is to indicate that they have all been slaughtered, the only ones left down there are your elite unit and yourself my lord.”
“All that training and equipment to be bested by a single intruder… worthless insects.” He sneered with disgust.
“My lord, should I inform his holi…” the rest of his sentence was held in his throat, as the sensation of a cold blade pressed against his neck.
“Did you assume that my hand-picked elites and I would be incapable of handling a single intruder? Due to your own ineptitude? Such an insult won't be taken lightly.”
“M—my apologies my lord, I just thought that.”
“That's precisely the problem, I don’t need you buffoons to think, just do as I say! Still, if the intruder were to reach me, every single one of them will be put down, and you are not to be spared of course.”
…
The casual way it was delivered would suggest it to be a joke in any other circumstance, but not when it's spoken by Arbious, who has every intention of keeping those words.
Oh dear lord Ssasarith, for the love of all that is holy, please do not let the intruder reach that far.
The man prayed for salvation that was out of his own hands.
With a sudden but faint click of the tongue, there was no mistaking it.
Cold sweat gathered once more on the man's forehead as conflicting thoughts fought. For on one hand there was certain death, and on the other salvation, though the consequences of which he couldn't even begin to comprehend laid ahead.
The very earth shook beneath him.
And so it has begun.
For the effects of their battle to be felt even here many klicks away.
But a more pressing matter came to mind, as he paused and listened, the sounds of pure pleasure stopped.
Only then did the man dare to look up. But his Lord and the women before him had all but vanished.
A harsh and maniacal laugh echoed through the chambers.
All five of the women woke from their dreams of pleasure and stared at the man who stood by the door. They gasped and screamed as his skin bubbled and fell away, revealing a grayed old man in a tattered black robe.
“Now then, how about you ladies keep me company in the meantime?”
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A symphony of blood.
That would be the most accurate way for those who would have witnessed the scene that was left behind by that man.
Though as short-lived as they may be, each body that laid in his wake had its own tale.
The first that guarded the entrance was the shortest of all, for without any warning his head had disconnected from his body and flew into the wall as if he was a marionette with a head that did not belong.
Blood flew across, streaking the floor and the walls alike.
The others were still unfazed at the sudden demise of their comrade, as four of them activated the magic imbued in their equipment to enhance their physical prowess and surrounded the intruder in a four-way pincer attack that was executed so perfectly that no one should have been able to evade it. Yet their blades did not reach him, nor did the magic from their weapons, the only connection was between their napes and the blade of the lone intruder.
Four souls were sent to meet their maker, only to be witnessed by the severed head that had yet to register its own demise.
In the dazzling performance of blood. The remaining guards scattered like rats in daylight, giving them some distance to evaluate the situation.
The tactics available to them were somewhat limited as none of them were rather proficient in ranged offensive magic, and their equipment was mostly for buffs to enhance their physical prowess. For the nature of their work at this time it was rather difficult to defend the area and not cause significant damage to the sacred chambers. Though it's not as if they had no options available.
No matter how powerful an opponent is, as long as they are human and if their movements are neutralized they can and will be slain.
With one look they were all in sync once more.
As limited as they were, they still had a few pieces of equipment for this situation.
[Fire Ball]
Six of them flew into the darkened hall but none were directed toward the intruder, each of them had exploded brilliantly on the cold tiles, enveloping the intruder in a great plume of smoke.
In that same instance, two metal chains flew in and wrapped around him, digging into the floor. As soon as they felt resistance in those chains, they activated the enchantments embedded in their rings.
[Touch of Raiju]
Visible sparks of The Great White Beast traveled down the chains, leaving all those it touched stung in paralysis. The sudden smell of burnt flesh put a grin on many faces. For it was the most powerful spell that they had in their arsenal, from the enchanted rings granted by Lord Ioe himself.
Three daggers cut through the smoke and found themselves embedded in the intruder's head, but without a moment's respite, the dance of death formation resumed once more. Never underestimate the opponent, for as long as the enemy stands they will be met with extreme prejudice.
As the four of them closed the distance, the charred figure twitched and grew ever more violently with each step they took.
The signature decapitation the intruder was so fond of was nowhere to be found. Their blades met no resistance either, with each blade finding its mark with surprising ease.
…
He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief.
It was the expected result after [Touch of Raiju], but to have used it and still lost five members was certainly an appalling result. How did an intruder even make it this far? Why wasn't he taken alive for questioning? The inquiry for this incident would still be a major ordeal. Not to mention the amount of work required to train and replace the deceased. To Hel and back would be the most acute way to describe it, perhaps it would have been better to be amongst the dead this time around.
Grrrrr.
“Huh?”
Grrrrrrrrrrr.
He saw more than a dozen crimson eyes glaring. But those eyes belonged to no man, it was that of a predator, yet there was not any sense of a hunter that was staring down its prey but rather a wild primal anger that mankind has long forgo.
He was frozen, but why? Could it be, fear?
Fear wasn't an unknown entity to them. For all there is in the world, the only thing they should fear is the almighty and the earthly embodiments of god. They were the twelve elites that Lord Arbious had hand-picked for his retinue—with the lord's blessing of course. All the training and hardship they had to endure, to survive until this point. They weren't picked truly in the sense that one would be familiar with, but rather they were the remaining twelve who had not perished along this arduous road. They were truly the best of the best, nearing the cusp of the realm legends that could be told for long after their mortal shells expire, much akin to the Twelve swords Noctilune.
Yet these same men froze in the face of this beast.
Instinctively he—no, they all knew the absolute terror this beast could unleash onto the city above them, and that whatever sinister plan the intruders had with this sacred place must be unspeakable beyond imagination.
In that moment of hesitation, the darkness swallowed their weapons and limbs, as cries of agony ushered in a different look in those beastly eyes, a sinister look of pleasure.
A foul beast that fed on the agony of men.
Even as their flesh was torn from their bones, their resolve only grew ever stronger. For even if they fail their master still stood as the final guardian of this place, and to allow an enemy to reach him would be an utter disgrace that they would never live down, even in death.
He and only one other who was still conscious smiled as they detonated the minor blessing placed upon their hearts. The last trump card they had up their sleeve, for all of his devoted followers would gladly surrender their mortal coils and souls in servitude. For there is no greater glory than to offer one's own life for the prosperity of mankind.
In the darkness of the creature's jaws, their bodies began to illuminate.
“In the name of the holy Lord Loe, may you repent for your sins in the lowest reaches of Hel.”
He smiled for the last time.
[Absolute Light]
A power that converted their entire remaining vitality and flesh into an explosion of light that would melt away the flesh of anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in its radius, the sacred halls would be protected as it only dealt damage to the organic.
The once impalpable fear and suffering that had gathered in the chamber vanished, even the reflection of the frozen look of absolute terror on the top half of a face was no more. All erased by the garish light of day.
After the great flash, darkness swallowed everything once more, and in that darkness, one lone figure appeared. A lumbering shadow, and in that shadow a man stepped out.