Chereads / SCORCHING BLACK VULTURE / Chapter 54 - Heretic Treachery

Chapter 54 - Heretic Treachery

The vast cave with the large inscription suddenly vanished into thin air, transforming into a blackened void of nothingness. We all thought to ourselves that we made a huge mistake in interacting with the inscription, which took us to another dimension.

A loud, smashing noise that sounded like a sudden nuclear explosion startled us all and caused us to glance back and forth at the source.

As we glanced upwards to our left, we witnessed an unexpected and grueling horror that no human should ever experience. A heavily wounded man's crucifixion, half naked, was hung on the wall at a greater distance from the ground. To further lock himself on the crucifixion, four swords stabbed his limbs, and blood flowed from the open wound over his body.

Seeing the pitiful state of the crucified man evokes a mix of dread and sorrow in me, prompting the question: What kind of individual would perpetrate such a heinous act for their own gratification?

But it simultaneously reminded me of Jesus Christ's crucifixion story. Or maybe the inscription told us the story of Christ's crucifixion?

As I observed the crucified man's critical condition, my mind was racing with confusion. An ominous, demonic-looking man in crusader armor levitated in front of the crucified man's face, gripped his jaw with a deafening snap akin to a firework explosion, brought his face near him, and spoke in a low yet menacing tone that echoed throughout the surrounding area.

"I would have waited for eternity to finally preach the absolute truth!"

"It's over, Gaetano! Your claim about Christ's second coming is nothing but a series of nonsensical frauds!"

"Might control everything; without it, you won't be able to protect anything!"

"Let alone your own selves."

I then nodded my head in understanding after learning the crucified man's identity. However, I remained perplexed as to what the ominous-looking man in crusader armor meant when he said, "The second coming of Christ." Does he say that Gaetano is a prophet, or something else?

My thoughts raced as I processed the intense and harrowing events unfolding before me, heightening the suspense and tension of the moment. The figure, clad in menacing crusader armor, delicately raised Gaetano's neck, hinting at a malevolent intent to inflict grievous harm with the heavy, steel-clad gauntlet.

However, with a croaked voice, he held his pain, which felt like enduring the fire of hell through his sins. He then pleaded with each word he spoke, saying that the pain was getting stronger.

"But… not… like… this!"

But unfortunately…

JSLOSH

The ominous man, dressed in crusader armor, brutally stabbed Gaetano with his demonic-looking blade, piercing through his already wounded body and even through the wooden crucifixion. The blood splattered through Gaetano's wounded body, the ominous man's armor, and even pooled as it flowed through the wood.

The ominous man's sudden brutal stabbing toward wounded Gaetano scared us to the ceiling, where his sudden brutality even rivaled the psychopath of the psychological horror movies. It felt as if we witnessed something more sinister than a mere psychopath.

Gaetano was helpless in his crucifixion, where he couldn't do anything but scream in agony, much like he never felt the slight exposure of the fire of hell, where it used to torture the damned sinners for their sins. But what kind of sins plunged Gaetano through his crucifixion? Much like what I used to think on: What sins has Christ himself ever committed to get the Romans to crucify him like a witch hunt?

The ominous man clenched his demonic sword, even further deepening his stab through the poorly wounded Gaetano and giving him a threatening glare with a threatening assertion that's reverberated the surrounding area.

"Foolishness, Gaetano! It's always been like this! The weak will be purged, and the strong will he prevails!"

Gaetano's constant panting from the excruciating pain interrupted his speech, causing him to momentarily pause and make a hand gesture.

"Look at everything that you protect into your very blood! They are going to dissipate in time! Everything that lives is destined to die. including you, the prophet, whom the father himself blessed.

"And you will never realize who you are trusting with."

Despite the blades stabbing his body throughout the crucifixion, he slowly pushed himself forward, his pain rivaling the fire of hell. Eventually, he responded with a pained, croaking tone, each word battling the pain piercing his wounds.

"That's… what… Satan… himself… would say! Might without wisdom… will end up… into… a blackened ego!"

"We… obviously want to cleanse the heretics! But… there are other ways to end it all… without the need for bloodbath!"

But that won't stop the ominous man further clenched poorly wounded Gaetano's neck with his heavy steeled gauntlet that's almost crushed his neck, as he responded in a further threatening tone.

"Your father is nothing but a foolish crybaby who keeps whining about humanity's foulness! He is the one who created the problem initially."

While the ominous man still harshly clenched Gaetano's neck with his body completely weakened, he briefly looked the other way with a brief scoff, then glanced back at him with a scornful glare as he got his face closer to him.

"Defeated by the thing I swore to destroy?! Bah! That thing can only eat itself! They are a group of worthless, heretical individuals who have no purpose in this cursed world."

"How will you react when your father left us, heaven and hell were in chaos, and the scum you protect turned against you?"

Witnessing the ominous man's brutality toward Gaetano shuddered my spine. Why would anyone dare to brutally murder the revered prophet who had received the fullest blessing from his father? The assassination of Jesus Christ, which Judas Iscariot himself orchestrated, strongly resonated with me.

When I glanced backward to see my friends' reactions, both Nolan and Lisabelle couldn't contain their catharsis. Despite their past records, this one feels like it goes against their original intention.

But as I slowly approached the grueling scene, slightly leaving both Nolan and Lisabelle behind, I witnessed that Gaetano's eyes were slowly dropping tears that'd eventually fallen to the ground. It seemed as though a flicker of empathy lingered within him, compelling the ominous man to reluctantly confront his own inner demons, symbolized by his darkened ego.

"Please… Leonardo… Your so-called… anti-heresies movements… are just… unleashing more heresies!"

"I… raised you… from the poverty… to preach our faith… through peace…"

"What… cursed motivations… that… succumb you… to the blackened abyss… of such voracity… Leonardo?"

Despite the tears that dropped into the ground from Gaetano's weakened eyes as if he's still pleading for a second chance before his demise, that won't stop Leonardo from summoning his demonic sword from his back as he raised it high in the air before he's about to execute him with a hellish demise.

"Well, it seems like you still refuse to learn the difficult way. And without any unnecessary remorse, I will plunge you to hell, where you belong!"

"And that will be your fault!"

His statement reverberated throughout the entire environment, giving the impression that we were observing a brutal public execution from a bygone era where bloodshed was commonplace.

But as Gaetano was ready to face the hellish demise and ready to face either the flames of hell through his sins or the light of heaven through his virtue, there was a sudden interruption that took us aback.

BSRYAK

A massive explosion occurred from the ceiling, and the debris rumbled down the floor, nearly crushing us. However, despite its appearance, the debris doesn't physically crush us, as if we're merely observing a cutscene from someone's past.

The dust's sudden chaos blinded our surroundings, compelling us to close our eyes. Yet, within the shadowy veil of dust and debris, a sinister figure emerged, casting an ominous presence over the chaotic scene. Its silhouette appeared to be approaching the ominous man in the crusader armor, pointing its demonic blade at him.

"Tsumaki!"

The ominous man was clearly frustrated, believing that someone was sabotaging his enjoyment in order to further devastate Gaetano's precious life for his own distorted ego.

The demonic figure, adorned in a blue fiery aura through his demonic samurai armor, aimed his blue sword at Gaetano as he approached, sending a ripple of threat throughout the surrounding area.

"Enough is enough, Leonardo! Stop your unlimited foulness before your slaughterhouse of voracity spills more innocent blood."

But all the ominous man, Leonardo, could do was give him a brief scoff of disdain as he glanced at Tsumaki, pointing his blade at him with a scornful response.

"Don't be such a hypocritical fool! The people you ought to shield will eventually disappear and even turn against you. It's ironic that you refuse to acknowledge the blood you've previously shed in your own mirror.

"And I'll do the same thing for you! For real justice!"

"Justice, you said, huh?! Well, I'll show you the real justice!"

Without any further warning, both Tsumaki and Leonardo charged forward at lightning speed as they parried each other's blades with deafening clangs that echoed the darkened surroundings.