Blood Rites(5)

Walking through the cold stone door, Larian found himself in a room filled with large glass tubes and columns that extended to the ceiling.

This… was a lab.

Studying the objects in the lab Larian first noticed corpses encased within the glass. They were all fully submerged in bright translucent blood.

'Human experiments? Wait… there are animals and other races too.'

The hall stretched far and the glass columns were numerous. Within each of them, abominations with stitched wings or arms could be seen.

There was a dog the size of a giant with shivered eyes and flesh-exposed lips, its jagged tooth like a shark as the skin surrounding his teeth had been cut open into a smile.

I looked like it laughed at Larian as he passed.

Then he saw a mountain mass of hobbes stitched together like a ball, their arms stretched out as their expressions filled with horror.

They we the remains of the tribe captured for entertainment. Now a hobbe hydra, this malformed and multi-headed creature could barely move and it shook in the giant glass tube.

Larian shivered at the face of such cruel experimentation.

This was only the first few that could be seen, how much more would he find if he continued this walking?

He was about to find out. 

Stepping through the cold hall, Larian tried his hardest to not pay attention to the beings within the glass. Instead, his eyes focused on the device attached beside each of them.

The opaque Blood of the pool flowed into the device to be filtered and pumped out into the containers holding the subjects

It was the same liquid in the vials. The blood of the arena was being filtered into potions with strong vitality to fuel the life of these experiments.

Being fed potions squeezed off the dead, these lab rats could not die and were forced to heal and merge into abominations

It was how they survived the gruesome implants.

Who knew the rewards presented to the contestants had such a dark process?

Gastric acid welled up in Larian's throat but he held them in. Larian had thought the person in charge of torture was the mastermind behind the chimeras that appeared in the dungeons. 

But he was mistaken, the torturer was only the tip of the iceberg of the horrors of the dungeons. While slaves were tortured for entertainment, there were greater atrocities being conducted by the Blood Lord.

Each step Larian took, attracted the attention of the beings in the glass.

*ting ting ting

One tapped on the glass as hard as it could.

Turning to look, Larian saw a human girl, or what should have been a girl if her waist did not have 8 legs spread like a spider and numerous eyes embedded on her neck and shoulders.

The girl screamed but no sound could be heard through the liquid.

But Larian understood her just fine from how her lips moved. 

She screamed with all her might…

"Save me! Please! KILL ME!"

…

...

...

Unknowingly a tear flowed from Larian's eyes. He imagined how he would feel if he was in the glass, how much the despair and horror would tear his mind apart as he slowly deformed to the whims of the dungeon master.

No matter how much Larian thought the girl's current form was ugly, she was undoubtedly Strong.

Strong to not lose her mind and cry out for the most sensible solution. Death.

Larian mouthed his reply in hopes of offering any form of comfort he could.

"I will… I promise."

The relief on the girl's face made Larian's heart ache. Why did the promise of death bring such hope?

This entire place should never exist.

This place had to be erased.

Larian moved with hurried steps. The burns on his chest didn't bother him any longer. Because a flame burning in his heart shone brighter.

Anger.

Walking to the end of the lab, Larian found one last door, inscribed with delicate wood that stood 6 meters tall.

Pushing them open a light assaulted his eyes. It wasn't bright but it was light nonetheless.

In a long noble hallway with red carpet decorating the floor, rows of blood knights stood at attention by the well-chiseled stone columns.

The red carpet stretched up the steps into a throne made of Onyx. Sitting on it, the Blood Lord Beleth.

'Is this a display of power? You have hundreds of Blood Knights ready to cut us down if we attempt anything against you?'

Larian gritted his teeth but walked close to the throne anyway. At the bottom of the throne, Larian could see Star and the Devil chained up.

Their eyes met his and the familiar voice of the devil spoke into Larian's mind.

"This is the moment. When you get close to us, release us and together we kill Beleth. Trust in us, this is the one moment we can't fuck up."

Larian didn't nod or reply and simply walked. Who knows if the Beleth would notice their communication?

"Congratulations, Champion that bested my Knights. You have proven yourself worthy in the Trail of Blood and Slaughter."

Beleth paused and took a sip of his cup of red liquid. 

"What a magnificent month this is. Two champions who will experience the Glorious Rites. This is the most worthy moment for celebration!"

As Beleth announced his intentions, the rows of Blood Knight's clapped in perfect unison. 

"I must have you know, the promise of freedom is entirely real. You can leave the castle anytime… if I command you to. But don't fret, it is the utmost privilege to serve me for the rest of your life… As a Blood Knight."

The Blood Lord laughed, amused by his own joke. But as he looked at Larian he didn't notice the look of horror that usual contestants show when they realise their promised freedom was serving him as a mindless Blood Knight.

Larian eyes were lifeless. He looked up at Beleth expressionlessly.

In his mind, this truth didn't matter. He came here of his won violation.

"... The people in the lab… Why…? Why did you do that?"

Beleth eye's lit up with mild excitement.

"Ah… I see a fine admirer of my art. You ask why I made them? I, a humble artisan of the mind, have always been enthralled by the idea of a perfect being. I sought to bring elegance into the flaws of others, a duality woven into the fabric of their existence. The Blood Queen, Lilith saw my potential and gifted me the chance to explore the boundaries of art and reason."

Standing from his chair his face turned maniacal.

"Gaze upon my works, and you shall find not mere art, but portals to a world where the mundane is distorted into the extraordinary. Aren't they simply Magnificent! Aren't they Spectacular! Are they not the most splendid art in the world?!"

Beleth Laughed aloud. Proud of whatever gibberish coming out of his mouth.

The Devil's voice spoke into his head.

"Now! Release both of us! This is the moment to kill him!"

...

But Larian ignored him.

In this blood-wrenching speech about experimenting on humans, Larian dropped a bombshell into his maniacal laughter

"I wish to be your knight Lord Beleth."

…

The laughter stopped and looks of horror appeared on Star and Devil's face.

The voice in his head buzzed aloud and threatened to burst his mind as it screamed.

"What the hell are you doing!? Are you crazy!? You will turn into a mindless drone entertaining his every command!"

Even Star was on the brink of tearing off her metal cuffs.

But Larian ignored them.

Blood Lord Beleth blinked at Larian, then a wide and warm smile spread across his pale face.

"A fine appreciator of my art! This truly is a monumental day! You really are special."

Beleth walked down the steps himself and patted Larian's shoulder like he was the most precious thing in the world.

Star stood and rushed towards Beleth but numerous knights stood in her path and clashed against her.

But Star was persistent, her blade twisted with such force that it tore the Blood Knight's apart. She could kill several knights, but against the wave of them, she was eventually pushed back.

Being cut down, she was forced to kneel. Her face reflected the intense hatred at Beleth... and Larian.

"This… will not do."

Beleth didn't even bother looking back at Star and sized up Larian. 

"You can be so much more…! A simple Blood Knight will not do! You deserve to rise to the highest peak and serve me by my side!"

Beleth snapped his fingers.

"Knights to me!"

From their positions 16 knights walked out and formed a circle around Larian.

"Hehehe… Little one, this is a special privilege I shall grant upon you. You will rise above these lowly knights and be something greater than the rest of them. You will experience the wonders of the Blood Rites and evolve into the most magnificent thing. Now… Begin the Rites!"

From the ground, bright red lines connected between the 16 Knights and formed a circle with Larian as its center. This was why the final championship was called the Rites, it was to transform the victor into a blood knight.

From the corner of his eyes, Larian saw the expression of Star slowly losing hope.

Somewhere in his head Larian heard the Devil shouting.

"You fool! If you transform, you will lose your mind with only the desire to please Beleth! The control of 16 knights will be impossible to break! You can still stop this, release us and we can kill him together!"

But Larian ignored him.

Instead, another voice, more aged and jaded came out from his heart.

"Not bad. You actually managed to get the highest form of transformation. If this works you will have the power of a Blood Baron. The weakest title of a Blood Lord but still a Lord."

Adam admired Larian's plan for a second.

"But the suppression of the blood curse will be 16 times as hard. Are you sure you have the will to tear them apart?"

Larian's mind was focused on the atrocities he had seen. Instead of horror, now intense wrath churned within him.

Larian whispered.

"Absolutely."

The Red Lines glowed at their brightest and they convulsed into Larian, enveloping him entirely.

Larian felt the scorching pain seep through every part of his body as if he'd plunged into a molten crucible. The pain is like a branding iron, etching his body and spirit with indelible marks of transformation.

But this was not his first experience of burning. In this sea of pain, Larian held on to his will.

However the agony doesn't stop there. It evolves into a whirlwind of sensations – from bone-deep shudders to electric jolts that race through their nerves. It's as if every cell in his body is being forcibly awakened, urged to adapt and evolve.

The pain spiked would have broken most men into fits of sobs and as the pain recedes, what remains is a sense of bloodlust and rage.

By the time everything was absorbed into Larian. His eyes black eyes had a shimmer of menacing red.

"Truly magnificent! Now… the other one will be made into a blood knight. His funny request for the devil has been settled. Bring her here, new blood."

Larian felt every fiber of his muscle listening to his command. They screamed for him to follow his every word, to yearn for his next instructions.

'So this is why they said it was impossible to break out of.'

Larian walked over to Star and held him.

The little girl's eyes teared up in despair. She had never looked so betrayed in her life.

As Larian held her up, he lightly brushed on the devil's handcuffs.

"!?"

The devil's expression froze. But he didn't dare move.

Larian brought Star close to the center of the Blood Circle and awaited Beleth's command.

This was the spot Larian had turned into a Blood Baron in front of her. Star's frown turned ugly as the tears flowed down her cheeks. She couldn't believe this was her end. After everything she went through, everything she overcame and endured. 

Someone she thought she could trust betrayed her. Was the world against her? Why would Larian choose slavery over the fight for freedom?

Was he too scared of the Beleth? But this was the shot in the dark that gave them the closest chance to kill Beleth. After all the disgustingly cruelty placed upon her by this man, she was going to die by his hands.

Tears and snot streamed down her face uncontrollably as gut-wrenching sobs tore through her chest.

"Good… Good. Now…-"

A silvery light pierced through his head.

"W-what…?"

But Larian wasn't done. He knew killing these things would require assurance.

Larian twisted his blade and conjured illusions inside the Blood Lord's body. But he wasn't done. His magic essence spread across the room and sucked in every particle.

While chaining them with immense weight, Larian turned his illusions real. Then bringing his final reserve of essence reinforced his form and he pushed down with the weight of a mountain.

The katana, like a truck full of blades, pushed down and tore everything in its path from his neck down.

It traveled with so much strength that it struck the floor with a cracking splatter as the minced intestines and organs spread across the red carpet and marble floor.

An instant kill… Or so Larian thought. 

The blood of Beleth concentrated into a tiny red gem. They tried to reform but on instinct, Larian grabbed the ruby gem.

Adam spoke up

"A shard of divinity, it's the reason for his immortality."

He sounded amazed but continued.

"Eat it. I'll remove Beleth entirely and you can absorb his entire power. I'll keep his shard of Divinity. How does that sound? You won't be haunted by an immortal Blood Lord and evolve into one of the Strongest Blood Lord."

Larian didn't answer but simply ate the gem.

"I knew you'd understand…"

As the gem disintegrated with Larian's stomach, it formed in his foundation. A sea of blood flooded the area. Within the sea, a figure tried to claw out, but Adam's figure turned humongous and crushed the figure before it could even form

"Worm… know your place and be erased."

The last will of Beleth was gone so simply.

As the blood sea formed a lake within Larian's foundation, a bright orange shard radiated with an intense flame.

"Now I will have another shard of divini-"

Before Adam finished speakeding, Larian reached out to grab it with his spiritual body.

The burning shard in hand. Larian didn't feel anything. The shard just sat simply in palm as it radiated its energy like a glowing rock.

"Wow… you nearly scared me. Who knew you know how to joke at a time like this."

Adam took the Shard from Larian hands and as it did, the piece melted on his touch and assimilated into his body.

'I didn't joke… I really wanted to absorb it. But the shard didn't react to me at all.'

Adam clapped his hands together.

"There as promised, the entire Blood heritage of the Blood Lord is now in your hands. I won't touch anything since you earned it."

As the sea of blood slowly rose, the lake became larger and fuller until half of the entire foundation floor was filled with bright red blood. The liquid looked cleaner and purer than anything Larian had drunk. It was rich in magic essence.

As Larian concentrated on his surroundings, the Blood Knight's who lost their connection to their master wanted to rush to defend him, but suddenly stopped as they lost all directives.

Larian touched Star's collar, releasing her.

Her tear-filled eyes blinked at Larian, in bewilderment.

Even the devil stood motionless. But being the most uncouth person, he spoke first.

"What the hell just happened?"