Chapter 247: Conspirator

Flora wasn't even alarmed to see what the redhead did, she quickly understood what he wanted to do.

"An emergency ritual?"

"I have to make sure there's nothing wrong with us." The redhead replied seriously, this was something that couldn't take any longer than it already had.

Chicho looked somewhat confused at the red-haired man, "... You've been talking to yourself for a while now. Is that a peculiarity of yours Lord Adryan?"

'So not even an Angel with some control over the Door Pathway can see Flora? Magnificent.' Adryan was extremely impressed with Hunters Hallow's abilities at the same time his smile only grew bigger as he looked around satisfied.

"Maybe~" 

If Chicho couldn't see Flora that meant the Doctor couldn't either! 

His best-hidden card was undoubtedly the perverted worm!

Shaking his head slightly, Adryan considered whether he should tell his messenger about his little friend living inside him. 

'Talking to Flora right now is necessary so I won't always be able to act like I'm talking to myself. There's also the fact that Chicho is an Angel, she may have already gotten the idea that I'm talking to someone but because of Hunters Hallow she can't see my little worm in the apple... Besides it may be more useful for her to know than for me to try to hide it uselessly...' 

With the decision made, Adryan let out a pleased chuckle and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Chicho if I'm talking to myself don't pay much attention to me. I'm just talking to my very dear imaginary friend Flora. Maybe you can meet her someday, she's all love~"

The love they were talking about now if she could, she would have blushed a little, "Idiot."

Chicho's expression didn't change, she kept that somewhat curious look as her eyes shifted slightly from side to side in search of that friend. One eyebrow gently raised in doubt whether what he said was true or not.

His foot burst into flames and Adryan gave a light stomp. A soft but strong wave of fire erupted from it and moved all the debris out of the way freeing up a good space for what the redhead wanted to do.

The flames disappeared from his foot and he crouched down, with the blood that fell from his hand he began to draw the tip of a spear on the ground. Making sure to fill the tip with red with soft, slow strokes.

"The Scarlet Monarch that burns depravity..." Ancient Hermes began to sound as his spirituality moved with his hand, accompanying each stroke and charging the blood.

Chicho's curious expression changed to one of genuine surprise which in turn was mixed with curiosity.

Adryan ignored his messenger completely and focused all his attention on what he was doing. Although the job was quite simple, the slightest mistake would be fatal. The book of rituals that his teacher had given him taught him a lot about rituals, he was not at Charlotte's level but his rituals were nothing to be ashamed of.

[When you don't have all the materials to make a ritual of sacrifice it is possible to use a single element that represents the Entity you want to sacrifice. The element must not be weak and must point precisely to the entity. There is almost no element that fulfills this, but that is why we can transform our blood into a basic altar to the entity].

"You are the Calamity of the Old Days..."

[This brings certain risks as it becomes an obligation to extend the Honorific Name to ensure that the one we are sacrificing is the correct one. Of course, this changes if it is a God since it will not be necessary to add another line. But good luck trying to test this ritual with that, They never respond to a ritual made of just blood...]

"You are the Closest to the Oldest One..."

[This is one of the most dangerous methods and only in the most extreme cases can one THINK of perhaps using it. With my most recent tests, I discovered that the danger can become greater if one is not careful in the amount of blood that is used. Too much blood and you can easily target an evil entity regardless of whether you have used the correct Honorific Name.]

"Your humble servant prays for Your attention..."

[But if performed correctly this Emergency Altar can become extremely useful. In my great opinion... ]

"I pray for more strength..."

[This method is a 4.3 out of 10. I would not recommend it but they were fun experiments. One would think that with such a low score the best thing to do would be to destroy the information about this method and make the greatest effort to hide it. But I refuse! The more knowledge that is spread around, the better people will be able to protect themselves!"]

"I pray that You open the gates to Your Kingdom!"

[And that I will defend until the day I die!- Chapter 216 Blood Altars-Introduction to Rituals By Debulg Heiseng]

Whispers reached his ears but Adryan had already begun to draw the sphere of light in his mind.

In a few moments, he found himself in front of the magnificent City that reminded him so much of home.

His eyes only lingered on it for a few seconds before moving to his side, in search of the familiar flame.

'There you are.' Floating gently a few feet away from him were 3 flames dancing despite the lack of wind. Two of them were pulsing slightly.

Without looking, Adryan held out his hand and from his pile of items floated a familiar golden medal accompanied by two containers and a new change of clothes.

'At this rate, I'll be nothing but a Gambling Addict. Always defying fate...' Reviewing once again what he was going to do, the red-haired man couldn't help but think that he was trying his luck too much.

'That may be part of my honorific name...<He who defies Fate>... Mmm, I like it.' It was time to change the last line of his Honorific name and this one sounded pretty good...

At the same time as the warm metal fell into his hand, his own appearance changed. 

Instead of wearing the tight-fitting pants, he was now wearing a long crimson tunic, and rust-stained red armor covered his body. 

With the appearance of his Scarlet Monarch persona at the ready and with the Anti-Babys in hand, Adryan stepped forward.

The next second he was on top of a yellowish cloud, but instead of his body falling through it he was sitting on top of it. 

The only thing limiting what he could do here was his imagination. If he wanted to he could become a giant and act like a Kaiju stomping around the outskirts of the city... Of course, that would drain him of his spirituality the instant he tried it... He already proved it.

Making sure it looked good by adding a bit more glitter along with more smoke to cover his face, he finally extended his hand towards the flames that had been following him.

'Everything is in order... Using a three-line honorific name must have been a surprise to Chicho so part of the plan must have worked... If she really is someone that old then, even if the likelihood is next to nil, she should know a little about the Sephiroth... Adding that she is from the Death Pathway, one of the paths adjacent to Hunter and Demon but incompatible with their Sephira, then she should be able to recognize the City of Calamities...'

'Of course, the likelihood of her knowing what the City is is so low that she's even completely unaware of what it is... Although her ancestor tried to accommodate the tribulatory of the River of Eternal Darkness so again, it wouldn't be too crazy to think that she has an idea of what the sephiroth are...' His hand that was fiddling with the cloud beneath him froze for a second. His eyebrows rose as a revelation hit him.

The blank space in his memory suddenly filled up and the red-haired man found himself in complete disbelief.

Gritting his teeth, Adryan let out a low sigh followed by an incredulous chuckle. "How did I not notice it before? It was in front of me the whole time!"

Shaking his head, the redhead would think more about this when he was in a safer place. 

Checking one last time that everything was in order and making the smoke covering his face a little thicker, the redhead let his spirituality spread.

'I would have preferred a little more brightness but I have to save my spirituality for this. I can't leave a single detail out!' With determination shining in his eyes at the same time the flame door opened.

It was time to fool an Angel!

...

Chicho looked down at the kneeling figure of her contractor, her lips raised slightly.

'This is certainly unexpected...'

The surprise only lasted a few seconds before She remembered something. Giving a slight chuckle, Chicho shook Her head and waited patiently for the red-headed man to finish.

Suddenly, the smile on the giantess' face froze as Her eyebrows rose to touch Her hair at what She was seeing.

The blood on the floor began to bubble. The bubbles popped with loud pops that released a large amount of what appeared to be... yellow smoke.

The next second, the blood ignited into orange flames, these flames swirled in front of the kneeling Adryan and began to rise high, quickly forming a gate of flames.

The fire that consisted of the body of the gate began to release more of that yellowish smoke and after that, an image showed through.

A magnificent city covered almost entirely in that same smoke, with pure-fire humanoids wearing ancient armor patrolling the streets. And above the City, sitting with His knees crossed and His chin resting on His right palm was a figure.

This one wore red armor covered with a robe of the same color. The same smoke covered His face making Him impossible to see, that figure was releasing an aura of majesty and power, no doubt to crush anyone who confronted Him.

"Impossible..." Chicho whispered breathlessly. Her hands began to tremble the same second she saw the city. But quickly she recovered, her expression became serene and her eyes cooled slightly, her eyebrows slightly tightened. By reflex, she lowered her head until her gaze touched the ground, a light layer of sweat forming on her forehead.

The yellowish smoke rising from the fire door took on a golden hue and exuded an aura of holiness. This holy smoke moved as if it had life and quickly enveloped Adryan in what could only be described as an embrace.

Chicho's jaw trembled slightly and her eyes glistened for an instant.

After about 15 seconds of embracing Adryan's body, the golden smoke receded into the door, which closed leaving behind 4 objects that were not there before....

Opening his eyes, Adryan let out a soft sigh as he straightened up and made a military salute with reverence, "Praise the Scarlet Monarch!"

"Praise the Scarlet Monarch!" Flora repeated vehemently but showed her respect for the God. Her voice quieter as already knowing that the red-haired man would still go to war, she took advantage and not only asked for cleansing but protection against whatever was there.

Without turning around, Adryan simply grabbed the button of his pants.

"Could you turn around?" 

Without waiting for an answer from his messenger, the red-haired man shamelessly pulled down his pants. 

There was a slight bounce and the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh and Adryan couldn't help but sigh with relief, those pants felt like they wanted to cut off Junior's circulation!

Chicho had already turned around, her back to the redhead and her expression unreadable. Imperceptibly, her black eyebrows were quivering.

"I'd slap you if I could..." Flora murmured in complete resignation as she sank into her depression at what the redhead had just done.

Who gets naked in front of a very possible Angel?!!!!

Letting out a chuckle as he buckled into a much more comfortable and of his trouser style, the redhead's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yeah I bet you'd like to show me my place wouldn't you~" Adryan whispered slurring the words as he licked his lips, his voice sweet and thick as honey. His hands moved down from his chest to his waist in a sensual and provocative glide.

"Adrya- Princess-t-t-you! Now is not the time for this!!!" Flora extremely embarrassed, complained in a high-pitched voice.

No matter if he whispered, she doubted that the Angel hadn't heard that!

'I know but I'm just mentally preparing myself for this...' He may not have said anything but the depth in his gaze was noticed by her favorite Parasite.

Eyeing him suspiciously, the Jacob's attention moved to the containers that came out along with the clothes and the oddly named artifact. 

Immediately recognizing them, Flora shivered slightly and she felt her nonexistent lips go dry.

"The likelihood of you surviving is too slim you know that don't you?"

Pulling his black jacket over himself and finishing adjusting the emergency tools he had, Adryan nodded.

"If I want to stand a chance against them, I need to be stronger." Sitting down on the ground and crossing his knees, he grabbed the containers and placed them on top of his lap.

Undoing the wall of spirituality that covered them, he opened the containers.

One jar was filled with a green liquid and a purple brain with lumps and throbbing black veins floating in it, in the other was a large purple eye with a bright red iris and whose sharp pupil was ghostly white, this eye still had the nerve hanging out like a tail.

The Sphinx's brain and the Black Hunting Spider's composite eye respectively. These were the main ingredients of the Conspirator Potion. 

"What is my exact chance of survival if I consume the main ingredients raw?" raising his voice, Adryan asked the older and more experienced people in the 'room'.

"I don't recommend it Lord Adryan."

Shaking her head gently, Chicho spoke in a calm voice." Consuming the raw characteristics would be equal to consuming the most potent poison one can imagine. Those are the ingredients coming directly from the creatures so it will be worse." 

"Most likely your body will break down before you even have time to lose control."

"'She' is right Princess." Flora showed her acceptance of the angel's response but she wanted to make sure the redhead understood so she deepened that.

"If they came from a Beyonder at most you would only have to worry about overcoming consuming an extra 9 to 6 potions as well as dominating the residue of the Beyonder's will without the supplemental ingredients to suppress it. In other words, you would not only be fighting against the Beyonder's will but against what would be equal to consuming a minimum of 4 extra potions."

"Consuming the raw ingredients is nothing better, it would even be worse. While coming from the creatures directly you would only have to worry about their will and no extra potion. The effect they will have on your body is worse!"

"Being characteristics the effect they will have on your mind is extremely reduced by having gone through a Beyonder before. But the raw ingredients do not..."

"Many main ingredients are shared between Pathways that are adjacent to each other. Being 'raw' ingredients, supplemental ingredients also serve to suppress any other effects they might have that are not from your Path!" 

"My Family did many tests throughout history, many of the experiments and their results were lost but of those that survived the descendants we can be sure..."

"Consuming ingredients that have not gone through a Beyonder as a way to advance is worse than consuming the raw characteristics. If you consume them your chance of survival will be one in a million" Flora explained in a deep serious voice, at no point did she pause and she spoke at all times clearly. 

Adryan listened to the explanations with a serene expression, his eyes never moving from the brain and eye.

"So... The most likely thing to happen if I consume this is that my body will break down first before I lose control?"

"DID YOU EVEN LISTEN TO ANYTHING I TOLD YOU MOTHERFUCKER?!!!" 

"... I'm sure."

Nodding at the women's responses and ignoring the ringing in his ear, Adryan felt that his plan might work.

"So that would mean that if my body could be repaired at the same rate it breaks it could work?"

Flora's furious screams came to a screeching halt, and a huge silence filled the room. Realization hit her and she immediately realized what the redhead wanted to do.

"Adryan... You're not thinking about that are you?"

After hearing her contractor's question, Chicho frowned slightly but after a few seconds, she replied in a calm voice.

"... If that were the case and you could bear the mental burden of consuming the ingredients without losing control... Then yes." 

Adryan's lips turned up in a predatory smile, like that of a dragon ready to devour the sheep.

"That's all I wanted to hear~"

Quickly, Adryan uncapped the jar containing the Sphinx's brain, he placed it in the same container as the eye, and crushed them with his bare hands. He began to make a pulp of those foul ingredients.

The pulp now had a blackish-purple color and was releasing a vomit-green liquid. Adryan looked at his hands and he whistled somewhat surprised, there was no trace of the ingredients left between his fingers or fingernails.

"Well... Here goes nothing."

Raising his right hand, he placed it on his chest, his heart beating calmly despite what was coming. But before doing so, the redhead let out a slight sigh.

"I made a promise that I wouldn't do this. And I never would if we weren't in this situation but things happen that are out of our control that make us break promises and hurt the people we care about... I just hope she can forgive me for this and not get too angry."

"...I'm sure whoever she promised that to would understand the situation." Chicho consoled horribly and the redhead couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle.

"You're not very good at this you know?"

Flora on her side looked speechless at her partner, unable to give words to what she was feeling. She just wanted to lock herself in her room in her Mansion and cry, but she also wanted to laugh like a fool at the comedy of romance she saw so much in the theaters when she was still in her twenties.

'Is this idiot seriously thinking about a promise like that right now? Why did he just now have to care about how I feel... You're seriously a bastard Adryan Kenway...'' 

Despite what she wanted to say, the demigoddess couldn't help but feel good that he at least remembered what she said... She felt really good.

So, swallowing her chagrin and emotions, Flora snorted with a little more emotion than she wanted to.

"You better make this up to me."

Adryan smiled but, unlike the previous times, this was a very gentle smile, and nodded. Looking over his shoulder at Chicho who was looking at him curiously, his gentle smile turned into a grin.

"Listen Chicho, if we are going to do this. We will do it my way you understand?" His voice left no room for a denial and Chicho knew it.

She knew that if she refused, the man would do nothing. She had seen those eyes before, there was no room for negotiation here.

"And what would be your plan then Mr. Adryan?"

"It's simple. We will do everything you said until the end."

"..."

After a long pause of 5 seconds and in front of the flat look of his messenger, Adryan continued with a sideways smile "Adding more things of course"

"... I don't even know why I'm trying anymore. You have no salvation" Flora was completely resigned to the fact that the redhead would never not provoke someone no matter how powerful or important they were.

"...What do you have in mind Mr. Adryan?" After a long pause of her own, Chicho asked, voice gentle and soft as always, but hidden within that softness was a tiny hint of annoyance.

Being a Provoker, the red-haired man detected that hint as if it were a shark sniffing a drop of blood in the rough sea. That made his slight smile turn into a full one, but knowing when it was time to stop, he decided to stop with the teasing.

So, with a tone that did not hide his amusement at all, he explained the 'improved' plan. 

"As soon as I teleport out, I want you to completely seal the tunnel and the core site, no one can get out or in."

"I also want you to make sure the Angel and those demigods stay behind playing Tea House. Even if in theory they can't get close, the emptiness they have for brains and the madness of following that malformed bush won't make them hesitate to go protect the core."

"...That...won't be a problem." Keeping her face calm and with a voice that could no longer show annoyance, the Phoenix accepted her share of the pie. Her eyes were slightly wider in slight surprise.

"... In fact... I can't believe I'm saying this, but that's a much better plan than your messenger's, Princess." Flora half-grudgingly admitted, she hadn't considered the madness of the Rose School of Thought members.

Giving a toothy smile, Adryan gave a satisfied nod, his hand still resting on his chest.

"Good little birdie. By the way, Chicho, don't freak out about this."

"Freak out about what-"

Plush! Crack!

Thus, looking into the confused eyes of his messenger and with his classic smile on his face, the red-haired man plunged his own hand into his chest and crushed his heart.

"!"

With blood dripping from his mouth and ignoring the slight discomfort in his chest, Adryan gave a mocking laugh at the giantess' incredulous expression.

"Don't worry I can revive~"

"I'll be back in a little while~"

After saying that, his eyes closed and the red-haired man fell on his side with a thud, dead.

Chicho looked at this with her mouth half open, unable to find words for what had just happened.

'It may be suicidal... But I can see the joy in upsetting an angel.' Flora thought to herself, not having enough courage to say it out loud for fear of provoking her excellency.

She wasn't that crazy.

...

Underneath a recently abandoned factory on Kus Street.

Red candles were burning, their soft yellow flames causing huge shadows in the dark room, shadows that seemed to be moving as if they had life. 

They watched everything that was happening with eyes hidden behind their curtain of shadows. 

Ugh...

A faint moan sounded in the shaded room, the shadows seemed to laugh at the pain that the person kneeling in the circle of candles that in turn were raised on an altar was going through.

This person had the appearance of a handsome man, with black curls covering his back and somewhat delicate eyebrows. He wore a long black tunic that covered his whole body and whose hood was down.

Mr. M of the Aurora Order, one of the 22 oracles. 

And lying on the altar in front of him, without a shirt showing how there was a human face on his chest that by the closed eyes seemed to be asleep, was Lanevus.

The Swindler's expression was one of pure pain but barely a whimper came out of his mouth, he could not move and could only watch in despair as the face on his chest slowly moved upwards towards his own.

Lanevus knew it was only a matter of time before he died but no matter how much he wanted to he could do nothing to fight that fate.

'I don't want to die I don't want to die!' bitter tears fell from his eyes along with another painful whimper as the face on his chest moved higher. He tried to think of any way to escape, anything, however small.

But there was no way out!

Not only could he not move, but he could feel the control of his body getting smaller and smaller. The closer that face got to his, the more it felt like he was not himself!

Another pathetic whimper came out of his mouth, the clear tears on his face turned to red and Lanevus watched in terror as shadows began to cover his legs as ravings began to rage furiously in his mind.

'NO! NO! NO!' He could feel his sanity slipping away and what little control he had over his body was taken from him. 

The falling tears dried up, and the horrified expression became a flat one but with the corners of his lips raised slightly. The only thing that showed that the swindler was still there was the enormous emotion in his eyes that in an empty expression stood out like a lighthouse on the coast on a night without stars or moon.

Now Lanevus could only watch everything in horror, trapped inside his own body. He had a mouth and a voice...

But despite that, he couldn't... He had a mouth and he couldn't scream. 

Mr. M looked at this and let out an exclamation of delight. A huge smile on his face as he bowed his head to the ground in extreme reverence.

...

'That was much better than being boiled to death' Letting out an internal sigh, the red-haired man felt strangely happy with himself. After all, the last 2 times he died were quite painful.

'I think my tolerance broke a little, I barely felt it when I burst my heart...'

Shaking his head, Adryan finally opened his eyes and could see the familiar emptiness that seemed to be turning into his recreational room...

Squinting, he remained still and did not move at all. 'Something's wrong...'

The limbo he was in now felt different. It looked and felt the same but he could also sense that something had changed. Something that shouldn't be.

Looking around with slow and careful movements, Adryan felt the discomfort in his stomach grow.

The discomfort only continued to grow little by little, as if something was closing in on him. The redhead felt that right now and unlike the previous 2 times he was here...

He was not alone.

Quickly realizing the danger he was in, Adryan let his instinct guide him as he started swimming fast toward where he felt his body was.

'I have to get out of here and fast!'

His spirituality flared and the red-haired man reflexively swam to the side.

A horrible chill ran through his soul and he gritted his teeth.

Despite not having made any noise or being seen, the red-haired man was sure!

'Something tried to attack me!'

Sending discretion to hell, he accelerated with all his might. He tried to summon his fire control but no matter how deep he looked, nothing was answering him!

In this emptiness, he was a normal person!

His soul's painful protest was ignored as he gave another nadon to the side. 

'Again!'

And he was sure it was not the same one!

In the distance, he saw the familiar flash and the red-haired man felt extremely relieved. 

The exit had been found!

But the next instant he almost froze, and just kept swimming on instinct.

With the new source of 'light', he could now see in this emptiness. And what he was seeing only made him force his soul to move even faster through this darkness.

Rapidly ascending from the deepest part of the abyss and surrounding him from almost all sides, an infinite number of beings of pure darkness extended their dark appendages upwards.

And that mass of darkness that only seemed to grow larger and larger was rapidly approaching him!

'SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT' 

Adryan was sure that whatever attacked him earlier must have been one of these things of darkness!

He felt it! As soon as he could see them he felt it! 

One of those things would touch him and he could kiss his resurrection goodbye!

He would definitely be dead!

'FUCK SHIT FUCKING SWIM!!'

Roaring all sorts of insults in his mind at the same time he felt his soul could barely hold itself together. Adryan gave his all to get to his body whose light was getting bigger.

He could already see his new hole in the chest of his body, just a little more and he would get there!

From the mass of darkness that now seemed more like a gateway to the abyss, three slender beings of darkness shot out. Their movements were like those of a fish in water and they were rapidly approaching him!

Gritting his teeth, Adryan quickly made a sideways swim barely dodging the surprise onslaught. His soul protested again at the brusque movement but was ignored with great effort.

The beings of darkness stood still after being dodged as if they didn't know what to do now that their attack had failed, but this only lasted an instant as the next moment they lashed out again at the red-haired man.

'This wasn't the party I meant!' cursing his big mouth, Adryan accelerated his swim, barely dodging another lash.

Again the same thing happened as before, those things stayed still as they were dodged. Giving precious seconds to the red-haired man who, even though he was confused by the way those things acted, would not waste them!

He reached out his hand, his body almost within reach!

The beings of darkness, regaining control of themselves, rushed towards him. The distance between them and Adryan was that of a breath!

His soul begged him to stop, to rest, that he could not take anymore! But the red-haired man didn't care so with a last whip of his legs and the claws of those monsters millimeters away from touching him, he stretched out his fingers as far as possible but it wasn't enough!

Just before he could be touched, the darkness around his body came to life, and with a powerful whip, it pushed the creatures away from him and after doing so formed a circle of darkness enclosing Adryan along with his body.

Recognition shone in his eyes and he grinned from ear to ear.

'Hunters Hallow!'

The red-haired man had never been so happy to see his robe.

The precious seconds he needed were his!

Finally, surrounded by the abyss itself and having swum what he swore was a marathon...Adryan's hand made contact with his body.

A huge light was born from where he touched his body, purging the monsters and painting the darkness white.

Adryan felt his sanity slipping away, the pain of now. No, the AGONY... It was...

As his mind slipped further and further out of reach. Far away, far beyond what his demolished, tortured mind could bear....

A huge number of voices were speaking, nowhere was there the harmony of the first time. 

Where once all the voices were saying the same thing at the same time, in one great and somewhat overwhelming chant, now there was only chaos and disorder. Horrendous screams of anger.

A myriad of voices were speaking, none at the same time, and each and every one of them was saying a different thing.

To the redhead's delicate mind, at this exact moment, he felt he was seriously going to lose control. The only thing that kept him anchored was his tolerance for these horrible raps thanks to the True Creator and the Burnt Bamd.

Squeezing as tightly as he could be squeezed, Adryan focused all his attention on the white light. The voices were getting louder, now screaming with full fury sounding more like apocalypse drums than voices.

The red-haired man could feel himself slipping but clinging to his sanity, he stayed anchored!

When the light reached its highest point and consequently the voices, Adryan could feel the voices suddenly go quiet.

Before he could rejoice at that a single voice cried out, a single voice that completely eclipsed the previous ones. For the power it brought behind it, it was by far the loudest as well.

"#€¬###!!!!"

This time, Adryan could recognize what it said but not understand it. The meaning, he felt, was on the tip of his tongue but at the same time it was far, far, far away.

Without knowing why, an enormous sadness choked him at the same time that a great sense of fulfillment enveloped him, the emotional pain was such that it even eclipsed the spiritual pain he felt.

Before he could make sense of what was happening ... it was all over.

...

Right now Chicho was sitting on her knees, her back slightly hunched as her gaze was completely focused on the recently dead man in front of her. 

Any minuscule change, whether it was the way the blood was pouring out of his body from the hole in his chest, the way the new clothes were stained with the same, or how the red-haired man's smile didn't diminish for a moment...

'The attention with which she's looking at him would make any dance teacher proud.... Yes, even you Professor Jennifer...Damn bitch...' Flora felt a little uncomfortable even though she wasn't the target of that look that brought back... bad memories of her childhood.

'Adryan please hurry up! I never thought being looked at by an angel would be so uncomfortable!'

As if answering her prayers, her prince charming arrived. Sitting up suddenly while taking a huge breath of air, Adryan had come back to life.

Although his vision was a little blurry and he was still a little groggy from what he had heard, Adryan didn't waste a second. With the large hole in his chest closing rapidly, he quickly grabbed the pulp he had made earlier.

Not even bothered by the strong smell of ammonia from it, Adryan opened his mouth as wide as he could and...

GULP!

With a loud gulp, Adryan consumed most of the pulp, and ignoring the bad aftertaste it left, he quickly ate the leftovers that escaped him.

As soon as he had done that, he immediately tried to go into cogitation in preparation for what was to come.

Huff Huff

It didn't take three seconds for it all to begin.

All the air left his lungs and Adryan had to stop his fall by placing his hand on the ground. 

Powerful illusory ravings reached his ears and assaulted his mind, but they were so weak to what he was already used to that he just ignored them as if they were an annoying puppy.

"Ughh!" a small whimper came out of his mouth and Adryan watched the changes that were quickly appearing on his hands.

The smooth pale skin was quickly covered with thin black hairs, hairs that were getting longer and longer making it look like he was wearing gauntlets of hair. 

His muscles bulged out of shape, tearing the shirt he was wearing and almost tearing his jacket as well. The fur was torn followed by the skin and large amounts of blood suddenly began to gush out of it, releasing steam all over those wounded nerves due to the warmth of the blood.

His veins suddenly became visible all over his body, throbbing exaggeratedly and a horrible black color. The whites of his eyes were suddenly covered with red veins about to explode, red blood pouring from them.

Teeth sharpened and grew with ridiculous speed, piercing even the cheeks. 

His now claws sank into the rock, easily slicing through it and the red-haired man coughed out a red, fleshy lump.

His body was breaking and Adryan knew it. What Chicho said would happen was happening. 

But he could feel it too, how he was advancing! Slowly, information was coming into his brain and he could feel his spirituality and his power growing!

"Hahaha...AHHAHAHAHAHA!" Adryan laughed madly, a horrible sharp-toothed grin on his face.

His eyes moved to the hole where his heart was and he saw how the heart was already completely regenerated and the hole was already closing. 

The smile on his face froze and he let out another growl, only this one more bestial and guttural, not at all like the sound a human would make. 

His sight moved to the cracks and mutations in his body and he watched in annoyance as regeneration was overtaking them. 

The huge cracks in his hands began to close faster than they were breaking! The hair covering his skin was falling out rapidly!

His spirituality stopped growing and he was shrinking again, the new information coming into his brain stopped as well.

The plan was working too well! Regeneration was not only healing him but it was trying to expel what was harming him from his body!

The regeneration was trying to expel the ingredients from his body!

'No! I need more time!'

He still hadn't advanced, there was still more to go!

Without wasting a single second, Adryan raised a sharp claw and pierced his stomach. His organs were scattered on the ground but they were barely out for a second before they came back in.

Not wanting to risk his promotion and not wanting to kill himself again - for he knew that if he died again he would not be able to escape these things - Adryan went for the nuke.

Raising both claws this time, he went through his stomach again, only this time he didn't pull out his organs.

His crazed spirituality glowed and he lit his insides on fire.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA THAT BURNS" Adryan laughed as he made the flames as hot as he could. He could feel his stomach, intestines, kidneys, lungs and newly regenerated heart were being cooked.

But his attention was on his arms and how they swelled back up and the skin was breaking again along with the fur growing back.

His toothy grin was back in full force as new information came back into his brain and his spirituality was growing again.

Cough! Another lump of flesh came out of his mouth only this one was burned.

The pain was horrible but it was nothing he hadn't already gone through and overcome by far. So as soon as he coughed up that lump of flesh, he returned all his attention to cogitation.

Several times the ball of light was drawn in his foggy mind, over and over again as he kept his insides burning. A balance that was so delicate that it would break with the slightest distraction.

This was something Chicho and Flora knew so neither said or did anything.

Chicho looked with serious eyes at her contractor while Flora felt like she was going to die from worry, her insides twisting and only being able to watch as her partner danced on the fine line to the abyss.

Huff Huff Huff Huff...

...

To Adryan it seemed that this should have lasted longer but the new information and his new spirituality told him that it was all over.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw his hands that were covered in warm blood but were those of a human.

He had made it. He was now a Sequence 6 Conspirator.

Reviewing the new information of what he could now do, eyebrows much more delicate than before rose slightly.

"That's... something unexpected." His voice was now much more sensual, with a softness and texture such that it chilled the skin.

"Princess?" his worm's extremely concerned voice rang in his mind and the redhead gave a soft smile.

"The one and only Miss Worm."

A small sigh of relief sounded in his mind followed by a question, "Are you going to turn that off or what? It's giving me a thing to watch it heal only to be destroyed..."

He could feel his insides still burning. The pain of it didn't bother him one bit.

If he was the same as before he would have already put out those flames... But he wasn't anymore. He felt... not like him.

This should alarm him but strangely enough, he didn't care at all...

But not because he didn't care at all he would put it aside, but because of that, he had to relive it with more urgency even if he didn't feel it.

'When I finish this I have to see what's wrong with me...' Noting this down to check later, he smiled softly again and shook his head.

"Huhu Don't worry. I'll need that if I want to have a chance."

Tauk Millenium that was still on the ground suddenly rose, as if being lifted by invisible threads to the open palm of the red-haired man who looked at this calmly.

Grasping the artifact of the Sun pathway, Adryan opened his mouth.

Gulp!

"WHAT THE FUCK ADRYAN?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" Flora shouted in disbelief.

He had swallowed the artifact!

"Chicho said that any artifact that is out in the open will break in 3 minutes," Adryan commented casually as he wiped his lips with his sleeve.

"Tauk Millenium is an artifact that I don't need to touch to use. Being inside me will ensure that nothing is going to happen to it and I don't have to worry about the 3 minutes."

"Same for you Flora. Being inside me, nothing is going to happen to you."

"...What the fuck happened to you Adryan?" after a few seconds Flora asked, her voice stiff and groggy.

Adryan lowered his gaze to his hands which were quickly covered in golden fire. With the new body of Sequence 6, these flames no longer hurt him.

"...I don't know."

Scarlet eyes that now glowed like flames moved to his messenger.

Chicho had a blank expression on her face, her eyes showed nothing and she was looking at him as if she couldn't recognize him.

"I'm ready."

The messenger said nothing, just gave a rough nod as she raised her hand.

In front of Adryan a door of white light formed, showing the corridor with the cages.

Without another glance at his messenger or another word, he took a step and entered.

The door then disappeared and Chicho stared for a few seconds at the place where her contractor once stood.

"That's not good... Not good at all..." The Phoenix muttered before sighing and she too stepped through her own door.

She still had a duty to perform.