Resurrection
Gods could not die. Even if they fell, as long as their worshippers chanted their truenames day and night they would one day rise up from the astral plane, returning to their former glory.
Now, under the fervent chanting of the Poison Scorpion Church, the altar seemed to light up with a strange flame. Flesh and blood began to fuse together, revealing faces warped with pain.
“Almighty Lord, the God of Scorpions— Chester Potter!”
“Chester Potter!” “Chester Potter!” The worshippers recited the name again and again, soon joined by the warped faces on the altar. Some mysterious force seemed to attract a conscient here, having it descend upon the place.
“O’ lord… Arise from your slumber!” Schliff’s hands and legs began to tremble with excitement…
“The false god’s ceremony has already started! Stop them!” The elites of the two churches had already reached the castle under Romese’s lead, a large number of soldiers following behind them.
“A fallen demigod has no need to revive!” Romese unsheathed an icy blue sword at his waist, and an icy gale began to stir. “All high-ranked Professionals follow me, the rest of you focus on the attack on the castle!”
No matter how tall and sturdy it was, a castle not protected by high-grade spells was but a joke to powerful Professionals. Romese wrapped his body with qi as the fight began, leaping upwards in a moment. He covered a dozen metres in a single jump, landing on the castle walls with a thud.
“Kill him!” An exasperated voice sounded out, and many warriors with black armour began to surround him.
“Know your place!” Romese harrumphed, and snow began to dance around his body. An icy gale instantly turned the apostles of the demigod into frozen statues, and they crashed down to the ground.
“Are you the baron of this castle?” Romese leapt again, flying past all obstacles to arrive before a man dressed in noble clothing. There was a sceptre in his hand, imprinted with a scorpion.
“You vile watchdog!” Flames seemed to spew forth from the baron’s eyes as he rushed forward with the sceptre.
“No traces of psychic spells or intelligence reduction…” Romese shook his head, “You are a true sinner, the apostle of a false god. Face your judgement!”
Blue light flashed, and the sword pierced through the baron’s chest. The man moaned painfully, looking at his chest in disbelief.
“Hng! You think the identity of a noble is your amulet? How naive,” Romese said indifferently. However, as he looked towards the centre of the castle where the hall was, his brows furrowed.
A terrifying evil spirit had converged in that area, forming a powerful whirlpool.
“Chester Potter! Chester Potter!” “You are the Lord of Slaughter. In your left hand, you wield the Hammer of Annihilation, and in your right the Book of Judgment. Any enemies will turn into a quagmire of flesh and blood before your presence. You are the home for our souls, I am willing to…”
The power of worship of the apostles and faces combined formed a crimson glow that converged atop the altar, landing on the throne of bones. The crimson energy engulfed Raike, entering him through his skin pores as the boy howled without end.
Raike’s aura continually grew stronger and stronger, until eventually the energy beneath his skin began to surge and contort his body. It was like something was about to burst through his skin from the inside.
And still the boy’s body seemed like a bottomless pit, absorbing all the energy that came. The conscient couldn’t enter the body.
“There aren’t enough apostles,” Schliff muttered as he looked towards the castle walls, “Even with the sacrificial formation and twenty thousand souls we cannot revive our Lord…
“Have they been breached already? They probably have some legendaries helping them!” Time had grown short.
“It seems like there’s no choice but to use this…” Schliff took out a golden crystal, shaped like a rhomboid. It was a gift from the Giant Serpent Church, but he didn’t want to use it unless all else failed. That Giant Serpent was not a simple person. There was definitely something concealed within everything he’d given them.
However, the current circumstances left Schliff with no other choice. “Lord! Please guide me and show the way!” He prayed for one last time, and his eyes filled with resolve. He then threw the crystal onto the floor.
*Bang!* The altar had a violent reaction to the golden crystal. A terrifying amount of power of faith and divine force was released, causing the whirlpool to spin a dozen times— no, a hundred times faster!
The crimson ball atop the altar suddenly blazed, melting off all the flesh and blood in the area to form layers of rippling energy.
“Argh!” Raike’s screams rose a few octaves within the cage, and his body began to bloat.
“Lord Chester Potter! Revive now!” Schliff roared in malevolence.
*Rumble!* The ground trembled, and the altar turned into a huge furnace as all the energy began to enter the throne of bones.
*Bang!* The cage above the white bones burst open to reveal Raike’s figure. His body had grown a few times over, crimson energy filling every ounce of it. It suddenly seemed to light up on fire, as if something within had destroyed all of him.
“My Lord!” Schliff was happy beyond tears. During the explosion, he had sensed an extremely familiar conscient overcome the obstacles of the astral plane to descend into the hall.
The crimson light ripped Raike’s body apart, and a middle-aged man walked out from within.
“My divine name is Chester Potter. I am the Lord of Scorpions, the Ruler of Slaughter!” Chester Potter waved his hands, and a surge of black gas formed robes that covered him. Blood red eyes opened up, and he roared towards the world, “HELM! I’m back, and I won’t fail this time!”
Romese and Rafiniya had just arrived to witness this scene.
“Being reborn from his own blood descendant and using the descendant’s life as a vessel, these false gods are so evil!” Rafiniya was extremely furious. She pulled out her sword, and holy brilliance filled the sky.
“I will purify you!” The light of the sword radiated out, carrying a shrill roar as it swung towards Chester Potter.
“A legendary paladin? You belong to Tyr?” Fear streaked past Chester Potter’s eyes, but more madness overcame it. He pointed his right hand forward, and a terrifying explosion occurred as it collided with the holy sword. Shockwaves rippled into the surroundings.
Meteor Strike!
“Anyone who opposes me must die!” Chester Potter issued his decree as light from a summoning spell glowed from his body.
Rank 9 Spell— Extradimensional Summon!
*Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!* Many scorpion-shaped monsters moved out of a portal, their sheer number causing Rafiniya and Romese to change their expressions.
Romese moved between a variety of expressions, but he finally gritted his teeth and made a decision, “Let’s retreat first!”
Rafiniya’s lips moved, but she did not voice an objection. They were two legendaries pit against a demigod. They weren’t even on the same level.
Since the mission had failed, then protecting themselves would be the priority.
“Hurry and leave! I’ll bear all responsibility!” Romese’s blue sword released an icy power, forming walls of ice that blocked the advance of the scorpions. He roared at the scorpions behind his back.
Very soon, Rafiniya and the rest of the troops retreated to outside the castle walls. From this position, they could clearly see Chester Potter at the centre of the altar. Ominous crimson clouds circulated above him as the clouds seemed to form a funnel atop his head. The demigod gathered the flowing energy, his terrifying aura forming a malicious scorpion.
“All of you... Don’t think about leaving!” The malicious-looking scorpion chased after them, and the other summoned scorpions roared as they surged forth as well.
“My worshippers, do not panic, and do not be lost…” A gentle voice sounded out just then, carrying a mysterious soothing effect.
“It’s our Lord! Our Lord has descended!” Romese knelt in a certain direction, and Rafiniya bowed with respect as well. A strange rune in the form of an eye formed in mid-air, the void being ripped open as the avatar of a god walked out.
This avatar belonged to Helm, and it was the strongest power a god could muster in the prime material plane. With the ritual successful and Chester Potter revived, the God of Protection had descended to take care of the situation himself.
He first looked at the crimson clouds and the strange scorpion, and his expression turned solemn.
“A divine being obscured our prophecy, causing us to choose the wrong time. This was why Chester Potter could resurrect successfully.” Helm’s words sent shock through the hearts of the lawful.
“Obscured? Our divination?” Romese muttered, and his heart turned frigid.
His experience told him how scary such an opponent could be. Not only was he hidden in the darkness, he was a poisonous snake waiting for an opportunity to deal deadly damage.