CHAPTER 298: 298

With a burst of rage, Kael jumped backward to break line of sight. As his feet hit the ground, he drew in a deep breath and muttered under his breath, invoking a mental focusing technique taught to elite warriors. His aura sparked violently as blue arcs of aura snaking across his arms.

The closest cultist tilted its head unnaturally far to the side, the sack-mask creaking with the movement. "Ohhh... this one fights back. The chaos inside him is loud. A blessed candidate... perhaps?"

Kael didn’t wait. He charged again—but this time, instead of a direct strike, he spun and slammed the hilt of his sword into the ground. A shockwave burst out, cracking the tiles beneath the cultists’ feet. Their balance faltered. One staggered to the side.

"Gotcha," Kael muttered and moved with a blur.

His elbow cracked into the side of one cultist’s jaw—the mask crumpled inward slightly with a sickening crunch. But even then, the man only laughed, his mouth leaking blood.

"You reject the song... but we’ll make you sing eventually."

A second cultist threw a flask. It burst in midair, releasing a cloud of pink gas. Kael covered his mouth just in time, but the scent clawed at his brain like fingers made of silk and nightmares.

Ariana quickly activated her aura and swung her dagger. A circle of light formed beneath her, pushing the gas away from her space.

"You freaks..." she growled. "You worship the Crimson Lord, don’t you?"

The one with the bloodiest mask turned toward her, voice honeyed and sickly.

"You’ve heard the whispers, then... Maybe he’s chosen you too. Would you like to see His grave?"

Kael landed beside Ariana, panting slightly. "Grave?"

"That’s where they want to drag us," Ariana replied grimly. "Into madness."

The cultists raised their hands in unison, chanting again. Their movements became more synchronized, the shadows twisting around their forms.

Ariana, watching from behind, felt her chest tighten. Her breath caught as realization dawned. The twisted robes. The hypnotic presence. The eerie calm.

Crimson Choir.

The name itself chilled her bones. Survivors of the Heizen Empire’s fall had whispered about them—fanatics who preyed on madness and peace alike, wielding twisted faith as a weapon. Their leaders were said to possess powers to manipulate the very thoughts of others.

Kael’s brows furrowed. A click of clarity hit him. The moment his sword halted, he had indeed heard them muttering—soft, coaxing whispers threading into his subconscious.

He turned his gaze toward the masked man. "So that’s it... you’ve been worming into my head."

The cultist giggled in delight and looked toward Ariana. "Lady... how do you know of our sacred truths? Please, share your soul with us."

"I’ve heard from—uuuugh!" Ariana snapped back into awareness and immediately clamped a hand over her own mouth, face pale. She had almost spoken the truth as if compelled.

Kael clicked his tongue and backed away, muscles still twitching from the influence. "Which bastard do you serve?" he demanded.

The lead cultist tilted his head, voice lowering into a guttural chant. "You want to know... about the grave of our Almighty?"

The lead cultist chuckled darkly, the eerie sack-mask twitching as if reacting to some invisible current.

"You want to know the description of our Lord? The Crimson Lord is not bound by mortal form. His presence flows like poisoned nectar. He dances in the shadows and bleeds songs of madness."

" Every hymn from our choir is born from her whispers. Each verse we sing is a piece of her truth—a lullaby that bends the mind and cracks the soul. He is not just heard...He is feeling. Through every chord, he wraps herself around you, pacifies your rage, numbs your hate, and turns you into a willing disciple. That... is his divinity."

"What the fuck?"

"Where do you learn such bullshit..It scream of scammers."Kael cursed inwardly.

Kael’s fingers trembled slightly, gripping his blade tighter as his brows furrowed. "Wait... are you talking about a woman draped in black cloth... made from demonized human skin?"

"Huh? It’s a woman?" Ariana blurted in disbelief, her breath catching.

The shift was immediate. The air seemed to thicken as the cultists stiffened. Their heads slowly turned toward Kael and Ariana. Their song had paused. Behind the twisted fabric of their masks, a tremor of recognition passed.

The lead figure took a cautious step forward. "How... Do you know that?"

They themselves hadn’t seen the Lord statue.They just heard from the superior that their Lord is a woman not man but this human seemed to know her.

How?

How did he know?

Their expressions turned serious.

Kael didn’t answer. He simply clenched his jaw, sweat forming at his temples.

’Damn... it’s really her,’ he thought, heart pounding.

A slow rustle echoed as the cultist pulled out a tattered crimson book, its pages etched in symbols that pulsed faintly.

Kael didn’t wait. He shoved Ariana back hard, eyes burning. "Ariana—run! Get out of the tunnel. Take your original appearance and head straight to Lord James. Tell him we encountered a Crimson Choir splinter while drinking and chased them into the sewers. Make up the rest, but don’t tell the full truth—just GO!"

"Kekkek... Sir, aren’t you thinking a little far ahead?" The lead cultist grinned beneath his veil, the book opening as his lips curled to chant.

Kael’s eyes flashed. Without hesitation, he drove his sword into the ground, pouring a flood of mana into the earth.

Ariana didn’t even wait and rushed forward like lightning leaving behind after images.

BOOOOOOOM!

A violent explosion tore through the tunnel. Water erupted in a tidal shockwave, light flared blindingly, and thick dust blanketed the space like a raging storm.

The dust and debris stirred the space blanking the vision.

The five cultists leapt backward, robes fluttering, landing just beyond the radius of the blast.

As the dust slowly thinned, a lone figure stood amidst the aftermath—Kael, his cloak torn, eyes burning like twin coals.

"You should have escaped too," the lead cultist rasped. "She might have claimed you in devotion."

Kael exhaled deeply, gripping his sword once more. "I wanted to escape. But it looks like I’ll have to carve my way through you instead."