Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

The cryptic runes started to manifest above the platform.

They towards the sky like red vines undergoing hyper growth on plant steroids.

Then, as if by some unseen command, the runes transformed into chains, their links forged from pure magic.

With a resounding clang, they wrapped tightly around the pillars, binding them together in a web of mystical energy.

For a moment, the entirety of Raashim's temple behind the participants seemed to vibrate with energy, its walls humming with the force of the sealing magic. Then, as quickly as they had appeared, the chains disappeared.

The ritual was in full swing.

Shir Ogeegaai, standing in the center of the grand Array Formation, moved with precise, practiced motions, directing the flow of magic to strengthen the seal on the buried sea monster.

The two sea dragons, Marina and Azurea, and the six sea wyverns channeled their potent mana into the formation, their combined power illuminating the intricate magic circles one by one. Without them, Shir alone would find it extremely difficult to strengthen the seal on the sea monster.

After all, the collaboration between the draconic creatures and god Raashim's temple was based on mutual interest. Both sides wanted to keep the sea monster locked within its cage so that they could claim the sea's bounties all for themselves. As such, the draconic creatures did their best to support the ritual.

The two twin dragons didn't even hesitate to imbue their dragon essence in the ritual, which would weaken them for a few months to few years depending upon how quickly they could recover after getting their hands on the right kind of resources.

This was when the god Raashim's temple came into picture. The temple left no stone unturned in revitalizing the fatigued draconic creatures after the ritual. They would buy precious resources from Menaka's Market in bulk so that the draconic creatures would stay loyal to the cause and help the temple keep the sea monster caged.

***

The faith energy accumulated from the ten participants also surged into the formation, adding another layer of intensity to the ritual.

One had to know that this was the same tactic that Eren had seen in the Oni dungeon. At that time, the participants of the competition were killed and offered as sacrifices to generate more faith energy. However, this was because the monster gods had distinct divinities that set them apart from the rest of the Immortals.

The faith energy itself had versatile uses. An Immortal could use it to strengthen their divinity. Or they could allow their most trusted subordinated to be in charge of it. This faith energy would then get used by them.

Shir was sea god Raashim's incarnation, his own soul Fragment that had been given the Divine Spark by the original Raashim. As such, god Raashim would trust Shir to use the faith energy well.

Shir, on the other hand, knew that the faith energy he invested in straightening the seal would be doubled in a matter of a few days once the ritual was successfully completed. After all, the sea god Raashim's worshippers would keep on praising the Immortal.

Everyone, from mortals to mana practitioners, liked it when there was no immediate threat to their existence. And they would worship anyone who took care of that threat for them.

More and more runes formed, turning into runic chains that vanished into the temple's pillars and architecture.

The crowd below chanted God Raashim's name and recited prayers, their voices blending into a powerful chorus that resonated through the temple grounds.

***

The crowd, though they had never seen the sea monster themselves, were familiar with its terrifying legend.

They knew it as a vicious, tyrannical beast that killed anyone it laid its eyes on, whether mortal or mana practitioner.

When Raashim's temple caged the monster, faith in the sea god grew immensely among the seas' inhabitants. Even the sea pirates started to worship the sea god, turning him into the god of pirates as well.

After caging the sea monster, the sea god Raashim's faith had no challenger in the seas. Even the templars belonging to other temples and cultists belonging to seven Demon Princes and 72 Immortal Ars Goetia Demons did not wage direct war with Shir and his subordinates.

After all, the sea monster was bad news for everyone. It was in the late stages of the S-Rank and was a few steps away from stepping into the S-Plus-Rank. However, its most troublesome ability was its ability to regenerate itself, allowing it to face even the Saint-ranked level practitioners without the risk of dying.

This mysterious sea monster wasn't just strong but also cunning. It knew how to hide and retreat when it had no chance of winning. It would then systematically attack the forces it had enmity with, making it a headache to deal with. In fact, the whole reason Shir managed to cage the sea monster was because it was injured from its previous fight with an S-Plus Rank entity.

Confronting the sea monster while it was injured was a stroke of luck for Shir and the draconic creatures that wanted to rule the seas. They put everything on the line to cage the sea monstrosity.

The other temples and even some Immortal Demons did try to challenge god Raashim's authority in the sea. But they did so while ensuring that the seal on the sea monster doesn't get broken.

The ritual was a testament to Raashim's power and the temple's dedication to keeping the monster imprisoned. But it was also an unspoken boundary that nobody wanted to cross or wipe away using their own hands.

This sea monster could have been tamed if two or more Immortals' incarnations worked in unison. However, no incarnation of Immortal trusted the other even for the simplest of things. Fighting this troublesome monster together was something that couldn't be imagined by the incarnations of the Immortals who carried the same enmities with each others as their original selves for the most part.

Nobody from the Immortals factions' had dared to interrupt the seal-strengthening ritual for their own interests. At least nobody until this point.

***

Just as the ritual entered its final phase, Goran, one of the participants chosen to receive God Raashim's blessing, stepped forward abruptly.

His movements caught the attention of a few nearby participants and even some sea wyverns. The crowd below also noticed, their chants faltering as they stared up in confusion.

"What… What the fuck are you doing, Goran?" one of the participants near him yelled, eyes wide with panic.

"Stop! You're interfering with the ritual!" another participant shouted, their voice trembling with fear.

"No! This isn't part of the plan!" a sea wyvern bellowed, wings flaring in agitation.

"It's about time," Goran ignored the yells and murmured to himself.

He smiled with a wolfish grin, his black eyes turning emerald green.

He spread his hands, creating his own set of runic seals.

The participants beside him called out in alarm, their voices blending with the shocked murmurs from the crowd.

The sea wyverns and even Marina and Azurea took notice, their expressions shifting from concentration to puzzlement and alarm.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! DON'T YOU FUCKING DA… *cough* *cough* cough*!"

Shir, already fatigued from the ritual, saw Goran's actions but found his response time compromised.

The other participants and ritual performers, similarly drained, were slow to react.

Before anyone could stop him, Goran mixed his runic seals with the formation's seal-creating mechanism, his hands moving with practiced efficiency.

The runic seals, crafted beforehand, blended seamlessly into the formation's intricate web of magic.

In an instant, the delicate balance of the ritual was destabilized.

The runes, instead of strengthening the seal, twisted and warped, sending chaotic energy surging through the temple. The runic chains that had disappeared into the pillars began to crack and flicker, their power waning.

"He's going to destroy us all!"

"Run! Run for your lives!"

"The ritual is failing! We're doomed!"

"What is happening? Someone stop him!"

"Protect the temple! Save us, Raashim!"

"Mama, I'm scared!"

"Get back! It's not safe here!"

"We're all going to die!"

"Gods, help us!"

Panic spread through the crowd and the participants.

The chants and prayers turned to cries of alarm as the temple trembled with the instability of the ritual.

"WHO…. WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!"

Shir's eyes widened in shock and anger, but there was nothing he could do to stop the process.

Goran's sabotage had been perfectly timed and executed, leaving everyone scrambling to regain control.

The temple's pillars, now weakened, emitted pulses of unstable energy. The very ground seemed to shudder as the ancient seal that held the monstrous sea creature began to falter.

Goran's grin widened, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction and excitement as the chaos he had unleashed spread through Raashim's temple.

Suddenly, Goran's appearance changed. His brown hair turned black, and his facial features transformed within moments, turning him into a handsome man from his previous boorish berserker look.

His stature decreased, and his over-muscular physique shrank. Even his mana signatures changed rapidly, revealing that he was not the real Goran but an imposter who had taken his place.

"Kekeke. So many vicious words. This is not the right greeting to give to your new god, is it?" Eren asked, surveying the shocked expressions around him.

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