Hello Scrolls and Followers of Justice, Mr.Bones bringing a new chapter of my fanfic The One Who Came Back

Neia has been kidnapped and CZ will need to rescue her, but should she?

Thanks for reading, if you want to help with writing comment.

With you

The One Who Came Back

Chapter 30: Sacrifice

With no response, Cz burned another scroll.

'Eclair! Can you hear me?'

'Humm, y-yes, I can hear you.'

'Where are you? Is Neia with you?'

'I don't know where I am. Miss Neia is with me, but she's unconscious. I think we've been kidnapped.'

'Can you tell me where you are?'

'I don't know, Miss. It seems like a tunnel. We're being carried, but I don't know where.'

'What happened?'

'I'm not sure, but as soon as Miss Neia arrived, I felt a strong gust of wind. Then she started mumbling strange words and passed out.'

'Probably poison. Did you smell anything before you were affected?'

'I wasn't affected, Miss. As the number one butler of the Great Tomb, I have to frequent certain places that are potentially dangerous even for the residents of the Tomb, so I'm immune to all known poisons. And no, there was no smell.'

'Then how did you pass out? Were you attacked?'

'In a way, when Miss Neia passed out, she fell on top of me. I only just woke up, and she's embracing me. Perhaps some instinctive reaction. I can't free myself. I think our captors see me as a stuffed toy.'

'I'll find you. I'll contact you soon.'

Cz was worried.

"You! Who are you? What do you know?"

The archer was visibly improving, but even the red healing potion was taking longer than usual to eliminate the presumably powerful poison.

Powerful weapons, mercenaries specialized in their fields, poisons strong enough to resist a potion or affect someone wearing a standard poison resistance ring. Cz imagined they were dealing with a highly powerful group, with unlimited resources and unknown objectives.

"My name is Marin. I'm a worker. I was hired to eliminate the Faceless Saint. The group that hired me used an abandoned warehouse. They wore robes that covered their entire bodies, even their heads. After being hit, I came here. This was my escape route, and my extra belongings were here. Nobody knew, or they shouldn't have known. When I arrived, I was attacked. They stabbed me with a cursed knife. The potion I used earlier prevented me from dying instantly. They were about to strike me again when someone stopped them. I overheard that I would be used as bait again. They took the other potions I had and left me here to be found. I think they wanted to lure you. As a Demon Maid and the bodyguard of the Saint, you're an unknown factor. I know I'm going to die by your hands now, maybe even be tortured, but I want you to know it's nothing personal. I was just hired. I only ask one favor, deal with these damn guys."

"You seem cold and professional. I like that. So, I imagine you must have investigated the group that hired you."

Marin smiled.

"Yes, they acted like servants of the Four, but I'm sure they weren't. They didn't dress exactly like them, and there was something off about their manners. I followed what seemed to be a follower of Alah Alaf, and they gathered in a cathedral of the Six in the city center. No servant of the God of Life would willingly go to a church of Shusharna."

"Demon, is there any passage from Neia's church to this cathedral?"

"None. The one beneath the church was sealed, and the abandoned tunnel, but it might have been used. It leads to a nearby building, but the entire city is crisscrossed with tunnels, sewers, and passages."

"Then the best option is the cathedral. I'll check it out. Have the others stay alert and keep her in custody. I might need more information."

Cz left the cabin and cast Fly. As she reached a certain height, she checked the maps stored in her memory. After months of service, the Shadow Demons had already cataloged all the paths in the city,sewers, tunnels and overlaying everything, it seemed that there was indeed a convergence at the cathedral.

Descending upon her, Cz entered through one of the side doors using invisibility, heading straight for a hidden door in the deepest part of the church. After entering a staircase that seemed to lead to a very deep place, Cz began to vibrate, and then she heard a sonic blast.

Using echolocation, she had the location of several people hundreds of meters away moments later. One group was heading to a lower section where another group was already located.

"Neia" - Cz raced towards the approaching group at breakneck speed. They needed to be intercepted before they joined forces, but unfortunately, she was stopped by something in her path.

Tinc! Clank! Bam! Clik!

In front of a reinforced door stood a being made of metal, resembling a massive suit of armor that completely filled the corridor.

"Iron Golem, there's no alternative path. I need to pass" - Cz drew one of her weapons and started shooting.

The bullets pierced the Golem but showed no sign of causing any effect. Using explosive ammunition would collapse the tunnels and could kill Neia. The creature lunged at Cz, who was much smaller, and struck her. She grabbed and twisted its fists, the sound of metal echoing through the corridor. But then something hit her a second pair of arms with pointed ends.

A Golem doesn't have to have a humanoid appearance or the same limbs. Cz, being a much more advanced version, had that appearance for aesthetics only.

Cz was wasting precious time. Precious minutes were being squandered. She drew a futuristic-looking rifle from a dimensional pocket and aimed at the creature's legs. With a shot, a laser cut just above the knees. With a second shot, it diagonally sliced through the creature's chest. Despite this, it kept moving, but it no longer posed a threat. Cz looked at it with a mix of thoughts. They could be considered relatives on some level. The creature was just doing its job. The magic behind this type of Golem in the New World was unknown in Nazarick. Perhaps she could retrieve the creature after saving Neia.

Meanwhile, further ahead:

"Hurry, we need to hurry. The sacrifice must be delivered. The Demon Maid won't be distracted forever."

"We need to prepare her, remove this thing from her," one of the acolytes said.

They were now in a room, struggling to pry Neia's arms open.

"How strong she is!"

"Of course she is. That's why we need her. Everything is ready now. Yesss, just a little more. There we go, it's out. Let's take her to the altar. Place the bow on her. It touched the Demon King" - the one who seemed to be the leader said, dropping Eclair to the ground.

CZ was observing, "A sacrifice! Is this part of Lord Demiurge's plans?"

As soon as they left, Cz picked up Eclair.

"Hello, miss. What should we do?"

"Observe. I'm not sure if all of this is part of the plans for the Holy Kingdom. I need more information."

Following the path taken by the group, they eventually arrived in a tall hall. Looking down from above, Cz saw Neia being placed on a sacrificial table. In front of her, within a magical circle drawn on the floor, there was a figure completely wrapped in bandages from head to toe.

Someone wearing a cloak that covered their entire body, including the head, approached and received something wrapped in cloth from another acolyte. Unwrapping it, they held a sword, Remedy's Sword.

"The preparations are complete. THE SACRIFICE, THE ENEMY CARRYING THE WEAPON USED AGAINST THE DEMON KING IS OFFERED! THE SAFARLÍSIA SWORD THAT TOUCHED THE DEMON KING HIMSELF IS OFFERED! THE HOST, THE FALLEN PALADIN IS OFFERED! WE INVOKE THE ENEMY OF HUMANITY, WE INVOKE JALDABAOTH!!!

"JALDABAOTH! JALDABAOTH! JALDABAOTH! JALDABAOTH!"

'Lord Demiurge? Hello, it's CZ2128 Delta. Could you spare a few moments?'

'Hello, CZ2128 Delta. I know you're in the Holy Kingdom, so I assume it's related. Go ahead.'

'Thank you. Regarding the plans for the Kingdom, does any of them involve your resurrection?'

'Bringing Jaldabaoth back is one of the potential lines, after all, demons are not destroyed but rather banished or sealed, and reusing a known enemy can be a recurring motif. Why do you ask?'

'A group of worshipers posing as servants of the Four are attempting to resurrect Jaldabaoth using the body of Remedios Custodio as a vessel. They intend to use the holy sword as a catalyst.'

'Hmm! That sounds interesting, but the investigation revealed that the paladin's body was found in an advanced state of decomposition within the house that served as her residence. The resurrection would fail because the body was not properly preserved.'

'They intend to use Neia Baraja as a sacrifice, somehow transferring her strength into Remedios' body.'

'Clever. It seems the plans are moving faster than expected. Bringing me back, turning Neia into a martyr, it's all part of the plans. But you being there at this very moment seems to be our Lord's manipulation. Ah! The brilliance of our master. I will prepare for a teleportation and appear at your location, actually inside the paladin. We'll destroy the body as I emerge. It will be quite a sight.'