Chapter 170: Ritual
Matilda and her group stopped before a massive stone door deep within the temple. With a simple wave of Mitsubishi’s hand, the doors creaked open, revealing a vast crypt. At its center, a circle of red candles cast a sinister glow, illuminating ancient statues of countless creatures along the walls.
Mitsubishi walked to the edge of the circle and knelt. The others stayed ten feet behind her, their gazes fixed on the scene.
"Where is the sacrifice?" Mitsubishi asked, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.
Jabez nodded to Alastor, who produced a wooden box from his spatial storage and placed it beside the kneeling holy maiden. Mitsubishi opened the box, her eyes scanning the five fresh human hearts within before she gave a slight nod.
"What is the main reason you are looking for my master?" she asked, a god-rank dagger appearing in her hand.
"The Queen needs your master to help recall her soul and merge it back, to be whole again," Jabez explained.
"Whole again? You haven’t even found her armor... Hmph, I shouldn’t interfere." Mitsubishi unsheathed the dagger, slicing her palm and letting her blood drop into the circle. She then arranged the hearts in a straight line on the ground.
Jabez leaned close to Matilda, whispering, "This summoning ritual should’ve been done by either me or Vinous. We’re lucky we met the holy maiden here."
"This Third... where is she?" Matilda asked, her curiosity growing.
"She resides in a world higher than the great world, my Queen," Vinous answered.
"Really?! Then how strong is she?" Matilda pressed.
"What an ignorant lady," Faye said with a smirk, her young voice carrying arrogance:
"The Third is among the top ten strongest in the Supreme World. She’s a necromancer with a frightening level of control over the dead and souls. Her strength is unknown to those in the lower world, but three centuries ago, she was a seventh-order powerhouse."
"Speak to the Queen with respect!" Agrona hissed, her voice low to avoid interrupting Mitsubishi’s ritual.
"Yes. Wait, why are you even here?" Vinous asked Faye, his expression now serious.
"I came to deliver my offerings. What do you have to say about that?" Faye’s gaze was cold, challenging.
"Offerings? How many people did you kill this time?" Ernesh asked calmly, his face betraying no emotion.
"It’s a little offering, just ten thousand ordinary humans." Her casual tone sent a chill down Matilda’s spine.
Matilda was speechless. She had killed many people, but never on this scale. The little girl had slaughtered ten thousand just for an offering.
"How often do you give these offerings?" she asked.
"Thrice a week," Faye answered without hesitation.
"So many people—won’t their families target you?" Matilda pressed, trying to understand this world’s brutal logic.
"The worlds above your lower world are far different. We don’t follow your rules—what do you call them... law. Yes! That’s the word. In our worlds, the strongest can make and break the law. If you want revenge, you can simply challenge and kill them on the spot! It’s that simple. Power rules here."
"You, a god-rank, stage 15 warrior... killing that many people, won’t first-order powerhouses or someone stronger hunt you?" Matilda asked, her voice incredulous.
Ernesh leaned in again, whispering, "My Queen... this little girl is the third pillar of the Wendigos’ kingdom! She has tens of millions of soldiers ready at her call. And her backer, the Wendigos’ King, is a fifth-order powerhouse."
’So... in this world, power is everything! If I have enough power, I can dominate and rule here,’ Matilda thought, a cold ambition taking root.
’That’s both good and bad news. I don’t know what old monsters are living here. In the future, I’ll move with caution.’
"Yes," Faye said with a proud smile.
"The King is strong, but no one wants to mess with the first pillar. She might be a first-order powerhouse, but she could kill a second-order."
"You mean--" Alastor’s question was cut short by...
"It is done."
Mitsubishi’s voice was a firm command. The group watched as she slowly rose to her feet.
"My master requests your presence," she said, pointing to the center of the circle.
"...?!"
Matilda looked at her with a frown, then turned to her group, who all gave her a reassuring nod. She took a deep breath and stepped into the circle.
The hearts vanished as Mitsubishi recited a chant in an unknown language. A moment later, a raging inferno erupted from the circle’s edge, surrounding Matilda and enclosing her.
_
"....?!"
Matilda’s heart pounded as she stared at the blazing fire.
"Oh? Mitsubishi told me, but I didn’t believe her... Now seeing it for myself, I am speechless."
Matilda’s head snapped to the right. Standing before the flames was a beautiful woman with long, flowing black hair and completely black eyes. She wore a tight, seductive long dress that showed off her curves. Matilda blinked, staring at the woman in a daze.
"You are?" she asked.
"Wow! You truly don’t know me... Well, I am not a fan of speaking with puppets." The woman raised a hand and snapped her fingers.
BAM!!!
Matilda instantly dropped to her knees, an invisible force pinning her to the ground.
"You?!" she gritted her teeth, trying to withstand the pressure.
"I am impressed... Still standing under 5% of my strength. Incredible!" The woman smiled, and moment next; Matilda collapsed, unconscious.
"Now get up and answer my questions, Matilda," her tone turned cold.
Matilda’s eyes snapped open, now a vibrant crimson. She slowly stood up, her gaze fixed on the woman.
"Why did you force me out!? Don’t you know that can injure my host!" she hissed, her voice radiating fury.
"Silence!" The woman waved a hand, and a force struck the Blood Queen, sending her crashing to the ground.
"You dare yell at me! After your failure! Oh, the master is so mad at you. I myself am scared of what he will do to you "If" you return," she said, licking her lower lip.