Chapter 628: The Final Sacrifice
The crowd broke into enthusiastic applause and cheers.
“Go on, Marcus!”
“Best host in all the worlds!”
Marcus smiled, gesturing for quiet before going on with his emotional words.
“For the longest time in my youth…I believed I was entirely alone in this world.”
“I looked out at the crowds of ordinary people and saw only a dreary, suffocating grey.”
“I possessed wealth, influence, and power, yet I felt utterly hollow—as though I were the sole living soul trapped in a world of mindless puppets.”
He paused, his eyes gleaming with fanatic warmth.
“But then…one by one…I found all of you.”
“I realized that I was not alone. I realized there were others who craved to break through the pathetic, artificial boundaries of societal morality and express their true, uncapped desires!”
He looked over at Amanda.
“First, I weled my darling Amanda.”
Amanda flushed slightly, blowing him a subtle kiss.
“Then my trusted rades in my adventuring guild, then brilliant titans of industry who partner with my family, and the icons of art and culture who shape the minds of the masses.”
“One by one, our circle grew.”
Marcus placed a hand over his heart, his tone dripping with vulnerability.
“When I first invited you all to this domain years ago…I admit, I was terrified.”
“I feared you would reject me. I feared you would call my vision cruel and cast me out.”
He looked out over the crowd, his arms spreading wide.
“But you did not reject me. You embraced this sanctuary with open arms. You showed me that even a visionary like me has a place where he belongs.”
“For that…I offer you my deepest, most humble gratitude.”
Marcus bowed deeply. The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, cheering passionately.
“No, Thank YOU, Marcus!” One blessed called out. “Without this domain, we would have gone insane pretending to be saints for those mon insects!”
“You gave us our freedom, Marcus!” Another noble shouted. “We owe you everything!”
Marcus waited for the cheers to settle before continuing.
“I know many of you told the public media that you would be spending this New Year’s Eve quietly at home with your families—earning you the adoration of the masses for your ‘humble heroics.'”
The crowd broke into wicked, mocking laughter at the reminder of their public PR stunts.
“Little do those fools know.” Marcus sneered. “That you have gathered here for our annual tradition—a night that has brought us unforgettable memories for years.”
A wave of dark nostalgia passed through the crowd as guests recalled previous years’ atrocities.
“But tonight…tonight is extra special.”
Marcus stepped to the edge of small platform, his voice rising in dramatic cadence.
“Not only is our gathering larger than ever before—with dozens of distinguished new members joining our circle tonight…”
The newers raised their glasses in proud toasts.
“…but I have personally curated the largest selection of playthings in our history!”
“Every quirk, every preference, every dark urge you have held back can be unleashed tonight without limit!”
The guests grinned like starved predators, their eyes darting toward the bound victims on the tables, who trembled in absolute terror.
“And finally.” Marcus announced, his voice reaching a crescendo. “We are graced tonight by an extraordinary guest of honor. Lady Charlotte!”
A brilliant golden spotlight materialized out of thin air, snapping directly onto Charlotte.
“e now, everyone!” Marcus cheered, clapping his hands. “A warm round of applause for the daughter of the Battle Angels!”
The crowd broke into loud, sarcastic clapping, throwing mocking pliments toward her.
Charlotte stood under the blinding light, her face a mask of absolute, icy contempt as she glared back at them without blinking.
“To have a daughter of the legendary Battle Angels present at our gala is a monumental honor.”
Marcus said, bowing dramatically.
“And I assure you…this is merely the beginning. In the ing year, my goal is not merely to host the daughter…”
“…but to bring an actual, full-fledged Battle Angel into this domain!”
A collective gasp echoed across the garden, as the guests exchanged stunned, nervous glances.
“Wait…Marcus, are you serious?” A senator asked, a trace of genuine anxiety in his voice. “A Battle Angel?! They’re absolute monsters in bat! If one of them breaches this domain, we’re all dead!”
“Precisely.” A member of the federation agreed nervously. “Their strength allows them to be untouchable. You simply cannot trap a Battle Angel!”
Marcus raised his hands, offering a soothing, confident smile.
“Calm yourselves, my friends. I’m not so foolish as to launch a direct attack. I have a far more elegant plan.”
His eyes gleamed with terrifying intellect.
“Through Lady Charlotte, I will orchestrate a subtle, psychological snare. When I break her mind pletely, I will arrange for her physical body in the real world to appear as another tragic victim of the ‘Terrorist Face Murders.'”
“And when Lady Yelena finds her, she will be crushed by grief. And in her darkest, most vulnerable moment…”
“…I shall step forward as her forting savior as the lead in the investigation.”
He sneered darkly.
“I shall guide her straight into my trap. And when Lady Yelena falls…we shall have the ultimate prize.”
“The most powerful entity in the multiverse, bound to a table in this very garden, serving as our personal toy!”
The initial panic in the crowd vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of intoxicating, unimaginable excitement.
“GENIUS! ABSOLUTE GENIUS!” The leader of a powerful guild screamed, raising his glass. “To play with a Battle Angel…oh god, the mere thought is divine!”
“Marcus, I’ll fund your entire enterprise!” A billionaire industrialist shouted passionately. “I’ll give you half my shipping fleet! Just give me one hour with Lady Yelena when you catch her!”
“I’ll trade all my real estate!” Another yelled.
The crowd erupted into wild, fanatical chanting, begging Marcus to fulfill his promise.
Beside him, Amanda chuckled softly, resting her hand against her chest in delight.
Meanwhile, Charlotte, standing beneath the spotlight, sneered quietly in her heart.
She knew her mother. She was extremely intelligent; even in her deepest grief, she would never fall for a pathetic snake like Marcus.
There were aunts as well, who’d never let such a thing occur.
The arrogance of these monsters was almost laughable.
—
Suddenly, a noblewoman near the front raised her hand, looking around the garden.
“Marcus…what about that other brat? The one who was protecting Lady Charlotte? I don’t see him anywhere!”
The crowd echoed her question.
“Yeah! Where’s Mika?!”
“I wanted to play with him tonight! He never breaks, no matter what you do to him! Bring him out!”
Marcus stepped forward, a fanatic light burning in his eyes.
“Ah…the boy. Do not worry. He is not merely a plaything tonight. He is our grand finale—the supreme sacrifice meant to usher in the new year!”
“What do you mean?” The fat man asked, confused. “Where is he?”
Marcus raised his arms toward the dark night sky, his voice dropping into a deep, cult-like chant.
“BEHOLD! THE FINAL SACRIFICE HAS ARRIVED!”
“THE SACRED BLOOD THAT SHALL AWAKEN THE SPIRITS OF THE DARK REALM AND BLESS OUR NEW YEAR WITH UNLIMITED DEBAUCHERY!”
BOOM!
The dark clouds directly above the garden suddenly fractured apart.
A blinding, holy beam of white light poured down from the heavens, illuminating the central clearing like an angelic descent.
The guests shielded their eyes, staring up in awe.
“What is that?!”
“Something is ing down!”
Charlotte’s heart slammed against her ribs. She shielded her eyes, squinting through the overwhelming radiance as a massive object slowly descended from the sky, floating gracefully down until it settled firmly into the center of the lawn.
As the blinding light slowly dissipated, Charlotte opened her eyes to look.
But the moment her gaze landed on the central clearing, her heart dropped into a hollow void.
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the grass in absolute horror.
Standing in the center of the garden was a massive, ancient wooden cross, towering fifteen feet high.
And bound to the cross was Mika.
But he was not merely tied with ropes. Instead Marcus had subjected him to a grotesque crucifixion.
Thick, iron stakes had been driven systematically through every major part of his body—his palms, his wrists, his forearms, his shoulders, his chest, his stomach, his thighs, his knees, and his ankles.
Iron spikes impaled his heart, his lungs, and his liver, pinning his physical form so thoroughly to the wood that not a single muscle could twitch.
But the most horrific, nightmarish detail was his body itself.
Mika had been pletely skinned alive!
There was no skin remaining on his entire frame.
What hung upon the cross was a raw, gruesome anatomy of exposed red muscle, bulging blue veins, and pale yellow fat.
His organs, visible between his exposed ribs pulsed weakly behind a thin layer of crimson tissue.
Even his face and scalp had been meticulously flayed away, leaving two bare, lidless eyes resting within exposed eye sockets, staring blankly into the distance.
He looked like an anatomical model ripped straight from a medical textbook.
“Mika….” She whispered.
Then she was running. Sprinting across the garden, her eyes fixed on the horrible cross and the even more horrible sight mounted upon it.
“MIKA! MIKA! MIKAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
She reached the cross and threw herself against it, her fingers scrabbling uselessly at the wood.
“MIKA, WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU? WHAT DID THOSE MONSTERS DO?!”
He didn’t respond. His beautiful, defiant eyes, seemed to look through her, as if he was no longer aware of her presence at all.
“MIKA! PLEASE! SAY SOMETHING! ANYTHING!”
The guests gathered around her, their faces alight with cruel satisfaction. They pointed at Mika’s broken body and laughed.
“The guest of honor has arrived!”
“Look at him! Just skin and bones now!”
“What do you mean! He’s got no skin left at all!”
Others looked at him like he was a work of revolting art.
“Beautiful.” One of them murmured. “Absolutely beautiful. Marcus, you’ve outdone yourself.”
“The perfect sacrifice.” Another agreed. “The blood of a Hero to wele the new year.”
“Look at him.” A third said, his voice filled with wonder. “He’s still alive. Even after everything, he’s still alive. He truly is remarkable.”
“Ladies and gentlemen!” Marcus’s voice rang out, cutting through Charlotte’s grief. “I present to you—our final sacrifice! The boy who refused to break! The toy that defied us for so long!”
He walked toward the cross, his arms spread wide, his smile triumphant.
“Tonight, as the old year dies and the new year begins, we offer this boy to the powers that watch over us! His suffering will mark the transition! His blood will usher in the new era!”
“And when he finally breaks and his stubborn spirit finally shatters, we will all share in the glory of his destruction!”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
He turned to Charlotte, his smile widening. “And you, Lady Charlotte, will have a front-row seat to the show. Consider it my New Year’s gift to you.”
Charlotte stared at him, her hatred burning bright.
“I will kill you for this.” She said, her voice cold and steady. “I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but I will make you pay for what you’ve done to him. I swear it on my mother’s name!”
Marcus’s smile didn’t waver.
“I look forward to seeing you try. But for now, let’s wele the new year with a ‘bonfire’.”
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