Chapter 16: Crucifixion Man 2
Most of the team had already arrived on-site, including their commander. Jed felt a brief sense of relief—until it was shattered by the bloodcurdling screams of his teammates.
Three members suddenly collapsed, holes tearing open across their bodies. Blood spurted violently, their eyes rolled back, pure white from the pain. Their screams echoed through the ruined streets... and then fell silent.
Three attackers—gone in an instant.
But Jed didn't stop. He couldn't. Not as their captain.
With unrelenting speed, he dashed forward, slashing diagonally at the Crucifixion Man. His movements blurred, leaving ghostly black afterimages in the air.
The blade connected—but the anomaly moved.
It caught Jed's full-power strike with one hand.
His fingers crushed the blade with a sickening crunch.
Jed's eyes widened. He let go and kicked the anomaly square in the neck, his leg glowing dark blue from the cursed energy—but the creature didn't even flinch.
Just then, Merry arrived. Without a word, she lunged in, her machete coated in deep crimson light, and slashed into the creature's exposed side.
The combined assault opened a momentary window.
All members launched their attack—daggers infused with auric energy soared through the air, fists punched through barbed flesh, weapons tore at exposed sinew.
But it was useless.
An unseen force surged outward, violently yanking them all away like rag dolls.
Their attacks had no effect—except for one deep gash across the creature's ribs, still dripping.
It had been Merry's machete.
The Crucifixion Man slowly moved.
He placed his palms together in a grotesque prayer.
He looked to the sky, eyes blank, expression serene.
But this was not reverence.
This was mockery.
A demon mocking the divine.
Suddenly, the sunlight turned blood-red.
The clouds split apart—the sky itself bled, and the sun began to melt, oozing thick, black ichor that dripped over the world like hot wax.
Their environment shifted.
The street, the buildings—they were still there…
But now it was an endless loop.
No matter how far you ran—you'd return to the Crucifixion Man.
At the edge of this looping hell, the ritual team's spell completed.
Above them, the bloodied sky split with a radiant flare, aurora-like lights shimmering in unnatural beauty. The anomaly looked up—and then it screamed.
The northern lights twisted into spears of light, crashing down like divine wrath.
BOOM! One struck.
CRACK! Another.
Three… Four…
Each impact tore chunks off the Crucifixion Man's body.
He reeled. Bleeding upward even more violently.
And then… he smiled.
His body convulsed. Then—he retaliated.
Suddenly, every member's body froze.
Their arms raised, as if on crucifixes.
Blood gushed upward from holes that weren't there a second ago.
No resistance. No screams. Just silence.
One by one, they began to lose consciousness.
Only Merry remained awake.
She gritted her teeth, veins bulging across her face.
She refused to succumb.
Her machete and the cursed scissors began to vibrate violently.
Suddenly, new cuts appeared on her arms and shoulders—neat, clean lines, like paper sliced by invisible hands.
Her hair grew longer, tangled and wild—her face pale and expressionless. She now looked like a ghost, a living curse. The pain didn't matter anymore.
Blood flooded the street, rising to their knees, yet the Crucifixion Man stood tall, untouched, glowing faintly with reversed gravity as his blood flowed skyward like smoke.
Merry, now a ghost-like figure—hair cascading like shadow, eyes white with rage and power, her machete and cursed scissors both vibrating like tuning forks in a storm—moved with unnatural speed.
She lunged.
CLANG! Her machete clashed with the Crucifixion Man's barbed arms, sending sparks flying. His skin resisted like steel. He didn't flinch.
He retaliated.
In a split second, spikes of bone erupted from his body, twisting like screws, aiming for Merry's chest. She twisted midair, cutting through them with her machete, but one pierced her side.
She didn't scream.
Instead, she grinned—a sharp, eerie smile, lips split slightly as if the pain amplified her power.
She vanished—blinking behind him. Her machete plunged into his spine.
The Crucifixion Man arched his back, but instead of reacting in pain, he laughed—a distorted, gurgling mockery of joy.
Then he raised both hands.
A wave of invisible force crashed outward.
The walls cracked, cars lifted from the ground, the very air screamed.
Merry was flung backward—but even mid-flight, she spun, landed on the wall, and kicked off like a bullet.
She slashed forward—machete glowing—and then—
The Crucifixion Man vanished.
Appeared behind her.
He whispered: In a distorted voice
"Do you know what salvation tastes like?"