Chapter 148: Chapter 146: Addiction (2)
The cult’s one move had dismantled Blaze’s infiltration plans. He was now dependent on June’s blood. Hence, sending her back to the cult wasn’t possible anymore.
Why? Because not only did her blood have some narcotic element in it, the element was also volatile.
Hence, storing it in advance was impossible. The shelf life of usable blood was a day.
That’s it.
A day without June’s blood meant death for Blaze.
Without her blood to satisfy the Necrophage, the hand literally begins eating him from the inside. That was why when he dipped his hand into the sea, rotten blood poured out of it.
Voss was trying day in and day out to create an antidote. Yet, there had been no success in that field.
Not to mention, Necrophage’s hunger was increasing day by day. So far, taking a syringe worth of blood was working.
However, if Voss couldn’t make an antidote or Blaze found some alternative to it, all of June’s blood wouldn’t be enough for him.
"Well played, cultists... well played."
A mocking smile formed on his lips. He understood why the cultists hadn’t made any move since the infiltration. It’s because they didn’t need to take any risks.
If Blaze wanted to live, he would have to seek them out. If he didn’t, Necrophage would consume him from the inside.
If he did go after them, he would have to do it alone since the Blightlord would take over his horde if they stepped out of the spire’s range.
Even Blaze knew that handling him alone outside the spire’s range would be easy.
"They played me like a fool," Blaze groaned, falling back.
As his back hit the broken concrete, he wondered who could have known about Necrophage. His first thoughts went to Neha. However, he chalked it off.
While he could see Neha creating or joining such a cult, he didn’t think she was aware of Necrophage’s existence.
From what he knew, the future she lived through was drastically different from their current timeline. It made no sense for her to assume the existence of such a weapon.
"That’s what’s been troubling me more."
If it were Neha, he could have predicted her moves to an extent. However, since it was probably someone new, someone unknown, planning against them became difficult.
Even interrogating June proved fruitless.
From what he learned, the cult was extremely cautious when it came to keeping secrets. Everyone was only told their part in the operations and was refrained from sharing it with others.
Even enforcers were limited to the intel they had. So much so, none of them even knew their superiors. They only knew the ’symbols’ signifying one’s position within the cult.
All the secrecy made Blaze think that the Cult of Absolutes was nothing more than a rebranded Illuminati.
"I can only hope Cyclops will produce results soon. It feels weird to say this, but that tree is my only hope right now."
Blaze got up and stretched. It was time he began planning for his demise.
***
A lone candle flickered in the darkroom. Two masked figures sat opposite each other.
There had been three of them the last time they were in that room. The third one wasn’t loyal to their cause and was dealt with in a way all heretics were dealt with.
One figure tapped their finger against the wood, breaking the silence. The other tilted their head slightly but said nothing. Unable to hold his words back, the first guy
"The toxin," one of them said. "It doesn’t seem to work. It has already been a week, yet there’s no sign of that false Blightlord."
"Patience," the first guy replied. "He has no other choice but to appear before us, for I am the only one with the cure for the illness."
"Acquiring his body is absolutely necessary for our lord! If we lose, then... blightlord’s fury would be unimaginable!"
After saying so, the man turned toward the rotting stench. The severed head of the third
was still there. It was their lord’s reminder to them.Failure was not an option. Either they’d succeed, or they’d die, which would lead to the selection of a new council.
No one knew how many councils had been established and abolished since the beginning of the apocalypse. After all, the council communicated with the others as one entity.
Everyone thinks it’s a new council, only to realize the truth over the course of time. Which, in their case, happens after the first council member gets executed.
"Forget about the false lord," the second said. "What about the cannibals of the south? Have they agreed to our terms?"
"They have," the first replied. "Although there seems to be an issue."
The first groaned, rubbing his forehead. The problem didn’t surprise him. It seemed every plan they had led to a problem.
"Who is it this time?" First asked.
"The regressor."
"...saving her backfired on us—"
"Silence!" the second yelled, shooting to his feet. "It was the blightlord’s command! How dare you question the Lord’s commandment!"
The first went silent. Nothing good would come of arguing over his words. Yet, he couldn’t help but curse the second for his blind faith.
As a regressor, only Neha’s mind was useful to them, not her alliance. The one called Blaze had given them a golden opportunity to capture her, yet the Blightlord didn’t wish to reveal the cult’s existence to her.
That’s why he had to visit the crater and hypnotize Min, instructing them to leave at once. The Blightlord wanted them to live, but no one knew why.
The council thought the lord wanted Min and Neha to side with them. Join the cult and become one with the council. However, they couldn’t approach them directly.
That’s when they infiltrated the base and bestowed a blessing upon a select few. The council hoped they would help Neha see the light and join the cult.
However, the cannibals the cult made to dominate her failed their task. It led to a war, isolating the cannibals from Neha and effectively ruining the cult’s plan.
"Forget about the regressor," the first waved his hand. "We have the seer, although not as effective, at least he helped us create the toxin to force Blaze into submission."
The second didn’t bother replying. After all, there was nothing left to say. All they could do was wait and put their trust in the Blightlord.