Beyond the Old Ones

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.

Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

Time*

Chapter 27: Poor Angelina

5 minutes later*

"Is this really necessary?" Angelina asks me. She crosses her arms and stares at me with a raised eyebrow, her gaze unwavering as if trying to decipher my intentions.

"What do you mean?" I respond, glancing over my shoulder while shoving the last piece of furniture firmly against the door. The scraping sound of wood on wood echoes in the room.

"Do you really have to barricade the door with all my furniture like this?" Angelina presses, gesturing at the haphazard fortress I've constructed. "You could easily deal with anyone coming after me before they even got close. Why go through all this trouble?"

"Yes. And I can. Why go through all this trouble?" I reply, brushing my hands off and taking a step back to admire my makeshift barricade. "This will stall them long enough for me to handle the situation without worrying about you being caught in the crossfire. A little peace of mind goes a long way."

Without waiting for her rebuttal, I activate Door Opening, phasing effortlessly through the layers of furniture and the door itself. As I emerge on the other side, my eyes lock onto a group of figures sprinting down the hallway. From what I could recall, they weren't servants under Angelina.

A grin spreads across my face as I switch over to the Card of Twilight Giant, feeling its familiar power coursing through me.

I let my Spirituality flow through my body like an undisturbed stream, empowering every muscle and fiber with raw, overwhelming energy.

The first assassin draws a handgun, aiming it steadily in my direction. Before they can pull the trigger, I take a single step, and the world blurs around me as I appear in front of them. My right fist surges forward with blinding speed, slamming into their left ribs with enough force to tear through flesh and bone. My entire arm punches clean through their torso, spilling warm blood down my arm and splattering across my face. The body slumps lifelessly onto me.

Without hesitation, I continue forward, dragging the corpse like a battering ram. With a powerful heave, I hurl it at the farthest assassin in the back, disrupting their aim as the lifeless body crashes into them with bone-crushing force. The impact buys me a fraction of a second, and that's all I need.

I spin sharply to my left, closing in on the second assassin. My left hand arcs through the air like a blade, fueled by the sharpness of my Spirituality. The edge of my hand meets their neck with a sickening sound of flesh breaking, severing their head cleanly. Blood fountains from the stump as their body crumples, staining me further, but I don't stop to look. Momentum carries me forward.

In the blink of an eye, I appear beside the third assassin. My right foot slams down with precision on their left thigh, the impact obliterating bone and muscle, leaving the leg a mangled ruin. As my foot touches the ground, I twist my torso with the practiced force of a coiled spring, gathering the energy of my Spirituality into my right elbow. The blow connects with the side of their head, the sheer force bursting it like an overripe melon. Blood and brain matter scatter across the hallway as their body crumples to the floor.

Finally, I rush toward the fourth and last assassin. They manage to raise their hands defensively, but it's a futile effort. My right hand lashes out, two fingers extended, and I jab them into their eyes with surgical precision. Their scream is brief as I grip their face tightly. With one swift, brutal motion, I tear their head clean off, the sound of ripping flesh and snapping vertebrae echoing through the hall.

By the time the last body falls, no more than a few seconds have passed. The hallway is a grotesque of carnage, with blood pooling beneath the broken forms of the assassins.

I rush back toward the room where Angelina waits. I switch to the Card of Door, activating Door Opening to phase seamlessly through the furniture barricade and the door itself.

Once there, I immediately swap back to the Card of Twilight Giant. My senses sharpen just in time to catch sight of Angelina's wide, fearful eyes—and the figure standing far too close to her. Somehow, this assassin bypassed the barricade and slipped past me.

But that's irrelevant.

Without hesitation, I rush forward, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. My hand strikes out, seizing the assassin by the back of their neck with unyielding strength. Their feet scrape helplessly against the floor as I yank them backward, pulling them away from Angelina's vulnerable position. My free hand arcs upward, delivering a sharp slap to their jaw with precision; the sickening crack of shattered bone is loud enough for even Angelina to hear. Before the assassin could even register the pain, I thrust my palm against their forehead, channeling force traveling directly into their brain. There's no external fracture, but the damage within is catastrophic. Their body goes slack in my grip, lifeless, and I release them to the floor without a second thought.

"Why aren't you killing this one?" Angelina asks with a confused voice. Her wary eyes dart between the crumpled form at my feet and me.

"I did kill them." I reply matter-of-factly, brushing off my hands. "You just don't see the damage. Their brain is a mess now, even if their skull's intact."

Not waiting for further questions, I take out a coin from my pocket, its metallic surface gleaming faintly in the dim light. With a flick of thought, I switch to the Card of Fool. I flip the coin as it spins through the air. My eyes focus on it as I focus on seeking answers to a critical question: Are there more assassins coming for Angelina tonight?

The coin landed in my palm, and I got a negative response.

Seeing that I can't go to the Sefirah Castle right now to obtain the answers I need, it's clear I have to resort to other means.

"Alright, now what?" Angelina asks, glancing at the corpse on the ground."Besides me having to call the other servants to clean up this mess, is there something I should know before I go to bed?"

"Yeah." I reply, already planning my next move. "I'll need to set up a ritual to get some answers. I'll be right back."

Switching to the Card of Door, I rush to my assigned bedroom, phase seamlessly through the walls, and grab my backpack off the desk. Without wasting a second, I return to Angelina's room, retracing my steps just as effortlessly.

"I'd say we should clean up first." I remark, setting the backpack down carefully, "But I think this takes priority."

Angelina nods slowly, her gaze lingering on the corpse with a mixture of disgust and resignation. She steps aside as I pull out the silver ritual knife, taking the first step to raise a wall of Spirituality around the room. The air seems to thicken, and the faint hum of protective energy fills the enclosed space. With the room isolated, I gesture for Angelina to sit on a chair. She obeys, albeit reluctantly, her curiosity mingling with apprehension.

I retrieve a black chalk from my backpack and begin drawing a ritual circle on the floor. Intricate runes and symbols represent the Card of Fool, Card of Error, Card of Door, and the Sefirah Castle. Four black candles are placed in the cardinal directions, their dark wax gleaming faintly in the dim light.

Next, I move to the corpse. Hoisting it effortlessly, I position it in the center of the ritual circle. Its presence feels heavy, as though the body itself resists being involved in what's to come. I light the candles with a lighter, the small flames flickering ominously, and add a stick of lavender incense, its sweet, calming scent spreading through the room like a deceptive veil over the growing tension.

Closing my eyes, I begin to chant, my voice soft but deliberate.

"Lord of Mysteries, He Who Controls Space and Time, Guide of Destiny, Watcher Over the Mysteries Above the Gray Fog, Dominator of the Spirit World. I seek answers from this departed soul. Reveal to me who sent this one and who else came with them."

The room responds immediately. The temperature plummets and the flickering candlelight seems to dim as though swallowed by an unseen force. Shadows stretch unnaturally, creeping across the walls and floor in jagged shapes. Gray fog rises from the candles, filling the room and obscuring all but the circle.

I open my eyes to see three Cards of Blasphemy—Fool, Error, and Door—manifesting in a triangular formation above the circle. At their center floats a gray orb, its surface shifting to project an image of the Sefirah Castle. In the vision, I spot the laptop from my usual setup. Its screen turns on as it flickers with words that materialize one by one, delivering the answers I seek.

The candles flare suddenly, their flames leaping high as though caught in a gust of phantom wind. The corpse convulses in the center of the circle, its chest cracking open as tendrils of gray fog envelop it completely, consuming it until nothing remains visible.

"In His sacred name, I thank thee, Lord of Mysteries." I conclude, bowing slightly as the ritual ends. The runes fade, the candles melt entirely, and even the incense disappears as if devoured by the ritual's energy. The three cards dissolve last.

Satisfied, I begin cleaning up. The gray fog dissipates gradually as I remove the wall of Spirituality with the silver ritual knife.

"Be right back." I said to Angelina, pausing briefly to check on her. Her face is frozen in silent horror, her mouth agape as though mid-scream. Her hands tremble in her lap, and her eyes remain fixed on the now-empty circle.

Worry prickles at the back of my mind, but I don't have time to address it. I phase through the door using Door Opening and switch to the Card of Twilight Giant. Outside, two new assassins rush down the corridor toward Angelina's room. I flick my wrist, sending two shurikens flying. Both weapons find their marks, embedding themselves in the assassins' foreheads with deadly precision. They drop instantly, lifeless.

Once the threat is neutralized, I return to Angelina's room.

"Calm down." I said firmly, stepping toward her. But something is wrong—terribly wrong. Angelina's hands are wrapped tightly around her own neck, choking herself with a terrifying intensity. Her face is already turning blue, and bruises are forming under her grip.

I grab her wrists, prying her hands away before she can cause more harm. "I'm here. I'll protect you." I assure her.

But Angelina doesn't respond. Her eyes dart wildly around the room, pupils dilated with fear. She's in a full-blown panic, and whatever's affecting her is beyond her control. I curse under my breath, realizing I made a critical error by leaving her unprotected. I should have erected another wall of Spirituality before stepping out.

Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a Slumber Charm.

"Darkness!" I activate the charm. Angelina's body slackens as she falls into a deep, peaceful sleep.

I sigh heavily, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "This is just the first night, and look at the chaos already." I mutter, shaking my head. "Angelina... you're a magnet for trouble. Or maybe I underestimated just how bad your luck really is now."

Author Note:

The latest progress was made in the Pathways the MC had run and/or obtained their following next Sequence's potion ingredients.

Wheel of Fortune: Sequence 9: Monster's Acting Progress - 3% | Sequence 8: Robot's Potion - 0%

Twilight Giant: Sequence 9: Warrior's Acting Progress - 100% | Sequence 8: Pugilist's Potion - 0%

Paragon: Sequence 9: Savant's Acting Progress - 90% | Sequence 8: Archaeologist's Potion - 1%

Fool: Sequence 9: Seer's Acting Progress - 100% | Sequence 8: Clown's Potion - 1%

Hermit: Sequence 9: Mystery Pryer's Acting Progress - Inactive | Sequence 8: Melee Scholar's Potion - 1%

White Tower: Sequence 9: Reader's Acting Progress - 3% | Sequence 8: Student of Ratiocination's Potion - 0%

Door: Sequence 9: Apprentice's Acting Progress - 100% | Sequence 8: Trickmaster's Potion - 0%

Red Priest: Sequence 9: Hunter's Acting Progress - 15% | Sequence 8: Provoker's Potion - 0%

Demoness: Sequence 9: Assassin's Acting Progress - 100% | Sequence 8: Instigator's Potion - 0%

Abyss: Sequence 9: Criminal's Acting Progress - 100% | Sequence 8: Coldblooded's Potion - 1%

Darkness: Sequence 9: Sleepless's Acting Progress - 72% | Sequence 8: Midnight Poet's Potion - 0%

Sun: Sequence 9: Bard's Acting Progress - Inactive | Sequence 8: Solar High Priest's Potion - 1%

Moon: Sequence 9: Apothecary's Acting Progress - 90% | Sequence 8: Beast Tamer's Potion - 0%