Lowly Ascent

"Oh God of madness and corruption. Your gray tongue leaves the world in madness, your words truths that free us of pain. We pray for you to speak, we pray for you to tell the world of its horrors and leave it in chaos that shall cleanse it! The time has come, the time for you to bless humanity has come!"

In an underground chamber, young men and women in red cloaks prayed while a youthful woman was strapped down on a ritual slab.

The trapped woman struggled, her black armor clattering at her every movement.

"Cromwell! Stop this now! I'll kill you! Finch will kill you!" She was none other than the Arbiter from the Bureau.

Walking along the prayers, a messy and crazed man laughed. His eyes were bloodshot, his face pale with his veins protruding, with a poorly shaved stubble to go along, setting the image of insanity into frame.

"Oh little girl, you may not know it but, Percy Finch is dead! He killed himself! He would rather send you all to hell than pick a side! I only wish I could have watched the life leave his eyes myself! It would have been beautiful seeing him like that, knowing he utterly and completely failed!"

"What?! The Commissioner killed himself?!" The Arbiter was stunned.

Cromwell chuckled, "Of course, you don't have a side, and we do! So be a good little girl and let god use your body! You won't feel a thing!" He cackled and turned around to leave, letting the prayers continue.

The Arbiter started to cry, tears running down her beautiful cheeks. "No....Noooo!"

...

Kain unlocked a door leading to an underground prison. There, the Chancellor said he would find a present for him.

Kain wondered what the present was as he descended the steps. "I wonder what the Chancellor did. Did he capture someone? Wait...is it one of that thief's followers?! I thought I got rid of them all! I can vent some anger now!"

What he found wasn't a cultist, nor something he expected.

"Hey kid..." Bound in chains hanging on the wall, Laimir was badly beaten and weak. He stared defeated at Kain, surprised the person he betrayed was astonished to see him.

"W-What?" Kain stopped in his tracks. "Why are you here..."

"For your revenge, obviously."

Laimir stared deeply into his captor's eyes. There was no emotion in him, it made Kain feel like he was looking at another person he knew. He shivered.

"Kid, I won't beat around the bush, I knew what they were going to do to you. I didn't warn you or do anything to stop it. So I understand if you want revenge, it's not like I'll have a job if you let me out, no doubt everything's over for the Bureau." Laimir was straightforward, he didn't delude himself.

"Why...Why did you let it happen." Kain was becoming emotional, tears formed in his eyes.

"Because it was my job. I'm also physically incapable of caring for others. I have no wants, no ambition, a price I paid attempting something, but I won't bore you with that. Bottom line, I betrayed you, just like the Bureau, so if you wish to kill me, do it, don't make me wait."

"Fucking hell...." Kain haggardly stepped forward. "Why is it always like this." He wobbled and almost tripped, he caught himself on the wall and stood straight, looking at Laimir.

"I suppose I have to now, don't I?" Kain's eyes became crazed.

Laimir was ready, "Do it."

A spell formed, it made a quiet noise before blood seeped down and dyed the ground.

Kain made sure not to step on the blood, he left the prison weeping. As he left, the memories of Isaac became simple information in his head, the ego gone. There was nothing left for Isaac, his every connection gone.

In a small prayer room, the Chancellor noticed Kain's change.

"It is as God stated, now he can truly be the son of Manus. His impurities cleansed and his purity of soul complete."

...

In the world, there were many cults. However, among them, only a few could compete. Of these few, only four were left, not counting the Church of Veil.

Through the many disasters and taking advantage of the world, the four became powerhouses in their respective regions, taking it upon themselves to be the final players. All other cults and their gods were long driven out, leaving the open battlefield for these four.

The winner would face Onlooker, and the one who won that battle would go on to take Doom's fruit, ascending to the level of Outer God, a being feared in any Universe, a being of intellect with powers more potent than any god.

Outer Gods had believers but did not need them, they were gods but did not rely on such a status. They were enigmas that even the Concepts would come to fear.

Of the players, the first was the Blood Draped Orphans, worshiping the Gray Tongued Hysteria.

Next, was the Thrones of the Bell Tower, worshiping the Bell Shaped Throne.

Then there was Flickering Star, the believers of the Kaiser who once ruled man, who now walked among stars.

Finally, there was Scotched Heaven, the underdogs. They worshiped the Cosmic Firestorm, an entity that burned all.

Of course, even if there were four main players, there were unaffiliated chess pieces on the board that had a chance to win if their brains were big enough and their powers potent. Of those, there was Nihil, surprisingly, others existed as well.

Only known as, Jackal, the mysterious man was confirmed to worship a god known as the Headless Wolf. The Jackal is incredibly powerful and has a history of entering conflicts for no apparent reason, his objectives unknown. Even the Commissioner of the Bureau failed to beat him like he did many others. The Jackal was one such enigma on the chessboard.

Then there was one more person, Ivor Oakley, a hitman famous for never failing a mark. It is believed he worships a god but it was never proven.

Anyone else who had a chance in the world long died, hunted, or by other causes. What was left was the few who survived until the end, the apex predators of the world who planned to win Doom's game.

With the board set, and the bets set, the world would finally enter the final stage of the game, and thus, the end of days.

...

"Hey, do you know where we are going?" A man with bell earrings asked another beside him as the group walked up a long flight of stairs.

"What? No of course not, the higher-ups say we're about to awaken God, we're needed for whatever reason."

As the group reached the top of the steps, they entered the summit of a large mountain, there, they saw a rusted bell and Trevor Sharp, one of the Thrones of Bell Tower.

"You all made it, good. You may not know this location, but it is where our religion was founded, for on this summit, there was this bell. Standing since the beginning of the world, the bell has been waiting to be struck, God's whispers hailing from it. Today, we will strike it well, awakening God and allowing his descent. For this reason, you are all needed."

A cultist raised their hand.

"Speak."

"Why does God need us? Is one of us going to be used as a vessel?!"

Trevor laughed, "No no no, God doesn't need vessels, God is sound itself. You all will be like bells, allowing god to move about in the material world. All of us will, but you will be the first. Be blessed."

With that, Trevor struck the bell, its rust flaking off with every ring.

The clouds parted, the sky changed, and everything hummed as the world welcomed the first challenger, the first unchallenged descent.

"Yes! Yes!" Trevor cried with joy.

The end had begun.