Chapter 4: Chirurgeon vs. Cherub

Gloved fingers curled around a vial satchel. The hum of glass clinked like chimes.

"It's not good to jump on your fellow friend. Name's Jack, by the way." The masked man glanced at the towering inquisitors.

"Ah, an angelic inquisitor. I'm done for..."

"Well, what can I say? Carry on then..."

Before Jack could turn his back, the inquisitors flanking the centaur-like figure lunged toward him, halberds in hand, their tips aimed squarely at the doctor.

"Of course."

Jack pulled out a vial and hurled it at the oncoming enemies. As the vial collided with the tip of a halberd and shattered, a dark-green smoke billowed out, enveloping the entire squadron of inquisitors. Many of them fainted and collapsed to the ground, while a few struggled to remain standing, their breaths labored and raspy.

The towering knight's halo glowed even brighter, flooding the entire cathedral with light that would have scorched both blasphemers. But Jack, thinking quickly, dashed toward Nicholas and hurled a vial. When it hit the ground, it released smoke so dark it resembled the abyss itself. Without pausing, Jack lunged forward and vanished into the darkness. 

A hand shot out and yanked Nicholas into the darkness.

"Hello, Nick... Long time no see."

A wave of serenity and tranquility surged through Nicholas's mind as he stepped into the abyssal darkness.

"Where am I..."

A voice echoed once more.

"A pit of darkness, I guess."

His throat spoke the words aloud before Nicholas could respond again.

"You have no choice now. Either run away with me or die at the hands of that inquisitor. So, what do you want to do?"

The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.

"Decide now. This darkness won't last long, Nick."

Nicholas remained frozen.

'What should I do now? I can't abandon Lord Eden—he gave me everything. But if I don't run, I will die... There has to be a solution. Even if the First-born is powerful, he can't be stronger than the six gods—they already defeated him. I just need answers... There must be a way to escape this curse. The First couldn't enslave my mind; it is still my own. I can do this. I still have a chance to cure myself... I just need to find it on my own. Please forgive me, Lord Eden, but for now, I must temporarily embrace the darkness.'

"What's the plan?"

A smile spread across Jack's face, his lips twitching uncontrollably, though all of it remained hidden beneath the plague mask.

"First, we kill him!"

Nicholas frowned slightly, thinking the doctor must be joking again.

"No, no... You just don't get it, do you? He's an Oathbearer. Once he decides to kill or capture someone, he has no choice but to pursue them relentlessly, like a rabid dog. Escaping him is impossible."

In his usual tone, Nicholas replied, "I know that, but how do we kill an angel?"

Jack spoke solemnly, "Not we, HE... Our Lord can... unlike the six, he can kill far from his divine kingdom. We just have to ensure he can descend. For that, I've already brought a vessel..."

He then pulled a vial from his satchel and uncorked it. A greenish darkness emerged, swirling before settling beside him. When the darkness cleared, a figure stood there—completely naked, with decayed organs hanging grotesquely from its abdomen—staring directly at Nicholas.

"Meet Inquisitor Barchen, also known as BOT-1."

Nicholas was stunned when he heard the name Barchen.

"Why do you have Brother Barchen's corpse? Don't tell me you were involved in the Animaefall Valley incident."

Jack tilted his head, "What's the Animaefall incident? I was planning to have a picnic there once, but an emergency came up, and I was the only doctor available, so... you know... I had to cancel my vacation."

Nicholas ignored the latter part of the conversation.

"Then why do you have Barchen's corpse? He was killed in action, and his body was lost in Animaefall. Did you go to Animaefall Valley to steal graves?"

Jack was taken aback by the flood of questions.

"No, I don't do anything shady. He's the first recruit of the Brotherhood of Truth... As for his corpse, I have no idea how the sewer of Sol Menor could be connected to Animaefall."

"Aren't we forgetting something? This darkness is already fading... and we haven't even made a plan for conducting the ritual."

Nicholas's eyes widened in horror.

"You need a ritual? Then why were you saying all that?"

Jack scoffed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Of course. Can the Lord of Light even descend?" he said mockingly.

Before they could devise a plan, the darkness had already vanished.

The halo was also slowly diminishing, and when both of the blasphemers were directly exposed to it, they didn't scorch to death immediately—it was just a minor burn.

"Damn it... my suit."

The remaining inquisitors, who had been sickened by the green smoke, were already healed by the light of the halo, and some of the fallen ones were beginning to wake up one by one.

"Hurry, Nick! Take care of the inquisitors... I'll start the ritual."

Nicholas, already dashing toward the inquisitors, called out, "What about the ang..."

Before he could finish, a centaur-like figure lunged in front of him. The halberd came down with a thunderous crash, narrowly missing Nicholas's skull as he dodged just in time.

Jack muttered, "Him too... and keep that giant angel off us."

Nicholas faced the angel, a dozen inquisitors behind him, their ranks destined to swell as the battle intensified. He had lost all the powers gifted to him by the Lord of Light and Hope. Now, he possessed a different power, one he was unfamiliar with. Facing an angel was already a daunting challenge, but now, with his powers transformed into something alien, it seemed impossible.

Yet it was not over. If Nicholas had been the type to give up, he wouldn't have embarked on this journey to find a cure for himself, battling against all six churches.