Chapter 130
Onigakure spoke in a voice that was not too loud, yet clear enough to be heard by everyone in the stifling room.
He stated that there was an opinion he needed to convey, an opinion that had long settled in his mind, an opinion he might never have voiced had it not been for the dire situation they were currently facing.
He spoke to Zhulumat with utmost respect, to the Satanic High Officials gathered under the Banner of Zhulumat with deep humility, and to his fellow captains of Team Xirkushkartum with the awareness that what he was about to say might spark both agreement and opposition.
"I will not withhold something that may be relevant to all of our survival."
Hoooooh!
"Speak. Deliver your opinion without restraint."
Zhulumat stared at Onigakure without blinking, his eyes attempting to read something behind the captain's uneasy expression, trying to predict what would come out of the mouth of the man who had suddenly raised his hand in the midst of a silence that had frozen for far too long.
There was a subtle curiosity in his mind, one that did not show on the surface, because Onigakure was not the type to become easily nervous, nor the type to display concern in public, nor the type to speak without first considering everything repeatedly.
Yet precisely because of that, because of the strangeness reflected in the captain's expression, because of that unusual nervousness, Zhulumat chose not to contemplate it alone within his mind that spun endlessly with thousands of scenarios.
He opened his mouth, his voice emerging with a tone that granted permission, that provided space, that gave Onigakure the opportunity to say whatever he wished to say.
"My gratitude for the permission granted, Your Excellency Zhulumat Katamtum, as well as to the High Officials of the Banner of Zhulumat and my fellow captains of Team Xirkushkartum who have taken the time to be present. What I am about to say may sound unusual, even speculative. However, the more I analyze the reported guarding patterns, the stronger my suspicion becomes that this is not an offensive ritual in the conventional sense."
Hoooooh!
"The most likely possibility is that the ritual is a form of traditional obligation within their religious community. Not merely a mass prayer. Nor a summoning of entities. Rather, a tradition that must be carried out collectively—with strict structure, stages, and limitations."
Fhiiih!
"In such traditions, both Angels and each Sacred Being are not only protectors of the ritual circle; they are also bound participants. This means that during the session, they will face obstacles and obligations that must be fulfilled. Not all of them are free to move. Not all of them can act outside the predetermined boundaries."
Fhuaaah!
"Usually, in rigid religious systems, these requirements are divided into two major categories: prohibitions that must not be violated, and obligations that must not be neglected. If my analysis is correct, the ritual likely adheres to what we may call the Twelve Prohibitions and the Ten Obligations. Twelve restrictions that bind their actions. Ten requirements that force them to remain within the ritual's path."
Therefore, if that is true, then for the first time, they are not merely guarding something within that castle.
After receiving permission from Zhulumat, after sensing that all eyes in the room were now focused on him, after taking a deep breath to steady the slightly accelerated beat of his heart, Onigakure began his speech.
He first expressed his gratitude, offering sincere respect to Zhulumat Katamtum for granting him the chance to speak, to the Satanic High Officials within the Banner of Zhulumat who patiently awaited his words, and to his fellow captains of Team Xirkushkartum who were likely just as curious as everyone else in the room.
Then, when the formalities were complete, when there was nothing left to delay, Onigakure began to voice what had long lingered in his mind, what had made his expression appear anxious and uneasy, what had driven him to raise his hand amid the silence that Zhulumat had been about to fill with another topic.
He spoke of the ritual currently taking place in the Blessed City of Thalyssra under the Great Sanse, of the lowest-ranked Angels and thousands of Sacred Beings continuously circling the castle without pause, of a structured and constant formation resembling the order of a liturgy.
Onigakure stated that the most plausible explanation of all—despite being no less terrifying than the other scenarios previously mentioned—was that what they were witnessing was not a typical siege, nor preparation for an attack, but a ritual that must be carried out, an obligation that must be fulfilled, a religious tradition that could not simply be ignored by those celestial beings.
He explained carefully, choosing his words with precision, that in every religious ritual there are binding rules, requirements that must be fulfilled, prohibitions that must be upheld, and none of these exclude Angels and Sacred Beings, even though they exist at a level far above ordinary humans.
Everyone in the room grew tense as Onigakure began detailing what he meant by obligations and prohibitions within the ongoing ritual.
He mentioned the twelve prohibitions that must be maintained, twelve restrictions that must not be violated, twelve boundary lines that the Angels and Sacred Beings must not cross while performing the ritual.
On the other hand, there were ten obligations that must be fulfilled, ten tasks that must be completed, ten sequences that must be carried out step by step until the ritual reached its peak.
The eyes of the Satanic High Officials gradually widened as Onigakure's explanation deepened, as they began to realize that what they had once considered an unsolvable mystery actually had a pattern, a structure, rules that could be understood if viewed from a different perspective.
The captains of Team Xirkushkartum exchanged increasingly intense glances, looks filled with acknowledgment that Onigakure might have discovered something that had long escaped all of them.
"During my recent assignments as a captain of Team Xirkushkartum, I have repeatedly encountered the same pattern: unstable energy traces, remnants of resonance resembling invisible announcements, as if there were notifications not meant for us, yet still leaving marks on the field."
Hhhh!
"Each time those signs appear, there is always a similarity—preparation toward a ritual of entity awakening. Not an ordinary being. Not a mid-level entity. But something that requires a collective foundation—massive energy, neatly structured, drawn from a centralized source. If my analysis of the Twelve Prohibitions and Ten Obligations is correct, then their completion is not the final goal. It is merely the key."
Fhiiiih!
"Once all prohibitions are maintained without violation, and all obligations are fulfilled without flaw, the next phase will begin automatically. The entire essence of the satanic community within the capital they now control—energy, belief, spiritual residue, even traces of collective existence—will be completely drained. Not as a direct attack, but as fuel. And if we are too late to understand this, then by the time we realize it, what remains may be nothing more than an empty shell of that city."
To be continued…