Hiss!
As the light shattered, the massive altar at the center of the Persian army's formation, etched all over with runes, began to break apart layer by layer like a cocoon peeling away. What it revealed was a gaunt young man, every inch of his body from head to toe covered in twisted red-and-black divine patterns carved into his skin.
Hiss...
The young man slowly opened his eyes, revealing pitch-black pupils. He spread his arms wide and greedily drew in breath after breath, savoring it with a manic, intoxicated delight, like an addict finally getting his fix.
The Persian priests surrounding the great altar felt the vast yet warped divine presence, and saw that the figure before them stood whole, his limbs and eyes completely intact. Their expressions grew complicated. Once they returned, the temple would likely denounce and execute them.
It worked. It actually worked.
One of Persia's two primordial gods, the enemy of Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom, the chief among evil gods, Angra Mainyu.
Who would have thought that, through the summoning of the Book of Destiny and the Sword of the Dead, He would truly descend into such an unremarkable young vessel.
Within the Persian pantheon exists a dualistic opposition of light and darkness, good and evil. From this arose two primordial deities: the benevolent god Ahura Mazda and the evil god Angra Mainyu.
Across long ages, Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom, created the world, and his battle with Angra Mainyu lasted twelve thousand years, ultimately ending in the supreme god Ahura Mazda's victory.
Yet just as light inevitably casts shadows, Angra Mainyu, the embodiment of evil, was not destroyed. Legend says He was merely sealed, and has continued to exist alongside humanity ever since.
When the final day arrives, He will emerge from the abyss and bring about the destruction of the entire world.
In certain remote regions of the Persian Empire, where ignorance prevailed, radical believers exploited people's fear and hatred of the evil god to incite a grotesque custom.
They would select a target and forcibly designate them as the vessel of Angra Mainyu, subjecting them to physical torment and blood sacrifice, making them bear alone all the misfortune attributed to "evil."
In doing so, all the sins of the people could be transferred onto that sacrificed vessel, allowing everyone else to enter paradise free of impurity after death.
The young man on the altar was one such victim.
Once, villagers venting their malice locked him atop a mountain, gouged out his right eye, and shattered his limbs.
Darius III, whose army happened to pass through that place, rescued this tortured youth who bore the name of an evil god. Treating him as a special case, he took him into the army, intending to deliver him to the Great King for judgment after the war.
In a sense, this bears resemblance to the later Christian account of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who willingly sacrificed himself to cleanse humanity's original sin.
The difference is that one chose it, while the other was forced into it.
In truth, this phenomenon is not unique. Ancient China had a similar custom of "sending away the God of Poverty." In some destitute villages, an innocent person would be designated as the "God of Poverty" and driven out, in hopes of bringing fortune to the rest.
Humans can, at times, be far more cruel to their own kind than beasts…
"My lord, we have been intercepted by enemy forces and are on the verge of total annihilation. Please grant Persia victory! I swear upon my blood, once we return to the royal capital, I will build a temple in your honor, conduct sacrifices, and serve you for the rest of my life!"
At that moment, under the stunned and horrified gazes of those around him, Darius III held his sword flat in his right hand while gripping the blade with his left, letting his blood spill across the altar, a blatant betrayal of his former faith.
A few of the more perceptive among them, however, showed sorrow and reluctance in their eyes. They understood what this meant.
Their king intended to bear, alone, all the sin and consequences of summoning the evil god.
"I recognize you. You seem to have saved him…"
The young man rubbed his chin, narrowing his eyes as he smiled at the surrounding priests. Then he looked around, his gaze suddenly lighting up as it landed on Darius III. Grinning, he tapped his own chest.
That child's consciousness is still there! He remembers His Majesty's kindness! We—
Pfft!
The sound came without warning.
The joy on the priests' faces froze instantly. Their dull, stunned eyes reflected a blood-red hand that had pierced straight through Darius III's chest.
"But you… you deceived him as well…"
The young man slowly raised his arm, his gaze cold and piercing, his eyes filled with the cruel amusement of a cat toying with its prey.
The one who had rescued him from those ignorant villagers and promised him justice was this very king.
And the one who had pushed him back onto the altar, forcing him to endure torment and private punishment, was also this same king.
There is nothing more cruel than giving someone, trapped in endless darkness and suffering, a glimpse of light, letting hope take root again, only to crush it with your own hands.
Humans, when it comes to their own kind, are more savage than beasts…
It was true in the past, it is true now, and it will remain true in the future. The cycle repeats, never changing…
It was precisely their actions that extinguished the last trace of hope and goodwill this body held toward the world, giving birth to pure evil and calling forth absolute darkness.
Everything has turned out exactly as you wished.
"Hahahaha!!!"
The black-haired youth's face twisted as he covered one side of it with his hand. The shadow split his face into two starkly different expressions.
In the darkness, he wept.
In the light, he laughed.
I am Angra Mainyu, the god who rejects understanding, the god who pursues only the absolute!
How filthy this world is. How repulsive humanity is.
Life writhes in swarms, festering and spreading its stench of decay.
I do not acknowledge your kind. I do not understand your kind.
You maggots have lived long enough!
The God of Utter Evil stepped down from the altar, his expression warped with madness, a savage grin stretching across his face.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
In an instant, strips of red cloth shot out from Angra Mainyu like venomous serpents, piercing through the hearts of dozens of priests and draining their blood and life in a heartbeat.
At the same time, countless red-and-black tendrils spread outward from beneath his feet. One by one, Persian soldiers caught within them were engulfed by red-black flames clinging to the tendrils, their bodies melting away into charred skeletons amid screams of agony.
"Run… hurry… run!"
Darius III hung from Angra Mainyu's arm like a slab of meat, his eyes bloodshot as he roared hoarsely. Summoning his last strength, he locked both arms around Angra Mainyu and dragged him down the slope.
"Hahahaha! Too late! Too late! You writhing maggots, welcome this curse upon life!"
Darius III's desperate attempt to stop him only drew out even more frenzied laughter. As Angra Mainyu spread his arms, red-black flames surged outward, and the body of the once-great king crumbled into ash and scattered.
Boom!
In an instant, the ground shook violently. An utterly pure and extreme malice toward all living things burst forth from the cracks in the earth, forming torrents of red-black sludge that devoured life itself.
At the same time, dark crimson blotches transformed into a rain of fire that poured down from the sky.
Anything it touched, whether Persians, Romans, the Undead Army, or Amazon warriors, had their flesh and bones burned and melted away inch by inch. Amid unbearable agony and resentment, they were reduced to part of the red-black sludge spreading across the ground.
The calamity of mankind has descended!