Medici, naturally unaware of Alaric's past, gave him a surprised glance upon hearing his words, his expression akin to someone who'd just heard something extraordinary.
"Hey, what's that look for?" Alaric said, immediately displeased by Medici's stare.
"It's just hard to imagine you ever needing someone to take care of you," Medici replied honestly, his tone, for once, devoid of its usual sarcasm.
"You make it sound like I popped out of thin air or something. Weren't you raised by Sasrir yourself?" Alaric shot back, pointing out Medici's double standards. Then, shifting the topic, he continued, "Besides, isn't the focus right now on dealing with the corruption of the Red Priest's uniqueness?"
At this, Alaric turned to Medici with a grin. "If we can actually cleanse the Red Priest's uniqueness, Medici, you'll be a bona fide War Angel again!"
Though he wasn't sure if Medici could currently accommodate the Red Priest's uniqueness, Alaric was certain of one thing: with The Ancient Sun God's support, even if Medici didn't meet the conditions, The Ancient Sun God could forcibly suppress the uniqueness to allow Medici to integrate it.
This was the power of a Pillar, even if The Ancient Sun God wasn't a complete one.
"I am the War Angel," Medici scoffed, though the slight upward curve of his lips betrayed his relatively good mood.
Clearly, Medici was looking forward to reclaiming the uniqueness. It wasn't surprising... while he might not be fixated on becoming the Red Priest or the Calamity of Destruction, the uniqueness he'd once held and lost still mattered to him.
The pressure now fell on Herabergen.
Facing the simultaneous gazes of Alaric and Medici, Herabergen, despite having many questions, knew this wasn't the time to ask them. With a polite smile, he said, "Please, follow me!"
Without hesitation, Herabergen had one of his avatars lead the two to the sealed location of the Red Priest's uniqueness: the "City of Exile," Morora.
This was no ordinary city. It had no residents that could be called ordinary. Instead, it was filled with all manner of bizarre humanoid entities... some already monsters, others still arguably human, but most were far from virtuous, primarily heavy criminals.
Of course, some creatures were even less humanoid.
Alaric observed the grotesque residents of Morora with keen interest. As expected, these beings, fearsome to ordinary people, shrank back in terror under his gaze, likely due to the Death's aura emanating from him.
"Interested in these monsters?" Medici asked, clearly unimpressed by Morora's state, glancing at Alaric.
"I'm interested in anything worth studying," Alaric replied with a smile, his gaze shifting to a particular direction.
That was where the Sealed Artifact 0-01, "Salinger's Blood Banner," lay.
"Let's go see what's become of your old property, Lil' Red," Alaric teased Medici with a grin, eagerly heading toward the underground mausoleum. Soon, they arrived at the wilderness where Salinger's Blood Banner was located, standing before a mountain of corpses.
Alaric looked up, spotting a flag atop the peak. It was stained with dark red blood and bore scorch marks, evoking visions of a history steeped in blood and fire.
Alaric studied the flag for a moment before turning to Medici.
Medici was also gazing at the flag, his expression a complex mix of emotions, though the blood-red banner mark between his brows stood out vividly in that moment.
"From a ceremonial standpoint, it'd be cooler if you pulled the flag yourself, but for safety's sake, should I do it?" Alaric asked.
"Why not together?" Medici countered, glancing at him.
"Fair enough, your choice," Alaric said with a wink, nodding after a moment's thought. He didn't forget Herabergen, who'd been quietly standing by, and turned to him. "Want to join us?"
"No, thank you for the offer, but I don't think I'm suited for what's coming next," Herabergen replied, shaking his head with a polite smile.
Alaric wasn't surprised. He turned back to Salinger's Blood Banner and, without hesitation, strode toward it, Medici silently walking beside him.
Perhaps sensing the approaching danger, Salinger's Blood Banner reacted. Alaric blinked, feeling unfamiliar emotions... fear, dread... bubble up within him. These, without a doubt, came from the banner, which was trying to force his submission.
"How amusing," Alaric said, a smirk tugging at his lips. In an instant, he dispelled those emotions and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
In that moment, the power of Chaos descended upon the area. His ascension to demigod hadn't only granted him the power of the Disciple of Delight; it also gave him greater control over the fragments of Nyarlathotep's power within him.
After all, Alaric was Nyarlathotep. He'd once been the most unique fragment of the original, so how could he not master his own power?
Below the mountain, Herabergen stared in near-shock at Alaric, whose aura had suddenly turned terrifying. In that moment, he understood why the proud Aucuses feared Alaric so much... some beings could inspire primal fear with a mere glance.
Herabergen closed his eyes the next second, knowing he couldn't keep looking. Even if Alaric meant him no harm, continued exposure to that power could corrupt him.
Atop the mountain of corpses, Salinger's Blood Banner, which had just tried to enforce submission, began to waver precariously. The gap in their levels was too vast, and the banner suffered backlash as a result.
But the Red Priest's uniqueness would not yield easily. Before Alaric and Medici, countless puppets and corpses struggled to their feet, forming an army to block their path.
"Quite tenacious. The Red Priest truly is a resilient existence," Alaric commented, glancing at Medici with a pointed look.
"If I weren't so resilient, I'd have been dead 800 years ago. Then I wouldn't care, but you'd have lost your best tool," Medici retorted, meeting Alaric's gaze with a leisurely tone. Protected by Yog-Sothoth's power, he was unaffected by Nyarlathotep's influence.
***
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