Chapter 368. Lily
The door swung open, and everyone turned their heads toward it.
Linda emerged from the medical room and looked toward Charles. She offered no words and only shook her head slightly.
Charles felt a pang in his heart. He stepped past Linda and entered the medical room.
The air was tinged with the smell of alcohol. The fur on Lily's chest had been shaved away to make room for a transparent tube that was inserted into her blood-soaked, bandaged chest. This tube connected her to a small, intricate gear machinery next to her oversized hospital bed, where she lay in a state of profound weakness.
Squeak~ Squeak, squeak!
Lily squeaked lightly, and mice scurried out of their holes, gathering in front of her and listening intently to her instructions.
After a couple of minutes, Lily turned toward Charles and managed a faint smile. "Mr. Charles, don't worry. I've told them to obey your instructions from now on. But remember to compensate them with food as their salary. Else, they would get upset."
Charles' gaze trembled for a brief moment before determination suffused his eyes. With a sweep of his hand, he displaced the surrounding mice from the bed and tenderly cradled Lily in his arms.
"Bandages, prepare the ritual! We'll take the risk!" Charles declared.
Having been silently observing from the doorway, Bandages nodded affirmatively before he turned and disappeared from sight.
The eastern bay of Hope Island was solely occupied by the First Navy Fleet and was closed off to all non-unit personnel. The highest security level was also now in effect across the island.
The moment Charles and his party alighted from their vehicle, they were at the most secluded beach of the heavily fortified bay.
A concentric circle, which was the size of a basketball court, had been drawn on the pristine white sand. Sacrifices, with their eyes covered and mouths gagged, were randomly laid out within the circle. Only a few of them appeared to be fully human; most were various terrifying deformed creatures, all of whom had been death-row prisoners from the failed relic experiments.
Tall wooden towers had also been erected in a triangular formation around the circle.
"Mr. Charles... where are we?" Lily asked in a faint whisper. She tried to sit up to get a look, but Charles covered a hand over her eyes.
Charles leaned close to her ear and asked softly, "Lily, do you trust me?"
"Yes!"
Charles walked past the massive concentric circle and stepped into the pitch-black sea.
With the water at his knee level, he glanced toward Bandages, who was scaling one of the towers. He slowly lowered Lily in his hands toward the water's surface.
"Lily, do you trust me?"
"Yes!"
Charles steeled his resolve; he lowered his center of gravity and watched as Lily was submerged in the water.
Lily didn't put up a struggle. Under the water, she gently nuzzled her cheek against Charles' fingers. Bubbles continuously emerged from her nose and mouth and rose to the surface.
Charles clenched his teeth tightly as he watched the air bubbles decrease with each passing second. His eyes turned a frightening blood-red from his overwhelming emotions.
Suddenly, Charles turned around abruptly and shouted loudly at Bandages, "Begin!"
Standing atop a tall tower, Bandages turned around to face the sea. He spread his arms wide and started chanting.
"Thflthkh! Ngha fhayak!!"
Craackkkk!
The chilling sound of bones cracking resonated in the air as each sacrifice's neck twisted sharply to the left. However, they remained alive; their mouths were agape as they emitted shrill, hysterical screams.
The gruesome symphony of fractures continued. It wasn't just their spines; every bone in their bodies was breaking apart. Jagged pieces of bone punctured their skin to be exposed to the air as blood flowed out of their wounds.
The metallic scent of blood permeated the air as the ritual's concentric circle was gradually dyed a crimson hue by the pooling blood.
As though possessed by some unknown entity, Bandages' eyes were completely white as he pulled out a golden dagger and made a deep slash on his wrist. The blood from his self-inflicted wound spurted out and joined that of the sacrifices in a macabre union.
"Nilgh! Ri! Ebumna's!! Uhn! Wk'hmr' ph'nglui!!" Bandages' chanting continued. His usual slow manner of speech was nowhere to be found as he chanted for the ritual; he spat out words rapidly and fluently.
Amidst the chants, the sacrifices writhed and twisted on the ground like maggots. Some converged toward the center, while others sprawled towards the edge. Soon, a fleshly pentagram with each apex pointing left took shape.
This pentagram was different from the one Charles had seen in the purple sphere; it pulsated with life. The sacrifices were interlinked, as though they had become a single entity, a massive, living starfish of flesh.
Charles then noticed a sinister, purple glow began to emanate within the pentagram.
Suddenly, he felt a warmth from his neck and realized that his tattoo was starting to heat up as if it were coming to life.
Charles turned his head away from the ritual, and the temperature of his tattoo slightly decreased, but it was still pulsating.
Bandages' chanting intermingled with the cries of agony from the sacrifices. Occasionally, eerie, strange sounds would accompany the gruesome symphony.
All of a sudden, Charles felt something watching him from the direction of the sacrifices, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared.
As the final section of the incantation ended, everyone present felt a powerful will descending upon the entire bay. Their bodies stiffened in response and they couldn't even muster the strength to move even their little pinky finger.
Fortunately, the invisible presence weighing down on them came and went quickly, lasting only three seconds. The moment the heavy pressure was lifted, everyone's legs gave way, and they fell to the ground; Charles was no exception.
Charles struggled to get out of the seawater and stumbled back onto the beach.
Looking toward Bandages, he shouted, "Did it succeed?"
Bandages raised his bloodied hand and pointed toward the center of the bloodied concentric circle.
Charles lifted his prosthetic hand and shot his grappling hook toward the tower. Pulling himself up, he soon joined Bandages at the top of it.
He peered down from his vantage point and noticed a vast, undulating mass at the center of the twisted starfish. It resembled a giant eye that seemed almost alive with its constant throbbing.
"In...side..." Bandages reverted to his slow manner of speech.
"Well done! Buddy, I owe you one!" Charles kicked off against the floor and propelled himself toward the fleshy mass.
He arrived next to the mass and eagerly extended a hand to retract it slightly. With a hint of hesitation in his voice, he called out, "Lily?"
Plat!
A bloodied arm protruded out of the mass and seized Charles' arm in a firm grip.
Elation rose within Charles. He clasped the arm and pulled it to reveal the owner of the arm—a petite girl covered in blood and human tissues.
Charles messily wiped the blood and flesh off the girl's face to unveil her delicate features. He recognized her instantly—it was the same face as the Lily of this world.
The girl's eyes fluttered open. After a few seconds, reality finally sank in, and she recognized the face in front of her. She let out a scream of joy as she excitedly wrapped her arms around Charles' neck.
"Mr. Charles! I knew you'd come to save me!"
"As long as you survive. That's all that matters," Charles replied as he tried to restrain his excitement. He lifted Lily and carried her out of the ritual site.
Witnessing the miracle before them the Narwhale crew breathed a collective sigh of relief. They gathered around Charles, and the tense atmosphere dissolved into a moment of collective ease.
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