The Cult 7

The cultist army marched through the streets outside the school. Their leader’s voice echoed down the corridors through the loudspeakers, which were usually only used for boring announcements and nothing more.

“Zero… I thought for a long time about how to win… and I reached a splendid conclusion,” the Oracle said, his calm, sweet voice returning behind that pyramid mask. “I will use your inherent weakness.”

“Zero! We have a problem… they’re not flooding in. They’re just… standing out there,” Zyg said.

“What?”

The whole army turned their weapons on one another.

“I’ll come in, grab the sword, and make a contract with you, Zero. Once I shake your hand, the weapons will drop. Until then, if you try to attack me, a single thought from me will kill half of them. If you actually attack me, then everyone dies.”

“Bastard!”

The Oracle lowered his magical density and phased through the walls toward the sword, which was constantly emitting a magical signal.

“Shit, I’m almost there, Zero… it’s just that I built my barricade… facing inward instead of outward,” the Master said, apparently sabotaging his own fortifications.

“Yeah… I did that too,” the butler added.

About Sleeve… I’m not sure I trust the intel.

“You can do it on your own, nephew...”

“I say the same, cousin, we trust you.”

AHHH THOSE LAZY PEOPLE!

I turned off the walkie-talkie.

Shi-nii, get into position!

Zero stood in the middle of the training area — a vast space inside the school. The training dummies were turned toward us as if they were watching. Rush, behind us, carried the gleaming sword — the only light in that darkness.

“Zero, don’t move… and you too, young Rush,” the Oracle said, arriving without even opening the door.

“Huh…” Zero answered.

“Oracle, you—” Rush began, but was cut off by a gesture.

“I feel… scared when you shout holding MY sword. Are you sure you want to make me feel that?” the Oracle asked, making a pistol gesture to his head.

Everyone outside was his hostage.

“Zero, I enjoyed your little show, so I had an idea. A contract worthy of an entity: fifty percent to you and fifty to me. The position of leader… no, vice leader, actually. I already set up the whole marketing around me; it would be weird to shift the focus.”

“Huh…”

No response for us.

With his pyramid glowing, the fallen angel stepped closer to us.

“Are you mocking me? Do you think I wouldn’t sacrifice my own soldiers for you? It’s a simple energy equation. They give x, you give 10x. I HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE.”

“Huh…”

“What… is that smell… like a swimming pool?” the Oracle asked.

“IT’S THE SMELL OF A SOULLESS BODY, ASSHOLE,” we said together.

GRASP!

Five turns!

Our chain wrapped around the fallen angel five times. He began to scream.

“You DAMNED— I WILL KILL YOU ALL! H- HOW… DID YOU MANAGE TO HIDE?”

“After wandering around like spirits for a long time, we discovered one thing…” Tadashi said.

“Anyone who can pass through walls or see through them knows nobody checks the piping!!”

We both started laughing.

Holding the chain on the right was the light-novel-loving student — uniform neatly pressed, average face, a slightly big nose, black hair blowing in the wind, and a spot on the tip of his chin that looked more like a pimple than anything else.

THANKS FOR FINALLY DESCRIBING ME, SHI-NII!

“I C-A-A-N’T… CONTROL THEM! MY… SOLDIERS…”

“Good luck trying to send a mana signal through a chain like this! Our chain is not only sucking, it’s locking you to us. For them, it’s like your connection dropped!” I said.

Holding the chain on the left was me: DEATH — THE ONE WHO NEVER LOST AND WHO’S NOT LOSING TODAY! My stylish shirt, fake hair blowing in the wind, flip-flops and shorts… and a constant big grin, because I don’t even have lips to scowl!

Our plan was working. The people on the other side of the screens, out in the street, had woken from that bizarre hive-mind and stopped pointing their weapons at one another.

“I-I’M GONNA… BREAK FREE…”

The angel began to inflate; his clothes, gloves, and bizarre mask all tumbled to the floor. He assumed his spherical angel form. We compressed the purple, putrid sphere as it expanded and tried to break the chain.

“RUSH, NOW!” Tadashi said with effort.

Rush, looking at the sight of a student and a skeleton trying to stop a giant purple Pac-Man, just shook her head and set herself.

Body posture, breathing, mindset — she knew everything about the sword and portals. There was no one in the world better prepared for this than her. But one thing was missing — the right words to start the spell. Pulling them from her heart, she screamed with everything she had, announcing a new spell to the world:

“Under my command and that of all who drew this sword, I command the forces of nature and justice to aid this spell! No human has ever left Earth for the moons. This will not be a human voyage — we shall send a monster there. I PROCLAIM: LUNAR EXILE!”

A violent bolt leapt from the sword, striking behind us and opening a rupture in space. On the other side — somewhere far from ordinary… it was a portal to one of the moons!

“Now, Tadashi! PULL HIM INTO THE PORTAL!” I shouted.

Our idea backfired. The chain was not only holding the angel but feeding him. He realized it was two-way and began to siphon our energy.

“HAHAHA WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE I’LL RULE THE WORLD! Or… wait, why would I do that? I’d become a better person by saving it…” the angel said.

“What the heck? Is he having second thoughts?” I asked, confused.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s trying to distract us! Pull harder!”

Slowly the chain gave way. The magical pressure was enormous. If he broke free even for a second, those people would get hurt. We had to draw strength from our souls to the limit.

Tadashi focused on all his hopes and dreams:

I’ll have normal adventures… no weird cults or arranged marriages… I’ll become a clichéd hero in clichéd situations!

Yeah… maybe not the most selfless, but he was getting there.

For me it was different… I WASN’T GOING TO LOSE!

THE WHOLE BRAND OF DEATH IS ABOUT BEING AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE! IF I LOSE NOW I LOSE ALL MY HARD WORK. VISUAL IDENTITY IS TOO EXPENSIVE… I MUST WIN!

With a boost, the chain not only regenerated but increased in caliber, and with one last pull we were about to drag him through the portal.

But with a sharp tug from the angel, Tadashi lost his balance and slammed into something.

“Ow… why did you do that…”

It was Zack… a body with no soul at all.

A memory flashed in our minds… or more accurately, in mine:

A good slap across my skeletal face.

Zack had a rule about aggression:

What goes… comes back.

“ZACK, NO!”

Zack, without thinking, launched a flying double-kick, sending Tadashi into the portal. The snowball effect pulled the angel and me in too.

There was no way… we couldn’t hold it.

With one last word I screamed:

“RUSH, CLOSE THE PORTAL!”

“No… I… can’t…”

She couldn’t anymore. She was exhausted and the sword was completely drained.

The portal snapped shut.