Gate Guardian - Song Of The Frozen Soul

Everything was dark.

Am I dead? I"m sure I was. Diadem burnt me to a crisp, just like how he did to my friends. So I failed to take my vengeance for the third time, huh?

…I"m the worst.

Suddenly, there were two rows of torches that lit up the area, but what made the place brighten up more is the chandelier that looks like it was made from dried up flesh and tentacles. I realized that I was stepping on a tattered red carpet, and the greenish-black walls encased this wide hall. I was inside a peculiar throne room that looked abandoned for eons.

In front of me is a gigantic chair which was painted with worn-out gold. There was a dead carca.s.s of a creature sitting in it, which looked like Cthulhu himself. He has a humanoid body with dragon-like claws, wings, and tail. His head was similar to an octopus. But its eye sockets are empty.

"So you have the power of a G.o.d now, Ric."

I turned around and saw my three friends. Chrisprel, Ranley, and Daughty. The three are wearing clean white clothing as if they were hospital patients. They look so alive. Except that they"re dead. We all are.

"What"s the use of having the power of a G.o.d if you can"t even avenge your friends?" Chrisprel groaned.

"We have high hopes for you. You saw us dying in advance. Why didn"t you do anything to save us!?" Ranley yelled.

"This is all your fault. Diadem only wants you, and it has nothing to do with us. Why do innocent people die for you anyway?" Daughty cried.

Hearing those words broke my heart. I know my shortcomings, my weakness, my stupidity, my stubbornness, and my forgetfulness. But they all shoved it on my face.

"I… I"m sorry…"

"Don"t be sorry," Chrisprel said. "There is still a way so that we can forgive you."

"It"s not your time yet," Ranley said. "You can still atone for your sins and correct what is wrong."

"We only have one final wish for you," Daughty said. "And that is to let yourself be consumed by hatred."

The three white people"s body started to deteriorate. Their flesh started to rot, and some of their fingers, hair, and even an eye fell to the ground. Tentacles sp.a.w.ned from their feet and started to pluck their body parts one by one. Ribs, heart, teeth, and even arms. Blood made their white clothes became dark red. The three took the form of zombies in no time.

"Avenge us… by inflicting the same pain… to your enemy…. Your hatred… will be the salvation… we seek."

Suddenly, the torches and the gigantic chandelier went off, making this place dark again.

<>

"Rikkun!"

"Ric! Wake up!"

Those are the words that entered my eardrums. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the worried faces of Tiara and Amy. I looked at my hands and my naked upper body, and there are no signs of injuries.

When I tried to stand up, Tiara and Amy instinctively hugged me tightly!

"I thought you were a goner, Rikkun," Tiara said with relief.

"Don"t scare us like that, ever again!" Amy cried.

"W-What happened?" I asked. But the two has no intention of answering me. They just savored embracing me. d.a.m.n, am I too handsome?

"You got roasted by Diadem, literally," Heushac answered. "Your body was charred, but before that, you unconsciously activated your Fake G.o.d Core and transformed into chulcho… chuluchu? Was that cthuuhuu?"

"Cthulhu." Key backed Heushac up. "Ku-tul-hu…"

"Yup," Heushac said. "It"s like your G.o.d Core has a failsafe. I guess you"re quite unkillable with that G.o.d"s hyper regeneration and plot armor."

Of course I won"t die. I"m the protagonist of this novel. And I"m somewhat destined to live eternally as a head-only creature that"s supposed to be the Brightmore Witch"s plaything.

"Where"s Diadem?" I made a follow-up.

"He escaped. Actually, we chased him with all our might. Tiara turned into her scary Kyuubi-mode and Jeannette used her G.o.ddess powers to get here in no time. Key and I also did our best, but that guy knows how to teleport."

I made a smile. Clearly, we failed once again. I really hate that c.o.c.kroach villain has thicker plot armor than the protagonist. I wanted some vengeance since those three ghosts are already asking for the deadline. But for now, I"m just thankful that everyone is fine.

Or so I thought.

My brain felt like being squeezed. There was this long computer beeping noise inside my head, and every time I blink, I see static. I let out a painful cry which scared the girls, and that made them stay away from me for a while. My left eye completely lost its vision, and the left part of my body turned numb.

"Aaaaaaargh!"

My left arm and feet struggled to move even if I"m not commanding them! They are creepily wriggling, and is slowly being converted to a scaly dark skin! My left shoulder sp.a.w.ned tentacles, and a single wing materialized on my back! My chest opened, and revealed a giant red eye! What is this? I"m not controlling any of it!

"Rikkun!" , "Ric!" The two girls are certainly worried about me.

"Your eyes…" Heushac muttered in surprise. "Your eyes are crimson red, and bears the mark of a Cursed Guardian!"

"Mister Heushac!" Tiara scolded. Then she looked at me with pity. "Rikkun, hang in there!"

Tiara drew a talisman from her sleeve and then stuck it on the giant eye that has been sp.a.w.ning from my chest. I felt that my heart has been burning as if it was dipped in flesh-eating acid. There was an excruciating pain that made me utter a loud cry!

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" My vocal chords were strained. "L-Leave me! Leave me alone!"

"By the power of my !" Amy pointed her hand at me. "I command you, Alaric Eisenhower, to keep calm until the exorcism is finished!"

For a brief moment, my body became so heavy that I couldn"t lift a finger. But the body parts on my left, including the tendrils and the wings, continued to struggle!

Tiara has been murmuring as she prays with a hand seal. There is this magic circle under me that glowed with white light. It releases white particles that cleanses my evil thoughts away.

""

It was the spell of shrine maidens to cast away evil spirits in a Gate Guardian who has been cursed. This is supposed to turn Cursed Guardians back to normal, but Tiara is having a hard time to do it!

"A proper exorcism can only be made by shrine maidens in the shrine!" Amy said. "Heushac, go to the Kozukata Shrine and tell them the situation!"

"Roger that!" Heushac said. Then Key transformed into and geared him up. Heushac boosted with full throttle, leaving me alone with the two girls.

Suddenly, my worn out tentacles moved and wrapped the shrine maiden who was keeping me sealed! It constricted and squeezed Tiara"s neck, which prevented her from uttering any prayer!

"Don"t touch her!" I shouted. I materialized my katana and chopped off my left shoulder! My left dragonic arm, together with the tentacles fell to the ground!

"Ric!" Amy was horrified upon seeing those.

But don"t worry, it didn"t hurt at all. I can"t feel half of my body. Blood splattered on the ground, and I feel a lot more dizzy. I can"t afford to hurt my friends again!

Tiara coughed a few times and then continued her chant. I can see in her eyes that she"s on the verge of crying, but she"s determined to save me!

Amy then used her to seal the large wound due to my amputation as she whispers to my ear "Ric, stay with me… You will be okay, I promise."

I"ve never seen her so worried.

An eerie voice entered my head as my vision turned to static once more.

IT"S JEANNETTE"S TURN, AND SHE SHALL HAVE THE WORST PUNISHMENT OF ALL!!!

All of a sudden, millions of tendrils sp.a.w.ned from those numb parts of my body. The tentacles are so ma.s.sive and numerous as it formed a gigantic pillar when those wriggled in existence. It felt like it has its own life, and my body is involuntarily fused to it.

Slowly, the tentacles reformed into a gigantic creature. Half of its body is submerged in the black waters of this dimension called Yami, but the upper half is completely visible. It has the claws of a dragon, a humanoid body, a pair of gargantuan dragon wings, and a giant octopus head.

Its eyes opened and revealed the triangle mark of the Cursed Guardians. It is an abomination cultivated by my hatred; my deadly sin.

A Level 4 Eidolon who can match the G.o.ds sp.a.w.ned from the depths of my h.e.l.lish wrath.

Cthulhu.