The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The Cult of Algazar

Deep beneath the ground, far away from any major city, a large stone chamber was illuminated by dozens of red candles.

The room was old. Very old.

The walls were made from dark stone, covered in cracks and strange carvings that had survived for centuries. At the center of the chamber was a massive circular formation carved directly into the floor.

Several layers of magic circles overlapped one another.

Some were filled with ancient symbols.

Others were covered with lines of blood that had already dried.

Around the formation stood dozens of people wearing long red robes.

Every robe carried the same symbol.

A black crown surrounded by three curved lines, resembling a monstrous eye.

The symbol represented their god.

Algazar.

The Grave Tyrant.

Their robes concealed most of their faces, leaving only their eyes visible beneath their hoods.

At the very front of the chamber stood a tall man.

Unlike the others, his hood had been lowered.

His name was Malrec Veon, the leader of the group.

His face was thin, his black hair neatly combed backward, and his eyes carried an unsettling calmness.

In his hands was an old book.

He slowly closed it.

"The final preparations are nearly complete."

The room became silent.

Malrec looked toward the massive formation.

"How long?"

One of the robed men stepped forward.

"Eleven days, Lord Malrec."

A faint smile appeared on Malrec’s face.

"Eleven days..."

He repeated the number quietly.

"After two thousand four hundred years, eleven days is nothing."

Several members lowered their heads.

"Indeed."

"Algazar will return."

"Our god shall awaken."

"The world shall witness his wrath."

Malrec raised one hand.

The voices immediately stopped.

"The ritual requires only one final component."

A young woman standing nearby stepped forward.

"The final sacrifice?"

"No."

Malrec shook his head.

"We no longer require a sacrifice."

He pointed toward the enormous magic circle.

"What we require is a living vessel capable of surviving the summoning."

Several members exchanged glances.

"And have we found one?"

"Yes."

Malrec’s smile widened slightly.

"The vessel has already been prepared."

A murmur spread through the chamber.

One of the followers immediately dropped to his knees.

"Glory to Algazar."

The others followed.

"Glory to Algazar."

"Glory to the Grave Tyrant."

"Glory to the one who shall bring salvation through destruction."

Malrec watched them with satisfaction.

To these people, Algazar wasn’t merely a monster.

He was a god.

A god whose arrival would cleanse the world.

They believed the kingdoms had become corrupt, that nobles had become arrogant, that churches had forgotten the true meaning of worship, and that humanity had grown weak.

And they believed Algazar would fix everything.

Not by ruling over them.

But by destroying everything that stood before him.

One of the older members raised his head.

"Lord Malrec, there is another matter."

"What is it?"

"Our financial supplies."

Malrec’s expression didn’t change.

"Is there a problem?"

"No. Count Bellamere has provided another shipment."

Several members immediately smiled.

"Count Bellamere..."

"That man understands."

"He knows that our god must return."

Malrec nodded.

"Count Bellamere has been useful."

The Count was one of the nobles secretly backing their activities.

Money.

Materials.

Information.

Even access to restricted areas.

He had provided all three.

Of course, Bellamere himself didn’t understand everything they were planning.

He believed Algazar could be controlled.

That the creature could be awakened and used as a weapon against his political enemies.

Malrec almost found the idea amusing.

A man who believed he could control the Grave Tyrant.

What a foolish thought.

Still, his resources were useful.

"Continue accepting his assistance," Malrec said.

"But don’t reveal anything beyond what he needs to know."

"Understood."

Another follower stepped forward.

"The remaining magical materials have already been delivered. The final component should arrive within three days."

"Good."

Malrec walked toward the center of the chamber.

His footsteps echoed across the stone floor.

He stopped at the edge of the enormous formation.

The magic circle suddenly glowed faintly.

A deep vibration passed through the room.

Several candles flickered.

Some of the followers immediately fell to their knees.

"Did you feel that?"

"He is responding..."

"Algazar..."

Malrec stared at the formation.

For a moment, his expression became almost euphoric.

"Yes."

He slowly raised his arms.

"Our god is still waiting."

The followers began chanting.

"Algazar."

"Algazar."

"Algazar."

The chanting grew louder.

Malrec’s voice rose above them.

"In eleven days, the seal will be broken."

The formation beneath him began glowing brighter.

"In eleven days, our god will awaken."

The followers raised their hands.

"In eleven days, this rotten world will finally learn the meaning of fear."

Their voices shook the chamber.

"ALGazar will return!"

"THE GRAVE TYRANT WILL RISE!"

"THE OLD GOD SHALL AWAKEN!"

Malrec smiled.

He didn’t care about the kingdoms.

He didn’t care about the nobles.

He didn’t care about the people who would die.

To him, those things were meaningless.

There was only one thing that mattered.

The return of their god.

And the ritual had already begun.

Eleven days remained.

Only eleven.

Malrec looked toward the sealed passage at the far end of the chamber.

"Prepare everything."

He lowered his arms.

"And make certain that nothing interferes with the final ritual."

"Yes, Lord Malrec!"

The followers answered together.

The candles continued burning.

The massive magic circle continued glowing.

And deep beneath the earth, something that had been silent for more than two thousand years seemed to be waiting.

The private meeting room inside the Starlight headquarters had been occupied for some time already.

Aurora sat at the head of the long table with the latest records spread before her, while Herrera, Octavia, and Leonora occupied the seats beside her. Across from them were Vhan and Vince, the two highest authorities of the Eclipse Order beneath the Great Eclipse himself.

The atmosphere was different from their usual meetings.

Nobody was joking.

The document lying in the center of the table contained information that had been restricted to the highest-ranking members of the Order, and even they had only received fragments of the picture.

The name written across the first page was enough to explain why.

Grave Tyrant — Algazar.

A disaster-class monster recorded in ancient history.

A creature that had appeared in records from roughly 2,400 years ago, leaving behind nothing but ruined territories and stories that had gradually become legends.

And now, someone was attempting to summon it again.

Aurora slowly turned another page, her eyes moving across the incomplete information before she finally closed the document.

"The ritual is still incomplete, and we have not located the exact site."

Her words were directed toward everyone at the table.

"However, the fragments recovered from the recent investigation are enough to confirm that this is not some meaningless cult gathering. They have been preparing materials specifically associated with the summoning, and the records indicate that the final preparations may already be underway."

Octavia rested her fingers against the table as she considered the information.

"Which means we should assume that their remaining movements are becoming more difficult to observe. If they have reached the final stage, they will have little reason to continue transporting materials openly."

Leonora glanced over the map.

"That would explain why the trail became so thin after the last shipment."

Vhan nodded.

"We also found several locations that appear to have been used as temporary storage sites, but none of them contained enough evidence to identify the ritual’s final destination. Whoever is organizing this understands that leaving the entire operation in one place would make it too easy to uncover."

Herrera leaned against the back of her chair, her eyes fixed on the name written across the report.

"Algazar."

She repeated it slowly.

"So that is the creature they have chosen to worship."

Vince looked toward her.

"The cult does not consider Algazar a monster."

"Of course they don’t."

Herrera’s lips curled into an amused smile.

"That would require them to possess at least a little common sense."

She picked up one of the recovered fragments and examined the strange symbols written across it.

"According to this, they believe Algazar is a divine being whose arrival will cleanse the world through destruction. They are not merely trying to summon it. They have built their entire belief system around the idea that its arrival will mark the beginning of a new age."

Leonora’s expression hardened.

"And they have no idea what will happen after the summoning."

"We don’t know whether they can control it either," Octavia said. "The records do not explain that part."

Aurora nodded.

"Exactly. We should not assume they have a method of controlling Algazar, nor should we assume they intend to. Their objective may simply be to bring it into this world and allow the consequences to follow."

Herrera gave a quiet laugh.

"Which is somehow even more ridiculous."

She placed the fragment back onto the table.

"Imagine gathering followers, sacrificing resources, hiding from the kingdom, and risking your own lives just to summon something that may destroy you the moment it appears."

Her smile widened.

"Perhaps they consider being destroyed by their god an honor."

"Some people are capable of making devotion into a form of madness," Leonora said.

"That is precisely what makes them dangerous," Vhan replied. "Not because they understand what they are doing, but because they do not."

The room fell quiet for a moment as everyone looked toward the report again.

Then Vince reached for another document.

"There is one more connection that concerns me."

He opened it and placed several transaction records on the table.

"Count Bellamere."

Aurora’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"The merchant records?"

"Several of them can be traced back to businesses operating under his influence. The connection is indirect, and we still have no proof that the count personally knows about the summoning ritual, but the amount of money moving through these channels is too large to dismiss."

Herrera looked over the figures.

"A nobleman providing resources to people who worship a disaster-class monster."

She rested her cheek against her hand.

"What an unpleasant little hobby."

Octavia shook her head.

"We should not accuse him yet. If Count Bellamere is involved, he may only be providing resources without knowing the true purpose behind them."

"Or he knows exactly what he is supporting," Leonora said.

"Either possibility requires investigation."

Aurora slowly gathered the documents into a single stack.

"Then we investigate him as well, but we do not move against him until we understand the connection."

Her tone remained measured, but the faint smile on her face had not disappeared.

"The cult is the immediate problem. Bellamere is simply another thread attached to it."

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