215 Get Ready (1/2)
Arima was sitting cross-legged on top of Melumnia's tallest building. The scenery was quiet and the suns were setting down. Arima was meditating under the orangish glow of the two stars...o...b..ting around each other.
Night was resting his back on the wall of a different building, looking at Arima from there. Karma was sitting right next to him.
They were the only people remaining on that planet at the moment. Malum even had taken the animals with the Second White Art. Jorga had already left but his eyes never stopped looking over the world.
Arima was just waiting. Waiting for the Pillars to arrive and the army to invade. Meanwhile, he was thinking. Wondering. Being told that there is someone out there who is meant to be the one who'll end his life… is not that shocking for him. It doesn't even bother him.
The only thing messing with his head is the fact that he is the reincarnation of an ancient power. He heard about it during his Life Judgement, Utain explicitly told him, even the old Jane back at the orphanage…
He heard 'Ahriman'. He was told he had had been birthed under that theory. Now, the wisest creature in this Reality defined him as a reincarnation, Angra Mainyu. An ancient evil spirit endowed with a human body and mind.
Then there was Ahura Mazda. Another high spirit, the creator and main G.o.d of the Zoroastrianism. He held both light and darkness in his hands, but the latter had been personified to become Angra Mainyu who then became a near equal to Ahura Mazda, thus his greatest enemy.
But in the end, Angra Mainyu lost. He was confined to his own realm where the demons he had created would devour each other and make the existence of the Destructive Spirit fade away.
Arima smirked as he recalled that legend ”What will happen I wonder?” He laughingly muttered. He slowly opened his blind eyes and stood up. For a second, his left iris split in two, glowing red and gold.
He was pleased. Arima had no other words for what he was feeling. Since he heard the name 'Ahura Mazda', something seemed to be resurfacing inside him. The more he thought about Ahura, the more he would become thrilled.
”I would like to meet the person who lives to kill me” Arima snickered and at the same time, spatial portals opened and some strange gates fell from the sky and crashed on the ground. Those gates seemed to be made out of simple dark wood but emanated a really strong presence.
When the doors opened, a loud horn resounded across Melumnia. Just after, a giant hand grabbed the frame of the gate which was the closest to Arima. Then, a blue-skinned giant emerged. Arima observed him quickly ”(The same race as Errastas…)”
Through the same gate, dozens of giants started coming out while countless ghouls, and soldiers of all races were coming out of the others.
Night and Karma landed lightly beside Arima as if they had been here since the beginning. Soon after, the giants had surrounded Arima. They seemed to be very aware of his presence.
”Hey, the Crosses are not affecting them” Night uttered and Arima squinted his eyes.
”…Can you tell me if they have some sort of common sign or symbol on them?” Arima asked and Night complied as he knew that Arima couldn't see. He scanned over a few hundred giants and a few thousand infantries then nodded.
”They have one. It's a sort of eagle pattern. There's pair of deployed wings with the silhouette of an old man coming out of the middle. The feathers of the bird's tail seem to depict the clothing of that same figure. The giants have it tattoed on their skin while the others have it on their clothes”
Arima chuckled ”That's Ahura's primary symbol. That explains why my Crosses are not affecting them”
”What do you mean?” Karma inquired without taking her eyes out from the army surrounding them.
”Take this as a sort of religion. My Crosses, like any other creed, channels faith. But my authority obliges people to put their faith on me. That's what makes this Art powerful. But, there's a simple way to prevent that” Arima said.
”You just have to expose another symbol in which you put your faith in. When your beliefs are already directed toward something or someone else, the Crosses won't affect you” Arima listened to the absurd number of footsteps. The group of giants and the still growing army. He sensed two figures standing on thin air, not that far from them.
”I wonder who got this brilliant idea” Arima smirked while facing Harion and Dracula.
The former laughed ”So you are that infamous Life Hunter, huh? I feel sorry for Raylein. I'm sure he could've never imagined that the human he had chosen would kill three Guardians upon his arrival on Melumnia” He couldn't stop laughing. He was so engrossed and amused by the human who was standing on his way.
Next to him, Dracula was glaring at Arima. He, of course, was informed that Ambrogio had been killed. He didn't know if he should be pleased or if he should be angry at Arima for killing one of the few kin he had in this Reality.
Arima cackled along with Harion ”Yeah, I'm sure he didn't. But at least, now he gained an even better a.s.set”
Harion abruptly stopped laughing and gravely looked at Arima ”So? Can you tell me where they are?” He asked with a dark tone ”I cannot believe the Guardians deliberately abandoned Melumnia. Well, at least, I'm sure that Ambrogio would've never left it to the enemies”
”I ordered them to leave” Arima retorted and Harion grinned.
”Fascinating. So, I can a.s.sume that you're their new leader. Did you become the First Guardian?”
”No. I will never”
”What?” Harion scowled ”That means you still didn't meet the Original G.o.d to receive his blessing?”