[BL] Daily Disposable Persona

106: High School Student 14

Of course, they had no idea an ancient sect had gathered here in secret, and that it was already making preparations.

The cultists transported monuments from all over the world. Deep in the rainforest they built a tall sacrificial platform, drawing an obscure alchemical magic pattern on the ground with a mixture of liquid mercury and powdered gold. Even from a distance it gave off a strong aura of impurity.

Clad in a black robe and a strange skull mask, a man limped his way through the crowd.

Although he wore a mask, his identity was obvious because of his iconic red hair and the scepter in his hand symbolizing the authority of the high priest.

Indeed, he was none other than Paracelsus, who'd been violently thrashed by Zong Yan in his Yun Zhong Jun persona the day before.

When Paracelsus refused to reveal the whereabouts of the jade piece, Zong Yan took his philosopher's stone instead of killing him directly. Paracelsus relied on the stone for his immortality and superior alchemical abilities.

It was an effective approach. After all, everything Paracelsus had was given to him by the philosopher's stone, and losing the stone had serious side effects. Once it was gone, his life force would rapidly drain away. Not to mention that Paracelsus used the philosopher's stone to practice forbidden alchemical spells.

After Zong Yan took the philosopher's stone, the side effects immediately appeared on Paracelsus's body.

And while he didn't feel pain, he'd been severely pummeled by Yun Zhong Jun and had multiple bone fractures. Without the philosopher's stone, his self-healing ability decreased sharply. He even began to age.

Paracelsus immediately panicked.

The conditions needed to make another philosopher's stone were extremely demanding, so much so that even though he knew the formula, in all these years he hadn't been able to put together the right combination of time, place, and people to create another one.

If he didn't regain his philosopher's stone soon enough, he would revert to his rightful appearance—slowly aging until he became a handful of yellow sand.

That was why he took a risk.

According to their original plan, the R'lyeh sect intended to wait until the beginning of May to perform the ceremony that would attempt to summon their god. At that time, the configuration of the sky would be closer to the legendary return of the stars. It would become possible to raise the sunken R'lyeh from the sea.

But Paracelsus couldn't delay any longer.

Given the current situation of his body and his lack of healing ability, if he waited until early May, he most likely wouldn't be able to maintain his current youthful appearance. He would revert to a dying old man.

How could he possibly bear it?

That was why he contacted the sect's astrologer to calculate a slightly closer date. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be today, so he didn't waste any time recovering from his injuries. He immediately traveled from Miskatonic University.

Fortunately, the R'lyeh sect had been planning this event for a very long time. They'd begun transporting materials several months ago. That was why it was possible to attempt a summoning in such a hurry.

"Do you really want to perform the ceremony today, Your Excellency?"

The astrologer of the R'lyeh sect was worried. "Today's horoscope isn't very clear. If you risk a summoning, there's a good chance there may not be a response."

Anyone who'd taken a beginner's astrology course at MU would have recognized this man. He was one of the assistant professors who often substituted for the mysterious seventh Monarch in class.