58 CH55: Cultists

All the Ionian champions in the room were staring at Grey shocked. They can barely keep up with what was happening. First, their goddess shows up, then she offers the Abyss Watcher a chance to Godhood, but then he turns it down almost instantly.

Amaterasu, however, seemed amused. "No?" she asked, though it sounded like she was expecting it.

"Yes, no," Grey confirmed his previous reply before turning around. "If this is all you came here to ask me, then I'm leaving."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Karma was one of the first to get over her shock. "Why would you refuse?" she asked Grey, wanting to know why would anyone turn down the position of being a deity.

The Abyss Watcher answered her question with another one. "Why WOULD I want to be a God?" he asked causing even more confusion. "Being a God means that I'll have religious idiots doing nonsense to get my attention. I already have that thanks to being famous from the Institute," he explained.

"So, you're just worried about religious nuts?" the woman beside Zed asked, sounding as if she just heard the stupidest thing in the world. She didn't think it would be enough to give up Godhood.

"That's not just it," Grey finally stopped, turning back to face everyone. "Simply put, I don't respect gods, of any kind," he revealed, shocking them.

Amaterasu didn't look shocked, but curious. "Oh, you don't respect us, and why is that?" she asked. Grey seemed like the respectable kind and didn't seem like someone to hate someone without a reason.

Grey's look, while looking stoic, managed to make the Ionian champions feel cold to the bones. "Because you gods use the excuse of divinity to abandon us mortals the first chance you get," he said.

To everyone's surprise, Tiara, who was silent until now, barked a laugh. "Ha! He described you gods perfectly," she taunted.

However, she wasn't the only one laughing, as apparently, the scythe that the young man beside Zed was holding started laughing, slightly confusing Grey and Tiara that it can speak. Ahri wasn't surprised since she already guessed it was a Darkin. "HAHAHA! I like this guy, Kayn," the scythe said to the young man. The scythe can actually remember Aatrox saying something similar when the Darkin turned on the world.

Amaterasu ignored Tiara's taunts and the Darkin's laughing while she kept looking at Grey. "We have not abandoned mortals. It is mortals that-"

"That what? Killed? Cheated? Raped?" Grey asked, and Amaterasu's silence was proof that he guessed correctly. "You blame the mistakes of a few on everyone. We mortals aren't born smart. We have to learn everything," he started walking towards Amaterasu. "And you, gods, sit in the heaven expecting the impossible out of us," he stopped when he was looking at Amaterasu in the eyes. "So let me ask you, what do you see us mortals as?"

Amaterasu's eyes turned to a glare. "Simply put, mortals are vile creatures," she responded, insulting the Ionian champions around.

Surprisingly, Xayah took this as a chance to speak. "Ha! I always knew humans were filth!" she gloated, thinking that the Ionian gods were backing up her philosophy.

However, that was proved wrong when Susano immediately said, "That includes the Vastaya, too," causing Xayah to immediately go back into a shocked state.

Amaterasu and Grey kept their staredown. "Now, what do YOU think of mortals?" the sun goddess asked, wanting to see what Grey was getting to.

The Abyss Watcher stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "Did you know: in our world, it is common knowledge that humans come from the Dark," he started.

"So you admit that mortals are evil?" Amaterasu guessed.

However, Grey shook his head. "That's not it," he said catching everyone's attention, wanting to know what he was talking about. "Humans come from the Dark... And they walk through the Light... The Dark Soul made humanity... Yet humans proved that they can go against their Dark nature... And reach for the Light inside themselves... Light cannot exist without Dark, and Dark cannot exist without Light... If humans have Darkness in them, doesn't that mean that they have Light as well?" Grey then looked at Ahri who was still kneeling behind him, over his shoulder. "That is what proves to me that you're human... It's because you went against your nature, and changed for the better."

Stunned silence filled the entire room. In a few moments, Grey managed to show everyone that humanity is not as bad as it seems. Even Xayah started questioning that there might be good humans.

The most stunned person would probably be Ahri. If she used to have any doubts that she was still a monster, they were all gone now. She couldn't help but let out a few tears of happiness, seeing all the faith and belief that Grey was putting into her.

Amaterasu didn't show any physical response, and simply asked, "So, is no your final answer?"

Before Grey can respond, Tiara spoke. "Grey, can we talk for a moment?" she asked. Her brother looked at her for a second before nodding and they both started walking towards one of the sides of the room, making sure that no one can hear them. "I think you should take the offer," she whispered.

Grey could not look more confused. "What?" he asked to make sure of what he heard.

"From what I understand, Ionia's government is unstable, at best," Tiara started explaining what she heard and what she saw since getting to Ionia. "They could be thrown into a civil war out of nowhere, and that could cause a lot of problems. Unless you're planning to kill half of Ionia, then the only way to make sure they don't kill themselves is to be their God. Plus, it could give you some political power to… protect a certain someone," Tiara finished while motioning her head towards Ahri.

Grey looked down in thought. While it didn't seem like it, Grey knew his sister was quite the tactician. That's actually a must if you work for Pontiff Sulyvahn since the last person who worked for him and wasn't a good tactician ended up becoming a chew toy for Sulyvahn's pets.

Truthfully, he hated the thought of becoming a God, far more than being famous. However, looking back at Ahri, Grey realized that Tiara was right. There were no traces of Ahri's origins other than a pair of gemstones. Legally speaking, Ahri doesn't even exist in Ionia, and that could cause her to be in a lot of danger because of her past of hunting memories. Even though his sister wouldn't admit it, Grey knew that she was looking out for his lover.

Giving out a tired sigh, the Abyss Watcher nodded, showing his sister that he was agreeing with her. They both turned back towards the Ionians and walked back to the middle of the room. "Alright, I accept," Grey said, which caused some of the people to question why he changed his mind. "Now, what do you want me to do?" he asked.

Amaterasu gave her usual knowing smirk. "What makes you think I want you to do something?" she asked innocently.

However, Grey was not convinced. "It's you, Ama, you always want something from me."

Susano started laughing as he saw his sister's smile vanish. "He already knows you that well!" he taunted between laughs.

Amaterasu spared a quick glare at her brother before looking back at Grey. "Very well, I suppose you are correct," she admitted causing Grey to cross his arms, waiting for an explanation. "There is a cult devoted into worshipping a Demon called the Blood Demon, and they plan to summon it in Ionia, the Blood Demon is very dangerous and would cause havoc across all of Runeterra, not just this land, so all I ask is that you stop them or kill the Demon."

Kill a Blood Demon to be a Blood God, it somewhat made sense but still was kind of confusing at the same time. "Alright, I'll do it," Grey agreed.

Just as he was about to ask for details on the cult's whereabouts, Amaterasu spoke again. "However, you will not go alone this time," she said causing the Abyss Watcher to raise an eyebrow. "Three representatives from Ionia's Factions will accompany you," Amaterasu looked at Shen. "One from the Kinkou order," she then looked at Zed. "One from the Order of Shadows," then she looked at Rakan and Xayah. "They will choose someone to accompany you."

The first one to speak was Shen. "I would nominate Akali for this," he said. Akali's eyes widen and she was about to say something back to her master until Shen gave her a look that said, 'now is not the time for arguments', which made her go quiet.

Zed turned his head toward the young man beside him. "Kayn, you're going from the Order of Shadows," he ordered, almost sounding like a father telling his son to do something.

The young man, Kayn, nodded. "Yes, Master Zed," he agreed.

The scythe rolled its eye. "Great, more work for us. Well, at least blood is involved," he added with a sinister chuckle.

From the Vastaya, Ahri was going to volunteer, but she hesitated for a second as she glanced at Amaterasu. Sadly, that second gave Rakan the chance to speak up. "I'll go for the Vastaya."

"You will?" Xayah asked, surprised that her lover volunteered. "Why?"

The Charmer shrugged. "It could be fun. Plus, they're all heavy hitters. They need someone to protect them," he added reminding everyone that, despite the way Rakan usually acts, he is still a warrior who can understand how battle work.

Ahri slumped slightly, regretting her hesitation. She didn't say anything because she agreed that Rakan was right. If any of them got hurt, Rakan would be more useful than she would be.

"Alright," Grey nodded. He wanted Ahri to join them, but he couldn't let personal preference get in the way of battle. "We will be leaving in an hour, be ready," he told them figuring out that an hour should be enough to get ready and acquire information.

"Wait, I want to know something," Irelia suddenly spoke up, finally standing up from kneeling. "How do you know each other?" she asked motioning to Grey and Amaterasu.

The Abyss Watcher answered saying, "I met her during the mission last time I was here in Ionia."

"Wait! Back up!" this time, it was the Boreal Valley Dancer that spoke raising her hands. "Let me get this straight. You left Ahri after a fight, met a literal goddess, but then left that literal goddess to go back to Ahri?" Tiara asked to make sure of what her brother was implying and he nodded causing her to give him a tired look. "What kind of idiot are you?"

Ahri thought that she should have been insulted about Tiara saying that Grey was an idiot for leaving another woman for her. However, Ahri also knew that Amaterasu beats her in both power and beauty.

Grey gave his sister a deadpan look. "The kind of idiot that puts up with all your bullshit and still considers you a sibling," he replied causing Ahri, Xayah, and the man with a ponytail in the corner to cover their mouths to stop themselves from laughing.

Amaterasu, however, let her laughter out freely. "Someone who understands my suffering," she said looking at her scowling brother.

Tiara, however, just shrugged her shoulders. "Can't argue with that," she said before crossing her arms. "So, do we wait for you to return now?"

"I will be here, waiting for your return," Amaterasu said as she waved her hand, and a large black throne with a red crest of the sun at the top appeared behind her. "Bring back the Demon's soul if you kill it, that should be more than enough proof of the missions being complete," she informed.

"I'll be at the bar," Susano said, causing his sister to almost slap her forehead.

"I can go with that," the man with a ponytail in the corner said as he finally stood up and started following Susano out of the room.

Tiara shrugged her shoulders. "Well, might as well try out Ionian alcohol," she said as she started following the two. She knew that it might be weak like all the drinks on Runeterra, but it never hurts to try.

Everyone stood up and started leaving the chamber through a different exit. While walking through a hallway, Akali turned to Shen. "Shen, why did you say that?" she asked.

The Eye of Twilight knew she was talking about volunteering her. "Simply put, you are the best choice. You have spent the time with Grey the most, and would work with him the best from the Kinkou order," he explained most of the reason why he chose her. The rest is because he didn't know if Zed was going to go himself. As calm as Shen was, he didn't believe that he would approve of how Zed acts.

Akali sighed, agreeing with She's logic, even though it was bothersome. She supposed that she should feel lucky. She gets to be in a team with three handsome men. However, she didn't feel lucky at all knowing that two of them were taken, by girls that would kill her if they find out that she attempted to flirt, and the last one being a guy talking to his scythe. Granted, the scythe does talk back, but still.

Meanwhile, Zed was walking another hallway with Kayn and the woman who was with them before, but she was floating off the ground rather than walking.

"Master Zed, may I ask a question," Kayn requested after a moment of silence. Zed looked at him over his shoulder, which was a sign that he can continue. "Why did we join? I understand dealing with the cult, but why help the Abyss Watcher?"

Zed turned his gaze back towards the front before answering. "Obviously, Lady Amaterasu sees the corruption in Ionia. We joined because I want to show her that we are aiming for the same thing. The best for this land. And, if all goes well, then we'd have very powerful allies soon," he explained before hearing the woman clear her throat, causing him to sigh. "I mean MORE powerful allies," although he tried to make himself annoyed, those who knew Zed can notice his amusement at Syndra's habit of being recognized for her power.

Syndra smirked in victory. Truthfully, she agreed with Zed's reasoning. If Amaterasu does see the Order of Shadows as an ally than they can finally solve the problem with Ionia.

Despite popular belief, neither Syndra or Zed hated Ionia or had anything against it. On the contrary, they loved the land so much, which is why Zed created the Order of Shadows and Syndra joined him. It's because they both agreed that Ionia's government is not doing things right. Jhin was a prime example.

"Do we really need allies that bad?" Kayn asked, believing that the Order of Shadows was more than strong enough.

"Afraid of making friends?" Zed asked, somewhat teasing his student.

"I don't need friends," Kayn replied.

It was at that moment that the scythe, Rhaast, finally joined in the conversation. "Oh really? What about that girl that keeps talking about the blonde idiot?" he asked.

Both Zed and Syndra stopped and looked at Kayn in confusion. However, the Shadow Assassin didn't confirm anything. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

However, just as he said that a pink portal suddenly appeared beside them and out of it came out a girl with long, wild, orange hair with a rainbow hue on it. She was wearing a blue top and shorts with a few odd necklaces. In her hands was a small cake with purple frosting.

"Hey, Kayn! I got some chocolate moon-cake! Wanna share?" the girl said holding up the cake in her hands.

Silence filled the hall as Zed and Syndra turned their heads back to Kayn. Zed was giving his student a disappointed look, Syndra was giving him a curious look, and Rhaast was giving his current wielder the most smug look he can as a scythe.

As for Kayn himself, he just said one thing. "Not one word, Rhaast. Not. One. Word."

Time skip: (Brought to you by chibi Kayn and chibi Rhaast arguing over who gets control.)

The hour has passed. Right now, Akali, Grey, Kayn, and Rakan were now out of the building and were walking through one of the darker parts of the city.

The place was filled with old houses, shady people, and dangerous stores. "So, you say that people from the cult were spotted here?" Akali asked to make sure of what Kayn had earlier told them while ignoring the looks from the people around. It was expected since it would be strange for a member of the Kinkou order to be in this part of town.

The Shadow Assassin nodded. "That's right. Members of the Order of Shadows spotted the cultists here," he explained before pointing at a bar. "At the place to be exact."

The bar was a simple building, barely any noticeable features in it except a sign above a wooden door that said, (Skull's Poison), which is most likely the name of the bar.

"A bar? How original," Rhaast sarcastically remarked.

"So, what are we going to do?" Rakan asked knowing they couldn't just walk in. "People from the Kinkou and the Shadow order are going to cause questions."

"Then we shouldn't bother with being quiet," the Abyss Watcher said as he started walking towards the bar.

The others looked between each other before deciding to listen to Grey and follow him. Between all of them, Grey had the most battle experience, so they thought that making him the leader was a good idea.

Opening the wooden door of the bar, the Abyss Watcher was greeted with the sight of a rather normal looking Pup. Floors made of wood, round wooden tables with a few chairs, a counter at the back with a middle-aged man as a bartender.

There were a few people, along with a waitress moving around the tables with a tray in her hands. However, what the Abyss Watcher was looking for was at a table at the far right corner of the place.

The table hosted five men sitting on chairs. All of them wearing the same uniform made of a sleeveless black shirt, red robes around their shoulders with hoods, baggy dark red pants, and black boots. Their clothes basically screamed that they have something to do with blood.

The group of champions entered and looked at Grey waiting for a plan, only for him to grab the nearest table and flip it. "Everyone, out!" he ordered while pulling out his sword.

The sight of the large weapon, along with the fact that most of them recognized Kayn who was from the Order of Shadows, almost everyone left except for the bartender, the waitress, and the cultists.

Kayn, Akali, and Rakan would have been surprised if the Abyss Watcher didn't already tell them that being quiet was no longer an option. Grey walked towards the table of the cultists, still holding his sword.

"You are coming with us," the Lord of Cinder told them, leaving no room for question.

The cultists looked amongst each other before nodding. One of them suddenly flipped the table at the Abyss Watcher, who used his sword to cut it in two, causing the two pieces to pass by him.

When the cultists were seen again, they had all stood up from their chairs and gotten into a battle stance. Each of them was holding a long, crescent-shaped dagger with a wooden handle.

"In the name of our master, we-" the first cultist didn't have time to finish whatever he was going to say before Grey's sword cleaved his neck and beheaded him.

The other cultists were surprised and took a step back. Kayn and Akali looked at each other before going into the fight, while Rakan stayed back.

The first one to move was one of the four remaining cultists, who tried to cut down Akali with his dagger. The rogue assassin used a kunai to block the strike before twisting her arm, forcing the cultist to do the same, leaving him wide open. Akali took that chance and used her sickle to slit the man's throat, causing him to fall on the ground, clutching his wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. However, Akali didn't give him a chance as she drove her kunai into the back of his neck, cutting his spine and effectively killing him.

The second cultist moved towards Kayn. The shadow assassin simply waited until the incoming man was close enough before spinning around and using Rhaast's pole to knock the cultist off his feet and onto his back. Before the cultist can even attempt to stand back up again, Kayn impaled Rhaast's blade through the man's chest and into the floor. The Darkin let out a sinister laugh as blood covered his body.

Meanwhile, Rakan was sitting at one of the tables on the side with a mug in his hand, watching as the battle happened. The waitress was cowering behind the table poked out her head to look at him. "Aren't you going to do anything?" she asked. Rakan looked at the battle before shrugging his shoulders and taking a drink from the mug in his hand.

The two remaining cultists attacked Grey at the same time, believing that they would have a better chance if it's two on one. They both came in at the same time swinging down their daggers.

The Abyss Watcher used his sword to stop both attacks before using his other hand to punch one of the men away while moving back backward and pulling away his sword, causing the other one, who had his weapon pushing onto Grey's sword, to stumble forward and almost fall into his knees. Grey took the chance and raised his sword before bringing it downwards, cutting the cultist down.

The last remaining cultist, the one that Grey punched earlier, was the only one left. The Abyss Watcher's punch sent him falling onto his back near the table Rakan is at.

When the Demon worshipping man was about to stand up, Rakan raised his wooden mug and smashed it on his head, spilling the rest of the drink on him along with knocking him out.

Akali put her weapons away as Kayn walked beside her with Rhaast over his shoulder. "If this is all they got, then this should be easy," she said finding no trouble with the cultists.

"Our problem isn't them, but the Demon they're trying to summon," Grey pointed out as he went to one of the tables, grabbed one of the full mugs left by the people that ran away, and went to the still alive but knocked out cultist.

The Abyss Watcher dumped the content of the mug at the unconscious man's head, causing him to jolt awake feeling the liquid splash across his face. Upon noticing the champions surround him, he tried to reach for the dagger that he dropped, only for Rakan to kick it away. "Up, Up, Up! Not this time," the charmer denied.

"Where are you're friends staying at?" Akali asked in a nice tone which caused her to be more scared.

The cultist spat at their feet. "Screw off! I will NOT say anything!" he yelled out.

Kayn looked at the other champions. "Should I try to interrogate him? I know a little bit of torture," he said much to the man's fear.

But, Grey suddenly knelt down near the cultist, forcibly grabbed his arm, and, much to everyone's surprise, snapped one of the bones in his fingers causing the cultist to cry out in pain. "Wow! Grey?!" Akali cried out in surprise.

The Abyss Watcher ignored Akali and the screaming cultist. "Did you know: there are 206 bones in the human body," Grey said before snapping another bone in the man's finger. "How do I know this? It's because I once broke every bone in a person's body and counted them," another bone was broken and the cultist screamed again. "I promise that I will do the same to you if you do not start talking."

Despite the threat, the cultist remained quiet, which in turn caused Grey to keep breaking bones in the man's fingers. Akali, Kayn, and Rakan looked away, trying to ignore the screams. And, as for Rhaast, he was enjoying the show which is implied by his laughter.

After Grey had broken nearly 15 more bones, the man decided that it wasn't worth it to stay quiet. "Fine! Fine! I'll tell you where they are!"

To make sure he doesn't go back on his word, the Abyss Watcher grabbed his shoulder, threatening to break it should he rethink his decision or try to lie. "Start talking."

(A/N: Thank you for reading this.

First, about the talk between Grey and Amaterasu, it's actually expected for someone from the Dark Souls universe to not respect gods at all, since most, if not all gods there are pretty much assholes.

Second, about what Tiara said, that's actually something I realized about Ionia. The traitors in the elders that are keeping Jhin free, along with the Kinkou and the Shadow order basically at each other's throats, add the people that want revenge on Noxus, it's to be expected that they would be on the brink of a civil war.

Third, about why Ahri hesitated, that will be explained in the next chapter, and it is a very good reason, so don't worry.

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Again, thank you for reading this. Please comment, review, and give me your thoughts on my story.)