Chapter 101

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As dusk settled in, two knights held on each side of Seth as they dragged him to the cross standing before him, lifting his head to see the descending sun behind it. The holy man looked to be in terrible condition, bleeding from his back with his bare feet covered in dirt, scrapes, and bruises while the king's crown continued to melt his own scalp, digging itself into his skin and tissue altogether.

"Hurry up, already!" Someone from the crowd shouted, raising his fist in the air, "I don't have all day!" He complained to the soldiers, impatiently tapping his foot while his friends agreed, "Get on with it! This is getting boring!" He added, urging them to make haste.

As he watched the structure of the cross get closer and closer, Seth glanced at his two other friends, who were also being dragged to the closest ones near his assigned cross, while the rest of the soldiers began to nail the prisoners or were currently dragging them to the unoccupied structures.

"He came the third time and said to them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest. It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners."

Mysterious voice possessing masculine and feminine voice suddenly announced in his own head, surprising the holy man, but he ignored it altogether, for he had no time to dwell into such thoughts when death was already awaiting him in the palm of their hands.

Once they were close to the structure, Seth was dropped to the ground, causing those who had followed him to silently mourn or regret seeing this horrid display. Even Solomon was forced to watch this scene unfold before his tearful eyes.

The boy stood within the crowd, clenching his fists tightly as he gritted his own teeth with both anger and frustration. He wants to save him and his friends; he wants all of this to end. But Solomon knew his father figure wouldn't want this to happen.

There is already too much blood being spilled.

Seth coughed violently as the dirt entered his mouth, leaving him choking on dust and soil. He was barely able to breathe while he tried to support himself through his own elbows, but a strong, firm grip pulled him up from his arms, making him look up at the dusky sky with a look of sorrow.

Tears of blood begin to flow through his face while his neck strains from the heavy crown digging itself deeper into the skin of his scalp, slowly pushing his hair away. His breathing became uneven due to the sheer amount of agony he received from his wounds.

Then two additional knights carrying ladders approached them. "Grab his hands and feet," a man in red armor instructed as he took out his sword, "we'll start on the left," informing the others as they pulled Seth's arms outwards, which caused him to wince from the sharp pain in his joints.

Looking around, the holy man saw the other prisoners being nailed to their own crosses; their cries of anguish were ignored by the crowd, with the exception of some who couldn't even look at this terrible scene being displayed in front of them.

After this sight, Seth felt his spread-out hands being excruciatingly nailed onto the vertical plank with a powerful swing from their hammers, sending the long and sharp metal point into the hard wood, piercing through flesh and bone to reach the other side of the beam.

He let out a loud, painful howl at the immense amount of agony flowing through his nerves like raging fire while the onlookers cheered on this sight, enjoying it immensely. His mouth trembled from this intense suffering, and sweat dripped from his forehead.

They nailed his palms first, and the agonizing pain he felt from them became indescribable. He could feel the warm fluid oozing down his arms as blood flowed out of them. His pain was also shared among the other prisoners currently being crucified by this brutal punishment.

The crowd laughs and cheers on the horrific scene; some were even throwing insults and other things towards him as usual. Meanwhile, the crucified Bruno cried fearfully, calling for someone to save him: "Anyone! Save me!" He screamed in panic as his hands were being nailed onto the structure.

Genno, however, was the least unaffected; he remained peaceful with his eyes closed, as if the wise monk were unbothered by this execution, surprising some of the spectators and soldiers who were putting the nails through his feet and hands.

When all was said and done, Seth could only remain helpless on being crucified, while the others who also suffered similar treatment were wailing in horrible agony, screaming as their voices echoed throughout the plains. The spectators became even more vocal about this delicious torture.

"What about his feet!?" One asked, pointing his finger in Seth's direction, "You forgot to nail them!" The spectator explained as if telling the men what to do, making the knights near Seth sigh exhaustively after having forgotten to add the last details.

Gripping on Seth's legs tightly with both of their hands, they forcefully nailed his feet to the vertical beam of the structure, earning a scream of pure anguish as the holy man could only suffer in absolute torment from experiencing a never-ending addition of excruciating feelings.

"There!" Turning around to the spectator, "Are you happy now?!" Annoyed, the knight rolled his eyes and faced forward.Damn morons, "focus on your damn tasks!" He growled under his breath as the others followed suit to prepare for the next batch of plans.

Several additional knights went over to Seth once more, one holding a wooden sign as he climbed onto the ladder and nailed over the holy man's head, "Done!" The other declared this to the audience before every man in armor removed the ladders and returned to their positions.

Written on the sign, it read, 'This Is The Son of God, King of the Christians.'

Mathias gestured for the elderly priests to come with him, signaling the knights to let them pass as the four of them went to Seth, lifting their smiling faces and saying, "He saved others, but he can’t save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him," they said in a mocking tone, knowing full well that Seth couldn't answer them.

However, the holy man did answer, but with a tone that still radiates absolute authority: "I AM, The SON Of GOD," Seth replied boldly to the four men, who then became angry again at the persistence Seth is still showing even in his last moments.

"Even when you are bleeding, burnt, and tortured beyond repair, you still refuse to admit that you are nothing else than a simple fraud of man." Mathias pointed his finger at him, unable to believe that Seth was still having the strength to speak to them: "Face it, you are nothing more than heretic, fraud, and conman! That is all you have ever been to us, a magician and deceiver!"

The crowd agreed, adding another insult to their pile as they continued to throw more things towards them, while some were amused by the resistance Seth was still showing despite his pitiful state. "Look at that, hoho!" Greed cackled loudly, "He's still trying to act as if he is the chosen one! How ridiculous!"

Lady Kayo hummed in amusement, all the more curious of Seth as she observed the crowd's reaction towards the crucifixion. "How disappointing; this is rather a sad sight to see," she commented while resting her chin over her umbrella handle. "A foolish, weak man is about to be killed by my mother." Her words earned a chuckle from Leon, who smirked in return.

"Such a sad sight to witness in a time like this," Prince Leon shrugged while crossing his arms. "I wonder what else happened?" Finding it fascinating to know as he turned to the queen, "Any surprises left, mother?" He asked curiously while his sister listened closely to them.

Cinder pondered for a moment before she answered with a smirk, "Hmm, I'll be revealing something that will leave a mark in your lives for certain." The queen boasted that her children found it exciting to listen, "Perhaps later, there is still a show to witness until it finishes, right?" She then gazed at the prisoners being crucified.

Greed approached the priests standing before Seth with a smile, holding a cup in his other hand. "Want some, my Lord?" He mocked the man being crucified, bringing the goblet closer to the holy man. "Come down and drink; I'm sure you are thirsty," Greed offered as he raised the cup in the air.

A roar of applause came from the laughing spectators, enjoying themselves as Seth gave him no answer in return, just silence and the bleeding tears that continuously flowed down his face. They continue to harass him further, wanting to get some reaction from their victim.

"Tell us, are you the Son of God?" Mathias and the crowd asked, their demanding faces eager for answers, "Tell us, are you King of this world?" They asked again, finding some entertainment from Seth's refusal to give them any more responses, "Tell us, are you the King of the Christians?!" Shouting louder in hopes of annoying the holy man further.

"Are you the promised messiah?!"

Silence came afterwards as everyone waited patiently for an answer, but their expectations were never met, for the only sounds they could hear were the gentle breeze coming from the cold breeze and the agonizing wails of the crucified prisoners suffering from their wounds.

"So you say," Seth's only spoken words as he closed his eyes while hanging his head, refusing to even speak or lift it up, "no one comes to the Father except through me." In response, the crowd booed at him, throwing fruits and rocks in his direction while others shouted profanity.

Satisfied, Greed walked away with a smile on his face, drinking his cup as others continued to hurl abuse at Seth, for their sadism and cruelty continue to grow due to their growing boredom with this spectacle. Mathias sighed at this boring show.

Bruno, with all his remaining strength, turned to his friend and asked, "Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?" He called out, causing the exhausted Seth to slowly turn his head towards him, facing one another with looks of misery and despair.

"And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." The poet continued, expressing his worry and concern for themselves. "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom," he begged as he felt his own consciousness beginning to fade away.

Forcing himself to smile from the immense pain, Seth answered in a weak voice, "Assuredly, I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise," promising to give him eternal life in heaven before turning his own head up to the sky above and whispering, "It is finished."

A strong gust of winds suddenly blew across the field, taking the clouds along with them as the skies became filled with gray thunderclouds, lightning flashing in a bright, white streak from a distance that startled everyone and casting a long shadow upon the area.

Panic, shock, confusion, and many other emotions spew onto everyone present in the field; many were questioning this sudden change of weather. Everyone wondered what was happening as they turned their heads upward.

Rain begins to pour down on them, dropping from the darkened skies and hitting their heads harshly, making everyone cry out in surprise when their clothes were suddenly soaked from the harsh storm. No one knew what was happening.

But only one man knew as Frank, the former bartender looked up with praying hands.

"Lord God, forgive us."

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