Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [MxM]

20. Crack in Space

"Skadi, you worry too much." He said gently but still climbed on her back from that position.

As much as he wanted to be arrogant and jump on, he could feel the weakness overtaking him. He took too many hits, breaking his concentration and leaking the poison in his system. He could feel traces of it in his blood starting to wreak havoc on his meridians and slowly seep into his mana core. He needed to meditate and avoid using his mana as much as possible, but that wasn't much of an option in their situation.

He turned towards the others. "I am going to follow the tracks to Prince Leo. What are you going to do?"

The male shadow guard looked apprehensive. "How can we trust you? What you displayed was... "

"Monstrous. I know." Erebus finished for him. "So, will you travel with a monster or risk your life with the Devils?"

"...Be a monster to hunt monsters," Nash repeated what Erebus told the Devils.

"Ah, you caught that." Erebus sighed, surprised by how much Nash picked up on their conversation in the Devil's language. "That is your choice right now because the path in front of us is not getting easier. With the recent activities of the Devils, we are forced to either become complacent or monsters."

Comet rubbed his writs where the runes bound him. "I will travel with you."

Nash smiled. "As will I."

The two shadow guards glanced at each other, lifted a fist, and covered their hearts. "We will trust you, Hunter, for now." The woman said.

"Good, now we run," Erebus said, urging Skadi to take off.

Skadi slowed her speed to allow the others to follow along, a little annoyed because she could feel Erebus weakening by the moment. She wanted to take him to a safe place quickly.

However, Erebus insisted on taking these people with him and even used his shadow mana to conceal their tracks and wipe them out, hoping to buy them some time. He constantly looked behind them to ensure their trail was wiped out and no one was following them.

He flinched when he suddenly felt a surge of magic reminiscent of the Spirit Realm. He turned and saw a red crack in the middle of the campsite behind them. Two long hairy legs pushed through the gap and started to pull it apart... A Phase Spider was opening a teleportation portal.

Erebus paled. They were too close to the camp and would surely be caught if a captain appeared. "Fuck!" Erebus cursed. His power was already waning because of the poison and exertion.

He bit his lip and finally opened his mouth. A beautiful melodic language flowed from his lips. "Brother of the Spirit Realm, can you buy us time?"

His voice floated in the air like a song until it reached the spider, prying open the crack in space. It trembled horribly. A deep voice answered. "Friend of the Spirit Realm... end my suffering."

Erebus faltered and stopped Skadi. "Brother! I can save you!"

"If you are a friend and brother to the Spirit Realm, end my suffering. I am past saving."

Since encountering Fenrir, Erebus had always connected strongly with the Spirit Realm. They traveled the Realms together, befriending all species. He had even fought alongside the many Kings of the Spirit Realm, including the secluded Phase Spiders. 

The Phase Spiders looked intimidating, but they were magnanimous. Seeing such a pure creature beg for death's mercy made Erebus conflicted. His heart ached to see this benevolent soul tortured so.

Erebus pushed his consciousness and felt the condition of the Phase Spider's body. It wasn't lying and was past the point of saving. Even if he brought the spider out of its predicament, its body was eroded because of the overuse of magic and torture. Erebus' hands shook, but he understood the pain the Phase Spider felt. The Devils' experiments were agonizing. 

"Fuck... Fuck these Devils," he murmured.

He bit his finger until it bled, and his hands moved quickly to create a complicated rune. He activated it with his mana, and from the center of the rune, a white scythe emerged with a chain hanging from the end of the handle.

This ancient rune originated from the Spirit Realm and is called the Purifying Executioner. The one who created the rune would become the executioner, and they would fuse part of their soul into the scythe. This was a painful process for the executioner, but that piece of their soul would offer comfort and companionship to the dying until it completed its final blow. 

The Purifying Executioner was a kind and honorable way for a creature from the Spirit Realm. Not only would they have a true friend comforting them, but the scythe would purify their bodies and integrate them into the world's Aether. 

Much like the Devils, Spirit Realm creatures also had a highly coveted core. This rune protected their core because once the dying joined the world's Aether, the scythe would return to the executioner with the creature's crystal core. This allowed the executioner to bring the core to the Spirit Realm so they could rest eternally according to their customs. 

However, the condition of creating the scythe was daunting and was not often used. The scythe would drain the executioner's mana and possibly damage their soul. Additionally, because it involved the creature's core, it could only be summoned with a pure will. There could be no corruption in the person's heart when using the Purifying Executioner.

Erebus raised a hand, and the scythe cut through space and flew into the small crack that the Phase Spider held open. He felt it pierce into the Phase Spider, and his soul connected with it. He felt the spider shudder. 

"Purifying Executioner... but your soul is..." A laugh mixed with a cry emerged from the spider. "Great Sovereign... our great Sovereign... Thank you for accompanying me at my end... now I know there is hope.... the Spirit Realm can rejoice."

Erebus felt the tears flow down his face. He didn't know if the tears were from the spider's jubilant emotions transmitted through his connection or his heart breaking from destroying a pure creature.

The spider felt his anguish. "Be at ease, Sovereign, because my soul now is free..."

Erebus felt the last breath escape the spider and pulled back the chain. The scythe came back with a red crystal core, and Erebus held it tightly to his chest as he watched the crack close, shutting out the angry Devils.

"Skadi, go," Erebus said weakly. He felt his vision dimming, and he cursed inwardly. He exerted himself far too much, and now his body was paying the price.

He coughed heavily and wobbled on Skadi until he fell over, landing heavily on the ground. He didn't feel any pain as he landed on his back. He gazed at the red sky until his vision became black.

"Erebus!"

"Hunter!"

The others called out to him, but he could no longer hear.