"I finally found you, Cyrus."

The voice was different, changed. More guttural, more commanding in presence it disturbed the air.

Spots that used to be gold and shiny were now a malevolent red with their own insidious light. Her claws were longer, and jagged. Gone too was the leather armor and bow with a quiver on her back.

The adventurer I had last seen stared at my with the same crazed snarl that revealed sharp fangs.

But the eyes… The eyes were so different, and yet I recognized all the same. Memories flooded in as the beastkin–no demon, lowered her chin.

Arz'odral. The Viscount of Blood.

"So this is where you been hiding, right under my very nose. I was wondering when I'd find you, little hatchling." Arz'odral cocked his head and gave another sniff. "Perhaps no longer a hatcling. The little fel has grown its tail."

Teddy winced, the strange method of it speaking bordering on a mental attack. He activated one of his auras, just subtly enough that it barely appeared at the edges of my senses. Arturous untensed aswell, the giant bear's claws digging in the earth a little less.

However, the demon glanced their way, crimson eyes narrowing to fine points. I braced, ready to do attack or take a hit so Teddy could retaliate, but then the demon snorted.

"How about this? Does that hurt your precious little mortal ears less?" he asked.

I quickly ran through the options.

My attempt to contact Strurmrorex was met with static, and the same with Zagreus. It was the rift all over again, when the demon had temporarily cut my connection to Zharia.

A probe within myself revealed the faint grumbling of Magnus, but it was like speaking across a great divide. He was present, but only faintly, his inner voice too distant for me to hear.

Teddy tapped his fingers against the handle of his mace, signaling for me to run.

No.

There was no way I would abandon them. Not now, not ever. Still, the demon wasn't attacking, and Lezka stayed behind him, waiting.

Fuck, I need to stall before the others get back here.

Feeling my instincts and self preservation rage against me, I stepped forward. Teddy's hand shot out, so I remained behind him, but I still raised my head.

"I don't know what you are talking about," I said. "You must have the wrong people."

The beastkin-demon snorted. "Your scent is unmistakable. The spirits that fill your soul gives it too distinct of a flavor. No, do not attempt to lie to me again, fledgling."

I gritted my teeth. I had to stall, even if I couldn't ssense my familiars through our link, I could feel Sturmrorex drawing from my mana pool. That meant he was alive and fighting. We just needed to survive until the others got here.

The demon stopped a meter away, uncaring of the massive bear growling at him. With a raised claw a sigil flashed above his hand. It shot into the sky and into the barrier. Two beads the size of a car dripped down and zipped across the sky in separate locations.

A heartbeat passed and two monstrous roars similar to the monstrosity I destroyed with Zog and Sereza's help rang out like alarm bells.

"If you refuse to learn your lesson, then I'll have to teach it to you. Careful, fledgling. Your friends are strong despite their inferiority, but can they survive the endless flood of my minions?" Arz'odral said with a sneer.

"How?" I blurted out. He raised an eyebrow and I audibly cleared my throat. "H-how? That's too much power. Your vessel was only tier one. How is that possible?"

Teddy shot me a glare, one that screamed 'What are you doing!" but I ignored him and kept my gaze steady on Arz'odral.

"Aah, I suppose your education would be severely lacking. First, let me pose you this: You had time to tier up and grow, to spread your wings. Why couldn't I do the same?"

"I thought… Your possession limited you."

"Oh it does, but something you need to learn fledgling, is that this system of yours is but a narrowed tool. It's useful to create a world like this with its novelties. It after all made the process of transporting so many sacrifices easier. All under the noses of the hounds that watch the night."

Arz'odral lifted his hand once more and a droplet of blood slid out of his palm, hovering in place. His fingers twitched and the droplet expanded, sprouting tentacles from all sides.

I prepared my spear and moved in line with Teddy's backfoot.

"Oh calm yourself. If I wanted to kill you, I would have already."

The red ball of horrors stretched and split into multiple sheets of slimy film. The blood congealed and took on a transparent sheen, turning near crystalline. Slowly, lights started to warp and images formed between inside the confines of the panels.

I saw Celenae and Eodyne fending off a monster as it tried to whip them apart with bladed tentacles. On another panel, Igas and Zog were smashing through a multi limbed wall lined with glowing pink runes. Isaac's was a blur of fast moving blades and shadows, barely staying in focus.

There were more than just my friends and of Broken Tower. One panel showed Teddy's parents. Nathan had two gargantuan arms made of water holding the blood kaiju down while Anastasia hovered in the air as she lasered a hole into its head. The monster was far smaller than before, having suffered enough loss as it used its body to regenerate.

A few more panels stretched out, showcasing various spots around the city just outside the barrier. Masses of people were being crowded to safety while adventurers and guards stayed near the walls.

My eyes narrowed and I focused on the glowing bulges that populated the barrier. Giant sacks of pseudo-flesh that gleamed with red light. Sigils flashed, not of any language I understood. But my gut told me they were the biggest concern for the people in the city.

"Things are going according to plan, now to scrape the scraps off the marrow," Arz'odral sang as he left the floating panels behind him. He inched closer and Arturous' fur flashed with gold runes. "My, so testy. Don't worry, I'll get to you after."

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He spun and Lezka scrambled out of the way. He stopped at his new target, the still floating body of the king. Allaron's eyes were vacant, but his crystal held even with the barrier repaired.

Arz'odral raised his hand and reached for the king's cheek. "Now, I could use an upgrade. A new vessel more suited for my ambitions."

"Halt!"

The demon stopped, turning to face the prince and the empress' daughter. They floated downward carried by the woman's strange cloak. When his feet reached the earth he raised his crystal sword between the demon and the Allaron.

"Remember your deal, creature! If you do not, I'll strike you down right here," Rudehn commanded.

The woman hung by his side, her fingers tracing the fabric on his shoulder. She didn't look worried about the impossibly strong entity before her. Although, her eyes held a crazy glint that looked ready to explode, her mana practically pulsed off her.

Arz'odral sighed dramatically and shrugged. "Twice now, I have been denied a better body because of silly deals. Let this be a lesson fledgling, always take more than they bargained for."

"If you dare," the prince trailed.

"Enough, enough. You've made your point. I will not touch your precious father's blood."

The prince glared but slowly lowered his blade. Mynthalla whispered something in his ear and the two conversed in hushed tones.

"Teddy," I whispered.

Teddy leaned back, grimacing. "If you're about to say something stupid, forget it."

"You should run."

"What did I tell you? And that's my line."

Arz'odral waited patiently, looking bored as he idly examined his nails. The two royalties continued their discussion, with the women caressing his cheek. Not that the prince responded to her antics, his face a cold mask as he examined his father's body.

I wasn't even sure if the king was still alive. He looked like a hanged corpse, and only the slight twitching of his fingers gave any indication of life.

"Listen, he's after me. I'm sure you can take Arturous and get out of here. He might send a monster after you, but I can distract him."

Teddy kicked my shin and I swallowed the retort on my tongue. His eyes burned with fury, flashing multiple runes inside the iris. Even Arturous growled at me.

"If you think I'm the kind to leave my friend behind, you don't know me at all Cyrus," he whispered. "Do you think we'd forgive ourselves if we left you behind? Would Calstrax?"

Anger began to tighten in my chest, the growing frustration of the situation finally sinking its claws deep enough.

"He wouldn't blame you for this. He knows what I am. You and the others are worth more than my simple fucking life, Teddy. Because be honest with me; do you see a way to get out of this? Huh? I fucking don't. The last time I was in this situation, my best friend sacrificed herself. I'd rather die than repeat that again. So fucking leave already."

A gauntleted fist punched my shoulder, strong enough to leave a bruise.

Teddy laughed, ignoring the curious looks from the demon and the suspicion from the pair of royals. He tightened his grip on his weapon and stared ahead with a smile on his face. Determination settled over his expression and in that moment he looked every bit like a hero from a novel.

"Then the answer is simple, we die a glorious death together. Nothing better than having my friend at my side while doing so," Teddy boasted.

Arz'odral looked ready to speak up, to counter Teddy's statement, but the royals finally separated. Rudehn took one last look at Teddy and turned around. In the span of me blinking, the prince's sword was buried in the heart of the king's chest. It twisted and red crystal grew over the Allaron's body.

Rudehn leaned forward and placed his mouth near the king's ear. "I finally fulfilled your ambitions, father. With this, I shall surpass you and ensure the royal line upholds its duty. " He paused, cold steel filling his voice. "Through life, there is strife under the everlasting sun. So I decree the war in your name as your blood coats a Luneterran blade. May the Weave take your soul."

He twisted the blade and crystals grew over the hilt and wound, locking it in place. Rudehn joined Mynthalla and he summoned an item in his hand, a vial made of black metal.

"I upheld my end of the deal, demon. It's time for you to uphold yours."

Arz'odral bent near the king and whistled. "It's always a wonder why so many monarchs are killed by their children. To think such a loving, devoted father raised a cold-hearted killer like you."

"I won't say it again. Uphold our deal or I'll strike you down."

"You'd make a great demon. A shame you are so attached to your humanity. Oh well," Arz'odral said. He placed his hand on the king's body and tapped the crystal. His claw pierced through without resistance and he pulled back. A shiny droplet made of golden amber rested upon the tip of his finger. With a flick it sailed toward the prince's hand and entered the metal vial. "With that our deal is done."

Rudehn made the vial disappear. Mynthalla hugged him from behind and her cloak stretched around the pair, pulling them into the drapes of void. Mana flared, and the two were gone. Just like that, they fled, leaving behind the king's corpse.

"Well then, it's time to finish this play," Arz'odral declared. He motioned to Lezka and smiled. "Let this be a lesson, fledgling. The quality of blood matters just as much as the quantity. Yes. Such rich, delicious blood from a demigod has many uses. Especially on of a king, filled with such potentia and meaning."

"Master," Lezka said, a hesitation in his voice.

"What is it, child?"

"My parents they–"

The possessed beastkin's hand tightened around Lezka's throat, lifting him into the air. Red tendrils crawled across his jaw, morphing into jagged vines lined with needles. They drew blood from the felkin, earning a strangled whimper as black veins appeared over his body.

"I have promised you once already. Have I not fulfilled your pleas? Given you the power you desired? You dare question me, minion? To turn doubtful eyes on my visage?"

"I-I ap-apologize, Master! I m-meant no disrespect! Forgive me!" Lezka begged.

The demon released his grip and dropped the kid. As Lezka clutched at his throat, Arz'odral caressed his cheek and ran a thumb along the cuts. Confusion and fear settled but the demon simply retracted his fingers and held up the thumb coated in the felkin's blood.

He licked it with a tongue far too long for the beastkin's biology, one that looked like a dagger made of flesh.

"Now do what you're told. I won't be so forgiving a second time," Arz'odral commanded.

"Y-yes, sir."

Lezka scrambled to his feet and approached the king's body.

"Wait!" I interrupted.

"Did you have something to say?" Arz'odral asked.

"What are you doing now? What was the point of killing the king?"

The demon had no reason to answer me, but if I knew anything, it was that the bastard loved the sound of his own voice. Even in the rift, he kept talking without care, finding Sam and I too beneath him to pose a threat.

The bastard smirked and proved me right.

"The king? That was all the prince's requirement. I do not care for him outside of using his blood. It's diminished after extracting the heartblood, but with the power running through the corpse's veins, it'll be enough to enact my plans," he explained.

"And what do you plan on doing? Surely you know you won't escape this. There's other tier threes in the city. They'll stop you."

I didn't know that for a fact. I doubted someone like Syrreisha and the guildmaster would have attended the party, but I couldn't be sure. There was Elanor's father but that was only one. Maybe Myol had seen the crap that went down and returned, but would it be enough?

My fists tightened, they had to be.

Arz'odral released a dry laugh. "Ohh, fledgling. When I'm through, I'll have to correct that naivete of yours. A few decades of torture will fix that." He shook his head with mirth and extended his hand, palm facing outward. "No, nobody will be stopping me. You see the city is primed for the ritual, they'll be no escape except the few lucky souls. They'll all be witness and fuel for my glorious ascension."

Lezka was doing something with the king's body, and carving blood-red sigils with his claws. The barrier fluctuate and mana started to spike. I glanced at the panels forcing myself to skip past my companions and toward the other panels, the ones showing the barrier from the other side.

The bulges were growing and the guards were forcing people away in fervor.

Now or never, we had to do something.

I raised my spear but paused as Teddy's knees buckled.

Two beings stood as giants that floated in the air above the demon. Lezka, who was on his knees inscribing a curving line to a rune, trembled and collapsed.

Arz'odral growled and looked up, two bloody pairs of arms exiting from his back. "You dare?"

The woman made of silver and draped in black thorns smiled. "I am not the problem here, demon. He is."

She gestured to the golden man with flames for hair. His eyes held weight and time, a power so immense it shouldn't have existed behind his eyes. Two golden suns beamed down, scorching the very earth around the demon, yet leaving him untouched.

There was no mistaking the god before me, his mana signature burned with an intense light but the taste remained the same.

Aurellion's voice set the air on fire, as his command cracked the ground. "What are you doing to my kingdom, demon? Answer me!"

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.