StoneHaven was in ruins.

Countless Chaos Eaters roamed the streets in different shapes, but what really stood out was a single dark and haunting creature.

Perched atop a building, countless structures destroyed in its wake, was a towering, monstrous creature with a wolf-like form.

Its body was covered in coarse, shadowy fur that blended with existence itself, making it nearly impossible to make out. Its eyes glowed yellow, radiating hunger and malice.

Its posture was predatory, hunched forward, claws extended as if it were moments away from attacking.

Halo swallowed bile.

He didn't need any explanation, this was the creature Iris spoke of in her message, Spineless.

In a flash, Hex, who hadn't been seen since she'd disappeared moments ago, spoke from behind him.

"This is my final form as a Chaos Eater. I'd love to show you what your efforts helped my true creation become… but only my Only Sin gets to see that first. When the day comes and you try to kill me, I'll let you taste your own creation, assuming you survive Spineless."

The moment she spoke, she vanished once again.

Spineless immediately wheeled around and leaped before Halo, the force of its landing shaking the ground as though the entire StoneHaven would collapse.

Halo took a step backward and summoned his daggers. Iris gave him all the information he'd need to defeat this monster and he was going to do just that.

"I think Iris will like her souvenir. And you? You're starting to look a lot like my clone, bitch."

Light and Tough took their fighting stance as well, but Halo motioned for them to deal with the remaining Chaos Eaters instead.

"Are you sure about this?"

Light asked.

Halo gave him a confident smile, and without another word, Light fled the scene with Tough.

'I'm not terrified. Not at all. Yeah. This bastard is nothing but a stray dog.'

Spineless casually walked toward Halo as though he posed no threat. Once it reached him, its front legs crouched slightly as it began to sniff him out.

Halo gulped, sweat dropping down his brow.

Nearly a second later, the creature groaned. Though it was voiceless, the menacing wind that blew in its wake spoke volumes. It was about to attack.

Halo braced himself for impact with his eyes closed as he tried to calm his mind.

The next thing he knew, Spineless's claws slammed into his ribcage, sending him crashing into the ground. The pain was unbearable, but he forced himself upright through the agony.

The creature lunged toward him again and struck. With his eyes closed, the attack landed with full impact once more, sending him crashing into blocks.

This time, he forced his eyes open and coughed out blood.

With a calm mind, the Chaos Eater couldn't touch him, but he lacked that at the moment. Since its body was translucent, he doubted his attacks would land without achieving that same perfect mindset.

But he charged toward Spineless anyway. At nearly twenty feet, it could crush him long before his mind could calm.

His blade passed through the Sinner like it was slicing through the air. No contact. Nothing to rejoice about.

Yet, Spineless's attacks landed perfectly.

Halo remained on his toes, avoiding many of the creature's attacks. But whenever one landed, not only did it affect him physically, but something felt wrong with his mind as well.

Even more daunting: the Chaos Eater, which had started by just swinging its arms, now moved with agility, clear strategy and intent.

Besides Spineless's improvement, whatever was happening within his mind was too subtle to notice, let alone conclude from.

But the uneasiness was evident.

Even so, he kept going. The battle was one-sided. He could only dodge, never strike back.

Before long, something chilly coursed through him, making him stumble. Spineless landed a devastating blow that should have killed him, but he forced himself back to his feet.

He clutched his head in confusion while Spineless approached him like a predator closing in on a wounded prey.

Not once had he ever sexualized any of his friends, but now he could recall memories of drooling over their hot bodies. Worse, it wasn't the ladies alone but the men too—Liam, Leto, Noah, and even the old bastard Frey.

The thought alone nearly made him want to claw his mind out. He couldn't help but think of everyone sexually, fantasizing about what he could do with them.

Then he understood exactly what was happening.

Whenever Spineless landed a strike, it somehow replaced his memories with seductive ones while taking pieces of those memories that could help it grow stronger.

Halo grimaced, and his legs bucked.

He needed to figure out a way to calm his mind, else before long he'd be fucking the shards on the floor. But his mind was too chaotic for anything serene right now.

He gritted his teeth.

He needed to bide his time.

Before Spineless could close in on him, he was already fleeing. Any more strikes would make his task even harder.

Spineless stood idle and watched as Halo fled.

Once Halo put enough distance between them, he paused.

Spineless showed no sense of urgency. It was an animal, and with Halo terrified, there was no need to hurry. By predatory logic, it could sleep and wake to find him still cowering, waiting to be devoured.

It casually walked, collapsing many buildings in its path.

'That's it, bastard…'

Halo smirked and let down his guard as he closed his eyes once more.

He began sinking into serenity. His fingers fidgeted, and his body trembled, fighting against it. At one point, his mind grew so chaotic, overwhelmed by lustful thoughts, that he nearly dropped to the ground, ready to lose himself completely.

But through everything, he kept the tip of his dagger pressed through his palm, a constant reminder that he needed to do this.

Iris told him he needed a calmer mind than his usual one, and though he didn't know what lay beyond such calmness, he intended to achieve it anyway.

Soon enough, Spineless closed in on him. It sniffed Halo as it had before, but Halo was no longer in this world.

He didn't know where exactly he was. Even his sense of awareness felt like a distant memory.

Spineless struck at Halo, sending him plummeting to the ground. His body rose on its own, assuming its initial stance.

Spineless struck again, but Halo barely touched the ground before rising. Blood trickled from his eyes and nose, his legs trembled so hard they shook the stones beneath him, his ribs were failing, but somehow he stayed on his feet.

But within, he was so calm his thoughts didn't arise on their own. He needed to fish them out.

Then, his eyes opened on their own.

Spineless loomed before him, leg raised high overhead, about to come crashing down and end him.

Barely a second later, it happened.

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.