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

41. War (2)

Erebus unleashed the fury hidden in the hearts of the Shadowbane army. They used this momentum to rush towards the Devils. Erebus and the captains could identify the strongest of the Devils and cut them down. At the same time, they watched their soldiers closely and would jump in to ensure they stayed alive. Survival was their priority.

Erebus would move through the shadows and stop the blades about to pierce into his soldiers while shouting orders simultaneously. He would pull the injured towards the Fae, who would rush in and heal them.

Although he and the others worked tirelessly, deaths were inevitable in war; however, the numbers were minuscule compared to what they could have been.

The Devils' army fractured and fell apart. A new look of hopelessness and fear filled their eyes. They let out cries and started to turn and run away.

"Eliminate them all!" Erebus yelled.

The archers and mages stepped forward and started to snipe the runaways. Erebus and the captains moved fluidly across the battlefield and took down who they could.

The ground was littered with Devil bodies and soaked in dark red blood. The cries of pain disappeared, and all that was left were the heavy breaths of the Shadowbane army. Suddenly, they realized that there were no more enemies. They survived and won. The soldiers seemed to be dumbstruck.

Erebus chuckled. How many times had he fought a battle like this? When the fighting had ended, the world would fall into silence, and the soldiers would be left in numb disbelief. Erebus had felt it often. As a leader of the army, he would face complex emotions—terrible sorrow if he had lost or the bittersweet relief of victory.  However, the soldiers deserved to rally amid triumph, so Erebus raised his dagger in the air. 

This slight movement caused the battlefield to erupt with weary cheers and cries of joy. 

While Shadowbane felt joy, the Spirit Realm felt pity. They were reluctant to join this war, expecting that all the sects and realms would be fighting this war, but instead, they found a lone sect standing against a fierce army. They wanted to join but saw that with Erebus' leadership, Shadowbane grasped victory. So they remained as support and prevented as many deaths as they could.

Alas, the Spirit Realm suddenly believed they could have a new alliance with Shadowbane. A seed of hope was planted in this war.

Erebus tapped his daggers together, creating a ring and silencing the crowd.

He bowed deeply. "Thank you for your trust in me."

"Lieutenant General!" They called out and saluted him.

They knew of the Lieutenant General and how impressive he was during the facility's infiltration, but now they could see it with their own eyes. Erebus moved and controlled the soldiers seamlessly. He made decisive decisions and made them move together as one. He turned the warriors into an army. A fierce loyalty was born in their hearts, and they looked forward to Erebus stepping into his role as an actual general.

Erebus straightened his back. "Those who can, find our fallen comrades so we can take them home. Those who are injured, please have your wounds checked and healed.... and well done."

They cheered again and quickly started to execute his orders.

Fenrir appeared next to Erebus and tapped his forehead on the latter's. "Well done, Erebus."

Erebus smiled ruefully and ran his hands over his arms, now decorated with two complex tattoos—one of Fenrir's Death Crown and the other of Skadi. These were the marks of their spirit bond. He entered this world expecting to fight alone but had found old friends and established new relationships. And now, he was able to help mend old grievances while facing a common foe.