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

80. Assassins

Days passed, and Erebus felt the strain on his body. Blood soaked one side of his body and dripped down his arms. Although he took frequent breaks, his wounds seemed to reopen under the stress of hard riding. 

He was tempted to open a portal to the Spirit Realm, but this would drain his mana, and he would not be able to open a new portal after days of rest. But, the closer his soldiers were to Aboros' lair, the more uneasy he felt. He needed to meet with them as soon as possible, so he continued onward. 

However, after days of nonstop running, Erebus finally felt better when they determined they were less than an hour away from Leo if they continued at full speed.

However, trouble always followed when there was some small hope. Erebus carefully watched the road ahead of them and saw what looked like a crack in the ground.

"Skadi! Wait!"

But it was too late. Skadi was moving too fast and passed the crack. The moment she did, a large red formation flashed in front of them. It immediately turned into a net that wrapped around Skadi. It flashed brightly, forced Skadi to lose her corporeal form, and held her shadow form down. Because of the instantaneous change, Erebus was flung forward. He quickly covered himself with mana and curled into a ball to protect himself from the landing.

He hit the ground with a loud bang, creating a crater, but his momentum didn't stop, and he felt himself rolling out of control. He stabbed his daggers into the ground to stop himself, but the force was great, and he had to create a deep fissure into the earth before he finally slowed to a stop. The dust settled, but Erebus had already set up his shadow domain. He cursed when he sensed the number of attackers. About fifty Devils stalked up to him in blood-red cloaks.

He cursed and rushed to Skadi to examine the trap she was in. However, the ground beneath him lit up with countless runes, and a translucent wall appeared between him and Skadi. He looked around and found himself in a large dome with the assassins. 

Skadi reared, broke through her bonds, and tried to return to Erebus, but she couldn't reach him even in her shadow form, nor could he recall her. He touched Fenrir's mark on his arm to connect with him, but even he was cut off. 

He took a second to read the runes surrounding him and cursed because they completely isolated him. It was the perfect trap for him.

He could make a portal, but it would take time he couldn't afford with the assassins surrounding him. 

He stood up and took off his cloak, letting it crumple to the ground. "I was wondering when you would start looking for me, considering I impersonated the Devil assassins several times."

The horde of assassins appeared around him in a loose formation. One stood taller than the rest. "You have become a nuisance, Demon."

Erebus nodded with understanding while examining the runes. His hands brushed against the wall as he subtly drew a rune. He smiled as it melted into the wall. He could break through the trap from the inside and then call Fenrir for aid. In the meantime, he may need another person to help.

He knew Skadi could still hear him, so he tapped on his belt. [Find Leo and bring him here.]

Skadi anxiously pawed at the ground but stopped when Erebus gave her a dark look. He needed Leo to come and help him as fast as possible because he didn't think he could survive these assassins. Skadi was the only one who could move at the necessary speeds.

Skadi huffed angrily but then disappeared towards Leo.

The assassins started to laugh. The one who spoke before sneered. "How sad. Not even your beast is loyal to you."