The Demon Wolf (Book 1 of The Devil and the Huntsman)

Chapter 76

Julius noticed Balvu planning a terrible thing and reporting it to King Harald. Harald knew that Julius would come for him to either save him from the darkness or kill him and send his soul to his father. Suddenly, Balvu reconsiders and thought of a better solution to end Julius's pain. Having a darkened soul disturbed the peace that Harald will bring, but no good deed goes unpunished. Then, Balvu pulls out his sword and points it at Julius; he makes the demon hunter gaze upon his weapon and trembles at the sight of it.

Then Balvu spoke to Julius, saying, "My blade stings each time it feels a demonic presence. My sword cannot fail at slaying anyone who is my enemy. I also have silver... and I am not afraid to use it. I hear that silver, salt, and metal are the weaknesses of any dark creature. They are coming for you, my friend. Let me kill you now, Julius... before they kill you."

"You'll want to run away, Balvu. You'll want to run before they come for you as well. I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work," Julius said. Then, Balvu turns around and tries to walk away from the demon hunter, and Julius follows him from behind.

Balvu walked on for only about five seconds as he took hold of his silver ring. He then turns back to Julius and starts pulling the ring out of his finger, which keeps the demon hunter from walking any closer. Julius was not expecting himself to have silver and stakes as his weaknesses; most of all, he did not expect Balvu to be so well-equipped.

"May you gain some freedom in death, Julius," Balvu said. Without hesitation, Balvu pulled out his silver ring and made the bright light blind Julius's vision for a long while.

The demon hunter covered his eyes and took a few more steps back from Balvu and began pulling out his greatsword to fight the general. It was nearly impossible to pull out his weapon because of how powerful the light is while blinding his sight. The silver ring was so intense that Mephiles was almost getting ready to leave Julius's soul and roam freely. Then Julius pulls his sword out of his scabbard to have Balvu move much closer to him. The general pulls out his silver blade and slices Julius on his chest; Balvu went from his chest down to his stomach.

Julius started puking out so much blood, and so much gore started leaving his chest, and he found it way too challenging to get back up. Then, Mephiles was keen on getting out of Julius's body and doing the honor of killing Balvu in front of the knights. But he was still loyal to his master and could not leave Julius to bleed out and die before he can finish his journey. At that moment, Balvu was still holding onto his silver sword and ready to pierce Julius's body and end his suffering. But before he raises his blade to kill Julius, he sees the demon hunter have smoke come out of his body.

He also noticed Julius's eyes were changing color, and they were the eye color of demons.

"It's true. I see the devil inside you. I can feel the powers of Hell revolve around you," Balvu said. Suddenly, he notices Julius's wife and daughter running to him after seeing him lie on the ground.

"Father! Father!" Lagertha shouted. She was running much faster than her mother as she saw her father being threatened by the commander.

Julius tilts his head and sees Lucy and Lagertha trying to save him from Balvu before something awful happens.

"No, stay back! Get out of here!" Julius shouted. But Lagertha would not stand by and watch her father be tormented by a man the huntsman once called a friend.

Then, Balvu uses his light magic and forces Lucy and Lagertha to stay back, and he makes the light the only thing they see in their vision. They cover their faces, but they did not notice many knights running towards them to pin them down. The knights make Julius's wife and daughter fall to their knees; they make them watch on as Julius has more smoke arise from his body.

"Let go of him! He did nothing wrong!" Lucy shouted.

"Leave my father alone! You're going to pay for this!" Lagertha shouted. During these times, words would not save them, and pleading to the executioner was never that much of an option.

Then Balvu said to them, "So... you're part of this man's family? Then you should already know that a dark shadow covers this man's soul. Try as often as you like. Nothing will save him from the darkness. The dark embrace will be the last thing that Julius sees, and you will suffer as he did. You cannot save a man whose ambition revolves around his beating heart and his fabled mind. Resist, and you will suffer the king's judgment."

But before he can spew out some more nonsense, Julius kicked Balvu away from him and made him watch the black smoke come from his chest and back. He made the helpless commander witness his demonic eyes; Julius pulled out his greatsword to do what Balvu was about to do.

"Father! Make him pay!!" Lagertha shouted. Even more knights started being around Lagertha's body and held her head down on the floor.

"Lagertha!" Lucy shouted. One knight covered her mouth with his hand and made her squeal and unable to run away.

Julius watches his wife and daughter be treated very harshly, and the scenery made his mind go berserk. He was just about ready to release his inner-demon upon every knight of Midland as he stared at them. He quickly turns back around and grabs Balvu by his throat, and he chokes him and makes him struggle. It was just like yesterday when his mind was full of rage and fury when the new king betrayed him.

"You threaten my wife. My daughter. You will pay for that... with your life!" Julius shouted. Then, he had his greatsword pointing at the general's chest and was already at the point of killing him and getting it over with.

"I warned you long ago that you must not allow yourself to succumb to the darkness. Turns out that you broke the oath you swore to your people and me. Harm and suffering come to all who serve the kings and gods of Hell!" Balvu shouted.

"You cannot harm me! But I will show you the meaning of pain! THERE'S NO ESCAPE FROM MY WRATH!!" Julius shouted.

"What will you achieve by killing me, Julius? You will have everyone turn against you. God himself will see that the gates of Heaven are locked to you!"

Julius choked the commander with one hand and held his greatsword. Balvu was getting ready to meet his fate. He would gladly make him suffer the way the citizens suffered when they lost their city.

"The power of God cannot destroy me... because I am his chosen one!" Julius said. But as he said this, his voice changed into a sound that a night creature makes when it speaks to someone.

A few seconds later, Lagertha got herself up and away from the knights and move a few steps further to her father.

"Father! Father, stop this!" She shouted. Even she saw the darkness inside of him, but she refused to tell anyone about what she saw.

Julius turns himself around and looks at his daughter after telling him to stop, and he knew he should not allow Lagertha to become like him. He could see the desperation in both her eyes and Lucy's eyes as she was still in the hands of one knight. He turns back around and puts his greatsword back into his scabbard; he then punches Balvu in the nose, making him fall two feet away from him. Even the general is now Julius's enemy, and every knight that once followed him into battle is now looking at the demon hunter as a stranger. All the knights were pulling out their swords and pushing Lucy and Lagertha aside to fight Julius where he stood.

Then Julius walks towards them, and he despises what they all have become as he tries to reason with them. Julius knew Harald must have used up every inch of his power to bring Midland back to its full glory.

"I know all of you. You all know who I am! I am Julius of Romania, the hunter of all demons!" He shouted.