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He was not afraid of burning but of the thought of burning without being able to hold Evan one last time. He knew that feeling all too well.

With a low growl, Xen turned abruptly, eyes on Knox. Without looking away, he raised his palm, and the jaws of fire blazed alive in his hand, so huge it could devour a whole house.

Evan reached forward with a bloody hand, “Don’t…”

But Xen had already shot the fire, and it engulfed the target whole.

A roar tore through the night as the Hellguard who’d struck the shard at Evan exploded into flames. His scream was still echoing in the air as his body was reduced to ash, raining grey dust mixed with crimson embers.

Excitement glinted in Knox’s eyes at the display of fury. “Come on, give in. I’m just asking for ten minutes of your time. Summon the Hellfire, and I’ll lower the barrier. Then you can save your precious human. But I must add, if you don’t tend to his wound soon, he might bleed to death.”

“Not today, motherfucker!” Evan swung a hand, reaching behind towards the array, intending to smudge it with his own blood. But what he touched was another zap of electricity that sent him crashing back against the floor.

A cry tore through his throat when the shard pierced deeper into his abdomen.

There was a barrier built inside the barrier. The first was to keep Evan trapped inside the Tomb, and the second one to keep him away from the array at the center. Knox had probably guessed he would try to destroy it.

Xen’s heart lurched as Evan cried in agony and his nostrils flared. “Don’tfuckingmove, Evan. Stay still,” his voice trembled. “Please…”

Knox stared at Xen’s haunted face in barely suppressed anticipation. “Time’s ticking, Xen. Are you willing to lose your lover aga—”

“I’ll do it,” Xen growled, staring at Evan’s fluttering eyelids, his chest heaving with shallow breaths.

Just as Knox’s face broke out into a grin, a cult member struck the gong erected outside the clearing. The sound thrummed through every solid surface and induced the air with a warning of an impending catastrophe.

“It’s almost time,” Knox’s expressions were the epitome of sick excitement.

Trees surrounding the clearing rustled in the dark, dry leaves crunching beneath something—footsteps. Several footsteps. Innumerable footsteps.

With the secondclangof the gong, the shuffle of feet on the forest ground grew louder. Closer. They came from everywhere, all at once. Unsteady and unsynchronized, like hundreds of drunk men stumbling over each other.

The cult members threw wary glances around but didn’t cease their chanting.

Breathing shallowly with barely focused vision, Evan turned his head to the limping cult member. His voice was hoarse as he breathed out, “Time…?”

The limping member stared at him for a long moment before replying, “Midnight.”

20. Come Back…Please

Ahoard of black figures appeared around the forest clearing. Some stumbled, others crawled on all fours. Some were missing limbs, others cradled their own body parts in their arms. There were some that looked older, others were children as young as three. Resentment clung to each one of them, seeping into the air and turning it unbearably rancid.

Over two hundred of the black figures gathered, blanketing the area in a thick wall of translucent shadows, wailing and moaning like they were left in eternal suffering for centuries. Like they were calling for help but couldn’t speak.

They were the souls of the victims of the Great Sacrifice.

The people who apparently died at Xen’s hands.

Knox outstretched his arms in a warm gesture. “Welcome, my friends. We finally unite after centuries of waiting,” he sighed, pity dripping from his tone. “It must’ve been so painful, wandering in this wretched place, in this world that doesn’t see you as anything but pests that need to be eradicated. That ends today.”

The resentful spirits shrieked back in greeting, hollow mouths gaping wide. A sight truly horrifying to behold.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Quaking the ground and following after the spirits was a hoard of Hellguards and other low-level demons. Lumps of meat with dozens of eyes stuck onto them rolled on the ground. Tongues spanning over five meters dragged along. Hopping anddrooling and growling, they charged forward, at least a hundred in number. Combined with the resentful spirits and Knox standing at the forefront, it was an army straight from hell.

Against them stood a lone figure, red robes bellowing, fire ablaze in his eyes. For some reason, even the hundreds looked meager standing before him. The air of hostility and venomous look on the Eternal’s face made some low-level demons reel back in fright.

“On this day, you can finally cross over to the afterlife, end your sufferings, and attain the peace you deserved centuries ago,” Knox said to the spirits, expression empathetic, almost sorrowful. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye. “On this day, I shall help you return to your rightful places in heaven.”