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Xen seethed, “Let. Him. Out.”

“Oh, Xen, you foolish little love-struck puppy,” a laugh bubbled out of Knox, thoroughly enjoying the scene. “Did you really think after I suffered being bound to that old tree for three hundred years because of you and your lover, I’d let you have what you want?”

He pulled the golden spear from the ground and grinned at Xen’s chilling expression. “Do you want to kill me? Go on. This body belongs to your beloved’s friend. Even if you destroy it to save him, in the end, humans would only cry over what they lost instead of being grateful for what they have. He would hate you.”

Xen knew that was true yet he moved a step forward, intending to end Knox once and for all. But suddenly, a warning rang out in his head.

Don’t fucking move. Stay still.

Xen froze. His blazing eyes flickered.

Knox quirked a brow at him, regarding his frozen stance, then scoffed, mistaking his look of relief for resignation. “How did such a weakling become a King of Demons, I do not know,” then he inclined his head and the resentful spirits charged forward once again, heading towards the Hellfire with all their might. Those spirits were once humans, so crossing over the Heavenly Spring barrier shouldn’t have been a problem.

And yet, when the dark figures reached the channel of water circling the Tomb, they slammed into an invisible wall. Screeches of terror erupted into the night, but before they could run away, something strange happened.

As soon as the resentful spirits crashed into the invisible wall, they dissolved. Dispersed into nothingness.

A shimmering blue barrier glowed to life, spreading outward until it covered the entirety of the Tomb of Ascension and the Hellfire blazing inside it, sealing everyone out.

Some spirits hadn’t yet realized the appearance of the wall of spiritual light, or perhaps weren’t smart enough to gauge the danger, and continued forward blindly. One touch was all it took for their souls to dissipate.

Knox stilled, then his brows furrowed. “You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you?”

From behind Xen, who stood as still as a barrier himself, a figure stepped out, limping slightly. Black hair tussled in the wind, with flakes of dried blood hanging from the strands. One hand pressed against his abdomen, the other reaching towards Xen’s shoulder for support.

“Well, what can I say? I’m infamous for a reason.”

A pair of blue eyes glowed, in stark contrast against the backdrop of the blazing Hellfire. Evan stumbled out of the circle of Heavenly Spring Water, supporting himself on Xen’s shoulder as he cocked his head.

“You’ve finally exhausted my patience, fucker.”

21. An Exorcist’s Wrath

When Knox had been forcing Xen to summon the Hellfire, Evan had silently closed his eyes, trying to calm the rushed flow of blood and spiritual energy that was making the shard dig deeper into his abdomen.

As he lay there with his stomach pierced, the pitch darkness behind his lids slowly started glowing, until all of his vision filled with a familiar white light. Just like that time back at the purple-eyed demon’s exorcism, Evan floated in the white void inside his spiritual core. This time, he couldn’t see the youth but heard his voice.

“You cannot die, Evan. You must not.”

Evan stared into the white light, recognizing that voice. He’d heard that several times before, mistaking it for his conscience.

A sense of familiarity rose within him anew and Evan sucked in a deep breath. “Who are you? Why are you helping me?”

“…you cannot die.”

“Answer me!” Evan snapped. “Who are you?”

The youth was quiet for a moment, then softly replied, “You know.”

Evan did. He was subconsciously aware of it ever since he’d heard Knox spitting things to Xen like “still clinging onto the same person” and “killed him a long time ago.” But even after pondering for a while, the conclusions that rose in his head were so absurd that he was left reeling from irritation.

He'd heard and faced and come across his share of strange things in his life, yet this one matter rattled his brain like no other.

“You…” Evan cautiously probed, “…are me?”

The youth’s voice held a smile as he responded. “We are one, but not the same person.”

“How…” Evan tried to float towards the voice, trying to find a glimpse of that young face he’d seen before. His own face. “How is this possible? You…”