NOVEL WEB Chapter 1441: Erdrich
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Erdrich not only freed himself from the chains trying to seal him away, but he also walked towards Patricia, freeing her from the Demonic Rune that was embedded into her hand.
"Ugh?! Eh?!"
She was shocked, she was freed from the contract instantly, her eyes widening, as tears started falling from her eyes.
Since she was a child in an orphanage that she was picked up by them, one of many of their "experiments" to see how far they could infuse demonic power into people.
To combine spirits with demonic power…
Patricia was one of the few slightly successful attempts, although her spirit didn't quite gain as much demonic power, so she was relegated as a spy, infiltrating the Academy and seeking information while pretending to draft for the army.
And yet, there, she happened to meet him, Erdrich, among all other students, there was something in him, something both mysterious and intriguing, something that attracted her, and that also attracted him about her, this created a connection.
And through all this time, they have grown closer, despite her orders being others, Patricia thought that perhaps she could have a life aside from being a member of the demonic cult, that she perhaps could move on, and have someone she could love.
But after learning he was the one they were looking for, the Cambion, she slowly fell into despair, realizing that her little dreams were nothing but that, dreams, which would never become real.
She had no option, it was this or being treated as a traitor and then killed by the demonic rune, leaving her as a dried-out mummy…
Using the Spell imbued into her Demonic Rune, she created a Demonic Gate, teleporting Erdrich inside of Hell itself, where a group of Demons were waiting for him.
If the Cultists couldn't handle him, then the Demons themselves would have to do the job… Patricia's whole mission was just to convince him to stay by her side, to lower his guard, and then to bring him here.
And she succeeded.
But then he freed himself, and even after such betrayal, Erdrich didn't want to believe she was a bad person, he knew that deep down, Patricia was kind, and she was lonely.
And that loneliness she felt, he also felt it, this loneliness that only disappeared when both of them were together, when they talked, when they smiled.
"You should have simply told me the truth… Patricia."
Erdrich caressed her face, as Patricia, who was usually called "manly" and "unattractive" felt truly like a damsel, saved by the one she had just betrayed… She kept crying, realizing how terrible she felt after what she did, even more so when Erdrich didn't seem mad at her.
"I'm sorry, Erdrich…" she cried, looking at him with eyes filled with sorrow. "I-I was afraid… I was…"
"It's okay," Erdrich smiled, caressing her hair and hugging her, as the demons watched in silence, completely speechless.
As Patricia felt the warmth of Erdrich's chest on his half-demon form, she blushed, realizing that his heartbeat was very relaxing.
All the worries she felt, everything went away, the traumas of her past, her loneliness…
"I brought you here… I betrayed you… I'm sorry… I… I don't deserve your forgiveness, Erdrich…" she kept insisting.
"I can already see you were only a victim, forced to do this," he said. "You were similar to me, used by them… but that doesn't mean that we cannot fight back. Our lives and our future, it's only us who can decide what we do with them."
"Erdrich…" Patricia saw Erdrich hold her hands warmly.
"We don't belong to anybody, and you don't owe these bastards a single thing," he smiled. "I was furious before… but now I see, you're just like me. Maybe that's why we felt so connected, even though we never truly addressed our past, we could feel it, in our gazes, in the way we spoke, even how we acted…"
"I… feel the same…" Patricia muttered, blushing as her face grew closer to his. "Erdrich I… I love you… I'm sorry… I…"
"I love you too," Erdrich embraced her, hugging her tightly and kissing her lips, Patricia's eyes widened, but she closed them, forgetting everything else, and embracing the moment.
This was their first kiss, and it came accompanied by sorrow, resentment, frustration, but also love and understanding for one another.
As their lips separated, Patricia gasped, realizing that they really shouldn't be doing this… the demons were growing furious, they could hardly understand what she was even doing with the Cambion.
At first they thought she was keeping him still so they could use once more the formation, but when they saw her mouth touch his own, they felt disgusted, unable to comprehend human "love" at all!
"Erdrich…! Wait, we're still in hell and…!" she muttered amidst her tears. "We shouldn't be doing this…! I…!"
"Hahah! Yeah, you're not wrong," Erdrich laughed. "Then we're getting out of here!"
As Erdrich prepared for battle, releasing his demonic aura and his spiritual power, the Demon Cultists roared, suddenly beginning to tear apart their robes, becoming gigantic insectoid monstrosities. Erdrich and Patricia noticed glowing red crystals in their chest, Archdemon Core fragments from other Archdemons that had fought Blake and his friends before, enhancing their power beyond measure.
"PATRICIA! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"
"ARE YOU BETRAYING US?!"
"GIVE US THE CAMBION NOW!"
"YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE?!"
"DON'T MAKE US LAUGH!"
"KILL!"
"EAT THE CAMBION!"
"IF WE CANNOT HAVE HIM, WE MUST DEVOUR HIS FLESH AND BLOOD TO ASCEND!"
"LUCIFER WILL CLAIM HIS MUTATED SOUL AND CORE, SO IT'S FINE!"
"HEHEHEHEHEHE!"
The Demon Cultists showed their true nature as monstrous demons, rushing towards Erdrich and Patricia while their auras erupted! Their power was comparable to Demon Dukes after their transformation, powerful Demos that led whole battalions of hell and which Erdrich had faced in the past, especially when fighting to liberate Monica's territory from them.
As they charged towards them, Edrich quickly stepped forward, his Demonic Spirits unleashing their powers one by one over his body, as he activated his myriad of skills, enhancing his strength and durability and then converging his four energies.
Demonic Energy, Spirit Energy, Ki, and Mana…
No, actually, there was now a fifth power, Divinity.
FLAAASH!
All four energies swirled together into a storm of colors, as his fists moved forward, a single punch with the activation of a skill was more than enough to decimate a foe, punching right through their stomach and leaving a massive hole through it!
"{Heavenly Demon Battle Arts}: {Infernal Fist}!"
BOOOMMM!!!
The punch had released a massive explosion, blowing up the hole through the demon and then disintegrating their entire body on the spot, the other demons were left speechless as the shockwave came rushing, throwing them away.
"W-What is the meaning of this?!"
"Since when he had such power?!"
"That is not the strength that he could have obtained in so little time!"
"This makes no sense…!"
"He killed one of us with a single blow?!"
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