Rudeous walked forward slowly.
And with each step he took, the two demons instinctively stepped back.
The sight was surreal. All three of them, including Derek, were shaken to the core. Despite their monstrous aura, the two demons now looked visibly terrified, one from fear, the other from sheer disbelief. On the other hand, Derek couldn't even believe what he saw.
Suddenly, the general's eyes widened in realization. "Uncle… so this child is yours. No wonder he has awakened the pure bloodline."
Derek's mind buzzed with questions. 'This demon, one of the three generals, is calling my father uncle? So does that mean my father is a demon, too? And me?!'
Meanwhile, Rudeous hadn't responded. He just kept walking until he was only three steps away from them. Then, finally, he spoke.
"Xander," his voice was calm, almost quiet. "I'll only say this once. Put the child down unharmed. Or I'll destroy you both."
His tone wasn't loud. It didn't roar with rage or menace.
And yet…
Those few words alone made both demons tremble.
Still, the general refused to comply.
"Uncle, I don't know why you left us… or why you now choose to live among humans. But what you ask is impossible, even if it costs our lives." His voice trembled, not with fear, but with conviction. "This child has awakened the bloodline. A pure one. King Baran will never risk allowing such a threat to live. He will never let his throne be challenged."
He paused briefly, making sure not to say anything that might provoke the man before him.
"If you kill me… your own nephew…you know what will happen. It won't matter where you run. My father, the king, will never forgive you. He'll find you. He'll kill you. He'll destroy everyone you care about. And this child…"
He raised Derek slightly, pointing at him with a cold glare.
"This child has to die, no matter what."
A dread silence spread as no one talked after that. Xander, the demon general, kept waiting for Rudeous's response. "Please, uncle, don't make it harder for both of us." He whispered inwardly.
But just then, Rudeous's hand moved. And a shadow-like blade shot forward. Before anyone could even react, the blade passed through the twin-horned female and continued to go beyond in the forest at the back, passing through many trees in its path.
Xander shrieked back, still carrying Derek. But this time, he used both hands to carefully hold him, instead of carrying him like an object.
The twin-horned female looked down with wide eyes.
Creak! Creak! Thud!
Dozens of trees toppled in silence, their upper halves crashing down with muffled impact.
The female demon clutched her stomach as blood burst out from her mouth.
And then...
Her upper body slid from her waist and fell to the ground, kicking up dust. Her eyes were horrified as if she still couldn't believe what had just happened.
She stretched her hand toward Xander. "General.... Ru...." She couldn't finish her words, and her stretched hand plummeted to the ground.
Dead.
"Shit." Xander cursed. And Derek stared at his father with wide-open eyes. He could barely differentiate whether this was a dream or reality. 'He took down an upper rank with just one wave of his hand?!'
Rudeous's voice echoed in the silence. "Put the child down unharmed. Or this time, it will be you."
"U...Uncle, lis—" Xander tried to speak, desperate to reason.
But seeing his unwillingness to do what he was told, Rudeous made his move. He was in no mood for negotiation.
He waved his left hand...casually, just like the last time. But this time... No shadow like blade shot forward...
Instead, Xander's body froze on the spot.
His eyes widened in panic. "I... I can't move... not a single muscle. Damn! He used the binding magic." He cursed under his breath.
Rudeous ignored him completely. He walked forward, calmly and silently, reached out, and gently took Derek from Xander's stiff arms. Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned and walked back to where he had been standing just moments ago.
And then he said in a low and cold voice, "Xander… you made a huge mistake coming after my son. Don't blame me for what happens next."
He raised his hand again, ready to make his next move.
Seeing this, fear gripped Xander as if his soul had already left his body. "Wait!" Xander cried out. He said in an urgent tone, "Uncle… think before you act. The moment I die, father will know."
Rudeous stopped what he was about to do.
Xander swallowed hard. "The pure bloodline... You surely remember it, don't you? The soul orbs? Each one of which is bonded with one of the bloodlines."
"The moment I die, my one will snuff out. It won't take even a minute to locate where my soul departed my body. And the moment they do, they will send someone. And next time… it won't just be a general coming for you."
A heavy silence followed.
"It'll be one of the guardians," Xander said darkly. "You know what that means. After all… You yourself were one of them once."
That made Rudeous stop completely.
Derek, who was now in Rudeous's arms, heard each and every word clearly. But still..... He couldn't process any of them. 'They have someone even stronger than a general who is already far above an upper rank? And my father was actually one of them once?'
Meanwhile, seeing Rudeous hesitate, Xander's eyes lit up with a flicker of hope. "Uncle, how about this? Just seal the boy's energy," he said quickly. "No one will know. I'll make a blood oath. I won't speak a word to anyone."
He hesitated, then added in a lower, graver tone, "But you'll have to return with me. You'll have to explain how Elektra died."
He looked at the twin-horned female's corpse.
"If you truly want to protect that boy… and whatever family you have now… this is your only option, Uncle."