Chapter 136

Ercale took a look around the area, surveying the dead bodies of demons scattered across the front garden. *Looks like they handled themselves pretty well,* he thought. His gaze then fell on Dash, who was moving between demons with incredible speed, exploding their bodies with a single punch or kick. *He's interesting,* Ercale mused before his eyes returned to the girl trembling beneath his hand. *But first, let's deal with this trash.*

Eriza's teeth chattered as she turned her head towards Ercale. "Whe-where i-is my lo-lord?" she stuttered, her voice filled with fear. Ercale grinned cruelly.

"Dead. I killed him," he said, emphasizing the word 'killed'.

"N-no, no! You're lying! You're lying... He-he can't die! He-he can't leave me!" Eriza exclaimed in desperation, her voice broken. Ercale raised an eyebrow and let out a sigh.

"Already broken. How boring." He then looked at everyone else who stared at him, some in shock, some in hesitation, two with a mixture of emotions. "What?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"Who are you?" Zee asked hesitantly as she stood in front of Xain. Ercale let out another sigh.

"No one important. I just want to go back into my house," he said. Zee blinked in confusion at his words. *Why does this attitude feel so familiar?* she wondered.

Verandez took a tentative step towards Ercale. "Is it true?" he asked, still in shock.

"Huh?" Ercale turned to him.

"Did you kill the Demon Lord?" Verandez asked, causing Zee to turn to him in shock. *Demon Lord!? What did I miss!?*

Ercale rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, but don't call that piece of trash a Demon Lord. He doesn't deserve the title," he said, no more like ordered. Verandez felt a shiver run down his spine; it was clear that Ercale didn't like Malvorr one bit.

"You said you can destroy souls, right? Then what are you waiting for? Do it," Grace said, her voice steady and cold. Everyone who heard this turned in shock to Grace.

"Wh-why are you talking to him like that?" Elanor whisper-yelled at Grace. Ercale narrowed his eyes at her. Xain, though he wanted to say a lot of things to Ercale, raised his hands.

"Don't hold anything against her. I'm sure it's the stress getting to her, and that's why she's talking to you like that. So don't do anything rash and stay calm," he said, all in such a rapid pace that most wouldn't be able to understand anything he said. But to Xain's surprise, Ercale responded.

"You're right." Xain gaped as he heard Ercale say this. *Who is this? Are you truly the Erkie I know?* he wondered in shock.

"He-he can't die... he didn't leave me. Not again... please don't leave me alone again," Eriza muttered desperately, her voice a pitiful whisper. It didn't matter how hard she prayed, hoped, or begged. Malvorr was truly and irreversibly dead. Xain looked down at her with pity. *You don't deserve to be treated so cruelly or belittled like this... but you can't be forgiven either. You're a demon who caused so much suffering. There's no saving you,* he thought, closing his eyes, knowing what was about to happen.

Ercale placed his hand on Eriza's head and began uttering words in an unknown language. His hand glowed with a purple aura, and the air around them crackled with an otherworldly energy. Eriza's body started to emit a radiant glow. Her eyes widened, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Stop! Please stop! Stop it!" she cried out. Xain wished he could cover his ears, but his broken arm refused to move. Everyone else, except for the demon and Grace, jerked back at Eriza's horrific screams, tears streaming down her cheeks. With each passing moment, Eriza experienced a level of pain she had never thought possible—a torment that surpassed the boundaries of her understanding.

"It hurts! It hurts so much! Stop!" she cried, her throat bleeding from the intensity of her screams. Then, all of a sudden, the screaming stopped. Eriza's body fell to the ground, empty, soulless, and dead.

"Done," Ercale said, waving his hand dismissively as if brushing off dirt. Everyone, except Xain, Grace, and the demon, stood horrified at what they had just witnessed. Elanor, unable to hold back any longer, vomited. Verandez struggled not to do the same. He had wanted her dead, yes, but seeing her die like that was... too much.

"Hmm," Ercale mused, looking up at the portal still spewing out demons, functioning as it should. "Now why is that not closing? Wasn't she the one who did the ritual?" he asked, pointing at Eriza's empty body.

Verandez felt his blood run cold. "I-I have to die as well to stop this," he said, looking down at the ground.

"Oh, okay, I guess I'll kill you as well," Ercale said casually. Verandez jolted but stood still, ready for his end. *I'm coming, Levarick. Wait for me,* he thought. But nothing happened. He looked up to see Xain standing between him and Ercale.

"Xain, do we have to go through this again?" Grace asked, sounding annoyed at him for the first time. "Xain, I know you don't want this, but we have to kill him to stop this," said Zee, knowing Xain would hate it.

Xain ignored their words, staring into Ercale's eyes. "He's innocent, Erc—" he stopped himself. "Just... he's innocent. He doesn't deserve to die."

Ercale gave him an annoyed glare. "Then he should've known better than to summon demons, huh?" he said, his tone aggravated.

"He didn't do it willingly. He was being controlled," Xain said, standing his ground.

"Well, I'm sorry for the guy, but it doesn't matter. If he doesn't die, this doesn't stop. So step aside," Ercale said with a threatening tone. Zee and the demon were about to step in to stop Xain from doing something stupid.

"I won't," Xain said, clenching his working fist and raising it. "And I'll fight you if I have to."

(Next chapter: Xain vs Ercale!?)