Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [MxM]

45. Banquet (2)

Erebus' words shook the room. The Shadowbane warriors attempted to hide their delight while the other sects paled with discomfort and fear. How could a man be so shameless and provoke a Golden Mountain Lord?

Leo stood behind Erebus and coughed, hiding his face behind his hands. However, he could not entirely disguise his laughter.

Arlo rounded on Leonis. "This is what you teach your soldiers? Such blatant disrespect!"

Leonis smiled brightly. "We elders lead the youth by example. It should be expected that our Lieutenant General has given you the same respect you demonstrated."

Arlo growled under his breath, and his aura raged. He raised his fist and swung towards Lenois.

Erebus moved in the shadows and, within a breath, was in front of Arlo, stopping him in his tracks. One of Erebus' daggers was out and pressed against his throat. Although his cultivation was low, his speed surprised Arlo.

Erebus wasn't the only one who moved. The generals and Leo also unsheathed their weapons and were ready to attack.

"Are you threatening my King?" He roared. His aura overwhelmed Arlo's.

Two blonde men pushed through the crowd and rushed to aid Arlo. They pulled out their swords and pointed them at Erebus, barely noticing the threats surrounding them. Erebus' eyes trembled when they approached, and the air chilled around him. Eri's brothers, Terran and Tomas Themis had arrived. Eri's past was filled with the horrendous deeds of these monsters, who were technically his blood.

Those memories resurfaced violently in Erebus' mind.

The two brothers convinced a young Eri to follow them to a second-story balcony and pushed him over the edge, only to be saved by the bushes below.

The two boys tied Eri to the back of a horse and poisoned it to go crazy. He didn't have enough strength to keep on it, so when the ropes broke, his body was tossed to the ground, and he was trampled. He barely survived by protecting his head with his broken arms.

The brothers threw Eri into the cold swimming pool when it was raining outside. They had locked the doors and made him stay out in the rain. He huddled against the wall of the manor, trying to keep warm. He had a dangerous fever for a week afterward and almost died yet again.

They dragged Eri into the forest with a hunting lure tied to his waist and left him alone, being chased and hunted by the beasts. He was only saved because a passing hunter noticed the lure.

The many times that made him a target for their mana lessons.

The countless times they beat him for fun.

The endless nights when his body was almost destroyed, and he didn't have the strength to crawl to his bed, so he had to remain on the cold stone floor.

When Eri turned 11, he was kicked out to join a boarding school. He would return almost every month, but they barred him from the house, beat him senseless, and left him at the gates with a broken body.

Their words also screamed in his head.

"You Shadow Rat bastard."

"You're probably not even our real brother. That whore of your mother fucked another man."

"You're worse than a cockroach. Why can't you just die already?"

"Trash."

"Worthless."