Chapter 202: We Have Been Invited.
Eros stepped forward, his boots crunching over broken stone and fragments of shattered steel as he walked toward the crater where the war sister lay sprawled. Her armor was cracked, her breathing shallow. He looked down at her for a moment, his face hidden behind his mask, and frowned slightly—but he did not move to help her.
His gaze shifted from her to the demon standing only a few paces away. He nodded once, muttering under his breath, "I see."
The soldiers watching whispered nervously, their eyes darting between the two figures. The tension in the air was suffocating—thick enough to choke on.
Eros then began walking forward, each step steady, deliberate, unhurried.
Amanda immediately stepped out from the group, reaching for him. "Husband, please think about this carefully," she said, her voice trembling slightly despite her usual composure. "That demon... it’s..."
Before she could finish, Eros stopped and turned slightly. He placed a hand gently on her head, his thumb brushing her temple in quiet reassurance.
"I know," he said softly.
Amanda froze at his touch. Her instincts screamed in alarm—deep, primal warning signals passed down from her Naga bloodline. She could feel the heavy darkness radiating from the demon; it wasn’t just powerful—it was ancient. Of superior lineage. Her scales prickled beneath her clothes, her body warning her that Eros was stepping into the maw of something far beyond mortal danger.
But he didn’t waver.
He kept walking, one step at a time, toward the towering monster that had just turned a seasoned war sister into a broken doll.
All around, soldiers murmured in disbelief.
"Is he insane?" one whispered.
"He’s walking straight to his death..."
"That thing crushed a Soul Apostle like she was nothing—"
"He’s done for."
The murmurs grew louder until they became an anxious hum that echoed through the cavern.
Still, Eros did not stop.
He walked until he stood directly before the demon—close enough that the creature’s immense shadow fell over him, making him look like an insect before a god.
The demon tilted his head down, eyes narrowing in faint amusement. His golden irises glowed brighter. "You approach me willingly?" he rumbled, his voice deep enough to make the ground tremble.
Eros looked up without fear. And then, slowly—before anyone could even comprehend what he was doing—he raised one hand and placed it flat against the demon’s leg.
A wave of whispers exploded across the crowd.
"What is he doing!?"
"He touched it!?"
"Is he trying to provoke it!?"
But Eros’ tone was calm. "I have touched you," he said simply. "That’s the criteria for entry is it not."
The demon blinked, momentarily thrown off.
Eros then tapped the demon again, this time lightly on the leg. "I have touched you twice."
And once more, he reached up and pressed his hand to the demon’s side. "Thrice."
The silence that followed was deafening. Even the air seemed to stop moving.
"I wish to bring two others with me," Eros said, his voice low but steady.
The demon’s four eyes narrowed as he leaned closer, his tusked grin spreading slowly across his face. The tension was unbearable—every soldier held their breath, every woman’s hand hovered near her weapon. Even Lady Sayuri’s tails had stiffened, and Belamorte’s lips parted in disbelief.
For several long seconds, the demon said nothing. His golden eyes bore into Eros, searching, measuring, testing. The air around them shimmered with suppressed power—like the calm before a storm that could annihilate everything.
And then—
The demon smirked. "Sure," he said, his voice low, rumbling like thunder echoing in a distant canyon.
The entire battlefield erupted in gasps and chaos.
"What!?"
"He accepted!?"
"That’s impossible—!"
"Is that even allowed!?"
Even Belamorte blinked in disbelief. "He... what did he just do?" she whispered.
Sayuri frowned, her expression shifting from confusion to fascination. "He didn’t fight him. He acknowledged him?" she murmured softly. "But... how?"
Eros turned without another word. He walked calmly past the demon, as if strolling through a garden.
When he reached the line of soldiers, he pointed toward Violet and Alexis.
"You two," he said simply. "Follow me."
And with that, he walked past them, entering through the massive gates of the stone castle.
Behind him, the demon chuckled—a deep, resonant sound that rolled through the cavern like laughter from hell itself.
Amanda and Ngozi stood frozen, their eyes wide behind their masks.
"He... he just..." Ngozi began.
Amanda exhaled sharply, clutching her chest. "He is leaving us behind?"
The realization made both women tremble—not out of fear, but awe.
.....
The inside of the castle was nothing like what any of them expected.
The moment Eros crossed the threshold, the darkness of the outer dungeon seemed to melt away. Light—soft, golden, and otherworldly—poured from crystalline braziers that floated in the air like orbs of captured dawn. The walls were carved from white stone veined with streaks of liquid gold, and upon them, strange sigils pulsed slowly like a living heartbeat. Every sound echoed faintly—each step on the marble floor producing a distant chime, as if the castle itself sang.
It was vast. Towering archways reached for ceilings hidden behind drifting mist. In the distance, waterfalls of light cascaded from suspended platforms, feeding streams of glowing energy that wound through the corridors like veins. The air was fragrant—not of decay or blood, as one might expect in a dungeon—but of lilies, warm incense, and something else... something ancient and divine.
Even the silence had texture. A serenity so profound that Violet and Alexis found themselves instinctively lowering their voices as though afraid to disturb the sacred hush.
They passed murals—scenes of angels and demons locked in eternal embrace, their wings tangled, their faces serene. Statues lined the hall, all depicting horned beings kneeling, their expressions caught between agony and ecstasy.
Violet glanced at Eros, her brows furrowed. "What... what just happened out there? That demon—he just let us in. Why?"
Her voice trembled slightly, not just from confusion but from awe.
But Eros didn’t respond immediately.
He slowed his pace. The light from the hovering orbs reflected faintly across his dark robe as he stopped at the center of the hall.
Then, without a word, his hands rose to his face.
The sound of metal sliding against skin echoed softly as he removed his mask.
The moment it came off, both Violet and Alexis froze.
The air around them seemed to shift—like reality itself had exhaled. The soft light of the hall caught his features, revealing a face so arresting that for a moment, neither woman could speak.
"It seems," he said quietly, his voice calm yet carrying an unspoken weight, "I won’t be needing this anymore."
The mask hung loosely in his hand.
Violet’s breath caught. Alexis’ eyes widened, her lips parting in wordless shock.
"Because we have been invited into this place..." Eros spoke up.