THE CRIMSON PANTHEON

Chapter 8

Thwack.

The sound was wet and sharp.

Before the thick grey dust in the crypt could even settle, a terrifying thing happened. The Scavenger demon at the front of the pack had opened its mouth to hiss. It never got the chance.

A severed head, with its ugly mouth still wide open and its sharp teeth dripping with slime, flew across the dark room. It spun through the air like a thrown rock, trailing a perfect circle of black blood.

Smack.

The demon’s head hit the solid stone wall of the crypt and bounced off. A second later, the monster's headless body finally realized it was dead. It collapsed to the cold floor with a heavy, wet thud.

The rest of the demons froze. The small Scavengers stopped clicking their teeth. Even the giant Abyssal Troll stopped moving. They all stared at the headless body, and then they slowly turned their red eyes to the man standing in the center of the room.

Ronan stood there, his arm still stretched out from the strike. He had moved so fast that the human eye could not see him. He did not use a sword. He did not use a knife. He had simply swung his bare, glowing hand and taken the demon’s head clean off its shoulders.

The golden and dark orange fire danced fiercely across Ronan’s smooth skin. He lowered his arm. A dark, terrifying smile was still plastered on his face.

"Who is next?" Ronan whispered. His voice was no longer that of a tired, broken human. It echoed with a deep, booming vibration that rattled the old bones inside the stone tombs.

The monsters did not answer with words. They answered with pure, wild anger. The Scavengers shrieked, a terrible, ear-piercing sound, and leaped forward all at once. Like a wave of ugly, sharp teeth and long claws, they rushed at Ronan.

But Ronan was not alone.

'Duck,' a voice whispered perfectly inside Ronan’s mind.

It was Olivia’s voice. But she had not spoken out loud.

Ronan did not question it. He completely trusted the voice. He dropped to one knee just as Olivia stepped up right behind him. She swung her beautiful, glowing sword of fire in a wide, deadly circle over his head.

A massive wave of pure, hot orange flames erupted from her blade. The fire crashed into the front row of leaping Scavengers. The monsters screamed in agony as the magical fire wrapped around their bodies. Their thick skin bubbled and melted. In seconds, three demons were turned into falling piles of black ash.

As Olivia pushed her magic out of her body, something incredible happened to Ronan.

Through the new, deep bond connecting their souls, Ronan felt her magic moving. Every time Olivia channeled her fiery power, Ronan felt a massive surge of pure physical strength flood his own muscles. It was like someone was pumping hot, liquid iron directly into his veins. His glowing golden tattoos pulsed brightly.

Ronan shot up from the floor. He lunged right into the middle of the surviving swarm.

A Scavenger slashed at his face with its sharp, dirty claws. Ronan did not even blink. He reached out and caught the demon’s thin arm. He squeezed his fingers. The monster’s bones shattered like dry twigs. Before the demon could scream, Ronan pulled his arm back and drove his glowing fist straight through the monster’s chest.

Crunch.

His hand came out the other side of the demon's back, covered in hot black blood. Ronan pulled his hand out and casually threw the dead monster aside.

'Behind you, on the left!' Olivia’s thought flashed in his mind like a bright warning light.

Ronan spun on his heel. He didn't even need to look. He knew exactly where the enemy was. He knew exactly where Olivia was. He could feel her presence at his back, a warm, bright anchor of safety.

Another Scavenger tried to jump on his back. Ronan reached up without looking, grabbed the monster by its throat, and slammed it down onto the hard stone floor. The impact cracked the solid rock. Ronan raised his heavy boot and stomped down, crushing the demon’s skull instantly.

It was a visceral, blood-pumping slaughter.

They fought like two halves of the same storm. It was a beautiful, bloody dance of death. They did not need to speak a single word out loud. Their souls were completely tied together by the Crimson Covenant. They shared the same thoughts, the same heartbeat, and the same terrifying power.

Olivia felt it, too. This was not the weak, dying magic she had used up in the courtyard. This was wild, endless power. The deep, intimate connection she had just shared with Ronan on the cold floor had unlocked something huge inside her. Her fire was no longer just a tool to burn things; it was alive.

She stepped forward, spinning her fiery sword. She danced through the monsters with amazing speed. She cut off a demon’s arm, and the wound instantly caught fire, burning the monster from the outside in.

'I am pushing more power to you,' Olivia thought, focusing her mind on the golden string that tied her heart to Ronan’s.

Ronan let out a loud roar as a fresh wave of god-like energy exploded inside him.

He was surrounded by four Scavengers. He did not bother punching them. He reached out and grabbed two of them by their long, ugly necks. His glowing fingers dug deep into their thick flesh. With a mighty yell, he simply pulled his arms apart.

Riiiiiiip.

The sound was absolutely sickening. It sounded like tearing a thick, wet canvas. Ronan literally ripped the two monsters in half with his bare hands. Guts and black blood splashed across the walls. He threw the broken pieces of meat at the other two Scavengers, knocking them down.