Chapter 145: I don’t need you
Hades usually didn’t let his pride get the better of him in the middle of a fight. But sometimes, principles had to be cast aside, and instinct took control.
And when Averis spoke, something inside him snapped.
{Alert! Another crack has formed in the Core!}
He ignored the system’s warning.
His aura erupted, scorching the ground beneath his feet. Trees nearby burst into flames, and the air itself grew heavy, warping under the pressure.
Avalin closed her eyes, forcing herself to scan the surroundings for an ambush—even though every fiber of her body begged her to simply bask in her Lord’s glory. To kneel, to worship.
Marilyn felt the same. Her feverish gaze never left Hades. If Kaelith hadn’t restrained her, she might have thrown herself between them in blind devotion.
Even Averis’s maid trembled, her mind screaming at her to flee, to get as far from that crushing presence as possible.
But Averis only smiled. Her lips curved upward, her eyes never wavering. The will to fight still burned in her. She wanted this battle to end—even if it meant meeting death at its conclusion.
Hades stepped forward, the hammers in his hands melting away. "You call yourself my follower... and then dare insult me." His voice no longer sounded human. It was the voice of a God—a furious God glaring down at her.
Averis froze, breath caught in her throat. Awe rippled through her chest. She was seeing her God!
"Forgive me!" she cried out, almost joyfully, as she lunged forward. Her blood scythe came crashing down toward his head—
HISSSSS
Before it could touch him, the blade sizzled, burning, evaporating into nothing.
Averis’s eyes widened. This had never happened before. Her weapon was unbreakable, so long as her sanity and magic remained intact.
But then again... this was her Lord.
She released the fading scythe, spinning in midair to drive her heel at his face. The closer her foot got, the more she felt the heat rising, scorching her skin. Yet she never thought of stopping.
But—
DHAK
Her strike was caught. Not blocked—caught. Hades held her foot with effortless ease.
In the same breath, he turned, twisting on his heel, and swung her like a doll.
CRACK
She slammed against a burning tree, the trunk snapping under the force.
She groaned, but the moment she tried to rise his presence towered over her like a wall.
She swung an arm at him.
Caught—again.
"Ahh!" she cried as he drove his boot into her side. Pain flared; then a sickening rip as her arm was torn free.
"My lady!" the maid shouted and tried to move — only to go rigid. Marilyn’s shadow reached for her and froze her in place. The maid snarled at Marilyn, but when her eyes fell on the redhead at Marilyn’s side she fell utterly silent.
Averis’s screams turned into muffled gasps as Hades lifted her by the throat, the two of them hovering above the scorched ground. Her severed arm lay discarded between them like a broken prize.
Hades’ narrow eyes bored into her. Averis’ face had gone ashen, but she would not look away. Any doubt she once held was gone. This unstoppable, warped presence belonged to no one else.
He was the one.
He was the Chaos Heir.
Through ragged breaths and pain, she forced the words out. "I... I submit myself to you."
Hades grinned, bringing her closer to his face before whispering, "You know what? I don’t need you now."
Averis’s eyes widened
Since the time she arrived here, for the first time, she showed this emotion.
Fear.
Her lips trembled, eyes turned moist as she heard him saying, "You don’t belong to me, nor will I ever accept you."
"P-Please...m-my Lord..." she wept, but Hades didn’t hear and threw her away.
Averis’s maid arrived right on time to catch her lady.
However, neither Averis could feel the pain at the moment nor the protective arms around her.
All she could feel at the moment was despair.
Her Lord doesn’t need her.
....
"Ah!" Luna jolted awake.
She felt a stir in her heart...her Hades was in trouble.
She glanced to her right and found Peri frowning in her sleep. But other than her, there was no one else in the room.
Her heart turned heavy. She wanted to see Hades instantly.
Ignoring the pain of her body and how heavy her eyes felt, she got up from her bed, and nearly stumbled because of how heavy her legs felt.
Without bothering to wear the sandals, she advanced towards the door.
She wanted to see him.
He was troubled...furious.
She wanted to be with him.
*Click*
However, before she could have opened the door, someone else pushed it open from the other side.
"Luna?" Hades was stunned to see her standing there.
Luna wordlessly advanced toward him, holding his shirt, she anchored herself before asking, "What happened? Are you hurt?"
Hades knew exactly what must be on her mind. The only reason he rushed here was because he knew his mates must have sensed the disturbance in his emotions.
"Come here," he first brought her to the bed and made her sit.
Bringing a glass of water, he handed it to the silver head, but Luna held his hand, stopping him and asking, "Did something bad happen?"
Hades exhaled another sigh before taking the seat beside her.
Resting the glass on the table, he held her hand and told her, "Someone came to challenge me, I nearly lost control and killed them. But thanks to Mom’s training and you two, I was able to keep my emotions in check."
Luna frowned, "Hades...I have seldom felt such anger from you. What did the other person do?"
Hades chuckled, "I promise it was nothing concerning. Please trust me."
Caressing her head, he told her, "You need to rest Luna. Your body hadn’t assimilated my blood till now, so you have to rest and let your body adapt."
Luna knew it as well. She could feel how much her body needed rest. Even now, she was barely holding herself from falling.
However, she clutched his shirt in a firm grasp and said, "Once I wake up...I want to hear everything."
Hades smiled fondly, laying her down and whispering, "I promise. Now, please rest."
Luna didn’t respond as her eyes slowly closed and not so long after, she fell into slumber.
Hades took a deep breath before kissing her head.
Crawling upward, he planted a soft kiss on Peri’s head before whispering, "Everything is fine." He saw her easing up a little.
With a smile, he decided to take a nap as well.
°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.