XERRUS THE INCARNATE

XERRUS THE INCARNATE

Nothing much happened after Eirot made her declaration.

"Is that all?" Ratatouille asked us.

"Be patient", I told and reminded the greedy rat.

"Swoooossssh"

Suddenly, the magmas in the pool streamed up in a powerful jet that covered the pool with a reddish sulfur cloud. Emerging from the cloud was a large creature more than five times larger than Eirot's biggest Hellhound.

The creature is a fearsome guardian of the Pool of Suffering. 

----

The creature was in the form of a hound or wolf with three heads. Each of the creature's heads were distinct, yet all shared a terrifying and malevolent presence.

The heads were monstrous in size, each one easily dwarfing that of a regular hound. They were covered in coarse, matted fur that appears as a sickly shade of red, giving them an eerie and ominous appearance.

The heads were arranged in a row, extending from a massive, muscular neck. Each head possessed a set of sharp, gleaming fangs that drip with venomous saliva. 

The eyes of the creature burn with a fiery intensity, glowing with an otherworldly light, emitting an unsettling, reddish glow, as if reflecting the aura of Hell. 

The heads were connected to a massive, sinewy body, covered in muscles that rippled with every movement. He is supported by powerful legs with razor-sharp claws that dig into the ground, ensuring stability and a firm grip.

In summary, the three-headed hound or wolf was a nightmarish creature, exuding an aura of terror and guarding the entrance to the Pool of Suffering with his immense strength, ferocious heads, and fiery gaze. 

His appearance serves as a deterrent to any who dares to approach or claim the pool.

------

"I am the incarnate of Xerrus, the guardian of this world. Who dares to claim this pool must pass my trial", the creature said to us.

"What is your trial?" Eirot asked the creature.

"A Trial by killing", he replied to her.

"What does trial by killing mean?" Ratatouille asked us.

"It means we have to kill the guardian", Aluva answered him.

"Wrrooooosssssh"

The three heads of Xerrus quickly breathed powerful flames toward us that could melt steel like butter. Luckily, all of us dodged the first wave of flame breaths.

I had a powerful skill that I seldom use which I reserved for the most urgent of situations. This skill was the evolution of the Sword of Nyx, a skill I inherited from the kings of Nyx. 

The skill went through various permutations and enhancements. In the end, the skill was further empowered by the Valhallan relic, the Tesseract of the Rising Tides to become its current form.

Magical patterns emerged before me that quickly drew into a complex magical spell. From within this pattern, a sharp tip emerged. This tip soon grew into an enormous lance that rushed forward at Xerrus.

"Lance of Drakul"

I conjured a long and shiny lance that extended in a magical beam toward the guardian of the Pool that melted parts of his tough armored skin and pierced through his chest.

"Argggghhhhh"

Xerrus screamed as his chest was torn open by my magic.

"Your magic has improved remarkably since the last time I met you", Eirot said to me with astonishment.

"I strive to become better so that one day I can return here to save you", I replied to her as tears fell from her again.

"Stop the sob, the dog is not dead", Ratatouille reminded us.

"This lance is powerful, but it will not kill me", Xerrus told us suddenly when to our horror, his body and skin quickly regenerated again.

My Lance of Drakul was my strongest magic and it could be compared to magic of the mid-level Yellow Legendary, yet it was insufficient to harm Xerrus by much.

"The guardian is almost as strong as a Saint or an Anti-Saint", Aluva told us.

"Anti-Saint? We have one here", I replied to her and looked at Ratatouille.

"Wrrooooosssssh"

Xerrus breathed his powerful flame again but this time we were not out of the way.

"No…", Eirot screamed as a Bullhound charged toward the flame breath of Xerrus to block it for her while the Gajahshura followed behind.

The Bullhound was Alfred and he managed to block Xerrus's flame breath, but he was at the same time consumed by its flame and fell back into the Pool of Suffering. So, was the Gajahshura that Eirot summoned moments ago.

Alfred had been Eirot's best friend since her days in the woods of Nymera kingdom many many years ago. He followed Eirot everywhere and was captured by the Apostles together with her. Eventually, they were reunited again. 

But their reunion did not last long. Alfred sacrificed his life to save his mistress and so did the Gajahshura.

"Worry not about them, the beasts will be reborn again in the Pool and so will all of you", Xerrus told us about Alfred and the Gajahshura.

"Wrrooooosssssh"

Xerrus readied his flame breath again.

The breath was large and wide, and he had three of his heads streaming them. It was extremely difficult for us to avoid all of the flaming breaths of Xerrus.

"I'm sorry I brought you to this danger. I love you, my love. goodbye", Eirot said to me sadly.

The battle looked hopeless to Eirot who was faced with a being almost as powerful as a lesser Angel. There was no escaping death today after she challenged the beast's Trial of Killing.

"It's too early to say goodbye", I replied to her.

"Wrrooooosssssh"

Xerrus's flaming breaths covered us but strangely we weren't burnt to death or harmed much at all.

"What happened? Why didn't the flame touch us?" Eirot asked me.

"It's my magic", I replied to her.

"Chaos Field"

My Chaos field was a magic that could divert away projectiles from their intended destination, but this magic doesn't work on stronger beings. If Xerrus was comparable to a Saint, he could be considered a Red tiered Legendary being. 

My Chaos Field had never tried on a Red Legendary before.

But my chaos magic worked on Xerrus to my surprise.