8: Sacrifice

Here's the translation with the title added:

The city was in complete chaos; several buildings had already crumbled due to the earthquakes caused by the mere footsteps of the creature. People were in a panic as they ran toward the city's exit, with the guards helping women and children reach safety while others ensured no one was left behind.

Eos was on the western edge of the city, where the prison was located, next to the forest, from where he could see the creature, which was leaking a putrid darkness from its eyes, advancing hundreds of meters with each step it took.

Eos frowned when he saw hundreds of figures falling from the creature's empty eye sockets.

Eos looked once more at the gigantic crater on one side and turned his gaze back to the cursed forest.

'I must hurry; with this kind of power, it should be possible.'

Eos began to run and enter the forest, his silhouette a thin brown streak that crossed the woods in a blink.

His footsteps made no sound, and his body slid through the forest without even disturbing the air. Eos's eyes searched in the darkness, which was being repelled by the rising sun, for the silhouette of a child or any sign of his whereabouts.

Eos didn't need to go too deep into the forest before he saw, in the distance, a half-naked and injured boy, covered in bruises, with eyes so...

Eos hurriedly closed his eyes before seeing the boy's eyes. Relying on his senses, he continued running toward the child and only slowed down when he heard him approaching.

"What… are you doing here?"

From the tone of his voice, Eos could tell the boy was cautious and somewhat afraid. He also noted that he was out of breath, with an agitated breathing pattern, and that his throat seemed sore from the raspy and hoarse voice.

"I need your power. I saw what you did in the prison, and that energy was the same as the divinity that protected this city from that creature. I want you to come with me to the holy dome."

Eos still had his eyes closed as he directed his head toward Grey.

Grey had no other choice; if he refused, he would die by the creature behind them, and if he accepted, he would probably be executed if they managed to accomplish whatever Eos wanted to achieve.

A weak sigh escaped his lips. He was tired. Many days of effort were already taking a toll on his miserable soul; he just wanted to rest and escape the torment of the nightmare.

"Fine, but you're going to carry me. My feet hurt too much to keep running."

Eos prepared himself and walked a little closer to the boy.

"Close your eyes, and don't open them no matter what. At least not if there's anyone around you."

With that said, he let Grey climb onto his back. A moment later, the two silhouettes vanished from the spot.

Grey was surprised by Eos's incredible speed; the wind seemed to whistle as it brushed against his damaged ears, and the ground didn't even leave a mark from his footsteps.

"What do you want me to do when we get there? I don't think I can help kill that thing." His whisper was only heard due to their proximity.

"I want you to use the power from that explosion you caused to escape; you'll give energy to the holy dome to make it work again." Eos spoke effortlessly, despite carrying Grey and running at incredible speed through the forest, with the city just a hundred meters away.

"What will that thing do if I manage to give it energy? Will it shoot a ray that kills that thing?"

Eos was momentarily surprised when he took a large leap, passing over the crater Grey had left.

"A ray? No, the holy dome has the power to repel creatures that have been corrupted and kill anyone within its protective range. Many years ago, it functioned to keep the corrupt away and prevent the awakening of the abomination that's coming after us."

Collapsed houses and falling buildings passed by as their foundations crumbled.

Grey looked back and saw a horde of two-meter-tall creatures chasing after them at full speed, not much slower than the boy carrying him.

"Those things are going to catch up to us."

Eos began to leap between the collapsing houses to shorten their path and avoid having to navigate the broken streets while responding to Grey.

"Don't worry about those creatures; I'll take care of them while you try to give energy to the holy dome."

Their journey didn't last much longer; the golden dome was already above them just a minute after those words.

Grey got down from Eos's back and looked at the golden dome, careful not to look at anyone, if there was anyone, near the golden dome that was as large as several buildings.

"How do I get in there?"

Eos watched the abominations running at full speed toward them before responding.

"When you touch the golden surface, you'll be able to pass through it physically. In the center of its interior, there's a hollow that was once filled with the divine power of our goddess. I need you to find a way to use that power of yours to make the holy dome work once again."

"I'll try." Grey began to run toward the dome, casting one last glance behind him.

Eos unsheathed his sword with a swift motion as radiant purple energy filled its surface, and the first of the creatures lunged at Eos, only to be easily sliced in two by his sword.

Shaking his head, Grey continued with what he had to do.

***

The fanged, black creatures, as dark as the darkness they had emerged from, pounced on Eos, who deflected their claws and delivered rapid slashes that split the creatures' heads in two; for every strike he made, one creature was killed.

Eos was using everything in his surroundings to gain an advantage over the creatures, jumping over rocks around him and reaching the heads of the larger ones. His sword danced with beautiful technique as he spun, slashed, and thrust at the creatures, which were consumed by the purple energy enveloping his sword.

Unfortunately, the battle wouldn't last much longer; the creatures were becoming more numerous, and the ground trembled more violently as the gigantic abomination approached the city.

The sun had begun to rise some time ago, illuminating the battlefield in front of the dome and reflecting off the black blood of all the creatures split in two on the ground.

Eos was struck by several claws that dug into his arms and torso. With a swift movement of his sword, Eos cut them down and let his power consume the creatures before taking a quick step back to avoid another set of sharp claws from the creatures that had replaced the ones he had just killed.

'Why hasn't it activated yet?! Did it really not work?...'

Eos deflected the creatures' claw attacks while dancing between them like a beautiful dance, dismembering their limbs and skillfully dodging their strikes.

Only three minutes had passed since he began fighting the awakened beasts, but he had already killed many dozens of them. Some beasts even seemed hesitant to attack the sinister man who was covered in a purple energy that consumed them from within whenever it touched them.

Eos directed his gaze to the gigantic creature and saw one of its massive front legs touch the edge of the city. The ground shook, and he was nearly thrown off balance by the small tremor caused by the abomination's footsteps.

The buildings that had somehow withstood the effects of the monster's footsteps before now collapsed, creating a rumble of falling stone and dust in the air.

"It didn't work, huh? What a shame. I would have escaped if I had known, but at least I'll take all of you with me, disgusting creatures."

Eos's body was covered in wounds, with blood running down his arms and torso. He didn't have much time left with those injuries.

Several dozen more creatures were approaching, and Eos wouldn't be able to survive a fight with so many at once again.

He raised his sword, and the purple energy on his body disappeared. His sword glowed, and a grimace of pain appeared on his handsome face.

Eos was using his own life force to fuel the purple flame that now covered his sword. A crackling sound came from the blade.

It wouldn't last much longer containing Eos's power.

A macabre smile appeared on his handsome face as he watched the horde of creatures charge at him.

With a swing of his sword, a scorching purple flame shot out, covering the entire horde and burning their life force from within.

All the abominations fell dead before they could touch Eos.

But...

He wouldn't be saved for much longer either.

His body collapsed weakly to the ground as he smiled at the dawn of a new day.

"Ahh, at least I managed to finish off their minions... It's a shame I can't… do anything against that creature."

His eyes began to close as the light faded from the blue eyes of the young man.

His life force had been completely consumed.

However, before his eyes closed completely and every spark of life left them, Eos managed to see a pure golden light spreading across the sky, filling the city with a light that drove back all the darkness.

A faint smile formed on his face as he realized that his plan had succeeded in the end.

A loud explosion was heard in the distance as Eos's body disintegrated in the light that covered him.

The immense creature heading toward the golden dome let out a beastly roar that would have made the heads of all the inhabitants explode if it weren't for the fact that they were already far away on giant ships, fleeing from the monster.

Its body began to dissolve as the divine energy disintegrated it into nothingness.

***

Inside the golden dome, the body of a boy could be seen dissolving as it disintegrated into golden energy that filled a large void in the middle of the empty dome.

"Am I going to die like this? But... wasn't I supposed to achieve something?... I need to... Find it... Find what? Who was I?..."

Grey had sacrificed himself both body and soul to make the holy dome function.

As his body dissolved, Grey fell unconscious into the embrace of sleep, finally letting his mind rest in the void.

Something seemed to resonate in the darkness where his soul was being torn apart, but Grey paid no attention as he lost consciousness.

***

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