The Ashford army hit the Blackwood defenses like a wave against a cliff.
Ethan stood at the gates, the Sword in the Stone in his hands, watching the chaos unfold. The enemy poured up the mountain path—hundreds of cultivators, their blades gleaming, their battle cries echoing through the valley.
But the Blackwood Family did not break.
Arthur stood at the center of the defense, his ancient armor blazing with silver light. Every sweep of his blade cut down a dozen enemies. Every step he took pushed the line back.
Beside him, Silas fought with equal fury.
The two brothers moved in perfect synchronization—not just skill, but instinct. Arthur would strike high, Silas would strike low. Arthur would defend, Silas would counter. They were not just fighting together; they were one.
The family watched in awe.
"They’re incredible," Lily whispered.
Ethan nodded.
But something was wrong.
Victor Ashford rode at the back of the army, his face twisted with rage.
"Break them!" he screamed. "Break the gates! Kill them all!"
His commanders obeyed, pushing their soldiers forward. But the Blackwood defense held.
Then Victor raised his hand.
A dark portal opened behind him.
From it, a creature emerged—massive, horned, its skin the color of dried blood. Its eyes burned with black fire.
A demon lord.
The creature surveyed the battlefield, its gaze sweeping over the Blackwood defenders. Then it stopped.
Its eyes fixed on Silas.
"You," it hissed.
Silas froze.
Arthur stepped in front of his brother. "Stay back."
But the demon lord laughed.
"I know you. I remember you. The Betrayer. The one who opened the gates."
Silas’s face paled.
"You were supposed to die," the demon continued. "Your soul was promised to us. But you escaped. You became a shadow."
It stepped closer.
"And now... now I will collect what was promised."
The demon lord attacked.
Arthur met it head-on, his blade clashing against its claws. But the creature was stronger than any enemy he had faced—its power fueled by centuries of hunger.
"Arthur!" Silas shouted.
"Stay back! I’ll handle this!"
But the demon lord laughed.
"You cannot defeat me, Iron Ghost. Not while your brother carries our curse."
It raised its hand, and a wave of dark energy surged toward Silas.
Silas screamed.
His body began to flicker—flesh becoming shadow, shadow becoming flesh. The curse was activating, consuming him from within.
"Silas!" Arthur tried to reach him, but the demon lord blocked his path.
"Your brother is ours. He always was. The moment he opened the gates, his soul was marked."
Ethan saw it happen.
He saw Silas fall to his knees, his body writhing. He saw Arthur fighting desperately to reach him. He saw the demon lord laughing, its power growing with every passing moment.
And he made a choice.
"Thomas!" he shouted. "Take command!"
Thomas nodded, rallying the family’s warriors. "Hold the line!"
Ethan ran.
He ran toward Silas, dodging blades and spells, pushing through the chaos of battle. He reached Silas’s side just as the shadow threatened to consume him.
"Silas!"
Silas looked up. His eyes were wild, desperate.
"I can’t... I can’t control it..."
"Yes, you can." Ethan grabbed his shoulders. "You are not what they made you. You are a Blackwood. You are my family."
"I... I killed them..."
"You were manipulated. You were deceived. But you are not evil. You never were."
He pulled Silas close.
"Fight."
Silas’s eyes widened.
Something changed.
The shadow began to recede. Not because of magic. Not because of a ritual. Because of belief.
Silas believed.
He rose to his feet, his body flickering one last time before settling—flesh and blood, solid and real.
He turned to face the demon lord.
"You want my soul?" he said. "Come and take it."
Silas charged.
The demon lord laughed, raising its claws. But Silas did not slow down.
He struck—not with his blade, but with his hands. He grabbed the demon’s arm and twisted, using its own momentum against it.
The demon roared in pain.
Silas pressed his advantage. He was faster now. Stronger. The curse that had weakened him was now feeding him.
"What... what are you doing?" the demon screamed.
"Taking back what you stole."
Silas drove his hand into the demon’s chest.
Dark energy exploded outward—the curse, the hatred, the centuries of pain. It flooded into the demon lord, overwhelming it, consuming it.
The creature screamed.
And then...
Silence.
The demon lord crumbled to ash.
Silas stood alone in the center of the battlefield.
His body flickered once more—shadow and flesh, shadow and flesh before finally settling.
He was alive. He was real.
But something was wrong.
His eyes were black.
Ethan rushed to him.
"Silas!"
Silas turned. His face was his own, but his eyes, his eyes were voids, empty and cold.
"I’m fine," he said. His voice was wrong. Hollow. "I’m fine."
Arthur arrived, his face pale.
"Your eyes..."
"They’ll recover." Silas smiled. It did not reach his eyes. "The curse is gone. I absorbed it. Destroyed it."
He looked at the retreating Ashford army.
"We won."
The family cheered.
The Ashford army was routing, Victor Ashford fleeing with his remaining forces. The Blackwood Family had held the mountain.
But Ethan did not celebrate.
He watched Silas walk away, his body flickering faintly in the fading light.
Something was wrong.
『 Warning: Silas has absorbed the demon lord’s curse 』
『 He is no longer fully human 』
『 The curse has not been destroyed—it has been contained 』
『 Warning: Silas’s condition is unstable 』
『 New Quest Unlocked: Save Silas 』
That night, Ethan found Silas standing at the edge of the mountain.
The former Betrayer was staring out at the retreating army, his black eyes reflecting the moonlight.
"You saved us," Ethan said.
"I saved myself."
"Same thing."
Silas turned.
"You should have let me die. The curse... it’s still in me. I can feel it. Waiting. Growing."
"We’ll find a way to stop it."
"Will we?"
Ethan met his gaze.
"We’re family. We find a way."
Silas was silent.
Then he nodded.
"I’ll try to believe that."
『 Story Credibility: 100% 』
『 Family Faith: 100 』
『 Outsider Faith: 80 』
『 World Rebuttal: 62% 』
『 Ancestral Debt: 2 active 』
『 Arthur Blackwood: Fully Manifested 』
『 Silas Blackwood: Corrupted 』
『 New Quest Unlocked: Save Silas 』
『 The Ashford Family has retreated 』
『 Next Milestone: Complete the Blood Sacrifice 』