In the airtight dark forest, the strong wind rolled up the dead branches and made a scream like a ghost. The cold and wet mud stuck to the soles of Dean's boots, like countless hands stretching out from Hell, trying to drag him into the endless darkness. He ran forward like crazy, his heavy breathing hitting the cold air, condensing into clouds of white mist, the roar of Hellhound behind him getting closer and closer, the sharp sound of sharp claws scraping against the gravel, and the canine's panting almost sticking to the back of his neck.
The tangled tree roots under his feet suddenly stumbled hard, and he fell heavily into the mud. Fallen leaves mixed with cold muddy water covered his face. The moment he turned around, Hellhound's ferocious black shadow mixed with the fishy wind rushed towards him. Come on, the saliva dripped on his face, bringing Hell the burning sensation of sulfur. Dean let out a heart-rending scream, trembled all over, and sat up suddenly from the bed.
Cold sweat flowed down his cheeks, soaking the broken hair on his forehead, his chest heaved violently, and his fingertips were still shaking uncontrollably. In the dim motel room, the curtains were tightly drawn, blocking out the midday sun. The table was covered with yellowed ancient demon-hunting books, draft paper covered with runes, and seven or eight empty coffee cans. The air was filled with lingering bitterness and exhaustion.
Sam was sitting at the table, and his fingertips ran across the record of the Hell contract in the ancient book. The red blood in his eyes hid the sleepless days. The moment he heard the movement, he immediately raised his head, and worry flooded his eyes like a tide, almost overflowing. "Are you having a nightmare again?"
Dean took several deep breaths before suppressing the trembling in his throat, smiling, raising his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "It's okay, it's just a dream."
On the carpet by the window, Bai Haorui sat cross-legged, twirling five Five Emperor Coinss with shimmering light on his fingertips, surrounded by an almost invisible lavender True Fire protective film. As early as the second before Dean screamed, he had already opened his eyes, Nezha between his eyebrows. The golden light shone slightly, and Divine Sense had already scanned every corner of the room, confirming that there was no trace of evil invasion. His voice was steady and soothing, like a stone sinking at the bottom of the water, firmly supporting the tense emotions in the room. "It's just a nightmare. There is no evil in the room, and the fluctuations in the contract are temporarily stable."
Dean twitched his lips and did not answer. He leaned back on the bed and stared at the yellowed ceiling in trance. The stains on the ceiling flickered in his eyes and suddenly turned into Hellhound's pitch-black fangs. He blinked violently and the illusion dissipated.
"Dean, we only have 30 hours left." Sam walked to the bed, his voice was very low, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.
"I know, my dear Little Sammy, you don't need to give me any countdown to death." Dean's tone was a little impatient.
"Bobby has news over there," Sam's eyes lit up with a faint light, which was the only life-saving straw in the days of despair, "He has found a way to track Lilith."
Dean raised his eyebrows, his tone full of self-mockery. "Oh? There are still 30 hours left to find it. It really came in time."
Sam took a step forward, leaning forward slightly. The determination in his eyes was like red-hot iron, so hot that people dare not look directly. "Listen, Dean, no matter what the cost, I will not let you do Hell. I swear, everything will be fine."
Dean looked at his face, and the Sam in front of him suddenly had a distorted face, his eyes turned white, revealing the ferocious fangs of the devil, and he let out a low roar. His pupils shrank suddenly, and the hairs all over his body stood up instantly. He stood up, as if a basin of ice water had been poured from head to toe. He was stunned for three seconds, and then he blinked suddenly. The Sam in front of him returned to normal, and he was still the worried brother. He responded vaguely, "Well, okay."
The Five Emperor Coins of Bai Haorui's fingertips rotated slightly, and the lavender True Fire flowed along the lines of the copper coins. He could clearly feel that the Hell Yin Qi wrapped around Dean's soul had spread from the limbs to the spiritual platform, like a sheet of paper. Breaking the tightened net is about to completely entangle his soul. He added, with unquestionable determination in his tone. "The Yin Qi of the contract is accelerating to erode his soul. He has begun to see Hell's things, and the hallucinations will only become more and more frequent. Let's meet up with Bobby as soon as possible, and we can't waste any more time."
Dean didn't speak, just closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. He knew better than anyone else that the curtain of Hell had been opened in front of him, but what he was more afraid of was never that he killed Hell, but that in order to save him, Sam stepped into the darkness step by step and became what he had just been in the hallucination. The members of the Winchester family had sacrificed for each other too many times, and he could not let his brother make the same mistake again.
Sam looked at Dean, his heart seemed to be clenched by a cold hand, and he was so painful that he couldn't breathe. He had read the information on the table more than a hundred times, from the method of cracking the devil's contract to the weapons that could kill the Hell monarch. He searched all the ancient books he could find, but none of them could give people hope. Hope. Bobby's news was his only way out, as was what Ruby said. He quietly clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms, and made up his mind - even if he made a deal with the devil, even if he gave up his own humanity, he would still pull Dean back from Hell.
Bai Haorui looked at the two people, and the Five Emperor Coins on his fingertips spun faster and faster. The last time in a hundred time loops, he had seen this scene. Sam completely fell into darkness in order to resurrect Dean. He broke through the fifth level Pure Yang Body-Tempering Realm Muscle and Bone Forging, and survived the heart-burning and bone-burning tempering, just for today. God. He looked at the obsession that could not be hidden in Sam's eyes, looked at the fear hidden behind Dean's jokes, and silently made up his mind in his heart: Even if he tries hard to destroy his meridians, Even if True Fire Pill is shattered, he has to protect these two people who are struggling with their fate. Sam's road cannot be crooked, and Dean's life cannot be lost.
It was already afternoon when the Chevrolet Impala's engine sound stopped in the yard of Bobby's house. When he opened the door of the workshop, he was greeted by the smell of sulfur, old paper mixed with engine oil and gunpowder. This was a reassuring smell unique to witchers.
The workroom is filled to the brim with items. The bookshelf against the wall is filled with yellowed ancient books on demon hunting. On the table are rusty magical instruments, glass bottles filled with holy water, salt shakers, and various unnamed parts. Maps of demonic activities across the United States are pinned to the wall. The dense red lines intersect, ultimately pointing to the same name - Lilith.
Bobby stood in front of a self-made detection instrument, which he modified from a World War II military radio. The copper shell was engraved with exorcism runes, and the two pointers were rotating crazily, making a sizzling sound of electricity. He held a rune paper stained with Dean's blood in his hand, and recited the ancient Latin tracking spell in his mouth, with a low and powerful voice. With each syllable, the runes on the instrument lit up.
The two brothers stood aside, Dean put his hands in his jacket pockets, and seemed to be leaning on the edge of the table carelessly, but his fingertips were clenched in the pockets until they turned white, and his knuckles turned blue. Sam leaned forward slightly, staring at the pointer of the instrument, and even breathing softly, for fear of disturbing the effect of the spell. Bai Haorui stood beside Sam, his left hand pressed on the hilt of the mahogany sword behind his back, and his right hand condensed a trace of imperceptible lavender True Fire. Divine Sense had already scanned the entire room, confirming the strong contract aura of the Hell monarch on the instrument.
The moment the spell fell, the pointer of the instrument stopped suddenly and was nailed to a point on the map. The copper pointer even trembled slightly because of the too much force. Bobby put down the magic weapon in his hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and breathed a sigh of relief, "It's done."
"How's it going?" Sam immediately took a step forward, with irrepressible eagerness in his voice.
"With a name and the correct ritual, there is nothing that cannot be found." Bobby pointed at the map, "When I finish it, I can even tell you which street she lives on and what her house number is."
Dean straightened up, frowned and asked, "So? Where is she?"
Bobby's finger tapped heavily on the Indiana area on the map. The name of the town under the fingertips was highlighted by a red circle. "Indiana, New Harmony. We found her."
Sam's eyes lit up instantly, and the faint light finally burned into flames. He immediately turned around to pick up the backpack placed at the door, his movements so fast that he stirred up a gust of wind. "Great! Let's set off now!"
"Wait, don't worry, cowboy." Dean stretched out his hand to stop him, his brows knitted together, the carelessness on his face completely disappeared, leaving only seriousness.
Sam was stunned for a moment and frowned. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? Where should I start?" Dean clapped his fingers, his tone full of suppressed anxiety, "First, we are not even sure whether Lilith really holds my contract. This is all information given by that bitch Bela. There is not a word of truth in that woman's mouth. Second, Even if we really find Lilith, how can we kill her? That is the new ruler of Hell, not a random demon who can be stabbed to death on the roadside. Thirdly, isn't this Lilith the guy who wanted your head from the beginning? Do you still want me to continue?"
Bobby rolled his eyes helplessly, leaned on the workbench, playing with a silver exorcism dagger in his hand. "You are really good at spoiling everyone's fun."
"This is my talent." Dean raised his eyebrows, but there was no smile on his lips.
"Then what do you think we should do?" Sam's emotions suddenly became excited, his voice rose, and the eagerness in his eyes turned into anger, "Just sit like this and watch you die?"
"Just because I die is my business, it doesn't mean you have to die too." Dean's tone was as hard as a rock, "We either have a thorough plan before we go, or we don't go. If we rush in rashly, we will end up killing Lilith."
"If that's the case, I have a way." Sam's voice deepened, "A way to confirm that it is Lilith and get a genuine demon-killing dagger."
Dean's face darkened instantly. He reacted immediately, gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn it, Sam, no way."
"We don't have time to argue."
"I absolutely disagree with you summoning Ruby." Dean's voice was filled with anger and a hint of subtle fear, "That woman has no good intentions from the beginning, can't you tell?"
"We have no choice now but this!"
"Come on, she's just a lying bitch!" Dean took a step forward and stared at Sam, "She said she could save me before, but what happened? It was all a lie! She clearly knew Lilith had my contract, but she never mentioned it to us!"
"Even if she is a liar, she still has that dagger." Sam refused to give in, the paranoia in his eyes almost overflowing, "That is the only weapon that can kill Lilith, Dean!"
"She works for Lilith!"
"Then give me another way!" Sam's voice was filled with tears. He waved his hand suddenly and pointed at the clock on the wall. "Say! Give me a way to save your life within 30 hours!"
The workroom instantly fell silent, leaving only the ticking sound of the pendulum, like a drum beat.
Bobby sighed, interrupted the quarrel between the two, and said in a calm and firm tone, "Sam is right."
"No, damn, no." Dean looked at Bobby in disbelief, his eyes widened, "We can't make the same mistake again. If you want to save me, just find other ways, and don't drag Sam into the devil's trap."
After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked out the door, his steps fast and heavy, as if he was running away from something.
"Dean, wait."
Bai Haorui's voice sounded behind him, steady, but with unquestionable power, causing him to stop subconsciously. Dean looked back at him, his brows furrowed tighter, and his tone was a bit irritating. "Why, you want to persuade me too? Persuade me to let Sam make a deal with that devil?"
"I know you're afraid that Sam will fall into a trap, and that's right." Bai Haorui looked at him, his eyes open and firm, "But now we don't have extra time to try and make mistakes. Ruby's demon dagger is currently the only weapon that can cause fatal damage to Lilith. We can use the dagger, but we will never let Sam touch those demonic abilities."
He paused, and the True Fire on his right hand lit up slightly, and the air was instantly filled with the warmth of pure sun, with an undeniable sense of oppression. "I will keep an eye on Ruby. If she dares to make any changes, dare to bewitch Sam to cross the line even half a step, I will not give her a chance to return to Hell."
Dean stared at him for two seconds, his Adam's apple twitched, and finally gritted his teeth, slammed the door and walked out. A voice came from far outside the door. "If you want to go crazy, you will go crazy, I will not accompany you. You can find me even if you call."
"Where are you going?" Bobby shouted.
There was no response from outside the door, only the sound of the Impala's engine sounded, and it quickly disappeared at the end of the road.
The workroom became quiet again. Sam looked at the closed door, his shoulders slumped, and the determination in his eyes faded, leaving only full of exhaustion and helplessness. Bobby patted his shoulder, sighed, and said nothing.
Bai Haorui looked in the direction of the door, and Five Emperor Coins turned slightly on his fingertips. He understood Dean's concerns very well. There was never right or wrong in this quarrel, only the struggle of two brothers who loved each other with their lives, struggling in their fate.
He looked at Sam and said in a calm tone, "Don't worry, he's not gone. He just needs some time and a plan that can reassure him."
Sam raised his head, his eyes full of confusion. "What do you mean?"
Bai Haorui twitched the corner of his mouth and showed a knowing smile, "Do you think that with Dean's temperament, he will really let you summon Ruby alone? He has already thought of a countermeasure. We will follow the plan and leave a good position for him."
The motel in the evening was even more depressing than during the day. The setting sun shone in through the gaps in the curtains, casting a slender strip of light on the floor, like a line dividing life and death. Regardless of Bobby's dissuasion, Sam finally took Bai Haorui back to the hotel and drew a demon summoning circle on the floor of the room.
The magic circle was painted with lamb's blood mixed with sulfur and silver powder. Each of the five corners of the five-pointed star was decorated with a black candle. The candle flame flickered, making Sam's tense face dim and bright. He lit the wormwood and Hell in the center of the magic circle. E Dust mixed with herbs, pale white smoke rose up, with a pungent smell of sulfur. He chanted the summoning spell in his mouth. With every syllable that fell, the temperature in the room dropped by one point, and a thin layer of white frost quickly formed on the windows.
A burst of black smoke suddenly exploded from the center of the magic circle, and Ruby appeared out of thin air next to the magic circle. She leaned against the wall, crossed her arms, and her black leather jacket made her figure slim. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Sam, with a knowing smile on her lips, as if she had expected all this.
"Hey, Sam." Her voice was a little careless and lazy, "How are you doing lately?"
Sam took a step forward, the anger in his eyes almost overflowing. "You have known for a long time, right? Dean's contract is held by Lilith."
"Yes, I know." Ruby admitted frankly without any cover-up.
"Then why didn't you tell us?" Sam's voice rose, "Isn't this important?"
"Because she has to wait."
A cold voice came from the corner of the room. Bai Haorui was leaning against the door frame, with his back to the wall, his right hand hidden behind his back, lavender Malignancy-Purifying True Fire Seal condensed on his fingertips, and the True Fire protective film around his body had already quietly unfolded, Divine Sense is like an airtight net, tightly locking Ruby's every move, even the changes in her heartbeat. He walked out slowly, his eyes as cold as ice. "Wait until you are cornered, wait until you have no choice, and willingly listen to her mercy."
Ruby raised his eyebrows and looked at him, with undisguised sarcasm in his tone. "Oh, I thought you were just a backdrop standing by. Why, you also want to mind Hell's business?"
"I don't care about your devil's plans, I only stick to my bottom line." Bai Haorui's fingertips, True Fire beat slightly, and the air was instantly filled with hot breath, the devilish energy on Ruby's body Xi, as if meeting a nemesis, shrank subconsciously, "If you dare to lay a finger on Sam, or dare to trick him into doing anything that crosses the line, I will make your soul fly away, and you won't even have a chance to return to Hell reincarnation."
Ruby sneered, withdrew his gaze and looked at Sam again, as if Bai Haorui was just an insignificant interlude. "I won't tell you because you are not ready yet."
"What are you ready for?" Sam asked with a frown.
"If I had told you earlier, you two idiots would have rushed to find her without any thought, and then Lilith would have ripped all the flesh off your pretty little faces." Ruby spread his hands and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I'm buying you time."
"We are ready now." Sam's tone was extremely firm, "I want your dagger."
"You are right about one thing. You are indeed ready, and the time is right now." Ruby nodded, "Lilith has relaxed his guard now."
Sam was stunned for a moment. "Really?"
"She's on vacation, having some fun."
"What do you mean?"
"Believe me, you don't want to know." Ruby waved his hand, "Did you lose those anti-tracking charm bags I gave you?"
"Still."
"Good, so she won't notice you are coming."
Sam took a step forward, his eyes full of eagerness. "So you will give us the dagger?"
"No." Ruby simply refused.
"You just said--"
"You just want to rush in with a small dagger?" Ruby interrupted him, his tone full of disdain, "This is simply a waste of a God-given opportunity. It's like trying to assassinate Hitler with a briefcase containing a bomb. It's useless."
"That's enough, what do you want?" Sam's patience has reached its limit, and his voice is full of suppressed anger.
"I know how to save your brother."
Ruby's words were like a thunder that exploded in the room. Sam was stunned for a moment, with disbelief on his face. "No, you don't know. You told Dean before that you couldn't save him, and you have been lying to me."
"I didn't lie to you, it was him." Ruby's tone was extremely serious, and there was even a little sincerity in his eyes. "I lied to him because he wouldn't listen at all. He would only treat me as an enemy and block all roads. But you are different, Sam."
"Then you mean, you can really save him?" Sam's voice trembled, and his eyes lit up with a light of disbelief.
"I can't, but you can."
Sam was completely stunned and stood there, unable to react for a long time. "What?"
"Sam, you have an innate talent." Ruby's voice softened, and he walked towards him step by step with a deceptive power, "Okay, it wasn't given by God, but you know what I mean. The power given to you by Yellow-Eyed Demon was never a curse, but a weapon."
"Those abilities of Spirit Communication?" Sam subconsciously took a step back, "Since Yellow-Eyed Demon died, there has never been any more."
"It's not disappeared, it's dormant." Ruby shook his head, "And it's not just a precognitive illusion. Why do you think Lilith is so afraid of you? She is the monarch of Hell, but she wanted to kill you from the beginning. Haven't you ever thought about why?"
Sam twitched his lips, his tone full of self-deprecation. "Come on, is she afraid of me?"
"As long as you think about it, you can erase her from this world without moving a finger." Ruby stared into his eyes, his tone extremely determined, "This is the only way to save Dean, Sam. Use your own power to kill Lilith, destroy the contract, and save your brother."
"I don't believe you." Sam looked away, but the wavering in his tone could no longer be hidden.
"This is the truth." Ruby sighed, "Why do you think I am telling you now? Huh? Devils love to manipulate people by nature. The fact is that you would never have considered this method before."
"Unless I'm desperate, right?" Sam's voice was very soft.
"You don't like that you are different from others. You hate the way Dean looks at you sometimes, as if you are a freak." Ruby's words accurately hit the deepest weakness in his heart, "But don't worry about it, we don't have much time.", in less than 20 hours, Dean will be dragged into Hell. We can do it. You can call me a bitch and hate me all your life, it doesn't matter, but Sam, I have never lied to you, never."
Sam stood on the spot, his whole body stiff. He looked at Ruby's sincere eyes, and his mind was filled with the nightmare of Dean being bitten by Hellhound, all of which were Dean's forced calm smile, all of that The sentence "My death is my business". He has been resisting the demon blood in his body and resisting the abilities that are different from others. He is afraid that he will become a monster and that Dean will look at him with strange eyes. But now, as long as he can save Dean, even if he becomes a monster, what does it mean?
His Adam's apple moved, and just as he was about to speak, a cold voice sounded again, like a basin of cold water, instantly dousing the wavering in his heart.
"Sam, don't believe her." Bai Haorui took a step forward and stood between him and Ruby. His eyes were as sharp as knives, piercing straight towards Ruby, "She The important thing is never to kill Lilith, but to awaken the demon power in your body. Once you touch it, once you drink the demon blood, you can never look back. Her goal from the beginning was not Dean's contract, but you."
Ruby's face suddenly darkened, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"You know whether I'm talking nonsense or not." The real fire on Bai Haorui's fingertips instantly surged, and the lavender flame beat in his palm, with the power to burn out all evil. "Stop bewitching him. Either hand over the dagger and we will spare your life. Or, I will burn you here right now, so that you don't even have a chance to escape."
At the moment when the two of them were at war with each other, the bathroom door was suddenly opened.
Dean walked out of it, holding a loaded shotgun in his hand. The muzzle of the gun was pointed steadily at Ruby. His face was as cold as a winter stone, and his eyes were full of anger and unabashed anger. Acting vigilantly. He didn't leave at all. From the time Sam said he wanted to summon Ruby, he had already driven back and hid in the bathroom, listening to every sentence and word inside.