The Damned Demon

Chapter 722  The Eternal City

Anna was preparing to leave her home for work when her phone suddenly buzzed. She glanced at it, her jaw tightening as she saw the "Unknown" caller ID. Hesitating only for a moment, she answered, her voice dull. "Yes?"

A cold voice immediately cut through the line. "Why haven't you finished your job yet? Do you not care what happens to your friends?"

Her face remained expressionless, though her grip on the phone tightened. "I'm doing my best. But he barely shows himself outside these days, and it's difficult to catch him in the right place. I can't just do it in the middle of a city."

The voice on the other end scoffed. "You are the Thundering Reaper. Even if you kill him in the middle of a city, nothing will happen. We want him within 24 hours. This is your final warning." And then, just like that, the line went dead.

Anna lowered her phone slowly, fingers clenching around it as she took in the command. The only reason she had delayed going after Ash was the threat he'd made—to expose her identity to Arthur. But now...it seemed she had no other choice. She can't forget those who depended on her from a different world, those with whom she had spent most of her entire life.

She closed her eyes briefly, steeling herself, and when they opened again, they were filled with dark determination.

—

Meanwhile, Rachel stood on the balcony of her apartment, looking out over the vast, futuristic mini-city that stretched before her. The entire complex was cloaked in sleek black tiles, barely reflecting the faint Martian light. Her figure was bathed in a crimson hue from the soft glow of Mars, her gaze distant as she tried to absorb the reality around her. It was hard to believe she'd been on another planet for weeks, much less that her father was expanding this city here at such an astonishing pace. This first and only city so far, known as Eternal City, felt both awe-inspiring and unnerving.

As Rachel took in the sight of Hunters milling about with their families and the rapid construction underway, she couldn't shake the sense of foreboding. The future felt increasingly uncertain, and though her mother was on Mars too, her father had kept her mom constantly occupied, leaving Rachel unsure whether he suspected anything. But her time here hadn't been wasted; she'd gained valuable insights into the Martian operations and hoped to gather even more intel that might help Asher.

-

Later, Rachel found herself in the gleaming corridors of the Infinity Tower. As she approached her destination, her attention was drawn to a line of young demons being herded by guards. Dressed in white lab uniforms, the demons looked both pitiful and hauntingly resilient. Among them was a young demoness with midnight black skin and gleaming yet worn metallic arms, her crimson eyes fixed on Rachel with a look that was hard to decipher.

Rachel remembered her immediately, it was the young demoness who had struck her with a fierce, haunting impression when they'd first crossed paths.

An idea began to take shape in Rachel's mind. Now that she knew Anna's true identity as the Thundering Reaper, perhaps these young demons, especially this demoness, could provide some insight into her.

Rachel approached one of the guards escorting them, her tone cold, "Where are you taking these filthy rats?"

The guard stiffened, his voice polite yet surprised to see someone like her talk to him, "O-Oh, Miss Rachel, it's an honor. We're taking these demon rats for their monthly check-up. Sometimes, I wonder why we don't just kill these worthless things."

Rachel smirked, her voice dismissive, "Even rats can still serve a purpose." She turned, walking past the line of trembling demons, who looked away fearfully. Only Cila held her gaze, though her dark red eyes were narrowed with a look of dark understanding, as if questioning everything she'd thought of this Hunter. Did she misjudge her? Was she no different than the other wicked Hunters? Was she the same as the blue-eyed monster? Her eyes looked so similar to his.

Rachel continued toward a large lab where the young demons were led. Inside, one of the lab assistants looked up, startled and cautious at her unexpected arrival. He adjusted his glasses nervously. "Miss Sterling? To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit here? Is there something we can assist you with?"

Rachel's expression remained impassive. "Don't mind me. I'm just here to assess each of these demons and see if they have any potential use. Proceed as you normally would."

The assistant nodded, eager to please. "Of course, Miss Sterling."

As Rachel watched the assistants move to begin their examinations, her gaze landed on that young demoness once more. She could sense the demoness's suspicion, her unwavering spirit in stark contrast to the others who were too terrified to even look in her direction. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

However, Rachel approached the other demons first, trying to talk to them, but they were too scared to even properly utter a single word, making her wonder just how much they were tortured to break them like this.

Finally, Rachel approached the young demoness with the metallic arms and slowly sat down beside her, making Cila look at her from top to bottom, wondering what this Hunter was planning to do to her, and grew apprehensive.

Rachel reached out, her fingers lightly grasping the cold, metallic surface of the demoness' arm. Cila instinctively flinched, but Rachel's voice softened, whispering close to her ear, "Pretend to look scared while we're talking. Don't worry—nobody else can hear us."

Cila blinked, still tense, but gave a stiff nod.

"What's your name?" Rachel asked, meeting Cila's gaze.

Cila hesitated, surprised to feel an unexpected warmth in this Hunter's eyes—a softness she'd never encountered before. "They… only gave me a number as a name," she replied in a low voice, "but my sisters called me Cila."

"Cila," Rachel repeated, a faint smile forming. "It's a beautiful name. And these friends of yours…which of them are here with you?" Rachel's voice was gentle, yet as her words settled, she noticed the flicker of pain shadowing Cila's eyes.

Cila looked down, her voice barely above a whisper, "They… they're not here anymore. One of them is gone forever, and the other…" Her words trembled, "I don't know if I'll ever see her again."

Rachel felt a pang of sympathy, realizing her question had cut deeper than she intended, "I'm sorry to hear that, Cila. You must have cared for them deeply."

Cila nodded, her lips pressing together as she struggled to maintain her composure, remembering she had to appear frightened, not heartbroken.

Her gaze flitted back to Rachel, a hint of disbelief mingling with her sorrow. Was this Hunter…really showing her kindness?

A thought came to Rachel's mind, and she hesitated before asking, "This other sister…she isn't by any chance…Anna, is she?"

Cila's eyes widened in shock, "H-How do you know her?" she stammered, barely hiding her surprise.

Rachel sighed, her voice dropping to a serious tone, "Cila, do you know who the Thundering Reaper is?"

Cila's confusion deepened, and a note of fear crept into her voice, "Who is that? Did…did that person hurt Anna? Please, if you know something, tell me."

Rachel felt Cila's hands tighten, her metallic fingers pressing so hard they emitted a soft creak. Rachel's brows furrowed, "You really don't know why she's on Earth?"

"They wouldn't tell me," Cila murmured, her gaze distant with worry, "And Anna wouldn't either, no matter how much I asked her. But I know…they're using her. They're holding us all hostage, forcing her to do whatever they want. Anna cares too much about me and the others here to think of herself first. If she refuses…we all get punished. I-It's how one of my sisters died…" Her voice wavered, a mixture of worry and guilt shadowing her features.

Rachel's fists clenched at her sides. Her heart ached at the realization: her father was using Anna and these poor demons, forcing them into his twisted plans to fuel his ambitions, even if it meant harming innocents. And now, looking at Cila—seeing how these demons viewed her father as the "blue-eyed monster"—No wonder the other demons were too terrified to even look at her. She felt even more ashamed to be his daughter and for having those same eyes. This made her feel more impressed by Cila's courage to still talk to her. Rachel's voice softened. "Cila… you're right. Anna is being forced to do terrible things. And if we don't act soon, I'm afraid things will end very badly for her."

Cila's eyes widened, desperation welling up as she whispered, "N-No… there has to be a way. I'll do anything to help her, please…she's suffered enough. I can't bear the thought of something happening to her…I can't lose the only sister I have left…"

Rachel nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing, "I know. I want to help her too. But right now, I don't have a plan. So for now, I need you to tell me everything you know about Anna."