The Damned Demon

Chapter 724  Don't Give Them Power Over You

Anna spoke in a tone as cold as ice, yet there was something strangely final in her words, "I never had any choice. But you can make one now. Come with me quietly, and I wouldn't have to hurt you."

Asher's gaze was firm as he regarded her, "And here I thought the Thundering Reaper wouldn't stoop to making empty threats."

Anna's hands balled into fists, the mana around her intensifying, "I said I'd prefer not to hurt you. But if you force my hand, I will."

Asher's expression hardened, "So you'd go through with this, even knowing the consequences?"

Anna shook her head slowly, the weight of her thoughts pressing down on her like a crushing storm. Her voice, cold and distant, rang out, "I don't care what happens to me."

Asher stood still, his expression unreadable. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he nodded. "Right... You only care about the lives of your friends on Mars, right?"

Just recently, Asher had received a call from Rachel, telling him everything about Anna's past, the dark choices she had made, and the grim hold Derek had over her. The pieces were falling into place. Asher finally understood why Anna had been doing everything Derek ordered, and now he knew what he had to do: convince her to stop obeying him. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The mention of her friends struck Anna like a blow. Her body stiffened, and she turned slightly, the shock visible in her posture.

Her voice trembled with disbelief as she mumbled, "How... How do you know?"

Asher smirked, his tone casual, "Let's just say I have friends everywhere. But that's not the point here."

Her body was still taut, her hands clenched into fists, yet she didn't move, "Then you know that they hold my friends' lives in their hands," she said, her voice strained but determined. "I won't let them die because of me. I didn't endure it all these years just to stop protecting them now."

Asher scoffed, his lips curling into a sharp sneer, "Protecting them? Like how you protected Mira?"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Anna's body went rigid, her chest heaving slightly, as if the very mention of Mira's name was a physical blow. Her heart clenched with an unbearable pain, and the lightning streaks dancing around her body, trembled with restrained fury, "Don't... say her name..."

"Why?" Asher shot back, his eyes hard and focused, "Does it haunt you that you failed to save one life after killing thousands? Of course, I'm not here to preach about the morality behind your actions, but to tell you how foolish they are. You're letting them use you to do their dirty work, and you think they'll spare your friends when all is said and done? If they didn't even bat an eye at killing one of your friends for a small mistake, then they can kill them all whenever they wish. And they will."

Anna's eyes flickered, the smallest trace of uncertainty flashing across her usually stoic face. Her fists trembled, and for a moment, her resolve faltered. She had tried to push this truth from her mind, but hearing it from him... it hit too close, "It doesn't matter," she said, her voice strained, but unwavering, "They're all I have, and I will keep protecting them as long as I can."

Asher's gaze narrowed, his voice cutting through the air with a quiet, brutal edge, "Who said the only way to protect them is by obeying a monster who doesn't even care about his own people?"

Anna flinched, her stance wavering ever so slightly. Asher could see it—the moment she started to doubt everything she had believed.

"I can help you if you let me," Asher said, his words like a rope thrown to a drowning woman, "If you truly care about your friends—and Arthur—you would know the right thing to do. Do you think they will thank you for killing so many people who had nothing to do with you or your friends? No..." Asher's voice grew quieter, more intense, "You'll just make them feel more miserable and guilty for even existing. You did those things for them, and now they'll carry that burden forever. You think that's worth it? Or do you just not care about their feelings but your own?"

Anna's eyes dropped to the ground, her fingers slowly uncurling, trembling as she imagined what her friends, Cila and Arthur would say if they found out what she had been doing all this time.

The thought was suffocating, unbearable. A flicker of guilt gnawed at her heart, but she pushed it away, clinging to the only thing she thought she could still control—her promise to protect them.

Asher could see it, though. He could see the cracks forming in her resolve. He was getting through. Just a little more...

But then, something shifted. A sudden vibration from Anna's earpiece made her body tense, and her eyes snapped wide open with fear. She moved as if she were on instinct, quickly answering the call. Asher frowned, his senses on high alert. There was something wrong. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach.

"AAHH!!"

The scream that echoed through the earpiece made Anna's heart freeze in her chest, "Cila?!" she cried out in horror, her voice cracking as she desperately pressed the device to her ear.

Asher's frown deepened, his mind racing. He could already guess what was happening. Something was terribly wrong.

But instead of Cila's voice, a cold, malicious laugh echoed from the other side. "You heard that rat crying, right? Dr. Lila is standing with me, ready to amputate her two legs just to fit a pair of rusty metal legs to match well with her arms."

Anna's blood ran cold as she recognized Max Schmidt from his voice, the one she knew as Master, and her hand trembled violently as she gasped, "NO! Please don't, master!"

Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat a thundering reminder of her helplessness. The voice on the other end was mocking her pain, savoring her fear, "You know what we can do, Anna. You know what happens if you don't listen. You have no control here. We can stain this neat lab with her filthy demon blood as much as we want, hahaha."

The cold air hung heavy, thick with tension, as Anna collapsed to her knees, her chest heaving in desperation. The earpiece still crackled with static, the malevolent voice from the other end lingering in her ears like a poison. "Please, master... I didn't do anything wrong…" Her voice broke, trembling under the weight of her own guilt. The words, pleading, were as fragile as the bonds holding her together.

She could feel the very world crumbling beneath her, as her thoughts spiraled out of control. Cila's face flashed before her—vulnerable, terrified—and in that moment, Anna felt the full weight of what she was about to lose.

Her mind reeled as it returned to the worst moment of her life: the lifeless weight of Mira's body cradled in her arms. She can't let that happen to Cila. She couldn't. Not again. The thought of it was unbearable. And yet, as much as she hated to admit it, the fear of failing Cila was forcing her to take steps she knew she shouldn't.

The cruel, mocking voice on the other end of the line sliced through her thoughts with deadly precision. "You mean not yet. We know where you are right now and that the target is standing right in front of you. But you still haven't brought him to us. Each minute you waste, the more your fellow demon rat will lose her flesh. So you better use your speed to speed up things... kekeke." The voice trailed off into maniacal laughter, and the call suddenly cut off.

"Wait!" Anna gasped, but there was no reply, only the silence of the void. The reality of her situation hit her with crushing force. She was being played, forced into a game where the rules were written by someone else, and if she didn't act, Cila would suffer.

Asher didn't need to hear any more to know what had transpired. His eyes were fixed on Anna, and he could see it—the desperation, the helplessness in her.

He understood exactly what she was facing. "Anna, I know what they are trying to do, but don't give in to them," he said, his voice heavy with urgency. "They will never stop if you give them power over you."

Anna didn't respond immediately. Her shoulders slumped, her movements slow and deliberate as she slowly rose to her feet, the weight of her choices crushing her further. She looked at Ash, her eyes hollow with pain, and in them, he saw the raw fear of a woman who had been forced to live under pain and torment for far too long.

"You don't understand, do you?" Anna's voice was hoarse, laced with bitterness, "From the moment I was born, I never had any power over my fate. They always had power over me. And now all I know is that I can't let my only remaining sister get hurt because of me."

Asher's jaw clenched, frustration building in his chest, "Dammit, Anna!" His voice cracked with a mix of anger and frustration, but before he could say more, Anna blurred before him, a streak of dark yellow lightning, faster than his eyes could track.

She was coming for him. In a split second, Anna's hand shot out, aimed directly at the nape of his neck. A blow meant to knock him unconscious, to quickly take him and deliver him to her masters so she could save Cila before they hurt her further.

But the moment her hand neared its mark, a violent, explosive surge of dark green energy erupted from Asher.

It was instantaneous—blinding in its power—as if the very air around him had turned into a tempest. *BOOOM!*

The explosion threw Anna backward, her body sent careening through the air, crashing into the ground with a sickening thud.

Anna groaned, disoriented, her limbs aching from the blast. But it wasn't the pain or the feeling of her strength partly drained that struck her hardest—it was the overwhelming shock. Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet, her eyes wide with disbelief. She turned, her gaze locking onto the source of the explosion, and what she saw stole the breath from her lungs.

Before her stood a skeletal figure, wrapped in the deepest shadows of the night. Dark green flames licked the edges of his form, casting an eerie glow against the inky cloak that shrouded his body.

His skull was fixed in a permanent, unblinking stare, his gaze cutting through the dim light like a hellish specter.

"You... You are Hellbringer?" Anna's voice trembled as she spoke the name, a name that filled her with shock and confusion. She had never expected someone like him, training Arthur, of all people. It didn't make sense.

Hellbringer's skull shifted ever so slightly as he spoke, his voice a hollow echo, "I am disappointed, Anna," he said, his tone cold, yet oddly regretful, "I thought you would make the right choice, but now you are the one leaving us no choice."

From the shadows, figures began to emerge—stepping into the dim light, revealing themselves as they surrounded Anna. Rebecca's eyes narrowed with disdain as she strode forward, her voice dripping with contempt, "I knew it. This Unseen bitch was trying to cook up a plan to ambush you, hmph!"

Next came Grace, her scarlet leather jacket clinging to her form, her red hood casting a sinister shadow over her face.

She leaned on a staff with an air of quiet power, her eyes scanning the surroundings with calculated focus. Behind her were Yui and Emiko, their expressions filled with anxiety but determined to help their master.

Thanks to Rebecca, they were able to respond in time to help him.

Anna's gaze flicked between them, her heart hammering as she recognized each one. The Huntress. The Bloodice Mistress. The two healers who always walked alongside the Huntress. They were all here, all standing against her, and at that moment, Anna realized she might not get out of this alive.

Asher's voice broke through the thick silence, cutting through her thoughts like a blade, "Now, are you going to surrender or die trying?"

The words hung in the air, heavy and final. This was it. There was no turning back.