The Damned Demon - Chapter 724

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.

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.

"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.