The Damned Demon - Chapter 869

Asher followed Valeria through the underground ruins, the weight of responsibility momentarily lifted from his heart. His people, now safe within the shadowy embrace of this hidden sanctuary, began settling in as Valeria silently moved through their ranks, swiftly immunizing them to the dangerous divine mana saturating the place.

He let out a soft breath of relief, yet his moment of calm was short-lived.

"You are back. Finally!" a sharp voice pierced the silence, brimming with both frustration and relief. Rebecca stormed forward from the shadows, arms defiantly planted on her waist, her fiery eyes narrowed. "What took you so long? Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting?"

Asher opened his mouth to respond, but another familiar voice interjected with joyful abandon, "Sssssee? Told you my man wouldn't forget us so easily!" Lori hissed gleefully, her serpentine lower body slithering gracefully over the stone tiles as she approached with a broad, teasing grin.

Guilt pricked Asher's chest as he realized just how patiently the two had waited. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely, his voice softening noticeably. "I got caught up with reuniting with my people and taking care of Drakar. But I was going to return rightaway for you two."

Rebecca blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sincerity of his apology. For a moment, she stared at him with wide eyes, her carefully crafted facade of annoyance faltering. It seemed like reuniting with their people, especially his women had a positive effect on him compared to his earlier scary, cold self after going through everything.

She quickly cleared her throat, folding her arms and feigning casual indifference. "Well, good. At least you realize your mistakes," she scoffed, though the warmth returning to her eyes betrayed her true feelings. "But someone else here has been waiting even longer than us. You'd better hurry up and deal with whatever arrangement you've got going on, because we don't exactly have forever. That damned human you've been waiting to slaughter isn't just sitting around, you know."

"You're late," came a deep, emotionless voice echoing from the darkness ahead. Heavy footsteps accompanied the words, and soon Skully emerged, the eerie dark-green glow of his empty eye sockets burning fiercely in the gloom.

"Understandably so," Asher replied calmly, stepping closer without hesitation. "But I'm here now, ready to uphold my end of our bargain. Tell me, Skully, what exactly do you plan to use me for?"

Skully paused, silently regarding Asher for a long moment before his skeletal hand lifted slowly, a single bony finger pointing to an immense stone boulder at the massive hall's far end. Its presence seemed unnaturally imposing, as if deliberately placed to block something immensely significant.

"It's time," Skully rumbled, his hollow voice reverberating through the chamber, "for you to move that stone away."

Asher's brows knitted together as his gaze fell on the rock.

Asher's brows knitted, his gaze shifting to the massive rock. He had forgotten about that rock in the middle of everything and remembered that Skully had told him about moving the rock when he was ready.

"What lies behind that stone?" Asher asked cautiously, eyes returning to the undead figure beside him.

"Your true destiny," Skully answered cryptically. His voice softened just a fraction, heavy with centuries of unspeakable burden. "No matter what, the time has come for you to face it."

Asher frowned. He didn't believe in any of this destiny shit or the fact that something could dictate it.

Still, taking a deep breath, Asher glanced briefly at Rebecca and Lori, both watching with tense curiosity.

Valeria stood quietly at his side, silent yet reassuring. He turned back to the stone, his heart steadying with resolve as he stepped forward.

"Fine," he declared firmly, clenching his fists as dark green mana coiled around his hands like living flames. "Let's find out what my so-called destiny is."

Asher stood silently before the massive stone, its surface old and rough, etched with strange, worn-out symbols he could barely recognize. His eyes narrowed, assessing the imposing obstacle that stood in his path. Behind him, the quiet tension radiated from Lori and Rebecca, both standing at a cautious distance, watching intently.

Taking a deep breath, Asher placed both hands firmly on the stone. His muscles immediately tensed as he pushed with formidable strength, fully expecting the obstacle to move effortlessly beneath his peak Soul Tyrant power.

To his shock, the massive stone barely budged.

A faint creak echoed as it scraped slightly across the dusty stone floor, but it refused to yield easily, sending vibrations through his bones.

"What the hell?" Asher grumbled under his breath, teeth clenched, a vein pulsing in his temple as he poured more strength into his limbs. Sweat beaded on his forehead, trickling down his face. The stone wobbled heavily, stubbornly resisting his strength as though mocking his efforts.

Behind him, Rebecca raised an eyebrow, clearly startled. "Is that rock really that heavy?"

Lori tilted her head curiously, her forked tongue flickering, "Obviousssly it's not a normal rock if my man is facing sssome sslight difficulty to move it."

"Can you stop addressing him as your 'man' for one second?" Rebecca rolled her eyes with a piqued look.

"Euuurgh!" Asher growled deeply in frustration, channeling every ounce of his mana into his muscles. With a primal roar, veins bulging along his arms and neck, he poured all his strength into a mighty shove.

The stone finally yielded, wobbling precariously before crashing sideways onto the ground with an echoing boom. Dust billowed up in a cloud, cascading over their surroundings as the tremor reverberated through the floor.

Asher straightened slowly, breathing heavily, chest rising and falling as the dust slowly settled. His gaze fixed on the revealed opening—a doorway leading into pure darkness, as though the very shadows had been waiting patiently behind that stone.

Skully stepped silently past Asher, his tattered cloak gliding eerily along the ground. Without hesitation, the undead being entered the darkness, his figure swallowed instantly by the shadows.

Asher hesitated for just a moment, glancing back briefly at Rebecca and Lori, who watched him nervously.

Rebecca crossed her arms, her crimson eyes narrowed in wary concern. "Be careful. Whatever that bag of bones has in store for you, it can't be good."

"I'll be back soon," Asher promised firmly before turning back, stepping cautiously into the darkness to follow Skully.

Rebecca and Lori instinctively began to follow behind, but their path was abruptly blocked by Valeria's armored figure stepping firmly into their way, crimson eyes glowing faintly behind her helmet.

"Not you two," Valeria stated coldly, her voice echoing with quiet authority. "Master's orders. You stay here."

Rebecca scowled, stepping back with a frustrated hiss. "Tsk, even your younger sister isn't this uptight."

Inside the darkness, Asher felt his skin crawl as an ominous silence enveloped him. Moments later, a dim, ghostly green glow spread across the chamber, revealing a pristine, eerie room that defied its ancient surroundings. The chamber was meticulously clean and well-preserved, completely untouched by the passage of time.

Asher's eyes narrowed suspiciously as they settled on the huge glass box in the center of the room. Within it lay a smooth stone table, upon which rested a perfectly preserved coffin, glowing softly with radiant white mana.

He turned sharply to Skully, suspicion evident in his tense stance. "What is this place? What's going on here?"

Skully remained motionless, dark robes pooling around him like liquid shadow. "Do you remember how you died?" His voice was cold, deep, and emotionless, yet it sent chills crawling down Asher's spine.

Asher's jaw clenched, eyes flickering briefly with painful memories. "So you really know who I was before. Who exactly are you?"

Skully's hollow eyes seemed to pierce Asher as he repeated, patiently, "You haven't answered me."

Asher let out a heavy sigh, his gaze darkening, voice heavy with bitterness. "Of course I remember. I'll never forget the ones responsible. It's the whole reason I'm standing here now."

Skully nodded slowly, the dark green flames in his sockets flickering softly, "And do you know why she betrayed you?"

Asher stiffened, his heart suddenly racing painfully. Eyes narrowing sharply, he growled bitterly, "She betrayed me to save herself. What other reason could there be? But forget that. Why are you asking me about her? What does she have to do with this?"

Skully slowly turned fully to face Asher, his empty gaze unwavering, "To save herself? Is that what you truly believe?"

Asher's chest felt tight, a familiar bitterness clawing painfully at his heart. Voice heavy with restrained emotion, he muttered, "It doesn't matter anymore what I believe. The fact remains, she turned her back on me when I needed her most."

Skully tilted his skull slightly, his voice hollow, "Now..." He gestured slowly toward the coffin, its soft glow pulsing gently. "Open it. It is the first step to uncovering your destiny."

Asher took a slow, deep breath, trying to steady the turbulent storm of emotions that raged within. Hesitantly, he approached the coffin, his heart pounding fiercely, confusion and anxiety rising for some reason he couldn't comprehend. Reaching out, his fingers trembled briefly as they touched the cool, smooth surface of the coffin's lid.

Taking a deep breath, Asher pushed the coffin's lid slowly open, its smooth surface sliding effortlessly aside, releasing a gentle wave of radiant mana that cascaded softly over him.

But what he saw next made his eyes widen.