Amelia's eyes quivered as she wondered what this demon was talking about while Rachel gritted her teeth and cried out, "Get your filthy hands off her!"
Rachel was worried that Hellbringer was cooking some kind of demonic plan by using Amelia.
Asher's lips twisted into a dark smirk, and glanced at Isola, the silent communication between them clear as she nodded. In one swift move, Isola grasped Amelia's arm, pulling her to her feet.
Rachel's heart raced, fear evident in her voice, "Hey! Let go of her!" she demanded, but her plea fell on deaf ears.
Rachel wondered if these demons were going to execute Amelia in a cruel way just to elicit a response from her.
However, Isola continued to drag Amelia away, a soft, hypnotic hum escaping her lips.
Amelia's eyes began to glaze over, becoming distant as Isola leaned close and whispered without anyone noticing, "Keep walking until…"
Asher's gaze remained on Rachel, amusement evident, "Why aren't you begging for Amelia's life?" he questioned, leaning back slightly, "Maybe, just maybe, I might be feeling generous today."
Rachel's voice was steely, her eyes filled with defiance, "I won't play into your twisted games again, Hellbringer. I won't beg or bargain. You've made it clear that none of us will leave this place alive."
Asher let out a disappointed sigh, nodding in acknowledgment, "You're grown wiser, Rachel. But see, you are wrong about me today…at least when it comes to your friend," he nodded towards Amelia, "I'm letting her go."
Rachel's brows raised as she watched the Umbralfiend demoness letting go of Amelia, and Amelia was unharmed and walking away, just like that.
But her instincts told her that this wasn't an act of mercy. Hellbringer always had a reason, a dark motive lurking behind his actions.
Reading the confusion on Rachel's face, Asher chuckled, "You seem confused. Well, the only reason I let her go is because I can't wait and see if your friend is going to tell the world about what happened here, especially what she saw."
The fear of a nightmare she had suppressed pierced through her heart as a sudden realization dawned on her.
Asher continued with a sigh, "But I guess it's fine if people think the Daughter of Justice has a demon for a boyfriend. It's not like you would care, right? After all, you are prepared to die here, and the dead have no say in the tales the living tell."
"N….No…She wouldn't…" Rachel weakly muttered, her voice shaking as she kept staring in the distance Amelia was walking away.
Asher leaned closer, his voice dripping with malice, "You are still so naive. My woman here made a deal with her. All she has to do is write a forbidden love story between a Hunter and a Demon, and she gets to survive. Sounds fair, right? The images are also fresh in her mind, so it won't be like she won't be able to convince others that it is a true story. And that way, I get to enjoy the spectacular fallout that comes after."
Rachel was left with the haunting image of Amelia disappearing into the distance, and the weight of Asher's words pressing down on her.
He must be doing this for his own sick amusement!
"S-She wouldn't…" Rachel mumbled, desperately clinging to the belief she held of Amelia.
But then again, the sight of Amelia walking away without even turning around was real. What if she couldn't bear to look her in the eyes after accepting such a disgusting deal?
Rachel's heart pounded loudly in her chest. Her best friend, the one she grew up with, the one who stood by her side through thick and thin... how could she betray her like this?
The very idea of people gossiping, the whispers, the looks of disdain that she would receive if the world believed this concocted story was unbearable.
But most of all, she imagined the look on her parents' faces if they happened to learn and how it would affect their entire family.
Centuries worth of prestige and honor washed down the drain wouldn't be the worst that could happen.
Even her own fiance didn't hesitate to kill her just to survive. Then maybe she also might…
As her heart shuddered with the realization, she felt red filling her eyes.
She suddenly noticed the gleaming blade, discarded and lonely, on the ground. Its very presence seemed to beckon her, promising an escape from this nightmare, or maybe a way to make it right.
For a split second, her attention shifted back to Asher, and she saw him suddenly getting distracted by the Umbralfiend demoness.
Without a second thought, and with a feverish light in her eyes, Rachel snatched up the blade. Anguish and betrayal bubbled inside her, turning into a fiery determination. In a swift, calculated move, she lunged towards Amelia, blade raised.
Asher coldly scoffed as he saw Rachel's wild charge, her expression filled with a mix of rage, despair, and pain.
Just as Rachel was about to stab the blade into Amelia's back, Amelia suddenly turned around with a startled look.
Rachel was also startled, but her hand kept moving, and before Amelia could react, the blade dug deep into her midsection as time seemed to slow.
Amelia's body jerked as her gaze locked onto Rachel, a mix of disbelief, shock, and hurt evident in her wide eyes, "R-Rachel?" Amelia stuttered, clutching at Rachel's wrist, "Wh-why?"
Rachel's grip on the blade slackened. Her heart pounded, matching the rhythm of Amelia's ebbing life, "You... you were going to betray me," Rachel managed to croak out, her voice trembling.
Amelia's face paled further, her blood mixing with the soil beneath, "Betray you?...I've always thought of you as a sister. How could you…" Her voice was weak, but choked with emotions.
Realization suddenly dawned on Rachel as she gasped, and her shivering hands withdrew from the blade, leaving it embedded within Amelia's body.
With a soft thud, Amelia crumpled to the ground, eyes clouding over but still fixed on Rachel, still unable to believe Rachel would do this to her.
"I…I am sorry…I didn't…" Rachel struggled to cough out words as a lump formed in her throat, and the blood on her hands only made her heart shudder.
Turning her head and her burning eyes towards Hellbringer, Rachel screamed, the sound raw with grief and rage, "You villain! You tricked me again! I'll end you!!" She lunged at him with reckless abandon, her thoughts filled with only ending him since none of this would have happened if not for him.
Asher, without breaking a sweat, swatted Rachel aside.
The sheer force of his slap was enough to knock the fight out of her, leaving her sprawled on the ground, unconscious. With a look of disgust, he muttered, "People like you are the ones I despise the most."
Looking around, he ordered the two girls, still kneeling on the ground, "Emiko, Yui, tend to her."
The two girls, who had been silently observing the scene, exhaled deeply, relieved that their Master had no plans to let Amelia die.
Rushing to Amelia, they began charging spells and weaving their magic to heal her grave wounds.
Yui glanced at Emiko as she worked, her eyes still shaking with the images of the things that had just happened, "Emiko…you remember, right? Master once said there isn't much difference between Demons and Hunters. Now…I get it."
Emiko nodded, her lips pressing together into a firm line, "The lines between good and evil... they're so blurred…always have been."
Ceti, with a wrinkle of her brow, approached Asher, "Your Highness, why save that Hunter? Why not just kill them all already?"
Asher smirked as he said, "I am far from done with the two women. As for Victor, I have something special planned for him soon. You haven't forgotten what he did, right?"
Isola's expression hardened as Ceti remembered what Victor did to Isola's people, making her clench her fists.
He then added with a piercing look, "Ceti, sometimes it's not about what's happening right now. Sometimes, it's about what can happen in the future. We're not here just for a quick victory. We need to hit the Hunters where it really hurts," His tone was calm and composed, like a seasoned general plotting a strategy.
Ceti's eyes were thoughtful, her mind churning over his words, trying to piece together his game plan.
Isola knew more than anyone about Asher's vendetta. She mused how Asher was one step closer to his vengeance, and Rachel's actions only made sure of it.
Merina was gazing at her Master with a gaze filled with awe and love, still replaying the images of him destroying the 2nd strongest genius of their realm and a S Rank Hunter with ease. Once more, she realized how lucky she was to be his maid.
Breaking her thoughts, Ceti spoke again, her voice filled with admiration, "Okay…other than that, I must say, absorbing the Deviar in a mere moment is a feat no one has achieved before. Congratulations, Your Highness," Ceti said with a sincere bow of her head, a hint of awe and admiration lingering in her voice.
Isola and Merina nodded in agreement. Even though they knew he had a clear track record of achieving the impossible, the fact he absorbed a Deviar almost instantly was still hard to process.
The moment people back in Zalthor heard about this, they were sure it would create a lot of ripples across the world like never before. No…not only Zalthor but even the humans in the Severed Realm would dread the very mention of it.
Ceti's lips curved as she remembered Agonon and his obnoxious minions.
She couldn't help but say with a smug smile as she raised her head, "The queen and our people would be delighted to hear how you—"
But before she could complete her sentence, Asher reached out with a lighthearted chuckle, pulling a surprised Ceti into a tight embrace, "It's not just my victory," he murmured, his voice low and honeyed, "It was possible because of you, and all of us together," He then sent a playful wink to Merina and Isola, who both exchanged knowing looks and smiles.
Ceti's heartbeat quickened, her skin flushing a beautiful shade of rose.
The warmth of his words made her heart flutter as her lips melted into a soft smile, relishing in the warmth of his embrace for a moment.
But as the reality of her surroundings started to sink back in, she abruptly pulled away, her demeanor resembling a startled doe.
"A-ahem," Ceti stammered, her gaze evasive, "A hug wasn't really... necessary. But thank you, Your Highness, for the kind words."
Ceti quickly shot a glance at her mother, wondering why she was looking at her with a strange smile. Does she know??
"So…what's next?" Isola asked as she crossed her arms while Callisa also turned around, her bulbous eyes glowing with excitement after getting bored playing with the corpses of the Draconians.
