The Damned Demon

Asher's eyes gleamed with a dark light as he saw Boragor approaching him with a dark grin, "At least I won't go down like that weakling named Varg, whom I had the pleasure of killing," he retorted, his voice resonating with a chilling echo.

Boragor's eyes flashed with boiling fury at Asher's words, "I will teach you to fear death!" he bellowed. He realized that the temptress was really telling the truth! This alien brat killed his only prodigal son!

The fact that he saw this alien taking down Soul Devourers made him grudgingly accept that Varg could have been killed by him, especially if this alien had help.

With a swift and brutal motion, he slammed his clawed hand against Asher's blazing skull, shattering it into a cascade of fiery fragments.

Asher's figure staggered backward, the pieces of his skull beginning to regenerate rapidly. 

But before he could fully recover, Boragor struck again, his fist colliding with Asher's re-forming skull, obliterating it anew.

Boragor, relentless in his assault, pinned Asher down by his neck with one foot, while continuously smashing his skull with the other. 

Asher clenched his fists, frustration building within him, knowing that Boragor locked him down with the overwhelming powerful mana of a peak Soul Devourer.

He can't even teleport behind Boragor because of this, nor does he have enough strength yet to counterattack.

He struggled against the relentless barrage, his hellbringer form attempting to regenerate under the unyielding onslaught. He still could get out of this if he wanted to but now wasn't the right time since Boragor can still come after him.

"You are dead meat, brat! Even if I crush you a million times, I won't get bored of this," Boragor laughed maliciously, taking perverse delight in the destruction he was wreaking.

However, Boragor soon noticed something unsettling. With each regeneration, this alien's skull was becoming stronger, sustaining less damage from each subsequent blow. 

The dark green flames seemed to burn brighter, the bones knitting together more quickly and robustly each time.

As Boragor reveled in his seeming dominance over Asher, his expression abruptly changed. His ears picked up the unmistakable sound of the wind being sliced behind him. 

With lightning-fast reflexes, he swung his hand back, catching the heavy sword mere inches from his neck.

It was Eradicator, standing defiantly despite her severe injuries and the poison coursing through her veins. Blood poured from the gaps in her shattered armor, yet her resolve to protect her king remained unshaken,

"You Bloodborn Guards are too resilient for your own good," Boragor scoffed, annoyance flickering in his eyes. He raised his claw, preparing to deal the killing blow.

But in that split second, a ring blade, ablaze with dark green flames, whistled through the air towards Boragor's eyes. 

Startled, Boragor released the heavy sword and leaped back, narrowly avoiding the deadly projectile.

Asher had risen, the blazing ring blade firmly in his grasp. His skeletal figure now exuded a menacing aura, way more than before.

"You—" Boragor began, only to be cut off as Asher vanished and reappeared behind him in a blur of dark flames. 

Boragor, sensing the danger, raised his arm in defense just in time. The ring blade sliced through, leaving a long, bloody laceration!

Shocked and seething with anger, Boragor couldn't believe he had been injured by a peak Soul Purger, even if it was a shallow injury.

But he had little time to dwell on his disbelief. Asher, seizing the moment, conjured a chain of blazing ring blades and launched a ferocious assault.

"You dare think you can take me on?!" Boragor roared as he countered with a powerful blast of poisonous wind from his hand, the force of which sent Asher hurtling away.

However, before Asher could be thrown off the ship, Silvan, pale-faced but determined, caught him, preventing a fatal fall, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Asher was surprised to see that Silvan caught him and was forcing himself to stand despite being poisoned by the wind attacks from Boragor.

Was he really that loyal to the crown? Since he was Oberon's brother and Rebecca's son, Asher always wondered what kind of man he was.

"You'll have to get through us before you can lay a hand on our king," Leonidas, his body battered and bruised from the relentless combat, dragged himself in front of his king, standing defiantly against Boragor. 

His voice was weak, though it echoed with unwavering firmness and determination.

Beside him, Caelum, weakened by the poison coursing through his veins, stood with equal determination. 

Eradicator, her movements labored by her serious injuries, limped forward, dragging her heavy blade across the ship's shield, creating a grating metallic sound that echoed in the charged air.

Asher couldn't help but remember his old team during his life as a human, where he was surrounded by such loyal and sincere people. 

And now, these four were ready to face death to protect him, even if it was out of duty. 

Above them, the storm raged on, red lightning flashing violently in the skies, mirroring the intensity of the battle below. 

Boragor looked upon the scene, a mix of amusement and coldness in his eyes. 

He let out a laugh, mocking their resilience, "This day is turning out to be even better," he said, his grin turning icy, "If only I wasn't in a hurry..."

With that, Boragor clapped his hands together, unleashing a devastating shockwave that shook the very space around them. 

The force of the blast sent Leonidas, Caelum, Silvan, and Asher flying. 

Caelum, reacting quickly, shot an arrow towards the ship, grappling himself back onto it. However, he had exhausted his last ounce of strength, and he collapsed, unconscious.

Asher, still in his Hellbringer form, swiftly recovered in mid-air. He maneuvered himself to catch Leonidas and Silvan, bringing them back onto the ship with a burst of dark green flames.

Eradicator, using every ounce of her remaining strength, managed to cling to the hilt of her heavy sword, which was embedded into the ship's shield, preventing her from being thrown off. But she knelt on the deck, her condition dire.

Asher landed beside her, his skeletal form still blazing, "Leave. Take the others inside," he commanded, his voice echoing with urgency.

Eradicator, her helmet hiding her face, hesitated, as if she was about to protest. But Asher's tone left no room for argument, "That's an order," he stated firmly.

For a moment, Eradicator stared at him, a silent exchange passing between them. Then, summoning what strength she had left, she complied, dragging herself to gather Leonidas, Caelum, and Silvan, and retreating inside the ship.

Asher turned back to face Boragor, now standing alone on the battered deck of the Skycrawler. 

The tension between Asher and Boragor reached a fever pitch as they faced off, the last two combatants on the storm-lashed deck of the Skycrawler.

Boragor sneered, "Are you that desperate to die alone?"

Asher's response was cold, yet laced with confidence, "Today isn't my day to die," In an instant, his figure vanished.

Boragor, anticipating Asher's strategy, spread his senses, guarding against a surprise attack from behind. 

He was well aware of this alien's annoying ability to appear unexpectedly behind someone.

However, just as he braced for an assault from the rear, a powerful punch struck him from the front, forcing him to stagger back a foot. 

His growl of anger echoed over the deck, realizing he had been cleverly deceived by Asher's invisibility.

"You can't hide from your death forever!" Boragor challenged, his sharp teeth gnashing in fury.

But even as he spoke, Asher, still unseen, struck from behind. The ring blade sliced across Boragor's back, leaving a bloody but shallow slash. 

The attack was swift, a blur of motion that barely registered before it was gone.

"Enough of your tricks!" Boragor bellowed, his frustration boiling over. He raised one of his feet and violently stomped on the shield, unleashing a massive shockwave that rippled in all directions. 

The force of the blast blew Asher away before he could unleash another attack.

At that moment, a lightning bolt from the tumultuous sky struck down, smashing Asher onto the ship's shield. 

The impact shattered his skeleton, but almost immediately, his bones began to regenerate.

Asher lay on the deck, his once blazing flames of regeneration suddenly fizzling out and his form returning to normal.

He exhaled in frustration, realizing that the lightning bolt, in its immense power, had inadvertently strengthened him too much, depleting whatever mana reserves he had left. 

His protective armor, which once shielded him from lightning, had long lost its effectiveness and failed to absorb the bolt's energy. It could only last one or two such strikes, and he had already expended them.

"Finally, you ran out of mana. So much for being the immortal king, ha!" Boragor scoffed, a triumphant sneer on his face as he placed his right foot heavily on Asher's stomach. 

Asher grimaced under the pressure, feeling his organs shifting.

Boragor leaned closer, his voice a sinister whisper, "Don't take relief that your death will be quick. I'm going to take you back and claw out your organs one by one, very slowly. We have ways to keep you alive while we do all that," he said, his grin chilling and malevolent.

Asher, blood trickling from his mouth, managed a cold smile despite the dire situation, "Are you really... willing to go to war with my kingdom?" he asked, his voice strained but defiant.

Boragor's laughter echoed over the howling winds, filled with contempt and confidence, "Who's going to find out? Nobody knows what's happening in this storm. And your ship can't communicate with anyone, especially after I kill everyone inside, hehe," he replied, his tone dripping with assurance and cruelty.

Asher furrowed his brow as he realized this was one of the main reasons the chief of this clan personally came here: to make sure everything went as planned and avoid a war. 

No wonder this old dog took such extensive preparation and even got help from the Moonbinder Clan.

"But you aren't…doing this only for your son, right? Why do the Moonbinders want me dead?" Asher asked with furrowed brows.

Boragor narrowed his eyes as he grinned, "You will be too dead to do anything by knowing why, hehe. So don't bother asking."

As Boragor gloated over his apparent victory, a new voice cut through the storm's cacophony, its tone both graceful and deadly, "Not if I claim your life first," the voice declared with a friendly yet chilling firmness.

Boragor turned, his expression shifting from triumph to smug intrigue, as he faced an elegant beauty dressed in a graceful red garment that was hugging her slender body. And on top of her garment, she was wearing a thick crimson cloak.

Naida stood there, her posture exuding elegance and deadly intent, a stark contrast to the chaos surrounding them. 

She shot a quick glance towards Asher and looked relieved to see he wasn't in a serious state.

Boragor let out a dismissive scoff, "Finally, someone worthy enough to die at my hands shows up. The Lady of House Valentine. Your death will definitely shake up your kingdom of bloodsuckers," he remarked, his voice dripping with condescension.

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A/N - Updated Naida character art in discord.