The Damned Demon

The long, dark hall stretched before them like a gaping wound in the fabric of time itself, a place untouched by the passage of years yet haunted by its weight.

The walls were lined with cobwebs, and the air carried a suffocating stillness, as if the very ruins were holding their breath.

And then, they saw him.

A disfigured figure cloaked in black, its skeletal frame gnarled and exposed where charred, blackened bones jutted out in unnatural angles.

Dark green magma oozed over its body, pulsing with an eerie, unholy glow, mirroring the same light burning in its hollow sockets. The flames within its skull flickered slowly, methodically, like a being that had long since transcended the need for haste.

Skully.

He stood motionless before the large rock, just as Asher remembered. As if guarding something.

Rebecca froze, her gaze darting between Asher and Valeria before settling back on Skully.

She had expected something else.

Something... monstrous she couldn't imagine.

Instead, what stood before her resembled the very undead slaves Asher could summon at will—except, unlike those, she couldn't sense a shred of Skully's aura.

That fact alone unnerved her, especially considering this was supposed to be a millions of years old monster stronger than the Moon Guardian.

Rebecca's lips curled into a deep frown as she asked, "Why does he look familiar to one of your undead slaves?"

Asher, his gaze unwavering, simply shook his head. "I have no idea. But he is somehow connected to my powers."

Rebecca scoffed, but her hands balled into fists. Something about all of this was off. She could tell, from the strange architecture, to the mysterious dead runes, to the monstrous undead that had lived through impossible time—this place, these ruins, they didn't belong in their world.

And more than that—

Skully didn't belong either.

So, how could they all exist here?

Valeria stepped forward, bowing deeply before speaking in her usual emotionless tone.

"He wishes to seek your help, Master."

Skully, still silent, shifted his gaze toward Asher. The flames in his sockets burned brighter for a brief moment.

Asher didn't hesitate.

He stepped forward, carefully adjusting Lori's small, unconscious form in his arms. Lori's majestic body, usually powerful beyond reason, now lay limp, her once-glowing scales dulled, her body corrupted by the treacherous mana of this place.

With a deep breath, Asher spoke, his tone steady but firm.

"I know we might have offended you by entering your territory. But someone tried to trap us in here. You might already know that. We were only trying to find a way out, and now my friend—Lori—is dying because of the mana corrupting her body." His jaw clenched slightly before he added, "So can you please... help her recover? I heard you have the ability to do it."

A thick silence followed.

Skully remained motionless, his gaze never leaving Asher.

Asher's fingers twitched slightly. He wondered if the undead monstrosity was going to refuse though he felt a strange feeling from his gaze. A feeling that just seemed to sink in deep.

Then, finally—Skully spoke.

His voice was deep, hollow, and eerie, resonating through the hall like a whisper from the abyss.

"Why do you ask me when you are capable of doing it, Asher Drake?"
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Asher's brows furrowed, "What?"

He looked down at Lori's still form, his mind racing.

"I don't understand. I did try, but the mana that is corrupting her body is too strong for me to do anything about it."

Skully remained silent for a moment before answering, his voice unwavering.

"Then you have to get stronger."

Asher blinked. His grip on Lori tightened as he stared at Skully in disbelief,

"What... But... How strong?"

The undead slowly turned his head, his hollow sockets burning with an ominous glow as he gazed at the large rock behind him.

"Strong enough to move this rock with your bare hands."

Rebecca squinted, extending her neck slightly to get a better look.

"What's so special about that bland-looking rock?" she scoffed, though she couldn't help but be curious about what was behind it.

Asher narrowed his eyes at the massive, unmoving boulder, a familiar sense of unease curling in his chest.

He remembered how he gloriously failed to even move it by an inch despite using all his strength.

He exhaled sharply, shaking his head.

"That's impossible. I don't have enough time to get that strong, nor have I found a way yet to get stronger. I came here for two reasons—to save Lori and to find out why you were waiting for me. What do you want from me?"

Asher truly had no idea how he was supposed to get strong within two months, let alone get strong enough to move that rock.

His only desperate solution was to enter the 7th floor of the Tower of Hell. But because nobody had ever returned from that forbidden floor, he was afraid...afraid of the possibility that he might never return and end up letting all his loved ones die.

But if he can't think of anything else soon, it would be the only choice he would have.

His gaze hardened, "You made sure Valeria would become my protector even before I woke up in this world. How and why?"

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—suddenly—

A dark green flame erupted from the floor.

An undead warrior, cloaked in the same eerie fire, materialized, its skeletal grip latching onto Rebecca's throat, yanking her backward with terrifying speed.

"Heuurghhh!"

She gasped, her hands flying up to claw at the creature's grip, her eyes wide with shock.

Simultaneously, another undead rose from the shadows, its bony hands snatching Lori from Asher's grasp.

"The fuck—?!" Asher lunged forward, his instincts screaming, his mana surging—

But before he could strike, Skully raised his staff.

A black, twisted weapon, its surface pulsating with eerie textures, topped with a dark green orb that radiated unnatural energy.

With a simple touch—the staff barely grazing Asher's chest—

A shockwave of dark energy blasted him backward.

*BOOOM!*

Asher gritted his teeth, hitting the ground with a force that sent a wave of dust rolling outward. He quickly rolled to his feet, his eyes burning with fury as he glared at Skully.

Rebecca, still struggling in the undead's grip, managed to choke out, "I told you... this undead monster is up to no good...!"

Asher's pulse pounded in his ears. His body tensed, but he could tell from Valeria's stillness that she wasn't surprised by this. Would she really obey everything her master wants her to do? Even if it meant watching him get hurt or worse?

He knew he couldn't blame her, but still...

Then, Skully spoke again.

"What I need from you is not questions, but actions."

His hollow voice echoed through the hall, sending a chilling shiver down the spine of even Rebecca, who had never feared the undead for obvious reasons.

"All you need to know is that you must be useful to me. In return, you can be useful to your people."

He raised his staff slightly, "I will give you one month."

Asher froze.

"One month?"

Skully's sockets burned brighter, "If you cannot get strong enough to defeat my disciple by then—"

Skully turned his gaze toward Valeria, who stood silent and unwavering,

"—then both your friends will die."

Asher's breath caught in his throat. His gaze flickered between Valeria, Rebecca still struggling in the undead's grip, and Lori's unconscious form in the arms of another.

His hands clenched into fists.

"You want me to fight Valeria?"

Valeria slowly turned her head toward him, her expression hidden beneath her helmet.

Skully's next words were final.

"Prove your worth, Asher Drake."

Asher's jaw tightened, his mind racing.

What the hell had he just gotten himself into?

Rebecca scoffed, her dark red eyes gleaming with mocking amusement as she glanced at Asher. Even with the undead's bony fingers still wrapped around her throat, she managed to let out a choked, smug chuckle.

"This is easy... Why are you looking so shocked?" she sneered, shifting her gaze toward Valeria. "She's the youngest and weakest Bloodborn Guard, barely a low-level Soul Devourer. So now is the best time to show her who her true master is."

Her lips curled into a smug, strained smirk, despite the fact that she was still struggling for breath.

Asher let out a deep sigh, his expression unreadable.

Rebecca had no idea.

No idea that Valeria had been hiding her true strength all this time.

And yet... neither did he.

Even after everything, he had never seen Valeria fight at her full strength.

His gaze flickered toward her, watching as she stepped forward—her movements controlled, precise, and utterly devoid of hesitation. She positioned herself in a battle stance, her hands resting near the massive blade strapped to her back.

Asher's brows furrowed slightly.

If she had truly been holding back, then just how strong was she?

Valeria moved first.

Without warning, the massive greatsword strapped to her back was suddenly in her hands, its black metal with bloody veins gleaming under the eerie glow of the ruins.

And then—

She flung it.

The sheer speed at which she hurled such a colossal weapon was almost unnatural.

A deadly black blur streaked through the air, cutting through the darkness like a thunderous judgment from the abyss itself.

Asher's eyes widened, his instincts screaming at him.

Too fast.

He barely managed to react, his body igniting into a roaring inferno of dark green flames, his Hellbringer form emerging just in time before the sword collided with him.

BOOOOM!!!

The moment the greatsword struck, the sheer force behind it rattled every single bone in his body. The metal clashed violently against his skeletal frame, sending out a thunderous shockwave that tore through the ancient ruins.

His body became a projectile.

The sheer impact sent Asher rocketing across the long hall like a meteor, his fiery form blazing through the air before he was slammed against the far wall with earth-shattering force.

CRAAAACK!

Even the strong walls of the now-destroyed Demonstone Castle would have shaken and crumbled under such powerful impact.

However, the walls of this large and dark chamber didn't shake in the slightest, and there was no single fracture on the wall.

It seemed to remain undaunted by the thunderous impact before Asher collapsed to the ground, the heavy greatsword clattering beside him with an echoing clang.

A heavy silence followed.

Even Rebecca, who was never one to be speechless, stood paralyzed, her eyes bulging in absolute disbelief.

Her mouth moved, but no sound came out at first.

"W-What...in the name of the devils...was that?" she finally breathed out, her voice trembling slightly.

It wasn't just about strength.

It was the sheer raw force behind Valeria's throw—

A single motion, and yet, the power behind it had obliterated Asher's momentum like he was nothing but a ragdoll.

And she did it so casually.

Rebecca swallowed hard, a nervous bead of sweat forming at the back of her neck as she looked at Valeria, who hadn't even moved from her spot.

The towering armored figure simply stood still, her posture unwavering, as if she hadn't just thrown her weapon with the might of a cataclysm.

A chilling realization crept into Rebecca's mind.

That was just a test.

Not even an attack.

A test.

Was the weakest Bloodborn Guard hiding her true strength all this time?

Why? Things seemed even more confusing for Rebecca now.

A flicker of dark green flames flared within the cracks of the stone wall.

Then—

A booming pulse of energy erupted outward.

The air distorted violently, tendrils of dark green fire whipping outward like the writhing claws of the abyss.

Asher stood up, his body still blazing like a funeral pyre.

His flaming sockets locked onto Valeria, and for the first time in this fight—

He felt it.

The weight of her strength behind her attack had now transferred to become a part of his strength at the cost of his higher MP consumption.

The chilling stillness of her stance, the absolute confidence in her movements.

This wasn't just brute force.

This was battle mastery.

Asher had fought all kinds of monsters, demons, and even the Moon Guardian himself—

But the sheer power that Valeria just displayed?

It was almost on par with the Moon Guardian.

And yet, it seemed as if she never went all out.

His flames burned brighter, his skeletal form standing tall, as he clenched his fists, letting the lingering force from her attack fuel him rather than shake him.

He was not backing down.

No matter what Skully's intentions were, he had no choice but to prove his strength.