Chapter 23-24

Chapter 23: Edge of the Blade

"The witch hasn't made her move yet; she must be the strongest. The others are of no concern."

Clyde clearly understood what Ray Stein meant and shared the analysis.

"Good, I'll take on the witch. Clyde, you back us up. Eliot and I will make our move, and the rest of you leave this place," Ray Stein paused significantly. "Remember, we have explicit orders—do not harm the human female Jill Miners, Samuel Phillips must not die, the uninvited guests are irrelevant, let them escape."

Everyone acted on the command, but Ray turned his head, having not fully disclosed Bruce's instructions. He left out:

Jill Miners must die by their hands!

His gaze seemed to pierce through the space obstructed by numerous vehicles, locking directly onto Samuel Phillips, who struggled in battle. This demon, appearing as weak as a regular human, after tasting the pain of loss and the hatred of despair, would he undergo some change, as the elder predicted, unleashing greater potential? Can human emotions really produce a chemical reaction that surpasses the desire to survive?

"Shh!"

Samuel's sharp blade-like legs penetrated the car door, slicing through it so fast that it nearly flipped the door open, the metal glowing slightly red from the intense friction. However, this sure-hit attack missed its target. Even though he realized the danger and tried to distance himself, the severe wounds all over his body made him sluggish. It took him a moment too long to turn around, only to be met with a vicious blow from Trivikang right in the face. Half of his head was embedded into the car roof.

With a muffled groan, the car's sturdy steel support suddenly collapsed, having been completely crushed!

This robust demon, with arms as thick as a human's waist, grabbed Samuel, indifferent to his sharp limbs frantically slashing, leaving only a few shallow wounds, and slammed him down again like a sandbag. The concrete ground immediately cracked, webbing out from the impact.

Samuel had almost lost his ability to resist. The demon's remarkable healing powers couldn't withstand such brutal damage, leaving only his last bit of will to save his girlfriend, yet it was merely the last flicker of a dying flame.

"I've never seen such a fool, actually believing in humans' inexplicable love? Just become our nourishment already! Waste!"

Hoyle, covered in dark green patterned skin, looking as ugly and disgusting as an oversized toad, had already marked Samuel Phillips as meat on the chopping board, ready to be slaughtered.

"Watch out! Someone else is coming!"

Modess suddenly let out a sharp warning cry from not far away.

"Someone's coming? I'll take care of it."

Green-skinned Hoyle, unable to restrain his eagerness to feast and absorb nutrients, glanced at Modess with impatience.

"Idiot! It's one of our own!"

With a sudden burst of power from her legs, Modess leaped from the truck top, leaving two deep dents. She could reach her opponent's side in a second. Unlike her subordinates who relied on devouring to strengthen their powers, she had always been a spectator. However, sensing the presence of a powerful kin, she could no longer maintain her leisurely stance.

Unfortunately, she was still half a beat slow. A steel lance over two meters long whistled through the air, arriving in front of Hoyle almost as soon as he noticed it, piercing through his tough skin and robust body, pinning him to the ground! Instantly turned into a giant skewer!

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

The pain that humans dread so much acts as a violent catalyst for demons. Faced with this sudden turn of events, Hoyle immediately displayed the fierce and ruthless will of a combat creature. With a twist of his arm, he forcibly broke the steel pipe protruding from his body, then with both hands, he painfully extracted himself, bringing with him a large spray of green blood.

Trivikang, without a second thought, used Samuel in his hands as a weapon, flinging him towards the enemy following the steel lance, then grabbed Hoyle and quickly retreated.

On the other side, Modess, still in mid-air, saw a black smoke column rising in front of her, swirling like a tornado with a strange aura, stirring up a cloud of dust, forcing her to make a hard landing.

The howling black smoke made a slight detour and stopped three meters in front of her, slowly dissipating to reveal Ray Stein's athletic figure and stern face.

Eliot Clive landed heavily on the car roof, completely crushing the already destroyed vehicle into a pile of scrap. He had aimed for the green-skinned monster and the bulky figure, but their quick reaction to retreat had thwarted his plan.

Of course, the key was Samuel, thrown at him, blocking for a moment.

Eliot looked down at Samuel in his hand, the guy was still in his demonic form, and although he was only able to survive, he wasn't going to die for a while. If he didn't die, he threw Samuel at his feet, as if he were dropping something.

Trivikang had already withdrawn some distance with a grimacing Hoyle in tow, and stood in a straight line with Modess, facing away from both Ray Stein. The wound pierced by the steel brazier went through the front and back, but it wasn't too serious for the demon's horrible physique, and had slowly closed within a few seconds.

A hint of vigilance flashed in Modess' eyes as she maintained her fighting stance and slowly spoke, "We found this guy first, you guys want to intervene?"

She had already felt the tremendous pressure that the two people in front of her had brought to her, the lower demons generally only had differences in form and fighting style, needing to completely rely on their body's power, strength and agility, fighting was purely a physical battle. And Ray's appearance made it abundantly clear - he was at least on the same level as himself.

The other guy with a clear-cut angular face, even though he was just standing calmly in his human form, his entire body was already as sharp as a sheathed sword, and his eyes had a slight tingling sensation when they landed on his skin, making people subconsciously want to avoid his sharp edges, and his powerful aura was no less powerful than the one in front of him, so I'm afraid that he wasn't an easy character to deal with either.

Compared to Modess and the others who were watching intently, Ray appeared to be very relaxed, and even took a good look to make sure Samuel was still hanging before he replied:

"Ma'am, as much as I would like to be able to interact with a beautiful kindred spirit such as yourself in a more pleasant environment, I have to regretfully dismiss that thought."

Chapter 24: The Deepest Grief

As his voice trailed off, Eliot unleashed his power without warning, diving straight towards Hoyle and Trivikang with a menacing and arrogant demeanor, clearly not putting them in his eyes!

He successfully enraged both, and being the confrontational types themselves, Trivikang wasn't about to show weakness. His explosive muscles stretched his armor to its limits, launching a powerful punch straight at Eliot. With his golden locks fluttering in the wind, revealing his handsome and resolute face and the cold light flashing in his eyes, Eliot too countered with a punch that met Trivikang's with a solid, dull thud.

"Hmph!"

Previously dominating and forcing Samuel into a difficult position, Trivikang almost retracted his punch faster than it was thrown, stumbling back several steps with a muffled grunt as dark red blood trickled from his nose and mouth, clearly at a disadvantage.

This sudden turn of events caused Hoyle, who had slithered in from the flank with a venomous look in his eyes, to change his expression drastically. Having worked closely with Trivikang for so long, he had great confidence in this powerhouse, never having seen him overpowered in terms of strength. Now, with his chest wound still aching and suddenly exposed in front of Eliot, he instinctively curled up to maximize his tough skin's resilience.

This quick reaction saved him from the worst. Eliot's kick, powerful enough to send him flying like a ball across tens of meters, didn't inflict as much damage as it could have. However, the wound from the steel pipe burst open again, spilling green blood everywhere.

Modess, witnessing the disgrace of her two subordinates, felt a bad premonition. The inscrutable enemy before her was challenging enough, let alone now that her two subordinates had been easily overpowered by the blonde man, rendering them unreliable. She also sensed another hidden presence nearby, adding to her unease.

Taking no action would only make things worse!

Modess grabbed Jill Miners tightly with her right hand, swinging her across towards Ray, despite the woman's screams. Clearly intending to use her as a shield, hoping to exploit any connection the enemy might have with Samuel Phillips, potentially holding them back.

Even if it failed, the woman's death would be inconsequential.

Surprisingly, her gambit hit the mark. Ray, indifferent to Jill's fate and tasked with ensuring her death, could not afford to be the one to kill her, lest it interfere with Samuel's test.

So, he had no choice but to retreat.

Also audible was Samuel's labored breathing. Despite his dire condition, he still managed to drag his battered body a bit closer, wisely avoiding the fray and merely observing from a distance, lest he provoke Ray into disposing of him first.

The situation had deviated slightly from Ray's expectations, lacking a clear advantage. Modess was not an easy opponent, requiring his full attention. His side was burdened with a hostage with no combat capabilities and a half-dead lover, offering no help but complicating matters instead.

Modess, spotting a chance, quickly moved to support her retreating subordinates, pleased with her effective distraction.

But her joy was premature! As she brushed past him, Ray's form dissipated into smoke, reappearing silently behind her. By the time she sensed him, he was already within striking distance.

However, Modess didn't panic. Her hair, previously shoulder-length, suddenly grew wildly, turning into sharp, hard needles that shot towards Ray. Even his tough armor couldn't withstand the assault, forcing him back into smoke form to reposition in front of her, maintaining their standoff.

Ray frowned, eyeing Modess, whose dark blue hair now extended past the floor, making it hard to discern her full appearance. Glancing at his arm, he noticed droplets of blood emerging from needle punctures, not severe but testament to her bizarre ability. The ground where he had stood was riddled with holes from her attack, a dire threat to anyone less resilient.

At this point, Modess spared no effort, launching another attack. Ray's unpredictable nature made it hard for her to inflict significant damage, leaving her at a stalemate.

Yet, Ray wasn't in a hurry. Eliot on the other side has the upper hand, and the only one in a hurry will be Modess, who will have to snatch back two corpses if she doesn't get out of her own way.

Modess quickly realized the urgency, intensifying her attacks. Suddenly, a message flashed through her mind: "Kill the woman in your hands, and you can leave; otherwise, all of you will die!"

She was shocked and confused, glancing at Ray, who showed no signs of disturbance. Why would he communicate with her through thoughts? Was it a trap? Didn't he care about the woman in her grasp?

Despite her flurry of needle-like hair attacks, Modess's mind raced, trying to decipher his intentions.

"If you don't do as I say, those two will be reduced to nothing."

Ray pressed on, sending another message through thoughts.

Eliot, catching on to his hint, revealed his dark gold scales, going all out. He was about to burst Trivikang's tough skin and flesh, and Hoyle, the green-skinned toad, was in an even worse state, having lost half an arm and barely managing to delay time with occasional sneak attacks. They didn't realize this restraint was part of Eliot's effort to align with Ray Stein's plan.

Determination flashed across Modess's face. She swung her arm, launching Jill as a weapon again, but this time she let go. Just as Ray was about to catch Jill, countless sharp hairs surged across meters in an instant, piercing Jill's frail body and continuing their fierce assault on Ray.

It was a deceitful double strike, still hoping to seriously injure the enemy with this vicious hit. However, Ray, always vigilant and showing no mercy even after achieving his goal, turned into smoke and reappeared several meters away.

Jill Miners's body was riddled with countless blue hairs, pinned in mid-air. With the withdrawal of the eerie needle hair, her body, full of holes, fell to the ground with a thud, her blood pooling around her in a horrifying sight.

"No!!!"

Samuel, observing anxiously with his wounded body, roared in rage, mustering all his strength to rush over.

Modess's final attempt failed, and already intending to leave, her cold gaze swept over the expressionless Ray. She quickly moved to another part of the battlefield, repelling Eliot with a series of attacks and hastily retreating with the severely injured Trivikang and Hoyle.

Samuel's scales gradually receded as he knelt beside Jill Miners, desperately trying to cover her wounds, but it was futile. In just a few seconds, a large pool of blood formed beneath Jill, who coughed up even pieces of her organs, dying in moments.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Jill!" Samuel gently cradled her body as if holding the world's most precious treasure, his voice choked with sobs.

Jill weakly lifted her arm, trying to touch his face but lacking the strength. Samuel hurriedly held her hand to his cheek.

Jill's lips twitched into a barely discernible smile. "Sammy... the smell of grass is so nice... Can we go to Hawaii next year?"

She was delirious, unable to recognize the present or remember if the man beside her was still her beloved Sammy. Hawaii, their special place, where they had once watched the splendid sunsets and admired the tranquil beauty of Kaneohe Bay...

Overwhelmed by memories, tears streamed down Samuel's face as he tenderly kissed Jill's forehead. "Yes, we'll go every year... every year..."

Ray Stein, prepared to address Samuel's questions, realized his words were no longer needed. He and Eliot exchanged glances, both feeling an absurd, unbelievable sense of irony—a true demon, weeping for a human woman, utterly lost in his grief.

Whether Jill Miners heard Samuel's reply is uncertain, but she seemed content with his promise, her eyes sparkling brightly before settling into peace, her vitality fading away, leaving her body cold.

Samuel buried his head in her embrace, unleashing a heart-wrenching wail:

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Amidst the wreckage-strewn, desolate and disordered scrapyard, echoes reverberated continuously, as if echoing his lament, evoking a sense of desolation out of nowhere.