The Damned Demon-Chapter 850: The Omen Left Unheeded

The hidden sanctuary of the vulpins lay nestled within a secluded valley, ringed by towering cliffs draped in curtains of emerald moss and thick, tangled vines that were artificially grown using mysterious arrays.

It had been their small but new safe haven—a sanctuary carefully crafted from the ruins of their past despair, where this small group of vulpins had begun to rekindle a fragile spark of hope.

Yet now, that fragile hope was shattering.

At the edge of the clearing, five thousand draconian soldiers encircled them like an iron noose, the sight of their menacing, winged forms darkening the dawn with an oppressive dread.

Hulking, tall warriors snarled cruelly, their blackened weapons glinting sinisterly beneath the dim crimson glow of the distant, blood-red sun.

An aura of murderous intent radiated from their ranks, smothering the vulpins' spirits.

In the heart of the terrified crowd, elderly Father Zu stood protectively at the front, trembling hands clutching his old wooden staff.

He exchanged a desperate glance with the handful of brave vulpin warriors who had stepped forward, their weapons shaking in fearful defiance.

"Be brave, my children," Zu said gently, his voice cracking with sorrowful resignation. "If our ancestors must call us home today, let it be known that we fought with courage until the very end."

A monstrous draconian commander, clad in black armor, stepped forward, a sadistic grin splitting his scaled lips. Raising his massive, jagged sword, he bellowed with cruel amusement, "Let's take our sweet time wasting them!"

The draconians surged forward like a dark wave, their thunderous roars shaking the valley floor. The vulpins cowered, eyes wide with terror, desperately clutching their loved ones.

But then—

A streak of golden brilliance cut across the darkened sky, heralding an arrival of terrifying beauty.

Kira swooped down from the skies, her elegant green gown billowing around her form as her presence momentarily stunned friend and foe alike.

Her emerald eyes glowed with intense resolve, fixed upon her terrified people as she gracefully landed between them and the advancing draconian army.

"Your Grace!" Zu cried out in awe and disbelief, hope flickering in his old eyes.

Kira's voice resonated clearly and commandingly through the valley, infused with a supernatural strength, "Stay back, all of you! Do not intervene—I will handle them on my own!"

Before the draconians could react, Kira's aura erupted, shimmering with a mesmerizing glow of dark silver and violet.

Her delicate form rippled, shifting ethereally as she transformed into her true, awe-inspiring form. Her skin shone like polished moonstone, her elongated fox ears elegantly pointed. The three radiant golden tails swayed hypnotically, while pearlescent horns curved gracefully through her luscious golden locks.

The draconian commander froze in momentary astonishment, his voice choking in his throat. "There it is… the true form of a Caleumbra. What a pity I will have to save her for our king."

Kira reached into her robes, and from within she drew forth a peculiar hilt, ancient yet strangely futuristic, adorned with mysterious runes pulsating faintly.

Without hesitation, she activated it. A blinding column of radiant white energy surged forth, forming into a dazzling, searing blade of pure radiant mana, illuminating the dim surroundings with brilliant intensity.

The draconians recoiled instinctively, hissing in pain and fear from the sheer intensity of the radiant weapon, their eyes narrowing to slits against its luminous glare.

"A-A radiant weapon??" The draconians were startled and shocked, never expecting her to possess such a strange and powerful radiant weapon. How could it exist here?

But even as Kira brandished the blade, her expression contorted with pain. The radiant mana burned her delicate skin, sending jolts of agony coursing through her veins.

Yet she endured it fiercely, driven by desperation and an unwavering resolve to protect those she loved.

"Come, you beasts," Kira hissed defiantly through gritted teeth, her emerald eyes blazing, "Face me and meet your end!"

The draconians rallied, enraged by her challenge, rushing her from all sides. Kira moved with stunning agility, her ethereal form dancing amidst the enemies, the white blade slashing through the air with deadly elegance. With every precise sweep, draconian bodies fell, their scaled flesh burned and sizzling from the radiant energy.

"Careful! Don't get close to that cursed weapon! Attack from afar!" The draconian commander barked out orders from afar upon feeling shocked by the power of that mysterious weapon she was wielding, emitting radiant mana!

But despite its power, he was confident he could use his men to overwhelm her in no time.

Kira saw them immediately, trying to steer clear of her weapon. But she wasn't deterred.

She invoked illusions, scattering dazzling doubles of herself amidst their ranks, confusing and disrupting their formation.

The draconians struck at phantoms, their roars turning into howls of frustration and panic as she appeared and vanished at will, leaving death in her wake.

They couldn't even tell where she was going to appear and thus could only helpelssly watch as the radiant weapon tore apart their flesh like a hot knife through butter.

How could a weapon be so powerful that it could cut through flesh with such ease? It didn't even seem like she had to put any strength behind each slash of hers.

But with each illusion, each false and twisted reality created to deceive her enemies, Kira's breathing grew ragged, sweat dripping from her glowing skin.

Her mind strained under the heavy burden, the toll of manipulating their reality threatening to shatter her sanity.

Her beautiful features twisted with pain as migraine-like agony stabbed through her skull, yet she fought on fiercely.

"Protect our queen!" some brave vulpin warriors shouted instinctively, readying their weapons, desperate to aid her.

"No! Do not come!" Kira shouted back harshly, her voice edged with anguish, "Stay where you are—I cannot lose anyone of you!"

Yet slowly, inevitably, her strength waned. Outnumbered, Kira faltered briefly, a jagged draconian blade slicing viciously across her shoulder.

Blood splattered onto the cold ground, staining her silken gown. Her knees nearly buckled, but sheer will forced her upright again, her luminous eyes blazing furiously.

She had killed hundreds of them but that was far from enough.

More draconians swarmed her, pushing forward relentlessly, their sheer numbers overwhelming her defiant stand.

Her elegant movements slowed, her illusions weakened, her breathing labored and harsh. Another deep slash tore across her leg, causing her to stagger heavily.

"Kira!" Zu cried desperately, his voice trembling in terror. He wanted to rush in, but he knew that by doing so, he would only put more burden on her since she would try to protect him instead of protecting herself.

Her gaze snapped briefly toward her frightened people, her heart wrenching painfully at their anguished faces. "Stay strong… no matter what happens to me… protect each other," she managed weakly, blood trickling from her lips.

Kira's hand tightened fiercely around the radiant blade, its burning pain threatening to overcome her. Her body trembled violently, battered and bloodied, yet still she raised her weapon defiantly.

But with a final, savage rush, the draconians surged forward once more, striking her from multiple sides.

Kira's legs finally buckled, her ethereal form crashing painfully to the ground, her breathing ragged and shallow. The radiant blade flickered weakly in her trembling hand as she knelt, blood pooling beneath her, golden tails drooping in exhaustion.

"No!" the vulpins cried out collectively, despair and pain rippling through them.

The draconians closed ranks around her, weapons raised menacingly, their commander sneering cruelly, "Look at you now. Weak and broken. Did you truly think your pathetic illusions and that secret weapon of yours could protect these pathetic weaklings?"

Kira struggled weakly, the radiance of her weapon sputtering, her eyes dimming from exhaustion and pain. Her mind wavered on the brink, yet even now, she glared defiantly upward, refusing to surrender.

Father Zu sank to his knees, grief-stricken, tears streaming down his face. "Forgive us, Kira… we failed you…"

Kira, hearing Zu's broken voice, gathered one final surge of strength. Her trembling hand gripped the failing radiant blade tightly, eyes flashing once more with fierce determination.

Even in defeat, she whispered defiantly, her voice barely audible yet resolute, "No… You have not failed me. Never…I am the one who failed you all..."

The draconian commander loomed arrogantly over Kira, sneering cruelly with his sharp, scaled features twisted into a sadistic grin. "How touching," he mocked, voice dripping with venomous contempt. "You should worry about yourself, even if you won't be dying just yet—unlike those weak, little things behind you." He gestured dismissively toward the terrified vulpins, cowering helplessly behind their fallen queen, "No, our king will make a proper slave of you. Perhaps he'll even use you as a breeding vessel, hm? At least then, if you're lucky, you might not remain the last of your pitiful kind!" His laughter echoed mockingly through the valley, the surrounding draconians jeering along.

Kira's emerald eyes darkened, her lips trembling from shame, fury, and exhaustion. She tried desperately to move, her fingers twitching helplessly against the dirt as agony raced through her nerves.

Yet no strength returned, and all she could do was stare at the blade now lifeless in her grasp. As bitter despair clawed at her heart, she remembered Father Zu's saddened words. Perhaps…just perhaps…No! She saw no point in giving into regrets...Not when it didn't matter anymore.

Yet some regrets painfully inside her chest, mingling with her hopelessness.

The commander turned arrogantly toward his men, raising his arm commandingly, ready to unleash hell. "Have some fun with the women—then kill them-"

Yet his voice faltered abruptly, his gaze locking onto something high above them. His arrogant smile faded, replaced by confusion—and a creeping dread. "What in the Seven Hells…?"

One by one, his soldiers and even Kira followed his gaze skyward, their eyes widening as a figure hovered silently in the crimson sky above, his long moon-white hair billowing softly in the wind.

He was tall, coldly elegant, draped in flowing black robes that fluttered gracefully in the gusts. His eyes—deep, eerie, dark-yellow orbs—stared down upon the scene, colder than ice, indifferent yet chilling.

A bone-deep shudder ran through Kira's body as recognition dawned, her breathing hitching painfully, her heartbeat quickening in dread.

The commander, fear gripping him, whispered hoarsely, "I-Is that the Bloodburn monster…? What could he possibly be doing—" His fear gave way abruptly to a panicked rage, and he snarled out desperately to his men, "Kill him! Quickly, now!" He was one of the few who personally witnessed his king getting almost crushed to death under the hands of this alien monster!

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The draconians sprang forward immediately, launching a wave of fiery projectiles, arrows, and spears into the sky. Yet Asher hovered effortlessly, untouched, his dark robes unfurling like great wings of shadow. The attacks melted away inches before him, dissolving uselessly into black smoke.

Without a single word, Asher slowly raised his hand. Dark green tendrils of damned mana erupted from his palm, spiraling downward like malevolent serpents. In an instant, a terrible aura erupted from his figure, cloaking the battlefield in a suffocating, inescapable darkness.

"AARGHHHH!!!"

Draconians screamed in terror, limbs freezing in fear. Asher's eyes glowed brighter, and from the swirling shadows beneath, thousands of ghastly hands—spectral, skeletal claws dripping with cursed flame—burst forth, grasping the draconians, pulling them down into a hellish abyss beneath their feet. The air filled with shrieks of torment as the abyss devoured the soldiers alive.

Those who tried to flee found themselves entangled by shadows, rooted to the ground, watching helplessly as Asher descended slowly from above. He landed gently, his bare feet softly touching the ground, yet the impact sent dark tremors rippling outward, breaking the earth in spiderweb-like cracks.

The few draconians still living tried desperately to strike him down—but their weapons shattered instantly upon contact with his flesh, as though striking unyielding steel.

With merciless precision, Asher calmly raised his hand again. The shadowy roots summoned from beneath bound them, tightening slowly around their throats. With indifferent cruelty, he closed his fingers, and the draconians collapsed silently, their lives extinguished without resistance.

The battle had lasted mere moments—yet in that brief span, thousands of fearsome draconians had been annihilated as though they were insects.

Kira stared in utter disbelief, her breath shallow, heart racing painfully in her chest. The sheer ease with which Asher had slaughtered them terrified her far more than anything she'd ever witnessed.

Even the vulpins behind her watched silently, frozen in awe and horror, unable to tear their gazes from the dark figure now standing calmly amidst the sea of corpses.

Slowly, his gaze shifted downward, landing upon Kira's trembling figure.

Step by deliberate step, Asher approached her, the silence absolute, punctuated only by Kira's harsh breathing.

Why was he here after being in hiding all this time? Why did he seem so different and stronger?

He stopped just inches from her kneeling form, gazing down coldly, eyes devoid of warmth or pity.

"I warned you once before…" he said quietly, his voice carrying a terrifying, emotionless calm. "To stop before it was too late. But you chose vengeance, regardless of who paid the price."

Kira's eyes quivered, tears and blood trickling silently down her cheeks.

Asher leaned forward slightly, voice softening dangerously, yet more chilling than ever, "You can now regret your choices in the afterlife."

Asher's words echoed hauntingly as Kira gazed into his merciless eyes, feeling the suffocating weight of inevitability close around her.