Chapter 724 Another Tale Of Backstabbing (3)
"Did we do it?" Astaroth inquired.
"Not sure..." Aston replied, scratching his head. "Let's head outside and look?"
"The last one outside is gay-"
"Seriously, dude? Grow the fuck up!" Ashton rolled his eyes, but the next second rushed outside.
Within moments, Ashton and Astaroth rushed outside, their eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of the spaceship attacking them.
The echo of their footsteps reverberated through the deserted landscape. Suddenly, they saw the smoking wreckage of the spacecraft, crashed and broken. Their cannons had found their mark.
Ashton and Astaroth exchanged triumphant glances, a fleeting sense of relief washing over them.
"We did it!" Ashton exclaimed, a grin breaking across his face.
Astaroth nodded, his eyes scanning the wreckage. "Looks like they won't be bothering us anymore."
Celebration filled the air as they basked in the apparent victory. However, the jubilation was short-lived. The ground beneath them trembled, and the distant hum of engines filled the air.
As they turned to look, their eyes widened in disbelief. More than a hundred similar ships revealed themselves, their camouflage fading away like shadows in the light.
"Oh no..." The realisation struck Ashton like a punch to the gut.
"It was a trap..." Astaroth's expression mirrored Ashton's growing dread.
The ships' cannons were trained on them, ominous barrels pointing like accusing fingers. The celebration turned to despair as the gravity of the situation sank in.
"We're done for," Astaroth muttered, his voice tinged with desperation.
Ashton's mind raced, searching for a way out, but the sheer number of ships left no room for hope. They were surrounded and trapped in a deadly crossfire.
Ashton tried using the portal to get back to Earth, but his skills didn't activate... none of them did. It was the same with Astaroth, as neither could do anything.
In the middle of their confusion, a shadow fell over them, and a booming voice echoed through the air.
"Heretics! In the name of our lord Kro'Han, you shall be executed for your insolence!"
A figure descended from one of the ships, draped in elaborate robes – the Pope of the Cult of Cosmos. He regarded Ashton and Astaroth with disdain, his eyes burning with fanatic fervour.
"This planet is the holy land of our forefathers, and you defile it with your presence."
Ashton clenched his fists, defiance burning in his eyes. "We won't go down without a fight."
"Fight?" The Pope laughed, pointing at the ships behind him. "This... will be a massacre!"
"...Try your best!"
The Pope, undeterred, raised his hand, signalling the impending doom. But before he could give the command, the device strapped to his hand came alive.
A familiar holograph poked out of the watch to show Kro'Han sitting on a throne made of bones. The Pope religiously bowed before the holograph and listened intently, his expression shifting from arrogance to confusion to submission.
"As you wish, my Lord..." The Pope mumbled.
Astaroth's eyes narrowed as he caught the silent exchange between the Pope and Kro'Han. Still bewildered by his lord's request, the Pope tossed the communicator towards Astaroth, who caught it hesitantly.
"Do you remember your oath or..." Kro'Han's voice resonated through the device, chilling in its authority. "Do you want her to die?"
"Oath? What Oath?" Confusion etched Ashton's face as he looked at Astaroth. "What's he talking about?"
But Astaroth ignored Ashton and kept staring at Kro'Han. "You wouldn't dare-"
"And who is there to stop me from doing it?" Kro'Han laughed. "No one. I'm your only hope if you want to save her. Carefully think about it..."
Astaroth's eyes conveyed anger as he tossed the communicator back to the Pope, who caught it with uncertainty.
"You have your answer," Astaroth replied before walking to Ashton's side.
The Pope, though perplexed, heeded Kro'Han's words. Ashton, growing impatient, demanded answers.
"What's going on, Astaroth? What did he mean?"
Astaroth hesitated momentarily, not bothering to answer Ashton and instead asked his own question.
"Can you use the portal to teleport back to Earth?"
"Not yet," Ashton replied, his confusion deepening.
"Good," Astaroth said cryptically, and without warning, he plunged his hand into Ashton's chest.
Shock and pain flashed across Ashton's face as Astaroth's fingers closed around his heart.
"I'm sorry... But I have to do this," Astaroth whispered, tears glistening in his eyes.
"Wha- ARRGH!"
Ashton's world spun as Astaroth ripped his heart out, the pain excruciating. Everything went black, his consciousness slipping away. The last words he heard were Astaroth's sorrowful apology.
In the void of unconsciousness, Ashton's mind swirled with confusion and betrayal. The once clear line between ally and enemy blurred, leaving a bitter taste of treachery.
Kro'Han's voice, like a thunderclap, reverberated through the desolate landscape as Astaroth wept.
"Good work," he acknowledged, a cold satisfaction laced in his tone.
Astaroth's tears fell unchecked, staining his cheeks with sorrow and regret. Betraying Ashton, his brother-in-arms, cut through him like a jagged blade.
Memories of a similar betrayal from his past haunted him, amplifying the weight of his actions. He hated it when Beelzebub betrayed him, yet he had done the same to Ashton.
No... he didn't betray just Ashton but everyone who trusted him. Astaroth looked at his hands, now smeared with Ashton's blood, and the disgust within him intensified, and he couldn't hold it back anymore.
Astaroth's cry tore through the silence in that desolate moment, a wail of anguish that seemed to echo the pain within his soul. The cultists, witnesses to the grief that consumed their 'enemy', cowered in fear. The terror on their faces mirrored the horror that gripped Astaroth's heart.
Fueled by fear and confusion, the cultists distanced themselves from Astaroth. They whispered amongst themselves, deciding it best to be rid of this unpredictable force. However, Kro'Han, their god and master, had different plans.
Kro'Han, a puppeteer in the shadows, understood the value of power. Astaroth, now broken beyond repair, was a pawn he could control.
Also, now that Ashton was gone, no one could stop him. Kro'Han, calculating and opportunistic as ever, recognised the potential in Astaroth and since he now had Precursor genes as well, Kro'Han knew he couldn't leave him unchecked.
"Hold," Kro'Han commanded the cultists, his words echoing authority that brooked no disobedience.
The cultists, fearing Kro'Han's wrath, froze in their tracks. Astaroth, his cries now reduced to choked sobs, looked up with hollow eyes.
"You passed the test, Astaroth," Kro'Han acknowledged Astaroth's efforts, but his praise only made Astaroth more disgusted. But that was the extent of what he could do.
"Rise, Astaroth. Your loyalty shall be rewarded."
As Astaroth stood, the remnants of his former self crumbled as he did. Meanwhile, Kro'Han continued to weave his intricate web of control.
"Ashton's demise was unfortunate but necessary. Still, I have plans for the universe that require a strong enforcer of my will. You, Astaroth, shall be that enforcer."
Astaroth looked like he was about to tear Kro'Han's holograph into pieces. But he controlled his rage. He had already committed the unforgivable sin. There was no point in holding on to the goodness in his heart anymore.
"You shall be my right hand, Astaroth. Together, we shall shape the destiny of the universe." Kro'Han's eyes gleamed with a malevolent light as he concluded.
"I... accept."
The tears on his cheeks had dried, leaving behind a cold resolve. Kro'Han, satisfied with his new puppet, gestured towards the hundred ships that loomed overhead.
"The universe awaits, Astaroth. We have much work to do," Kro'Han declared, his voice a harbinger of impending darkness. "Come to me without any delay."
"As you wish... my lord," Astaroth said, casting a final, vacant glance at the spot where Ashton had fallen. "See you later... brother."
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