Chapter 316 Facing The Past
Just as Asher was prepared for the inevitable, his surroundings suddenly started to fade, and at the same time, his ring briefly glowed with an eerie light.
As the mist thickened, enveloping everything in its embrace, Agonon's figure faded like an illusion, vanishing into the obscurity of the fog, making Asher's eyes widen.
The ensuing silence was deafening, and the mist seemed to have swallowed everything whole, leaving Asher in a realm of desolation and confusion.
Asher's eyes kept scanning around, wondering where everybody had gone and what just happened. He couldn't see anything else except the fog.
Despite the confusion swirling in his mind, Asher realized that he was no longer in pain and his injuries had miraculously healed.
But he could still feel the weight of the Deviar in his hand and slowly got up with a baffled look, though he became vigilant, wondering if this was someone's doing.
Suddenly, a sensation pricked at the back of his neck, an unmistakable feeling of being watched.
His gaze snapped upward to find a figure hovering, a man in a black suit and cape, seemingly defying gravity. The man's golden eyes were pools of boundless power, and the emblem of sun and lightning on his chest shimmered.
Staring in disbelief, Asher murmured, "What the hell..."
Without warning, the man descended rapidly, the force of his landing sending tremors through the ground.
Standing tall, the mysterious figure began to approach Asher, each step echoing ominously in the void.
"Why look so shocked?" the man asked, his deep voice dripping with a mix of amusement and sarcasm, "I am no stranger...am I?"
Asher's mind raced. This tall, dashingly handsome man with a heroic charm bore an uncanny resemblance to someone he once knew — to someone he once was!
If it was anybody else, they would have definitely believed the rumors of Golden Prince's ghost roaming around and died from fright.
But obviously he didn't despite seeing the mirror of his past self.
With narrowed eyes and a biting tone, he chuckled coldly, "Have I died and ended up in some twisted afterlife? If the Angels or Devils are doing this, tell them I am not in the mood for games, especially with whoever you are, trying to impersonate my past self."
The man's chuckle rang out in the void, a sound of pure amusement that grated on Asher's nerves, "I'm not impersonating anyone," the man said calmly, yet with a weight to his voice that made Asher shiver, "I am your past, but I think it's quite obvious...isn't it?"
In an instant, the playful demeanor vanished, replaced by an air of deadly intent.
His eyes, once a shimmering gold, transformed into a blood-red hue, and the sun and lightning emblem on his chest followed suit, morphing from brilliant gold to a menacing crimson.
"But I'm here," he continued, his voice dripping with malice, "because you are too weak to accomplish what needs to be done. I will take over your body and do what needs to be done."
Before Asher could even react, Cedric's hand moved with an inhuman speed, snatching the Deviar from his grip, "You won't be needing this, I believe," he remarked, his tone dripping with cold ridicule.
Rage bubbled up within Asher, and without a second thought, he lunged at Cedric, "Give it back, you imposter!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the vast emptiness.
His fist flew towards Cedric's face, but the moment of impact felt like striking solid iron.
"Ugh!"
The force of the recoil sent a shockwave of pain through Asher's arm, making him grimace with gritted teeth.
"I told you," Cedric said with a smirk, a shadow of pity in his eyes, "You are too weak," In a blur, Cedric's fist lunged forward, targeting Asher's chest.
Asher's instincts screamed at him to activate his Hellbringer form, but Cedric was too fast.
The force of the blow sent ripples through Asher's body, his organs jostling within, and then he was hurtling backward while transforming into his Hellbringer form.
The world was a blur as he flew hundreds of meters before crashing into the ground.
The impact shattered his bones, but almost immediately, they began to reconstruct themselves.
Quickly getting up on his feet, Asher barely had time to register his surroundings when Cedric materialized in front of him, a look of cold determination on his face.
But before Asher could react, Cedric's fingers closed around his wrist in an unyielding grip.
His cold crimson eyes bored into Asher's as he began to slide the Ring of Damnation from Asher's finger, each millimeter adding to the weight of Asher's impending dread.
The ring, pulsing with its dark energy, had always been a source of unimaginable power, something which helped him survive this far.
As the ring slid off Asher's finger, its malevolent power began to wane within him. His transformation into the Hellbringer form began to unravel, forcing him back into his night elf appearance.
Blood stained his lips as the injuries he suffered earlier washed over him, rendering him weak and almost lifeless.
"You are nothing without this ring. You would have died the first day you woke up if not for this," Cedric said in a harsh tone of ridicule as he put the ring onto his own finger.
Asher's eyes, still holding a defiant spark, met Cedric's,
"Wrong," Asher spat out with difficulty, his voice a raspy whisper, "If you're really me, you'd know the damn ring doesn't define me."
A cruel smile tugged at Cedric's lips, the coldness in his eyes replaced momentarily by a flicker of amusement, "Really?" he remarked sarcastically, "Prove it. Let's fight using only our fists. A fair fight."
Before Asher could protest, Cedric released him. In a heartbeat, Asher felt a wave of energy washing over him, mending his injuries and rejuvenating his drained strength.
Confusion momentarily flashed in Asher's eyes, but he didn't allow it to halt his actions.
Pushing aside his doubts and questions, he launched himself at Cedric, his heart pounding loudly with anger, frustration, and a burning desire to put an end to this uncanny reflection of his past self.
Asher, with every ounce of strength he possessed, attacked Cedric with a barrage of punches.
Yet, for all his effort, the past version of himself danced around them effortlessly.
Each dodge was a mockery, every missed strike adding to Asher's growing frustration. The scene became a dance, where one was desperate, and the other was effortlessly in control.
With his increasing desperation, Asher's movements became more erratic and unpredictable, but still, Cedric's cold, mocking smile never wavered.
In the brief pauses between Asher's frenzied onslaught, Cedric's laughter rang out, dripping with derision.
"Is this really all you've got?" Cedric scoffed, ducking another of Asher's blows. "How could you be this pitiful? You are supposed to be a better version than your past."
Asher pretended to ignore his words as he continued attacking, but Cedric just seemed to always read his moves one step ahead.
Finally, Cedric released a sigh, laced with disappointment, "I saw enough," he muttered. And with a single, swift movement, his fist connected with Asher's stomach.
"Ungh!" The force drove the wind out of Asher, causing him to collapse to his knees, gasping for air.
The next moment, Cedric's arm encircled Asher's neck, tightening its hold with a deadly intent.
Asher's vision blurred, his lungs aching for air, yet the menacing whisper of Cedric cut through the haze, freezing Asher's heart.
"After I've claimed your body," Cedric murmured, "the first thing I'll do is exact our revenge. That demoness, the one who stole our mother from us, she'll pay."
Asher's eyes widened as memories of that fateful night flooded back while Cedric's voice grew colder, filled with rage and disgust, "How could you? Sharing a bed with the monster who caused our mother's death? You insult her memory every day you don't take vengeance. You have learned nothing after getting betrayed like a fool."
Asher's hands clawed at Cedric's arm, desperate to break free, but the pressure on his windpipe was unyielding. Those Memories, sharp as daggers, pierced through his mind. His mother's pleading eyes, her final sacrifice... it was a nightmare he had never truly awoken from.
"I remember every tear, every scream," Cedric whispered venomously, "Our mother was an innocent soul, torn apart by the cruelty of that wretched woman. You've forgotten, but I haven't. She took everything from us. You two were never meant to be. And once I've made her suffer, once I've killed her like I did her father, everything will be set right. I will then take care of the others who betrayed us while you can sleep forever like the useless thing you are."
As the shadow of death threatened to take him, Asher's thoughts turned to Rowena. In his mind's eye, he saw her looking after him as a small girl, staying by his side; the moments she risked her life to save him as the queen; the last night they shared together before this quest, the love in her eyes when she looked at him and the warmth she gave him.
But it was the memory of a much younger Rowena, tears streaming down her face, that truly struck him.
He had seen this memory before, but he heard something from her that he never did before.
Her voice, trembling with fear and guilt, echoed in his ears: "I didn't want to kill that boy's mother. Her emotions... they were too much. I lost control."
That confession, buried deep in his memories, shook Asher's soul as realization struck him.
He couldn't believe he never thought to think about it and let his anger blind him.
As the darkness tried to pull him under, a surge of willpower exploded from Asher's core. The Ring of Damnation, which Cedric wore confidently, began to disintegrate, turning into a dark green mist that raced toward Asher, merging into his very essence.
Asher's voice, though weak from the chokehold, was filled with determination and newfound power, "You are right…We were never meant to be," he rasped, his deep yellow eyes slowly transforming into an eerie green light, "but that doesn't mean I can stop loving her nor will I let anybody else stop me from doing so, including you!"
In one swift movement, Asher thrust his head forward, connecting with Cedric's surprised face.
The force of the impact caused Cedric to release his grip, stumbling backwards.
Without waiting, Asher lunged, his fist driving into Cedric's chin, launching him upwards. The sky, which was vast and endless, became the backdrop as Cedric's figure continued to shoot up into the air.
With his cape billowing like the wings of an avenging angel, Asher flew up and positioned himself above the disoriented Cedric, and with both hands joined together, he struck down with all his might.
*BOOM!*
The impact was catastrophic. Cedric's body plummeted to the earth, causing the ground to shatter beneath him, creating a vast crater.
With a fierce determination, Asher descended gracefully, landing near the edge of the crater, looking down, his eyes glowing with an eerie dark emerald light and the Ring of Damnation nowhere to be seen.
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