Chapter 317 Stronger Than Ever
Asher's eyes remained trained on Cedric, expecting another bout of conflict as the latter slowly regained his posture.
Instead, the malevolence that once consumed Cedric's aura slowly vanished, replaced by a serene golden light that emanated from his eyes and the emblem on his chest.
Noticing this drastic change, Asher's flaming skeletal hand extinguished itself, the hellish fires dimming down to nothingness.
As Cedric straightened, a moment of stillness lingered between them, creating a void filled with tension and unanswered questions.
"Your will is strong finally," Cedric finally broke the silence, his tone completely transformed from the chilling voice that had once declared war.
Asher furrowed his brows and looked at his ring finger only to see that the Ring of Damnation was nowhere to be seen, "The ring…How…" Asher couldn't understand how he was still able to use mana without the ring.
As if noticing his confusion, Cedric said with a slight nod, "The ring was nothing but a tool that shackled your soul. It wasn't the reason you got your power...but a perfect illusion to appear itself as one until you began to embrace your soul. You never really needed it. And now you will be stronger than you ever have been."
And saying so, Cedric slowly turned around and began to walk away.
The sincerity in Cedric's voice threw Asher off guard, and Asher was left with a million questions.
Was this the reason why he always felt as if his Hunter self was stronger than his demon self? Was he weakened the entire time?
But leaving that aside, wasn't this guy trying to take over his body the entire time? What was going on?
Asher felt an urgency, a need to make sense of this perplexing twist, "Wait!...Who are you?" Asher called out, a hint of burning curiosity and confusion breaking through his usually calm demeanor.
Cedric paused, turning slightly to give Asher a side glance. With an enigmatic smile playing on his lips, he responded, "As I told you before…I am your past."
And then, as if unraveling from the fabric of existence itself, Cedric's entire being was consumed by a luminous golden glow.
The light spread throughout the surroundings and engulfed Asher as he softly sighed, though his eyes were glowing with a never-before seen determination and certainty.
-
The thick tension of the battlefield was suddenly punctuated by the sharp grasp of Agonon's hand closing around Asher's throat.
"Asher!" Isola cried out in horror upon seeing that Agonon was about to kill Asher.
Ceti and Merina, who were also preoccupied with their own battles, heard Isola's cry and gasped as they tried to run towards Asher.
But all three of them were blocked by Agonon's group and Victor's.
Both these groups were mortal enemies to each other in general, but one thing they had in common was the satisfaction that Hellbringer was dead meat under the hands of Agonon, though Rachel didn't want Hellbringer to die that easily.
However, that expectation was shattered when an eerie dark green light started pulsating from deep within Asher's core, growing brighter and more menacing with each heartbeat.
Agonon, who was just an inch away from crushing Asher's neck, had his expression quickly morph into one of shock as the light's intensity reached its peak.
*BOOM!*
In a blinding flash, an explosion of darkness detonated at the very spot where Asher was restrained, sending a shockwave of energy outwards that made the very ground tremble.
Agonon was launched back, a rare sight of vulnerability on his face as he tried to stabilize himself mid-air, though his skin hissed, his eyes trembling to see that the blast had seared his skin.
Onlookers from both sides of the battlefield, each engrossed in their own duels, stopped to turn their heads toward the epicenter of the explosion.
The stormy rain above seemed to react violently to this sudden upheaval, yet amidst the rain and chaos, a blazing figure emerged, standing tall at the heart of the devastation.
Gone was the expected figure of Asher collapsed on the ground.
In the very same place was a specter made of dark green flames, the tempestuous fire licking up into the stormy sky.
Underneath the roaring flames was a structure of charred bones, a skeletal visage with hollow eye sockets emitting the same haunting dark green glow. The silhouette of his cloak billowed in the violent wind, catching reflections of the lightning overhead, adding to the ghostly spectacle.
The presence of this entity was chilling. Its aura, heavy and oppressive, bore down on everyone present. The minions of Agonon, as well as Victor and Rachel with their team, took an involuntary step back, their faces betraying a mix of shock and terror.
To their astonishment, they didn't sense the signature aura of a Soul Reaper emanating from him.
Instead, it was a power that felt akin to a peak Soul Purger, a level of might that should have been impossible for Asher to attain unless…
Isola, Ceti, Merina, and Callisa had their eyes glow with astonishment and relief.
Isola smiled at the three as they all realized that Asher had somehow absorbed the Deviar already!
And now, they had no doubt what was going to happen now.
Victor's eyes widened, the pulse of shock evident as he mumbled, his voice trembling with immense anger and disbelief, "He absorbed the Deviar? Impossible..."
Rachel's expression fell and suddenly seemed frail.
Her pale face stark against the stormy backdrop, she felt an involuntary shudder grip her, her fingers quivering from the raw power emanating from Asher.
Amelia's intuition pricked at her, a creeping realization that they might be in over their heads.
Emiko and Yui shared a brief glance, a silent exchange filled with a mix of astonishment and relief.
Now, they had absolutely nothing to worry about, for they knew how terrifyingly powerful their Master could be.
In stark contrast, Circe, having her smug composure replaced with shock and urgency, shouted at Agonon, her face contorted with worry, "My prince! That alien has absorbed the Deviar! We need to act now. Let us help you defeat him and reclaim what's yours!" The sheer impossibility of the scene before them confounded them all, but there was no time to dwell on the hows and whys.
However, Agonon's gaze snapped towards her with a dangerous light, making Circe gulp, "You think I need your help against him?"
Circe's lips trembled as she offered a shaky smile, "O-Of course no—" But before she could complete her apology, Agonon rocketed towards Asher, letting his killing intent envelop Asher.
Yet, Victor wasn't going to be left behind. Ignoring the weight of dread in his chest, he surged forward, teeth gritted.
He survived in this goddamn quest for an entire year. He can't return empty handed after going through all that.
Rachel was about to join the fray, not wanting to give Hellbringer the slightest chance to come out of this alive.
But Amelia grabbed her by the wrist. Her voice low and urgent, she urged, "Rachel, we need to go! Even if, by some miracle, Victor takes down Hellbringer, those Draconians will be the end of us," Amelia then hesitated as she added, "We shouldn't worry about Victor…Let him die here, consumed by his own greed. You have no idea the evil things he did the entire time he was with us. He caused the death of—"
"I know…" Rachel's sudden response took Amelia by surprise as her eyes widened.
Rachel lowered her gaze as she added with a quivering chin, "But…we need Victor to kill Hellbringer, especially now that he absorbed the Deviar. We can't let an evil thing like him walk around freely. Think about the number of potential lives we could save by killing Hellbringer. After that, I promise we can think about what to do with Victor."
"What…" Amelia's eyes quivered as her hold around Rachel's wrist loosened as the realization struck her like a bolt of lightning while Rachel stormed away with a heavy expression.
Now it made sense…All this time, Rachel knew but pretended to remain oblivious to it since she needed Victor.
She couldn't believe her best friend would choose to compromise her morals just to kill a demon.
Amelia's eyes glistened as she wondered if the Rachel she knew was gone.
But she still didn't want to abandon Rachel, and with gritted teeth, Amelia ran after Rachel to help her.
However, their path wasn't free; the ominous shadows of four Draconians loomed before them.
These menacing demons, with their intimidating build and wings, were daunting adversaries.
Hellbringer's group too found themselves cornered, and thus, the scene was set for an explosive clash. However, their eyes were glowing with a renewed sense of hope and confidence.
The battlefield, with its dimming light and rumbling skies, seemed to echo the tension of the three groups.
A collective breath was held before they collided with each other in a chaotic swirl of blades, magic, and raw power.
Away from this tumultuous ground zero, Agonon was soaring through the air, propelled by his intense desire to destroy Asher and reclaim the Deviar. He regretted not finishing him off quickly earlier, though he wasn't worried about taking it back.
As he neared Asher, his anticipation turned into surprise. The fearsome, blazing skeletal figure he expected was gone, replaced by Asher's original form.
"Becoming complacent, are we?" Agonon sneered coldly and added, "You're still too weak to challenge me," Confidence dripped from his voice as his fist ignited with pitch-black flames, aiming a devastating blow straight for Asher's face.
A peak Soul Purger was still nothing compared to him.
Agonon knew his skeleton form was the only thing that could have given him an edge. But reverting back to his original form? He was courting death.
But Asher, unperturbed, smirked coldly, "Is that so?" In a blink, Asher's hand snapped up, catching Agonon's fiery fist in his grasp, creating a thunderous shockwave that rippled out from the collision.
The sheer force behind the blow was evident, but Asher's grip was unwavering, firm as if carved out of stone.
Agonon's eyes widened and quivered in shock, the momentum of his attack completely halted.
It felt as if he had just tried to punch through an impenetrable barrier and felt Asher's mocking gaze on him.
"I told you…You will never become the strongest…" Asher said as his deep yellow eyes shone with a cold light.
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