The condition of the coven restricted Abel from unleashing his powers. The chains tied around him to immobilize his movements were just added heaviness. For a normal person, those chains could completely stop someone's movements.
In other words, despite the restraints and the conditions of the coven, Abel was still stronger than an average pureblooded vampire to be able to move around. Still, he had always trusted his gut instincts that tonight's coven would be different.
The coven wouldn't just kill him or attempt to force him into an eternal slumber. The night council had gotten a hold of a divine weapon; a weapon that could highly kill him. Hence, Abel had to find a way to survive since he couldn't die — not now that he found someone whom he wanted to cherish for as long as he could.
That was when Abel found a loophole while watching Sunny eat.
Abel couldn't unleash any of his powers, but there was nowhere it says he couldn't receive any from the outside. Hence, he allowed Sunny to absorb his powers and sent her to the Vandran Residence. That explained his sudden weakness.
Even though that little girl was even more cunning than she looked, Abel could let her sneakiness pass, since his plans worked anyway. Even so, Abel wasn't generous enough to share this information for Sunny's safety, leaving everyone present in the great hall puzzled.
Abel kept his eye contact with Conan. The latter was restrained, a condition of the coven since Conan tried to help him. But this great hall had restrained all powerful vampires; Conan was one of them. The more powerful a vampire unleashed their powers, the stronger the spell was.
"I want to feel bad…" Abel crooned, his eyelids drooping, gaze fixed on Conan. "... however, I can't, my dearest Conan."
"Mhm!!!!" Abel snapped his brows. His gaze veered to Firion, who was still within his grip. He nearly forgot about this person.
"Viscardi, I had always admired your tenacity." He tilted his head to the side, fluttering his eyelashes ever so tenderly. The side of his lips curled up, smirking diabolically.
"Ughh!!"
"However, I do not appreciate how you bullied my dearest vassal," Abel continued, ignoring the shriek from Firion as Abel's grip tightened. His expression turned somber, watching blood ooze from the gaps in his fingers while crushing Firion's head with his bare hand. "The only person who can bully my people… is me."
Abel's jaw tightened, listening to the cracking sound of bones as he crushed Firion's skull slowly and leisurely.
CRUSHED!
The man's agony lasted for at least a minute before his eyes popped out of their sockets. His broken skull slowly pierced through his scalp. His head was akin to a tomato being squeezed until all of his juices leaked out.
The only time Firion escaped Abel's grip was when the latter locked his hand, a few bones and flesh left in his grip. Firion's body landed on the floor with a loud thump. The thud of Firion's body echoed like thunder in everyone's ears. Their eyes were on the man, watching more blood leak from his severed neck.
Abel gazed at the body near his feet, showing zero traces of remorse or satisfaction.
"How many decades had you live?" he muttered with genuine wonder in his voice. "And how long had you been serving me, Abel Grimsbanne, the man who sustained your life? Probably over three… five centuries."
He then slowly raised his eyes, scanning the faces of the night council present. "It was baffling that no matter how long it had been, you never learned." Abel opened his hand, letting the flesh that was left in his grip join its owner on the floor.
"I don't remember going back on my word… ever." His lips curled up in amusement. "There are only two people who can change my mind and persuade me to take back my orders."
Abel's eyes fell on Conan. "One is him, and you all know the other person. And your biggest mistake is getting your hands on them."
"Your Majesty!" Suddenly, a man (a member of the night council), yelled. Abel's brows rose, moving his gaze to where the source of the voice came from.
There, on his left, was a man on his knees. But Abel's lazy expression remained the same.
"We are simply following the coven's tradition!" explained the man in panic. "The night council had only one wish, and that was to fulfill your lifelong wish! Firion had overstepped, but it was all his plans."
"Are you saying you had no involvement in it?"
"Apparently, we had no other choice!" said the man in a hurry. "Viscardi had gotten a hold of a divine weapon, and he threatened us to slay all of us if we stopped him. We also thought since the coven's purpose was…"
The man trailed off, clutching his fist against the floor. "I don't think we are at fault here."
"I thought you wouldn't stop your rumblings," Abel smirked, letting out a low chuckle. "Of course. The coven is the night everyone will get pardoned for attempting to kill me. I had let you all do whatever you pleased for years."
His smirk then disappeared, replaced with nothing but coldness. "But this… will end tonight." Abel raised his hand, which was soaked with his own blood. He kept his mouth in a tight slash as the red mist slowly ascended and enveloped the great hall.
The red mist then slowly formed like sharp needles floating in the air. Everyone in the great hall, including Aries's held their breaths. Her mouth had fallen open, noticing something coming out of Abel's head.
Her breath then hitched as horns emerged from his head. But what she had noticed was that his other horn was cut, the other one was perfectly fine with a very sharp tip.
A devil. A real one.
A voice whispered in her head, clutching her chest tightly. She couldn't look away from him, and when he cocked his head back, gazing to his side, Aries caught the horrifying bright red pupils with inked black sclera. Abel's fangs were longer while the veins underneath his face turned dark.
For a moment, she was scared for her own life. She had seen his wings and allowed his fangs to sink deep into her veins. But right now, she couldn't see Abel. The man out there was a monster… about to massacre everyone, and she believed that includes her.
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