The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-542

Madeline tried to fight back, but the demon as he had said earlier, was a level one demon and his strength was enormous. She felt her head turn dizzy and spin because of the collision, while feeling something wet and warm drip down from the side of her head.

"I have planned it for years, but the only thing I didn't expect was the Devil having a grandchild, less a child," Darian sneered at that thought, "That is enough to tell how unfit he is to rule Hell. Let me cut your heart now," he said, raising his hand and readying to push it through her chest.

Before Darian could push his hand through Madeline's chest to grab her heart, an icicle made its way through his palm that ripped his hand. The demon groaned in pain, and Madeline quickly brought another icicle in her hand before pushing it through his chest where his heart was.

When she tried to fly away from the place using her wings, she couldn't do it. No matter how much her wings flapped in speed, she was unable to lift herself from the ground. She heard the laughter of the demon that echoed in the forest.

"When are the people from the living world ever going to learn and listen to what is told to them?" asked Darian with a tired sigh. He placed his hand on the icicle that Madeline had pushed into his chest a few seconds ago. "I don't have a heart for you to kill me. I thought you would know at least that much. Your wings won't work here. None of that angelic trash abilities. I have cleaned this part of the land."

"Yet, I see dirt," muttered Madeline under her breath. Darian's eyes narrowed at her words while a smile came to settle on his lips.

"You were such a good girl, Madeline. Just like your mother, sweet and innocent. What happened to you? You happen to be speaking a lot when you should know that it will only make me want not just to rip your heart but also your head off the body," stated Darian.

Madeline glared at Darian, "It must be my husband's influence."

"I guessed."

Madeline didn't make use of close-range when it came to attacking the demon, instead she turned the nearby snow into icicles that flew at Darian, allowing the space increase between them.

It had been quite some time since they left the High House's quarters, and Calhoun by now might have known she was missing, thought Madeline to herself. It was only a matter of time Calhoun would be here. But at the same time, if Darian had placed a spell here so that no one would interrupt them, Madeline understood that she would have to deal with him all by herself and kill him.

While Madeline was thinking about it, Darian, who was far away, appeared right behind her. Before he could grab her, Madeline had created a thick wall of ice, stopping him for a moment and allowing her to escape from him.

In the High House quarters, Calhoun realized Darian had abducted Madeline, and he gritted his teeth in anger. He should have known that the demon was waiting for an opportunity to take Madeline away from him. Closing his eyes, he tried to locate her, but she was nowhere in the town. Picking her scent that was faintly in the air, his wings quickly sprouted from his back.

He didn't bother to find an open space to leave. Instead, he used the window where Madeline had been standing next to.

When a loud crash was heard outside the meeting room, Helena, who was inside the room frowned. She stepped outside and saw the broken window and glass pieces on the ground.

"What happened here?" Helena demanded the young man who stood with his eyes wide.

"M-Milady, King Calhoun has wings!" replied the young man and Helena's eyes narrowed.

"Seriously. Calhoun could have used the door instead of breaking the glass," she walked towards the window, seeing the King was nowhere in the sky and had disappeared from there. With a loud sigh, she turned back to look at the young man, "Get this cleaned right this instant!" and she walked back inside the room.

Back in the isolated forest, Madeline didn't know how long she would be able to keep herself away from the demon. He had unexplainable abilities that were hard to keep up with.

"Are you going to sacrifice and make use of me like the other demons?" asked Madeline, trying to drag the time between them.

But Darian saw through Madeline's plan, and he didn't indulge himself in the small talk. His face started to morph itself back to Calhoun's face, turning Madeline uncomfortable.

Within a moment, Darian caught hold of Madeline's neck, and he pushed her down on the snow ground.

"I will make the sacrifice quick, and you don't have to feel sad. I am sure you will find more peace by being killed by a person who looks the same as your husband," chuckled Darian. Madeline tried to get up, but Darian's hands held her in an iron grip, and she couldn't move her hands or legs. "Since the very beginning, everything has been planned, and I have been waiting for you."

"You are digging your own grave," Madeline said with difficulty. He readied his hand for the second time, and his hand transformed into a sharp blade-like knife.

Looking down at Madeline, Darian smiled, "Even if not today, we were fated to meet each other in the future so that I can kill you, Madeline. After all, you are Marina and that bastard angel's daughter."

The icicles that appeared behind Darian disintegrated to dust as if the demon's power was multiplying. Madeline tried racing her mind on what to do. She was not just an angel but also a demon! If Darian had nullified her angelic powers, her demon ability was still working that came from her mother.

Darian didn't wait, and he pushed his hand into her chest, and Madeline screamed in agony feeling her flesh being torn, and it started to bleed as the sharp blade of hand went deeper into her chest

Note: A new chapter has been released in the book 'Valerian Empire'