The Damned Demon
chapter-608

Rebecca scoffed at his argument, confidently retorting, "Then you don't know their history well. You think all the mindslayers are born with weak physical prowess? No. Very long ago, before the birth of our kingdom, few among them were some of the strongest ones in our world. These few were adept in not just mindforce but harnessed the speed of lightning, thus making them known as the 'Unseen'. Nobody can see them coming unless they want you to. But only a very few possessed this power. Not even the Moonbinder Clan at that time would carelessly offend their kind. But then some kind of infighting broke out between the Unseen. They began to grow weaker as their numbers rapidly dwindled due to a war breaking out between them, and all of them just ended up killing each other."

Asher raised his brows, evidently surprised, not expecting such a deep history behind the mindslayers or a branch race among them known as the Unseen, while Rebecca added, "Once they were all dead and only the mindslayers were left, the war stopped, and they secluded themselves as if to prevent getting annihilated by their enemies or those who didn't want their race to rise again. It seemed like the mindslayers believed that such infighting was caused due to unchecked powers among them. So they made a collective decision to cull anyone who had the potential to become an Unseen. They felt it was easier to keep a check on each other if they had similar powers."

"How cruel can they be...They killed their own children that were born with the abilities they didn't want?" Rachel mumbled with a disgusted look while Amelia nodded in agreement.

Rebecca rolled her eyes while Asher asked, "Then it makes less sense about this woman being a mindslayer or an Unseen. Shouldn't she be killed at birth?"

Rebecca lazily shrugged and said, "How do I know? Maybe she was saved at birth before getting killed? It must be someone who saw the potential she had. Such cases aren't really rare. But her kind wouldn't let her go that easily. They are great at manipulating some of the strongest forces in our world to get things done, including tracking and killing those who escape like this."

"For now, let's assume it's an Unseen," Grace said as she got up from her chair and stepped forward, "A speedster demon that also has mindforce powers. What a nightmarish combination. The problem is that she can become a great problem for us," Grace mumbled with a serious look, making Emiko and Yui glance at each other with unsettled looks.

"I don't understand. Only you are supposed to know how to bring demons to this side, and you only have access to these human avatars unless she somehow got or stole one," Rachel said with a grave look.

"Stop spouting nonsense. Nobody can steal one. On top of that, she can't be using one. From this projection or 'veedeo' or whatever it is, it's evident that she has been using mana for a prolonged time. Our avatars aren't built to last that long, let alone be used for combat," Rebecca said in a cutting tone. "Then how can a demon exist in our world without getting killed? The radiant mana in our atmosphere should make them die an excruciating death within seconds or a few minutes at best, no matter how strong," Rachel said with a shake of her head, her expression troubled.

"Master, what do you think? We thought things were going well for us, especially with the governments not giving in to the WHA's plans. But now this…" Amelia softly said, her expression anxious.

Asher's expression hardened as his mind raced, trying to make sense of all this.

He then nodded slowly, before turning his gaze onto Rachel's hesitant form. A lingering silence filled the air as he voiced his suspicions, "Rachel, you said the WHA is building a tech called M.A.M. Do you think it could be used on demons? Or maybe did you see any tech that could be used on demons?"

Rachel blinked in surprise, her brow furrowed as she replied, "I am still under stringent observation. So, I couldn't conduct my own investigation yet. But... are you implying the WHA could be orchestrating this?"

"Who else would we be pointing fingers at?" Asher retorted, his demeanor remaining firm, "No demon in their sane mind would risk exposing themselves like that unless they had an agenda like ours, let alone a peak Soul Devourer. She even stayed around to kill those four Hunters. But the thing is, except me, the rest of demons wouldn't reveal such a capability unless they are planning to take over your world or something along those lines. But if they were planning that, don't you think they would rather release all their forces instead of just sending one? Unless they had people helping from this side."

"That is..." Rachel faltered, her gaze lingering over the harsh agreement in the eyes around. Amelia, Grace, Emiko, and Yui were all looking convinced of Asher's theory.

"Consider one thing," Asher took a step forward, his voice calm yet chilling, "Who stands to gain the most from such tragedy?"

"No. My dad wouldn't...he isn't capable of such evil..." Rachel muttered, her voice trembling as much as her clenched fists.

"He's using your own people like guinea pigs, Rachel, and you find it hard to believe he can go one or few steps further than that?" Asher coldly scoffed and added, "Just watch. This wouldn't be the last."

"No! I can't..." Rachel's voice broke as she walked out immediately, as if she was afraid of hearing anything more.

"Rachel, wait," Amelia sprung up from her seat.

Emiko managed to stifle her with a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "We should let her be," she advised stoically. Yui nodded with a worried look, backing up Emiko's suggestion, "Emiko is right. I believe she needs a minute to herself."

Grace heaved a tired sigh addressing Asher, "You certainly could have been a touch softer with her. That girl considers her dad as her world and you just put a huge crack on it."

In response, a cold smirk played on Rebecca's face, "Cry me a river. If she crumples at the first sign of her father's dirty acts, she's not worthy to serve my Ma-him," Rebecca winced in frustration, unable to believe she almost addressed this fiendish brat in such a…It must be because these lowly humans keep addressing him as 'Master' that it unconsciously affected her.

She must definitely be more careful!

Asher mirrored Rebecca's icy gaze, his resolve unwavering, "My slave has a point. Painful truths need acceptance, not coddling. We're short on time for sugarcoating."

Rebecca's heart skipped a beat, not from anger but from a rare surge of validation as Asher, for once, echoed her thoughts before these lowly human slaves.

"We need to somehow catch this woman before she causes a huge problem for us," Asher declared, his voice slicing through the murkiness of the room with a sharp seriousness.

Grace leaned back against the table, "Easier said than done since we are talking about someone whose kind is literally known as 'Unseen'. Maybe if the Golden Prince was still with us and on our side, we wouldn't have to worry about this much," she mused, stirring a mix of pity and resignation in Emiko and Yui, who exchanged complicated looks. At the same time, Amelia shot a quick glance towards Asher.

Who in the world didn't know about the terrifying power and speed the Golden Prince possessed? She still felt awed whenever she thought about his golden lightning other than the power of his golden light.

Asher's gaze hardened, "It isn't necessary to have a speedster among us to catch her. All we need is to track her and catch her by surprise. Her defense and strength must be her weak aspects since her DEX and INT must be high as an Unseen. Just me and my pet alone can catch her if we get the right opportunity," he stated confidently. Rebecca bristled at the term 'pet,' though her pride simultaneously swelled at his acknowledgment of her capabilities.

But why was she feeling glad that she was considering her as a useful 'slave'? His slave seal must be making her feel all these strange things!

Grace's brows furrowed, a skeptical edge to her tone. "I stand a higher chance of tracking her the more she shows up, but even then, I can't guarantee a precise location or where she rests. For all we know, the WHA could be helping her hide, making my tracking efforts pointless."

"Nevertheless, I want you to do it. We can't afford not to try anything, and it seems she simply walked into the train station. We can at least try to catch her on the way before she strikes again," Asher responded, his voice firm with cold determination.

Grace shook her head slightly, "You're talking about setting a trap, but you're glossing over a few important things, including the fact that you and your pet can't utilize your true combat potential in your human avatars," she pointed out, causing Rebecca to shoot a glare sharp enough to cut through steel at the way this human slave casually addressed her as 'pet'. If not for him, she would have shown her who the true pet was.

"That's right. Other than Aunty Grace, only Rachel, Emiko, Yui, and I can fight. But we four can only support Aunty Grace, who is a cult leader in the eyes of the people. It will be hard for us to catch that demoness within a short time now that the world is on high alert because of her," Amelia chimed in, her voice tinged with worry.

Yui glanced around and timidly raised her hand. Asher noticed and nodded, gesturing to her to talk.

"Should we umm…enlist the help of a powerful Hunter? Someone who will understand our cause?" Yui asked in a low voice, as if she was unsure if she was suggesting a good or bad idea.

Amelia blinked her eyes, looked towards Asher, and asked, "What about Arthur?"

Asher's gaze shifted towards her, his eyes flashing with an immediate dismissal, "No. Of course not. As far as we are concerned, he is Derek's man. We would rather be talking about this in front of Derek." Asher said with a brief scoff, as if he couldn't entertain the idea in the least.

"But Arthur isn't who you think he is-"

"Amelia, you know why we can't," Asher said in a soft yet firm tone, making her let out a low sigh as she nodded. She could understand his feelings but at the same time she felt he was letting those feelings blind him.

But seeing how determined he was being, she knew there was no point in pressing him now.

"It doesn't matter how difficult things seem. Let's work on tracking her first, and then we will deal with her together. We have to," Saying so, Asher walked out of the room.

The tense silence that settled was immediately shattered by Rebecca's sharp, cold voice, "You heard him. Get to work!"

Amelia let out a scoff of disbelief as she saw Rebecca puff up her chest and was about to walk out of the room.

"Where do you think you are going, fellow slave? Bring us something to drink and eat while we work. Will you?" Grace said with a subtle smile, making Rebecca stop in her tracks and gnash her teeth together, "Grr...."