The Damned Demon
chapter-687

The scorching sun hung high above the endless stretch of desert, casting long shadows over the cracked earth.

The air was dry and still, with only the occasional gust of hot wind breaking the silence. In the middle of this barren wasteland, Asher stood tall, his arms crossed over his chest, staring at Arthur with disbelief written all over his face.

"You didn't even learn more than three Talents and Skills?" Asher scoffed, shaking his head, "I'm honestly baffled how you survived long enough to become a peak S Ranker. Did you get juiced up with multiple Radems or something?"

Arthur, standing a few feet away, winced at the harshness of Asher's words. His shoulders slumped as he lowered his head in shame, "I… I don't know. I somehow managed, I suppose," he muttered, rubbing his temple as a sudden pain shot through his head, his memories fuzzy, as if they were buried too deep for him to reach.

Asher narrowed his eyes, watching Arthur closely, but then sighed, waving a hand dismissively, "Forget it. Let's focus on the present. I'm going to teach you the abilities that make an Evangelion feared across the world."

Arthur blinked in surprise, "B-But I don't have my bloodline grimoire with me. My father said I can't use it until he thinks I'm ready," he explained, his voice tinged with frustration.

Asher raised an eyebrow, his expression darkening with curiosity, "He told you that? How strange… your sister—" He paused, catching himself before he said too much, "Never mind."

Arthur's brows furrowed, wondering what Ash knew about his sister, but he didn't press the issue. Not yet, anyway.

Asher continued, his tone sharp, "It doesn't matter. You don't need your grimoire. I'm going to teach you how to engrave specific runes directly onto your mana circuit. These runes will grant you powerful Skills and Talents beyond anything you've ever known. Of course, the one attack Skill you have is very powerful but it won't help you in every situation."

Arthur's eyes widened, "You will teach me without a grimoire? Will it be…safe?" Arthur had never heard of someone teaching how to engrave runes verbally without a grimoire to refer. If things go wrong, one could kill themselves.

"Only if you don't trust the teacher and that's up to you," Asher said with a smirk, but his eyes glinted with a seriousness that made Arthur feel the weight of his words, "But there's one condition—you have to give me your word that you won't tell anyone I'm training you. Not your family, not your girlfriend if you have any, no one. You get me?"

Arthur looked at him, confusion and suspicion clouding his thoughts. Why did Ash want to keep this a secret? Still, he knew better than to question him outright. Nodding sincerely, he replied, "I promise. This stays between us."

Arthur didn't know why but he felt he can take the leap of faith to trust Ash to teach him without letting anything bad happen.

Asher stared at Arthur for a long moment, as if weighing his honesty, but something in him inclined him to believe this guy, "Alright then," he said, his lips curving into a faint grin. "Let's begin."

—

Far away, on the horizon, a black-cloaked figure stood behind a jagged boulder, her sharp, chilling red eyes scanning the area. Her presence was a silent, menacing watchtower, standing guard over the desert where Asher and Arthur trained. She despised being reduced to a watchdog, but orders were orders. Her master had commanded her to remain vigilant, to ensure that no intruder disrupted the delicate work being done.

The figure adjusted her stance, keeping herself hidden behind the rock. Her gaze remained fixed on the area in the distance—until a sudden crackle of dark yellow lightning streaked across the sky, faster than anything she had expected.

"What the—" Her eyes widened as she realized who it was, "That Unseen bitch?" she muttered, her voice low and dangerous. Without hesitation, Rebecca, the black-cloaked figure, surged forward, chasing after the blur of lightning. "Not so fast!" she hissed, her body moving with the precision of a deadly predator.

Meanwhile, Anna, who had been quietly following Arthur from a distance, was perplexed. She had seen him fly towards this desert, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. She'd waited long enough to ensure she wasn't detected, her caution forcing her to take longer to track him down. Just as she was nearing his location, a cold shiver ran down her spine. A sudden, sharp killing intent was coming from behind.

Anna froze, her instincts flaring as she spun around. Her eyes landed on a figure speeding toward her—a woman, cloaked in black, her chilling red eyes gleaming with malice. The air around her crackled with danger, her aura dark and suffocating.

"Trying to sneak somewhere, bitch?" Rebecca snarled, her voice dripping with disdain as she stared down at the Thundering Reaper, who was clad in a sleek, full-body metallic black suit. The two dark yellow glowing eyes of her helmet met Rebecca's chilling red gaze.

Anna frowned as she was surprised to see that the Bloodice Mistress, who was Hellbringer's right-hand woman, somehow showed up before her. Was she following her? That can't be possible.

However, now that this woman showed up before her, Anna knew she had to take her down and bring her to the blue-eyed monster. She can't afford to fail again.

And so Anna slowly clenched her fists, as her dark yellow eyes flickered with battle intent.

A couple minutes before,

Arthur slowly opened his eyes, his breath catching in his throat. A look of astonishment washed over his face as he blinked, his mind struggling to grasp the power now coursing through him. He rose to his feet, still feeling the energy settling into his body, a sensation both alien and exhilarating.

He flexed his fingers, watching as the air around them shimmered faintly with a radiant light. Lightbringer's grace, Ash had called it—a powerful Talent where when the sun was out or in the presence of intense light, his HP and MP regeneration would increase by 15%. His light-based spells also deal 20% more damage during daylight. This could tilt battles in his favor easily when even 1% of HP or MP could decide the outcome of a battle.

It was unlike anything he had ever experienced. And then there was the Lightbringer's Ascension, a deadly Skill that let him temporarily ascend to a form where his body becomes a conduit of pure light magic. In this form, his movement speed would increase by 30%, and all light-based attacks gain a 25% boost in damage and range. Frost fire-based skills were enhanced to deal additional frost burn.

Arthur couldn't help but stare at his hands in awe, feeling the mana flowing effortlessly through him, weaving together in perfect harmony. He had never thought his body could be capable of such powerful abilities.

"You look like you just discovered magic for the first time," Asher said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he watched Arthur's reaction.

Arthur blinked and turned toward Asher, his expression still filled with wonder, "I can't believe it… This power…" His voice trailed off, at a loss for words.

Asher shrugged, trying to play it off casually, but there was a glint of satisfaction in his eyes, "Don't get too excited. This is only the beginning. You're going to need a lot more than that if you want to survive what's coming." Asher said as a grim light flashed past his eyes.

Arthur's gaze softened, a wave of gratitude swelling in his chest. He walked over to Ash, his voice quiet but sincere, "Thank you, Advisor Ash… I mean it. You didn't have to do this, but you did. I don't know how to repay you."

Arthur was astonished and mindblown that Ash was so skilled and knowledgeable despite being young. Not even most of the seniors he knew would be capable of anything like this.

Asher chuckled. He wasn't used to this kind of sentiment from him, and it made him feel strangely exposed, "Don't get all sappy on me. I just don't want to see you die because you didn't know what you were doing."

But Arthur's smile only deepened, and for a moment, Asher felt a warmth he hadn't expected. Seeing the look on Arthur's face—pure, genuine gratitude—stirred something inside him. He had been teaching him because of what Rachel said and out of pity, but now it felt… different. Like he was doing something that mattered. Why was he feeling like this when he should be worried if whatever he taught him might come back to bite him again?

"I wish I had met you earlier. Then maybe now, I could have been a better Hunter than I am now," Arthur said with a wry smile.

Asher cleared his throat, waving him off, "Don't think too much about it. There is always something new to learn and I am here now."

The moment of warmth hung in the air, almost unfamiliar to both of them. But before either could say more, Arthur's smile faded. His brow furrowed as he looked off into the distance, his senses suddenly alert.

"Something's happening far away," Arthur mumbled, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the horizon, "May I go and take a look?"

Asher's own expression darkened, sensing the shift in the atmosphere as well. He gave Arthur a brief nod as he wondered if Rebecca was fighting any intruder. With a quick nod, Arthur shot into the sky, his body enveloped in a shimmering white light. Asher watched him disappear into the horizon, a frown tugging at his lips.

Whatever the case might be, he quickly decided to give an order to Rebecca to back away and let Arthur handle whoever the intruder was