The Damned Demon - Chapter 787

Chapter 787: A Curse To This World
A volcanic wasteland stretched endlessly, its surface cracked and seething with molten veins that glowed like the embers of a dying world.

Lysandra stumbled forward, her body battered, her spirit even more so.

The air was thick with dark mana, the heat scorching enough to melt most beings, but to her, it merely made her even more exhausted.

It was her heart that burned the most, the pain of her shattered soul far more unbearable than the hellish landscape around her.

She reached the edge of a jagged, crumbling cliff, staring down into the raging crimson magma below, which could melt even peak Soul Devourers completely within a few minutes.

The molten rock churned and bubbled, devouring anything that dared to fall into its depths.

Lysandra took a deep breath, her eyes dull and lifeless as she slowly lowered herself to her knees.

Her trembling hands curled into fists, her nails digging into her palms as she whispered, “Son… forgive me… I never deserved to be your mother…”

She had failed him.

She had failed everyone she loved.

She felt worthless for watching them all die before her while she outlived them.

But what hurt her the most was accepting the cruel truth that she did love someone who killed Agonon. It was a truth she knew deep down in her heart but didn’t want to face.

But that didn’t change the fact that what she did was an act that might not let her son’s soul rest in peace. It wasn’t Asher she wanted to blame but herself for letting it happen.

If only she wasn’t so weak…then she could have spared herself from facing this.

This pain was too much to endure anymore…All she wanted now was to free herself from it, even if she didn’t deserve to.

The thought alone brought an odd, hollow sense of peace. If she could just—

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, a violent beam of dark red mana struck from above.

A blinding explosion followed as the impact sent her crashing into the ground, a crater forming beneath her from the sheer force.

Blood trickled from the corner of her lips.

She could have sensed it coming, but her mind was no longer present.

Her vision blurred as she weakly looked up, and through the shimmering heatwaves of the volcanic air, three figures descended from the sky.

Two of them were Dragonblood Knights, their winged silhouettes towering like executioners.

Between them, however, stood a burly young man, his black leathery wings stretching wide, his sharp features twisted into a malevolent grin.

Rhygar.

He landed on the scorched cliffside, the impact of his boots sending cracks through the brittle ground beneath him.

His dark red eyes gleamed with amusement as he mockingly shook his head, his expression taunting as he stepped forward.

“Mother,” he drawled, his voice dripping with mock sympathy, “were you about to jump? How tragic… Were you really so scared of facing the consequences of your actions? We can’t allow you to take the easy way out.”

Lysandra’s gaze barely wavered, though her chest rose and fell raggedly as she struggled to even move her limbs.

Her mind was too tired to feel anything.

Rhygar let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he spread his arms, “You must be wondering how I found you so easily after you made so many of our men run around in circles. But you should already know…” His eyes darkened, his smile twisting into something vile, “I’ve always been proficient at tracking down a slut like you, especially whenever you left our kingdom to fuck that alien dog!”

His voice seethed with venom, his hatred palpable just by remembering what he saw that day.

Lysandra simply stared up at him, her expression devoid of emotion.

Rhygar took a slow, deliberate breath, composing himself before grinning again, “Fortunately, I asked my father’s permission to bring along two of our best knights to hunt you down.”

He stepped closer, towering over her collapsed form, his shadow stretching long in the fire-lit terrain.

“And…” He reached down, fingers brushing against her jaw before gripping it cruelly, forcing her to look up at him.

“Even give you a taste of my punishment before I drag you back home.”

Lysandra’s eyes remained cold, her voice flat and cutting as she finally spoke.

“You are such a pathetic child.”

Rhygar’s smirk faltered.

She continued, her tone sharp like a blade carving into his ego, “I could never give birth to an abomination like you. Your real mother was a maid who was paid to give birth to you but died doing so.”

A brief, agonizing silence followed.

Rhygar’s eyes shook. His jaw clenched, his entire body tensing as if the very ground beneath him had just collapsed.

Lysandra stared at him without remorse, her next words sinking deeper into his pride like poisoned daggers, “Even if she were alive, she wouldn’t love someone like you. Your mere existence is a curse to this world and a stain on our draconian bloodline.”

Something inside him snapped.

With a furious snarl, he lunged forward, his hand wrapping tightly around her throat, pushing her body even further into the ground by an inch.

“You BITCH!” he roared, his face contorted in fury.

His grip tightened, his claws digging into her skin as he trembled with unbridled rage.

He had spent years seeking her approval, twisting himself into what he thought she wanted.

And now—she had shattered the lie he had desperately clung to.

But then—his rage twisted into something else.

Something even more sickening.

A slow, wicked smile crept onto his lips as his gaze roamed over her, lingering on her worn yet beautiful form.

The sweat and dirt clinging to her flawless skin and curves only made her look even more alluring.

“Fine.” His voice was sickly sweet, his eyes gleaming with dark pleasure.

“If that’s true, then I won’t feel guilty about what comes next. I was hesitating a bit earlier about my idea of punishing you but…”

He leaned in, his breath hot against her ear, his voice turning into a low whisper.

“You were always just another slut, weren’t you? That means I can treat you like one without any second thoughts, heh. ”

Lysandra’s grip tightened around the dagger hidden behind her. Even if she were to die, she wanted to at least take down the evil spawn of that man along with her.

In a swift motion, she thrust it forward, aiming straight for his neck.

But before the blade could pierce his skin, a harsh stomp came down on her wrist, fracturing her forearm.

“Unh!” A sharp, silent cry of pain escaped her lips as she gritted her teeth.

One of the Dragonblood Knights standing to Rhygar’s left stared down at her.

Rhygar let out a mocking laugh, shaking his head, “Oh, you crafty bitch… I knew you’d do that.”

He stepped back, stretching his arms lazily, “That’s why I asked Father to lend me two of his best guards. We can’t have you struggling too much, can we?”

He lifted his hand, fingers curling toward the neckline of her dress, a vile hunger in his gaze.

Lysandra closed her eyes, her breath shallow and resigned.

Then—

A whirring sound cut through the thick air.

A ring blade.

Rhygar barely had a second to react before a dark ring blade—blazing with eerie dark green flames—shot toward him.

The sheer force of it sent violent gusts tearing through the air, kicking up ash and embers.

“Wha—?!”

The Dragonblood Knight standing to Rhygar’s left reacted instinctively, his reflexes sharpened to the extreme. With a sharp, practiced motion, he swung his sword, intercepting the blazing ring blade just before it could reach Rhygar.

A thunderous clash echoed through the volcanic wasteland as sparks and embers exploded from the impact, the force of the deflection sending the fiery weapon spinning backward.

Rhygar had already leapt back, his heart pounding against his ribs, feeling as though he had just grazed the hand of death itself.

His chest heaved as he stared at the swirling smoke ahead, and then—

A tall figure emerged, his lean yet powerful and broad frame stepping through the thick haze, his dark yellow eyes glowing through the air like piercing lanterns.

The ring blade, still wreathed in dark green flames, returned to his outstretched hand with an ominous whirl, the hellish energy flickering across its deadly edge.

Lysandra felt his presence, her breath catching in her throat. Her heart twisted, but she did not know whether it was in relief, sorrow, or something else entirely.

“…You.”

Rhygar’s voice was low, disbelieving, his body still tense from the near miss. But then, as the shock faded, a sneer curled on his lips.

“So you were hiding with this slut while your kingdom was getting destroyed?” He chuckled darkly, his eyes filled with cruel amusement, “How unsurprising. But good, good. Now I get to deal with you two at the—”

Rhygar’s words died in his throat.

Because Asher was already sprinting toward him.

“Cut him down, quick!” Rhygar barked, his momentary confidence shattering as he instinctively stepped back.

The two Dragonblood Knights immediately reacted, positioning themselves to intercept. Their swords shimmered, infused with the raw power of draconian blood, ready to strike down the alien before he could reach their prince.

But then—

Asher suddenly shifted his trajectory.

Instead of attacking Rhygar, he veered towards one of the knights, his speed so blindingly fast that the warrior barely had time to react.

And yet, a brutal thrust—the knight’s sword plunged straight through Asher’s stomach, piercing clean through until the bloodied tip jutted out from his back.

“Haha, you fool!” Rhygar laughed, his face twisted in triumph.

Lysandra’s eyes trembled, her breath hitching.

Asher staggered, blood gushing from his wound, but—

He didn’t stop.

Instead, he gritted his teeth against the pain, his hands clamping down like a vice onto the knight’s arms.

And then—

With an explosive leap, Asher dragged the knight off the cliff with him.

“NO!” The knight barely had time to scream before they both plunged into the molten abyss below.

Rhygar’s eyes widened in horror, his feet sliding forward as he instinctively stepped to the edge, peering down.

Below them, the river of crimson lava churned violently, consuming everything in its path.

The knight vanished instantly, his body swallowed along with Asher’s, his agonized scream cut short.

For a long moment, silence stretched across the volcanic wasteland.

The only sound was the bubbling magma, its heat distorting the air in shimmering waves.

Rhygar’s lips slowly curled into a relieved grin.

“Hahaha…!” He let out a breathless laugh, shaking his head in disbelief, “He really went mad after losing his kingdom, did he?”

The tension in his chest eased, his confidence returning in full force.

“Not even a dragon can survive that. There’s no coming back from that..”

But then—

His smile faltered.

A creeping unease slithered into his chest as he recalled Asher’s Hellbringer Form—his immortal skeleton, his damned flames that refused to die.

A bead of cold sweat rolled down the side of his face.

He turned toward the remaining knight beside him, his voice tight, “He should be dead… right?” There must be a limit to how much damage he can take!

The knight lowered his head, hesitation flickering in his eye, making Rhygar feel his nerves get unsettled even more as he shouted at him, “Why the fuck are you not saying anything??”

And then—

The lava shifted.

The crimson river of molten rock began to churn, bubbling violently, the liquid heat distorting in unnatural ripples.

A shadow rose from the depths.

A skeletal figure cloaked in black.

Its entire frame was wreathed in molten fire, the lava clinging to its bones like searing flesh.

But then—

The crimson glow was devoured by an eerie, dark green blaze, consuming the molten heat like a living curse.

Rhygar’s breath hitched.

Because now—

Asher stood upon the scorched ground once more, his entire form nothing but a blazing charred diamond-like skeleton, his dark green flames writhing around him like the fires of the damned.

His empty sockets burned, the eerie glow within them piercing through the thick air as he slowly lifted his head—

And stared directly at Rhygar who felt his blood turn cold for he felt that the harbinger of death was staring at him.