The Damned Demon

Anna struggled against the metal restraints, desperation flashing across her face as she urgently pleaded, “No, Cila! You and everyone need to leave without me! He’s going to be back any second—”

Cila pressed Anna down firmly, her metallic hands gentle yet resolute. “Just relax, Anna. Did you think we’d risk coming here without a plan?” she whispered, her eyes fiercely determined.

“There are humans—good humans—who are secretly helping us. They’ve given us this chance. Now, we must trust them and each other. You’re our strongest weapon, and we need you now more than ever.”

Anna opened her mouth to protest again, anxiety gripping her heart tightly. Was it Arthur’s people? There were still others?

Yet she didn’t feel they would be enough to overwhelm the sheer strength of the enemy forces.

But the conviction blazing in Cila’s gaze left her speechless. There was nothing she could say to dissuade her sister from this dangerous gamble.

With a decisive nod, Cila swiftly grabbed a transparent digital tablet from the nearby table. Connecting it carefully to the M.A.M device embedded within Anna’s body, her metallic fingers danced across the screen with practiced precision.

“This won’t be easy, Anna,” Cila warned softly, her voice steady despite the underlying urgency. “I’m overriding their control to ensure the monsters can’t remotely shut you down again. But overriding the access level will be painful—you might feel intense pain and seizures during the process.”

Anna took a deep, determined breath, her jaw tightening resolutely. She nodded once, firmly meeting Cila’s gaze. “Then do it fast, Cila. I don’t care how painful it is. We can’t afford to waste time.”

Cila nodded seriously, eyes narrowed with intense focus as she initiated the override.

“Urghhh!” Anna immediately clenched her teeth tightly, feeling sudden jolts of electric agony coursing sharply through her veins. Her body arched involuntarily, trembling violently as she fought to suppress her screams, determined to endure the searing pain silently.

Meanwhile, the other young demons anxiously stood guard, eyes fixed intensely upon the door, hearts pounding rapidly, determined to defend their friends from any returning threat.

—-

In another part of the Infinity Tower, within a cold and bleak confinement enclosure, Grace sat quietly on the steel floor, looking worn and fragile. Amelia’s anxious gaze lingered worriedly on Grace’s aged features, voice shaking softly with concern.

“Grace, you desperately need another dose of Eternum,” Amelia urged anxiously, her pale fingers nervously twisting together. “You won’t last much longer without it.”

Yui nodded gravely beside Amelia, her gentle expression troubled. “But first we have to escape this enclosure. We still don’t know what’s happening outside or if Master’s plan is still on track. What if Derek’s already won?”

Grace sighed softly, slowly pushing herself upright despite her weakness. Her tired eyes still sparkled faintly with determination. “Both of you worry too much,” she murmured calmly, a reassuring smile briefly illuminating her weathered face. “We’re still alive. And that alone means Derek hasn’t won yet. It means our Master is still causing Derek plenty of trouble. Trust me, he won’t fail us.”

*WEE-WOOO!*

A sudden, piercing alarm shattered the tense silence. Red emergency lights flashed wildly across their startled faces. Moments later, the heavy doors of their enclosure slid open abruptly, the echo reverberating sharply through the sterile corridors.

“What the—who opened this?” Amelia gasped sharply, stepping cautiously toward the doorway, watching as other prisoners, equally stunned and wary, stepped hesitantly from their cells.

Grace smiled broadly, her aged features alight with renewed hope. “I told you,” she declared triumphantly, her voice strong despite her frailty. “He wouldn’t fail us.”

She quickly stepped forward with determination, beckoning urgently to Amelia and Yui. “Come on, out now. We need to make as much chaos as possible after I get my hands on one dose of Eternum.”

Amelia and Yui exchanged a quick, resolved glance before following Grace swiftly into the corridor, their expressions resolute, spirits lifted by their sudden and unexpected freedom.

—

Meanwhile, deep within the Infinity Tower, hidden far beneath its towering surface, an underground chamber lay buried in shadows. Within the darkened glass enclosure, three women sat silently.

Aira, old and frail, hunched weakly upon the cold floor, eyes foggy yet clear. Facing her sat Rachel and Cecilia, their blue eyes dulled by despair, their silky hair disheveled from stress and captivity.

Rachel shivered softly, her voice thin and uncertain as she whispered, “What do we even believe now? Angels, devils… it feels like our entire lives have been nothing more than a twisted joke.”

Cecilia reached gently for Rachel’s trembling hand, her usually composed features strained by worry and exhaustion. “I don’t know anymore either, dear. But perhaps knowing is better than living a lie…even if we might forget everything again.”

“It’s almost time…” Aira’s frail, rasping voice broke suddenly through their tense silence, causing Rachel and Cecilia to jolt anxiously upright.

“Time?” Rachel murmured, voice trembling slightly, uncertainty and dread weighing heavily upon her heart. “You mean…?”

A sudden click startled them, the chamber’s heavy door sliding open slowly with an eerie hiss. Rachel and Cecilia stood swiftly, hearts racing anxiously, anticipating Derek’s sinister arrival.

But instead, an elderly man stepped calmly through the doorway, his posture straight and dignified despite his age.

It was the Judge! How and what was he doing here??

Hiroko regarded them with calm, penetrating eyes, his presence immediately filling the oppressive darkness with an aura of quiet authority and reassuring strength.

“Judge…?” Cecilia whispered incredulously, relief and confusion evident in her voice. “What are you—”

“It’s time we finish this once and for all,” Hiroko interrupted gently yet firmly, his aged voice strong and resolute. “The final act is upon us. We can’t afford hesitation any longer.”

Back in the sterile confines of the lab, Cila’s metallic fingers moved with feverish urgency across the transparent tablet, her eyes wide and anxious, her heart pounding desperately within her chest. Sweat trickled down her brow, mingling with fear and frantic determination as she quickly glanced at Anna.

Anna’s face burned a fierce, unnatural red, sweat soaking her pale skin, breaths labored, shallow, trembling as agony twisted across her delicate features.

“I’m almost there, Anna,” Cila said, voice tight with desperation and urgency, fingers trembling slightly as she rapidly tapped the commands. “But I’ll have to reboot the M.A.M device—it means you’ll temporarily lose consciousness. Just sit—”

Her words shattered abruptly as the lab doors exploded inward violently, shards of metal slicing cruelly through the air. Several young demons guarding the doorway screamed briefly before collapsing lifelessly to the floor, blood pooling beneath their broken bodies.

Anna gasped sharply, horror and rage flooding her eyes, but before she could even speak, Cila’s fingers quickly finalized the reboot command. Anna’s eyes fluttered closed instantly, body slumping limply as she fell unconscious. The progress bar on the tablet began its slow, agonizing climb from zero percent, creeping upwards painstakingly.

Stepping arrogantly into the ruined lab, a wicked smile twisted Lenny’s thin lips cruelly, his walking stick clicking rhythmically against the bloodstained tiles. Several armed guards flanked him, their rifles raised coldly, expressions devoid of mercy.

“Heh, look at you little demon fuckers,” Lenny sneered disdainfully, his sharp eyes glittering maliciously as he surveyed the young demons standing terrified yet defiant before him, holding crude tools and weapons shakily in their trembling grips. “The Judge certainly did a number on this tower while Derek’s away. But to think he actually believed you pathetic bitches could be of any use—now that’s truly laughable. What was he thinking, huh? I expected more from that old bastard. I guess his head ain’t that good anymore.”

The young demons exchanged quick, anxious glances, fear evident in their wide eyes. But they stood bravely, clutching makeshift weapons, determined to protect their friends despite the terror gripping their hearts.

Cila swiftly glanced toward her friends, desperation blazing fiercely in her eyes. Without speaking, she silently conveyed their grim task—they had to buy Anna enough time, whatever the cost.

“Quickly, now!” Cila commanded urgently, voice strong despite the tremor betraying her fear. “Everyone, form the barrier!”

The young demons nodded sharply, quickly aligning themselves, channeling their combined mana into a powerful demonic array which Cila had entrusted them with beforehand.

Dark energy surged violently, swirling into an impressive yet fragile defensive barrier, shimmering faintly between them and Lenny’s approaching forces.

Lenny’s smile twisted into cruel amusement, eyebrows raised mockingly. “How cute,” he chuckled darkly, voice dripping contempt. “You little rats seriously want to delay your deaths that badly, huh? Fine by me—old Lenny here won’t let you die that quickly.”

Turning casually, he ordered coldly, “Any one of you, just bring that pathetic excuse for a shield down.”

One of the guards immediately opened fire, rifle blasts colliding harshly against the barrier. They didn’t feel the need to even waste energy to use their full firepower and Lenny didn’t mind watching them tremble in fear a bit longer.

And still, each impact sent violent tremors through the young demons’ frail bodies, forcing them to grit their teeth, pouring every ounce of strength and mana desperately into maintaining their fragile protection.

The barrier trembled and cracked ominously, spiderweb fractures spreading rapidly with every relentless strike. Cila’s heart clenched painfully as she glanced anxiously at the tablet—the progress bar inching painfully slowly, hovering barely above forty-five percent.

Fear surged within her, yet she swiftly grasped Anna’s limp, pale hand tightly in her metallic fingers, eyes blazing fiercely, determinedly. Her voice trembled softly, carrying fierce resolve amidst despair, whispered urgently to her unconscious friend:

“Anna… don’t worry… this time, we’ll be the ones to protect you.”

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