The Damned Demon

A few days ago,

In the well-lit confines of the Culthold of the Coven of the Damned, the led lights flickered across the faces of Asher, Rachel, and Grace. They stood around a table, above which holographic blueprints hovered in the air, detailing the intricate design of a Junction Tower. Grace's eyes sparkled with an intellectual curiosity as she leaned closer, examining the detailed schematics, "How did you manage to bring this when you aren't officially in the project?" she asked, her voice a mixture of admiration and surprise.

Rachel sighed, a shadow of guilt passing over her features, "It was not that difficult because my mom uses a very predictable password to protect her files...my birthday. Since she keeps them in her room, she would never expect any outsider to get in."

Grace gave a brief nod, understanding yet profound, "Looks like she dotes on you a lot," she observed, prompting Rachel to press her lips together tightly, the guilt sharpening in her gut. However, she didn't regret doing this since it was for the greater good.

Asher, who had been silently studying the projection, interjected with a low murmur, his tone thoughtful, "So this is how a Junction Tower is surrounded by the legendary grade barriers?" His fingers traced the air as if he could touch the virtual lines defining the barriers.

Rachel nodded, her expression turning grave, "Yes. And it's not just one but four such barriers layered one above the other, powered by at least thousands of mana shards every minute. They can even absorb a full-powered attack from a peak S Ranker or Soul Devourer without breaking down. They will last for a staggering fifty such attacks, but nobody can even manage a second attack without getting ambushed by the WHA. These towers can't be touched."

"Or so they believe," Asher retorted with a cunning smirk, his confidence unshaken by the formidable defenses laid out before them.

Rachel furrowed her brows, concern etching her features, "What are you talking about? Don't tell me you are going to show up and do something? It's too risky, even for you."

Asher's smirk only widened, an enigmatic glint in his eyes, "Who said I would show up?" he quipped, his tone playful yet laced with intrigue.

It was then that Grace, with a knowing smile, brought out a black suitcase and placed it squarely on the table, "I will be the one showing up with this," she declared, her voice imbued with a mix of mischief and determination.

As Grace carefully flipped the latches and opened the suitcase, the interior revealed a black spherical object, its surface rough like iron. The room dimmed slightly as all eyes focused on the unexpected artifact nestled among protective padding.

Rachel leaned in, her eyes widening in surprise and a trace of apprehension, "What is this?" she asked, pointing at the seemingly harmless iron ball, no larger than a handball.

"A bomb," Asher responded succinctly, his gaze narrowing as he observed the bomb's inert form, "A very powerful demonic bomb combined with the power of corrosive poison that can melt through legendary grade barriers. This thing is powered by almost half a million worth of life crystals. It didn't come cheap at all."

Rachel gasped, stepping back slightly, "A bomb? And powerful enough to destroy legendary grade barriers? No, we can't do this. It might destroy the entire town and make it uninhabitable for at least weeks if the poison is as powerful as you say. Tens of thousands of people will—"

"It is a directional bomb, Rachel," Asher interjected smoothly, a calm assurance in his voice. "And that means it will explode only in a specific direction and within a certain range. It will only take out the tower and nothing else once positioned in the right place."

Rachel, still visibly shocked, murmured, "Demons can build such advanced bombs? I had no idea your kind was capable of doing so..." Rachel felt that she underestimated what the demons were capable of building instead of simply being bloodthirsty creatures.

Asher's lips curled into a half-smirk, "Of course, you are right to think so since we demons don't have much resources, and we are too busy fighting over them to do any proper research. But I know some of the best experts in this field. Since I gave them the right tools and resources, they were able to come up with this even if it burnt a large hole in my pocket," he said, his pride evident as images of Lori and Naida briefly danced through his mind.

"Okay, this sounds good on paper. But you guys didn't tell me the important part of how we are going to sneak this in without getting detected? Everyone who comes close to the Junction Tower will be checked thoroughly," Rachel pointed out, her skepticism surfacing despite the assurances.

Grace responded with a confident smile, the lines around her eyes deepening as she crafted her plan, "Dear, that is why I am here. I will disguise myself as one of the officials managing the site and place this bomb where it needs to be. As a hobby Exorcist, I know a few tricks to use to slip in undetected. And as for this bomb, you must have already noticed how it isn't emitting any demonic aura, and it will stay that way until it is activated."

"But even if no demonic aura is detected, won't the guards feel suspicious when they open this suitcase and find a strange object?" Rachel countered, her brow furrowed with concern.

Grace smiled as she snapped the suitcase shut, her fingers playing deftly over its surface before she opened it again. This time, when the lid lifted, Rachel saw that the interior was filled with ordinary items like books, files, and other benign office essentials.

"How did you do that?" Rachel asked, her eyes wide with astonishment as she peered into the suitcase, her mind racing to comprehend the sudden transformation.

Grace softly chuckled and closed the suitcase again. She then subtly showed Rachel a concealed button on the side of the suitcase, "By simply activating an illusory field by pressing this button as I open it, and now that I deactivate it by pressing it again..." Grace pressed the button once more and opened the suitcase. This time, the bomb was visible again, "...we can see the real contents inside. It tricks our eyes into seeing something harmless. Since this illusory field is only activated after they pass the suitcase through the sensors, nobody will be able to detect it. We can activate it remotely as well."

Rachel's lips parted in awe, "This is...fascinating. Who developed such a powerful array? I assume the array must be built into this suitcase."

Asher, leaning against the table with an amused expression, replied, "I told you...I know a few people with special skills and abilities."

Rachel slowly nodded and understood why Asher wouldn't want to delve into details, though she never expected he had such geniuses working for him, "But I could have done this on my own without having to go through such complicated measures. The security won't be so tough on me if I simply accompany my mother," she said confidently.

Asher shook his head, his expression turning serious, "There are two reasons why I am not letting you do this. First, we can't take any risks of any suspicions falling on you if things go wrong. But Grace here can take the risk because she is officially dead, and she is powerful enough to escape. In the worst case, they will only know that a cult member from our cult did it. But if you get caught...then we will have to start from scratch, and there won't be enough time."

Rachel looked at Grace, a newfound appreciation and concern flickering in her eyes as she realized the magnitude of the risk Grace was willing to undertake to ensure her safety, even if it was for the sake of the plans.

"Then what's the second reason?" Rachel asked, her curiosity piqued, eager to understand the full scope of Asher's strategy.

Asher looked directly into Rachel's anxious eyes as he explained, "The second reason is that you might have to do more dangerous things in the future. So we can't risk letting you get caught or, worse, get suspected by your own father."

Rachel's lips pressed firmly together as she absorbed Asher's words. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she nodded slowly, though the anxiety was palpable in her voice. "Don't worry. I am planning everything in such a way that the worst shouldn't happen if everything goes alright," Asher reassured her, his tone confident yet cautious.

A brief smile flickered across Rachel's face, a momentary relief from her worries. Still, it quickly vanished, replaced by a troubled expression. She glanced at the suitcase, her voice tinged with concern, "My dad will get very pissed if this bomb detonates successfully. Hundreds of millions of mana shards and other precious resources had gone into building these Junction Towers. It would also cause him some setbacks in the completion of Project Guardian and Project Mars. After all, he has a deadline to keep, or the Judge might cancel everything. He didn't try so hard to build so many towers at the same time for nothing."

Asher's smile turned cold, a hard edge creeping into his demeanor, "That is precisely what we want, and this is just the beginning. We are done being defensive, and it's time we took the fight to them."

—

Days later, the news of the destruction of the newly erected Junction Tower in Malaysia spread like wildfire. Rumors quickly circulated among the public that demons were behind the catastrophic event, stoking the flames of panic and fear even further.

Meanwhile, in the WHA Headquarters, Derek stood by the window in his office, the phone in his hand pressed against his ear.

Slowly, with deliberate calmness that belied his inner turmoil, he lowered the phone from his ear and then, with a sudden burst of barely contained rage, crushed it into pieces. His bright blue eye glowed ominously, reflecting a deadly light as he stared out at the city skyline.

Somebody is getting pissed in a long time :#

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