The Damned Demon

"Yui told me that the Thundering Reaper injected something into her arm after knocking you all down, and her aura immediately regained its intensity," Rachel explained, seeing the confused looks around her, "She couldn't have recovered the mana she lost so easily unless she has the M.A.M tech installed in her."

Asher, his expression filled with seriousness and a trace of disbelief, furrowed his brows, "But isn't that tech supposed to help Hunters and not demons?"

Rachel slowly shook her head, her voice steady despite the gravity of the information she shared, "I am not sure, but there is a chance they could have modified the tech to let demons like her use it as well. It is the only reason that could make sense."

Grace interjected with a serious tone, "This is bad news if it's true. Such powerful tech in the hands of someone like her just makes her even more of a nightmare to deal with."

Amelia, looking for a silver lining, turned to Rachel with a hopeful expression, "There must be some side effects to such an invasive and dangerous procedure being carried out on one's body. It's been almost four months since you have been involved in your dad's projects. You must have found something, right?"

Rachel nodded slowly, her eyes reflecting the weight of her findings, "Lenny has started opening up to me, and I was planning to tell you guys after getting some concrete evidence. But from what he told me, the M.A.M tech shortens one's lifespan gradually. The more you exert yourself, the faster the process will be. There could be more side effects, but this is what I know for now."

Rebecca scoffed at this revelation, her voice tinged with cynicism, "I knew it. It sounded too good to have no faults. So that Unseen bitch wouldn't live too long, tsk, tsk."

Grace, looking thoughtful, added, "But it doesn't change our situation. Derek has enough time to use these Hunters or the Thundering Reaper to carry out his plans. It's not like they will drop dead any time soon. But...what we should also worry about is whether Derek has other demons under his control, like the Thundering Reaper."

"Did you happen to find something that could verify if this is true?" Asher's question was pointed, his gaze piercing as he looked at Rachel.

Rachel shook her head, a hint of frustration in her voice, "I have explored 50% of the Infinity Tower, and the rest of the places I do not have access yet. But Lenny told me he would show me around and even tell me some secrets. So I am hoping to learn something and let you guys know soon."

Asher, his arms crossed, his tone turning slightly curious, asked, "You are running shady errands for Lenny, right? Did you learn something else about this EternaSynth Project?"

She nodded gravely, confirming the grim details she had previously hinted at, "Like I told you before, Lenny extracts the essence of young kids or teenagers with Essence Morphing pathways like Emiko and Yui to create a serum that keeps one young. But in the process, they end up dying."

Rebecca scoffed smugly at the information, her disdain clear, "Ha, so it's just something that lengthens a human's lifespan. How silly and desperate these humans are to go to such lengths to imitate half of our natural lifespan."

Grace's expression darkened with concern, "Those with Essence Morphing pathways naturally have a lengthy lifespan, some going over even 200 years, like the Evangelions. They target the young ones since their vitality is at its strongest state and then suck them dry so that certain rich and powerful scum can carry on their atrocities for a bit longer."

The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of Grace's words settling heavily on everyone, particularly Emiko and Yui, who pressed their lips together, a silent acknowledgment of the cruel fate they had narrowly escaped.

"But there are side effects to this 'Eternum' serum, right?" Asher interjected, his brow furrowed in confidence and curiosity.

Rachel nodded, her face grim as she delved deeper into the consequences of the serum, "The errands Lenny makes me do involve mostly delivering Eternum to influential people, most of them retired Hunters and old, of course. The pattern I've noticed is that once they start taking this serum, their bodies can't function without it unless they receive a dose consistently, like once per year. But the more they take, the more their body needs, like once per month, which can become once per week, and in the worst case, once per day, like Lenny has to follow. He's too deep into it and must have been doing it for years." Asher shook his head, dismayed by the reckless ambition of such endeavors, "So obviously, they can't keep doing this forever. I'm surprised this project didn't close shop earlier."

"Yeah..." Rachel's voice hardened, "Lenny told me that my dad ordered the project to be shut down once they realized it wasn't really viable in the long run and only provided temporary benefits at a high cost. So now Lenny produces and distributes it to those who want to remember and enjoy the taste of youth for a while or for as long as they can."

Even though it had been a while since she learned about it, she still couldn't digest the fact that her father supported and funded such an evil project that involved killing children and young people.

It was as if she struggled to acknowledge that the father she loved and lived with all these years was the same person. How could she and her mother not notice any of this before? Was he so good at hiding things like Asher said?

Emiko's fists clenched tightly, her anger palpable, "When can we kill him? So many kids are dying because of him," she coldly said, her voice trembling with rage.

Yui nodded in agreement, her usually gentle demeanor hardened by the severity of the situation.

Asher's eyes gleamed with a resolute determination as he responded, "We will, but not until we learn whatever big things they are planning. Otherwise, so many more will die. We still have around two months to put a stop to Derek's plans. Even if we failed to catch the Thundering Reaper, we succeeded in blowing up one more tower. Now Rachel's mom will probably feel like calling me in, and we can proceed with our plans," he said, a strategic smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

—

The president's office in the WHA HQ was steeped in tension, and seated behind his expansive desk, Derek's fingers pressed firmly against his temple, his other hand occupied with an earpiece through which his wife's voice emerged, clear and insistent.

"Cecilia, please think again before you do this. I feel the most responsible for what happened, especially when something could have happened to you. So let me take care of this," Derek pleaded, his voice a blend of concern and command.

From the other end, Cecilia's voice was gentle yet firm, betraying her resolve, "Honey, I told you that you don't have to feel responsible. I just never expected to get attacked amidst all that security, but now I believe we need Advisor Ash. He has proven to be efficient and even averted a disaster not once but twice, including the New York incident."

Derek shook his head vigorously, his skepticism clear, "He happened to catch some idiot who we still don't know which cult he was part of. It didn't seem like that man belonged to the Coven of the Damned. You can't trust someone whose background is murky at best," he countered, his tone laced with suspicion.

"But we lost two towers, and I don't want to upset the people anymore. They put their hopes in us, and if we don't live up to them, can we really walk with our heads held high among them? You gave me the responsibility of leading Project Guardian in the field, so you have to allow me to do what I think is best for the project. Isn't that why you wanted me in this? Or am I mistaken? Didn't you say we both would do this together?" Cecilia's voice rose slightly, infused with a hint of doubt and gentle challenge.

Derek exhaled deeply, his hand rubbing his forehead as he capitulated, "Okay...fine. You can hire him, but be careful and always be on your guard. Remember that we can never trust any outsiders."

"Honey, you worry too much. Advisor Ash was personally vouched for by Amelia's father. And you know that I am a good judge of character. So leave it to me, and let's talk at night," Cecilia concluded, cutting off the call as she sat back in her office, a thoughtful frown marking her features. She glanced up at Rachel and confessed, "I feel a bit bad for trying to force my decisions on him when this project is still his child. I am merely just leading the ground operations."

"Don't overthink it, Mom. This is for the best. Trust me," Rachel reassured with a comforting smile.

Cecilia nodded, allowing a light smile to grace her lips, her worries temporarily assuaged by her daughter's confidence.

Meanwhile, Derek removed his earpiece with a clenched jaw, his cold frustration palpable. Just then, a voice cut through the silence of his office, "Why don't you tell your wife everything already?"

Derek glanced up to see Gregory, a middle-aged man with neat blonde hair and a matching beard, sitting on a plush sofa in the middle of his office.

Rising from his chair, Derek replied, his voice strained, "Greg, you don't understand. It's not that easy, and I can't let her know until the time is right and she can easily understand what I am trying to do. If I tell her prematurely before everything is ready, she might not understand. The reason I even let her get involved with this project was to ease her in slowly. But maybe I was a bit hasty."

"Really? To be honest, you never struck me as someone who would have a soft spot for a lady. But since it's Cecilia, I can understand. Where in the world can one find such a devout wife, right? Her entire world revolves around you," Gregory said with a knowing smile.

Derek merely gave a brief nod, though Gregory went on, "But she cares a bit too much about what people think of her. Are you sure you can convince her?"

Derek narrowed his eyes, "She will soon understand that there are more important things to be concerned about," Saying so, Derek began to walk away.

Greg watched as Derek started to walk away, his curiosity evident, "Where are you going now? We still have to discuss the losses suffered from another of our towers getting blown up."

Derek's eyes flickered with a dark intensity as he paused and said without turning back, "Someone ended up causing this entire mess instead of preventing it, and now I am going to take care of it."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!