The Damned Demon

700  The Haunting Stare Of The Dead

Asher's grip tightened around Lenny's throat, his blazing skeletal fingers sinking deeper as his hollow eyes glowed brighter, pulling Lenny deeper into a nightmare—a nightmare crafted from the darkest corners of his mind. Lenny's screams faded as the world around him twisted and warped, dissolving into a landscape from his past.

He was a boy again, barely ten years old, standing in a small clearing near his family's large estate. The sun filtered through the trees, casting a golden light over the lush grass. But his attention was fixated on a small bird lying on the ground in front of him, its tiny body twitching weakly. Its wing was broken, feathers ragged and bloodied. Lenny had spent days tormenting it, enjoying the way it squirmed under his fingers, the way it helplessly cried out.

But then he heard it—her voice.

"Lenny?"

He turned sharply to see her—his childhood friend, the only one he had ever truly cared about. A girl with long brown hair tied in two neat pigtails, her cheeks flushed from running. Her innocent, sweet face that always seemed to glow with kindness now stared at the bird in horror.

Her eyes, wide and trembling, slowly lifted to meet his, filled with disbelief.

"Lenny... what are you doing?" Her voice quivered, the softness in it shattered by the shock of what she was witnessing.

"I-I... It's nothing!" Lenny stammered, stepping forward, trying to block the bird from her view. He smiled awkwardly, trying to play it off as some sort of joke. "It's just... you know... a game."

But she wasn't buying it. Her face twisted, the innocent light in her eyes replaced by something he had never seen before—disgust.

"You're sick..." she whispered, her voice thick with revulsion, "Stay away from me!"

"No, no, wait!" Lenny reached out, panic gripping his chest. "You don't understand. It's not like that. I'm not—" But his words caught in his throat as he watched her take a step back, then another, shaking her head as she tried to run away from him.

Her pigtails bounced as she ran, her socks stained with grass and mud as she fled from him. Lenny stood frozen, the weight of her rejection crashing down on him like a tidal wave, the sting of her disgust cutting deeper than any blade ever could. He felt anger bubbling up inside him—anger at her for not understanding, for rejecting him, for betraying him.

"No... you can't just run from me!" he growled through gritted teeth. He chased after her, his small legs pounding against the earth as he caught up to her. His hands shook as he grabbed her by the arm, yanking her back with a force that sent them both tumbling into the dirt.

She screamed.

"Lenny, stop! Let me go!" she cried, her voice rising in desperation.

But all he saw was the disgust on her face, the rejection in her eyes, and it burned him alive from the inside. His hands, trembling with fury, tightened around her neck, his vision blurring as he squeezed.

"Why didn't you understand?" he spat, his voice cracking. "I just wanted to explain! You made me do this!"

Her eyes, once filled with life, began to dull as her struggles weakened. But as her last breath left her lips, her face twisted into something new—something that haunted him, even now. Her dead, glassy eyes remained open, locked onto him with an expression that sent a chill down his spine.

It wasn't just fear or anger.

It was pity and disgust that stung him the most.

In the nightmare, her dead eyes stayed fixed on him, that look freezing him in place, paralyzing him with guilt and terror. He tried to scream, but no sound came out. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't listen.

"Stop looking at me!" Lenny cried, his voice hoarse, trembling. "STOP!"

But her face didn't change. She stared at him, her lips still and cold, as if silently telling him the truth he had never wanted to hear: You're not just a monster but a pitiful creature.

And that truth, that nightmare, tore at his mind, shredding every ounce of control he thought he had. No matter how much control he tried to regain back by dominating and punishing wicked girls like her, it still wasn't enough.

The expression on her face—the one that had haunted him since that day—grew sharper, more intense, until it was all he could see.

Back in the present, Hellbringer's voice echoed in Lenny's ears, a dark, sinister whisper that reverberated through his soul, "I knew it…You have always been a sick pervert, haven't you?"

"ARGHHHHHH!…."

Lenny's body was being overtaken by an eerie molten dark green layer that crawled over his skin like molten lava, making his screams echo through the forest. His face contorted in an unnatural horror, eyes wide, mouth agape in a silent cry for help. Jim, Amelia, and Remy stood frozen for a moment, their eyes wide with shock. Remy had heard about the commander being fearless and brutal, but now he lay before them, paralyzed by terror.

17:16

"Commander...?" Jim whispered, barely able to comprehend what was happening. Hellbringer's ring blade had already been put away, so why was Lenny still screaming like a man possessed?

But his knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on his staff, coming to his senses, "That's enough, you demon!" he roared, his voice filled with a desperate fury and fear as he raised his staff and unleashed a powerful beam of radiant red mana that ripped through the air and slammed into Hellbringer's back.

Hellbringer's form was blasted to the side, crashing into the trees with the force of the strike. He rolled through the air but quickly landed on his feet, turning to face them with a cold, indifferent gaze as his flames dimmed slightly.

"Commander, are you alright??" Jim called out as he rushed to Lenny's side. The molten layer on Lenny's body was slowly dissipating, but his face remained frozen in a grimace of pure terror. His lips trembled, blood and saliva spilling from his mouth as his chest heaved in ragged breaths.

Jim knelt down, his brow furrowing in confusion, "Lenny... what did he do to you?" he muttered. Whatever Hellbringer had inflicted on him, it wasn't just physical. Lenny's mind seemed in shambles.

But there was no time to worry. Jim's attention snapped back to the battlefield as Hellbringer began walking toward them, his dark green flames flickering more violently as he approached.

"We can't let him get any closer," Jim muttered, his voice thick with tension. He turned to Amelia, who was already readying her weapon. "Amelia, support me. We have to take him down."

Amelia nodded, her face pale but determined. "You got it, professor," she said, her voice steadying as she prepared to strike.

Jim raised his staff again and unleashed a wave of scorching flames that incinerated the ground and crashed into Hellbringer's body. The powerful strike fractured Hellbringer's skeletal form, and for a brief moment, Jim felt a flicker of hope.

But it was short-lived. Hellbringer's bones began to mend themselves, the cracks sealing as though the attack had merely been an inconvenience. The dark green flames that wrapped around his form flickered but refused to extinguish.

Jim's heart sank. Immortal Bloodline… he thought grimly. It was rumored that Hellbringer was invulnerable even to light-based attacks. He had only heard it from others, but seeing it with his own eyes was a spine-rattling experience. How do you defeat something that cannot be killed?

Hellbringer continued to advance, but suddenly, his body jerked, and he let out a grunt of pain. He stumbled, falling to his knees as his flames began to flicker and die out. Flesh and skin began to reform on his body, but it was clear something was wrong.

Jim's eyes widened in realization. Hellbringer must be paying the price for using his demonic powers on their planet. There was no way such a powerful demon could walk around in their world without some serious drawbacks.

"Quick, let's put him down while he's vulnerable!" Jim shouted, his voice filled with urgency as he and Amelia launched another volley of attacks at the weakening demon king. Amelia's strikes were precise, aiming for his chest while Jim unleashed another devastating blast of light mana.

But just as their attacks were about to land, Hellbringer's figure vanished into the shadows, disappearing in the blink of an eye. The Bloodice Mistress' body was also no longer present.

"Dammit!" Jim grunted in frustration, scanning the area for any sign of the demon king. "He couldn't have gone far."

Amelia glanced around, her expression tense, "Should we chase him? He's vulnerable, we might be able to finish him off now," she suggested, her eyes flicking toward the trees where Hellbringer had disappeared.

Jim hesitated, then turned back toward the truck. His eyes landed on Remy, who was sitting in the truck with a pale, anxious expression, "No," Jim said finally, shaking his head. "We can't risk leaving Remy. Hellbringer might be gone, but we're not out of danger yet. And the commander... he's still down. We need to get him out of here."

Amelia nodded reluctantly, realizing Jim was right, "What about Lawrence and his team?" she asked, glancing around for any sign of them.

Jim frowned. "They should have been back by now," he muttered, his voice filled with concern. "Something's not right—"

He was cut off by the sound of a truck engine approaching, coming from the opposite direction of the route they had taken.

Jim's eyes narrowed as he stared at the approaching vehicle. "Who is that? Is that…"

Damn Lenny :#