The Damned Demon

Anna shot through the darkened streets of the Eternal City on Mars, her dark-yellow lightning carving through the Martian twilight.

The city around her blurred, an inconsequential backdrop of ordinary buildings hiding the sinister truths beneath. Her blazing eyes, now faintly shimmering with desperation, locked onto an unassuming structure—plain and inconspicuous amid the sleek architectural marvels around it.

She burst through the building’s humble entrance, doors flying off their hinges, splinters scattering into the air. Her heartbeat thundered, a painful rhythm hammering in her chest, each pulse driving her closer to the brink. But thoughts of Arthur, captive somewhere beneath this deceitful facade, forced her to endure.

Inside, the building’s true nature was immediately clear—a stark contrast to the deceptive exterior. Brightly lit corridors extended deep underground, walls gleaming ominously with fortified metallic alloys. Pulsing mana-powered tech hummed menacingly from every corner, giving the interior an intimidating, high-security atmosphere. It was a fortress of lies and cruelty, hidden behind humble walls.

“Halt!” shouted a guard, quickly raising his weapon at the sudden, horrifying blur of dark yellow lightning barreling toward him. But before he could even squeeze the trigger, Anna surged through him, turning him into an explosion of blood and flesh. She never slowed, eyes narrowed and empty of mercy as she tore through each guard without pause.

Every corridor became a nightmare painted in red, their final screams silenced mid-echo. Anna’s presence was an unstoppable tempest, cutting a brutal swathe through anyone foolish enough to stand before her.

“Intruder! Stop her!” more guards shouted frantically. But their desperate calls were swiftly extinguished as Anna ripped through them, barely registering their existence, her path littered with broken bodies and shattered defenses.

With every step, every burst of speed, Anna felt her body nearing its breaking point. Blood seeped from fresh wounds, mixing with the blood of her enemies. She swallowed a metallic taste, aware of the creeping agony. Yet none of that mattered. Only he mattered.

Finally reaching the underground levels, Anna skidded to an abrupt halt before a darkened hall illuminated only by menacing red lights. No guards stood here, but what faced her was infinitely more dangerous—layers of powerful mana barriers and razor-thin lasers, an impenetrable labyrinth designed explicitly to halt even the most formidable intruder.

Anna briefly hesitated, panting heavily, eyes flickering across the intricate defensive array. Her advanced instincts instantly confirmed the brutal truth—this trap was impossible to deactivate from here. Without the master control, located deep within Derek’s unreachable grasp, there was only one horrifying option.

The only option was running through…she thought bitterly.

With no further hesitation, she surged forward, body ablaze with dark-yellow lightning, diving headlong into the deadly maze.

Instantly, pain erupted across her form. Mana-infused lasers tore through the remnants of her suit, slicing effortlessly into her flesh, searing deep wounds. The barrier arrays brutally repelled her charge, violently pushing back with waves of destructive mana.

“AAARGH!” Anna screamed, pushing through the unimaginable agony, her vision blurring momentarily with tears and blood. Yet she forced herself forward, step by agonizing step, crashing brutally into each barrier with reckless abandon. Sparks and lightning exploded outward each time she collided, each impact tearing away layers of her armor, flesh, and resolve.

“URGH!!” Anna grunted defiantly at the merciless defenses, blood pouring from her mouth, half-blinding her vision. Her exposed metallic limbs shook, circuitry sparking and flickering dangerously.

Another fierce barrier crackled ominously before her, shimmering violently in a warning pulse. Anna charged forward again, feeling as if her bones were breaking, her muscles shredding with every desperate strike. Yet she broke through, screaming with determination, the barrier shattering explosively around her.

Laser arrays sliced further, one beam burning deep into her shoulder, another carving painfully along her ribs. Anna gasped sharply, stumbling briefly, only to straighten again, eyes blazing fiercely as she drew on whatever desperate reserves remained. With each new injury, dark yellow veins flared across her body, an unnatural and unsettling sight, marking her as a weapon on the verge of self-destruction.

But then she remembered the promise she had made to herself, helping her push her through.

Her final charge toward the end of the hall seemed almost suicidal. The thick iron doors of a massive chamber loomed ahead, an ultimate barricade standing between her and Arthur. Gathering every last scrap of strength, Anna surged violently forward, lightning cascading around her broken form, roaring fiercely in defiance.

With a thunderous collision, she crashed into the massive doors, metal shrieking and crumpling beneath the sheer force of her impact. The doors buckled inward violently, exploding open with deafening force, throwing Anna into the vast chamber beyond.

The room fell into shocked silence, illuminated dimly by glowing mana lights embedded in the walls. Arthur leapt up instantly, eyes wide in horror and disbelief as he gazed upon the battered figure crumpled on the chamber’s floor.

“A-Anna?!” Arthur’s voice cracked sharply, disbelief and anguish thick in his trembling tone. He stumbled forward instinctively, heart hammering violently, terror clawing at his throat as he stared at the woman he loved.

Slowly, painfully, Anna pushed herself upward, half of her once-advanced combat suit torn and shredded, clinging loosely to what remained of her battered and broken body. Her breathing came ragged and shallow, blood dripping steadily from her mouth onto the cold metallic floor.

Arthur’s heart nearly stopped at the horrifying sight. Half of Anna’s helmet was shattered, revealing a face now barely recognizable. Flesh had been brutally torn away, exposing raw muscle, tendons, and pale bone beneath. Sickly dark-yellow veins pulsed visibly beneath her remaining skin, an unnatural pattern marking the extent of her deterioration.

“Arthur…” Anna managed weakly, voice barely audible, each word strained with immense pain yet a small, relieved smile hung on her half-torn lips.

Her brutalized arm twitched uncontrollably, yet she fought to stay upright, sheer determination shining brightly through her one still-intact eye.

“Anna, what did you do?!” Arthur’s voice was thick with grief and horror, rushing forward desperately to support her before she could collapse completely. “Look at you…Why?! Why did you put yourself through this?! You shouldn’t have…” Arthur felt a lump forming in his throat, unable to even speak, overwhelmed by seeing the state she put herself into for his sake.

Anna’s faint remaining vision met Arthur’s anguished gaze, and despite the unimaginable pain coursing through every fiber of her being, a gentle, faint smile briefly crossed her damaged lips.

“I told you…I’d do anything…to make things right…” Anna whispered hoarsely, each breath agony, yet filled with tender sincerity. Her soft fingers gently brushed his cheek, smearing blood softly across his skin. “I promised myself…I’d never hurt you again but I did and hurt others…But now I…I finally got to keep it.”

“No, Anna, don’t say anything,” Arthur desperately whispered, voice shaking with panic and grief. “Just stay with me, please. I—I just need a moment. I’ll get you out of here, and then I’ll heal you. I promise.”

Arthur felt his heart pounding violently against his chest as he clutched Anna’s broken body, his arms trembling, desperate to keep her alive. Every breath she took came slower and weaker, each gasp sending sharp, stabbing agony through his own heart.

Anna’s remaining eye flickered faintly, its dark yellow hue growing dimmer with each passing moment. She looked up at him, her battered face softening with gentle sadness, a weak but resigned smile tugging faintly at the corner of her torn lips.

She knew there was no coming back from this. But she also knew he wouldn’t listen.

Arthur forced himself onto his feet, his weakened legs shaking beneath him. Carrying Anna’s frail, barely breathing form, he stumbled out of the oppressive chamber and through the broken corridors of the building.

Since he was kept captive, he was drained of his mana reserves and left weakened.

His lungs burned with effort, but he refused to stop. Finally, he burst through the shattered entrance, stumbling out onto the open ground.

The Martian air greeted him, thin and dry, devoid of the mana he so desperately needed. Arthur frantically drew in shallow breaths, straining to gather even the smallest trace of mana lingering around him. His hands glowed faintly, sparks of light struggling feebly around his fingertips.

“No, damn it!” Arthur cursed helplessly, tears of frustration streaming down his cheeks. “This isn’t enough! Why isn’t there more?!”

He strained harder, desperately trying to absorb any remaining fragments of mana from the barren Martian landscape. His body quivered violently from exhaustion and despair, before he finally crumbled to his knees, strength utterly drained. The glowing light at his fingertips faded, extinguishing completely as his breathing turned ragged and harsh.

Anna’s frail hand tightened slightly around his, gently pulling him closer. Her expression was soft yet resolute, voice barely audible yet achingly tender, “Stop… Arthur. We both know… you can’t heal a demon like me.”

Arthur’s chin trembled uncontrollably, his heart fracturing at the undeniable truth…something he didn’t want to face.

His power—his precious, radiant mana—would only harm her further. It could never heal her dark, tortured body.

“Anna…” Arthur choked painfully, voice thick with sorrow, tears tracing silent paths down his face as he gazed down helplessly at the woman he loved.

She offered him a weak yet genuine smile, her voice soothing, tender, even in her dying moments. “It’s okay… Lying in your arms like this… is more than I ever hoped of how this day would end.”

“No, Anna, please…” Arthur begged brokenly, clutching her fragile hand desperately.

Anna’s eye softened further, her grip tender yet firm, her remaining strength invested entirely in this final moment. Her voice shook slightly with emotion, as she whispered, “But I just—I wanted you to know… that I never tricked you into loving me. It was real for me… just as it was for you. Always…ever since the moment I met you…”

Her soft, sad smile lingered for a heartbeat longer, before the faint light in her eye finally flickered out, leaving nothing but emptiness behind.

“No… No!” Arthur’s voice cracked, desperation and anguish overtaking him completely as he pulled her closer, his tears streaming uncontrollably. “Anna, don’t leave me… This isn’t the promise I wanted from you! You can’t… you can’t leave me like this! I-I love you…”

His voice dissolved into sobs as he felt the life fade from her broken body, her heart falling silent, forever still within his embrace.

At that very moment, Layla, Rachel, Cecilia—who was carefully holding onto the frail Aira—alongside Hiroto, Grace, Yui, and Amelia gently descended from the tower, followed by the vast multitude of Hunters who now stood with them, guided by the truth.

Rachel’s voice quivered painfully, her blue eyes brimming with tears as she took in the tragic scene before her. “No… we’re too late…”

The group stood somberly including the massive crowd of Hunters, each lowering their heads respectfully, hearts heavy with profound grief and gratitude for Anna’s sacrifice.

A solemn silence settled upon the gathering, broken only by the quiet, heart-wrenching sobs of Arthur cradling Anna’s lifeless body.

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