The Damned Demon

Chapter 733  Justice Vs Vengeance

As the Huntress' words—"So be it."—rang through the air, her stance solidified like a mountain, unmovable, while dark vermillion veins ran across her face.

Arthur could feel the intensity of the moment settling upon them, realizing his limits were about to be tested.

The crackling of her Willforce reverberated in his ears as he gripped his staff tightly, his eyes narrowing with determination.

He could sense her power—the dark vermilion flames swirling around her, her aura suffused with a malevolent intensity. She wasn't holding back. He knew that whatever happened next, it might be a fight to the death.

Without warning, Grace raised her hand, the air around them rippling with the force of her power. A blast of dark vermilion energy shot forward, streaking through the air like a comet of destruction.

The blast was so intense that it seemed to distort the very fabric of space around it. Arthur had no time to think—he raised his staff just in time to summon a radiant white shield, the light blinding anyone who looked at it as the blast collided with it.

*BOOOM!*

The explosion of light and dark energy was deafening, sending shockwaves through the room that cracked the walls and shattered the already broken windows to dust. The floor beneath them buckled and cracked further as if the very foundations of the building were being torn apart. Arthur's shield held strong for a brief moment, but the force of Grace's attack was immense, pushing him back, his feet dragging across the floor as the light barrier flickered dangerously.

He also had to focus his energy on protecting Anna's collapsed figure behind him, and so the stress on his body was tremendous.

"Stop trying, kid. You can't win against me, nor will my patience last for much longer," Grace warned, her voice laced with half pity and half frustration.

"You…can…never know for sure…" Arthur said with gritted teeth as he held on with even more determination. He was beginning to realize how vastly he underestimated her power, and she wasn't even using a weapon! Grace frowned in displeasure, realizing he was a tougher nut to crack than she expected.

She pushed her hand forward once more, and with it, a torrent of dark vermilion flames erupted from her fingertips, swirling around her in an infernal dance. The flames shot forward like serpents of destruction, their heat palpable in the air.

"Yargh!" Arthur gritted his teeth, summoning all his strength to resist the oncoming barrage. With a cry, he pushed his staff forward, creating a wave of radiant energy that collided with the flames, cutting through them with a dazzling brilliance. The explosion of light and heat was blinding, but Grace simply smirked, her Willforce manipulating the flames with terrifying precision, sending them spiraling around her, undeterred by Arthur's counterattack.

"Impressive," she said with a half-admiring tone, "But not enough."

In an instant, Grace's eyes flashed with intent, and before Arthur could react, she extended both her hands. The very air seemed to warp, and Arthur's body was suddenly yanked off the ground as if invisible chains had wrapped around him. He struggled, but the crushing force of her Willforce was too much—his body was thrown violently across the room, slamming into the cracked walls with a sickening thud.

Pain exploded through his body as he slid down the debris-covered wall, his staff clattering to the floor, the resonance of his shield flickering yet still didn't stop covering Anna's figure. His breath came in ragged gasps, but the pain only fueled his determination. He forced himself to his feet, shaking off the impact with his enhanced regeneration, his gaze burning with the will to protect.

"Not yet," Arthur muttered through clenched teeth, his hand reaching for his staff. He gripped it tightly, summoning more radiant energy, creating a blinding flare of light around him.

With a powerful thrust of his staff, he sent a wave of radiant light surging toward the Huntress, the intensity of the light threatening to blind the room. The beam of light moved with deadly precision, but Grace simply smiled, her hand raised once more, effortlessly halting the beam in mid-air.

The radiant energy that had once surged with such power now flickered, sputtered, and dissipated against Grace's Willforce. She twisted her wrist, and with it, the beam of light was crushed, its remnants dissolving into nothingness as her dark vermilion power surged forward.

Arthur gritted his teeth and sprang into action, his body moving faster than he had before, his every movement a blur as he tried to land a hit. He knew that speed would be his advantage—if he could get close enough, if he could break through her defenses, he could end this.

But Grace was already one step ahead, as if she could read his moves before he made it.

As Arthur moved in, she flicked her fingers, and in an instant, the floor beneath him cracked open, swallowing him whole.

Arthur tried to leap to safety, but the ground erupted beneath him, sending shards of stone and debris flying in every direction. The force was enough to throw him off-balance, and before he could recover, the Huntress was on him.

With a sudden, violent motion, she slammed her hand into his chest, sending him sprawling across the floor.

"Grahk!" The air left his lungs in a rush, and for a moment, he could barely breathe. The pain was blinding, but he refused to stay down.

"I told you," Grace hissed, her voice like ice, "You can't defeat me, kid."

Arthur struggled to push himself to his feet, his body aching, blood streaming from a cut on his forehead, which was struggling to heal as her dark mana within his wounds was slowing down his regeneration.

He could see the night sky looming above the shattered roof, looking down upon him as if death was looming around the corner.

He knew that every second he spent fighting drained his strength, but there was no choice. There was no other option. He would die before he let her kill Anna.

"YARRGHH!" With a roar of defiance, Arthur summoned the last of his strength and pushed himself up. His staff blazed with radiant light once more, the intensity of his aura growing stronger, more desperate.

But Grace had already prepared for this. She raised her hand again, and the air itself seemed to blaze.

The ground beneath Arthur cracked open again, and with a flick of Grace's wrist, she sent him crashing into the ceiling, the force of the impact rattling his bones. He fell, crashing to the ground with a bone-shattering thud.

Arthur's body lay motionless for a moment, the taste of blood in his mouth as it dripped down his lips, his vision blurred.

The Huntress' dark vermilion flames licked at the edges of his vision, her power suffocating him. But still, his grip on his staff never loosened. His will was unbroken.

Anna watched from the side, her heart shattered as she saw Arthur endure the onslaught. He was fighting with everything he had left—everything he was—but it wasn't enough. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest, her voice weak, barely above a whisper.

"Arthur... please stop..."

But her voice was drowned out by the violence of their battle, or maybe he refused to listen to her. Why was he being so stubborn about doing what was right when the world never abided by his rules or beliefs?

Grace's eyes narrowed as she took a step closer to Arthur's collapsed figure.

Arthur, bloodied and battered, lay crumpled on the ground, his body struggling to stay conscious. His face was swollen and bruised, but there was no trace of fear in his eyes. There was only the same resolve that had fueled him since the beginning—the determination to protect Anna, no matter the cost.

"You're a fool," Grace spat upon seeing the resolve in his eyes. Her hand began to glow with dark vermilion flames, ready to incapacitate him, "You should have left when you had the chance. Now stay down for me until I am done dealing with her."

Just as she raised her hand to render him unconscious, Arthur's limp hand twitched, a final flicker of life sparked within him. His finger trembled, and then, with all the strength he could muster, a brilliant white beam of radiant energy shot forward, erupting from his finger like a blinding star. The light enveloped Anna in a protective barrier, shining so brightly that it seemed to burn away the darkness in the room. It was as if the very light of justice itself was pushing back against the forces of destruction.

Grace's expression darkened, not expecting him to still desperately try to stop her like a fool.

"If you... don't leave... you will never escape... in time..." Arthur's voice was barely a whisper, his words weak but filled with an undeniable warning, though he knew it wouldn't be enough to stop her. Yet he didn't want to go down without giving it his all.