Chapter 355: Chapter 354- First thing
"Ruby?!" Tessa cried out as she saw the redhead rush into the house, carrying her brother in her arms.
Something unexpected happened.
First Damien jumped out of the house to protect the others and then, they were surrounded by a barrier which prevented them from seeing what exactly happened.
And now, even though they could hear the loud noises of the abominations from outside
Reid, William, and Arbit followed close behind. Their faces marred with concern.
Ruby silently laid Damien down. He was still unconscious, but at least his breathing was stronger than before.
His internal organs couldn’t heal with the bullet but his condition wouldn’t worsen.
Once she set him gently on the floor, she turned to William.
The blond immediately placed the box of bullets on the ground.
"My baby..." Fiona’s hands shook as she pulled her son into her lap, hugging his burnt body as if she could shield him from further harm.
The others could only wince and feel sorry upon seeing the young master.
His wounds were still fresh but he was no longer bleeding.
"Can someone tell me what’s happening?!" Tessa asked again, her voice shrill with panic—only for Reid to snap at her,
"Just shut up and sit down!" his dark eye glared down at his sister.
Tessa flinched, going quiet. Everyone else also made sure to keep their lips sealed for the time being.
Arbit cleared his throat. "Can I help in any way?"
Ruby loaded a bullet into the revolver. "Clean his wounds and give him space," she instructed.
*PTAH*
The shot rang, and golden light wrapped around Damien’s body.
"You see what I did?" Ruby asked, her voice steady despite the tears brimming in her eyes.
William gave a quick nod, then awkwardly took the revolver from her, fumbling a little as he loaded the next bullet.
Meanwhile, Ruby gathered the empty casings and began engraving runes onto them.
Arbit hurried deeper into the house, followed by a few servants carrying clean cloth and buckets of water.
Reid rested a hand on Fiona’s trembling shoulder, his voice low but firm. "We need to keep him alive for a few hours. That’s what Adrian said."
"Wait... that man, is he Miss Ruby’s fiancé?" Arbit’s wife asked quietly.
No one answered. Ruby was too focused, her hands moving quickly over the bullets as she tuned the runes.
She trusted Adrian completely. If he said Damien could be saved, then she would follow his word without question.
’Come on, Damien... hang in there.’
°°°°°°°°
Outside the house, Adrian stood within the barrier, his gaze fixed on the snarling beasts eager to tear him apart.
"What exactly are they?" he muttered, not expecting an answer.
"They are the result of your interference." The voice cut through the chaos with uncanny clarity. "Had you not destroyed the specimen, we would never have resorted to such absurdity."
Adrian let out a dry chuckle. "You’ve created something you can’t even control. Is this what Skulth was aiming for?"
"Skulth seeks to build a world where the Greater One may descend," the voice replied coldly. "These monsters are meant to trim away the excess... the unnecessary stock."
Adrian smirked. "You sound rather confident in your abominations."
The Acolyte narrowed his eyes at the mockery—then froze in shock. "What the—?!"
A vast mana circle bloomed beneath Adrian’s feet, spreading outward until it encompassed the beasts as well. Silver light bathed the entire garden in brilliance.
"Stop him! He’s going to teleport them!" one of the Acolytes screamed.
"We can’t! We can’t control them! Damn it!"
Adrian laughed, the sound sharp and alive, savoring the panic in their voices.
Moments later, the silver light swallowed everything, and the chaos was no more.
"W-Where?!" The Acolyte looked around but couldn’t find the demons.
One of them looked up, remembering the tactics Adrian used during the terrorism attack on the capital. But the sky was clear.
"How in the world can he use independent magic?!"
....
Meanwhile, Adrian teleported himself and his foes high above an active volcano.
Why here, of all places?
Because he had planned for this. Not for these demons specifically, of course.
Days ago, he and Annabelle had scouted this very mountain, a raging throat of fire buried deep within the Barren Lands.
His lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Bye-bye."
With a flick of his hand, the spell was released. The demons flailed, shrieking as they plummeted toward the churning cauldron below. Their claws scraped at the empty air, their bodies twisting in futile resistance as the lava’s glow grew closer and closer.
The first one hit. A wet, sizzling crack. Then another, and another—each impact swallowed by the volcano’s roar. The molten lake hissed as their bodies dissolved, flesh peeling, bones vanishing in bubbling waves of fire. Their cries rose into a hideous chorus, only to be smothered into silence.
Adrian hovered above, arms crossed, watching as if he were disposing of mere trash. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
With that, he vanished, leaving the volcano to devour what was left.
....
"So, where were we?" Adrian asked as he stood before the seven magicians.
He crossed his arms. "Tell me—what’s your purpose here?"
The man on the left spat back, "Can’t you see, fool? We’re here to wipe out the Vermillion family!"
Adrian’s eyes flicked across them. "And you got the Tower’s backing for that?"
No reinforcements had come. No one else had arrived. There was only one answer: the Twilight Vault had a hand in this ambush.
"Why would any of us answer you?" the man in the middle said, stepping forward. Adrian recognised the same dark red robe he’d seen at the base—the one who used ancient magic.
Adrian smiled, a non humorous one. "So I’m going to assume you won’t stop unless I kill you, then?" He reached for the axe he’d pulled from the Time Chamber—his only fourth-grade weapon he’d grown used to swinging.
Around him, the air tightened. The seven magicians shifted, hands twitching toward spells, but Adrian was prepared.
The first person to lunge forward was the one on the right, "You are gonna pay!" He slammed his hands on the ground before several thick roots started spurting from the ground, aggressively charging at him.
At the same time, one on the left levitated in the air, summoning a fire ball above his head.
And another charged at him wielding a sword.
Adrian heaved a sigh, ’Well, not the first thing I want after a good sleep, but whatever.’
°°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you believe teleportation is cheat skill then yeah, it is.