Supreme Demon Emperor Returns

12. The Void at the Edge of Death

A fluorescent light flickered on the ceiling of the underground garage. The air was damp and cold. Lyra had converted the abandoned garage into a temporary safe house.

Lyra paced in front of the open door of the black van. She chewed her thumbnail anxiously, her eyes fixed on the back seat.

"Are you sure he's not breathing?" Lyra asked. Her voice trembled in the silence.

"I've checked three times," Fenrir answered firmly. The large man sat on a wooden crate, one hand still holding the bandage on his back. "His heart has stopped."

"This is insane," Lyra cursed under her breath. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "He's dead again. The plan is a total failure."

"Calm down," Fenrir chided. "His body is processing Marcus's soul. That's not a simple process for a human."

"But he is human," Lyra shot back. "You saw his veins turn black. His mortal body wasn't designed to contain that much infernal energy. His organs could explode."

Fenrir fell silent. He knew Lyra was right. The human body was a fragile vessel.

"We have to restart his heart," Lyra said, panicked. She stepped toward the van. "I have a defibrillator in the trunk."

"Don't touch him," Fenrir warned, standing to block her path.

"Move, big guy," Lyra hissed. "If his brain goes without oxygen for more than fifteen minutes, he'll be permanently disabled."

"The dark energy in his body will attack anyone who touches him right now," Fenrir explained, his tone flat. "You're just a human, Lyra. You'll be burned to ash."

Lyra clenched her fists. From a distance, she stared at Xavier's face, ashen and pale. His skin looked like cold marble. There were no signs of life at all.

Suddenly, Xavier's chest convulsed violently upward.

His mouth opened wide. He vomited a thick cloud of black smoke into the air. The smoke drifted up and slowly vanished, merging with the dark shadows in the corner of the garage.

Xavier’s eyes snapped open. His blue irises flared brightly for a moment before returning to their original color. He took a long, ragged breath. Cold sweat beaded on his temples and neck.

"Boss," Fenrir said, relieved. He took a step back to give him space.

Xavier forced himself to sit up on the edge of the seat. A soft crackle of bones came from his back and neck. He stared at his own palms with a blank expression.

His muscles felt stiff. But the agonizing pain that had wracked his lungs was completely gone. The broken bones in his leg had also fused back together perfectly.

"How long was I dead?" Xavier asked softly. His voice was hoarse and heavy.

"About twelve minutes," Lyra answered. She let out a long breath and leaned against the side of the van. "You gave me a heart attack, Boss."

Xavier didn't reply. He stepped out of the van and onto the concrete floor. His footing was solid. There was no pain at all.

"Sit at that table, Boss," Lyra said, pointing to a metal table in the corner. "I'll make you a hot drink. You look like a walking corpse."

Xavier complied. He walked slowly and sat in a folding chair near the metal table. He adjusted the collar of his torn shirt, which was covered in dried bloodstains.

In another corner, Lyra lit a small, portable gas stove. She heated bottled water in an aluminum pot. The garage grew quiet, the only sound the hiss of the blue flame.

Five minutes later, the water boiled. Lyra poured dark, black coffee grounds into a large ceramic mug. She brewed it with the boiling water. A thick plume of steam rose into the air.

Lyra brought the ceramic mug to the table. She placed it directly in front of Xavier.

"Drink this slowly," Lyra said gently. "It's very strong. The caffeine should at least help stabilize your heartbeat."

Xavier stared at the mug. The hot steam still billowed up, washing over his face. He lifted the ceramic mug with his right hand.

Lyra frowned. Xavier wrapped his hand around the body of the mug without any insulation. It had just been filled with boiling water. Normal human skin would have blistered instantly from such a grip.

But Xavier's face remained flat. There was no expression of surprise or pain.

Xavier brought the mug to his lips. He downed the scalding black coffee in a single, long gulp. He swallowed the liquid without a pause.

Lyra's eyes widened. "Boss. That's boiling water."

Xavier placed the now-empty mug back on the table. There was a soft clink of ceramic against iron.

He looked at his own palm. The skin was fine. There were no burns. No peeling skin.

Xavier reached into his pants pocket. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and his gleaming black obsidian lighter. A sharp click echoed. He struck a flame and lit the end of his cigarette.

He took a deep drag. Gray smoke filled his lungs. He exhaled it into the air, forming a thick cloud.

"I can't feel anything," Xavier whispered, breaking the silence.

Fenrir approached the table. The large man looked at his boss seriously. "What do you mean?"

Xavier touched the glowing tip of his cigarette with his index finger. The red-hot ember met his skin. But Xavier didn't pull his finger away.

"I didn't feel the heat from the mug," Xavier continued, his tone cold. "My tongue couldn't taste the bitterness of the coffee. The smoke from this cigarette feels like empty air in my throat."

The underground room became utterly still. Lyra watched her boss with a look of deep concern.

Xavier was finally realizing the permanent consequence of his new contract. Each time he harvested a human soul, what was left of his humanity would be scraped away. His mortal body was becoming immune to extreme physical pain. But as an absolute price, he had to lose his senses. He was becoming a breathing corpse.

Xavier's mind immediately went to one name. Livia.

His adopted sister had always had such warm hands. Xavier remembered vividly how Livia’s small fingers would often grip his arm when she was afraid of Isabella's wrath.

To Xavier, Livia was the only real thing anchoring his sanity in this filthy world. Livia’s touch was proof that he was still human.

Now, all of that was destroyed.

A sudden tightness slammed into Xavier's chest. This wasn't physical pain from a poison. This was a deep and agonizing frustration.

When he finally freed Livia, he would no longer be able to feel the warmth of her skin. Livia's hugs would just feel like the impact of an inanimate object against his body. He wouldn't be able to feel the softness of his sister's hand on his face. It would all feel like nothing. Hollow. Empty.

This emotional denial tore at the last remnants of his heart.

Xavier wanted to smash the iron table in front of him to pieces. He wanted to scream his rage at fate. He missed Livia so terribly in that moment. He wanted to pull her out of her family's hell and run away with her as far as he could.

But Xavier knew he couldn't. Approaching Livia with a body numb and filled with a dark aura would only terrify her. He had now truly become a monster, driven by absolute vengeance.

Xavier shut his eyes tightly. He took a long breath to contain the storm in his chest. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had turned to ice. He buried all that emotional pain in the deepest corner of his soul.

"It's a fair price for power," Xavier said flatly. His tone was lethal. He acted as if he had just lost a dollar bill.

Lyra sighed heavily. She decided to change the subject before the mood darkened further. Lyra walked to the van and grabbed a thin computer tablet from the driver's seat.

"I have some good news," Lyra said. She returned to the table and handed the tablet to Xavier.

Xavier took it. The screen displayed a series of financial graphs and a bank balance that was steadily climbing.

"Marcus's money laundering operation tonight went perfectly," Lyra reported with a proud tone. "We've successfully seized all his personal assets from the Cayman Islands bank. I've split it into a hundred fictitious accounts across various countries."

"The total?" Xavier asked coldly.

"Seven hundred million dollars in cash," Lyra answered with a smirk. "I've erased all digital traces and legal records from the central servers. The police will just find Marcus's accounts completely empty tomorrow morning."

Fenrir nodded, satisfied. "That's a huge figure to start a war with."

"I've also finalized the company's incorporation papers through underground channels," Lyra added. She pointed to an elegant black logo in the corner of the tablet screen. "Umbra Capital is officially and legally established as of tonight. We have unlimited funds and a clean investment firm on paper."

Xavier stared at the Umbra Capital logo on the screen for a long time. This company would be his sharp sword to slice the necks of his own family on Wall Street.

He placed the tablet on the table. He stood up slowly. His soiled black jacket lay on the back of the chair. He ignored it. He just straightened the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt.

"We have no time to rest," Xavier commanded, breaking the silence. "Isabella must have realized something is wrong by now. The loss of Marcus and all his funds will make them panic."

Fenrir stood tall. The muscles in his neck tensed, ready for orders. "What's our next move, Boss?"

"We attack their blind spot directly," Xavier answered. His eyes radiated the aura of a bloodthirsty predator.

"You mean the main corporation?" Lyra asked, already preparing to grab her laptop.

"Tomorrow afternoon, Aristhos Corp will hold a closed-door plenary meeting with the entire board of directors and shareholders," Xavier said, his voice a low, threatening rumble. "Use that seven hundred million dollars tonight. Forcibly acquire every small share available on the black market and through independent brokers."

Lyra smiled knowingly. She immediately understood her boss's plan. "You want to acquire a percentage of their shares?"

"I want to take a seat on the board," Xavier cut in, his voice sharp as a razor. "I'm going to that meeting room tomorrow. And I will make sure Adrian and Isabella are on their knees when they see who the new owner of their precious company is."