Supreme Demon Emperor Returns

19. The Psychological Terror Continues

Maxwell sobbed on the dirty carpet, his tear- and snot-streaked face a mask of terror. He continued to mumble pleas for forgiveness to the empty air.

Xavier picked up the acquisition document from the desk. He folded it neatly and slipped it into the pocket of his black coat. He looked down at Maxwell without a shred of pity.

"Your work in this world is finished, Maxwell," Xavier said very softly.

Maxwell's eyes suddenly flew wide open. His whimpering cut off instantly. The veins on the flamboyant man's neck bulged like worms. Thick, black smoke poured violently from his mouth and nose.

Maxwell's soul was torn out with brutal force. The man's body convulsed for a moment before collapsing to the floor. He died with his eyes wide, staring at the ceiling. His heart had stopped from pure terror.

The black smoke shot forward and slammed into Xavier’s chest.

Xavier squeezed his eyes shut. He tensed the muscles in his abdomen and chest. The searing heat once again assaulted his internal organs. The veins on his face bulged, black and thick.

But this time, Xavier did not fall to his knees. He did not vomit blood as he had when he harvested Henderson's soul. His mortal body was beginning to forcibly adapt to the infernal energy. Xavier only staggered back a single step, catching himself on the edge of the desk.

Within seconds, the physical pain subsided. The black veins on his face slowly faded.

In its place, an absolute cold crept into his heart.

Xavier looked at his own palm. He clenched his fingers into a tight fist. There was no feeling. The sensation of physical touch on his skin was fading further. He felt as if his soul was becoming more hollow, more empty.

Xavier's thoughts immediately went to Livia. She was the only anchor that could pull him back from this abyss of nothingness. Xavier desperately missed the sound of his sister's laughter. He missed the sincere look in her eyes, the way she never judged him.

The urge to see Livia right away was a physical ache in his chest. But he had to endure. He had only destroyed two of Aristhos's main pillars. This war was far from over. Bringing Livia into it now would only place her in the line of fire. Xavier took a long breath. He buried his longing in the darkest corner of his mind.

Xavier turned and walked out of the room in total silence.

***

The next morning. The autumn sunlight streamed through the glass windows of Aristhos Corp headquarters.

Isabella Aristhos stood motionless in front of the television in her office. The elegant woman's face was extremely tense. The morning news reported the tragic death of their property division's CEO.

Maxwell was reported to have died from a sudden heart attack inside his private penthouse. The police concluded he had suffered from severe stress after his property stock had taken an unnatural plunge the night before.

Isabella turned off the television with the remote. She threw the device onto the sofa.

"Another sudden death," Isabella hissed, furious. "This is absolutely insane."

She grabbed her smartphone from the desk. She dialed an emergency number. The call connected on the second ring.

"Hello," a deep, hoarse voice answered from the other end. It was Richard Vance. One of the most senior board members and Audrey's father.

"Have you seen the news this morning, Richard?" Isabella got straight to the point. She dropped her formal tone. Panic was beginning to strip away her elegant facade.

"I saw it," Richard answered gruffly. "Son of a bitch. Maxwell just dies and leaves behind a mountain of project debt. Our stock is going to get hammered again today."

"He didn't die of stress, Richard," Isabella cut in sharply. "His company also changed hands to Umbra Capital last night. Exactly like Henderson two days ago."

There was a moment of silence on the line. Isabella heard the sound of Richard slamming his fist on a desk.

"Damn it. Who the hell is this Umbra Capital?" Richard roared, losing his control. "How dare they mess with us. I'll hire someone to find the mastermind and chop him up alive."

"That's the problem," Isabella said coldly. "Our people can't track them. They attack our systems, crash our stock, and then kill our CEOs without leaving a single fingerprint."

"Who do you suspect?" Richard asked. His tone had lowered slightly, but it was still filled with anger.

"It's someone who knows the exact weak points of Aristhos Corp," Isabella answered. "There's only one person with that level of intelligence and that much of a grudge. That illegitimate child."

"Xavier?" Richard snorted dismissively. "You're insane. We took care of him. His car went into a ravine and exploded. His body was burned. I saw the police coroner's report myself."

"You're too naive," Isabella hissed. "I don't care about the report. My gut tells me he's still alive. He's come back for revenge."

"If he is alive, I'll make sure he dies a second time," Richard threatened.

"Listen, Richard," Isabella warned. "Increase the security at your home and your office. Hire more mercenaries. Their next target is either you or me. Our logistics and property lifelines have been cut. They'll be coming for the heads of the board now."

"I don't need your advice," Richard replied arrogantly. "My headquarters is already locked down by ex-special forces. Let the bastard come. I'll put a bullet in his head."

Richard hung up the phone abruptly.

Isabella slowly put down her own phone. She walked to the window. She stared down at the bustling New York City streets below. She had never felt this threatened before. The hunter had now become the hunted.

***

Three days had passed since Maxwell's death.

Umbra Capital's underground headquarters was a hive of activity. Large monitor screens glowed, displaying stock market movements, building blueprints, and intelligence data.

Xavier sat in his command chair. He wore a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The demonic seal on his wrist occasionally pulsed with a faint blue light.

He took a slow drag of his cigarette. A cloud of gray smoke filled the room. He stared blankly at the lines of code on Lyra's monitor.

For the past three days, Xavier had been secretly monitoring the Aristhos Residence via a drone camera. He had seen Livia often sitting alone in the backyard garden. The girl's face was pale and sad. She kept looking at the silver pocket watch that Xavier used to wear.

Seeing Livia's sadness felt like a tight fist squeezing Xavier's chest. He wanted to whisper words of comfort. He wanted to make sure Livia knew her brother was still alive. But he could do nothing. This silence was the heaviest torture for the Devil of Wall Street.

"Boss," Lyra called, breaking the room's silence.

Xavier turned his head slowly. His eyes were as cold as ice. "What is it?"

Lyra walked to Xavier's desk. She carried a tablet displaying the profile of an old man with a stern face. Fenrir followed behind her, his muscular arms folded.

"Our preparations are complete," Lyra reported. She placed the tablet in front of Xavier. "This is our next target. Richard Vance. The most senior member of the board of directors and the mastermind behind the sabotage of your car."

Xavier stared at Richard's photo. A murderous aura instantly radiated from him. The air in the room grew noticeably colder.

"Where is he now?" Xavier asked, his voice a low, threatening rumble.

"The man is extremely paranoid," Fenrir answered. The giant shook his head slowly. "Since Maxwell's death, he hasn't left his corporate building. He's turned his headquarters into a fortress."

"Explain his security system," Xavier commanded.

Lyra tapped the tablet screen. A blueprint of a thirty-story office building appeared. Red dots blinked on every floor.

"Richard Vance has hired a full company of mercenaries from an elite military firm," Lyra explained seriously. "There are over a hundred heavily armed men guarding his building. Every floor is monitored by motion sensors, thermal scanners, and tracker dogs."

Xavier took another drag of his cigarette. "Can you shut down their security systems like you did at Henderson's office?"

"I can hack the cameras," Lyra answered. She bit her lower lip. "But their guards are too numerous. They patrol physically every five minutes. If we cut the power, they'll switch to analog backup radios that I can't intercept."

Fenrir nodded in agreement with Lyra's analysis.

"A direct infiltration of that building would be suicide," Fenrir said firmly. "Even with my physical strength, I can't withstand a barrage of bullets from a hundred automatic rifles simultaneously. We'd need a small army to break through."

The room fell silent. Lyra and Fenrir looked at their boss, awaiting his instructions. A direct, physical confrontation with Richard Vance was clearly impossible.

Xavier stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray. He stood slowly from his chair. He stared at the building blueprint on the tablet screen with a very thin, cold smile.

"We are not going to attack his building," Xavier said, his voice absolute. His eyes gleamed with demonic cunning. "We are going to make him come out on his own and offer up his neck voluntarily."

Lyra frowned, confused. "How, Boss?"

"Use the rest of the seven hundred million dollars we stole from Henderson," Xavier commanded. "Attack all of Richard's corporate lifelines on the stock market simultaneously. Freeze his operational assets. I want to see how his elite troops react when they don't receive their paychecks this month."

A wide smile spread across Lyra's face. She understood her boss's plan. "A tactic of cutting off the food chain. I like it very much."