Supreme Demon Emperor Returns

6. The First Death of Humanity

The silence in Arthur’s apartment felt heavier than the gunfire that had just subsided. The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder, blood, and despair. Xavier stood frozen in the doorway, his cold gaze locked on the pistol barrel pressed against Arthur’s temple. Fenrir and Lyra stood still behind him, ready to strike at any moment, but this hostage situation rendered their brute strength useless.

"Drop your weapons, all of you," the masked man hissed. His voice was calm and professional, without a single tremor. "I only need one second to pull this trigger."

"We aren't carrying firearms," Lyra replied in a flat tone just as cold. "You can see for yourself."

"Oh yeah? Then why are my friends downstairs dead? Were they stabbed with pens?" the man mocked. "I don’t care who you are. Back off now, or this old man becomes a corpse."

Xavier raised his left hand slowly, a gesture of surrender. "Easy. You win. What do you want?"

The masked man let out a short laugh. "Smart. I like people who know when to give up. What do I want? I want you all to turn around, walk out of this building, and forget everything you saw tonight. I’m taking this old-timer for further interrogation with my boss."

"That is not going to happen," Xavier said.

"What did you say?"

"I said," Xavier repeated, taking a single step forward, "you are not taking him anywhere."

The masked man immediately cocked his pistol. "Are you crazy? I'll shoot him right now!"

"Then shoot," Xavier replied without blinking. "But before your bullet leaves the chamber, I guarantee your throat will be in the hands of my friend behind me. You’re fast, but my friend is faster. Do you want to gamble?"

The man hesitated for a moment. He glanced at Fenrir, who stood like a mountain of stone behind Xavier. The killing intent radiating from Fenrir was so thick it could be felt physically. Fear began to creep into the masked man’s eyes. He knew Xavier’s bluff was no empty threat.

"Okay, okay, take it easy," he said, lowering the pistol barrel slightly. "We can negotiate. You want those documents, right? I know where he hid them. We can trade."

"I do not negotiate with corpses," Xavier answered.

At that moment, Xavier decided to take a risk. He lacked the physical strength to fight, but he still had his magic. He would try the same trick he had used on Marcus. Hacking the mind.

He focused his demonic energy, drawing power from the seal on his wrist. He could feel his veins beginning to burn. His injured right arm screamed in agony. He ignored it.

He looked straight into the masked man’s eyes.

*Now. Behold hell.*

The shadows in the corner of the room began to move, lengthening and dancing. To Fenrir and Lyra, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But to the masked man, the apartment walls around him began to melt like wax. The floor beneath his feet turned into a boiling sea of blood. Arthur’s face hanging above him transformed into a grinning skull.

"W-what is this?" the man stammered, his grip on the pistol wavering.

Xavier felt a surge of victory. His magic was working.

"This is your sin," Xavier whispered, his voice sounding as if it came from all directions. "This is the payment for all the lives you have taken."

"No! This isn't real! It’s just an illusion!" The man shook his head frantically, trying to fight back.

"Of course it isn't real," Xavier said. "But the pain is very real."

Xavier increased the pressure. He projected the illusion of fire beginning to lick at the masked man’s feet. The man screamed, feeling the sensation of his skin burning even though there was no fire at all.

At the same time, Xavier felt something go wrong inside his body. His lungs suddenly felt as though they were being squeezed. The air around him felt thin. He coughed. Once. Then twice. A painful, dry cough.

*Damn it. The side effects are coming faster than expected.*

The masked man, amidst his hallucinations, saw Xavier cough. His soldier's instincts immediately took over. He realized his opponent was in a weakened state.

"You. You’re in pain too," he hissed, grinning behind his mask. He raised his pistol again, this time with renewed resolve. "Whatever your magic is, it's killing you too, isn't it?"

Before Xavier could react, a violent coughing fit struck him. This time it wasn't a dry cough. He spat a glob of fresh blood onto the floor. His knees buckled. He fell to his knees, clutching a chest that felt like it was being pierced by thousands of hot needles.

"Boss!" Lyra cried out.

Seeing their leader fall, Fenrir immediately lunged forward. But he was too late.

The masked man aimed his pistol at Xavier’s forehead. "Die, you bastard!"

Arthur, who had been hanging between life and death, suddenly opened his eyes. He saw Xavier kneeling helplessly. He saw the pistol barrel aimed at the head of the Aristhos family’s last hope.

In that split second, the dying old man made a choice.

"Xavier," he whispered weakly.

With his final ounce of strength, Arthur swung his hanging body, using the momentum to slam into the masked man from the side.

*BRAK.*

The masked man was shoved aside. His shot went wide, the bullet embedding itself in the wall a few centimeters from Xavier’s head.

But the sacrifice came at a high price.

Enraged that his attack had failed, the masked man spun around and fired the rest of his magazine into Arthur’s chest without mercy.

*BANG. BANG. BANG.*

Three red holes gaped in the old man’s chest. His hanging body jerked violently, then went limp. Life had left his eyes.

"ARTHUR!" Xavier roared.

Seeing his primary target dead, the masked man wasted no time. He turned and leaped out the window, landing on the fire escape outside.

"Do not let him escape!" Xavier shouted.

Fenrir did not need to be told twice. He leaped out the same window, pursuing the killer with predatory speed.

Lyra rushed to Xavier, trying to help him up. "Boss, you’re bleeding."

But Xavier brushed her off. He crawled with great effort across the cold floor, reaching the spot where Arthur hung. The chains snapped on their own, and Arthur’s lifeless body fell into Xavier’s arms.

"Arthur, why?" Xavier whispered, his voice breaking. He looked at the face of the man who had faithfully served his grandfather his entire life. The man who should have enjoyed his retirement in peace.

Arthur’s open eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling. From his torn pocket, a small metal object fell into the pool of blood. An old silver pocket watch. A gift from Xavier’s grandfather years ago.

Xavier picked up the cracked pocket watch. Its surface was cold and wet with blood.

Something inside Xavier snapped. Something warm and human, which he had tried so hard to keep in the deepest corner of his soul, shattered into pieces. His compassion. The remnants of his empathy. All of it vanished, replaced by a cold void and a burning rage.

He no longer felt the pain. He no longer felt sadness. He only felt empty.

Fenrir climbed back through the window, his hands covered in fresh blood. "It is done, Master. He will speak no more."

Xavier did not turn around. He slowly laid Arthur’s body on the floor, gently closing the old man’s eyes. Then he stood up.

Lyra took a step back when she saw Xavier’s eyes. The dark brown color had vanished completely. In its place were two balls of blue hellfire burning with terrifying intensity. The killing aura emanating from his body was so thick it made the air around him vibrate.

He looked at the silver pocket watch in his hand, then tucked it into his breast pocket.

"Lyra," he said. His voice was no longer raspy. It was flat, sharp, and entirely devoid of emotion. "Give me the full data on Marcus. The logistics director who prepared that car."

Lyra nodded without question. "It will be ready in five minutes."

"Good," Xavier said. "From now on, there are no more negotiations. No more tactics. Only slaughter."