The Damned Demon

Chapter 766: The Dead Don't Let Go



Rowena's vision blurred as her surroundings seemed to fade into a haze of chaos. Her body trembled, her mana reserves utterly depleted, and Flaralis's labored breaths echoed behind her.

She glanced at her dragon, his massive frame bleeding and battered, and her heart ached with guilt. In the distance, her castle loomed, its dark spires barely visible through the haze of smoke and flames.

Her crimson eyes dimmed as she silently whispered in her mind, "Forgive me, Father. I failed you and our kingdom."

Drakar's voice pierced through the din, smooth and taunting, "If you surrender now, I will spare whatever is left of your kingdom and your people," he called out, his lips curling into a sly smile. His tone was calculated, testing to see if the proud woman would finally break. She reminded him quite a lot of that bitch who was once his wife. Maybe he found the right replacement.

Rowena's body wavered slightly, an indescribable strain coursing through her. She placed a hand briefly over her abdomen, the faintest flicker of life within reminding her of the growing child in her womb. She clenched her teeth, grimacing as pain shot through her. But even as her body begged for rest, her mind refused to falter.

She straightened her back, forcing herself to stand tall despite the agony. Surrendering was not an option. She would rather die fighting than allow her people to bend the knee to someone like Drakar, who would turn their lives into an endless nightmare.

With a cold, defiant gaze, Rowena silently raised her whip. Its black coils shimmered faintly, the last remnants of her mana pooling into her weapon. She was prepared to fight again, even if it meant her last stand.

Drakar sneered, his sinister smile widening. "You foolish woman. Do you seriously think you can go down fighting? No..." His eyes gleamed with malice as he hefted his glaive. "I'm going to make sure you stay alive, just so I can savor the moment I break you." His laughter echoed across the battlefield, chilling the air.

But suddenly, the battlefield fell into a strange silence, pierced only by the faintest melody- a haunting, ethereal song that seemed to seep into the very marrow of the soldiers present. The melody carried a strange power, sending tremors through the souls of Drakar's men.

"What is this?" Drakar growled, his grin fading as the song reached his ears. He quickly channeled mana to block the sound, shouting, "Quickly! Seal your ears!"

But it was too late. Hundreds of his soldiers began staggering, their eyes glazing over as the song took hold of them. Like puppets on strings, they turned on their comrades, their weapons cutting down their fellow soldiers with no hesitation. The battlefield erupted into chaos as the possessed soldiers clashed with those who struggled to resist the song's influence.

Rowena's brows briefly raised in surprise as she turned her head toward the source of the melody. Emerging from the darkness, marching behind a line of armored soldiers, was Isola.

She moved with regal grace, her presence commanding, and behind her marched 500 Umbralfiend warriors, their faces shrouded in darkness but their movements sharp and disciplined.

"Isola..." Rowena mumbled weakly, the name slipping from her lips as a faint glimmer of shock and recognition crossed her face. Of all the people, she hadn't expected Isola to come. She had every reason to help her own people rather than come here, let alone bring so many elite soldiers with her, with dozens of them being low-level Soul Devourers.

As the chaos raged on, Isola approached Rowena, her melodic song ceasing but leaving its effects rippling through the battlefield.

Her cool blue eyes met Rowena's as she spoke, her voice calm yet earnest, "I know you are angry at me, and I understand if you won't forgive me for not telling you the truth. But it was never mine to tell, nor did I want to break your trust. For now, let's just focus on getting through this together."

Rowena's crimson eyes flickered, a complicated light flashing through them as she gazed at Isola. The harsh words she had spoken to her earlier echoed in her mind, yet here Isola was, standing beside her. Despite everything, she had come to help.

Rowena gave a silent nod, her expression softening briefly before her gaze hardened once more as they turned to face Drakar and his men.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Drakar's face twisted into a snarl as he surveyed the chaos among his soldiers. The sight of them turning on each other made his blood boil. He realized he would have to sacrifice even more of his own men to deal with this annoying umbralfiend princess, but he was determined to make it worth it.

Meanwhile, toward the north of the kingdom, the towns were ablaze, their streets painted red with the blood of soldiers and civilians alike.

Amid the destruction, the soldiers of House Thorne and several noble houses fought valiantly under the command of Lord Thorin. His mastery over death arts made him a horrifying sight on the battlefield. With each draconian he cut down, he animated their corpses, turning them into undead monstrosities.

The undead draconians, their eyes glowing with a sinister dark blue light, staggered back into the fray, their jagged weapons striking their former allies. The battlefield was a grotesque theater of life and death, the line between the two blurred as Thorin's death arts turned the tide against the invaders.

Nearby, Esther fought alongside her soldiers, her commanding voice cutting through the chaos. Her summoned Death Knight, a harbinger of despair, stood like a shadow of death amidst the carnage. Its skeletal visage, twisted with malice, seemed to drain the morale of the draconians as it moved with terrifying speed, cutting through their ranks with a single sweep of its massive blade.

Not far from Esther, Sabina, and Silvia battled fiercely alongside Umbralfiend warriors, crushing the draconian soldiers from both sides in a pincer move.

Sabina, panting heavily, wiped blood from her dark blue gown, her smirk defiant despite the exhaustion. "I never expected these stone-headed Umbralfiends would come in handy on a day like this," she said, her voice tinged with grim satisfaction.

Silvia's gaze shifted suddenly, her eyes widening with alarm, "Oh no... Look there," she gasped, her voice trembling.

Sabina's smirk faded as she followed Silvia's gaze. Tens of thousands of draconians poured into the battlefield like an unending tide, their bloodthirsty cries echoing through the

burning streets.

They even seemed a bit stronger than the ones they just fought. It seemed like they were purposefully sent here to fight them while they were spent and injured.

The battlefield roared with chaos, a cacophony of clashing steel, anguished cries, and the sickening thuds of bodies hitting the blood-soaked ground.

Lord Thorin, the once-unstoppable force commanding the defenders, faltered, his movements sluggish and labored.

Sweat and blood dripped from his brow as his deadly death arts, which had animated countless fallen draconians to fight for him, began to wane. His mana reserves were spent, his body weakened from the relentless assault.

The draconian generals, sensing his exhaustion and waiting for this opportunity, converged on him like vultures. Their glowing red eyes gleamed with malicious intent as they lunged

toward him.

Thorin swung his dark blade, slicing through the first wave of attackers, but he couldn't keep up. The second wave overwhelmed him, their spears piercing through his armor, their claws tearing into his flesh.

A pained grunt escaped his lips as he fell to his knees, blood pooling beneath him. His undead soldiers, once an unyielding shield, crumbled to dust as his death magic faltered entirely. The draconians snarled in triumph as their blades drove into his chest, pinning him to the ground like a broken figure in the eye of the storm.

But just as they tried to pull out their blades to see the light in his eyes fade, a few undead rose from the ground and trapped the draconian generals on the spot by wrapping their dead arms

around them.

The draconian generals were shocked but gritted their teeth as they tried to struggle free.

But then their figures were lit up with a chilling dark blue light as they looked down.

Thorin, his dying body glowing with an eerie, deadly blue light, gave them one last indifferent look, "Struggle all you want. The dead don't let go... and neither will I," Saying so, an earthshaking blast of dark blue light spread out in a sphere-like shape for hundreds of meters, reducing every draconian trapped in the sphere to get shredded apart by the hands of

death.

From across the battlefield, Esther turned as she felt the entire ground beneath her shake. Seeing the dark blue sphere flickering away in the distance and the thousands of dead draconians, she realized what just happened.

Without hesitation, she flew towards that spot. Her staff glowed faintly as she reached his side, the chaos of battle fading into a muffled hum around her.

Thorin's breaths were shallow, each one a struggle as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His skeletal hand weakly reached out, and Esther knelt beside him, clutching it

tightly.

In a hoarse, rasping voice, he said, "Protect... our secrets... no matter what. I am trusting you...

with this."

Esther's lips parted, disbelief flashing across her face. Even in his dying breath, he was more concerned about the secrets of House Thorne than himself or his family.

The thought burned within her like an icy shard. She didn't even know what to say as she saw the light fade from his eyes. His head slumped back, and his hand went limp in hers.

For a moment, the chaos of the battlefield seemed to still, as if the world itself acknowledged the death of one of its titans. But Esther felt no grief.

She sat frozen, clutching his lifeless hand, her expression hardening into one of cold disappointment. He was ambitious, ruthless yet consumed by duty to their house. Not far away, Sabina caught sight of her father's fall. Her breath hitched as an unexpected

stab of pain pierced her chest. Her grip on her bloodied chain tightened as she whispered, "No..." Her heart clenched, the weight of reality sinking in. No matter what kind of man he had been, he was still her father.

Sabina's eyes burned with unshed tears as a low, simmering rage began to boil within her.

She stared at the draconians who had swarmed her father, her teeth gritted so hard it felt as though they would crack. "How dare you... How dare you filthy draconians..." she mumbled, her voice trembling with uncontained fury.

Without waiting, she surged forward, her bloodied chain unfurling with a sharp, metallic snap. Her voice rose to a roar as she charged into the fray, "I'll kill every last one of you!"