CHAPTER 267: 267. SHE’S HERE

Somewhere in a subterranean facility riddled with prison chambers and cruel torture instruments soaked in history’s agonies, Max let out a wicked laugh that echoed off the bloodstained walls. Everything was going exactly as he had orchestrated. That boy Asher was dancing like a puppet on his strings, reacting exactly the way Max wanted him to. He’d expected a meltdown, maybe a tantrum in public, something that’d paint him as the villain.

But this... this was better.

He’d gone beyond expectations. He burned buildings to a crisp. Whole blocks burnt, and turned into skeletons of their former selves. The only silver lining for the kingdom was that most of the citizens had managed to escape in time but the chaos, the fear,and the scars Asher left behind were vivid and unforgettable.

Max leaned back, enjoying the chaos unfold, but at the same time, his eyes began gleaming with a sadistic curiosity.

Where was this brat getting such power?

It wasn’t normal for a mere man to possess such power. This was not raw talent, not standard magic. Could it be... a contract? With a devil? Just like them?

His thoughts drifted to that demon hound that was with Asher’s mother. That beast was no simple summoned pet. It had aura and a presence that reeked like that of a demon.

Maybe this kid really had signed with a demon from the upper tiers—perhaps even one that stood in the same league as Number One.

He clicked his tongue. "So the little freak’s joined the club, huh?"

No matter. It changed nothing.

He turned towards the two men behind him, both clad in black hoodies, their faces hidden beneath shadows.

"I think you can stop the broadcast now," Max muttered darkly. "Any longer and the kid’s gonna bring down the whole damn kingdom."

The two men silently obeyed, snapping their grimoires shut. The flickering holograms that had broadcasted Asher’s rampage across the kingdom fizzled out. Silence reclaimed the dark chamber.

Max’s men that were previously masked with balaclavas to hide their identities pulled them off, revealing cold, expressionless faces. In the corner, still bound in a cruel posture, Asher’s mother, Onalenna, lay gagged, her breaths shallow behind the black mask wrapped tightly around her face.

"Shohld we fuck her, boss?" one of the men asked, his voice gritty.

Max’s gaze lazily drifted over Onalenna’s exposed vulnerable body, a crooked grin forming. "Nah... she’s mine. After I finish playing with her son."

The other man growled low, clearly displeased. "So... what should we do about this?"

He pointed downward at his erect cock.

Max gave an annoyed grunt. "I don’t care. Jerk off or something. Watch her while you’re at it, but outside the cell!"

With begrudging growls, the men shuffled away, hands already working their frustration as Max slammed the steel door shut. Behind the bars, their eyes remained glued to the helpless woman inside as they jerked off to her sight while Max and the two cloaked men walked away.

**

Meanwhile...

In the heart of the capital, as the last remnants of the holographic broadcast disappeared into static, Asher lowered his hands. His breaths were ragged, his chest heaving from the exertion of his magic as he stood amidst the chaos he’d unleashed.

"Put your hands behind your back or you’ll face terrible consequences!!" Ravaine’s voice cut through the air. She and her knights slowly advanced, careful not to provoke another outburst of fire from Asher. The memory of his last blast still burned in their minds.

But Asher didn’t lash out again. His breathing calmed. His clenched fists loosened. Sharon moved quietly behind him, her arms wrapping around his torso. She didn’t speak—there was nothing she could say. The damage was already done. All she could offer was her presence.

One of the knights moved too quickly.

A lightning spell zipped toward them, crackling midair before wrapping around their bodies. The electricity bit into their flesh, pinning their arms against their sides before they collapsed, twitching.

"Apprehend the criminals!" Ravaine barked, her voice commanding.

Knights surged forward, capturing Asher and Sharon, binding their arms with enchanted cuffs. Their bodies were dragged through the wreckage, thrown onto the backs of horses like sacks of grain, and hauled toward the kingdom’s prison.

The crowd of people whuch was once cowering in fear, now reemerged from hiding. Some cheered, grateful to see justice served. Others wept—injured, displaced, or ruined. Stall owners whose livelihoods had turned to ash sobbed at what little remained of their lives.

**

Thirty minutes later...

The steel slammed shut behind Asher and Sharon, locking them into a damp, rancid cell buried deep in the prison’s belly.

"Let me go, you bastards!!" Asher roared as the guards ignored him, their laughter echoing as they vanished into the halls.

"Tch... This kingdom’s full of meat-heads!" he growled, pacing like a caged wolf. "They think they can keep me locked in here? I’ll blow this whole place apart!!"

"Brother, stop!!" Sharon’s voice cut through the madness, grabbing his hand. "You’re only going to make it worse! What happened to you? You’re not the type to lose control like that. Breathe. Calm your mind!"

Asher exhaled through clenched teeth, rubbing his temples. He had snapped. His vision had blurred the moment he saw those men touching themselves in front of his bound mother. His deepest insecurity, the one buried under layers of trauma had surfaced. The thought of someone else violating the woman he loves had brought flashes of his past life across his mind, how his wife was fucked by another man, her moans beneath a servant. The garden boy. It all had pushed him to lash out.

I swear... if that bastard Max so much as touch my mom, I’ll....

But brooding in a cage wouldn’t save her.

He reached into his item box and summoned his demon sword. Its obsidian edge pulsed as tendrils lashed out, biting into his wrists and drinking deep into his blood.

The world around him darkened. Fire crackled. A horned silhouette emerged, flames licking its body—the demon he had contracted: Ifrit.

"Oh, what a pitiful little wielder," Ifrit sneered, arms folded. "What do I look like to you? Some toy to be shoved in your inventory and ignored?"

"Shut up," Asher spat. "I summon you when I want. I own you."

"Tch." Ifrit turned and spat flaming saliva onto the burning floor. "Still cocky. Some things never change."

"I need something," Asher said, voice sharp. "Find my mother. Can you do that?"

The demon cocked an eyebrow. "Wow... no ’please’? No manners, huh?"

Asher simply stared at him, cold and unamused.

Ifrit sighed. "Fine, fine. Don’t cry about it when you drop dead from blood loss. This spell’s going to cost a lot."

The demon closed its eyes, pressing hands together like a monk. The flames around them dimmed.

A moment passed.

Then he opened his eyes.

"Well?" Asher demanded.

"I found a trace," Ifrit said. "But something’s blocking me. A demonic barrier. She’s not in this world... more like a pocket dimension hidden between realms. Invisible and inaccessible. But it’s close.

Asher’s fists clenched. "How close?"

"Very close."

The flames snuffed out. Reality snapped back. Asher collapsed, the sword slipping from his hand, its tendrils uncoiling with a hiss.

"Brother!!!" Sharon’s terrified voice dragged him out of the void. "You were standing there like a corpse! That sword—it was drinking your blood!! I couldn’t pull it out of your hand!"

Asher stood, cracking his shoulders. Damn demon almost drained him dry.

He shoved the sword back into his inventory and gave her a weak smirk.

"I’m fine. Mom is close. I just don’t know where exactly."

"But... Pufflet didn’t catch her scent," Sharon whispered.

"Because she’s not in this world. She’s nearby... but somewhere else."

Sharon frowned. "That makes no sense."

"It will. We just can’t find her while we’re trapped in here. We’re breaking out."

He summoned a blade of darkness, slashing through the metal bars. Sparks flew. The prison cell collapsed open.

Around them, prisoners stirred.

"Hey... you freeing us too?" "Let me out!!" "Please, I didn’t even do anything!! Free me too!!"

Asher grinned.

"Sharon, get out with the others. I’ll catch up to you, wherever you go. I promise."

"What are you—"

He didn’t wait. Cell after cell, he slashed them open, unleashing chaos. Inmates poured out, swarming the halls. Guards who were upstairs screamed when they saw the prisoners comjng straight at them, overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Sharon slipped out amidst the confusion.

Asher went to his invisible mode and stalked through the prison like a ghost.

"System," he commanded. "Detect any demonic miasma nearby. Alert me immediately."

[System Analyzation: In Progress]

He passed through the fleeing crowd, walking unseen beneath the cover of mayhem. Street after street, his system scanned the air.

Eventually, it pinged.

[Demonic Miasma Detected] [Current Level: 10%]

His path led him to a towering mansion of a noble with pristine white marble walls, golden gates, and a red tiled roof. This was Yolie’s estate—the S-rank guildmaster of Zephandria.

[Miasma: 78%] [Miasma Concentration Increasing]

He hovered over the gate, unseen by the guards stationed there. The deeper he moved into the property, the more suffocating the atmosphere became.

[Miasma: 78%... Proximity Alert—Source Within Reach]

Asher stood before the grand double doors of the mansion.

His eyes narrowed.

"She’s here."

TBC