Chapter 167: Chapter 162: Confrontation

-----

Annabelle and Scarlet were cherrypicked by Heisenberg and Beelzebub, and the reason Anna hadn’t been able to find them yet was because somebody else was dealing with them.

Someone else wasn’t the Demons, but their old companions, their family, and the survivors of the laboratories that escaped with them.

“What…?! Huh? Where are we?!”

“This is…! This presence…!”

Annabelle and Scarlet felt confused at first, not knowing where they were. Jeremias had teleported them somewhere far away, farther away than any other person who invaded the demonic castle.

In fact, it was inside a whole different section, on the upper levels, closer to where Heisenberg and Beelzebub oversaw the entire situation.

“You’ve finally come back to your family, Scarlet and Annabelle.”

“I wish this could have been different... But you’ve truly betrayed us, huh?”

And they were greeted by two figures from their past, who were also present. Two members of the Dawn of a New World, the oldest members, and those Scarlet and Annabelle always considered their big brother and big sister.

“It is a pity that things have come to this, but I cannot forgive you two for killing little Roy.”

A tall and muscular, brown-skinned man spoke, with a short gray beard and gray hair. He had a stoic and strong-looking face, sharp black eyes, and was wearing a white shirt and black pants.

The aura he emanated was strong enough to make the air feel heavier.

“Traitors… To think you would end up being convinced by those pathetic people born in luxury to join them and betray your family! You don’t deserve anything else than spite.”

And a beautiful, tall, purple-haired beauty spoke; her flawless face, accompanied by her sharp, snake-like eyes, made her resemble a femme fatale. Her curves were almost perfect, and her long, purple-colored nails added to the image.

The aura she emanated resembled an endless poisonous gas, spreading everywhere and making Scarlet and Annabelle begin to feel dizzy.

“Gustavo, Evelyn…” Scarlet said. “I knew that I would need to confront you, but even now, this is also hard for me.” Her Crimson Aura surged from her body. “We share the same past, but our thought processes are vastly different. You might be my family, but even then, I simply cannot allow you to sacrifice countless innocents just because you feel like it.”

“It is not because we feel like it, you dumb bitch!” Evelyn cried, her tongue resembling that of a snake. “We are doing this to send a message! It is to send a message that these damned people, who live in luxury and comfort, should begin to feel afraid; they should start to scream! This world has changed! The strong dominate the weak, and yet they don’t understand that.”

“You’re talking nonsense! Not even you can believe your own words, Evelyn!” Scarlet said it furiously. “I will no longer abide by such broken ideologies... The people of this world might be corrupted and damned, but there are also many wonderful people out there. Gentle people, lovely people, and those that keep struggling and fighting without end, for a better future! I want to believe in their future, not in the bleak future you want to build by using millions of innocent lives as its pillar.”

“You’ve gone way too far,” Gustavo said with a stern tone of voice, glancing at Annabelle. “Is it you that brainwashed little Annabelle? Don’t tell me this was all your scheme. She hasn’t said a word since we got here. Annabelle, if she’s manipulating you, come! We’ll save you and let us join again.”

“Annabelle, is she manipulating you?” Evelyn asked the girl.

Deep down, the two siblings still wanted to at least save one of them. Annabelle glanced back at them with eyes devoid of light.

She felt despair; she didn’t want to lose her precious family—the ones she had grown up with—that had helped her grow up and survive.

But if she decided to pretend Scarlet was manipulating them and join them again, she would then be forced to fight and kill Anna and her friends.

All the new memories she had made with them conflicted with the ones from her family.

She didn’t want to pick a side; she wanted to get along with everyone.

Tears started flowing from her eyes.

“Why can’t we all get along? Why do we all need to fight?!” She started crying as Scarlet, Gustavo, and Evelyn looked at the little girl. “I don’t want to kill you! I don’t want to fight you. But I don’t want to do what you want either. I have new friends, but I also... have a family! Why do you have to go so far?”

“Annabelle…” Gustavo fell silent after hearing her.

“Listen, dear, this society is not made for us. They used us as test subjects; they experimented on us. Don’t you still remember the agony of their experiments? The monsters they turned us into?" Asked Evelyn. “Wake up, Annabelle! These people you think are your friends... They’re the real monsters! We’ll purge them! I’ll show them that this world has changed! You should do so too. Stop believing they’re your friends!”

“T-They are my friends! Anna, and Baihe… even Kevin!” Annabelle continued crying, furrowing her eyebrows.

Her Aura erupted from her body, Demonic Energy surging and shaping into the form of a gigantic, menacing spider that sent chills down the spines of Gustavo and Evelyn.

“Annabelle, how strong has she grown?!”

“This power… She definitely didn’t have it before!”

Annabelle gripped her fists as a black armor resembling the exoskeleton of a spider surged over her body, giant spider-like legs popping out of her back.

Her eyes started glowing bright red.

“I will fight for them... Sniff… I won’t let you hurt them!!!” She continued crying as she made up her mind.

“So that is your decision.” Gustavo sighed, gripping his fists tightly. “Then there is no need to talk anymore... Let’s end this.” His body started growing larger; brown scales resembling rocky plates covered his torso and arms, and draconic horns grew from his forehead as his eyes glowed bright gold.

“Listen to me, Annabelle,” Evelyn said, purple scales growing around her body as a long snake-like tail grew from her back and her purple hair turned into many snakes. “This is more painful to us than it is to you!”

Every Chimera had a transformation ability; this was their Unique Trait created from the experiments done on them.

They were incredible results of science, but they were made from a terrible experiment and forced to become monsters against their will.

This was the reason why they resented humanity so much and why they wanted to destroy the weak and dominate the strong.

“You talk with such fancy words, even though you’re just sick bastards willing to kill your own sister just because you want to keep obeying that psycho.” Said Scarlet, her skin turning paler as her eyes glowed with an even brighter crimson glow, a pair of bat-like wings surging from her back. “Unlike you two, I’ll be with Annabelle till the end.”

“SHUT UP!”

Evelyn grew more furious before Scarlet’s words, rushing towards her and attacking furiously. Her body kept growing longer as her legs turned into a long snake-like tail.

“SHAAAH!”

Using her enormous purple claws, she attacked Scarlet at near lightning speed, with explosions of venomous toxins and poisonous gases engulfing Scarlet with each blow she blocked with her Blood Magic.

“I’ll make you understand once more the pain and agony we’ve gone through, SCARLET!!!”

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

“There is no need! I would rather not remember it anymore, unlike you, who keep thinking about your suffering without trying to move on! There is more to this world than our own pain and agony! I will FIGHT for that!”

The image of Jack, Anna, and Annabelle passed through Scarlet’s mind—the three most precious people in the world—who had taught her this world was much more than a bleak post-apocalyptic landscape.

“YOU FOOL!”

Evelyn’s snake hair waved, opening their jaws and firing beams of purple energy. Her poison magic could manifest in many forms, even energy!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Scarlet barely managed to create a barrier made of Blood Energy, blocking the attacks, but she saw how the venom was easily melting her barrier with each attack.

“Tch, you’ve gotten stronger after making a pact with that horrible demon, isn’t it? I used to be stronger than you!”

The Vampiress mocked her big sister as she conjured dozens of spears of blood, spiraling with magnificent amounts of Mana!

“{Blood Spear Rain}!”

“That’s long in the past, little sister!”

Evelyn waved her claws rapidly, destroying every projectile that sent her away!

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

Meanwhile, at the same time, Annabelle confronted Gustavo, who was looking at her with an empty stare, she couldn’t tell if he was grieving or simply absent-minded while fighting to the death.

“Big brother Gustavo, is this really what you want?!”

“…”

Annabelle asked such words while crying, but Gustavo simply greeted her with his titanic, scaled fists, shattering the ground with each missed attack.

BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM!

“Please answer me!”

Annabelle gathered her powers into her claws, her Aura transforming as it showed thousands of spiders emerging from within, fusing and transforming into a giant claw!

CRASH!

However, Gustavo was almost unscathed, his scales falling apart only for new ones to regrow anew. His eyes glanced back at her.

“I’m sorry, Annabelle. But you’re already dead to me.”

“Eh?”

Annabelle felt taken aback by such a declaration. Gustavo’s mind was so firm he had already declared she was dead, and he was simply processing that, mourning her, even when she was alive in front of her.

It meant he would never go back on his words, and to him, she was going to die no matter what. Making it a fact... His level of hypocrisy knew no bounds.

“Y-You’re not… serious, right?”

Annabelle couldn’t believe such harsh words, but she was quickly reminded of the insanity of her family members as Gustavo’s arms transformed into gigantic spears.

“I’m sorry, Annabelle. I swore your brother I would kill you if you didn’t change your mind. So that is what I’ll do.”

CRASH!

Annabelle was thrown away with tremendous force, half her armor shattering into pieces as she felt her insides shaking and even some of her ribs breaking.

BAAAMM!

“Annabelle!”

Scarlet tried to go for her aid, only to be stopped by Evelyn, who swiftly moved in front of her, pointing her claws at her.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” She roared furiously. “You have your problems to worry about!”

Her claws reached Scarlet in a flash, as the Vampiress conjured barrier after barrier to block or evade the attacks while firing projectiles of blood against her.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

“Hahahah! Is this all you’ve got?!” Evelyn laughed, enjoying the thrill. “Heavens, you sure have gotten weaker, Scarlet! Maybe spending too much time with those pathetic humans has made you softer.”

“Softer? Me?!” Scarlet roared furiously, suddenly channeling more of her powers.

Two giant hands with sharp claws surged from her Aura, made out of her Blood Energy and accumulated Mana.

“Surely, you jest!”

The giant fists attacked Evelyn, generating huge shockwaves and explosions of crimson energy, shattering her scales, and pushing her further away.

BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM!

“Ugh…!”

Evelyn started to struggle as Scarlet smiled, gathering more of her powers and attacking her nonstop!

“Evelyn, you’ve got a long way before you can catch up to me! There is a reason why I am known as an S-Rank Hunter!”

“Heh… Is that so?!”

Evelyn, however, responded with a cocky smile, her Aura erupting with Demonic Energy as the snakes composing her hair suddenly spit a dangerous venom!

SPLASH!

The deadly venom splattered over Scarlet’s giant Crimson Claws, slowly beginning to turn them both into stone.

Crack, crack…!

CRASH!

And making them collapse.

“What?!”

Scarlet was taken aback when she saw this. She couldn’t believe what had just happened! She knew that Evelyn was imbued with the genes of several snake-like monsters.

But were there the genes of a Medusa in them?

“Petrifying Venom?!” Scarlet asked. “Since when…?!”

“Since Beelzebub granted me this powerful Demonic Stigma!”

Evelyn laughed devilishly as she rushed towards Scarlet, her hair snakes spitting the venom against her nonstop!

“Shit!”

Scarlet quickly evaded and flew away, conjuring shields of blood that swiftly turned into stones once touched.

Usually, magic wouldn’t be turned into stone, but Scarlet was especially affected because it was blood magic.

Blood was, technically, alive; it was made of red cells, even as powerful as it could become through Blood Energy.

In the end, it was weak to petrification!

“All your attacks will simply turn into stone, dear little Scarlet!”

Evelyn glanced at Scarlet, who was retreating into the skies.

“Now, I wonder... What will you do~?”

“Tch…!”

At the same time, Annabelle slowly stood back up, glaring at the titan of Gustav that was slowly approaching.

“H-He’s so strong… My armor has already been destroyed.” She thought, gritting her teeth. “Do I even stand a chance against big brother Gustavo?”

As despair was slowly beginning to contaminate the hearts of Scarlet and Annabelle,

RUMBLE!

The entire Demonic Castle started to tremble.

Crack, crack…!

CRASH!

As countless cracks appeared everywhere, several parts of the castle collapsed!

“What’s going on?!” Evelyn looked around.

“The castle's... collapsing?! Impossible…” Gustavo said.

“Huh?”

Scarlet looked into one of the crevices as she saw a single, red-scaled snake crawl out of the hole.

And then another, and another...

Dozens.

Hundreds…

Thousands.

Millions!

“SHAAAAHHH!!”

-----