The Damned Demon

Just as the massive army of Hunters poised themselves for an all-out assault upon the Infinity Tower, the gloomy Martian skies were abruptly illuminated by a brilliant flash of blue light. The gathered forces paused instantly, their heads snapping upwards, weapons lowering slightly as a gigantic holographic projection filled the sky before the tower’s grand entrance. Gasps rippled through the army like a wave as the face of a stunning young woman materialized clearly above them, her features immediately recognizable to all present.

Gregory’s expression darkened sharply, disbelief flickering dangerously in his eyes. Lena stiffened beside him, green eyes narrowing suspiciously at the familiar figure hovering imposingly above them.

“Rachel?” Gregory muttered sharply, confusion and anger tightening his voice. “What the hell is she doing instead of trying to escape?”

Rachel Sterling’s enormous projection loomed serenely, yet solemnly above the gathered Hunters, her vivid blue eyes scanning the vast assembly. For a moment, silence stretched tensely across the plaza, everyone shocked, never expecting her to show up all of a sudden.

What was she even doing in the tower? Or was she taken as a hostage?

“My fellow Hunters,” Rachel’s voice, calm yet powerful, resonated clearly, echoing off the surrounding buildings and silencing the murmurs of confusion. “You have gathered here today under false pretenses. You believe you’re fighting for a just cause, protecting humanity under the guidance of my father, Derek Sterling. But you have no idea of the monster you’ve blindly followed.”

Her words sent a ripple of shock through the army, eyes widening, whispers of uncertainty swiftly spreading. Gregory, feeling panic clawing at him, quickly raised his voice, cutting sharply through the confusion:

“That is not Rachel Sterling! This projection is a fake!” he shouted desperately, veins bulging on his temples. “Rachel would never speak such treacherous words—especially now, when she is safely secluded with her mother! This is a pathetic attempt to manipulate you all!”

But Rachel’s giant hologram turned sharply, gaze locked sternly onto Gregory, her voice firm and unwavering, silencing his frantic outburst. “Enough, Greg. Your deception ends here. The truth will no longer be hidden.”

Turning back to the army, her expression softened slightly, carrying a sense of deep sorrow. “You have all been deceived by my father’s dangerous ambitions. Many of you have allowed him to implant the deadly M.A.M technology into your very bodies. Yes, it grants you temporary power and almost makes you feel invincible. But at what cost?”

She paused dramatically, letting her words sink in before continuing gravely, “Every second you use the M.A.M device, it rapidly consumes your lifespan, destroying your body from within. Within a few short years, many of you will simply drop dead, unaware of the toll it’s taken until it’s far too late.”

Stunned silence enveloped the vast army as the shocking revelation resonated deeply. Faces paled, weapons lowered unconsciously, uncertainty and disbelief swirling fiercely in their eyes.

She had to be kidding, right?

Lena’s expression grew darker, her fists tightening, her eyes getting coldly calculative while Gregory became more frantic. He surged forward again, voice cracking desperately:

“Do not listen to these outrageous lies!” Gregory shouted vehemently, desperate to reclaim control. “She is deceiving you! Rachel Sterling would never betray her own father, her family, her people!”

Rachel’s expression hardened again, determination blazing fiercely as she confronted Gregory’s denial head-on. “I never betrayed our people, unlike you and my father. Did you know, my people, that my mother and I tried to stop him when we discovered his evil crimes? And what did Derek do?”

Rachel’s voice wavered slightly, yet she pressed forward resolutely, her words clear and unflinching, “He imprisoned us—his own wife and daughter—to silence the truth. We’ve been locked away in the bottom of this very tower, suffering for daring to defy his monstrous plans.”

Gasps erupted loudly from the vast assembly, disbelief and horror etched upon countless faces. Gregory was nearly hysterical now, sweat trickling down his temples as he roared desperately:

“Lies! Complete fabrications! You can spout nonsense as long as you have a tongue, Rachel Sterling, but no one here will—”

“Oh, so you finally admitted I am the real Rachel?” Rachel scoffed in disdain, making Gregory suck air and gulp as he realized how he fucked himself over.

While stunned by his own stupidity, Rachel’s hologram shifted dramatically. Suddenly, the projected face of Derek himself appeared clearly, standing behind reinforced glass in a cold, sterile lab. Murmurs of shock rippled loudly through the crowd, eyes locked in disbelief upon the projection as Rachel’s solemn voice spoke over it.

“This is Derek Sterling, your beloved leader, watching as innocent humans undergo horrific experiments. Look closely—these victims beg and scream for mercy, pleading desperately for the experiments to stop. And what does Derek do? He signals them to continue even if he knew nothing might come out of it.”

The projection vividly depicted human subjects writhing violently in pain, crying out helplessly while Derek’s calm, indifferent expression remained unmoved. Rachel’s voice shook slightly with rage and sorrow as she continued fiercely:

“These are not demons or enemies—these are innocent humans, fellow Hunters even, suffering under his evil acts. But it doesn’t end there.”

The projection switched swiftly again, scenes shifting rapidly, clearly showing young demons and human prisoners held in chains, subjected to brutal and illegal experimentation. Doctors forced invasive procedures upon them, children and teenagers alike sobbing and screaming as horrific tests were conducted mercilessly.

Rachel continued, her voice filled with fury and despair, “And here are the innocent children—demons and humans alike—captured and brutally tortured under Derek’s orders, all in his quest for power. Ask yourselves, is this the leader you want to follow? Is this the justice you swore to uphold?”

The crowd was openly horrified, weapons now hanging limply at their sides. Hunters exchanged uneasy, appalled glances, murmuring louder and louder in disbelief.

Desperation twisted Gregory’s features as he shouted helplessly once more, “This is all fabricated! Fake footage designed to manipulate you! Rachel has betrayed us—betrayed humanity itself!”

But Rachel remained firm and unyielding, ignoring Gregory’s frantic shouts. “If anyone still thinks I am lying, then see this.”

The hologram shifted one final time, projecting a respected mana expert clearly stating, “The M.A.M technology, despite initial promise, is fundamentally flawed. It exponentially drains the user’s lifespan. Its use will inevitably lead to catastrophic bodily failure. Any continued implementation is simply a death sentence.”

Rachel’s solemn face reappeared, her gaze calm but piercing. “These recordings were all recovered from the very Infinity Tower behind me. Nothing has been altered or manipulated. This is the unvarnished truth Derek has hidden from you. But the even more horrifying truth is that there are much more ugly acts of his left to be exposed but now we don’t have the time for that. Billions of lives are at stake now and every second counts.”

The crowd erupted, voices rising sharply, countless Hunters openly questioning, debating heatedly. Expert Hunters within their ranks quickly analyzed the footage, their own shocked voices loudly confirming its authenticity:

“These are real!”

“Impossible to fake at this scale!”

“Derek Sterling…our very own president was betraying us all? Betraying humanity? Is this true? How could he?!”

Gregory stood frozen, panic gripping him tightly as sweat trickled down his pale face. Lena watched silently, her expression dark and unreadable.

Yet Rachel’s calm voice resonated clearly once more above the chaos, silencing the multitude. “I know this revelation hurts, Hunters. It wounded me deeply to accept my father’s true nature. But now, you must decide—will you continue blindly down this path of destruction, or will you stand with us to reclaim our humanity? Your decision will decide whether our home planet Earth will stand to survive another day.”

The army stood in tense silence, their minds reeling from the shocking truths unveiled before them. Weapons hung limply, voices hushed in anxious, heated murmurs as each Hunter wrestled with the devastating reality presented. Rachel’s unwavering gaze surveyed the uncertain army, knowing that their decision at this pivotal moment would determine not only their own fate, but the fate of their world itself.

Uneasy murmurs rippled through the ranks of Hunters, eyes flickering uncertainly between the looming hologram of Rachel Sterling and Gregory Hart’s anxious, perspiring face. Suspicion rapidly darkened their expressions, confusion giving way to doubt and then a simmering, accusatory anger.

A few seasoned Hunters stepped forward from the crowd, their faces stern, weapons clenched tightly. Among them, a burly man with a scar across his jaw growled, his voice dangerously low, “Sir Gregory, why the hell are you so desperate to shut Rachel up? If these are lies, why do you look so scared?”

Another, a fierce-eyed woman, raised her rifle slightly, narrowing her eyes sharply at Lena and Gregory. “Maybe you’re covering something up too, Hart. You knew about this M.A.M tech, didn’t you? Were you planning to sacrifice us all to Derek’s schemes?”

Few of them had already stopped addressing Gregory with respect, furious by the truths they learned.

Gregory rubbed his fingers anxiously, sweat trickling down his brow as his breath grew shallow and frantic. Panic flashed vividly in his eyes as he leaned closer to Lena, voice shaking in a hushed, terrified whisper, “She’s done it, Lena. Rachel’s turned them against us. We’re fucked!”

The Hunters’ suspicion deepened instantly, their eyes narrowing dangerously. Seeing Gregory’s anxious whispering only fueled their anger further, prompting several Hunters to aggressively step forward. Their faces twisted into grim masks of righteous fury, weapons clenched and aimed in threatening warning.

“Enough games, Hart!” the scar-faced Hunter snarled, stepping even closer, weapon ready. “If Derek’s innocent, then bring him here and let him face these accusations himself. Or is Lady Rachel right, and you’re nothing but traitors yourselves?”

Gregory stepped backward nervously, eyes wide and panicked, “Stay back! Don’t do anything you’ll regret!”

Suddenly, Lena, who until now had calmly stood silent beside her father, scoffed coldly, shaking her head disdainfully at the approaching Hunters. Her expression hardened into cold contempt, her bright green eyes glittering sharply as she raised her wrist, fingers swiftly tapping a device.

The next moment, the few Hunters who had bravely stepped forward exploded grotesquely—blood, flesh, and bone spraying violently across their comrades behind, coating them in crimson horror. Screams erupted, terror and shock gripping the army instantly, weapons clattering to the ground as panic surged.

Lena’s voice cut sharply through the screams, chillingly calm and ruthless, her finger hovering threateningly above her wrist device, a cold smile curving her lips.

“Anybody else wants to disobey our orders?” she asked coldly, eyes glinting cruelly. “Or should I remind you what happens to traitors who question us again?”

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