CHAPTER 7

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ICE'S POV

"FUCK! FUCK!"

The rage boiled in me, uncontrollable. How had it come to this? Two hundred lives—innocent or not—snuffed out in an instant because of her… or was it my mistake for underestimating her? No, I couldn’t let myself believe that. This was her doing.

“Hey, are you okay?” Claire’s voice snapped me back. She was watching me, concern etched on her face. “You look pale.”

“I’m fine,” I muttered, clenching my fists so tightly my knuckles turned white.

“It’s Demon's fault, not yours. She killed them,” Claire insisted, her tone hard.

“But… she’s right. If I hadn’t taken them, some of them might still be alive.” The realization weighed heavily, twisting my stomach.

“Don’t fall for her words,” Claire argued. “That’s what she does—she messes with your head. Demon will say anything to get under your skin.”

“Claire’s absolutely right.” A new voice cut in, smooth and self-assured. We both turned to see the First Elder approaching with a smug look on his face.

“Let me fight her,” he said, his smile growing.

I frowned, studying him. If I had failed to stop her, what chance did he think he had? Still, any plan to weaken Demon was better than nothing.

“How do you plan to do that?” I asked.

The Elder motioned for us to follow him down a dimly lit corridor. We entered a hall where rows upon rows of masked figures stood at attention. Each of them wore a mask identical to Demon’s—an eerie mirror of her presence.

“Demons, greet him,” the Elder commanded.

“GOOD MORNINGGGGGG!”

The voices echoed in unison, the sound unnatural and hollow, filling the hall with a disturbing harmony. My heart stopped as I took in the scene. Hundreds of masked figures, each wearing her face. What the hell is this?

“They’re her former partners from Project Demon,” the Elder explained, his voice cold. “The successful ones, anyway. They’re devoid of emotion, trained to obey without question. With just one command, they’ll kill any target.”

“It’s… horrifying,” Claire murmured, a mixture of shock and anger flaring in her eyes. “These are innocent people. How could you use them like this?”

The Elder shrugged dismissively. “These individuals were given a fixed lifespan. Project Demon extended their lives beyond natural limits.”

“That doesn’t make it right—”

“This is our final weapon against her,” the Elder cut her off, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Each of them has strength comparable to Demon’s.”

I let out a slow breath, the weight of his words sinking in. If they really were her equal, this might be our only shot at taking her down. Nothing else mattered but defeating Demon—she was too dangerous to let roam free.

“I accept your plan,” I said firmly.

“Shawn—”

“Enough, Claire,” I snapped. “I’ll do whatever it takes to bring her down.”

The Elder nodded approvingly. “Good. We’ll give them their orders at dawn. Demon won’t know what hit her.”

THIRD PERSON'S POV

“What the hell…?”

The control room at the White Monarchy headquarters was in a frenzy. Operators scrambled, confusion and panic thick in the air as reports flooded in from all directions.

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