Chapter 420 Twist-1
"Thud!"
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"Hmm? Have you finished already?" Evelina inquired, her gaze lingering on Cambion's motionless body after Eli had flung him across the ground.
"Yeah, he's pretty weak, you know," Eli remarked casually, his tone carrying a hint of amusement as he held the pink-haired girl like a sack of potatoes.
"Sshhh,"
Mariel materialised on the spot with a graceful sweep of her wings. "I didn't spot anyone watching us," she added, having maintained a vigilant watch over their surroundings from the sky at Eli's request.
"I see..." Eli nodded sagely and gently lowered the pink-haired girl to the ground before turning his attention back to the fallen Cambion.
'Splash'
Scylla doused Cambion with water as he regained consciousness with a terrified expression plastered on his face, "Y-You! What are you doing to me?"
"Nothing much, just a few questions..." Eli calmly placed his foot on Cambion's chest, pinning him down, "Please answer when I'm in a good mood. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what might happen to you."
Cambion's face twisted in a mixture of fear and defiance as he stole a glance at his unconscious daughter and then at the assembled group. He realized he was completely surrounded, trapped in their midst.
'Tsk, I clearly fell into their trap,' Cambion's thoughts raced as he struggled to find a way out of his predicament.
"Tell me... Who is your Master?" Eli's voice cut through the tense air.
"I-I won't," Cambion stubbornly replied, his resolve firm despite the dire circumstances.
"I see..." Eli's expression remained unreadable as he contemplated his next move, and then...
"PUFFF!!"
A gasping hole materialized in Cambion's chest where Eli had applied pressure with his foot.
"I'm still in a good mood~" Aether chimed in, his smile belying the severity of the situation, resembling a father trying to pacify a troubled child.
Cambion's complexion turned deathly pale as he coughed up blood, realizing the futility of resistance. His mind raced, knowing that neither escape nor aid from his master was forthcoming.
"I-I suppose it has come to this...ah," Cambion muttered weakly, crimson rivulets flowing unabated from his chest.
With a final, desperate gesture, Cambion conjured something in his hand.
"Hmm? A contract?" Eli's brow furrowed in curiosity and suspicion as he examined the unexpected object.
"I-I didn't want to resort to this so soon, but it seems I'm left with no choice... I only hope Master doesn't get angry," Cambion said with a half-smirk, his gaze fixed on Eli as he shouted, "By the contract of our blood, obey me, Asher Eli!"
Asher Eli suddenly flinched, his eyes turning blank and his expression vacant.
Seeing this, Cambion smirked haughtily, noting the horror on the faces of the others, who were on the verge of attacking him when,
"Kill yourselves if they move an inch!" Cambion commanded, and Eli nodded mechanically in response.
"What in the world...?"
"When did this happen?"
"Master!"
Evelina, Mariel, and Scylla were shocked to see Eli obeying Cambion's orders.
"Hehehe... cough, cough," Cambion laughed manically before coughing, then swiftly retrieved a healing potion and drank it to mend his injuries.
The others could only watch in disbelief as Cambion healed himself. Scylla gave him a deadly glare, as if ready to strike at any moment.
"Hehe... This is what happens when you play with fire," Cambion taunted with a haughty smile.
"So, you're the one who hurt old Wei and Mei?" Mariel's eyes glowed with anger.
"Oh, Oh, Oh!" Cambion smirked, and in an instant, his face transformed into that of someone Aether knew all too well...
"Professor Barney..." Scylla muttered, her face registering shock.
"Yes, Professor Barney, the man who once consigned Asher Eli to the Flowerless Divisions and docked his marks for being a commoner... It was Barney all along," Cambion revealed with a sly grin.
"Hehe... No one would have suspected, right? I perfected my disguise to the point where not even the old Elf overseeing the Nex could discern it," Cambion disguised a Barney, continued.
Cambion under his Master's order infiltrated the Nex using Barney as a disguise.... just to watch over Asher Eli!
"I hadn't planned to reveal myself just yet, but you all left me no choice," Cambion explained as he removed his disguise. He hadn't wanted to invoke this contract, one Eli had signed during a scheme involving Old Wei and Mei, but he needed to rescue his daughter, leaving him little option.
The terms of their contract were simple: due to the constraints of another party's mortality, Cambion could not form a traditional Master-Servant pact, so instead, Eli was bound to obey Cambion's orders six times.... under his master's order.
"Sigh," Cambion sighed heavily as he stood up and carefully picked up the pink-haired girl, his gaze lingering briefly on the robotic Asher Eli.
Turning back to face the group, he commanded, "Kill yourself if they don't remove the barrier."
Without hesitation, Asher Eli reached for his Celestria and positioned it at his neck. Before he could act, however, Scylla swiftly intercepted the weapon.
"M-Master, snap out of it!" Scylla pleaded, her grip tightening on Celestria's sharp edges pressed against Eli's neck.
"W-Wait! I will remove it!" Mariel's voice trembled as she concentrated, and suddenly the barrier grumbled and dissipated.
"Good," Cambion nodded, though he felt a twinge of regret for not fully utilizing his contract's power. Yet, his focus was on his mission, otherwise, he would be killed by his master, unlike last time when Prisania was kidnapped.... This time there wouldn't be any forgiveness.
"Kill them!" Cambion issued his final order before swiftly darting away at high speed.
Scylla's eyes widened as Eli twisted his weapon, aiming to strike her.
"SLKCCk!!"
With lightning reflexes, Scylla evaded the attack, narrowly escaping harm.
"!!!" Mariel and Evelina's expressions turned to dread as they witnessed Eli's frenzied actions.
"BAM!"
Eli slammed his Celestria down, narrowly missing the group.
"E-Eli, snap out of it!"
"Master, please regain control!"
"We need to inform Her Majesty!"
Despite their fear, the women hesitated to retaliate, showing restraint in their attempts to subdue Eli.
"You all clearly love him... ah," Cambion mumbled as he glanced back before swiftly disappearing into the distance.