The Damned Demon

The last person to exit the truck was a young, tall, and lean man, his black eyes glinting with determination. He checked his watch, relieved to see that he had arrived early as planned.

Tristan knew today wasn\'t a day for complacency since the deal he was about to complete could be one of the most pivotal moments in his life.

"Make sure everything is in order. I don\'t want any mistakes happening today," Tristan ordered his men, who nodded firmly. There were around twenty men, all armed with mana-powered guns.

They were all specially trained low-level B Rank Hunters Gary had sent to protect his son. Since Tristan was his only child, Gary didn\'t want to take any chances, even if it was quite costly to keep all these trained men in his pocket.

As Tristan and his men waited in the private jet hangar, the distant sound of engines could be heard approaching.

The anticipation in the air was palpable, as everyone knew that the arrival of the jet signaled the start of a crucial transaction.

The sound grew louder and louder until, finally, a sleek, black jet appeared on the horizon. It rapidly descended and smoothly touched down on the runway, its engines roaring as it decelerated.

As the jet rolled into the hangar, Tristan\'s men remained on high alert, their hands resting on their weapons.

Meanwhile, Tristan couldn\'t help but feel a sense of awe upon seeing such an opulent jet and, even more so, knowing who was inside.

The jet was larger than any he had ever seen before, with a silver and black paint job that gleamed in the bright hangar lights.

The door slowly hissed open, revealing a glimpse of the luxurious interior.

Tristan stepped forward, his bodyguards flanking him closely. He couldn\'t afford to make any mistakes with a deal of this magnitude.

He pasted a smile on his face, attempting to project confidence and friendliness as he awaited the presence of the man inside.

Finally, the door of the jet opened wider as a tall, black-skinned imposing figure with sharp features and a stern expression emerged. He seemed as if he was in his forties.

Tristan swallowed hard, mentally steeling himself for the negotiations ahead, and gave a bow as he greeted, "Greetings, Mr. Samuel. I hope your journey went well. It must have been a bit tiring after all the work in Britain." Samuel couldn\'t help but feel humbled in the presence of this man, not because he was working for one of the most powerful men in the world, but because Samuel himself was an A Rank Hunter!

A Rank Hunters were considered the cream of the crop, the elite among the elite. They were the rare few who had mastered their abilities to a level that seemed superhuman.

There were only a few thousand of them in the world, and they were highly sought after by governments, organizations, and wealthy individuals alike. They were the ones who could command the highest pay, respect, and admiration, and the ones who were feared and respected by all who knew of their reputation.

Each of them was worth a formidable army.

And so it was quite an honor for Tristan to have a chance to interact with such a rare and awe-inspiring figure.

He immediately and discreetly ordered his men to unload the special \'items\' in the truck.

Samuel gave a slight hum as his sharp eyes quickly scanned his surroundings.

He stood firm as a woman in a red jacket and pants emerged from behind him.

Her expression was cold and serious as she walked ahead of Samuel and took out a handheld scanner.

Tristan couldn\'t help but feel a tinge of unease upon seeing this woman and her scanner.

The woman approached them with an air of confidence and purpose. The scanner emitted soft beeps as it passed over their bodies while Tristan held his breath and remained still.

Tristan knew that this woman was probably checking if any one of them were compromised. Surely, big shots like them wouldn\'t take any chances.

As the woman completed the scanning process, she stepped back and silently nodded at Samuel.

Only after receiving her approval did Samuel begin descending the steps.

He then looked over at Tristan and his men, a frown forming on his face as he saw they had yet to unload everything.

Tristan noticed the frown on Samuel\'s face and offered a nervous smile as he said, "Apologies, sir. We\'re just finishing up the last bit of preparations. And I—"

Samuel\'s expression remained unchanged as he raised a hand, stopping Tristan mid-sentence, "I don\'t have time for apologies. Is everything ready as per our agreement?"

Tristan nodded quickly, his eyes darting around the hangar as he spoke, "Yes, sir. Everything is in order," Tristan said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Very well. Let me take a look at the goods first," Samuel said with crossed arms.

Tristan clapped his hands, signaling his men to hurry. He was finding to hard to calm down his nervous nerves since the pressure of handling this deal was way more than he expected.

His men immediately emerged from the truck, pulling out five young girls who were chained together. They all appeared to be teenagers, not even adults.

Dressed in black clothes, their faces were twisted in terror. Thick tape sealed their mouths, making it impossible for them to speak or scream for help. And their eyes blindfolded, robbing them of their vision.

Even though their eyes were blindfolded, one could notice how their cheeks were red and glistening with the aftermath of their tears. They just had no energy to shed tears anymore.

They flinched and shuddered as they were dragged outside, visibly disoriented and frightened by the sudden change in their surroundings.

Tristan looked at them with a cold smile, displaying no concern for their well-being.

"Get them over here already," he barked an order at his men as they dragged the five young girls towards him.

The five girls trembled and whimpered as they were brought before Samuel and Tristan.

"Kyla," Samuel uttered her name as the woman in the red jacket scanned each of the young girls with her handheld device before nodding at him silently.

Tristan felt relief wash over him as she found no issues with the girls, and he said with an enthusiastic smile, "As agreed, we have handpicked these five beautiful virgins from Japan. Each of them possesses Metamagic Pathways in their mana circuit, as requested. It was challenging to sneak them here, but as usual, we managed to deliver. I\'m sure they\'ll serve their purpose perfectly. Next time, we can even procure some from India if the big boss prefers."

Samuel\'s expression remained stoic as he gave a firm nod, "I will let you know when it\'s necessary."

He then took out a black metal card from his pocket and handed it to Tristan, "Here are 50,000 Mana Shards as agreed."

Tristan\'s eyes sparkled as he immediately bowed and accepted the black metal card with both hands, "Thank you, sir. I am glad we were able to complete this deal and hope to do business again with you."

Tristan felt quite proud that he managed to close this deal without any issues and couldn\'t wait to brag about it to his father.

Kyla was about to drag the five young girls into the aircraft but,

*Tap…Tap*

Suddenly, a slow tapping sound echoed from the entrance of the hangar.

Everyone inside became alert as they twisted their necks around to see who it was. But they were baffled upon seeing a limping old woman with a walking stick. She looked as if she would die from just a simple push.

"Oh heavens, I thought I was going to a mortuary, but it appears I\'ve stumbled upon some sort of…gathering?" Grace awkwardly chuckled as if she had lost her way.

Samuel frowned as he asked Tristan in a severe voice, "Who is she, and how did she get in? I thought I made it quite clear that I don\'t want to entertain any outside parties."

Tristan was confused and shocked to see Remy\'s grandmother here. It just didn\'t make sense how she was here and why. He had even stationed some men outside to make sure nobody would interrupt this deal, making it even more bizarre how Grace got here.

But hearing Samuel\'s irritated voice, he cleared his throat and apologetically said, "Please, sir, I really have no idea how this beggar lady got in. I will get rid of her right away."

"Oh my, Tristan, how could you be so cruel after being friends with my grandson? I even had a friendly chat with your father this morning," Grace gasped with a shocked look as she placed her hand on her chest.

Samuel furrowed his brows as he glared at Tristan.

Tristan broke into a cold sweat as he didn\'t want Samuel to think he was associated with this woman. What if Samuel thinks he was trying to set him up or something? And so he shouted with a dark expression, "Shut up, you delusional hag. I don\'t even know who the hell you are. Will you just shoot her already?" He barked at one of his men standing behind who immediately came forward and aimed his rifle at the old woman, targeting her head.

Grace stood in the same spot, seemingly oblivious to the danger she was in.

Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot echoed through the hangar, and the bullet streaked towards Grace\'s head.

But just as the bullet was about to hit her, something extraordinary happened. Her eyes briefly glowed with an eerie dark green light, and the bullet froze in mid-air, just a few inches from her head.

Tristan and his men looked on in disbelief as Grace\'s body began to glow with a dark vermillion light.

They couldn\'t believe their eyes as she began to transform right before them, her wrinkled skin smoothing out and her once-white hair becoming silky and darkening to a vermillion color. Her limbs grew stronger and more defined, her posture straightening out until she stood six feet tall and proud in the center of the hangar.

She appeared even younger and more beautiful than when she was at Gary\'s guild.

Grace plucked the bullet from before her head with her hands, "You missed, little one. How disappointing, just like your father. Want me to show you how it\'s done?" She asked, her voice cold and threatening.