Chapter 199: Mosquito
Asher paused and looked toward the source of the voice. His expression slowly changed as he saw something he had never expected to find inside this facility.
It was a huge vanilla ice cream cone.
Asher stared at it for a few seconds, completely confused by what he was seeing.
’What the hell? Who the hell tries to lure someone with ice cream? I’m not some kid you’re trying to kidnap by tempting me with candy. There’s no way I’m going to be lured by ice cream.’
Asher thought to himself before looking away from the ice cream cone—or whatever the demon was supposed to be.
He then looked around the room, searching for the switch that would release the demon.
But then Asher heard that same sweet, tempting voice again.
"Don’t be afraid... come a little closer. You’ve been searching for me all along, haven’t you?"
As soon as Asher heard those words, he turned his head and looked toward the ice cream demon again.
But this time, there was no ice cream cone.
Instead, a female demon was standing inside the containment tube.
She had a tall, elegant humanoid figure with pale skin and long silver hair that fell down her back. Two curved black horns extended from her forehead, while her eyes glowed with a faint crimson light.
Dark markings covered parts of her arms and neck, resembling intricate demonic runes. A pair of large, dark wings extended from her back, while a thin, pointed tail moved slowly behind her.
Despite being completely restrained, she still carried an unsettling presence. Her expression was calm, almost amused, and her gaze seemed strangely captivating, as though her abilities were constantly trying to influence the minds of anyone who looked at her.
Asher’s POV
A female demon with silver hair and crimson eyes.
And she was also a little more heavily built in certain areas.
...
As Asher continued observing her, a phantom-like figure suddenly emerged from the demon’s body.
The phantom slowly separated from the demon and began drifting toward Asher. Although it looked almost identical to the female demon inside the tube, its body appeared slightly translucent, as if it were nothing more than a manifestation of her power.
Asher watched silently as the phantom figure approached him.
Once it reached him, it began flying around his body in slow circles, occasionally moving closer to his face before drifting away again.
Then the same sweet voice he had heard earlier whispered beside him.
"Follow me... come toward me."
Asher simply looked at the phantom figure without showing any reaction.
The phantom continued circling him, repeatedly whispering the same words in an attempt to influence his mind.
"Come closer..."
"Follow me..."
But Asher didn’t move.
He didn’t even take a single step.
Instead, he remained exactly where he was, observing the phantom with a curious gaze, almost as though he were studying an unfamiliar ability rather than being affected by it.
The demon continued trying to lure him for some time.
However, when Asher still showed no reaction and didn’t move from his position, the smile on the phantom’s face gradually disappeared.
Her expression changed.
The calm and seductive appearance was replaced by one filled with anger.
The phantom suddenly stopped moving around him before turning toward Asher.
Then, without warning, she flew directly toward his demonic body.
Asher watched her approach without moving.
He waited until the very last moment.
Just as the phantom was about to collide with him, black fog suddenly gathered around Asher’s demonic hand.
The dark mist rapidly condensed around his palm and fingers, forming an eerie aura around his long, sharp claws.
Asher then reached forward.
His claws closed around the phantom figure’s throat and stopped her momentum instantly.
The phantom struggled in his grasp, but Asher simply stared at her calmly, his expression showing nothing but curiosity.
Asher looked at the struggling phantom of the demon and then said in a calm tone, "So, you’re not just an illusion, as expected. If I destroy this form of you, will you suffer any injury?"
The female demon, whose phantom was being held by Asher’s hand, looked at him with confusion and fear in her eyes. She then asked in a trembling voice, "What type of demon are you? How are you still able to think rationally even though I’m trying to enchant you? And what is this black fog that—"
Before she could finish, Asher increased the force with which he was holding the phantom’s throat.
At the same time, the black fog surrounding his hand began spreading across the rest of the phantom’s body.
The demon’s eyes widened as fear became even more apparent in her expression.
Asher remained completely calm and said in the same emotionless tone, "Don’t ask unnecessary questions. Just answer what I asked. Will destroying this projection cause any damage to you?"
The demon looked at Asher with confusion and fear still evident in her eyes. She still couldn’t understand what was wrong with the demon standing in front of her. He had resisted her ability completely and was now questioning her as if her powers were nothing unusual.
However, she decided not to think about it any further and finally answered.
"It will cause some injury to my main body since this phantom contains a part of my soul."
Asher simply nodded.
He remained silent for a moment, seemingly thinking about her answer before looking at the phantom again.
Then he said in a calm and slightly mocking tone,
"Is this the only ability you have? You can only make a stupid phantom of yourself and whisper into people’s ears like some mosquito? Or can you do anything else besides that?"
The demon’s expression changed slightly after hearing his words, clearly offended by the way he was casually dismissing her abilities.
Asher continued without giving her a chance to respond.
"If that’s really all you can do, then I have to say, you’re quite a stain on the name of a Grandmaster-rank demon. I honestly expected something more impressive from you."