Bang! Bang!
Two bullets pierced the demon's flesh, causing it to howl in pain and recoil.
Meanwhile, IM, Irune, and Aca had surrounded Asmar, who was cowering on the ground, his eyes wide with terror.
IM pinned Asmar's arms behind his back, his grip like iron. "You're finished!" he snarled.
Asmar struggled to break free, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "You people... I never thought you still existed!" he sputtered. "Black magic users!"
Vill stepped forward, her eyes glowing with an eerie light. "It's not black magic," she corrected him, her voice chillingly calm. "It's the Unveiled."
Asmar's confusion only deepened. "If it weren't for you, I would be living a happy life!"
Thwack! Aca delivered a swift kick to Asmar's face, her anger radiating from her.
"Happy? By killing an innocent girl who rejected your advances?" she spat, her voice dripping with disgust.
Asmar, his face contorted in pain and rage, spat out, "You'll regret this! You and your freakish family will pay!"
IM tightened his grip on Asmar's arms, his eyes cold and menacing. "We're not afraid of you," he growled. "You're nothing but a corrupt coward who preys on the innocent."
Meanwhile, the battle with the ice demon raged on. Yolan and I relentlessly attacked the creature from all sides, our strikes precise and powerful. But the demon was resilient, its icy hide deflecting most of our blows.
"This isn't working!" Yolan shouted, frustration edging into her voice. "We need to try something different."
I nodded, my mind racing. The demon was too powerful, its attacks too unpredictable. There had to be a way to exploit its weaknesses.
Suddenly, I remembered something the Harbinger had told me about ice demons: they were vulnerable to extreme heat.
"Yolan!" I shouted over the noise of the battle. "Can you create a heat source?"
Yolan's eyes lit up. "I think so!" she exclaimed. "But I'll need something to work with."
I scanned the courtroom, my gaze falling on a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall. "There!" I pointed. "Use that!"
Yolan nodded and sprinted towards the fire extinguisher. With a flick of her wrist, she transformed it into a makeshift flamethrower, a jet of searing heat erupting from its nozzle.
"Let's see how you like this, you icy bastard!" Yolan shouted, unleashing a torrent of flames towards the demon.
The creature roared in agony, its icy hide melting and cracking under the intense heat. It stumbled backward, its movements sluggish and uncoordinated.
I focused on the intense heat emanating from the flamethrower, a wild idea forming in my mind.
Imagine something, Xian! Imagine! I urged myself.
The heat grew more intense, the flames turning a deep, almost black color. I channeled all my focus and energy into my vision, the power of my Blue Blood surging through me.
As the ice demon writhed in pain, its form melting and crackling under the intensified heat, I shouted to the others, "Everyone! Get back before the reporters wake up!"
IM, Vill, Aca, and Irune nodded, quickly retreating from the scene and leaving the unconscious reporters behind.
As the demon dissolved into a puddle of slush, Dove, Yolan, and I rushed back to our seats, feigning ignorance as if nothing had happened.
Suddenly, the courtroom stirred back to life. People began to wake up, rubbing their eyes and yawning.
"Huh... what happened?" one of the reporters mumbled, looking around in confusion.
"Did we all fall asleep?" the cameraman asked, his voice groggy.
The security guards, also awakened from their slumber, rushed to help the bewildered onlookers to their feet.
My family and I exchanged relieved glances. We had managed to defeat the demon and escape detection, thanks to my newfound ability to manipulate time.
The courtroom buzzed with activity as security guards helped Asmar to his feet, his face still contorted with anger and frustration. Reporters swarmed around him, eager to get a statement.
"How do you feel, knowing you're going to prison for your crimes?" a reporter shouted, shoving a microphone in his face.
I watched the scene unfold, a sense of unease settling over me. "Don't you think that's not enough punishment?" I whispered to Yolan, who was standing beside me.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
"A life for a life, you know?" I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"You're going to kill him?" Dove's voice cut through the noise, her tone sharp with surprise and concern.
The other members of the Unveiled Family fell silent, their eyes fixed on me.
"Asmar... is going to die," I said, my voice firm and resolute. I closed my eyes, focusing my energy on Asmar's image.
Thud!
Asmar collapsed onto the floor, his body lifeless. The courtroom erupted in chaos as the reporters scrambled to get a closer look, their cameras flashing.
And then, my eyes fluttered shut, the world fading to black.
"Xian!" Yolan cried out, catching Xian's limp body before he hit the ground.
"Don't worry," IM reassured her, his voice calm and collected. "He just ran out of Blue Blood. That instant kill ability drains him quite a bit."
The Unveiled Family exchanged worried glances. They knew that Xian's power was immense, but it came at a cost. He would need to learn to control it carefully, or risk burning out completely.
IM stood up, carefully lifting Xian's unconscious body into his arms. "Let's go back," he said to the others, his voice low and urgent.
The Unveiled family nodded in unison, their faces grim as they followed IM out of the courtroom.
Meanwhile, the security guards were huddled around Asmar's body, their faces pale with shock. One of them placed his fingers on Asmar's neck, searching for a pulse.
"He's dead..." he whispered, his voice barely audible over the commotion.
The reporters, who had been clamoring for a statement from Asmar, were now frozen in disbelief. The news of his sudden demise spread like wildfire, sending shockwaves through the courtroom and beyond.
The courtroom buzzed with confused murmurs as paramedics rushed to Asmar's side, their faces etched with concern. Reporters, initially stunned into silence, quickly regained their composure and bombarded the bewildered security guards and court officials with questions.
< Chapter 094 > Fin.