36 A Broken Heart

Tony and Ariam continued to fight at a stalemate. Neither sides were giving up. Both continued to parry strikes, however, Tony was slowly losing the upper hand.

No matter how much Alice had healed or buffed him, killing the woman in front of him proved it rather difficult.

"Ricardo!" Hearing his call, Ricardo rushed over to his side and stood next to him.

"Let's finish her off."

"But there are still more people in the back." Ricardo responded.

"It's fine. Felicity and Ema will take care of it. With Alice healing Richard, we need to defeat her as soon as possible." Hearing his words, Ricardo's eyes flashed with killing intent.

"No fair, two vs one? You guys can't gang up on a woman like that." She 'sorrowfully' replied.

"No one in the right mind is going to fall for that you disgusting woman!" Ricardo yelled at her.

"Then let me chop that head of yours!" Ariam laughed as she charged at Ricardo.

"Ricardo wait! She's too fast!" Before Tony could intervene, she grabbed Ricardo by the hand and flung him across.

Gritting his teeth, he quickly landed and charged at her from the back.

"Lightning Slash!" Gathering mana onto his axe, he slashed towards Ariam. With attacks appearing from the front and the back, she smiled and jumped up horizontally and narrowly dodged both strikes.

"Tony now!" Ricardo yelled. Aware of his intentions, Tony jumped on Ricardo's back and jumped at Ariam who was still in midair.

Gathering enough power, he slashed at her chest sending her tumbling to the ground.

Ariam stood up and looked at the wound on her chest. Despite the injury, a broad smile was still plastered to her face.

Much to the duo's surprise, the wound on her chest began healing at an immense speed.

Such was the difference in strength for those in the Cosmic realm. Tony gritted his teeth in frustration. No matter how many times he injured her, she always stood up and retaliated with the same intensity.

Enhanced regeneration was part of it. The demonic energy coursing through her body enhanced her regenerative abilities, making her much durable than an ordinary warrior at Cosmic realm.

A reason so simple, yet concise. Also, a reason why Richard feared Aaron to this level. He was stronger than Ariam herself.

A monster of such caliber couldn't possibly be contended by the likes of Tony or Ricardo.

"What's wrong, I thought someone wanted me dead?" Laughing cunningly, she became further excited when she saw their tired faces. She felt ecstasy, the more they struggled. Like an ant without an antenna.

"What do we do?" Ricardo asked, as he panted heavily. His animafication had its limits.

With a leap in strength, he had the ability to outmatch someone stronger than him. Precisely someone who was at the initial stages of Cosmic realm.

However, with such a power came a price too. It took a huge drain on his mana reserves.

"I'm about to return to my normal form. We have to put our all into this final attack." Tony remained silent, unaware of what to do. He had to finish this woman off. She was simply too dangerous.

"I-"

"Tony, Ricardo!" Alice yelled as she, Ricardo and Ema hurried over to where the duo were.

"Why the hell are you guys here? Get out of here, before she kills you!" Tony berated them.

"We've managed to eliminate most of the guards here. Now it's just us against this woman." Ema responded.

"It doesn't matter, that woman is more powerful than all those guards combined. You guys are all most out of energy so just leave! Ricardo, you are too."

"We're a team Tony, and we're not about to let you be all on your own." Richard replied as he grabbed his hammer and readied himself. Tony shook his head and smiled.

"Oh, you poor thing! If you all want to come at me together, then I shall happily send you to heaven." Ariam rushed towards them quickly.

"The one who is going to hell is you!" Tony and Ricardo replied in unison as they charged with their remaining energy.

Richard stayed back to protect Alice and Ema from any sneak attacks from Ariam.

With Alice healing Ricardo and Richard, it should've been fine.

It was all planned carefully. Their energies were slowly returning, and they were finally gaining an upper hand against the vile woman in front of them.

"Ema, are you alright?" Noticing Ema stand still, Richard turned towards her who was devoid of any emotion.

"Ema…Ema?" Suddenly, a purple dagger pierced his heart as it quickly entered from within and out from the other side.

Alice who noticed Ema stab Richard, screamed as she took a few steps back as her mind went blank. Unable to comprehend, she slumped to the ground and fainted.

This pain was on an entirely different level. Richard's pain wasn't physical. It was emotional and mental.

Looking at the person in front of him, the kindness and the calmness which always radiated from her, was nowhere to be found.

What was evident was the blood thirsty smile on her face. A face unlike never seen before.

"Why?" As he coughed out a mouthful of blood, he reached his hand out to her, only to be stabbed by another dagger.

Impaling his chest, Richard's vision turned blurry, but his mind was in extreme chaos.

"Boss, why don't I do you a favor and let you rest in peace." Kicking him in the chest, Richard stumbled back and fell to the ground. She then, walked past Richard and stood next to Ariam.

"…" Richard felt the entire world come to a halt.

The pouring rain and the gusting winds all halted.

Life began flashing before his eyes. From the moment he was born, brought up, meeting friends, and fighting enemies, all of it.

Like a burning paper, he felt his memories burn and turn into ashes.

'I've failed!'

'I've failed!'

'I've failed!'

His thoughts reverberated loudly within his mind.

His pride, his happiness and peace were all shattered as tears trickled down his eyes. Even the rain was his enemy today.

"INDRA!" He roared, as he felt his heartbeat slowing down. Right now, he needed his friend more than anyone.

Richard and Ricardo halted their fight and stared at Ema with absolute fury. More than just fury, they had never expected it to be Ema of all people.

Ricardo especially, who considered her as a friend and a person whom he loved. Did any of that mean anything to her?

"Why…WHY?!" Ricardo screamed.

"Why? Because she is my lovely toy. I planted her in your little golden doll house, decades ago. Didn't expect that did you?" Ariam laughed as she planted a kiss on Ema's cheek.

"All these years, we trusted you so much. I thought we were friends!" Ricardo hollered at Ema, who continued to remain silent.

"Ema, any excuse you provide now, is ultimately useless. No matter what, I will crush you into bits and pieces." Tony swore as he prepared to attack her. Ema responded:

"I do not have any. I did it for my Master, and I shall continue to do so."

"Now now darling, there's no need to respond until I say so is that clear? Oh, and I have another surprise for you guys, look to your left" Ariam replied as she pointed towards the sea, where the ship carrying the containers finally arrived.

Moreover, there were multiple cars by the bay as multiple men got and waited for the Dem-Potions to arrive.

"You have two options. Better try to save Richard, though the chances are quite slim, or two, stop these containers. You'll have to get through me and my men first. I know which one you will pick!" She laughed.

Like a bunch of mice that had been trapped, Tony and Ricardo gritted their teeth in hatred. Hatred towards the both the people in front of them.

"We have to stop the containers, otherwise it's going to get dangerous." Hearing his reply Ricardo stared in disbelief:

"Are you dumb? Look at how many men there are, and besides, we have to save boss and get him out of here. Otherwise we'll all die."

Felicity who watched and overheard the situation, stared at Ema with extreme killing intent.

Arriving next to Tony, she brandished her daggers and looked back at Richard.

"You will pay." Felicity mumbled with extreme hatred.

"Felicity, let's go."

Without further ado, Tony and Felicity rushed over to Richard, while Ricardo rushed over to the unconscious Alice and grabber her.

"I'm glad you picked the right choice. Don't worry, this is just the beginning. Little by little, I'm going to crush all of you like a little insect. Oh, and convey my regards to your new CEO!" She waved as she walked away with Ema, who followed after Ariam without turning back.

With Felicity guarding Tony and Ricardo who were carrying Richard and Alice, they quietly left the place.

It wasn't even a surprise anymore. Today's operation was a complete disaster. They never foresaw a plan to eliminate Richard through the form of Ema. A devious plan indeed.

--

After winning the underground Battle to Death tournament, Indra attained the Dem-Potion and quietly walked home alone.

Strangely enough, neither was there any excitement nor his usual calm demeanor.

He felt extremely worried. It was as if someone had stabbed his heart into pieces. Anxiety and tension took over him.

Unable to remain calm and collected, Indra wiped the sweat off his forehead.

While he walked absentmindedly, he tripped on the pavement and almost fell. With his reflexes, he regained his balance and stood back up.

This was a bad omen to him. Something terrible must've happened.

'Is it due to the business summit tomorrow?' Shaking his head with a sigh, Indra looked around to make sure no one was present, and flew up quickly towards a tall building. With the rain gone, Indra gazed towards the beautiful scene in front of him.

Admiring the sunset, he took a deep breath and calmed himself. Tomorrow's events were going to shake the world up.

It was at that moment, the mobile phone in his pocket unexpectedly rang.

--

An hour after Richard's group left, Aaron arrived at the cargo along with multiple trucks.

Looking around, he noticed multiple people unconscious or dead. Without a care, he walked past the bodies and headed over to Ariam and Ema.

"Is he dead?" Aaron asked.

"Most definitely. He was stabbed right in the heart, so better congratulate my favorite toy." Looking at Ema, he placed a hand on her hand and walked towards the containers.

His dreams were soon to come true. With Richard dead, he was ready to conquer.

"Unload all the containers and place the packages into the trucks! I do not want a single mistake." Saluting in unison, his men began their work.

"What are you looking at?" Aaron asked calmly as he looked over towards Ariam who was smiling at him.

"As per planned, I shall take half the potions back to my headquarters."

"Fine, convey my regards to Him."

"Aaron, are you sure you're not betraying us?" She asked as she placed her hand on her chin in curiosity.

Aaron remained calm. As he had predicted, this woman was much troublesome than he thought.

Her ability to read and observe certain aspects amazed him. Reminded him of his worst enemy.

"Maybe, and even if I do, I'll have to kill Him first. But that is simply impossible. What you do with him, is none of my concern. I've gotten what I needed."

"With this, our final deal is done."

"Well aren't I glad it is? Besides, we still have to sign the deal tomorrow. Get ready for that." He scoffed at her. To him it was good riddance.

"Then, here's my gift to you."

She walked over to him and placed her hand on his cheek. Planting a kiss on his lips, she waved goodbye to him and got into her car with Ema.

"What a nasty bitch!" He mumbled as he spat on the ground and wiped his lips.

As soon as the car drove off, Aaron noticed a small spike in energy on one of the containers. Walking towards it, he noticed Sloth regain consciousness and look around dazedly.

"Well, it looks like I found my a good specimen to try my new Dem-Potion on." He evilly laughed as he grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away amidst the rainy tempest.