The Smiling Death-Chapter 284: Can he Survive?

Darkness ruled the hollow. Everything was black.

Amon remained where he was, his body pressed low, his sword clenched in his right hand. Smoke still lingered in the air, mixed with dust and the bitter stench of explosives.

He could smell the smoke clearly. His ears rang faintly from the blast, but he forced himself to stay still.

He waited. Seconds passed, but there was no sound. There was nothing.

He frowned. He couldn’t see anything in front of him. He couldn’t see a shadow. Nor a silhouette. Just endless black swallowing everything.

’Did they... die?’ the thought crossed his mind. Did they fall without making any noise?

Before he could move and observe more. A voice cut through the darkness. It was Cold. Calm. Sharp enough to freeze his blood. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Who’s there?"

Amon’s heart skipped. The voice did not come from below. It came from in front of him. His pupils shrank. He knew then that those two weren’t dead.

That voice... it belonged to one of the demons. Amon had heard them talking before as well.

Before Amon could react, mana surged violently.

A massive fireball formed in midair, blazing to life with a deep roar. Its light exploded outward, pushing the darkness back like a tide retreating before the sun.

The entire hollow was illuminated. And Amon was exposed.

The firelight washed over him, casting his shadow long across the cracked ground. His battered figure was revealed. Bloodstained clothes, pale face, wounds barely held together, sword raised instinctively in his hand.

Just a few meters away stood two figures.

Vaelrix and Renard.

Both were alive. Both unharmed. Not a single wound could be seen on their bodies.

Behind them, the ground had been torn apart by the explosion, chunks of wood and soil missing where the trap had detonated. The edge of the abyss was wider now, jagged and broken.

Yet the two demon commanders stood firmly on solid ground. They were Unscathed.

Renard’s fireball hovered above his palm, its light dancing across his sharp features. Vaelrix stood slightly ahead, his crimson eyes locked directly onto Amon.

Silence fell. The two demons stared at Amon with intense gazes.

Then surprise flickered across both demons’ faces.

"...A human?" Renard said slowly.

Vaelrix’s gaze narrowed. "Here?"

Amon’s muscles tensed. He pushed himself fully upright, ignoring the pain screaming through his body. His grip on the sword tightened, his knuckles turning white.

’So... they didn’t fall. So the plan failed. Fuck!’

The firelight made it impossible to hide now.

Vaelrix took a step forward, pressure rolling off him like a wave. "You," he said coldly. "You’re the one who set the trap."

Amon didn’t answer.

Renard’s eyes swept over him, sharp and calculating. "A single human. Inside the Grave of the Celestial Tree. With grenades made by demons." A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Interesting."

Vaelrix raised a hand slightly, stopping Renard. His eyes never left Amon.

"So you were the runaway prisoner from the demon base. Burning our tents. Even killing Zareth. Amazing. Tell me your name, boy. Who are you?" Vaelrix demanded.

His words echoed through the hollow, heavy with authority.

Amon swallowed once. His heart pounded wildly, not from fear. But from some unknown emotion. His plan had failed, yes.

But he was still standing. Still alive.

Listening to him, one thing was clear. These two were from the demon army. The same ones who had captured him.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in Amon’s mind. He remembered Zareth talking outside about their commanders leaving the base for some mission.

Now it clicked. They were here for a mission. For something hidden inside the Celestial Tree.

But somehow, Amon had been caught between them.

’Shit... these two are commanders of demons. They might be as strong as Commander Galahad. Damn! How could I even think of killing these two? No wonder they didn’t fall for that trap,’ Amon cursed himself internally.

Why did he do that? Honestly, he had felt really excited at the thought of killing these two. It was weird. But now his mind was clear. He knew he was truly in dire spot

He didn’t have any chance to escape this place. He didn’t see any way out. So... he did the most insane thing.

He lifted his sword a little higher, meeting Vaelrix’s gaze head-on.

"...That’s funny," Amon said hoarsely. "I was about to ask you the same thing." His expression was indifferent. His voice was as cold as Vaelrix’s. There was no hint of fear in it.

The demons’ surprise deepened. A human. A young man. Wounded. They could tell he was only at the Mana Initiate rank. Yet he dared to talk back to them, as if he were on equal footing.

He stood before two demon commanders without kneeling... without trembling. The tension in the hollow thickened.

And for the first time since entering the Grave of the Celestial Tree, Vaelrix smiled.

"Bold," he said. "Or foolish."

Renard chuckled softly, fire crackling in his palm. "Either way," he added, "this just became far more interesting. I can’t believe we actually got caught in a young human boy’s trap."

"By the way... you didn’t tell us your name, boy."

"Tch!" Amon clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I am Amon. Now tell me yours."

Vaelrix and Renard looked at each other. Then they burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

"Hahahaha!"

Both laughed in unison. "Oh... this boy is really amusing. Hah. Okay, we’ll tell you our names. I am Vaelrix. And he is Renard. Satisfied now?"

Amon’s blade trembled slightly. But he was not afraid. The hunt wasn’t over. It had just begun and Amon knew he didn’t have any chance.

He blinked. And in that moment, Vaelrix vanished from his position and appeared in front of him.

He was so fast that Amon couldn’t even see him move. To Amon’s eyes, it felt as if Vaelrix had teleported. Vaelrix’s free hand shot forward and gripped Amon’s neck tightly, lifting him off the ground.

"Gah—!" Amon choked under the grip. One hand still held the sword, while the other clawed at Vaelrix’s arm, trying to push it away. Breathing became impossible. His legs dangled in the air.

Vaelrix smiled coldly. Renard watched from behind.

Then Vaelrix turned slightly and held Amon out over the hole. He was suspended above the hollow space, above the abyss.

Amon’s eyes grew teary as he struggled to breathe.

"You wanted to make us fall into this abyss, right?" Vaelrix said calmly. "But now... it will be you who falls."

Amon’s left hand stopped struggling and dropped. He stared at Vaelrix. Not in fear, but in amusement.

It was hard to speak while his neck was gripped so tightly, but he forced the words out.

"Hah... you won’t throw me... I’ll go by myself," he muttered, a wide grin on his face.

Vaelrix’s eyes locked onto Amon’s dark gaze. "You really are interesting."

As he lowered his left hand, Amon slipped it into his pocket and pulled out the remaining third grenade.

Vaelrix noticed the movement, but he didn’t look down. He didn’t bother to see what the boy was doing. His eyes remained fixed on Amon. To him, a Mana Initiate was no threat.

Amon’s right hand, still holding the sword, slowly pulled the pin of the grenade. Then he lifted his left hand and instantly threw the grenade at Vaelrix’s face.

Of course, Vaelrix noticed something being thrown.

His eyes narrowed. He was still relaxed. It was a grenade. Surprise flickered across his face, and his grip on Amon’s neck loosened.

BOOM!

The grenade exploded close to his face. Amon was caught in the blast as well.

"Ahhhhhh!"

He screamed as his body fell into the abyss. His scream echoed throughout the hollow space of the tree.