Eternal Temptation: Awakening Sinful Desires

The intense heat emitted from the blast burned all the vegetation and left a deep hole in the earth where the explosion occurred.

At the same time, Asher was sent flying backward from the force of the blast and crashed into a nearby tree, causing it to shatter into pieces upon impact.

He groaned in pain as blood trickled down the corner of his lips while feeling dizzy from hitting his head hard against the ground.

Soon, he slowly got up, rubbing his temples and looking around, noticing that the area around him was filled with debris and destruction caused by that massive explosion.

A huge crater had formed where his Spirit previously stood, with nothing left except for the ashes and charred remains of some trees and shrubs around the area.

'Tch.. Such destructive force... It seems like that ball was actually a treasure filled with explosive fire spirit essence. With the amount of spirit essence contained within that treasure, it could even rival the attack of a Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator.

No wonder it could produce such devastating power and destroy everything in its path...' Asher thought to himself as he wiped the blood off his face, wiping his eyes clear.

'Still... It was fortunate that I had already called back my Spirit in time; otherwise, I would've suffered grave injuries along with my Spirit. Moreover, I was quite far from the blast radius, so I didn't suffer many injuries.' He continued as he glanced in the direction where the explosion occurred and found that Rick had managed to escape after using the teleportation jade.

"That damn scum. I should've killed him right away. It looks like I will need to get a treasure that could block teleportations. I can't have my enemies escape every time and cause more trouble in the future." Asher muttered as he clicked his tongue in annoyance before remembering about Scarlet. "Shit! That's right.

That red-head girl!"

Asher turned towards where Scarlet was supposed to be fighting her enemy, Cecil, but there were no signs of her or Cecil at all. Only smoldering flames and burning trees could be seen as far as the eyes could see.

Asher frowned as he felt uneasy about their disappearance. 'Where could they have gone? Did that bastard Rick abduct her away, or did something else happen here?'

He glanced around, searching for any clues regarding their whereabouts, when he heard a faint sound coming from nearby.

A relieved expression flashed across his face when he recognized that voice, and he immediately ran towards the source of the sound.

However, he was confused when he spotted Scarlet kneeling on the ground, holding the dying Cecil in her arms. It was as if she had protected Cecil and taken the full brunt of the explosion, sustaining grave injuries from the impact.

Her body was covered in blood and burns, and she looked pale as a ghost. Yet still, she refused to leave the woman who betrayed her in cold blood.

He wondered what could have happened in the few moments he wasn't paying attention to this red-head beauty and why she had sacrificed herself for the culprit behind her abduction and near rape experience.

—

A few minutes earlier…

Cecil watched helplessly as the sword descended toward her, piercing her heart in an instant.

Her mind went blank, and pain engulfed her senses. ƜѴᒪΕ$ᎷРҮЯ

She could feel blood gushing out from the wound and seeping through her clothes and onto the ground beneath her.

Time seemed to slow down as she looked at the bloodied blade protruding from her chest and felt her life slip away.

Meanwhile, Scarlet's eyes were raining down rivers of tears as she removed her sword and sheathed it back to the hilt, watching the person she cared for so much in her final moments.

The moment felt as if it lasted forever, yet it came to a crashing halt as soon as Cecil's body slumped onto the ground. Her blood pooled around her and seeped into the soil, soaking the earth red.

Everything around Scarlet faded away as the weight of her actions bore down on her like a giant beast sitting atop her chest.

'What... What should I do now? Is this how it ends?' Her mind was filled with uncertainty and confusion, and she felt empty inside.

No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that she did the right thing, she couldn't shake off the feeling of sorrow that plagued her heart.

She looked at Cecil lying before her and choked back a sob as she took a step closer, reaching out with a trembling hand towards Cecil.

At that moment, a scream resounded from inside Cecil's body.

It was a cry of anguish and agony unlike anything she'd ever heard before.

And then some insect crawled out of the wound in Cecil's heart and dashed toward Scarlet, wanting to enter her body.

However, when this mysterious insect was just a hairbreadth away from Scarlet, her expression suddenly changed.

Without warning, Scarlet's whole body burst out in flames as a surge of rage rushed through her veins and set her on fire, incinerating the creature.

She didn't know exactly what kind of insect that was or what it wanted to do to her, but she felt a strong sense of dread and fear towards it.

And those emotions made her unleash her powers unconsciously, thus burning it into crisps in the blink of an eye.

Once it died, the flames subsided, revealing Scarlet's confused face.

'What was that thing? How come it was inside Cecil? Was it the reason why she turned into the person she is today? Was she controlled by this insect? If that is true, then I... I am...

How could I...' Scarlet was at a loss, unsure of what to believe anymore.

When she looked again at dying Cecil, she cried out in anguish and collapsed to her knees beside the body of her fallen friend. "Cecil...!!!"

For the first time in her life, she felt guilt. She regretted what she had done and wished she hadn't done anything at all.