In a whirlwind of disappointment and fury, Rachel's eyes dimmed, a mixture of sadness and anger pooling in her gaze as she observed the Hunters that had once placed their trust in her now aligning themselves with Victor's falsehoods.
Hwan, sensing the shifting tides, sidled up to Rachel with stealthy steps, whispering low enough for only her ears to catch, "I mean no disrespect, Miss Rachel. Victor reached us first with a compelling tale, seeking our aid to apprehend both you and Miss Amelia. In return, he promised us a bright and enticing future. However..." Hwan's eyes, cunning and calculating, narrowed slightly, a sly smile playing on his lips. "...if perhaps you can offer something that overshadows Victor's promises, well, perhaps there's a way out of this predicament for you. Given the esteemed status of your Sterling family, which slightly ranks above his Hart family, perhaps something better could be arranged, don't you agree?"
Shock registered in Rachel's eyes, her heart sinking as she digested Hwan's words, the implications bitter and revealing. The understanding dawned, cold and disheartening - Victor had bought their allegiance, turning them against her with promises of a prosperous future.
What cut deeper was the ease with which they abandoned their principles, their oaths as Hunters seemingly forgotten, and their integrity sacrificed to satisfy their selfish desires.
The realization was a slap, leaving her reeling, her blood simmering with a cocktail of emotions - anger, sadness, and a deep-seated disappointment.
With a movement born from frustration, Rachel shoved Hwan away from her.
The man staggered back, surprise written all over his features as Rachel's voice, sharp and condemning, sliced through the tense atmosphere, "Each one of you, standing here, willing to sell your loyalty for promises and future gains, is a disgrace to the proud lineage of Hunters. You tarnish our code, sully the noble deeds of those who came before us, throwing away your honor for personal gains."
A brief, flickering silence washed over the group at Rachel's words, their eyes averting, unable to meet her gaze. Faces filled with a hint of shame, a shadow of guilt. Even Hwan, whose previous confidence flickered, stumbled upon a grunt, an uncomfortable, trapped sound.
"Hahaha…"
Cutting through the tense quiet, Victor's laughter rang out, cold and derisive, echoing within the confines of their makeshift congregation, "What a splendid speech again, Rachel," he scoffed, stepping forward, green eyes sharp and mocking, "Sleeping with one of the most evil demons, and still you assume you can stand there, lofty and untouchable, preaching to us?"
Hearing his words, Hwan and the others regained their previous energy and looked at Rachel with scorn.
Rachel's hands clenched at her sides, fists tight, her nails digging into her palms. She inhaled sharply, steeling herself, "You're right," she admitted, voice steady though it cost her, "I've fallen far. But today marks a change. From today on, I will try my best to atone, even though it can't erase my past mistakes."
Her eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, flicked to Amelia, apology written clearly within their depths, "Amelia, I lied to you, and I'm truly sorry. That day, I did try to kill you to save myself. For that, you should never forgive me."
Amelia's eyes widened, a pained expression forming on her face as she whispered, "Rachel..."
Victor's mocking laughter filled the space again, contempt dripping from every syllable as he retorted, "Quite the fall from grace, Rachel. Who could've known you even tried to do something horrible like that to your best friend?"
With a hard swallow, Rachel fixed her gaze upon Victor, eyes hard, resolve steeling within them. "You may revel in my wrongs, Victor, but neither you nor anyone here holds the right to detain or judge Amelia or me." Her voice rose, steady and clear, "We are leaving."
With a final, lingering glance filled with a complex pool of emotions, Rachel turned, ready to leave with a heavy yet unburdened heart.
"You think you can just walk away after all that?" The chilly drawl of Victor's voice halted their steps, the timbre of it tinged with malicious amusement.
Rachel spun around, eyes wide with disbelief, taking in the tight circle the fifteen Hunters had formed around her and Amelia, a silent, oppressive ring of hostility and suspicion.
They were now bearing weapons, their intentions clear and dangerous.
Her fists clenched upon feeling their killing intent slowly filling the air, unable to believe this was happening.
"Victor," Rachel bit out, her tone icy, frosty eyes narrowing on his figure, "What is this? Haven't we suffered enough at your hands?"
Victor simply snickered, his arms crossed, an air of casual disdain about him. "Regardless of your dramatic declarations, Rachel," he drawled, "the undeniable truth is that you're tainted, corrupted by a demon. The evidence against you is compelling, while you present nothing substantial in your defense. We don't have a senior among us with the mindforce abilities required to discern truth from lie. Hence we must act, for our own safety. Our code empowers us to act preemptively in situations like this, guided by whatever evidence we possess."
He then added with a malevolent glint in his eyes, "So…we have no choice but to take you two down before the demons use you two to kill us all. Who knows…they might already be on their way here."
His words caused the other Hunters to tense up and tighten their grip on their weapons.
"What is this? We are all Hunters! We aren't supposed to turn against each other like this. You all gave your word to have each other's backs. What are you all…" Rachel found herself unable to complete her sentence as her voice echoed through the space, tinged with desperation and disbelief.
Yet her plea fell on deaf ears. The group's resolve didn't waver, their expressions steeled and distant. Within their eyes, Rachel saw no recognition, no camaraderie — only suspicion and the chilling readiness to kill.
"You all dare to kill the president's daughter? You think you can get away with this?" Amelia asked with gritted teeth.
Amelia looked around at these Hunters that encircled her and Rachel with anger and disgust. This was exactly how all those decorated Hunters surrounded Cedric before his final moments.
"Indeed, it will be hard but not impossible," Victor affirmed with a steely glint in his eyes, his voice carrying a chilling finality, "But we aren't doing anything wrong here to worry about it. As Hunters, we eliminate threats, external and internal alike. Just like how our seniors had to kill the Corrupted Prince."
As reality set in, a cold dread pooled in Rachel's stomach. These were her comrades, people she considered her brothers and sisters in arms, yet at this moment, they stood ready to strike her down.
She could see some of them showing reluctance and nervousness, yet their hands were still on their weapons, and their lips sealed.
The very notion sent a shiver down her spine, and suddenly, her heart trembled upon realizing something.
The tremor in Rachel's voice was unmistakable as she posed the question, a question borne of a dawning, dreadful realization, "Was Golden Prince truly…corrupted?" She blinked, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, voice barely above a whisper, yet laden with the weight of a suspicion too horrific to utter louder.
Victor's laughter, devoid of humor, reverberated through the tense air, "Haha, look at you. Don't tell me you were in cahoots with the Corrupted Prince before he died? Maybe it's not that surprising since you seemed quite fond of him. You just couldn't stop talking about him whenever we met," As he said this, his expression turned bitter and ugly.
But the next moment, his expression reverted as he added with a cruel smirk, "Still, your father himself killed him, and you are now questioning your own father's virtue? Seems like you are finally showing your true colors. He is going to be really disappointed in his only child."
A tear escaped Rachel's eye, tracing a path down her cheek as she whispered, almost to herself, "What have I done..."
With a swift, decisive gesture, Victor motioned to the Hunters around them, "End this," he commanded, voice steeped in finality, "Bring down these two corrupted ones."
As the group of fifteen moved, closing the circle with deliberate intent, Rachel snapped out of her despair-induced stupor. Each step they took was charged with deadly intent, their expressions hard and unforgiving, and in their eyes, Rachel could read their resolve.
With a deep breath, Rachel's gaze fixed on the approaching ones, eyes blazing with a mix of vengeful anger and pain.
Eyes darting towards Amelia, Rachel could see her own turmoil mirrored in her friend's gaze. Even after telling her the truth, Amelia was still willing to stand beside her, making Rachel realize how rotten she was earlier.
With a silent, mutual understanding, they braced themselves. Whether it was for redemption, survival, or simply to uphold the dignity she had left, she was prepared to face the inevitable.
Under the scrutiny of Victor and Hwan's watchful eyes, the scene unfolded with a tense, grim anticipation hanging in the air.
With a torrential surge of mana pooling within her, Rachel unleashed a mighty blast of water that radiated outwards in powerful ripples, sending the fifteen would-be assailants reeling back, their advances halted by the force of the elemental surge.
"Amelia, now's your chance - run!" Rachel's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and urgent. She knew she and Amelia weren't in their best form and were exhausted after escaping and running for so long.
But Amelia, steadfast and unwavering, shook her head resolutely, "I won't leave you, Rachel. Let's—" she began to protest, but Rachel's eyes, wide and alarmed, cut her off.
"Amelia, watch out!" Rachel's warning cry came just in time as a woman lunged at Amelia from behind, blade poised to strike.
Without hesitation, with fluid grace, Rachel conjured a blade of pure, crystalline water and thrust it forward. The blade found its mark, piercing through the throat of the woman with lethal precision, a spray of crimson staining Rachel's face as the woman fell, lifeless.
The sound of a body hitting the ground reverberated through the silent space, and Rachel stared at her hands - hands that had just taken the life of a fellow Hunter.
The water blade dissipated, droplets falling like the tears she refused to shed, and for a moment, Rachel was lost in the horror of her action.
"She killed one of us!" Hwan's voice, filled with fury and disbelief, shattered the brief silence, "Take her down without mercy!"
Rachel's trembling ceased abruptly, replaced by an icy resolve that crystallized within her gaze.
With a flick of her wrist, a spear of water materialized in her hand, its form as sharp and deadly as the determination in her eyes. She looked up, her voice cold and unyielding as the ice that began to form around her water constructs.
"You all are no different than demons...So I will destroy you all…" she muttered, the temperature around her dropping with the chill in her voice.
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