Chapter 262: The Fall of the White House (7)
Adam's Intervention
High above, not far from the immediate battlefield, two figures flew in at top speed.
Seeing Emily writhing in pain on the ground, Luke's face was etched with fury.
"Adam, take him to a secluded area."
"Understood, Young Master."
Adam, in his full demon form, nodded. He flapped his wings, generating a burst of air, and shot toward Joel Nash like an arrow. His speed was phenomenal, his body almost a phantom. By the time Joel Nash reacted, Adam was upon him, his scaled claw striking the magical barrier with tremendous force.
Bang!
The barrier instantly shattered, and Joel Nash was sent flying backward like a baseball hit by a bat.
Adam closed the distance, clamping his claws onto Nash's shoulders and wrapping his tail around the demon's waist. He then twisted and flew deep into the woods.
The metahumans, saved from certain death, gasped for breath, their terrified eyes now filled with inexpressible relief.
They survived! They were saved!
Costa wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and asked nervously,
"The guy who saved us—the one who looked like a demon—is that the 'he' you were talking about?"
Stavros and Maeve exchanged confused glances. They had seen that demon before; it was the leader of the Serpent Society. Why was he attacking Ghast? Weren't they on the same side?
Emily was also completely baffled. Just then, a hummingbird landed near her, and a cold, flat voice issued from its tiny beak.
"Head south, leave the forest, and do not return."
"Where are you?" Emily cried urgently.
Before she could finish, the hummingbird took flight and vanished into the firestorm.
Costa muttered, "Who is this guy? Why is he so secretive?"
Emily felt an inexplicable surge of anger and glared fiercely at him.
"Don't ask questions about things you shouldn't ask."
Costa muttered under his breath, Who did I offend? It was just a question!
Luke's Interrogation
Adam flew for over a dozen miles until they were completely isolated, then flung Joel Nash away with a powerful whip of his tail. In mid-air, Joel Nash quickly adjusted his body, spread his wings, and floated down gently to the ground.
He looked up, his eyes fixed on Adam with confusion. "That body is mine. Why is it in your hands? Who are you?"
"He is my servant, named Adam."
Luke, wearing the Phantom Armor, stepped out of the forest, his eyes glinting with lethal intent. "We meet again, Your Excellency Ghast."
Joel Nash stared at Luke.
"I truly should have disregarded everything else and eliminated you sooner."
"You are mistaken," Luke shook his head slightly. "Setting aside whether you could have succeeded, even if you had, it wouldn't have changed the outcome. Jack Harvey wouldn't have let you go; he would have found another helper even without me."
"He is dead."
"Yes, he is dead. He died of a sudden myocardial infarction. I must admit, you were insightful to grasp the core weakness."
"Jack Harvey was the initiator and organizer of the entire operation. By killing him, you resolved the trouble at its root. And it worked—his death threw everything into chaos. They were a flock without a shepherd, a scattered mess. I had no choice but to take Vanessa and hide in Hawaii."
Joel Nash kept his right hand behind his back, a red glow beginning to condense in his palm.
"Since you ran, why return? I thought you would understand the goodwill I extended."
Luke sighed. "I did understand. I even briefly considered an alliance. Unfortunately, my grandfather taught me a simple lesson: An enemy who cannot be made a friend must be made to vanish forever."
"Your Excellency Ghast, you are a demon. You claim nobility, yet you are calculating and ruthlessly ambitious, with no mercy and no bottom line. Such a creature can never be my friend. Since you cannot be my friend, you must be erased."
Joel Nash replied coldly,
"Is that why you chose to cooperate with Sam Lane and the others?"
"To be accurate, they chose to cooperate with me. Your Excellency Ghast, you played one masterful move, but it was one step too late. Before you made your move, Jack Harvey shared all the information about you with a few trusted contacts in the Senate and the Department of Defense, promising to find definitive proof within five days. Initially, those useless old officials were skeptical, but then, he died. He died of a sudden myocardial infarction."
Luke paused, a sense of irony in his voice.
"An accident can happen once or twice, but never a third time. Yet you didn't care, repeatedly using 'accidents' to eliminate your problems. Did you truly believe the people in the Senate were fools? That they wouldn't see through your trick? Jack Harvey was the Director of the FBI, a powerful man whose every move drew attention. If he hadn't died, everyone would have maintained a skeptical stance and wouldn't have dared to launch an all-out attack. But he did die..."
Luke offered a strange smile.
"He used his own life to dispel all doubts and dragged you straight to hell."
Joel Nash narrowed his eyes. "You are going to send me to hell."
"You won't be going to hell. You will be reduced to dust!"
Luke stamped his right foot on the ground. The earth cracked open, and a pillar of fire shot skyward, smashing violently into Joel Nash. The demon's face tightened. He pressed his left hand down, deploying a magical barrier to counter the green flame's impact, while simultaneously raising his index finger, which glowed red.
Ffshh!
A streak of red light shot out, penetrating the intervening space and flying toward Luke with terrifying heat.
Luke snorted, having fully anticipated this move—a demon's cunning would never allow a fair fight. Green flames erupted from his armor, forming a blazing shield.
Boom!
The red light collided with the shield, emitting a sizzling, crackling sound.
"A sneaky creature!"
Luke dismissed the insult and launched himself into the air. Green flames erupted from his armor, plating the surface in an oily green sheen.
"Fire Fist!"
He clenched his right hand and struck with full force. The green fire surged in successive waves, forming a thick blast of fiery energy.
Joel Nash stood his ground, folding his wings, while a red light condensed in his chest.
"Dragon Flame Cannon!"
A pillar of fire, nearly a hundred meters long, shot forward, crashing head-on into the green energy blast.
Boom!
A gigantic, multicolored fireball—dozens of meters in diameter—erupted in the sky. It shone brighter than the sun itself. The all-consuming red fire and the soul-shaking green fire constantly clashed, releasing powerful waves of energy that annihilated everything around them.
Grass and flowers ignited, dead wood instantly dissolved into ash, and the forest became a raging inferno.
"This guy is stronger than the previous Ghast!"
Luke muttered. He raised his hand, gathering the scattered green flames. With a low roar, a five-clawed fire dragon instantly materialized.
Luke stood atop the dragon's head. Man and beast tore through the firestorm and charged straight at Joel Nash. Concurrently, Adam muttered a spell, and his demonic body vanished like a blur of light.
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