Infernal Entity: Evolving With My Demonic System-Chapter 69: You’re Expendable

Before Axel could ask what she meant by that, Kinsey groaned softly.

Her fingers twitched first, then her shoulders shifted as she slowly came back to herself.

Just like Axel, her head felt heavy, like something had been pressed deep into her skull and only just released. It took her longer to open her eyes. Much longer than Axel.

When she finally did, she froze.

The room snapped into focus, and the first thing she saw was the tattooed third-year student standing in front of them.

Fear crossed her face before she could hide it. "Shit!"

The female Apex noticed immediately.

"Oh, you’re awake," she said calmly. "Good."

"Since you two are awake now, how about I introduce myself properly. Name’s Dasha," she said. "Third year. Apex, obviously..."

She didn’t really need to say the rank since the badge on her collar already did that for her.

"So the Orion Prince," Dasha continued, her eyes settling on Axel, "was my champion."

"He wasn’t just strong," Dasha said. "He was reliable. People loved him. They bet on him. Every fight. Every time they bet on him, I made money. A lot of it."

Earlier, Dasha had a smile on her face as she described the Orion Prince. Then, her smile vanished.

"Then you showed up," she said with a low growl.

"You humiliated him," Dasha said. "One strike and the undefeated prince dropped like he was nothing." Her fingers slowly curled into a fist. "Do you know what that means?" she asked. "No one will ever trust him again. No one will bet on him. My income is gone."

"Well, I mean, it’s not our fault your prince is a bulky weakling," Aurora laughed.

Just then, red mist began to form around her hand. Axel’s eyes widened slightly when he saw it.

The mist thickened, swirling tightly around her knuckles. It darkened and started turning heavier and denser, until it looked almost liquid. Drops of it fell from her fist and splashed onto the floor.

Axel and Kinsey felt pressure in the air. Axel instinctively tried to bring up his ID skill.

"Don’t!" Aurora warned immediately. "Don’t you think if Drax Tan could sense it, so can she? And trust me, she won’t be so forgiving if she senses you using a skill on her."

Axel clenched his jaw and stopped himself.

Dasha glanced at her guards. "What do you think?" she asked casually. "What should I do to a Lumina who cut off our money flow?"

After a moment, Dasha relaxed her hand, and the red liquid mist evaporated and vanished like it was never there.

Dasha turned back to Axel. "You’re famous now," she said. "The kid who brought down the prince." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

She tilted her head slightly. "People will want to see more of you. They’ll want to bet on you."

"Okay... that’s comforting," he muttered. "What does it mean for me?" he asked.

"That means," Dasha continued, "you’re valuable."

"So from today onwards, you work for me."

Kinsey jerked her head toward Axel. Her eyes were wide. She shook her head slightly, silently telling him no. Dasha noticed and smirked.

"Don’t think of it as a threat," she said. "Think of it as a partnership. If you fight for me, people will bet on you, and you better win because when you do, I take my cut and you take yours. Both of us win. It’s a quid pro quo."

Axel looked at Kinsey again. She was clearly against it.

But Axel remembered the crowd. The money. The way people had screamed Orion’s name.

If they bet like that on him... he could make everything he needed. Fast. Just then, something stirred inside him. It was his greed.

"Yes," Axel said without hesitation. He didn’t even think twice.

"I’m in."

"Unbind them," Dasha said. She didn’t waste time after Axel gave his answer.

The students behind her quickly got to work, and the chains released with a sharp click.

Axel rubbed his wrists as the pressure faded. Kinsey did the same, standing up a little too fast, still unsteady.

Dasha looked at Axel one last time. "Come by tomorrow," she said. "Prove you’re worth the trouble."

"Tomorrow?" he asked while staring at her.

"Yes, tomorrow. You’ll be fighting someone tougher than the Orion Prince," Dasha added. "So prepare yourself."

With that, she turned away.

The guards stepped in and motioned for Axel and Kinsey to move. Neither of them resisted. They were escorted through the corridors in silence, passing the same layers of security they had come through earlier.

When they finally reached the surface, the noise of the academy filtered back in. Normal voices. Normal lights. It felt strange after being underground for so long. They had been there for more than two hours.

Axel paused and looked back toward the hidden entrance.

"How does the Oval Academy not know this place exists?" he asked. "It’s not exactly hidden."

Kinsey stopped walking and turned on him. "Are you insane?!" she snapped.

Axel blinked at her. "What?"

"You just agreed to work for her," Kinsey said. "Just like that."

Axel shrugged slightly, playing dumb on purpose. "What was I supposed to do?"

"You should have said no," she shot back. "People like Dasha don’t care about fighters. They care about money."

She pointed back toward the underground. "Did you see how easily she discarded the Orion Prince? One loss and he was nothing."

Axel stayed quiet because she was starting to make sense.

"That’s what you are to her," Kinsey continued. "Expendable... because the moment you stop making her money, you’re done, and you could even get hurt!"

Axel thought about it for a moment. Then he shrugged again.

"I also care about money," he said simply.

Kinsey stared at him, speechless.

And Axel walked forward without looking back. In his mind, Aurora spoke.

"You do know that she has a point. Not just that, she genuinely cares for you. Even though you’ve only spent a few days together."

"Well... care isn’t what I need right now. It’s money."