Chapter 520: Siege Of a Velmora Begins

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Burning boulders continued streaking across the sky for several minutes, each projectile crashing against the defensive arrays or being intercepted by the demigods above the walls.

The repeated explosions turned the area around Velmora into a storm of fire and smoke, while fragments of shattered stone rained harmlessly against the outer defenses. The soldiers remained crouched behind the battlements, waiting for the bombardment to finally stop. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the barrage ceased.

The battlefield fell strangely quiet for only a brief moment before the distant ground began trembling beneath the approaching army. The first wave of Order soldiers surged forward in enormous numbers, advancing behind towering siege towers and massive battle rams protected by heavily armored troops.

"They are finally coming!" Kan said with a tight frown, immediately recognizing that the enemy had begun its main assault.

Yuji’s eyes narrowed as he studied their formation and raised his weapon toward the approaching siege equipment.

"Focus artillery weapons on the siege towers and battle rams. Archers, focus your arrows on the approaching soldiers!" he barked, and the soldiers immediately moved into position.

"Understood!" came the unified response as artillery crews loaded their weapons and thousands of archers prepared their bows.

Meanwhile, far above the battlefield, Damian’s body suddenly tore through the clouds.

Bang!

He shot uncontrollably across the sky before passing over the capital walls and disappearing toward the mountains surrounding Velmora. His body slammed into one of the enormous mountains with such force that the earth beneath the impact crater sank several meters, sending rocks and dust cascading down the mountainside.

Damian remained embedded in the stone, his body having left a deep imprint against the mountain where everyone watching from below could have seen him if they had been looking in the right direction.

"Aaah...." Damian gasped as he slowly looked down at his chest.

His ribs and sternum had been crushed inward, and blood poured from the corners of his lips. Every attempt to breathe caused another wave of pain to spread through his body, his lungs struggling to expand properly as though something had squeezed them tightly from within. He had barely enough time to register the injury before his instincts screamed at him again.

Gritting his teeth, Damian grabbed the ground beneath him and violently threw himself to the left. His sudden movement came barely a moment before an enormous figure crashed into his previous location.

BOOOOM!

The mountain shook violently as Duke Dantalion slammed into the earth, sending an enormous cloud of dust and shattered rock into the air. Damian landed several meters away and immediately forced himself upright, staggering backward a few steps before regaining his balance. He barely had time to raise his head before Dantalion emerged from the debris and charged toward him. The fifteen foot demon crossed the distance almost instantly, his enormous fist driving directly toward Damian’s head.

Damian planted his feet firmly against the ground and tilted his body to the left, allowing the massive fist to pass beside his face. At the same moment, his own right fist shot forward. One punch became ten, then fifty, then hundreds as afterimages of his arm filled the space between them.

Damian struck Dantalion more than a hundred times within a single second, each blow hammering into the Duke’s body with enough force to shake the surrounding mountain.

Dantalion’s upper body jerked backward beneath the barrage, but instead of being overwhelmed, his chest suddenly began swelling as burning orange light emerged beneath his pale skin. The light intensified rapidly, spreading across his torso as though his body were preparing to explode. Even while absorbing Damian’s attacks, Dantalion swung his free fist toward Damian.

Damian ducked beneath the incoming blow and stepped inside the Duke’s reach. His injured body screamed in protest, but he ignored it and drove his left fist directly into Dantalion’s exposed chest.

"CRIMSON FOX KISS!" Damian roared.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Hundreds of explosions erupted across Dantalion’s chest in rapid succession. Each detonation sent another shockwave through his body, forcing the massive demon backward.

His feet tore trenches through the earth as he retreated several hundred meters, while Damian continued pouring explosive demonic force into the Duke’s body until Dantalion finally managed to break away. Thick smoke swallowed the battlefield, obscuring both figures from sight.

Damian remained standing, though his breathing had become noticeably heavier. He grabbed his injured chest and resisted the urge to continue attacking blindly. His body was already damaged, and he knew that recklessly exchanging attacks with an opponent this powerful would eventually cost him. He therefore waited, watching the smoke while trying to regain control of his breathing.

"You don’t fear the presence of a being near Godhood... You are also quite skilled in demonic force control and physical combat, but most of all, you are not afraid to fight an enemy head on. You are a rather unique fox, that I cannot deny." Duke Dantalion’s voice rang through the clearing smoke.

"Unfortunately, that is far from enough."

Swoosh!

A powerful gust of wind swept across the mountain, dispersing the smoke and revealing Dantalion standing completely upright. Damian’s eyes narrowed immediately.

A portion of Dantalion’s dark robes around his chest had been completely destroyed, revealing a pale torso covered in thick dragon scales. Even his head had changed. The enormous bald human face had shifted aside, replaced by the head of a crimson dragon whose burning eyes stared directly at Damian.

"Talent alone does not guarantee victory. You are truly unique amongst all the Sins of Lust, unfortunately, I am your enemy." Duke Dantalion sneered, his dragon head lowering slightly as his claws flexed.

"Just shut the fuck up already you piece of shit and come at me with all you have got!" Damian hissed, his patience clearly gone.

Dantalion’s expression twisted with annoyance, and the dragon’s lips pulled back slightly to reveal rows of sharp teeth.

"Foolish mortal, this is why the seat of power must belong to we clear minded demons who have experienced the world for tens of thousands of years... Our vast experience and endless ambition is not something you short sighted mortals can understand, especially humans." Dantalion said, his voice carrying the arrogance of someone who genuinely believed his age and experience placed him beyond Damian’s understanding.

Damian suddenly broke into loud, painful laughter, the movement forcing him to clutch his damaged chest for a moment before he straightened himself again.

"Tens of thousands years of ambition only to be defeated and oppressed by a human currently occupying Aurelios and even carved out a place for humans. You shameless piece of shit, if demons were as capable as you speak, that never would have happened." Damian mocked as he stood upright and rolled his shoulder, ignoring the pain running through his damaged body.

Buzz!

A low rumbling growl escaped Dantalion’s throat. His dragon eyes narrowed, and murderous intent poured from his body as he stared at Damian.

"Fool, I planned to make you understand that your death is for the greater good but now I will kill the dog you are and all your allies will follow suit after your demise." Dantalion sneered.

Pa!

Duke Dantalion suddenly clasped his hands together and the atmosphere changed.

The mountains, the clouds and even the distant capital seemed to fade beneath an invisible pressure. Damian’s eyes narrowed as the world around them began changing. Yet despite the strange sensation, he could not immediately identify what had happened.

The armies that had been fighting around the capital disappeared from the horizon. The walls of Velmora were gone. The sounds of battle vanished. Even the distant explosions could no longer be heard.

There was only silence.

Dantalion slowly raised one hand, his expression becoming cold and solemn. "I will show you the difference between the divine and a mere Demi god!"

"Territory: All for One, One For All!"

Damian frowned as he looked around. Nothing appeared to have changed. There was no obvious barrier, no visible alteration to the terrain and no overwhelming pressure crushing his body. Yet the armies attacking Velmora had completely vanished, leaving behind an empty horizon. There was no city, no soldiers, no civilians and no battlefield. There was only Damian and Dantalion standing within an eerily silent world.

Damian’s eyes narrowed further.

Whatever Dantalion had done, he knew one thing immediately.

This was not an ordinary Territory.