Chapter 522: Power Of An Abomination

Damian had expected fear. Perhaps not terror, but at least some hesitation from the ancient Duke after finally revealing the power he had concealed from the Underworld. Instead, the shock across Dantalion’s countless faces slowly transformed into something far more disturbing.

Excitement.

His eyes widened as his gaze traveled across Damian’s armored body, lingering on the black flames and the crimson runes covering the greatsword.

A smile gradually stretched across his faces until his expression resembled that of a predator that had suddenly discovered its prey was carrying something far more valuable than expected.

"Lin Qui, you dog... So you are the one who did in Majin." Dantalion muttered, his smile growing larger with every passing moment.

Damian immediately felt something radiating from the Duke, something that had nothing to do with fear or hatred. It was desire, raw and overwhelming, and Damian recognized it instantly.

Greed.

"You are not afraid?" Damian asked, a hint of genuine surprise entering his voice.

Dantalion answered with booming laughter that echoed throughout the Territory, the sound coming from all directions simultaneously as his numerous mouths opened.

"Why should I?"

He threw his hands apart, his composure finally beginning to crack.

"I came here to acquire the Lust inheritance but now I have been offered the Abyssal inheritance on a platter of gold. And the best part is, we are within my Territory, so no one will ever know of it until I have become a God and gained the ability to truly control the Abyss!"

Dantalion threw his arms wider and screamed toward the heavens with a crazed expression, completely abandoning the calm demeanor he had maintained earlier.

His ambition had consumed whatever restraint remained, and Damian could now see the truth behind the ancient Duke’s confidence.

"And do you know the best part?" Dantalion slowly lowered his gaze until his eyes met the glowing red eyes beneath Damian’s helmet.

"I will be the one to kill that man on the golden throne and when that happens I will be the most famous demon to ever exist in the Underworld and my legend will soar above that of even the mighty Lucifer Morningstar!" he cried out in ecstasy, his voice shaking the empty world around them.

"That is assuming you manage to beat me...." Damian replied calmly.

Buzz!

The smile vanished from Dantalion’s faces. His brows twisted into an ugly frown as his hands and head lowered together, his cold gaze settling upon Damian.

The ancient Duke’s eyes twitched when he noticed the Dark Knight was not retreating. Damian was actually walking toward him at a calm and steady pace, his greatsword resting loosely in one hand while the crimson scarf around his neck fluttered behind him.

"Don’t you think it’s foolish to count your eggs before they hatch... Last time I remembered, I have never lost a fight." Damian continued, his gaze becoming colder with every step.

Dantalion’s head suddenly shifted, the dragon head disappearing as an Ifrit head emerged in its place. The eyes burned with fury as the Duke’s expression hardened.

"THEN I WILL BE YOUR FIRST AND LAST!"

Rumble!

The mountain beneath Damian’s feet suddenly began trembling violently. Damian stopped and glanced downward, his eyes narrowing as fissures rapidly spread across the ground. A crimson glow began leaking through the cracks, followed by an intense wave of heat that rolled across the battlefield.

Damian’s smile slowly deepened as he realized what was happening. "Shit!"

He immediately moved, but he was already too late.

The mountain exploded.

Lava burst violently from beneath the surface, covering the mountainside in molten rivers while enormous streams shot into the sky. Damian’s Dark Knight body disappeared beneath the eruption for an instant before he propelled himself through the molten rock, shooting upward with his armor glowing from the intense heat.

He broke through the lava and emerged into the open air, his body scorching hot but still able to endure the temperature.

Then his instincts screamed.

The sensation was immediate and unmistakable. It felt as though the cold blade of the Angel of Death had been pressed directly against his neck. Damian twisted around without hesitation and his eyes widened at what he saw.

A massive crimson beam was already approaching him.

"HEAVENLY DRAGON BREATH!!!!"

The attack was five times larger than Damian’s body, its crimson energy illuminating the entire Territory as it tore through the air. The sheer power behind it caused the world itself to rumble, and the empty landscape trembled as the beam advanced.

Brrrr!

Black flames suddenly exploded from Damian’s hand. He thrust his fist forward and unleashed a concentrated torrent of Abyssal Flames directly against the enormous dragon breath. The Abyssal attack was nowhere near the size of Dantalion’s beam, yet its destructive nature allowed it to resist the overwhelming force pressing against it.

BOOOM!

The collision became cataclysmic.

Crimson and black energy collided in the center of the Territory, producing violent shockwaves that raced across the mountains and churned the clouds into enormous storms.

Damian’s boots dug into the air as he forced more Abyssal Flames through his fist, his entire body straining against the pressure.

"As expected of the ultimate inheritance of the Underworld. It can even hold back my immense power despite being in the hands of a weakling." Dantalion’s voice boomed from every corner of the Territory. "Not for long though..."

A cold chuckle echoed throughout the realm, followed by the unmistakable sound of a massive cathedral bell.

DONG!!!!

The sound struck Damian’s soul rather than his ears. Immediately afterward, a low and irritating tune began playing from every direction. It resembled an eerie ancient Chinese melody, but there was something deeply unnatural about it.

Every note seemed to pierce directly into Damian’s mind, creating a buzzing sensation that spread through his skull and down into his soul.

"Damika: Haunting Wail Under The Moonlight!"

"Gaaaaah!"

Damian’s body jerked violently in midair. His fingers trembled as the strange music invaded his soul, the sound creating the horrifying sensation that something was attempting to rip his soul directly from his body.

His concentration fractured, and the output of his Abyssal Flames immediately weakened. The Heavenly Dragon Breath took advantage of the opening and began pushing Damian’s flames backward, the enormous crimson beam slowly creeping closer toward him.

Damian gritted his teeth and fought to maintain control, but then he caught glimpses of the surrounding mountains exploding one after another. Enormous bodies of molten lava erupted from every direction, flooding across the replicated landscape and converging upon him.

"Ifrits: LAVA TYRANT REQUIEM!"

"GAAAAAH!"

A scream of pain escaped Damian as his mind struggled against the Haunting Wail. He was barely maintaining his sanity while simultaneously resisting the Heavenly Dragon Breath, and now countless rivers of lava were racing toward him from every direction. The heat washed over his armor as the molten mass surged forward, leaving Damian with almost nowhere to move.

"Do you understand now, human... I am the one who breaches the gap between all demonic races and unites it into one powerful fighting force. Only I can bring the Underworld back to its golden age... Your death is nothing but a minor sacrifice in comparison to the glorious future I plan to build!" Dantalion’s voice shook the entire Territory as he continued combining the powers of different demonic races.

"Gaaaaah!"

Damian’s Abyssal Flames finally vanished.

His body convulsed as he clutched his helmeted head, unable to withstand the Haunting Wail any longer. The instant his flames disappeared, the Heavenly Dragon Breath slammed into him.

BOOOOOOM!

The enormous crimson beam drove Damian downward with overwhelming force, dragging his body through the air before smashing him into the replicated capital below. The ground erupted beneath the impact as Damian was driven deeper and deeper into the earth, creating an enormous crater.

At the same time, the massive body of lava crashed into the city, flooding streets and buildings before pouring directly into the crater created by the Heavenly Dragon Breath.

Dantalion’s laughter shook the entire Territory.

He stood above the devastation, his body now displaying several different inheritances simultaneously. Three massive heads surrounded his main body, with the dragon head occupying the center, a blindfolded Damikan head positioned to the left and the burning face of an Ifrit on the right.

Hundreds of grotesque hands protruded from his back while two additional pairs emerged beneath his armpits. His original pair of arms had become thick and muscular, covered in dragon scales, while the second pair possessed flowing lava beneath their skin like molten veins. The final pair had a blue coloration, and one of those hands held an ancient ceremonial Chinese lantern whose dim light pulsed ominously through the battlefield.

Then the ground below him erupted.

"HAAAAAAAA!"

Damian’s furious roar tore through the Territory as an enormous arc of black sword light ripped through the lava and Heavenly Dragon Breath simultaneously. The attack continued forward, racing past Dantalion and disappearing into the heavens as the Duke narrowly moved aside.

The Dark Knight finally emerged from the devastation.

Damian gripped his greatsword with both hands, his chest heaving as he struggled to recover. His armor was damaged in several places, and blood poured from the openings around his helmet as violent coughs shook his body. He staggered forward before driving the greatsword into the ground and using it to support his weight.

’He... He is a monster.’

The realization settled heavily within Damian’s mind.

Without the Territory, Dantalion could already summon the power of different demon races individually. But inside his Territory, he could embody several inheritances simultaneously, allowing him to combine their abilities and multiply the destructive force behind his attacks.

Abel had not exaggerated when he said Duke Dantalion was going to leave Damian badly hurt.