Chapter 612: Shin and Malachi Vs Damian [2]

Shin and Malachi stared at Damian’s pinky finger in disbelief before shifting their gazes toward Kaiku, whose blade remained pressed against it. The cursed weapon trembled violently, its white flames tainted with crimson blood still burning along its edge, yet it could not advance even a fraction of an inch.

Kaiku was a demigod grade cursed weapon, capable of threatening opponents far stronger than its wielder, and Damian had stopped its full force with a single finger. Both men were greater demons, and they understood the difference between their strength and that of a Prince, but this was still difficult to comprehend.

Damian was a demigod himself. Even if his physical attributes were extraordinary, how could his body withstand a weapon of the same grade without suffering so much as a scratch?

Swoosh!

Shin abruptly withdrew, leaping backward and covering dozens of meters in a single bound before landing and skidding several more meters across the courtyard. He kept Kaiku raised defensively, but his attention remained fixed on Damian’s hand.

A loud exhale escaped his lips as he tried to steady his breathing, and the confidence he had displayed moments earlier was now mixed with caution. He had expected Damian to defeat them, but he had not expected their strongest attacks to be rendered so thoroughly ineffective.

“Is that even possible?” Elsa muttered from the window frame, her eyes following the scene below.

She had witnessed Damian’s battle against Drogath in the royal court of Gildreach Vault, where he had relied on the Fox and Bull Pendants to temporarily amplify his capabilities. Those artifacts had allowed him to wield power far beyond his ordinary limits, making his victory over the Mine Demon patriarch easier to understand.

Here in the Imperial Capital, however, the arrays suppressing divine power had weakened the Princes, and Damian had no access to the same level of amplification. Yet he had stopped a demigod grade weapon with his pinky finger. The contrast made his performance all the more astonishing.

“Only the Princes of Wrath and Pride possess the physical attributes to replicate this feat,” Derath mumbled, his expression solemn.

William, however, did not seem surprised. The old chamberlain watched the courtyard with the calm expression of a man whose confidence in his master had long since surpassed the need for astonishment.

“If my lord was not capable of this much, how could he have killed Lazarus?” he asked.

Linda and Derath slowly nodded at his words. No ordinary demigod could defeat a God, even with favorable circumstances, and Lazarus had been a particularly formidable opponent.

Meanwhile, Malachi rose to his feet and brushed the dust from his robes. His body still ached from the explosion of Damian’s illusionary clone, but he forced himself to stand straight and raised Weeping Tom once more.

Shin remained at a distance, his grip on Kaiku firm as he reconsidered his approach.

“You seem well versed in demonic spells,” Damian remarked, turning his attention toward Malachi.

Malachi nodded. “I lack a bloodline ability, so I can only rely on demonic spells to fill the gap,” he explained.

Damian slowly nodded, apparently satisfied with the explanation.

“I’m impressed. Keep up the good work,” he said.

Malachi’s lack of a bloodline ability was a disadvantage, but it had also forced him to develop a more versatile fighting style. With enough training and access to better resources, he could become a dangerous opponent without needing to depend on a single inherited power. Damian appreciated that kind of adaptability, particularly in a world where the loss of a signature ability could leave a demon helpless.

His attention then shifted toward Shin. “As for you, you are yet to impress me,” he said plainly.

Shin snorted proudly and puffed out his chest, refusing to let the criticism diminish his confidence.

“Relax. Our battle is far from over. I’m saving the best for last,” he retorted, his tone carrying the certainty of someone who had yet to reveal his most dangerous technique.

“Ooh?” Damian raised a brow, and a smile bloomed across his face. He immediately bowed his head in exaggerated apology.

“I apologize for my shortsightedness. Please educate me in the secret technique you possess that can harm my body,” he said with a chuckle.

Shin’s expression tightened, but he did not rise to the provocation. Instead, he allowed his demonic energy to settle before releasing it in a sudden pulse.

Dong!

A deep bell toll erupted from his body, carrying a resonance that seemed to come from somewhere beyond the courtyard. The sound spread through the air in concentric ripples, passing through the surrounding walls and washing over Damian’s body.

The moment the ripple touched him, Damian’s gaze narrowed. He had not moved, yet a thin line of blood slowly trickled from the left corner of his lips.

“This power…” Damian murmured, his eyes tightening as he examined the strange sensation.

The bell toll had bypassed the obvious defenses of his body, delivering its effect directly to his soul.

“You might want to step aside, little brother, or you might get hurt,” Shin said, turning his head toward Malachi as an ancient Chinese style funeral lantern materialized in his left hand.

Its dark frame was decorated with intricate patterns, while a faint purple glow flickered behind its panels. The lantern looked old enough to have survived countless funerals, and the energy radiating from it carried a cold, oppressive quality that made the surrounding air feel heavier.

“Sure thing, big brother! I’m counting on you!” Malachi shouted as he immediately began retreating.

He showed no embarrassment about leaving Shin to face Damian alone. Their exchange revealed a deep trust between the two disciples.

Damian glanced over his shoulder, impressed by the confidence they placed in each other. In a world where demons frequently betrayed their allies for power, such trust was not something he took lightly. His gaze returned to Shin, who had already raised the funeral lantern and directed its mouth toward him.

“If my attacks can’t harm your body, I will go for the soul!” Shin shouted, his fighting spirit blazing in his eyes.

Without hesitation, he pointed the burial lantern forward. A massive purple demonic array unfolded beneath his feet, its intricate runes spreading across the ground before the center of the formation twisted open. Something enormous surged out of the array, its grotesque body resembling a collection of moulds of flesh fused together without any recognizable structure. Its surface writhed as though countless muscles were struggling beneath a thin layer of skin, and its enormous mouth opened to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth.

It had no eyes, no visible limbs suited for ordinary movement, and no apparent means of sensing the world except through the supernatural power emanating from its body.

“Damikan Clan Secret Technique: Soul Eater!”

Keeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiii!

The Soul Eater opened its mouth and unleashed a series of soul rupturing cries. The sound waves tore through the courtyard, distorting the air and causing the surrounding space to tremble.

Damian’s expression immediately darkened as the cries struck his senses. He recognized the nature of the attack, and the familiarity brought back an unpleasant memory of the assassin from the Order of Demons who had nearly killed him with a similar technique.

Gaaah!

Damian barely had time to react before the cries intensified. The world seemed to tilt around him, his vision blurring until the courtyard and the Soul Eater became indistinct shapes. He swayed violently and clutched his head with one hand, struggling to maintain his balance while keeping the God vein crystal secure in the other. The sound was not merely entering his ears. It was striking something deeper, disrupting his perception and threatening to tear apart his concentration.

The most reliable counter he could think of was to pull the creature into Realm Zero, where the darkness could isolate it and allow the Dark World to consume the sound waves. However, the arrays suppressing the Princes’ power made using his realm far more difficult, and he could not simply rely on the same solution he would have used elsewhere. He had to find another way to stop the attack before the continued assault damaged his already injured soul.

Gritting his teeth, Damian forced himself upright and extended his right palm toward the approaching creature. Blood continued to run from his lips, but the expression in his eyes turned cold as he fixed his gaze on the Soul Eater. He had no intention of allowing a technique used by his own disciple to push him into retreat.

The creature accelerated, its enormous mouth widening as it crossed the remaining distance. Its cries intensified until the stones beneath it began to crack, and the air around Damian vibrated so violently that the surrounding soldiers struggled to remain standing.

Then black chains erupted from Damian’s outstretched palm. They shot forward with terrifying speed, wrapping around the Soul Eater’s grotesque body before coiling tightly across its jaws. The chains pulled in opposite directions, forcing its mouth shut and abruptly cutting off the source of the soul rupturing cries.

“What?!” Shin and Malachi blurted out together.

Bam!

The Soul Eater crashed into Damian’s palm with tremendous force. His boots scraped across the ground as his body was pushed backward, carving two long grooves into the courtyard stones.

The impact continued to drive him away, but the black chains remained firmly attached to the creature. As Damian slid farther back, the Soul Eater began to shrink. Its grotesque body contracted with every meter of movement, and the purple energy surrounding it gradually faded as the chains drained its strength. What had initially appeared to be an enormous monster became progressively smaller until its body collapsed into nothingness, leaving only the last traces of purple light drifting above the cracked ground.

Damian finally stopped moving. His chest heaved as he drew several deep breaths, and his gaze lowered toward his right hand. The palm had turned deathly pale, and a numb sensation spread through his fingers.

Even though he had managed to destroy the Soul Eater, the impact had forced him to absorb a considerable amount of its power while resisting the soul attack. The creature had been summoned by a greater demon, yet the technique had been dangerous enough to threaten him despite his demigod body. Had he been slower to react or allowed the cries to continue unchecked, the consequences might have been far more serious.

“What sort of inheritance is that?” Shin asked as he hurried over, his earlier confidence replaced by genuine curiosity.

“I have never seen anything like it!” Malachi added, approaching from the other side.

Both disciples looked toward the black chains before returning their attention to Damian’s hand, attempting to understand how he had neutralized an attack that had bypassed his physical defenses. Their curiosity was understandable, but Damian had no intention of explaining the full nature of his inheritance in the middle of the courtyard.

He motioned for them to come closer. Shin and Malachi exchanged a quick glance before leaning toward him, their expressions expectant. Damian lowered his voice and whispered into their ears, “Top secret.”

Their faces twisted with indignation almost immediately.

“Not fair! We are your disciples. You should entrust us with secrets like this!” Shin argued, while Malachi supported him with an emphatic nod.

They had just risked their lives attempting to impress their master, and in return, he was teasing them with knowledge that could potentially transform their understanding of combat.

Damian laughed out loud at their reaction. He found their outrage far more entertaining than he should have.

Damian passed the first bunch of crystals to Shin and then summoned another crystal and threw it toward Malachi, who snatched it out of the air before it could strike the ground.

Both disciples stared at the crystals in their hands, their eyes sparkling with excitement. The rewards were real, and despite the bruises, exhaustion, and humiliation they had suffered, neither regretted accepting the challenge.

“I will tell you both all about the inheritance when you get to the demigod realm. Only then can you defend yourselves from the dangers that come with that secret,” Damian explained with a shrug. “As for the crystals, they are for your hard work. You two made me use that inheritance, so it counts for something.”

Damian then turned toward Malachi and raised his index finger. Before the younger demon could ask what he intended to do, Damian tapped the center of his forehead. Strange letters appeared beneath his fingertip, glowing faintly as they spread across Malachi’s skin.

The markings formed an unfamiliar pattern, their lines and symbols carrying a strange weight that Malachi could feel even before their meaning became clear. Damian pressed his finger against the final mark, and the letters slowly sank beneath the skin, disappearing into Malachi’s skull.

[Bestow: Sicon Of Dunes]

Malachi’s eyes widened as the inherited power settled within him. He could feel a new ability taking shape.

“Master, this is…” Malachi began, his voice faltering as he struggled to comprehend what Damian had given him.

“It’s the bloodline ability of the Djinn race. I took it when I killed the Prince of Envy’s subordinate, Muddhibb. It should serve you well, but don’t relent on your mastery of demonic spells,” Damian explained.

Malachi immediately fell to his knees and bowed his head.

“Thank you, Master!” he exclaimed, his voice filled with gratitude.

He had received a God vein crystal and a bloodline ability in the same evening, rewards that many demons could spend centuries pursuing without success. For someone who had begun his journey without a prestigious inheritance, the gift was almost beyond belief.

Damian chuckled and turned around, walking back toward the manor. He was satisfied with the strength both disciples had displayed, particularly considering that they were still only greater demons.

With proper cultivation and continued training, both could become far stronger by the time they reached the demigod realm.

Elsa watched Damian return through the courtyard, her expression carrying a mixture of amusement and admiration.

“With that inheritance, he can steal so many powers. Those two are lucky because their master has no shortage of inheritances he can bestow on them,” she chuckled lightly.