Chapter 617: Damian Vs Belial [2]

Sol, Belial, and everyone watching stared at Damian’s imitation with expressions of disbelief. Even Sol, who had witnessed countless supernatural abilities throughout his long existence, found himself struggling to understand what he was seeing.

Belial’s Unrivalled Dominion was an inheritance capable of temporarily reproducing another being’s complete combat identity. It did not merely imitate techniques. It recreated the target’s physique, talents, and abilities to the extent permitted by the inheritance. If Belial chose to replicate Sol, the resulting clone would be an almost perfect representation of the Demon Prince himself.

Yet the imitation standing before them was missing something fundamental about Damian.

How is this possible? Sol wondered, his golden eyes narrowing as he examined the clone. Why can’t Unrivalled Dominion reproduce him completely?

It made no sense. Damian was powerful, certainly, but the ability should have accounted for everything that made him what he was. Instead, the clone appeared to have recreated a version of Damian from before his recent transformation, as though the inheritance had reached a boundary it could neither perceive nor cross.

"How is this possible... This has never happened before..." Belial muttered, his voice filled with shock.

His attention remained fixed on the imitation, and for a brief moment, he forgot about the white flames surging from his hands. That moment of distraction was enough. The torrent he had been unleashing against Damian began to weaken, its forward momentum faltering as his concentration slipped.

Damian immediately seized the opportunity.

He poured more demonic force into his flames, and the white fire expanded dramatically, doubling in size as it surged forward. The collision between the two torrents shifted in his favour. Belial’s flames were driven backwards, metre after metre, forcing him to reinforce his attack before the advancing inferno could swallow him.

Belial’s expression changed as he realised his mistake. He quickly redirected his attention towards Damian, only to find the Prince of Lust already pressing his advantage. Grinding his teeth, Belial glanced at his clone and barked an order.

"Get him!"

The imitation responded without hesitation. It kicked off the ground and shot into the air, rising above the turbulent collision of white flames. Its violet eyes fixed on Damian, and its body leaned forward in preparation for an attack. However, just as it began accelerating towards its target, its eyes widened at the sight of seven white fox tails extending from behind Damian.

The tails swayed through the air, each one carrying a tongue of white fire with a pair of purple eyes and three smaller tails of its own. Their appearance was unnerving, the flames moving with a life of their own as they watched the approaching imitation. Unlike ordinary fire, they possessed an awareness that made their movements difficult to predict.

Damian formed a seal with his free hand, his eyes burning brighter as he shouted, "I won’t let you. Ninefold Samsara!"

The seven tongues of fire erupted into chilling laughter.

Five shot directly towards the imitation while the remaining two swept around the colliding torrents, circling the battlefield to approach Belial from opposite sides. Their movements were swift and coordinated, cutting through the air as though they had already anticipated every possible escape route.

The clone immediately recognised the threat. It copied Damian’s hand seal, reproducing the same technique with startling accuracy. Seven tongues of white fire emerged behind it, each possessing purple eyes and three smaller tails. Two darted downwards to intercept the flames approaching Belial, while the other five spread out to meet the attackers racing towards the clone.

The restaurant’s remaining windows shattered as the two groups collided. White fire burst across the open dining area, sending waves of heat through the surrounding tables. The flames twisted around one another, biting, clawing, and attempting to overwhelm their opponents. Despite being imitations, the clone’s flames moved with remarkable precision, matching the original technique closely enough to prevent Damian from gaining an immediate advantage.

Belial seized the opening.

"Go ahead and attack him! I’ll keep him pinned down!"

The clone nodded once before kicking through the air and shooting towards Damian. Its violet eyes remained fixed on its target as it accelerated, intending to strike while the Prince of Lust was occupied maintaining the torrent of white flames. With Belial continuing to pour his power into the opposing attack, Damian could not simply abandon his position without allowing the flames to overwhelm him.

The imitation understood this and intended to exploit it. However, before it could close the distance, a cold voice boomed across the restaurant.

"Don’t you dare touch my husband!"

Tree branches burst through the surrounding structures, twisting around pillars and snaking across the open-roof resort. Leaves scattered through the air as the vegetation multiplied, drawing upon the surrounding trees and forcing its way into the dining area from every available opening. Thick branches surged towards the airborne clone, blocking its path to Damian and threatening to entangle it before it could launch an attack.

The clone frowned as it abruptly changed direction. Its gaze fell upon the golden sigils etched along the branches, and its expression grew serious. The markings carried a distinct divine energy, revealing that this was no ordinary manipulation of vegetation. Whatever Elsa had woven into the branches could interfere with its movements or damage it if it allowed itself to be caught.

For the first time since receiving Belial’s command, the imitation abandoned its immediate objective.

Its gaze shifted towards Elsa.

The Queen of Gildreach stood beside the ruined dining table, her emerald eyes burning with divine energy. Her golden hair fluttered in the turbulent air, while more branches continued to emerge around her, responding to her will. She was no longer the woman who had attempted to reason with Belial moments earlier. The sight of someone threatening Damian had stripped away whatever restraint she had maintained.

The clone quickly assessed the situation and reached its conclusion.

Elsa was the greater threat.

It shot to the left, attempting to circle around the incoming vegetation, but the branches pursued it with malicious intent. They twisted through the air, splitting into smaller tendrils whenever the clone changed direction. Their golden sigils shone brighter as they accelerated, and several branches nearly caught its legs before it evaded them with a sharp turn.

Crimson flames erupted from the imitation’s hands.

It scattered fire across the pursuing vegetation, burning through several branches and sending showers of glowing leaves towards the floor. More branches immediately replaced those it destroyed, forcing the clone to maintain its movement while continuously attacking. It darted between pillars, skimmed above overturned tables, and twisted through the seemingly endless growth as Elsa attempted to close every available path.

The clone’s movements were almost identical to Damian’s. Its instincts, combat experience, and mastery of its copied techniques allowed it to evade the attacks with frightening efficiency. Yet Elsa’s relentless pursuit gradually forced it away from the centre of the restaurant and towards the outer edge of the open-roof structure.

At last, it found a clear path.

The imitation accelerated through the gap, leaving several branches burning behind it as it shot directly towards Elsa. Its face twisted into an expression of contempt, and crimson fire gathered between its palms.

"Woman... You have caused too much problems! Die now!"

Elsa’s emerald eyes narrowed as she raised her hand, preparing to summon another wave of branches. However, the clone was already within striking distance, and the flames gathered between its palms were about to erupt.

Suddenly, a towering figure appeared beside it.

The imitation barely had time to turn its head before Damian’s enormous frame filled its vision. His eyes had become pitch black, and dark cracks spread across his eyelids like fractures in an obsidian mask. The aura surrounding him had changed so abruptly that even the clone hesitated for a fraction of a second.

That hesitation cost it everything.

The imitation immediately twisted its body and unleashed the crimson flames directly at Damian. A violent mass of fire exploded from its hands, swallowing the Prince of Lust from head to toe. The blast illuminated the restaurant in crimson light, and the heat sent the remaining leaves spiralling away as the vegetation recoiled from the inferno.

The clone believed it had succeeded. Then a hand emerged from the flames.

Damian seized its wrist and before the imitation could react, he tightened his grip and tore its entire arm from the shoulder. The limb came away with a brutal ripping sound, as easily as though he were pulling a piece of paper apart. Blood sprayed across the floor, and the clone screamed as it staggered backwards, clutching the ruined shoulder with its remaining hand.

Damian stepped out of the crimson fire, his black eyes fixed on the imitation.

He seized its head.

The clone struggled, releasing another burst of flames at point-blank range, but Damian’s fingers tightened around its skull. A sharp cracking sound rang through the dining hall before he crushed its head completely. Blood, bone fragments, and pieces of brain scattered across the surrounding floor, while the imitation’s body collapsed beneath his hand.

The remaining flames around Damian gradually faded.

"Babe!" Elsa’s frightened call reached his ears.

He turned towards her just as the white flames he had abandoned began racing across the restaurant. With his attention diverted by the clone, Belial took advantage of that opening and the torrent he had already unleashed continued moving forward. The enormous mass of white fire surged through the ruined dining area, swallowing tables and broken pillars as it raced towards Elsa.

Damian’s expression changed.

He disappeared in a flash and before Elsa could react, his towering figure materialised in front of her. He wrapped both arms around her, pulling her tightly against his chest and shielding her body with his own.

The white flames struck him and a deafening explosion tore through the restaurant, engulfing Damian and Elsa in blinding light. The force of the impact shattered the remaining windows and ripped apart the outer wall. Their combined momentum carried them through the edge of the building and into the open air, sending them hurtling across the street.

Smoke poured from Damian’s body as he held Elsa against him, refusing to loosen his grip despite the violent force driving them forward. They smashed through the walls of a nearby building, scattering bricks and wooden beams before crashing into the interior of a hair salon.

The impact sent chairs tumbling across the floor. Mirrors shattered, glass fragments rained from the walls, and several customers screamed as the enormous figures burst into the room. Women fled towards the exits while workers abandoned their stations, knocking over equipment in their haste to escape.

Damian struck the floor hard enough to crack the tiles beneath him. Dust filled the salon, mixing with the smoke rising from his damaged body.

For several seconds, he remained motionless.

His arms were still wrapped around Elsa, keeping her pressed securely against his chest. His breathing had become shallow, each breath accompanied by the faint sound of strained lungs. Burn marks covered his robes, and smoke continued to escape from his shoulders and back.

Elsa was alive.

Protected within his embrace, she had escaped the worst of the impact, though the force of their landing had left her shaken. She lifted her head, struggling to understand what had happened, then looked down at Damian.

"Damian?"

He did not answer immediately.

Her emerald eyes widened as she felt the weakness in his arms and saw the condition of his body. The Prince who had stood unshaken before Belial now lay on the shattered floor, breathing with difficulty while refusing to release her.

"Damian!"

Her voice trembled as she reached for his face, desperately searching for a response. Around them, the terrified occupants of the salon continued screaming and scrambling towards the exits, but Elsa barely heard them.

All she could focus on was the man holding her. Damian’s breathing remained shallow, his arms still locked around his wife as smoke curled from his body.