Chapter 454: Vengeful Prince

Bam!

Sol suddenly leaned forward on his throne, his relaxed expression breaking for the first time as his eyes widened slightly. The ministers before him immediately noticed the change and instinctively lowered their heads even further, knowing that anything capable of drawing genuine surprise from their ruler was worth taking seriously.

"He what?!"

The human minister standing before the throne swallowed nervously before cupping his fists tighter.

"The Prince of Lust is carrying out a large scale demon purge after a rebellion attack carried out by the Order of Demons, led by the infamous Kanda." He repeated himself carefully, making sure there was no misunderstanding.

Another minister stepped forward, his thick mustache trembling slightly as he frowned.

"Sire, it has also been discovered that the assassin he murdered a week ago was none other than Bargi of the Blood Order. In less than two weeks since his awakening, that man has slaughtered two of the Twelve Pillars of the Order of Demons."

Buzz!

The atmosphere inside the Golden Palace changed.

Sol’s eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly leaned back into his throne. His fingers rested against the armrest while his gaze drifted toward nothing in particular. He appeared to be thinking deeply, trying to fit the new information into everything he already knew about Damian.

Two Pillars in less than two weeks and one of them had been Kanda, a Dreg whose reputation was enough to make even powerful Demigods cautious.

After several seconds, Sol’s attention returned to the minister.

"I’m guessing the Order of Demons found a way to pull civilians to their side during his decade of absence." Sol said calmly.

The minister immediately nodded. "Yes, Sire. That appears to be the case."

"But that’s not all, Sire." The minister hesitated before continuing. "The Order also successfully recruited several generals serving under Amon and Duke Darbin’s legions. They aided the rebellion directly and provided weapons, training and equipment to the civilians they recruited."

This time Leo opened his eyes.

The divine beast had been lying beside Sol’s throne with his eyes closed, apparently uninterested in the conversation. Yet the moment the minister mentioned Amon’s generals, his gaze snapped toward him.

The pressure from those eyes was enough to make the minister’s body stiffen.

Leo stared at him coldly and the minister swallowed.

He had seen enough of Leo’s reputation to know that the divine beast was nothing like Sol. Sol could laugh with humans, converse with them and even tolerate their mistakes. Leo had no such patience. There had been more than one occasion where an official had narrowly escaped death simply because Sol intervened before Leo could act.

The minister quickly lowered his head.

"If that’s the case, then it’s safe to say that child will use this opportunity to regain control of his court?" Leo asked.

The minister nodded firmly, but he refused to raise his eyes.

"It’s just as you predicted, Divine Beast. From the events unfolding in the capital, we can say with certainty that the Prince of Lust intends to purge his political rivals using this rebellion as justification. Not even his own in-laws will be spared."

Hahahahahaha!

Sol suddenly burst into laughter.

The sound echoed throughout the enormous court as he threw his head back and slapped his thigh several times. The ministers watched him with puzzled expressions, but none dared interrupt.

This was not what Sol had expected.

He had initially believed the assassination attempt against Damian had been the work of one of the factions within Velmora’s royal court. The circumstances had pointed toward an internal power struggle, and Sol had assumed Damian’s ministers were simply attempting to remove a young ruler they considered inconvenient.

But the Order of Demons had been behind it. And worse, they had apparently used Damian’s own citizens and military officers to carry out their rebellion.

Sol found the entire situation hilarious.

"He finally sees demons for the trash they are!" Sol laughed heartily.

Nothing could put a smile on his face faster than news of demons dying.

The ministers exchanged brief glances but quickly returned their attention toward their ruler.

Leo, however, remained thoughtful.

"Regardless, defeating Kanda and Bargi in seconds is quite something." Leo said, his voice carrying a faint trace of concern. "Especially considering the nature of their inheritances."

Sol’s laughter gradually softened, and he glanced sideways at Leo.

Leo’s expression became more serious.

"The Dreg and Damika bloodlines are both famous for their soul attacks. They aren’t the type to rely on direct confrontation. Their greatest strength lies in abilities that bypass ordinary physical defenses and attack the soul itself. Even Princes would rather fight a dragon head on than allow themselves to become the target of a member from either clans. Yet Damian killed both of them."

The court became quiet.

Leo’s words carried weight because he wasn’t someone who praised easily.

"This is a man who has only consciously possessed his inheritance for roughly a year and spent the last decade unconscious." Leo continued. "It was already strange enough that he defeated Kaizer on Earth. If there wasn’t sufficient evidence supporting most of the reports about his achievements, I wouldn’t have believed them myself."

His eyes narrowed further.

"Never has there been a Sin of Lust this domineering."

Sol’s smile remained but he was listening patiently to his partner.

"That boy has secrets." Leo finally declared.

The statement hung in the air for several seconds but Sol simply chuckled.

"Everyone has secrets. But before this God, all forms of trickery are useless."

He leaned back against his throne, completely relaxed again.

The confidence in his voice immediately restored the atmosphere of absolute certainty among his ministers.

Several officials dropped to their knees, cupping their fists toward the throne.

"May Your Majesty rule for ten thousand years!"

The declaration echoed throughout the Golden Palace as more ministers followed, their voices merging into a thunderous chant of loyalty.

Leo merely sighed. He had heard those words countless times yet his expression remained unchanged as he slowly closed his eyes again.

Sol could say whatever he wanted.

He could laugh at Damian’s victories.

He could dismiss his secrets as meaningless tricks.

And perhaps he was right.

After all, Sol possessed enough strength to crush almost anything or anyone in this realm.

But something about Damian’s recent achievements still bothered Leo.

Kanda was not weak, neither was Bargi. And neither of them had even managed to force Damian into a prolonged battle.

For the first time, Leo wondered whether the Prince of Lust’s greatest secret wasn’t how he had become so powerful. Perhaps the real secret was how much stronger he could still become.