Chapter 480: Meeting Astaroth

The capital of Velmora was surrounded by a sprawling chain of hills, their dark silhouettes rising beneath the silver light of the twin moons. During the day, the hills served as natural barriers around the capital and gave the realm an almost peaceful appearance from a distance, but at night they became isolated stretches of land where even the sounds of the city struggled to reach.

It was in one of these hills, far enough from the capital to guarantee privacy but close enough for either side to retreat if necessary, that the meeting had been arranged.

Two demons dressed in gray cloaks stood at the center of a flat clearing, both with their hoods pulled low over their heads to conceal their identities. Their attention remained fixed on the sky ahead of them, where the distant sound of powerful wings gradually became louder.

Not far behind them rested a massive red skinned rhinoceros with broad bat like wings folded against its body. A luxurious carriage had been tied securely to the beast’s harness, and unlike the two demons standing guard, the creature appeared completely relaxed as it rested its enormous head against the grass.

The two cloaked demons, however, were far from relaxed. Their gazes remained fixed on the Hellfire Nighthawk descending several meters away.

The enormous black bird landed with enough force to shake the ground beneath their feet, its claws digging into the soil as its wings spread outward before slowly folding against its body. The carriage attached behind it remained perfectly stable despite the impact.

Clank!

The door opened and Damian stepped out first.

Hazel, Racheal, Ruby, Mary and Rah followed closely behind him while Rin sat comfortably on Damian’s shoulder. William descended beside them with his usual composed expression, his hand resting behind his back as his sharp eyes swept across the clearing.

The two cloaked demons immediately focused their attention on Damian and then their expressions changed.

Drawing upon the power of the Abyss, Damian had erased his presence completely. His eyes had become pitch black, with faint cracks spreading around his eyelids like darkness itself had seeped beneath his skin. There was no demonic pressure coming from him.

The two demons could not even feel that he was standing before them. It was a deeply disturbing sensation.

It made judging his strength impossible.

"You stand before the Prince of Lust," William said coldly, his voice cutting through the silence. "Must I remind you to show your respect?"

The two demons blinked in surprise before quickly looking at Damian again. They still could not sense anything from him. Their gazes briefly moved past Damian and settled on the women standing behind him. Each of them carried the unmistakable pressure of a demigod.

That was the only reason they could be certain this man was truly the Sin of Lust.

"Forgive our ignorance, sire," the two demons said as they bowed reluctantly.

They did not answer directly to Damian, and they certainly did not consider themselves his subordinates, but even members of the council understood the hierarchy of the Underworld. Within his own realm, a prince had to be treated as royalty.

Damian barely acknowledged their greeting. He simply snapped his fingers.

The familiar Fox Throne materialized behind him in a burst of violet light. Damian calmly sat down, crossed one leg over the other and rested his chin against his palm. His wives remained behind him while William stood slightly to the side, maintaining enough distance to avoid appearing as though he was participating in the discussion.

A strong wind swept through the clearing and the cloaked demons exchanged uncertain glances beneath their hoods before returning their attention to Damian.

"Sire, you called us out here because you had something to say to us in private?" one of the demons finally asked.

Damian slowly shook his head.

"Not with you. With your master."

The two demons stiffened.

"Lord Astaroth," Damian continued. "You are his subordinates, are you not? Have him summon my soul."

The two demons looked at one another in confusion.

"Sire, you can always use the Soul Call to summon Lord Astaroth if you have anything to say to him in private."

Damian slowly shook his head again.

"As you all must already know, I haven’t been a demigod for a long time. I’m yet to awaken such abilities."

The two demons froze. For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then their bodies jerked backward in shock.

Their hoods slipped from their heads, revealing their appearances beneath. One had deep crimson skin with sharp horns extending from his forehead, while the other had a dark blue complexion and similarly long black hair falling around his shoulders.

"Impossible..." the red demon muttered.

The blue demon stared at Damian as though he had just heard something that completely shattered his understanding of reality.

"How can someone who hasn’t even awakened the Soul Call ability defeat Kaizer?"

Damian’s expression did not change. The two demons could barely comprehend what they had just learned.

Soul Call was one of the earlier abilities awakened after reaching the demigod realm. It was not an ability exclusive to powerful demigods or ancient beings. The fact that Damian had yet to unlock it was proof that he had truly entered the demigod realm recently.

Which only made Kaizer’s defeat even more absurd.

’Just what kind of monster is he?’ the red skinned demon thought, not daring to voice the question.

The realization changed the way they looked at Damian.

Now they understood why he would publicly announce the execution of a Duke. They understood why he had dared kill the followers of Sol despite knowing the implications. This man was not simply reckless.

He was insane and perhaps that insanity was justified.

If Damian continued growing at this rate, the moment he reached the God realm, he could become just as terrifying as the Prince of Pride.

"Be quick, I don’t have all night." Damian said, clearly growing impatient.

"That’s no way to speak to my subordinates."

A familiar amused voice suddenly emerged from the direction of the distant carriage.

Everyone turned and Damian frowned.

For the first time since arriving at the hill, his expression visibly changed. He had not sensed anyone’s presence apart from the two demigod demons standing before him.

The two demons immediately turned and bowed toward the carriage and the door swung open.

A massive figure stepped outside.

The man stood nearly twelve feet tall, dressed in elegant Greek robes that draped over his powerful body. Long red hair fell behind his shoulders while his features appeared almost perfectly human. The only thing that betrayed his demonic origin was the black claws extending from his fingers.

Astaroth. The leader of the Council of Elders.

He walked past his kneeling subordinates and approached Damian without hesitation. Meanwhile, Damian remained seated, but his frown gradually deepened.

"I was told only envoys would be sent," Damian said in a calm and low voice. "I didn’t know the leader of the Council of Elders would be sneaking into my realm as well."

Everyone present could feel the irritation behind his words. Astaroth, however, remained completely unmoved.

"Don’t blame me for being curious about Velmora," he replied. "Everyone wants to know what kind of prince you will become."

The two stared at one another.

Damian’s black eyes remained fixed on the older demon while Astaroth calmly studied the young prince. Several seconds passed without either man speaking, and the silence itself became uncomfortable for those standing behind them.

Finally, Damian waved his hand.

"Leave us."

His wives immediately looked at him and Damian gave them a brief nod.

Astaroth glanced over his shoulder toward his subordinates.

"Wait in the carriage. The prince and I have a lot to discuss."

The two groups gradually withdrew from the clearing.

William followed Damian’s wives toward their carriage while Astaroth’s subordinates returned toward the massive red skinned beast. Soon, only the two of them remained at the center of the hill.

Astaroth raised one hand and a large throne resembling the head of a red dragon materialized behind him.

As he sat down, Damian snapped his fingers.

A transparent barrier spread outward from his body and formed a dome around the two thrones. For several seconds, the two simply stared at one another.

Then Astaroth slowly nodded in approval. The Damian seated before him was not the same man he had summoned to his domain a decade ago.

Back then, Damian’s thinking had been centered around survival. Now, the man sitting before him carried himself differently.

Astaroth could see it in his eyes.

"I would like to start this conversation with a simple question," Astaroth finally said. "What is it you truly desire?"

Damian frowned slightly.

The question was simple yet he realized he had never truly put the answer into words.

His experiences on Earth had left a bitter taste in his mouth regarding both angels and demons. The longer he existed between their worlds, the more disgusted he became with the way both sides behaved. They constantly portrayed themselves as opposites while committing the same mistakes in different forms.

He considered both threats to mortals across the universe.

"To become the one true God." Damian slowly lifted his gaze.

Astaroth’s eyes widened. The silence that followed felt heavier than the wind moving through the hills.

He had heard countless demons and gods speak about ambition throughout his existence. But this was the first time someone had openly declared that he intended to stand above both Heaven and the Underworld.

"As a human," Damian continued calmly, "I came to understand that light and darkness can never be separated. Where there is light, there must be darkness. If there is no evil, there would be no standard through which good can be measured. If there is no good, there would be no standard through which we can understand evil."

Astaroth listened without interrupting and Damian leaned back slightly.

"It’s because Heaven and the Underworld have failed to understand this balance that the universe is in chaos. Both sides are obsessed with defeating the other. Neither understands that destroying one half of existence would simply create another imbalance."

His dark eyes narrowed.

"I will restore and manage that balance."

Astaroth was genuinely shaken. The Ten Commandments of Heaven were fighting for the position of Supreme Deity. The Seven Deadly Sins were fighting for the Abyssal Throne.

Yet the man seated before him wanted both.

"Are you truly aware of what it would take to achieve this dream of yours?" Astaroth asked calmly, though an edge had entered his voice.

Damian nodded as though the question had the simplest answer in the world.

"The first step will be to become the first True Demon Lord in thirty thousand years."

Astaroth’s gaze sharpened.

"And that’s why this meeting needed to happen."

The older demon frowned.

Every time Damian opened his mouth, Astaroth found himself facing another revelation. This was definitely not the same man who had once wanted nothing more than to live peacefully on Earth.

"You have displayed outstanding strength time and time again," Astaroth said carefully. "But believe me when I say this. You do not have what it takes to gather all Seven Sins. Especially the last one."

"You mean Pride?" Damian asked without hesitation.

Astaroth’s eyes widened and Damian continued before the elder could speak.

"I am very much aware of the power dynamics in the Underworld. Lin Qui made it painfully clear. He also left me with a means to kill that man. All I need is time."

Bam!

Astaroth abruptly rose from his throne.

"Lin Qui did?"

The force behind his movement caused the red dragon throne beneath him to tremble.

He stepped forward.

"What is this means you speak of?"

Damian remained seated. His expression was calm, but his mind had already reached a decision.

Astaroth was not Amon.

Amon had been isolated, surrounded by enemies and desperate for a place where he belonged. He could be brought into Damian’s plans because Damian knew exactly what the fallen angel wanted.

Astaroth was different.

The leader of the Council of Elders had the underground Dukes in the palm of his hand. He possessed power, influence and countless resources. Giving such a man the truth about the Abyss would be no different from placing a loaded weapon into the hands of someone whose ambitions Damian could not fully understand.

"I am talking about the same power I used to split Kaizer in two on Earth," Damian finally said. "Unfortunately, I cannot reveal more than this. For my safety and yours."