Chapter 481: Astaroth’s Test

Astaroth frowned at Damian’s answer, but he did not immediately argue. The wind sweeping across the hill tugged at the edges of his crimson hair and Greek robes as he slowly settled back into his throne, his dark claws tapping against the armrest while his eyes remained fixed on the young prince before him. The confidence Damian displayed was unsettling because it did not feel like blind arrogance. There was calculation behind it, and that made him even more difficult to judge.

"How am I supposed to trust what I do not know?" Astaroth finally asked, his tone calm but firm.

He had lived far too long to gamble the future of his people on nothing but impressive words and a few mysterious displays of power.

"Because if you do not trust me, all demons will die at the hands of that man. You don’t have a choice." Damian responded without blinking.

Astaroth’s frown deepened as his fingers slowly tightened around the armrest of his throne. "We have Kaizer for that."

"Ooh, spare me that bullshit." Damian’s voice remained surprisingly calm, but the contempt behind his words was impossible to miss.

"If Wrath truly had what it took to defeat that man, he would have done it a long time ago." Damian leaned back slightly, crossing one leg over the other as if they were discussing something trivial. "There is a balance that can only be broken by me, and that’s exactly why you are so interested in me."

For several seconds, Astaroth simply stared at him. Then the tension in his face gradually relaxed, and a calm smile returned to his lips. He slowly began clapping, the sound of his palms meeting carrying through the otherwise silent hilltop.

"I can see you are well informed," Astaroth admitted. "Much more informed than I initially believed."

"Alright," Astaroth continued as his smile faded into a more serious expression. "I’ll give you a chance. Tell me how you plan to succeed where the other princes will fail as a Demi-god."

Damian did not hesitate. There was little point hiding the foundation of his strategy when Astaroth had already made it clear that his support would depend on understanding Damian’s intentions. However, Damian carefully chose his words, revealing enough to make the plan believable while keeping the most dangerous parts of his preparations hidden.

He explained that Sol considered him an ally simply because they were both human princes, and that this assumption was the greatest weapon Damian currently possessed. As long as Sol believed Damian’s actions were indirectly beneficial to him, he would have little reason to interfere when the other princes began disappearing one after another.

"I don’t need him to fight my battles," Damian explained calmly. "I just need him to believe that keeping me alive benefits him more than killing me. Every prince I remove becomes one less obstacle standing between him and the Abyssal throne. To him, I’ll simply be doing the work he would eventually have to do himself."

Astaroth listened without interrupting, though his expression changed several times as he considered the implications. It was a dangerous plan, perhaps the most dangerous strategy Damian could have chosen, because it relied heavily on Sol continuing to underestimate him.

However, Astaroth could not deny the logic behind it. Sol had already demonstrated a willingness to protect Damian despite barely knowing him, and his hatred for the demon race made it entirely believable that he would tolerate another prince eliminating demons who stood in his way.

"By the time he realizes what I am actually doing," Damian continued, "I intend to be strong enough that it won’t matter."

Astaroth leaned back further into his throne and studied Damian in silence for several moments. The wind howled between the hills, making the cloaks of the distant guards flutter while the two carriages remained completely still beneath the moonlight. Finally, the elder dragon spoke again.

"So let me get this straight. You are killing Duke Darbin to gain Pride’s trust?"

Damian nodded firmly without hesitation. "Among other things."

Astaroth slowly nodded as understanding settled deeper into his expression. From Sol’s perspective, Damian’s execution of Duke Darbin would be an open attack against the demon aristocracy. It would weaken the political structure that had supported generations of demon rulers and prove that Damian was willing to stand against the race that had persecuted humans for so long.

Even if Sol remained suspicious of Damian’s true intentions, such actions would make it increasingly difficult for him to justify turning against the only other human prince who appeared willing to oppose the demons openly.

"It makes sense," Astaroth muttered. "Perhaps it is the only way to gain his trust without openly kneeling before him."

"And I have no intention of kneeling before anyone," Damian replied immediately.

A faint smile appeared on Astaroth’s face. "I noticed."

The dragon elder rested his chin against his clawed fingers as another thought occurred to him. "And then you also want me to help you kill the other princes?"

"Isolate the other princes and keep me updated on their actions. That way I can pick them off."

Damian corrected immediately. His expression hardened slightly as he continued.

"I’m very confident I can kill them myself. I don’t need you standing beside me when I strike. I need you to make sure I know where to strike."

Astaroth slowly nodded, his gaze becoming unfocused as he considered the proposal. If anyone other than Damian had said those words, he would have dismissed the entire conversation as the delusions of another arrogant prince. The difference was that Damian had already done something no one expected. He had defeated Kaizer, one of the strongest dragons in existence, despite being a relatively new Demi-god.

As a fellow dragon, Astaroth could not easily dismiss that achievement. Kaizer’s strength was not exaggerated. For Damian to defeat him so decisively while still lacking abilities that ordinary Demi-gods awakened early in their development was enough to make anyone wonder what kind of monster Lin Qui had truly chosen as his successor.

The power behind Damian was still a mystery, but it had already proven terrifyingly effective.

Still, Astaroth had survived this long because he was not the kind of man who threw himself completely into a gamble simply because the possibility of victory was exciting.

"Fine," Astaroth finally said. "I’ll give you a chance."

He rose slowly from his throne, his enormous body towering over Damian even from several meters away.

"My people and I will arrive in Velmora to make a formal request for Darbin’s release. As planned, you will refuse and go ahead with the execution."

Damian’s expression did not change. "That was always the plan."

Saying that, Astaroth took a step forward, but Damian remained seated. The prince watched him with narrowed eyes, sensing there was more the elder demon intended to reveal.

"In good faith of this possible alliance, I’ll give you two important pieces of information." Astaroth’s tone became noticeably more serious. "How you handle those crises will determine whether I’ll join you or continue banking on my kin."

Damian frowned and leaned forward, his elbow resting against his knee. "What is it?"

Astaroth’s eyes glinted beneath the moonlight. "In seven days, the Order of Demons will lay a full siege on your capital using the execution of Darbin and Amon as justification. It will be your first time facing an organized demonic military force, and I would love to see how you deal with it."

Damian slowly nodded as the information settled in his mind. There was no panic in his expression, nor did his eyes reveal any immediate concern. Astaroth noticed this and silently approved. If the news of an incoming siege was enough to shake Damian, then the young prince truly had no chance against Sol or any of his more powerful siblings.

"I already heard that at least three million demons are moving toward Velmora as we speak," Damian said with a careless shrug. "This is within my expectations."

Astaroth’s smile returned, but Damian had already moved on to the next issue.

"And the second?" he asked.

The elder dragon’s expression became noticeably more serious. "The next will be a true test of your capabilities."

Damian’s face immediately twisted into an ugly frown. Anything that began with those words was rarely simple, and considering Astaroth had just casually informed him that and army of demons were preparing to surround his capital, Damian was interested in hearing what the elder considered a greater problem.

"Greed plans to make a move during your coronation ceremony," Astaroth continued. "You are expected to be killed and replaced by his puppet, Hagrid."

Damian abruptly rose to his feet. A pair of purple slits appeared within the pitch darkness of his eyes as the atmosphere around him changed almost instantly.

"What?" he asked, his voice restrained, but the fury beneath it was impossible to hide.

Astaroth waved his hand, and his dragon throne vanished in a burst of crimson flames.

"This is your opportunity to seize the sin of Greed for yourself through a justifiable means. If Greed falls to you in Velmora, no one will be able to attribute his death to your ambition. He will have attacked your realm during your coronation. Every prince and every elder will be forced to remain quiet."

The implications immediately became clear to Damian. Lazarus believed he was moving against an inexperienced prince who had only recently inherited Lust. If the bastard truly intended to walk into Velmora and attempt to kill him during his coronation, then Damian would have every justification necessary to retaliate. Better still, if he managed to kill Lazarus publicly, no one would be able to accuse him of starting the conflict.

It would be the perfect beginning.

Astaroth turned around and began walking toward his carriage, his robes trailing behind him as his voice carried over his shoulder.

"I expect you to be the only prince with two sins by the end of your coronation. Only then will I give you my full support."

The transparent isolation barrier surrounding them shattered into millions of fragments of light, disappearing before they could reach the ground. The distant sounds of the night returned almost immediately as the wind swept through the hills again.

Damian remained where he stood, his eyes wide as the full weight of Astaroth’s information finally settled into his mind.

Lazarus and Hagrid were actually coming for him.

Then a cold laugh escaped his lips. At first, it was quiet, but it quickly grew louder until it resounded across the silent hills, causing Astaroth to stop in his tracks and glance over his shoulder. The elder dragon had expected Damian to be anxious or at least troubled by the news. Instead, he watched the young prince’s blackened eyelids slowly crack as his purple slits turned crimson.

There was no fear in Damian’s expression, only excitement.

"In that case, I will be extending an invitation to you," Damian said as a cruel grin slowly spread across his face. "I’m sure you will not want to miss the show."

The wind surged around him as he turned sharply, his robes fluttering behind him while his laughter continued to echo across the realm. Damian began walking toward his own carriage, his mind already moving ahead to the preparations he would need to make.

Astaroth watched his retreating figure for several moments before a small smile tugged at his lips.

"Tyrants," he muttered to himself. "They are both so similar."

There was something strangely familiar about the determination in Damian’s eyes. It reminded Astaroth of Sol in his early days.

With that thought, Astaroth continued walking toward his carriage while Damian approached his own. Excitement had replaced the tension on both men’s faces, and despite standing on opposite sides of an alliance that had yet to be formed, they shared the same thought.

The next few months would probably be the most eventful period in the underworld since the past century.