Chapter 586: Establishing Order Through Violence

The room fell deadly silent as every eye turned toward the seventeen foot tall human standing at the entrance. Damian easily towered over every single person in the hall, his massive frame forcing him to bend slightly just to pass through the doorway.

Black robes hung over his towering body, barely concealing the sheer physical presence radiating from him, while his eyes burned with such violent purple light that a shiver ran down the spine of everyone who met his gaze. The atmosphere itself seemed to grow heavier with his arrival.

Elsa’s eyes lit up and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. Damian, however, paid her no attention. His gaze slowly shifted from one representative to another, studying every face that had been so confident moments ago.

Aerion turned rigid while Aurelia’s molten eyes narrowed slightly. Veyra’s expression became unreadable as her appearance subtly settled into a more neutral form, blending hot male and female qualities. Meanwhile, Cyran’s crystalline features reflected the purple light from Damian’s eyes, while Brinna nervously adjusted one of the many rings on her fingers.

Even Drogath, who had been standing at the forefront of the confrontation, suddenly seemed much less imposing beneath Damian’s gaze.

Everyone who had once had an opinion was now dead silent. .They had watched Damian fight Lazarus, and saw him survive the impossible and ultimately kill one of the seven Sin Princes. But seeing him through a distant projection was nothing compared to standing in the same room with him.

The man who had killed Lazarus stood before them in the flesh, and the pressure coming from his body was nothing like what they had felt through a broadcast. This was not the image of a young prince who had gotten lucky. This was the presence of a predator that had already proven it could kill a God.

Drogath stepped forward, his expression hardening as he deliberately pushed aside whatever hesitation had begun spreading through the room. His massive body radiated a cold, hostile aura, and Damian immediately sensed the dense God realm divinity surging through the Mine Demon.

"This matter is not one an outsider is allowed to have an opinion on. As far as I am concerned, you are still only just a prince of Velmora until you go through the coronation ceremony in Gildreach. Only then will you be recognized as our prince and ruler!" Drogath hissed.

Several heads nodded in agreement, though most of them did so cautiously rather than confidently.

Damian’s gaze moved across them, and then a cold laugh escaped his lips. He slowly pulled his black robes aside, revealing the Fox and Bull pendants dangling loosely around his neck. The two inheritances immediately released faint pulses of power, and the atmosphere around Damian changed as the divine presence of Lust and Greed intertwined with his own.

"Since you seem so certain of yourself, why don’t you come and take this pendant from me and return it on the day of my coronation as tradition suggests?!" Damian hissed as his iris began mulitiplying into three in both sides.

Drogath’s face twisted into an arrogant smirk. " Foolish human. You seem to have forgotten you stole victory from Lazarus relying on arrays!"

BOOOOM!

Drogath vanished from his position. The stone floor beneath his feet exploded as his massive body crossed the hall in an instant, his fist already swinging toward Damian’s chest. He had no intention of allowing the human another opportunity to speak. In his mind, this Demi god human needed to be taught his place, and he, Drogath, was the one fit for the job.

BOOOOM!

The fist slammed into Damian with enough force to make the entire palace tremble. A violent shockwave erupted outward, sending tables and chairs skidding across the floor while several representatives instinctively raised barriers around themselves.

Elsa rose abruptly from her throne, her eyes widening as dust and debris filled the hall.

Then the dust began to settle.

Damian was still standing exactly where he had been. His feet had not moved even an inch.

The entire hall froze as Damian slowly lowered his head and looked at the fist pressed against him. There was no blood or wound. Not even a mark on his skin. Drogath’s expression changed first, the arrogance disappearing from his face as disbelief took its place.

Both the Fox and Bull pendants on Damian’s chest buzzed with energy, their divine power swelling his presence until it reached the God realm level. That explained part of it, but it did not explain everything. Mine Demons are known for possessing monstrous physical strength, yet Damian had not been moved by an inch.

Even Lazarus would have at least been forced back a few steps or forced to defend himself.

"Do you think this Fox is feeble like Lazarus?"

Bam!

Damian’s hand suddenly closed around Drogath’s arm and his eyes widened.

Damian pulled.

Pffft!!

The sound of tearing flesh filled the hall as Drogath’s arm was ripped from his body. Lava colored blood sprayed across the floor and walls as the Mine Demon released a scream that shook the palace. Damian casually tossed the severed limb aside as Drogath staggered backward, clutching the ruined stump while staring at him in disbelief.

"Stand against me because you have achieved the realm of Gods? Cocky brat!" Damian sneered as he raised his hand and the golden dragon glaive appeared in his hand.

The weapon shuddered violently the moment it appeared. Golden light surged along its blade as Damian’s iris turned golden, and the divine weapon responded to his power with a deep vibration that made several of the representatives instinctively retreat another step.

Drogath gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand. His remaining hand rose as his divinity erupted around him, forming a crimson barrier in front of his body. The shield was thick enough to withstand the full force of a God, and Drogath poured as much power into it as he could, desperately trying to suppress the pain radiating from his missing arm.

BREAK!

Damian swung the golden dragon glaive.

An arc of golden energy tore through the hall and struck the crimson shield with tremendous force. The barrier immediately buckled beneath the impact, cracks spreading across its surface like shattered glass.

Thud!

Before Drogath could catch his breath, Damian was already standing before him and his hand smashed into the cracked crimson barrier.

Krash!

The barrier shattered in a single blow.

Damian’s palm tore through the remaining fragments and slammed directly into Drogath’s face, driving the enormous Mine Demon into the ground with enough force to crater the floor beneath him.

BOOOOM!

Gasps escaped across the hall as everyone stepped back, staring in horror. Drogath kicked, punched and thrashed beneath Damian’s grip, desperately trying to free himself, but Damian did not even seem to notice his resistance. Every movement Drogath made was swallowed by the overwhelming strength of the hand crushing his face against the ground.

Drogath’s body began glowing as crimson energy gathered within him, clearly preparing for some kind of explosive counterattack, but the energy disappeared almost as soon as it appeared.

The Mine Demon tried again, pouring even more power into his body, but the result was the same. His divinity vanished into Damian’s palm before it could be released.

Drogath screamed again and again, but the sound was muffled beneath Damian’s hand. His claws scraped desperately against Damian’s wrist, yet they could not even scratch him. The God realm demon who had entered the battle with such confidence was now completely helpless beneath the human he had called foolish.

Soon his movements became weaker. His punches lost their strength and his claws stopped scratching. His muffled voice became little more than a desperate rasp.

Damian slowly lifted him from the ground, holding the massive demon in the air with one hand. Drogath’s legs hung uselessly beneath him as his remaining hand weakly clawed at Damian’s palm, but he could not break the grip. The representatives watched in absolute silence as the Mine Demon gradually stopped struggling.

Eventually his body went limp.

Damian’s eyes narrowed as his grip tightened.

Bam!

Drogath’s headless body fell to the ground with a heavy thud, blood and brain matter scattering across the polished floor.

No one moved and no one spoke.

The representatives stared at Damian with horrified expressions, finally understanding the difference between watching him fight through a magical broadcast and standing before him in person.

Drogath was a God. Yet Damian had literally walked him down, overpowered him and crushed him with such overwhelming force that the entire encounter looked less like two deities fighting and more like a powerless mortal struggling against something far beyond his comprehension.

What they did not know was that the moment Damian grabbed Drogath’s face, the battle was already over. Everything the Mine Demon attempted to do had simply been absorbed by Damian’s Devil Palm and Devour until there was nothing left but a husk. Only then did Damian crush his head.

Damian calmly walked toward Aerion. The elf stiffened as Damian stopped directly before him. Without saying a word, Damian wiped his bloody hand across the front of the elf’s expensive robes. Aerion’s entire body went rigid, but he did not dare protest. He did not even dare look Damian in the eye or breathe too loudly.

Damian then walked toward the throne.

Elsa immediately stepped aside, giving him the path without hesitation. Damian reached the throne and sat down, his enormous body settling comfortably into the seat that had belonged to the ruler of Gildreach.

Then Damian reached out and grabbed her by the arm.

Elsa’s eyes widened as he pulled her toward him, causing her to fall directly onto his lap. Her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck to maintain her balance while Damian’s arm slipped around her waist and held her firmly against him. A deep blush spread across her face as she realized everyone in the hall was watching.

Damian paid them no mind.

He leaned back against the throne, one arm around his wife while his golden eyes slowly swept across the representatives who had moments ago been discussing how to divide his empire.

"Now, what were you all planning to do to my resources?" Damian hissed, his eyes burning violently.