Chapter 609: Totem And Totem Masters

Damian descended toward the ground after an unknown amount of time, his expression as stern as those of the other Princes. The journey back through the colossal structure had been unusually quiet, with none of the rulers appearing interested in exchanging pleasantries after the revelations about the Dark Continent.

The images Astaroth had presented remained fresh in their minds, particularly the sight of demigods from both Heaven and the Underworld reduced to mangled corpses. Nobody had expected the situation beyond their borders to be so dire, and the possibility of a truce with Heaven had introduced an entirely new complication into the Council’s proceedings.

"So if you were master, what are you voting for, to fight the heavens or peace?" Shin asked Malachi as they stood near Damian’s seat on the descending platform.

Malachi rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering the question. "I’m not sure. Both the heavens and these outer creatures are threats... I think I will go with fighting the heavens. I don’t trust they will honor the alliance even if they agree with it."

Shin raised a brow in surprise. "Really? I thought you would choose fighting outer creatures. Especially since you served in the dark continent for some time."

Malachi shook his head. "I served on the dark continent but I really didn’t get to fight. I was too weak to be entrusted with any major task so I just stayed in the colony where it’s safe. It was the stronger soliders that tried to win back the mines." He explained.

Damian’s frown deepened as he listened. His hands had gradually clenched into fists, the revelation about the Outer Creatures weighing on his mind more heavily than he cared to admit. He turned his head over his shoulder, fixing Malachi with a stern look.

"But do you have any experience on the monsters of that world?" Damian suddenly asked.

Malachi flinched at the question.

"Like I said I didn’t see much but from what I gathered the people out there call Outer creatures, Totems.... These are monsters with unique skills and they evolve. However, what makes the totems dangerous is not the monsters themselves but the ones attached to humans and people... That’s where the danger is." He explained.

Damian turned fully toward him, his eyes narrowing as he considered the information.

"They evolve?" he repeated, raising a brow.

Malachi immediately dropped to his knees and lowered his face. "I’m sorry sire but I didn’t experience this for myself so u know little about them all I know was gotten from people who actually experienced them and these people were always reluctant to speak because they were horrified."

Malachi’s information was gathered from soldiers who had actually encountered these beasts. However, their reluctance to speak had seemed like the result of ordinary battlefield trauma. He could not get anything substantial from them.

Damian’s expression tightened as he stared at his kneeling subordinate. Eventually, Damian shifted his gaze toward the vast intersection below, where tens of thousands of demons had gathered in anticipation of the Princes’ return. The crowd stretched across the open land and along the seven converging roads, with soldiers struggling to maintain order as curious onlookers pressed closer to the designated boundaries.

’If the monsters are totems, then the people that control them should be called totem masters.’ Biron chuckled, seemingly amused by the terminology.

’Bitch, this is serious, we are talking about beasts that evolve. That’s enough reason to be terrified!’ Rin scolded Biron.

Damian ignored their bickering. He remained silent for a while before releasing a tired sigh. There was little point in exhausting himself over questions that Malachi could not answer. He needed reliable information, not speculation, and the only people who possessed the necessary knowledge were either dead, or still fighting in the Dark Continent.

"I’ll ask Lazarus first. If he knows nothing I’ll just wait till tomorrow for my answer," Damian decided.

The platform finally reached the ground with a heavy mechanical rumble. Before Damian could take more than a few steps, the crowd surged toward him, forcing the surrounding guards to tighten their formation. Dozens of demons held strange shell shaped devices in their hands, positioning them near his face while others carried books, ink bottles, and pens.

Their clothes and insignias identified them as representatives of various newspaper agencies operating within the Imperial Capital. Most were Fledgling demons, their weak auras barely noticeable, but their enthusiasm more than compensated for their lack of strength.

"Sire, we are from the Daily News, can you leave some comments on what transpired within the council chamber?" one demon asked, pushing his shell device forward.

"Sire, we are from the Demon Time Publications... Please tell us what was revealed today in the council of princes," another shouted from the opposite side.

Their questions quickly overlapped. More journalists pressed forward, shouting the names of their publications and demanding answers about the Council’s proceedings.

The resulting noise was so overwhelming that it became difficult to distinguish one voice from another.

’Is this where the news papers I get come from?’ Damian couldn’t help but ask in surprise.

’Yep... The Imperial capital has complete control of the news agencies, that’s why they control the information flow around the Underworld, giving them the ability to rile up demons against a prince using sponsored propaganda.’ Rin nodded.

Damian’s face twisted as the explanation brought back several unpleasant memories. During the purge in Velmora, he had encountered numerous publications portraying him as a bloodthirsty tyrant who slaughtered demons indiscriminately and threatened the stability of the realm.

"Really?" Damian spoke aloud, his voice carrying enough weight that several journalists momentarily quieted down.

He recalled how the hostile articles had abruptly stopped after he entered an alliance with Astaroth. The timing had seemed suspicious even then, but he had not bothered investigating it because he had more pressing matters to handle.

Now, the pieces were falling into place.

Rin nodded to confirm his explanation, while Biron looked toward the journalists with renewed interest.

Damian, however, had no intention of giving them anything. He let out a loud sigh and began walking forward without answering a single question. His aura spread ahead of him like an invisible wall, pressing against the surrounding demons and forcing them to retreat as he advanced. Those who tried to remain in his path found themselves pushed aside by the sheer pressure of his presence, while others hastily moved out of the way before his displeasure turned toward them.

The journalists continued shouting, but none dared physically obstruct his path. Damian moved through the encirclement without slowing down, heading directly toward his golden palanquin. Shin and Malachi followed close behind, while William kept the crowd from closing around them again.

Even after Damian entered the palanquin, several reporters continued pursuing it, their voices carrying through the open sides as they demanded comments on the day’s proceedings. Their persistence was impressive, but Damian had no intention of rewarding it.

The other Princes were no more accommodating. Kazier forced his way through the reporters with an openly hostile expression, while Belial ignored every question directed at him. Aein’s attendants moved his lectus through the crowd as the Prince lounged among his cushions, seemingly uninterested in speaking to anyone. Brolly simply continued drinking while his escorts cleared a path, and Sol departed with Leo and his golden lion without offering the press a single word.

The journalists were left shouting after the retreating rulers, their questions unanswered and their hopes of obtaining exclusive information rapidly diminishing.

Within the palanquin, Damian finally found the quiet he wanted. He settled into his seat, allowed the darkness of his mind to envelop him, and shifted his consciousness into the golden inheritance world of Greed. Lazarus was already seated upon his golden throne, looking entirely at ease as he regarded Damian’s arrival.

"You had a rough first day..." Lazarus said.

"I won’t call it rough... More like frustrating first day." Damian shrugged.

He settled into his own throne and leaned back, letting the familiar environment ease some of the tension that had accumulated throughout the Council meeting.

"I came to get information on the totem masters."

Lazarus chuckled lightly and rubbed his nose. "You are quite impatient or should I call you curious."

"I prefer curious," Damian replied.

Lazarus nodded with a chuckle, apparently satisfied with the distinction.

"It doesn’t matter though because I never entered personally but I did hear a thing or two from the mercenaries I sent there." He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

"The first is divinity... Totem monsters are what they termed as divine beasts, so even the weakest amongst them possess divinity, making it difficult to heal from injuries inflicted by them. That’s why they can kill Demi-gods and possibly Gods," Lazarus revealed.

Damian’s eyes narrowed as the information settled in. The explanation immediately reminded him of the fundamental difference between a demigod and a true God.

A demigod possessed a domain, but a true God had evolved that domain into a territory and gained the ability to apply divinity to their attacks. That application was what made divine attacks so devastating, allowing them to inflict injuries that ordinary healing methods could not easily overcome.

The only reason Damian had survived his battle with Lazarus was that his Devil Palms had continuously drained the Greed Prince’s power and divinity. By stealing that energy, Damian had been able to counter the divine force damaging his body while replenishing his own strength. Without that ability, the injuries inflicted during their battle would have accumulated until his body could no longer withstand them.

"The last and probably most important thing is totems are thrice as strong when they have totem masters. However you cannot kill a totem master without killing a totem. So it’s kind of complicated to deal with them," Lazarus continued.

"Are these totem masters powerful or unique in anyway?" Damian asked.

He wanted to understand whether the masters themselves possessed divine bodies, special inheritances, or some other ability that allowed them to strengthen their creatures.

If the enemy relied on a partnership between a master and a Totem, then identifying the limits of that partnership would be essential to developing an effective countermeasure.

Lazarus shook his head with a bitter smile. "Like I said I was never invested in any of these things so I never really asked for details. You will have to wait like the others."

Damian released a defeated sigh and sank deeper into his golden throne.

"I guess so," Damian mumbled, resting his head against the throne as his thoughts returned to the Dark Continent.

The first day of the Council had given him more questions than answers, and the little he had learned suggested that the enemy beyond their borders was far more dangerous than he had anticipated.