Chapter 649: The Abyss’s Request

Damian’s palanquin stood some distance away from the battlefield. Through the open window, the destruction was impossible to ignore.

The Northern Palace was gone.

In its place lay a crater nearly a hundred metres deep, its edges extending across what had once been a thriving district of the Imperial Capital. Every building within fifty miles of the palace had been destroyed so thoroughly that not even their ashes remained. Streets, marketplaces, noble residences, and entire neighbourhoods had vanished beneath the force of Sol’s attack. The surrounding landscape had been reduced to scorched earth, broken foundations, and enormous stretches of barren ground.

There was no sign of the soldiers who had occupied the area moments earlier.

No weapons. No armour. No bodies.

Damian stared through the window for a while before his gaze shifted toward a gathering of demons near the edge of the ruined district. Duke Riot sat on the bare ground with his face buried between his hands, his crimson armour covered in dust. The black spear that had accompanied him into battle lay beside him.

The Duke was lamenting.

His shoulders trembled occasionally, and the words escaping his mouth were too quiet for Damian to hear from such a distance. Several other Dukes stood around him, offering words of comfort in hushed tones. Among them were Astaroth and Paimon, both of whom wore grave expressions.

Astaroth stood with his arms folded, his usual composure intact, though the lines across his face had deepened. Paimon remained beside Riot, speaking to him in a low voice while occasionally glancing toward the crater.

It was a miserable sight.

Damian’s gaze moved farther along the street.

Two other palanquins stood at a distance from his own. Their occupants had chosen positions from which they could observe the aftermath without approaching the crater too closely. Damian recognised the insignia on one of them and immediately understood who was inside.

Belial and Kazier.

The other belonged to Aien and Brolly.

Damian gave a faint snort.

"Hmph. I guess I’m not the only one who’s curious."

He slid the window shut, cutting off the view of the ruined landscape.

"Send me back to my residence. I’m done here."

"Yes, Your Highness!" the attendants responded from outside.

The palanquin began to rise, its levitation formation humming softly beneath the wooden frame. Damian settled back into his seat, crossed his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes.

For several moments, he remained silent.

The destruction he had witnessed was difficult to dismiss. Tens of thousands of demons had perished in mere minutes, and the Northern Palace had ceased to exist.

Damian had known that the Prince of Pride was powerful.

He had not expected this.

"You should have helped."

Laura’s voice broke the silence.

There was visible annoyance in her tone, though she kept her voice low. She sat opposite Damian with her hands resting on her knees, her leopard ears lowered slightly as she recalled the devastation outside.

Damian did not open his eyes.

"And burn a thousand years of my life for a battle that does not concern me? I’ll pass."

Laura’s expression changed.

She just remembered the condition of Damian’s soul and the reason he had sought the Soul Fortification Pill in the first place.

She sighed.

"I’m sorry. I’m just upset," she continued. "Tens of thousands of demons died out there. That’s just the soldiers. There were families living in those neighbourhoods, merchants who had businesses there, servants, children, and people who had nothing to do with the conflict. Thousands of families might have been wiped out in a matter of minutes."

Her hands tightened against her dress.

"It’s frustrating. Someone can do something like that in the middle of the Imperial Capital, and walk away unscathed."

Damian slowly opened his eyes. His expression had grown considerably darker.

He was disturbed by the casualties, too, but not for the same reason as Laura. The sheer number of deaths was alarming, yet what troubled him most was the difference between Sol’s power and that of the other Princes.

Kazier, Belial, Aien, and Brolly were all Gods. Their strength was suppressed by the God-Slayer Arrays within the Imperial Capital, just as Sol’s should have been. Yet Sol had accomplished something he doubted the others could accomplish.

Was the quality of Sol’s inheritance simply superior to theirs? Or had his cultivation reached a realm that the other Princes had yet to approach?

Damian clenched his fist.

’I hate that I can’t read that bastard and see his thoughts.’

Before Damian could continue his thoughts, the world around him changed.

The palanquin vanished and he found himself standing in the familiar darkness, surrounded by an endless void in which no light could exist. Beneath him stretched the boundless crimson eye, its enormous surface extending beyond the limits of his perception. The pupil seemed to stare through him, observing every thought and emotion he possessed.

"That boy must be close to the God King realm," the Abyss said.

Damian frowned.

"The God King realm?"

The boundless eye shifted slightly, its crimson surface rippling as though the darkness itself had become liquid.

Damian folded his arms.

"Explain."

"Majin once entered the Dark Continent when it was much more peaceful than it is now. During his journey, he came across a corpse belonging to a being far beyond the level of a True God."

The Abyss paused briefly.

"There was a tombstone beside it. The inscription read: THE GRAVE OF GOD KING RAZOR LIES HERE."

Damian’s expression changed.

’A God King...’

The title alone suggested a realm of existence beyond anything he had previously considered. He had spent considerable time studying the power structures of the Underworld, the Heavens, and the various inheritances that governed their strongest beings. Yet he had never encountered a confirmed realm above True God.

The Abyss continued.

"Despite being dead for thousands of years, the corpse’s bones retained extraordinary power. They possessed a consciousness of their own, and when Majin attempted to claim them, he was nearly killed."

Damian’s brows rose.

"Even after thousands of years?"

"Yes. The remains of a being at that level do not become ordinary simply because its life has ended. Its power can persist long after its consciousness has faded, and its body may continue to resist those who attempt to claim it."

The Abyss’s voice deepened.

"Majin sustained severe injuries during that encounter. Those injuries weakened him considerably, leaving him vulnerable when Lin Qui eventually came to kill him."

Damian stared at the crimson eye. For a moment, he was too surprised to speak.

The revelation that a realm above True God existed was startling enough. But the additional information about Majin’s defeat was even more interesting.

What he had not known was that Majin had already been severely weakened before the sneak attack.

That changed the context of their history.

"Do you have any proof that this realm exists beyond a tombstone?" Damian asked.

"No," the Abyss admitted.

Damian’s expression flattened.

"That’s reassuring."

"However, the existence of that corpse is proof that a realm much stronger than True God exists. You need not accept the title written on the tombstone without question, but you would be foolish to dismiss the evidence simply because you lack a complete explanation."

Damian rubbed his chin.

The Abyss was right about that much. A corpse capable of nearly killing Majin thousands of years after its owner’s death could not be dismissed as an ordinary relic. Whatever the truth about God King Razor, the existence of such remains suggested that the limits of divine power were far higher than he had assumed.

And that brought him back to Sol.

"The difference between Sol and the other Princes is still too great," Damian said. "Even with their powers suppressed, none of them could reproduce what he just did."

"Think about it," the Abyss replied. "Lucifer Morningstar has always been regarded as the most powerful Demon Lord in history. Yet his consciousness was defeated and replaced by Sol. The circumstances may be more complicated than we understand, but the result remains the same. Sol possesses something that allowed him to surpass the legacy of the most powerful Demon Lord the Underworld has ever known."

The crimson eye seemed to draw closer.

"I believe Sol has secrets, just as you do. Underestimating him is a guaranteed way to lose your life."

Damian frowned. It was rare for the abyss to feel genuinely cautious about another individual.

Damian looked down at the boundless crimson eye.

"So what are you suggesting?"

"I cannot tell you precisely what Sol intends to accomplish by coming here," the Abyss replied. "But I can tell you that this may be your greatest opportunity to take his life."

Damian’s expression became guarded.

"Explain."

"Within the Imperial Capital, his power is restricted by the God-Slayer Arrays. With my assistance, you have nothing to fear."

The Abyss paused.

"If you kill him and take his inheritance, who in the Underworld will be able to challenge you?"

Damian did not answer immediately. The possibility was tempting. But the Abyss was making the prospect sound far too simple.

"The Dukes who are aware of my existence are probably thinking the same thing," the Abyss continued. "They will come to you and ask for your help. Accept their proposal."

Damian’s expression remained unchanged.

"This is a golden opportunity to eliminate Sol, take his inheritance, and become the Demon Lord before your journey to the Dark Continent. You need not wait until you return to begin consolidating your authority over the Underworld."

The Abyss’s voice became more insistent.

"As for your damaged soul, you already possess the Soul Fortification Pill. It will help reduce your losses while you search for a permanent solution. You have a means of extending your time, an opportunity to acquire greater power, and the possibility of removing one of your greatest obstacles. Why hesitate?"

Damian let out a tired sigh.

"And what happens if we fail?"

The Abyss fell silent. Damian continued before it could respond.

"You just admitted that Sol may possess secrets we know nothing about. What if he uses one of those secrets to escape? What if he can overcome the God-Slayer Arrays? What if he has another inheritance that allows him to defeat us?"

Damian’s expression darkened.

"What if we walk into this believing we have the advantage, only to discover that we’ve underestimated him?"

For several moments, the Abyss did not answer. Damian waited, his suspicion growing with every passing second.

Finally, the Abyss spoke.

"Have some trust in my power and yours."

Damian stared at it. That was not the answer he wanted.

It was a remarkably poor answer from and honestly, he wanted to reject the proposal outright. There were too many unknowns, and his damaged soul made unnecessary battles particularly dangerous.

Fighting Sol now would complicate everything. Yet the Abyss was not an ordinary ally.

Its suggestions might sound like requests, but Damian understood the nature of their relationship. The Abyss had invested too much in him to allow him to make decisions entirely independent of its interests. It could tolerate disagreement, but there were limits to how far he could resist its wishes without consequences.

Worse, if he refused and the Abyss lost confidence in him, he could find himself struggling once again for control over his own body.

Damian closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

’What a troublesome entity.’

Damian opened his eyes and looked at the crimson eye.

"All right," he said with a weary sigh. "I’ll go along with your plan."

"Good."

The Abyss’s response came almost immediately, its voice carrying a peculiar note of satisfaction.

Damian frowned at the sound. He could almost imagine the enormous eye smiling.