Chapter 402: End Of An Era: Wrath Vs Lust [3]
Pfft!
"DAMIAN!"
Panicked screams erupted from every corner of the world as Damian staggered backward. Blood poured endlessly from the mangled stumps where five of his hands had once been. Only one arm remained, and even that was twisted beyond recognition. His breathing became painfully heavy, each inhale ragged and each exhale accompanied by a low groan that barely rose above a whisper.
Damian was critically wounded but Kaizer was in no better condition.
His body was riddled with gaping holes. One entire eye socket had been blasted away, while chunks of flesh had been stripped from his frame until bones and organs were openly exposed. Yet despite those horrific injuries, the pressure radiating from him had only continued to rise until it became suffocating, even for Damian.
"Even among the Bloodlines of the Greats," Kaizer began calmly, "there is still the greatest, and that position has belonged to dragons since the beginning of time."
He casually tapped one of the crimson dragon scales covering his body.
"While Asuras possess offensive power comparable to dragons, they lack our godly defense.Even with this power... you are still inferior and you always will be."
His crimson eye narrowed as a mocking smile spread across his face but to his surprise, Damian remained silent.
He simply didn’t have the luxury of speaking. Instead, he steadied his breathing while keeping his unwavering gaze fixed upon Kaizer.
Throughout the brief clash that had already lasted nearly a minute and a half, both of them had exhausted countless approaches. They had exchanged brutal close combat, attempted to lure one another into activating their Domains, and continuously searched for openings that never appeared. Every tactic had failed.
Damian could clearly feel an external force constantly attempting to pull the rage hidden deep within him to the surface. Every passing second, Kaizer’s Wrath Authority clawed at his emotions, trying to drag him into blind fury. Yet through the power of his Desire Bandit, Damian continued suppressing every trace of that emotion before it could take root.
At the same time he had achieved absolutely nothing with Kaizer.
Every attempt to connect with the dragon prince’s emotions ended exactly the same way. There was nothing to manipulate. All Damian encountered was an endless ocean of uncontrollable rage so absolute that even Desire could not grasp it.
Under normal circumstances, this battle would have been called a stalemate. Unfortunately this was Damian’s real body. Kaizer merely inhabited a Geti while every injury Damian sustained was permanent. Once this battle ended, Kaizer’s consciousness would simply return safely to his true body.
"Didn’t I tell you?"
A familiar, icy voice echoed inside Damian’s mind.
"The wrath of the princes is not something you can bear."
Buzz!
The battlefield disappeared.
The next instant, Damian found himself standing inside an endless world of darkness.
Black storms raged endlessly in every direction.
At the very bottom of that infinite abyss floated an enormous crimson eye whose size defied comprehension. It stared directly at Damian with unmistakable amusement.
"I warned you this day would come," the Abyss said calmly, its voice carrying a strange satisfaction. "And when it did... you would finally be forced to bargain with me."
Damian said nothing.
Instead, he calmly observed the surrounding darkness with quiet curiosity. It had been a long time since the Abyss possessed enough strength to forcibly drag his consciousness into this place.
"It’s because you’re dying."
The Abyss answered the thought before Damian could even finish forming it.
"I haven’t grown stronger. You’ve simply become weaker."
Damian’s brows slowly narrowed. It could hear his thoughts now.
"The battle isn’t over, I can hold out longer. My wives will finish opening the gate soon. I only need to endure a little longer." Damian answered calmly.
Cold laughter erupted throughout the endless darkness.
"Look at yourself. Do you truly believe that?"
The Abyss sounded almost entertained and Damian calmly lowered his gaze toward his battered body.
Five hands were gone and his flesh had been torn apart. His body was covered in wounds deep enough to expose bone.
Even standing had become painful.
"Once again, I’ll repeat myself." the Abyss hissed
"You require my help if you wish to survive. When that moment comes, the price will be far greater than before because you stubbornly refused to strengthen my power while you still possessed Talent Points. This time your soul will nourish my inheritance."
Damian stared into the enormous crimson eye without emotion for several seconds passed. Then he nodded.
"Alright."
Buzz!
For the first time, the Abyss’s enormous eye widened.
"What?"
Its voice was filled with genuine shock.
"If that’s the price I have to pay to protect everyone then it’s the price I have to pay. So be it."
Damian replied with a simple shrug and the Abyss simply stared at him.
For the first time since its existence, it felt something it believed only it could understand.
Emptiness.
It was the complete absence of desire. All it heard from Damian was the quiet resolve of a man fulfilling his duty to the people he loved.
Swoosh.
Damian casually waved one remaining hand. The entire dark world shattered apart like fragile glass.
Reality returned before his eyes.
As the Abyss faded into the collapsing darkness, it silently watched Damian’s retreating back.
Those shoulders looked impossibly light, despite carrying a burden heavy enough to crush worlds. They were the shoulders of a man who had already accepted death and victory as one.
Whether he fulfils his duty or dies doing it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that his duty is carried out.
"Let’s get this over with already."
Damian’s calm voice echoed across the battlefield as he slowly assumed another fighting stance.
Kaizer frowned.
He could hear Damian’s demonic hearts pounding twice as fast as before. His demonic core surged violently, spreading its power throughout every inch of his body until glowing violet symbols gradually etched themselves across his skin.
Meanwhile, Racheal, Ruby and Hazel were already halfway finished.
An enormous emerald gateway had begun taking shape upon the massive teleportation array connected to their own. It shimmered brighter with every passing second. Yet, none of them could stop looking toward Damian.
Their eyes had long since reddened. Every instinct urged them to abandon everything and rush to his side.
But they couldn’t. If they failed to complete the gateway, everyone would die. This was their only means to escape a God.
"Focus on opening the gate."
Damian’s calm, emotionless voice echoed directly inside their minds.
"I swear... I’ll stop this dragon here and now."
Even from this distance could feel every ounce of their worry.
Kaizer glanced beyond Damian toward the half completed gate. A mocking smile slowly spread across his face before he looked back at Damian.
"You and I both know you don’t have another minute and a half left." he sneered
"Bitch...I’m trying to kill you before I leave. So shut up and move your ass."
Damian’s empty eyes never left him.
Boom!
Kaizer disappeared.
The next instant he materialized directly before Damian, driving a devastating punch downward.
"Hmph!"
Damian snorted disdainfully.
Seven enormous dark purple fox tails exploded from his back. Two immediately coiled around Kaizer’s arm, forcibly altering the trajectory of the punch.
The remaining tails lashed forward simultaneously. Several impaled the joints of Kaizer’s limbs and the last pierced straight through his forehead.
Swoosh!
Damian flicked his wrist and purple flames burst outward as a familiar black and white hand fan appeared within his remaining hand.
"Your Samsara Flames won’t work on this body!" Kaizer laughed hysterically despite a tail piercing straight through his brain.
"It was specifically built to house a spirit! You’ve already tried enough times!"
The horrifying sight caused countless spectators to recoil. Yet Damian’s expression never changed.
He had already attempted destroying the body, it hadn’t worked. This time his target wasn’t the body.
It was the soul.
Brrrr!
The violet markings decorating Damian’s seven tails suddenly shifted to brilliant azure.
Even his eyes changed.
"And why would I burn your body, when I can burn your soul?"
Damian’s voice became frighteningly quiet.
"SOUL LANTERN!"
BRRRRRRRRRR!
Brilliant azure flames exploded violently in every direction, forming a colossal inferno that swallowed both combatants entirely.
Kaizer’s agonized roar shook the heavens.
Everyone watching gasped.
For the very first time, Damian had truly injured the Dragon Prince.
"I’LL KILL YOU!"
"I’LL KILL YOUR WIVES!"
"NONE OF YOU WILL SURVIVE PAST TODAY!"
Kaizer’s furious roar thundered from within the raging inferno. Then his enormous silhouette began advancing. Despite every joint being impaled and his soul burning, he continued forcing himself toward Damian.
One gigantic hand stretched forward.
"I’LL CRUSH YOUR HEAD AND END THIS BATTLE!"
"You’ll try and you’ll fail." Damian’s cold voice interrupted him.
He thrust his remaining hand forward with an open palm.
"WORLD DEVOURING MAW!"
ROOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!
The furious roar of an enormous fox echoed across heaven and earth.
An invisible colossal fox’s head materialized from empty space with its jaws opened impossibly wide.
Swoosh!
The gigantic jaws slammed downward and Kaizer abandoned his attempt to seize Damian’s head and instead raised both arms alongside his own jaws, catching the descending teeth with overwhelming force.
Boom!
The collision generated a devastating shockwave that ripped apart the surrounding azure flames.
"Like I told you before you’ll try and you’ll fail."
Damian’s voice remained perfectly calm.
"Hmph!"
Kaizer snorted disdainfully.
A crimson glow suddenly erupted from within the raging azure inferno as his voice deepened even further.
"BASTARD! I’D LIKE TO SEE HOW YOU PLAN TO RESTRAIN A DRAGON!"
"HMPH!"
Damian’s burning gaze never wavered.
"Today, you’ll be remembered as the first dragon ever slain by a fox!"