Chapter 391: Honest Demon
Bang!
The endless storm split apart as four colossal pillars descended from the heavens with enough force to shake the entire domain. They were forged from an unfamiliar black metal covered in glowing azure runes that pulsed in rhythm with the surrounding thunder. Each pillar landed at one of the four cardinal directions around Damian, causing circular shockwaves to ripple through the empty sky beneath his feet.
Immediately afterward, enormous chains burst from within each pillar. They stretched across the air with deafening metallic groans before locking themselves together above and below Damian, forming a gigantic cube suspended between the endless clouds. Lightning instantly surged across every chain, weaving itself into countless intersecting currents until the entire prison resembled a living cage of thunder.
The lightning never remained still.
It crawled endlessly along every chain, occasionally leaping from one pillar to another with explosions that illuminated the entire domain.
Damian quietly observed everything without moving. He expression remained calm. Apart from finding himself imprisoned, he felt no immediate danger.
Bang!
Blue lightning flashed outside the prison.
Fulgur slowly emerged from the storm, hovering beyond the barrier in his partial draconic form. White scales covered portions of his body while azure lightning continuously danced between the claws gripping Raikiri. His long beard and ponytail drifted gently beneath the violent winds as he quietly observed Damian.
Meanwhile, Damian slowly turned in place, studying every corner of the prison with genuine curiosity. Rather than resembling someone trapped, he looked like a traveler inspecting a newly purchased house.
Finally, he stopped.
"What exactly is this supposed to do?" Damian asked while lightly tapping one of the glowing chains with his knuckle. "Are you simply planning to keep me here?"
His voice contained genuine curiosity rather than mockery. The strategy felt strange.
Fulgur remained inside the domain as well. If they were both trapped within the same world, then imprisoning him alone accomplished very little.
A thought suddenly crossed Damian’s mind and his expression immediately cooled.
"Don’t tell me you’re trying to pull a Hagrid too?"
His violet eyes slowly met Fulgur’s. The mention of that name caused the atmosphere to become noticeably colder.
Fulgur sighed quietly before shaking his head.
"No."
He answered without hesitation.
"I was instructed to feed you false information. The objective was to convince you that remaining inside this prison would eventually kill those you cherish, forcing you to exhaust yourself breaking free."
Damian blinked and his brows slowly rose.
"Ooh?"
He genuinely hadn’t expected such honesty.
"Don’t you think telling me that ruins your own plan?"
Fulgur calmly shook his head once more. Despite his far more intimidating appearance, the dragon’s composed temperament remained completely unchanged.
"If you refuse to leave then we will simply begin attacking your loved ones until you no longer have a choice."
He spoke as though discussing tomorrow’s weather. His expression remained perfectly neutral.
"I dislike such methods. But they are my orders."
Silence settled briefly between them. Oddly enough Damian wasn’t angry. The dragon seemed force to go along with this plan. Every instinct Damian possessed confirmed the same conclusion.
Fulgur did not enjoy underhanded tactics. He merely obeyed.
The realization only deepened Damian’s admiration. To think someone like this existed beneath Kaizer’s command. The more he spoke with him, the more Damian wanted him.
Damian slowly walked toward the barrier and Fulgur quietly watched him approach. Stopping before the wall of lightning, Damian calmly raised one hand before pressing his palm against it.
Instead of meeting a solid wall, the barrier stretched inward like thick rubber. The lightning bent around his palm while retaining the perfect imprint of every finger pressing against its surface.
Only then, he felt it. A subtle pulling sensation. It was extremely weak and almost imperceptible. Yet unmistakably real.
The prison wasn’t merely restraining him. It was drawing upon his demonic energy. But that was the least terrifying part of this barrier.
Damian had reason to believe the more force he applied, the stronger the suction became. Such a barrier would not only be effective against Ka’z
His violet eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"So that’s it... This prison absorbs demonic energy."
He quietly withdrew his hand and looked back toward Fulgur.
"So your grand strategy is to tire me out before killing me from exhaustion?"
Once again Fulgur shook his head.
"No. That is merely the first step. There are several stages prepared specifically for you."
His voice remained respectful and a faint smile appeared beneath his beard.
"Unfortunately this is all I am permitted to reveal. So please proceed with breaking out. Only then may we continue to the next stage."
Damian stared at him for several silent moments. No matter how hard he tried batred simply refused to appear.
Instead, he found himself smiling.
"Before we continue let’s make a wager."
He folded his arms.
Fulgur looked genuinely surprised and raised a brow. The last thing he expected was a wager to come up in this mind of situation. This left him wondering if Damian has been paying attention at all.
"A wager? What do you propose?"
His curiosity was immediately piqued and Damian’s smile widened ever so slightly.
"If I play your game and I still come out on top then you will acknowledge me as an equal to your master."
His eyes locked onto Fulgur’s and the words hung heavily within the storm. Fulgur quietly observed the young prince.
Originally, he had expected Damian to demand his loyalty or perhaps ask him to betray Kaizer.
Instead, the human had asked for recognition. But while it may sound simple, it wasn’t so. Acknowledging Damian as Kaizer’s equal meant accepting the possibility that one day he might rightfully stand where Kaizer now stood.
It was a surprisingly subtle request. Bold yet strangely reasonable and Fulgur slowly smiled. For the first time since this battle began, the smile reached his eyes.
"Very well. I accept your wager. Show me what a man worthy of my services is capable of."