Chapter 448: A Shortcut
Damian and Mary remained seated on the balcony for some time, allowing the quiet of the night to settle around them. The city below was still alive despite the late hour, with distant lights glowing between the enormous buildings while the two moons hung above the capital.
Damian held a goblet of wine in one hand while a cigar rested between his fingers, the purple ember glowing faintly in the darkness. After taking another long drag, he pulled the cigar away from his lips and released a deep sigh, a thick mouthful of purple smoke rolling from his mouth before being carried away by the wind.
Mary shifted closer before settling onto Damian’s lap, one arm naturally slipping around his neck. Her eyes carried a playful, seductive gleam as she studied his expression. Damian barely reacted to the change in position, simply resting one hand against her waist while continuing to stare toward the distant city.
"It’s time you stop worrying about these things and tell me about your plan to kill your brothers." She said.
Damian glanced down at the half filled goblet in his hand before swirling the wine slowly.
"All I need is to reach the God realm. None of them will be able to stand against me." He said it so naturally that Mary couldn’t help staring at him for several seconds.
She believed in his strength. That wasn’t the problem.
Damian had accumulated a ridiculous record during his time on Earth. He had fought opponents far more experienced than himself, survived situations that should have killed him and eventually defeated Kaizer. Even after returning to the Underworld, the assassination attempt had provided another glimpse into just how terrifying his actual strength could be. If he continued growing at the same pace, Mary could genuinely imagine him becoming a force capable of challenging almost every prince in the Underworld.
Almost.
"I believe you can win." Mary finally said, her playful expression fading slightly. "But Pride will be a problem. His sun is too bright."
Damian shrugged and smiled at her. "If that was a problem, wouldn’t you think I would have been bothered by it?"
Mary’s eyes widened slightly.
"If his sun shines too bright, then my darkness will swallow his light. You don’t have to worry about minor things like this." He added nearly absent mindedly.
Then she remembered Damian had called Sol by his name in front of countless people and somehow, nothing had happened.
That realization reminded her of something she had been unable to understand since Damian returned. There was something fundamentally different about him. His behavior, his instincts and even the way he approached powerful enemies were nothing like the previous Princes of Lust she had studied throughout her life.
Mary had been born nearly three centuries into Lin Qui’s rule and had spent a considerable portion of her life studying demonic history. She knew the records of the seven generations of Princes who had carried the inheritance of Lust before Damian. Most had been clever, manipulative and politically cautious. The few who had attempted to rule through sheer dominance had rarely lasted long because the nature of the Lust inheritance encouraged influence, desire and manipulation more naturally than direct confrontation.
Damian was different.
He possessed the same inheritance, yet he approached the world like someone who had never learned to fear the consequences of challenging powerful beings. He didn’t simply manipulate people. He confronted them. He didn’t hide his ambitions. He announced them. He had even openly challenged Sol while knowing exactly what kind of monster stood above him.
And somehow, he kept winning. That was what unsettled Mary most.
Nobody knew what his secret was.
"If it worries you so much, why don’t you give me some tips on what to do?" Damian asked with an amused smile.
Mary immediately brightened.
"Gladly."
She leaned closer and gently bit into the side of his throat. Damian’s body stiffened in surprise before he leaned back against the wall, releasing a quiet gasp.
Her voice then entered his mind.
"Once you regain the seat of power, you will regain control of all your devotees across the universe. However, even with that, it will still take you centuries to reach the God realm. There is only one option that can help you grow much faster."
Damian’s expression changed.
"What?"
Mary pulled away after a moment, the faint taste of blood visible at the corner of her dark painted lips and she looked directly into his eyes.
"The Dark World."
Damian’s eyes narrowed.
That name had appeared too many times lately and now Mary was telling him that it might hold the key to achieving the very power he needed.
"How so?" Damian asked.
Mary adjusted herself slightly on his lap before continuing.
"In the Dark World, a rare mineral was discovered. It’s called God Vein. It’s an energy source that Demigods can harness to permanently strengthen themselves. Even a new demigod like you will reach the God realm in a deacde if you have an abundant supply of this. Unfortunately, Velmora lost the territory that gave us access to that resource after Lin Qui died. The small reserves we possessed have long since been depleted by the Grand Chancellor, the Minister of War and your in laws."
Damian’s expression immediately soured. He tossed his remaining cigar into the nearby ashtray.
"Of course. Every time something terrible happens, somehow my ministers or my in laws are involved."
Mary couldn’t help laughing softly.
"That is because they have been ruling your realm in your absence."
"That’s exactly why I’m beginning to hate them."
Damian picked up his wine again and took a slow drink before looking toward her.
"But I’m guessing getting this God Vein is easier said than done?"
Mary’s smile faded.
"Much easier said than done."
Her tone immediately made Damian more attentive.
"The Dark World is a place where even Gods can be killed. Despite existing for an extremely long time, the combined forces of Heaven and the Underworld have explored less than one percent of it. Our territories together account for even less than one percent of the entire world."
Damian slowly lowered his goblet. For the first time since she mentioned the Dark World, genuine curiosity appeared in his eyes.
"Less than one percent?"
Mary nodded.
"Less than one percent."
Damian looked toward the horizon.
That was absurd.
He had spent the past several days worrying about the political factions within Velmora, the Order of Demons, his brothers and the stolen seat of power. He had assumed that once he became strong enough, he would simply solve each problem one after another.
But the Dark World sounded different. It wasn’t another realm waiting to be conquered or another political battlefield where powerful clans competed for influence.
It was something vast enough that Heaven and the entire Underworld had barely managed to scratch its surface.
Damian’s fingers tightened slightly around his goblet.
"Then that’s where I’m going."
Mary stared at him.
"You haven’t even heard the dangers yet."
"I heard enough."
Damian’s eyes remained fixed on the distant horizon, a faint smile slowly forming on his lips.
For the first time in days, his mind wasn’t occupied by the royal court. He was thinking about something much larger.
Instead of spending decades fighting over territories that meant almost nothing in the greater scheme of things, he could enter a place where the greatest secrets of the universe were still waiting to be uncovered.
If God Vein could truly accelerate his growth to the God realm within ten years, then the political struggles of Velmora were only the beginning.
Damian looked down at Mary with a calm smile.
"Tell me everything you know about the Dark World."