Chapter 451: Wives Assemble!

The chaos spread through the residential district almost instantly. The Royal Guard stationed outside Candice’s apartment drew his sword and stepped forward while frightened civilians poured out of nearby buildings, some still dressed in night clothes as they looked around in confusion.

The sudden destruction had shattered the quiet neighborhood, sending fragments of stone across the street and leaving a cloud of dust hanging over the damaged building. From the destroyed section of the first floor, Candice could still be seen sitting on the floor with two Royal Guards standing protectively on either side of her, their weapons drawn.

Yet none of them were looking at Candice anymore. Almost every eye had turned toward the sky.

The Dreg was there, but it was no longer the most impressive sight.

Several dozen meters above the buildings, Damian hovered in the night sky with his black and purple robes fluttering violently around him. His usually neat black hair had become disheveled from the wind, several strands sweeping across his face as he stared downward.

One arm was wrapped around Mary’s waist, keeping her close to him while she rested one hand gently against his exposed chest. The two stood above the battlefield with an almost casual posture, yet the sheer pressure radiating from Damian made everyone below instinctively understand who controlled the situation.

"The Order of Demons dared to send assassins to the Violet Palace. Then you killed the kind old man who fed me, and now you people dare come after a witness under the protection of the Crown?" Damian asked calmly.

Every word carried through the streets with supernatural clarity, and the calmness behind it made the threat far more frightening than an enraged roar would have been. The civilians below could hear him clearly, and the Royal Guards tightened their grips on their weapons as they watched the confrontation unfold.

The Dreg’s expression remained surprisingly calm.

Damian narrowed his eyes.

He expected fear. Instead, the creature stared at him for several seconds before its frown slowly disappeared. The corners of its mouth stretched upward, revealing those unnaturally sharp teeth.

"Siiiiiirrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeee." Kanda dragged the word out with a disturbing smile. "Did you believe Kanda was unaware that this must have been a trap?"

Damian’s expression hardened.

Mary’s crimson eyes immediately began glowing beside him, her fingers tightening slightly against his chest as her killing intent spread through the surrounding air.

Damian was about to respond when several explosions suddenly erupted behind them.

BOOM!

The shockwaves swept through the sky, forcing Damian and Mary to turn their heads.

Four figures emerged from the smoke.

Hazel, Rah, Racheal and Ruby flew toward them with murderous expressions, their clothing and hair whipping violently in the turbulent air. Behind them came Kor and more than a dozen Royal Guards, all armed and fully prepared for battle. The guards spread themselves across the surrounding sky, preventing anyone from approaching the Prince from behind.

Damian stared at them for a moment. He hadn’t expected them to come.

On Earth, things had been different. The restrictions placed on invading demigods had prevented powerful beings from casually interfering in the affairs of mortals, leaving Damian to endure his enemies largely on his own. His wives could watch, worry and wait, but they couldn’t simply descend upon every battlefield and destroy anyone who threatened him.

This wasn’t Earth. This was the Underworld and there were no such limitations here.

The women who had spent a year being forced to watch Damian fight alone had absolutely no intention of repeating that experience.

"Babe, let us handle things from here." Hazel said as she moved forward.

Before Damian could respond, she and the other women flew past him, positioning themselves between him and Kanda.

Damian’s eyebrows rose. He genuinely hadn’t expected that.

His wives had moved without waiting for his permission, and judging from the expressions on their faces, none of them had any intention of allowing him to face the Order alone.

Hazel’s body was surrounded by faint crimson flames while Ruby’s demonic aura began spreading through the sky. Racheal’s purple eyes remained fixed on Kanda with an intensity that made several of the Royal Guards instinctively keep their distance.

Damian watched them for another moment before a strange sensation suddenly crawled across his mind.

Something was wrong.

His expression changed as he slowly turned his head and looked around the surrounding sky.

He glanced at the streets below, buildings, civilians gathered below but everything appeared normal. Yet his instincts continued screaming at him.

Something was missing.

He wasn’t even particularly concerned about the four women now standing between him and Damian.

That alone made Damian’s suspicion deepen.

"Siiiiiirrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeee." Kanda spoke again, drawing everyone’s attention back toward him. "You must believe you have outsmarted the Order, but it is the Order that has outsmarted you."

Hazel’s expression darkened and Kanda slowly spread his arms.

"But you are wrong, Siiiiirrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeee. It is we who have pulled you out into the open. Tonight, all of Velmora will see its Prince defeated."

His twisted smile widened and the air seemed to become heavier.

Kanda’s voice carried throughout the residential district, ensuring that everyone within hearing distance understood exactly what he was declaring.

"And when that happens, we will turn this realm into the first realm under the Order of Demons!"

The reaction was immediate.

The faces of the civilians below twisted with fear and disbelief. Royal Guards exchanged glances while several ministers and officials who had followed Damian from the palace stared toward the sky in stunned silence.

Nobody had expected the Order to be this bold.

It was one thing to operate from the shadows. It was another thing entirely to openly challenge the Prince of Lust before the capital.

Everyone understood what this meant.

Whatever happened next would spread throughout Velmora. If Damian won, the Order of Demons would suffer a devastating blow to its reputation. If Damian lost, the consequences would be far worse.

The Prince of Lust would have been publicly defeated in his own capital, and every faction watching from the shadows would immediately begin questioning the strength of the Crown.

Hazel’s crimson eyes burned brighter.

"YOU DARE THREATEN MY HUSBAND BEFORE THE ENTIRE WORLD?"

Her voice shook the surrounding buildings as crimson flames erupted around her body.

Ruby slowly drifted forward beside her. Dark green scales began forming across her skin, spreading over her arms and neck as her aura became increasingly oppressive.

"CLEARLY, OUR ABSENCE HAS MADE YOU ALL BOLD." Ruby’s voice carried a cold edge that made the nearby guards shiver. "LET ME FIX THAT."

Racheal moved forward as well, her purple eyes blazing with murderous intent. The gentle expression she often wore around Damian was completely gone, replaced by something far colder.

She looked directly at Kanda.

"I HAVE DECIDED. THE ORDER OF DEMONS WILL CEASE TO EXIST IN VELMORA TONIGHT."

The declaration hung over the capital.

Damian remained behind them, his eyes still fixed on Kanda. The women were furious, the Royal Guards were ready and the Order had openly declared war.

Yet Damian couldn’t shake the feeling that Kanda’s words were not the real threat.