Chapter 464: Damain’s Resolve

Damain’s eyes slowly opened as the darkness of the bedroom came into view. For a few seconds, he remained still, his mind gradually returning to reality while the warmth surrounding his body made it difficult to remember where he was.

He could feel arms wrapped around him from both sides, while someone was lying directly across his chest. When he finally lowered his gaze, he found Racheal, Hazel and Ruby sleeping peacefully around him.

Racheal had one arm wrapped tightly around his waist while Hazel slept against his side and Ruby had practically claimed the remaining space between them. All three looked completely comfortable, their breathing slow and steady as they slept without the slightest awareness that Damian was awake.

At the head of the bed, Rin sat quietly with his seven tails hanging behind him, his usual playful expression nowhere to be seen. He had been staring at Damian for several moments, and there was a rare seriousness in his eyes that immediately told Damian he already knew what had happened.

"You finally had the conversation." He said.

Damian stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding. He didn’t feel like explaining everything. Not because he wanted to hide it from Rin, but because the conversation with Lin Qui was still too fresh in his mind. There were some things he needed to process himself before putting them into words.

He gently lifted Racheal away from his chest using his demonic force. Her sleeping body rose effortlessly into the air, and Damian carefully moved her toward the center of the bed before lowering her beside Hazel and Ruby.

The moment Racheal touched the mattress, she instinctively wrapped her arms around Hazel, while Ruby shifted closer and buried her face against Racheal’s shoulder. Within seconds, the three women were cuddling together, apparently convinced they were still holding Damian.

A small smile spread across Damian’s lips.

For some reason, after speaking with Lin Qui, everything felt different. He looked at the three women sleeping peacefully together and suddenly understood why Lin Qui had fought so desperately to protect the people he loved. His wives were no longer simply political alliances, sources of power or people who happened to share his bed. They had become his family, and the thought of losing any of them suddenly felt far more terrifying than it had before.

His love for them seemed to have deepened overnight.

"I never thought the ultimate bad guy of this universe would be a human." Damian sighed as he rose from the bed and adjusted his sleeping robes.

Rin chuckled as he jumped down from the headboard and followed Damian toward the couches and small table positioned in the corner of the room.

"Don’t be ridiculous. Across the universe, humans are the most dominant species. From my experience, seven out of ten planets where humans can be found are dominated by humans. Your kind are more vicious than you think, despite being the least physically gifted of all the major races in the universe. The only true threat to humans are other humans of a different species."

Rin settled onto one of the couches and crossed his legs comfortably, his tails curling around his body. Damian sat opposite him and reached for the cigar box sitting on the table. He opened it and immediately frowned when he saw only three cigars remaining. His gaze shifted toward the goblet and wine jar nearby, and his expression became even more dissatisfied.

After his conversation with Lin Qui, he had unexpectedly developed a craving for tea.

He picked up the cigar box and stared at it for another moment before pulling one of the remaining sticks free.

"Well, I can’t say much on that since I’ve never been to any planet except Earth." Damian said as he placed the cigar between his lips.

The cigar ignited immediately.

He took a deep drag and leaned his head backward, allowing a thick plume of purple smoke to escape from his mouth before slowly lowering his head again.

"You will get the chance to visit plenty after your coronation." Rin said.

Damian shook his head.

"I don’t have time to waste on irrelevant things. Once I free my Earth from the angels and get my revenge on Corbin, I’m turning my full focus to the Dark World."

Rin blinked.

There was something different about Damian now. It wasn’t an obvious change in his personality, but Rin could feel it. Before, Damian complained about nearly everything. The politics of Velmora irritated him, his responsibilities irritated him, his brothers irritated him and even the people he was supposed to protect occasionally irritated him.

Now there was something else beneath his words.

Ownership.

Damian no longer sounded like a human desperately trying to survive in a world that wasn’t his. He sounded like someone who had finally accepted that this world was his responsibility.

He had finally begun to understand what being the Sin of Lust actually meant.

"A wise choice, but a dangerous one which I do not fully recommend." Rin responded.

Damian lowered his head and turned toward him.

"Why?"

Rin jumped from the couch and landed directly on Damian’s lap. He settled comfortably against him before raising his head to meet Damian’s eyes.

"Nothing is free, and the same applies to the Dark World."

Damian’s eyes narrowed.

"Continue."

Rin nodded.

"Another name Lin Qui and I gave the Dark World is the World of Fallen Gods. We call it that because we eventually deduced that it was once a battleground for True Gods from a place that exists beyond our universe. Even the creatures living there are unlike anything we have encountered before. Their bodies, abilities and methods of survival don’t resemble anything found in the Heavens or the Underworld."

Rin’s expression became increasingly serious.

"I fear the relentless expeditions of the Heavens and Underworld to understand that place will eventually expose our existence to foreign deities."

Damian frowned but said nothing.

He leaned forward and knocked some ash from the end of his cigar into the ashtray before settling back into his seat. His gaze remained fixed on Rin as he considered the implications.

"You are afraid we will get invaded?" He asked.

Rin nodded firmly.

"That has always been Lin Qui’s fear. He even tried to move a motion back then to ban demons from entering the Dark World, but the Council blatantly rejected it. In their opinion, since the Heavens were benefiting from the resources there, they couldn’t simply stand back and watch them take everything for themselves."

Damian leaned farther into the couch, slowly absorbing the argument.

It made sense.

The entrance to the Dark World was a doorway. Everyone was focused on what could be gained by walking through it, but nobody could guarantee that something from the other side wouldn’t eventually find its way back.

The thought made Damian’s expression slightly darker.

"Still, I need the God Veins to accelerate my rise to the God realm. So until you find an alternative, I’ll be relying on the Dark World."

Rin sighed but didn’t argue.

Damian stood, causing Rin to jump from his lap and land on the floor. He adjusted his robes and began walking toward the bedroom door.

Clank!

The door opened quietly. Damian deliberately kept his movements restrained so he wouldn’t wake the women sleeping behind him. Two guards stationed outside immediately straightened and bowed as he stepped into the corridor.

Damian simply nodded and continued walking.

Rin followed beside him, his paws making barely any sound against the polished floor.

"So where are we going now?" Rin asked curiously.

"To my study room."

Rin stopped walking.

Damian took several more steps before realizing he was no longer being followed. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder.

Rin was standing in the middle of the corridor with a deeply suspicious expression.

"What the hell are you going over to the study room for?" Rin asked.

Damian raised a brow.

"To study demonic spells. If I’m going to win against my siblings, I need every advantage I can get."

Rin stared at him for several seconds before slowly nodding. He understood the reasoning, even if he had absolutely no interest in participating.

"I’m sorry, but I’d rather sleep than study. I’ll leave that to you."

Without the slightest shame, Rin turned around and began walking back toward the bedroom.

Damian stared after him before a laugh escaped his lips.

"You lazy bastard."

Rin didn’t even bother turning around.

"Someone has to maintain a healthy sleeping schedule."

Damian shook his head with an amused smile.

The two eventually continued in opposite directions, Rin returning to the bedroom while Damian proceeded toward his study. His expression gradually became serious again as he walked through the quiet corridor.

He could no longer afford to slack off.