Chapter 526: Terror Of A Duke

Huff!

Damian let out a heavy breath as he stared at the colossal figure looming above the darkness. The sheer size of it made the world around him feel insignificant, and for the first time since activating Realm Zero, he no longer felt like the one who had trapped Duke Dantalion inside his own prison.

It felt as though he had willingly walked into a cage and only now realized that the creature inside had been waiting for him.

"What the hell is that thing?" he mumbled, his voice carrying a rare trace of unease.

"Another dead Duke.... Just one slightly harder to kill." The Abyss hissed with a cold snort, its enormous crimson eye remaining fixed upon Dantalion.

Hahahahaha!

Duke Dantalion’s laughter shook the entire Realm Zero as the colossal gray eye looked down upon the three figures below. His laughter no longer carried the composed arrogance from earlier. It was filled with absolute confidence, as though the outcome of the battle had already been decided.

"I’m curious to see how you plan to accomplish that!" Duke Dantalion laughed.

The Abyss gave him no answer. Its armored body simply shifted forward as it stretched one hand toward the enormous eye. At first, nothing happened. Dantalion’s massive form remained completely still, seemingly amused by the gesture. Then the black greatsword appeared above Dantalion.

After it had been used to slice off Dantalion’s arm, it had never been retrieved, until now!

The weapon plunged downward with terrifying speed, piercing through the back of the colossal eye before emerging from the front of its gray surface. The blade continued downward until the Abyss caught the hilt in one hand, using the weapon as though it had been summoned directly into its grasp.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Dantalion’s scream shook Realm Zero as gray blood rained from the enormous wound, splashing across the darkness below. The colossal eye twisted violently while the tendrils surrounding it thrashed in every direction.

"BASTARD... I’LL KILL YOU!" The wounded Duke roared at the top of his voice.

Swoosh!

Dozens of tendrils immediately tore through the darkness and raced toward Damian and the Abyss. Their sheer number caused Damian’s expression to sour, but the Abyss did not wait for them to arrive. It launched itself forward.

BANG!

Three pairs of black wings suddenly erupted from its back, each wing beating once and propelling the Dark Knight toward Dantalion at terrifying speed. Abel moved at the same instant without waiting for Damian’s orders, charging forward while Damian remained upon his head. Several tendrils separated from the main mass and redirected themselves toward them.

"Here they come!" Abel warned.

"Yeah, no shit." Damian rolled his eyes before swinging his hand fan.

Brrrrrr!

Samsara white flames and Abyssal Flames erupted from the fan in enormous quantities, surging ahead like a raging sea. The combined flames swallowed the darkness before them and raced toward the approaching tendrils with enough destructive power to reduce ordinary demigods to nothing.

For a brief moment Damian believed the sheer volume of the flames would be enough to stop the incoming attacks.

Then his expression changed.

"Not good!" Damian frowned as several tendrils tore straight through the combined flames and continued racing toward them.

A thick gray aura surrounded each one, shielding them from the destructive flames as though they were wearing armor specifically designed to resist Damian’s strongest attacks.

"Divinity... That bastard focused his divinity on those tendrils to give them a chance of tearing through my flames!" Damian gasped.

ROOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!

Abel opened his jaws and unleashed hundreds of crimson lightning bolts, filling the darkness with violent flashes. Yet both Damian and Abel’s eyes widened as the tendrils maneuvered between the lightning with almost effortless precision. Their movements were too smooth to be random, each tendril weaving around the attacks before accelerating toward them.

One tendril suddenly opened its mouth.

A dragon head belonging to Dantalion’s enormous body was attached to its tip, its crimson scales gleaming beneath the darkness. The dragon inhaled and unleashed a massive beam of crimson flames directly at Abel from point blank range.

BOOOM!

The blast struck Abel head on and sent his body tumbling downward into the darkness. The dragon Dantalion tendril immediately chased after him, its jaws opening again as it prepared to finish the attack.

Swoosh!

Damian barely managed to leap from Abel’s head before the dragon tendril could follow through. He twisted through the air and immediately sensed another presence approaching from his blind side. A tendril was racing toward him at terrifying speed.

"Hmph!"

Damian turned and swung his hand fan, unleashing another torrent of black and white flames. The attack struck the approaching figure directly, but instead of being incinerated, the target simply vanished.

Damian’s eyes widened.

"A mirage?"

Swoosh!

He barely turned before a fist slammed into his shoulder.

Bang!

Damian’s body twisted from the impact, his eyes dilating as the force sent him sideways. The figure standing before him was completely different from the dragon he had just encountered.

This version of Dantalion possessed the handsome features of a Kitsune, long hair flowing behind him and burning purple eyes fixed upon Damian.

"Kitsune clan..." Damian muttered.

The point where the fist had struck suddenly swelled before exploding with purple flames.

Crimson Fox Kiss!

"Gah!"

Blood squirted from Damian’s mouth as the pain ripped through his shoulder. The Kitsune Dantalion did not give him even a moment to recover. His fists rained toward Damian in rapid succession, each movement producing another afterimage until a dozen versions of the Duke seemed to be attacking simultaneously.

Damian gritted his teeth and threw his own fists forward.

Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom!

The two figures exchanged blows at incredible speed, explosions erupting between them as they shot through the dark space. Damian blocked one attack only for another to slip past his guard, while the Kitsune Dantalion repeatedly countered Damian’s attacks with movements that were painfully familiar.

’It’s actually as strong as a bonafide demigod!’ Damian frowned as he parried another strike and retaliated, only for his attack to be parried in return.

They understood one another’s movements too well.

Dantalion possessed the knowledge of the Kitsune inheritance, while Damian had spent his entire existence fighting with its power since the moment he obtained it.

Every illusion Damian created was recognized, every movement was anticipated and every feint was countered.

’This should be illegal!’ Damian’s frown deepened as his hands were knocked apart, leaving his chest completely exposed.

The Kitsune Dantalion immediately seized the opening and drove his fist toward Damian’s heart.

Bang!

The punch connected.

Damian’s head snapped backward violently, his eyes widening from the impact.

Pfft!

The Kitsune Dantalion suddenly froze.

His gaze slowly dropped toward his chest, where Damian’s hand had emerged from his body. Damian’s fingers were wrapped around a beating heart, and blood dripped from the wound as the Kitsune Dantalion stared at it in disbelief. He quickly raised his gaze toward the Damian standing before him, only to see the young Prince wearing a mocking smile.

The body in front of him began dissolving into purple smoke.

"You may understand everything about the Kitsune clan but theoretical knowledge will never be anything compared to practical knowledge. I have fought with this power from the very first day I got it. You can never beat me in a game of illusions!" Damian said coldly.

"Heh!... Don’t get too cocky, child." Kitsune Dantalion sneered.

His body suddenly turned gray before crumbling into dust.

Swish!

Damian’s instincts immediately warned him of another attack. He turned sharply and saw another Dantalion charging toward him. Damian struck forward without hesitation, but his fist passed straight through the Duke’s body.

The figure had phased through him.

"Gaaaah!"

Damian jerked backward, his eyes widening as his vision blurred. For a moment it felt as though every breath had been violently ripped from his lungs, leaving him light headed and struggling to maintain his balance.

"Fucking... Dreg..." he gasped as he staggered backward.

When Damian raised his gaze again, his body trembled.More Duke Dantalions were surrounding him.

Each one represented a different demonic race, their bodies attached to the enormous gray eye dominating the sky through countless tendrils. Some possessed familiar features while others represented races Damian had never encountered directly. Every single one radiated the power of a genuine demigod.

"Kiiihshishihsihsi!" The Dreg Dantalion laughed from behind Damian, his eerie voice crawling across the darkness.

"Even with the power of the Abyss... You can never breach the gap between us. I was born with an inheritance capable of taming the Abyssal inheritance... This is my destiny." The Blood Demon Dantalion declared confidently.

"Fighting over what has been destined by the universe is nothing short of stupid." Kosak Dantalion chuckled mockingly, his eyes fixed upon Damian.

"If you are willing to accept this, I can make your death painless, but I will make sure to take good care of everyone within your government, maintain their positions and allow them to serve me as their new Prince." Lycan Dantalion chuckled.