Chapter 530: Aftermath

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The roar tore through Velmora like a thunderclap, shaking the realm violently as every water bubble suspended above the capital displayed the same image of Damian standing within the crater, his left hand raised while the crumbling remains of Duke Dantalion slowly disintegrated between his fingers.

The sight spread across the entire realm in an instant, reaching soldiers on the walls, civilians hiding within their homes, nobles watching from their estates and even those still fighting across the outer provinces. For several seconds, nobody seemed capable of processing what they were seeing.

Duke Dantalion, head of the Order of Demons and one of the most terrifying demons in the Underworld, had actually fallen to the Prince of Lust.

Still flying across the southern province of Velmora, Sol suddenly stopped in midair, his body coming to a complete halt as his eyes widened while staring at the floating image before him.

He remained silent for several seconds, studying Damian’s battered figure and the unmistakable remains of Dantalion in his hand. The surprise gradually disappeared from his face and was replaced by amusement, the corner of his lips lifting until a genuine grin appeared.

"This kid...." He muttered, almost unable to believe what he had just witnessed. Beside him, however, Leo wore a cold frown.

Damian defeating Dantalion was deeply disturbing, especially considering how powerful the Duke had proven himself to be, but Leo could not bring himself to complain about the result because the price Damian had paid was plainly visible.

His once pale skin looked almost corpse like, his white hair had lost the vitality it once possessed and, most concerning of all, his right hand hung uselessly at his side. Even from the projection, it was obvious that the limb was completely destroyed. Leo stared at Damian for several more seconds before quietly muttering,

"He won, but at what cost?"

Sol merely shrugged indifferently. "Does it matter? A human stood tall against a demon... It’s a good reason to celebrate."

Leo did not argue, although his frown remained firmly in place. He continued watching Damian’s condition until, after several seconds, he finally released a quiet sigh of relief.

"I will admit that boy is far more capable than we ever expected. Maybe capable enough to be a problem. However, I will say it’s a good thing he ended up like this. He will no longer pose a threat to us and will rely on our strength to survive what comes after this. We are definitely the true winners of all of this."

Sol nodded indifferently. Leo’s assessment made sense, but Sol personally could not care less. He had already been more concerned about the possibility of Dantalion obtaining the Lust inheritance than Damian’s eventual fate.

If Dantalion had survived and successfully claimed Damian’s inheritance, the situation would have become considerably more complicated.

Back in the imperial capital, the army of the Order of Demons was already routing. The moment Dantalion’s death became known, whatever confidence remained among his soldiers collapsed almost instantly. Those fighting within the city began dropping their weapons, some throwing themselves onto their knees while others simply stood frozen as they realized the commander they had followed into battle was dead. Outside the city gates, hundreds of thousands of Order soldiers turned and began fleeing before they could even reach the walls.

The massive force that had been assembled to siege Velmora was now retreating in complete disorder, soldiers trampling over one another as they desperately attempted to escape the battlefield. Meanwhile, the soldiers of Velmora surged forward with renewed morale, their exhaustion temporarily forgotten as they restrained surrendered enemies and secured the streets.

The citizens began pouring out of their homes in enormous numbers, filling the roads once again as whispers of Damian’s victory spread from person to person. The atmosphere of fear that had dominated the capital only moments earlier was rapidly being replaced by celebration.

At the centre of all that chaos, however, Damian could barely remain conscious. His vision had become blurred, the sounds around him muffled as though he were standing underwater, and every breath came heavily from his lungs.

His knees weakened and his body began tipping backward, but before he could fall, Lucy appeared behind him in a flash and pressed her back against his, allowing him to lean against her while remaining upright.

She could feel how little strength remained in his body, yet she kept her expression composed as she quietly spoke so only the two of them could hear.

"A God must never show weakness to his devotees..." Lucy mumbled before her voice softened. "You were amazing today."

Damian managed to reveal a weak smile, but he could not answer. His body simply had no strength left to spare for speech.

Almost immediately, the sound of the royal carriage racing toward them reached their ears. The carriage approached rapidly through the crowded streets before stopping directly in front of Damian, and the door burst open almost before the horses had fully stopped.

William jumped down from inside, his usually composed expression replaced by obvious urgency.

"Help him in!" William said hastily as he rushed toward Damian.

He and Lucy each took one of Damian’s arms and placed them around their shoulders, carefully supporting his weight as they began guiding him toward the carriage.

Before they could take more than a few steps, three figures landed heavily nearby. Hazel, Racheal and Ruby rushed toward Damian, their faces twisted with pain and shock when they finally saw the condition he had returned in.

"Babe!!!" They screamed in unison.

Damian slowly turned his head toward them and gave them a dull look, his exhausted eyes lacking the energy necessary for anything resembling anger.

He did not answer. Instead, his gaze passed over the three women and settled on the several ministers and officials racing toward him from across the street, all of them wearing horrified expressions as they tried to understand the state of their Prince.

Damian stared at them for a moment before shifting his attention back to William.

"Get me out of here." He mumbled.

William immediately nodded. "Yes sire..."

He and Lucy helped Damian into the carriage, and moments later the royal carriage began racing away from the battlefield.

Damian collapsed onto one of the seats as soon as the carriage began moving, his body too exhausted to maintain its posture. He laid there with his breathing heavy, staring blankly toward the small blue chandelier hanging from the ceiling. His destroyed right hand slipped from the edge of the seat and fell carelessly onto the carriage floor.

Lucy sat nearby, watching him with deep concern. Nobody had expected Duke Dantalion to reveal himself, and even fewer had believed Damian could actually defeat him. Yet now the victory was sitting directly in front of her, looking more like a survivor of a catastrophe than a triumphant Prince.

Pffft!

Rin suddenly appeared upon Damian’s chest, his seven tails curling around his body as his eyes narrowed at the sight of Damian’s condition. Unlike his usual sarcastic expression, there was genuine anger and concern in his face.

"You should have let me come with you." He said in a rare stern voice.

Damian’s eyes shifted toward him. "And who else could I trust to look after the gates, if others failed?"

Damian chuckled, but the weak laugh quickly became strained before breaking into a loud cough. His entire body shook as he covered his mouth with his left hand, blood staining his fingers.

Rin’s expression hardened. "And getting your soul damaged is the best thing you can come up with?" he barked back.

Damian was far too exhausted to become annoyed, so he merely coughed between low chuckles.

"You can read my mind. You and I know you would have served no purpose in the kind of battle I fought there." He said quietly.

"That’s enough! Stop bothering him, he’s already weak enough!" Lucy suddenly yelled just as Rin was about to respond.

Rin blinked in surprise and slowly looked toward her. For several seconds, the fox simply stared at Lucy before mumbling something under his breath and jumping off Damian. He landed on the carriage floor and walked toward the corner before sitting down with his back turned toward them, looking thoroughly offended as though he were the one who had been wronged.

Damian turned his face slightly and gave Rin a simple glance before returning his attention to the chandelier above. He remained silent for a few moments, seemingly gathering what little strength he had left before speaking again.

"All the members of the Order of Demons who surrendered. Kill them all." Lucy’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she quickly nodded.

She had expected Damian’s thoughts to be focused entirely on surviving and recovering from his injuries, yet even in this condition his mind remained fixed on the aftermath of the battle.

Thirty minutes later, the royal carriage finally rolled into the Violet Palace and came to a stop within the palace grounds. The courtyard was already filled with attendants, guards and concubines who had gathered outside in anxious anticipation.

The moment the carriage stopped, every conversation died down as dozens of eyes immediately turned toward its doors. The atmosphere that had been filled with anticipation suddenly became unbearably tense, because nobody yet knew what they were about to see.