Chapter 560: Chaos In Aurelios

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

Astaroth’s loud laughter echoed through the luxurious guesthouse as he leaned comfortably against his chair, a cup of wine held loosely in one hand while his expression radiated genuine excitement. Beneath the table, a woman’s head moved rhythmically out of sight, completely ignored by the demon as his attention remained fixed on the water bubble floating at the center of the room.

The magical projection displayed the battlefield in Velmora with remarkable clarity, allowing him to see Damian standing before Lazarus while the enormous demonic arrays continued suppressing the Prince of Greed.

Kaja and Cain sat at separate tables several meters to either side of Astaroth, both staring at the projection with expressions that had gradually shifted from disbelief to outright alarm.

Kaja’s fingers tightened around his cup as he watched the purple radiance surrounding Damian grow stronger.

"He committed a taboo... An abomination!" Kaja gasped with genuine shock.

He had lived long enough to understand how deeply the sacred rites of the Underworld were woven into its political structure, and he could barely remember the last time someone had been bold enough to deliberately violate such a rule on this scale.

"My Lord, we cannot let him and all the nobles in Velmora get away with this!" Cain exclaimed, rising slightly from his chair in agitation.

Astaroth’s laughter immediately stopped. He glanced toward the two demigods with an expression of pure disdain. "Just pipe down, you wastrels... You know nothing about power, that is why you will never be leaders... Only followers!"

Astaroth snorted, causing both Kaja and Cain to flinch and lower their gazes. He took another sip of wine before turning his attention toward Kaja.

"Which of the seven Princes has followed this path?"

Kaja needed a moment to think. His eyes shifted toward the projection before he slowly raised his head. "The Prince of Aurelios..."

Astaroth nodded. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear whether Kaja understood the significance himself. He then turned toward Cain.

"And has the Council of Elders been able to punish him since then?"

Cain immediately shook his head. "No, my lord."

Astaroth nodded again before returning his attention to the water bubble. Damian was still advancing toward Lazarus while the arrays steadily drained the God of Greed.

"The true mark of strength is found in the men who make the rules and not the ones who follow them." His voice became quieter as he watched the battlefield.

His mind drifted back to that secret meeting on the mountain beneath the moonlight. He remembered asking Damian exactly what he was willing to do to achieve his goals. The young Prince had looked him directly in the eyes and answered with a single certainty: anything.

At the time, Astaroth had understood the ambition behind those words, but he had not fully believed the resolve supporting them. Damian had now proven otherwise. He was willing to shatter traditions, challenge the established order and place his entire realm at risk if doing so gave him even the smallest advantage. He was not simply seeking power within the system. He was willing to break the system itself to obtain it.

Astaroth’s smile slowly returned.

Only someone willing to go that far could hope to defeat a monster like Sol.

"Hahaha! You have my support, Damian... GO, KILL HIM AND CLAIM THE GOLDEN THRONE FOR YOURSELF!" Astaroth laughed, raising his cup.

Purple particles immediately escaped his body, flowing through the magical connection toward the distant battlefield. Kaja and Cain stared at him in shock. Neither had seen Astaroth willingly provide this level of support to anyone. Not even Kaizer had received such open backing from him.

Kaja’s eyes remained fixed on Astaroth as the realization settled in. His master was not merely amused by Damian’s actions. He was genuinely investing himself in the outcome.

Meanwhile, in Aurelios, the Golden Palace shook beneath another burst of laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Sol’s laughter echoed through the enormous throne room, his voice reverberating against the golden pillars and walls. The ministers and officials standing throughout the court stared toward the water bubble floating at the center of the hall, their expressions ranging from disbelief to amusement as they watched Damian’s transformation.

Leo, however, did not laugh.

The enormous lion rested beside Sol’s throne, his golden eyes fixed upon the projection with a deepening frown. The longer he watched Damian, the colder his expression became.

Sol wiped the corner of his eye as his laughter continued. "He must have bullied his ministers and officials into submitting to him and surrendering the fox pendant to him. As expected of a human. We do not bend to demon laws!"

Leo remained silent, his gaze never left Damian. Then his expression hardened completely.

"Kill him."

Buzz!

The entire court fell silent.

Sol’s laughter slowly faded as he lowered his cup and turned his head toward the lion beside his throne.

"What?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You heard me right... Invite him to Aurelios to celebrate his victory... Then kill him." Leo repeated, his voice cold and absolute.

Sol’s expression changed. He sat up properly in his throne, his attention now fully focused on Leo. "Why?"

"Look at the man standing before Lazarus. Does that look like a demigod to you?" Leo answered without hesitation.

Buzz!

Everyone in the court turned toward the water bubble again.

Only now did they begin paying attention to Damian’s physical appearance rather than simply watching the battle. His seventeen foot frame towered over almost every being around him. His enormous muscles, pitch black eyes, unnatural pale complexion and overwhelming purple radiance made him look less like the Prince of Lust and more like some monster than a man.

Leo continued, "What demigod stands seventeen feet tall, towering over a God by a good two feet? What kind of demigod dares to challenge a God? What kind of demigod can suppress an entire realm, boldly breaking the traditions of demons without fear of repercussions?"

Gasps erupted across the court.

The ministers began looking at the situation differently. They had been so focused on Damian’s actions that they had overlooked the obvious question.

What exactly was Damian becoming?

Sol’s expression remained serious.

"Me... I did all of that." Sol answered coldly.

Leo turned to meet his gaze. "Exactly... I see you in that man... And we both know you will never bend a knee to another God, not even a human deity. That is exactly why you must kill that man. The Heavens is not wide enough for two dragons!"

Buzz!

For the first time since the battle began, Sol’s expression became completely serious.

He slowly turned back toward Damian’s image.

Leo continued before Sol could respond. "Think about it... Even when Majin became the Demon Lord, he always hid behind the Abyss’s dark armor to hide his fear in your presence. But time and time again, you have communicated with this man and never once has he shown fear. He also possesses a secret inheritance that has allowed him to amass several inheritances, including that of Duke Dantalion, alongside his Lust inheritance, and now he is about to gain the Greed inheritance with all the wealth of Gildreach Vault, alongside all the demon families once loyal to the Prince of Greed."

Leo’s voice grew increasingly forceful.

"He is a leader, not a follower... Must you wait until he has gained enough power, influence and support before you make a move? Or will you stand and watch until he knocks on your door with an army? Kill him for your safety and for the sake of everything you have built!"

Buzz!

The entire room seemed to shake beneath the weight of his words.

Even Sol could not remain indifferent.

He had known Leo for thousands of years. The lion could be overly suspicious and occasionally overreact to threats, but Sol had learned something important during all those centuries. When Leo abandoned caution and spoke to him with absolute certainty, he had a reason.

Sol stared silently at Damian’s image.

"You sound almost certain he will win." Sol finally said.

"Of course he will win... You would win too if put in the same situation." Leo responded immediately.

The temperature inside the Golden Palace began rising.

Golden energy slowly gathered around Sol’s body as his visage turned hostile. His eyes remained fixed on Leo for several seconds, and the ministers instinctively lowered their heads as the pressure of the Prince of Pride filled the chamber.

Then Sol shook his head.

The temperature began falling again.

"I need him to weaken to claim one more inheritance before I kill him." Sol said firmly.

Leo’s expression hardened.

"Why?" he growled.

"Because he’s a demigod. Regardless of how many inheritances he claims, he is still a demigod and cannot claim the full power of these inheritances. He doesn’t have the talent points needed for that, making him easier to kill than fighting all those other Princes directly." Sol’s gaze remained fixed upon Damian’s image. "When I conquer the Underworld, I need to have enough strength to repel the invasion of the Heavens that is bound to follow immediately afterwards. To do that, I need this human to keep doing what he is doing and weakening my enemies for me."

Sol leaned back against his throne, his expression becoming strangely calm as he watched Damian approach Lazarus through the projection.

"He can continue tearing down the old order for me. When the time comes, I’ll take what remains."