Chapter 567: Cowardly But Effective

Lazarus stared down at his palm before slowly moving his gaze toward his abdomen, where Damian’s Martial Art: Crimson Kiss had struck him. There was not a single visible wound on his golden body, yet he could feel the faint disturbance within his soul. The azure Soul Lantern flames had managed to bypass his physical defenses and leave behind a small but unmistakable injury to his soul.

Lazarus’ expression remained calm as he flexed his fingers.

"If your plan is to burn out my soul, then I must inform you that you will die before I die," he said rather calmly.

Damian shook his head, his expression almost indifferent. "As long as you pay a costly price for this victory, I’ll be satisfied."

A small laugh escaped Lazarus’ lips as he studied the strange human standing before him.

"You are a very strange human. You know how to hold a grudge, and you don’t mind dying as long as you can harm your enemy. Maybe it’s your disregard for your own life that makes you dangerous..." Lazarus muttered, seemingly speaking more to himself than Damian.

For a brief moment, the Golden Deity appeared lost in thought, his gaze lowering as he considered the man before him. Damian was not fighting like someone who expected to survive. That made him difficult to predict because conventional instincts could not properly apply to someone who valued victory over survival.

Lazarus’ eyes slowly returned to Damian, and whatever curiosity had briefly occupied his expression vanished.

A murderous gleam replaced it. "Let’s end this, human..."

Damian chuckled with his hands behind his back as he stared up at the towering golden giant. "Daydreaming, aren’t we? Where I’m from, it’s called flashbacks, and it usually comes when you’re near death. You know what that means, right?"

Lazarus did not respond. He simply pulled both fists backward and Damian’s laughter immediately died.

"You just had to open your damn mouth," Rin cursed from his shoulder.

Lazarus’ golden body suddenly tensed as an immense pressure gathered around him. "PREPARE YOURSELF, HUMAN... FROM HERE ON OUT, I WILL BE GOING ALL OUT!"

Swish!

The moment those words left his mouth, Lazarus vanished. Damian’s eyes widened as the God instantly crossed the distance between them.

Lazarus appeared directly in front of him, his enormous fist already moving toward his position.

"I commend your futile attempts to escape me. You are truly a decent fighter. You are only lacking in cultivation," Lazarus said calmly as he abruptly turned and punched the empty air beside him.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Damian’s figure suddenly buzzed into existence exactly where Lazarus had struck. The fist had somehow found him despite Damian’s attempt to evade, and the force of the impact immediately caved in his chest. Blood poured from his mouth as two enormous golden palm prints became visible across his torso. Before Damian could recover, the force of the attack launched him downward.

SWOOOSH!

His body tore through the sky like a meteor before slamming into the ground. The entire area erupted upon impact, stone and debris exploding outward as a fifty meter deep crater formed beneath him, its shape resembling the imprint of Lazarus’ enormous palm.

"Martial Art: Golden Palm Of Penance!"

Lazarus raised his hand, and a gigantic golden palm materialized above Damian before descending from the heavens like divine judgment. Its sheer weight caused the entire Realm of Dreams to tremble as it pressed downward, crushing the air beneath it.

Damian’s face twisted into a deadly frown as his body was pinned against the ground by the overwhelming pressure. Blood poured uncontrollably from his mouth and nose while his breathing became increasingly haggard.

Despite the pain, a bitter smile appeared across his bloodied face. "That was a good punch," he admitted, revealing blood stained teeth.

"Really? You are going to acknowledge the person killing you?" Rin rolled his eyes before glancing toward the descending golden palm.

Damian slowly wiped some of the blood from his mouth.

"We are making him put in quite some effort now." Rin’s expression became serious. "But it’s not enough yet. You need to last a bit longer."

Damian let out a tired sigh as the enormous palm continued descending. "Alright then..."

WILD!

BUZZ!

A massive purple nine tailed fox avatar exploded into existence around Damian, its enormous body filling the space above the crater as it raised both hands toward the descending palm. The fox caught the golden construct with both hands, its claws digging into the enormous palm as the two forces collided.

BOOOOOM!

A tremendous shockwave erupted across the battlefield. Cracks immediately began spreading across the fox avatar’s body as it struggled to hold the Golden Palm of Penance back.

For several seconds it resisted, its nine tails thrashing violently as purple energy poured from its body, but the difference in strength was simply too great. Within thirty seconds, the massive fox avatar was crushed beneath the golden palm.

The construct collapsed completely before the golden palm continued downward and struck the ground.

BOOOOM!

A violent explosion swallowed the surrounding area, sending dust and shattered stone across the Realm of Dreams.

Silence followed.

Lazarus remained suspended above the destruction, his eyes scanning the Territory carefully. His expression slowly darkened. If Damian had truly died, the False Territory should have collapsed immediately. Yet the Realm of Dreams remained intact.

The cherry blossom trees still stood, the pink mist continued flowing through the streets and the strange laws of the Territory remained firmly established. Lazarus could not find Damian anywhere, nor could he hear his thoughts.

"Impossible..." Lazarus muttered, his golden eyes narrowing. "No one can exist without thoughts. It doesn’t make sense."

Frustration quickly replaced his confusion. His fists tightened as murderous intent radiated from his body. "Fine then. I’ll force you out of your hiding place!"

"Martial Art: Golden Palm Of Penance!"

Lazarus began throwing his palms in every direction, each movement generating another enormous golden hand. Dozens of massive palms appeared throughout the city and descended upon buildings, streets and open ground, destroying everything in their path as he attempted to flush Damian out.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Far beneath the surface, Damian slept peacefully.

He found himself in the familiar darkness, surrounded by nothing but an endless void. His attention lowered toward the massive crimson eyes staring back at him from the depths, and a small smile formed across his face.

"Who would have thought the most effective strategy would be not fighting at all..." Damian muttered. "He’s impatient and easily agitated. I don’t need to raise a finger to get him to wear himself out."

Puff!

Rin appeared beside him and settled onto his shoulder, his smaller form looking unusually relaxed. "And by putting yourself into a state of sleep and hiding yourself underground, he won’t be able to find you easily. He will have to destroy the entire city first before digging for you underground. It’s a cowardly tactic, but the Sin of Lust inheritance has never been for the brave. It’s for the cunning."

The crimson eyes of the Abyss shifted slightly as its voice echoed through the darkness. "If your soul wasn’t damaged, we wouldn’t have to adopt this kind of cowardly tactic. If we allow you to go head to head with Greed while using my power, both of you will simply end up burning out your souls to gain victory. You will end up reducing your lifespan even further."

Damian remained silent for a moment before nodding. He knew the Abyss was right. His soul had already been damaged once, and he could not afford to burn away what little remained of his lifespan simply to defeat Lazarus through brute force.

Rin nodded as well, his expression unusually serious. For now, patience was more important than pride. Damian had already forced Lazarus to damage his soul, driven him into rage and made him expend enormous amounts of power. All he needed to do now was survive long enough for Greed to tire himself.