Chapter 573: Glorious Return

"With all due respect, I don’t think it’s wise going to earth now just after surviving a calamity. Your soul is already strained. Any more strain will just worsen your condition and make you lose more of your lifespan." Abel said while flying beside Damian, his small body keeping pace effortlessly despite the tremendous speed at which they crossed the Underworld.

His crimson eyes remained fixed on Damian, clearly unconvinced by the Prince’s decision to leave Velmora so soon after his battle with Lazarus.

Biron, now reduced to his small pet like form, flew comfortably beside Damian’s right shoulder. His golden horns gleamed beneath the passing light, while the expensive armor covering his little body made him look more like a treasured royal beast than the terrifying creature he had been during the battle.

He nodded in agreement with Abel, his expression unusually serious. Damian’s soul had already been pushed dangerously close to its limits, and even though Elsa had restored much of his physical condition, the damage to his soul and the years he had lost could not simply be replaced.

"On the contrary he needs this. Damian has only a limited time to rest before taking a tour across his domain which has increased dramatically since he now has both Velmora and Gildreach Vault under his belt..." Rin explained from the comfort of Damian’s left shoulder, casually sitting there as if they were taking a leisurely stroll rather than flying through the skies at tremendous speed.

"After that there is the council of princes to discuss the state of the universe which is bound to follow with a fight against the heavens which has been postponed for too long since the death of Majin... This may be the only free time he has to secure let out his vendetta on the order of Moses and save his people on earth." Rin’s tone became slightly more serious toward the end.

He understood Damian’s priorities better than most. The battle with Lazarus had been important, but the matters waiting for him on Earth had been left unresolved for more than a decade.

Sigh!

Abel sighed loudly and shook his head in surrender. "Do what you want... I still don’t think the lives of a few humans are worth losing more lifespan but who am I to judge."

"Of course, who are you to judge now keep quiet." Rin sneered immediately.

Biron shifted his little head toward Rin, clearly unimpressed by the hostility between the two.

"Thats not a nice thing to say." Biron sounded unimpressed.

Rin’s ears flattened.

"Bastard, mind your own business!" Rin hissed.

Biron shifted his attention toward Abel, who continued flying beside them with the same indifferent expression. "Is he always this angry?"

"Yep." Abel nodded without hesitation.

Biron stared at Rin for another moment before shaking his head. "Figures... Poverty makes people unnecessarily aggressive a times."

"BASTARDS, TALK TO ME DIRECTLY, STOP CUTTING THROUGH CORNERS! I’LL TAKE BOTH OF YOU ON!" Rin bellowed, his voice echoing through the skies.

Damian didn’t even bother looking toward his companions. He simply continued flying, allowing their argument to fade into the background as his thoughts remained fixed on Earth. He had already made his decision. No amount of arguing was going to change it.

Several hours later, the distant stone gates finally came into view. A massive military force had been stationed around them, with thousands of demons occupying the surrounding area in preparation for the possibility that an enemy army might attempt to invade Velmora while Damian was occupied fighting Lazarus.

Defensive formations covered the ground around the gates, while soldiers stood in organized ranks beneath banners bearing Velmora’s insignia.

The moment Damian appeared, the soldiers recognized him.

"YOUR MAJESTY!!!" The strong force of ten thousand demons immediately cupped their fists and bowed deeply, their voices carrying across the surrounding landscape with a mixture of shock, excitement and reverence.

Many of them had already heard reports of the battle, but seeing Damian alive and returning from the stone gates after personally killing Lazarus was something entirely different.

Jota stepped out from the ranks, wearing explosive white and purple armor with a hood pulled over his head. His expression immediately brightened when he saw Damian.

"I knew you could do it!"

Damian smiled as he descended and landed softly before him. "Of course... There was no doubt."

Jota laughed out loud and nodded firmly. "That’s my lord!"

The entire army stared at Jota as though he had completely lost his mind. It was already absurd enough that Jota had been made their leader despite being a lesser demon and being as weak as the average soldier among them.

Yet now he was casually speaking to the first Prince in three thousand years to wield two Sin inheritances, as though Damian were simply another demon he had known for years. Several soldiers exchanged bewildered glances, unable to comprehend how casually their leader behaved around someone who could kill a God.

"Is he crazy?!" Everyone screamed in shock.

Damian rolled his eyes and walked past Jota. "I’m heading back to my earth to cover loose ends ... Wanna tag along?" The question was delivered so casually that Jota didn’t even hesitate.

"WHATTTTTTTT?????!!!!!!" The entire army screamed in shock, their voices nearly shaking the stone gates.

What shocked them even more was Jota’s reaction. He simply nodded and followed Damian as though being personally invited by the Prince to Earth was the most ordinary thing in the world.

"Senior Langrid... You are in charge when I’m gone." Jota says casually.

A huge soldier built like a tank and standing at the demon noble realm visibly flinched at those words. He looked at Jota, then at Damian, then back at Jota before finally giving a hesitant response.

"Okay?" His voice sounded extremely unsure of himself, as if he had suddenly been handed responsibility far beyond anything he had prepared for.

Nobody dared question it. The soldiers simply watched as Damian and Jota approached the stone gates. The ancient structure responded to their presence, its runes beginning to glow as the gateway opened into the distant world beyond.

Damian stepped through without hesitation, Jota following directly behind him, and within moments both figures vanished from sight.

___ Earth ____

It was late afternoon on Earth, but the peaceful atmosphere began changing almost immediately. Dark clouds gathered across the entire planet, spreading from horizon to horizon and blocking out the sun.

A powerful wind followed, rapidly intensifying until it became strong enough to tear through cities and uproot trees. Purple lightning flashed within the growing storm clouds, and people across the world looked toward the sky in fear as the weather transformed into something that felt completely unnatural.

Power lines were severed as violent winds swept through cities. Rivers overflowed their banks, flooding surrounding settlements, while earthquakes erupted across multiple continents almost simultaneously.

Buildings trembled, animals fled their habitats and millions of people stopped whatever they were doing to stare upward. Governments scrambled to understand what was happening, but no scientific explanation could account for the phenomenon occurring above them.

Then the sky twisted.

Clouds spiraled across the heavens, gathering into an enormous formation that slowly began taking the shape of a familiar face. The face was so impossibly massive that people across the entire planet could see it staring down from the heavens.

Every television broadcast, every camera and every person looking toward the sky witnessed the same impossible image.

"CORBIN, THE DEBT YOU OWE, I HAVE COME TO COLLECT!!!!"

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Damian’s voice shook the entire world like thunder. The heavens shattered violently as a lone figure in black robes appeared in the sky, accompanied by another figure dressed in white and purple armor with a hood covering his head. The pressure radiating from Damian’s arrival spread across the planet, making even powerful beings hidden throughout Earth raise their heads in alarm.

The void above Damian slowly began closing behind him as the storm continued raging around his body. His black hair whipped violently in the wind, purple lightning illuminating his cold face as he looked down upon the world he had abandoned more than a decade ago.

Jota remained silently beside him, observing the familair world with quiet curiosity.

Damian stared toward the distant horizon, and a deep smile slowly spread across his face. "After a decade plus... I have finally returned."