Chapter 578: Welcome To Velmora

The stone gates lit up, their ancient surface glowing with a deep blue radiance as the passage between worlds stabilized.

A moment later, Damian emerged with Linda and Twenty flanking his sides, while hundreds of humans followed closely behind. Many of them instinctively slowed as they stepped through the gate, their eyes widening at the sight before them.

Tens of thousands of soldiers stood waiting across the vast courtyard, dressed in white and purple robes and armor, every single one of them kneeling with their heads bowed toward Damian.

"Welcome Back, your Majesty!" Their joint voices thundered across the palace grounds, shaking the air and startling everyone who had just arrived except for Damian.

The humans exchanged nervous glances, some instinctively stepping closer together as the sheer scale of the army finally sank in.

Twenty swallowed a lump of saliva as he stared at the massive formation, his mouth opening slightly as he struggled to articulate his thoughts into words.

But how could he?

Every demon present was at least eight feet tall or more, with many standing considerably taller, their monstrous appearances and overwhelming presence making them look more like... Demons.

The only reason Twenty had not already run away in fear was that compared to Damian, who stood a whopping seventeen feet tall, these people somehow did not seem quite as terrifying.

Minister Talos and Yuji approached immediately, cupped their fists and bowed deeply before Damian.

"Sire... We were informed of your intent to bring loyalists from your home world from your concubines so we prepared carriages to pick them up, as well as well as well as housing provisions in a secluded district in the capital where they can leave amongst themselves and slowly assimilate to life here at their own pace." Talos reported, his tone respectful and formal as he glanced briefly toward the humans behind Damian.

Damian nodded. "Thank you for your concern but I plan to take them to the eastern place for tonight.. I’ll inspect the district later."

Talos quickly nodded. "Of course sire..."

He did not question the decision, simply accepting it as another matter decided by his ruler.

"As for the carriages, don’t bother much about them. I plan to give them a chance to see all of Velmora on the way back," Damian said as he slowly lifted off the ground, his feet leaving the stone pavement without the slightest movement from his body.

An invisible force immediately spread from him, wrapping around Twenty, Linda, the members of the Black Apostle and the other humans who had followed him through the gate. One after another, they were lifted from the ground and suspended effortlessly in the air.

Talos did not argue. He simply nodded in understanding. "I understand sire."

"Good.." Damian nodded with a blank expression before shooting through the air, and everyone else followed him.

"Bro... Are you a king or something?" Twenty asked as they shot through Velmora, the massive capital spreading beneath them as they passed over its streets and districts.

From above, the city looked even more immense than it had from the ground. Towering buildings stood beside enormous plazas, markets bustled with demons of countless races, and streams of citizens moved through streets constructed on a scale that made the humans following Damian feel particularly small.

"Are you deaf or something. How many times must he tell you he’s a God." Rin snapped at Twenty, and he flinched slightly at the sudden voice coming from Damian’s shoulder.

"Relax." Damian rolled his eyes, and Rin looked away with a frown, clearly displeased that Damian had defended Twenty.

"All of this belongs to you?" Linda muttered with genuine shock in her voice as she stared down at the vast realm beneath them.

"Of coruee. I’m one of the seven deadly sins." Damian resounded.

"Two of them actually." Biron corrected.

Damian reached up, grabbed the tiny bull and tossed it off his shoulder, only for Biron to vanish in a burst of golden smoke and reappear comfortably on his shoulder a moment later.

Damian let out a tired sigh while Linda felt amused and held back her laughter. Twenty glanced between them, still trying to process the fact that Damian’s strange companions.

The journey through Velmora took a few hours because Damian couldn’t fly at too great a speed due to the people he was bringing along. He deliberately kept his pace manageable, allowing the humans to remain safely within his invisible grasp while also giving them time to see the realm they had suddenly become a part of.

Below them, Velmora continued to unfold in an endless succession of districts, fortifications, markets and enormous avenues. For all of them, it was their first real glimpse of a civilization beyond Earth, and the sheer scale of it left them unusually quiet.

Once he reached the Violet Palace, Damian descended toward the enormous complex and headed straight for the unoccupied Eastern Palace, which was only slightly inferior to his main palace.

The structure stood apart from the central residence, surrounded by its own gardens, courtyards and defensive walls, making it large enough to accommodate the hundreds of humans without forcing them to immediately live among the demons of the capital.

As Damian descended before its entrance, the humans slowly lowered with him, finally touching the ground after hours of being carried through the skies of Velmora.

The Eastern Palace was already prepared by the time Damian descended, and the doors opened almost immediately. Several female demon attendants stood waiting inside, dressed in elegant white and purple uniforms that matched the colors of Velmora.

Twenty looked from one attendant to another, then slowly turned toward Damian with an expression that was difficult to describe. He had expected demons to be terrifying monsters, but apparently the Underworld had decided to make some of them beautiful enough to make humans forget they were standing in another world entirely.

The other members of the Black Apostle Gang were equally confused, with a few exchanging awkward glances while trying very hard not to stare at the attendants for too long.

One of the women stepped forward and bowed deeply before Damian. "Your Majesty, the Eastern Palace is prepared. Food and accommodations have already been arranged for your guests."

Damian nodded before turning toward the attendants. "Take good care of my friends. Make sure they have everything they need while they’re here."

The attendants immediately lowered their heads.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Their voices came together in respectful unison.

Twenty glanced around the enormous palace, still visibly overwhelmed by everything he had seen since arriving in Velmora. "Bro, you weren’t joking when you said you had a kingdom."

Damian looked at him for a moment before gesturing toward the attendants. "Settle in and eat. I’ll come to meet you soon."

Twenty nodded, although his eyes continued wandering around the palace. "Alright, Bro."

He gave Damian a small nod before turning toward the others. "You heard him. Let’s eat but first, you guys stink. You’ll need to take a shower."

A few nervous laughs escaped from the group, easing some of the tension that had followed them through the gate. The attendants immediately began guiding them deeper into the palace, explaining where they could rest and directing them toward the dining hall.

For the first time since arriving in the Underworld, the humans began to relax slightly. They were still surrounded by demons, but these demons were behaving like servants rather than predators, and the knowledge that Damian was their ruler gave them enough confidence to follow without resistance.

Damian waited until everyone had entered before turning toward Linda. Without saying anything, he reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist. Linda barely had time to react before the world blurred around them.

A moment later, they were already flying through the skies above Velmora.

Damian deliberately avoided the main entrance of the Violet Palace. He had no interest in dealing with attendants, guards, officials or anyone else who would inevitably stop him to report something or offer another formal greeting. Instead, he flew directly toward his private chambers and passed through the open balcony without slowing down.

Damian released her, sending her gently onto the enormous bed. She bounced slightly against the mattress before sitting up and looking around the unfamiliar yet extravagant room. Damian landed beside her a moment later, walked toward the sofa and dropped himself onto it with a tired sigh.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Linda looked around the room, then toward Damian, who sat silently on the sofa with one arm resting against its side. The contrast between the man she had once known on Earth and the seventeen foot tall ruler sitting comfortably inside a palace belonging to an entire demonic realm was almost impossible to reconcile.

Finally, she broke the silence. "So this is where you live now?"