Chapter 582: Spoils Of War

Damian’s eyes reopened, and this time there was no trace of amusement left in them. Only annoyance remained. He slowly sat upright and glanced toward Rin and Biron, who were still on the table, both wearing unusually stern expressions after witnessing the exchange with Sol.

"Sol doesn’t see us as an ally anymore." Damian said, his voice low as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Of course. You have achieved something no one has done. Not even him. Even if he considered you human, he is bound to go after you to satisfy his sin. Remember he is the personification of pride. No one is allowed to outshine the master." Abel shrugged from Damian’s shoulder, his tone matter of fact.

Damian dug his hands into his hair and pushed them back before leaning into the chair. The conversation with Sol replayed in his mind, particularly the way Leo had tried to lure him toward Aurelios and the killing intent he had sensed throughout the palace.

"That means I’m on my own now."

"You have always been on your own, you just had the illusions of allies." Rin corrected.

"For once I agree with this poor fool." Biron nodded deeply.

Before Damian could even speak, Rin suddenly lunged at Biron, knocking the golden bull off the table. The two immediately began wrestling fiercely on the floor, Rin’s tails whipping around as Biron tried to shove the fox away with his horns. Their sudden fight completely destroyed whatever serious atmosphere had been left in the room.

Damian sighed as he watched the two spirit beasts roll across the floor.

"Now imagine having kids with these two around. You are most likely to run mad than die at Abyss’s hands." Abel said.

Damian’s eyes dilated as his mind immediately began painting the image. For a brief moment, he imagined an entire palace filled with children running around while Rin and Biron encouraged their terrible behavior, Abel complaining from the corner and Damian himself trying to maintain order.

A shudder ran through his enormous body.

"Don’t scare me like that." Damian shook the image out of his head, and Abel offered a rare chuckle.

Damian slowly shut his eyes again, trying to clear his mind of the chaos around him. When he opened them, the palace was gone.

He stood at the center of a vast dark land, surrounded by an oppressive silence that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.

To the north lay the desolate wasteland belonging to his Abyssal inheritance, its dead trees rising from blackened soil beneath a sky that seemed to have no light.

To the east was the shallow water realm belonging to his Lust inheritance, where a massive red gate stood within the strange landscape like the entrance to another world.

To the west stood a golden altar, and upon it rested a mighty golden bull. In front of the altar stood a golden tree, its branches completely leafless and devoid of fruit.

"Abyssal, lust and greed.... None has come this close in a long while." Abel commented from the comfort of Damian’s shoulder.

Damian stared between the three inheritances. Seeing them gathered together inside his soul gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

His attention eventually shifted toward the series of messages tucked away from his vision. As soon as he focused on them, they immediately appeared before his face as glowing panels.

[Lazarus killed: 500 Talent Points extracted]

[Sin of Greed Acquired]

[Corbin Killed: 50 Talent Points extracted]

[Eyes Of God Acquired]

A second panel appeared beneath the notification, displaying additional information.

[Name: Eye Of God]

[Type: Visual]

[Description: Once activated, use can summon the see energy signatures both visible and hidden and it allows the user to predict the future in form of vague visions.]

"That’s exactly why you went for his eyes?" Abel asked while reading the information on the light screen.

Damian nodded. "I didn’t really know what it does but, I’m really satisfied with what I see." He admitted.

"Yeah, I’ll admit it’s a good steal." Abel nodded.

Damian turned his attention toward the three inheritances spread across the dark world ahead of him. His gaze lingered on the golden altar for several seconds before shifting toward the desolate lands of the Abyss.

"I’m curious if I should just continue improving my abyssal inheritance or maybe I should dabble with the sin of greed a bit."

Abel frowned and stared toward the realm of the golden altar briefly before answering. "Call me biased but I would encourage you to focus all your effort on upgrading the abyssal inheritance. It will give you what you need to subdue Asmodeus and gain the full power of the lust inheritance, then you can turn your attention to greed and claim it too as well."

"True." Damian said as he glanced toward the golden altar.

Thud!

Damian rose to his feet and began walking toward the desolate lands. With every step he took, the ground beneath his feet seemed to lose what little life remained within it. The dead trees grew taller around him until the world became darker and more oppressive, and the air itself carried the faint sensation of something ancient watching him approach.

As soon as he entered the burning eye of the Abyss, it lit up behind the wall of dead trees. The massive crimson eye opened within the darkness, its presence filling the entire wasteland as Damian stood before it.

"Lazarus is dead... There are five more sins to acquire..." The Abyss said.

"And a soul to heal." Damian said. "If my lifespan remains short, you won’t get to enjoy the spoils when you take over my body."

"Blackmailing the abyss? You have truly grown into a wonderful man." The Abyss chuckled, the sound echoing through the desolate realm.

"I’m serious. This is not an issue that should be tackled when I’m three thousand years old. We need to start acting now." Damian said, his expression becoming serious.

The massive eyeball stared down at him for several moments before slowly nodding in agreement. "I do not disagree. But the problem is, the realm is effectively shared amongst angels and demons. If you begin searching for a solution, it won’t be difficult for them to study your movements and easily determine what you are looking for. When your condition becomes known to all, they will swarm you and murder you."

Abel nodded in agreement. "True... You possess two inheritances. For the princes of hell, you are the best target since you will boost their power tremendously. Meanwhile to the Commandments your are also the best target because killing you is like killing two sins of hell. You will certainly die."

Damian frowned at the logic, but he couldn’t argue with it. Possessing the inheritances of Lust and Greed did not simply make him stronger. It painted a target on his back.

"So what do you suggest I do?" Damian asked.

"Your safest bet is the dark continent. With the power of that continent." Abel said, and the Abyss nodded.

"We don’t even know what’s there. How do you know I will find what I need?" Damian didn’t look convinced.

"A world that possess resources that can reduced the journey of a God from a thousand years to a decade can surely have a means of repairing a broken soul. It’s just common sense." The Abyss retorted.

Buzz!

Damian’s frown slowly loosened as he began thinking more broadly. The analogy did not sound stupid anymore. In fact, the more he considered it, the more reasonable it became. A continent possessing resources capable of accelerating the cultivation of Gods by centuries was unlikely to be lacking in extraordinary treasures, and something capable of repairing a damaged soul was not an unreasonable possibility.

"Just focus on your tour around your realm and finally the council of princes... After that, you can leave for the dark continent secretly and find a cure for your soul. While feasting on the continents vast resources to improve your strength. You will enter there a demigod and come out a god." Abyss assured.