Chapter 136: Near limit

Duke Haborym’s attention snapped fully onto Damian as the prince came charging straight at him, his body engulfed in raging white flames that roared like a living storm.

The sheer intensity of it distorted the air.

Gritting his teeth, the Duke’s expression hardened.

“So you insist…” he muttered.

If the flames could not be avoided, then they would be endured. His demonic energy surged instantly.

A dense yet razor-thin layer of power coated his entire body, clinging tightly to his skin as it turned a deep, blood-red hue. The aura pulsed violently, compressing around him like armor forged from pure malice.

Then he moved. Clenching his fist Duke Haborym punched out.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The collision erupted like a detonation.

Damian’s white flames were blasted apart, the force of the strike tearing through the inferno as his body was thrown backward through the air. The impact rippled through his arm, numbing it instantly as the sheer power behind the blow traveled up his bones.

His eyes narrowed.

’That coating…’

The best defense for his white flames was demonic aura because it was not fire the white flames can consume. He learned this by fighting Ruby, so it wasn’t surprising another former subordinate of Lin Qui would be aware of this weakness.

Damian’s body continued to slide backward through the air until he threw his hands apart, stopping abruptly.

FWOOSH!!!

White flames erupted again.

They burst outward from his body in a violent surge, reigniting into a swirling inferno that swallowed him whole. The retreat ended abruptly as the flames reversed his momentum entirely and then he surged forward.

“RAAAAAHHH!!!”

A fierce roar tore from his throat as he shot straight back at the Duke, the white inferno propelling him like a comet.

Boom!

He slammed into Duke Haborym.

The impact knocked the massive demon off balance as both of them were driven downward, crashing through the air together like falling stars.

BOOOOOOM!!!

They struck the ground.

The force of their descent carved a massive crater into the battlefield, earth exploding outward as dust and debris filled the air in a violent cloud.

For a moment silence enveloped the battlefield. Then the dust began to settle. The white flames slowly faded, their glow dimming as the haze cleared. At the center of the crater stood Damian, his arm extended forward in a powerful strike.

But it had not landed. Duke Haborym stood before him, gripping that fist tightly. His breathing was heavy. Each inhale carried weight, his chest rising and falling as his three sets of eyes remained locked onto Damian without blinking.

“…You’ve reached your limit,” the Duke said, his voice low but certain. “That fire… any more use, and the backlash will cripple you.”

Damian’s chest rose and fell as well as a light chuckle escaped his throat

“Heh… you think I need it?”

His free hand moved instantly, swinging toward the Duke with vicious intent. But it was caught effortlessly. Duke Haborym’s grip tightened, his grin widening into something dark and cruel.

“Foolish prince.”

Crack!

Both arms snapped like dry twigs.

The sound echoed sharply as Damian’s bones shattered under the pressure, bursting through his flesh as blood sprayed outward in violent streams.

“AAARGH—!”

A cry tore from Damian’s throat but it did not end in pain. It turned into laughter. A mad, unhinged laughter that sent a chill through the air.

A message flashed at the corner of his eyes.

[Dark Miracles Skill Activated!]

The effect was immediate.

Crack!

Duke Haborym’s arms exploded. The very limbs holding Damian snapped violently, bones rupturing through flesh as his grip failed instantly. Blood poured from the damage as his control shattered in an instant.

At the same time Damian’s arms healed as though the damage had never existed. He tore free from the Duke’s grip and without hesitation, he grabbed the Duke’s broken arms, his fingers digging into the ruined limbs before he tore them off.

Rip!

Both arms were ripped clean from Duke Haborym’s body, blood erupting outward in a violent spray that painted the crater in dark crimson.

The Duke’s expression twisted but before Damian could follow up a fist slammed into him.

Boom!

One of the Duke’s remaining arms struck out in a desperate counter, catching Damian across the body and sending him skidding backward across the ground.

The impact drove him back several meters, his feet carving lines into the earth as he stabilized himself. But the force behind it was lacking. It had been rushed.

Damian had only just managed to halt his retreat, when Duke Haborym was already upon him. There was no warning or buildup, just presence.

The Duke’s severed arm swung forward with terrifying force, tearing through the air with a shrill scream. Yet before those detached limbs could even reach him, flesh twisted, bones extended, and in a grotesque display of regeneration, new hands had already formed at the ends of those arms.

It was instantaneous!

Damian’s eyes sharpened, his instincts screaming as he threw his arms up to defend. He had no time to dodge, no time to counter, only enough to brace himself.

The moment Duke Haborym’s fist connected, the world shattered.

Crack!

The sound echoed violently as Damian felt it. The bones in his arm gave way instantly, snapping under the sheer force like brittle glass. The strength behind that single strike was overwhelming, far beyond anything he had endured before.

“UGHH—!”

His body was lifted off the ground as though he weighed nothing.

Like a rag doll, he was sent flying.

The air howled past him as his figure tore across the battlefield, spinning uncontrollably before slamming into the ground with brutal force.

Boom!

The impact cratered the earth beneath him, but it did not stop his momentum.

He bounced twice, each collision breaking more ground, sending debris flying in all directions as his battered body rolled across the ruined battlefield before finally coming to a halt.

Silence fell for a brief moment.

Damian lay there, flat against the fractured earth, his chest rising and falling unevenly as dust slowly settled around him. His arm hung at an unnatural angle, blood seeping out steadily, his body trembling from the accumulated damage.

That single hit had nearly crushed him.

Damian’s eyes remained open, staring up at the sky as his mind struggled to process what had just happened.

Even before the Duke had unleashed his Asura bloodline, his physical strength had already surpassed Damian’s by a reasonable margin.Now it wasn’t even comparable. The gap had widened into something monstrous.

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