Chapter 138: Abyss Arrives

Within the frozen, colorless world, Damian’s breathing sounded unnaturally loud to his own ears.

Everything else was still.

Everything else was dead.

A presence tore into existence behind him. Damian’s eyes shifted, and what he saw made his heart tighten.

A ghastly black knight stood there.

It was massive, towering well over eight feet, its body encased in pitch-black armor that seemed to absorb even the faint traces of light left in this monochrome world. A crimson scarf was tied loosely around its neck, the only color that existed in this void, swaying faintly despite the absence of wind.

Then it stepped forward.

Clank.

The sound rang out sharply, unnaturally loud against the suffocating silence.

Clank.

Each step echoed, metallic and hollow, reverberating through the frozen battlefield like a funeral bell tolling for the living.

Damian watched closely, his body tense, his mind alert. But strangely the abyss did not come for him. Instead, it began to walk around him. Its burning red gaze drifted across the battlefield, taking in the shattered earth, the frozen flames, the halted destruction.

Twice.

The sound of its armored steps continued to echo, steady and deliberate, as though it had all the time in existence.

Three times.

Only after completing the third circle did it stop. It stood before Damian and its crimson eyes locked onto his.

“The girl… is worth one piece.”

Its voice was cold. Hollow. It did not carry emotion, yet it pressed heavily against his mind.

“The archangel and the priest are worth two pieces and the demon is worth three.”

“That will be eight fragments of your soul.”

Damian’s expression stiffened.

“What?” he blurted, his voice filled with disbelief. “Why are some worth more than others?”

His mind raced instantly. Giving up eight fragments of his soul for one battle is just too much.

’If I give up eight fragments it’ll have nine already… That leaves me with sixteen and I haven’t even met my brothers yet.’

His brows furrowed deeply as realization struck harder.

“If Duke Haborym is worth three… Then my brothers will definitely be worth more.” Damian’s voice lowered and his brows furrowed.

The abyss tilted its head slightly and then, slowly, it shook it.

“Does killing an ant… and an elephant… bear the same reward?” It responded.

Damian froze.

For a moment, he had no answer. The logic was simple and straightforward. Before he could respond, the abyss took a step closer.

“Decide.” The world trembled under its voice.

Damian clenched his fists, pondering for a few seconds and then he shook his head.

“No,” he said firmly, his voice steady despite everything. “I don’t want all of them dead.”

He pointed at Duke Haborym and continued.

“I only want Duke Haborym dead.”

Silence followed as the abyss said nothing. It turned its head slightly, its crimson gaze shifting toward the frozen figure of Duke Haborym. It stared at him for a brief moment, unmoving, as though evaluating something beyond Damian’s understanding.

Then it turned back andIts eyes locked onto him once more.

“Three fragments.” This time, its voice was colder.

Damian’s chest tightened as a bitter feeling rose within him. Lin Qui’s warning echoed in his mind. And yet here he was again.

His fingers curled slowly.

’This means I have lost four fragments out of twenty-five… This fight… really went off course.’

What was meant to be a one on one with Duke Haborym turned into a four fatal match that ended up leaving everyone in a bad condition. Things escalated too fast, he could barely believe it got this far.

Letting out a long, exhausted sigh, Damian lifted his head again. He stared directly at the abyss.

“If you get all my soul fragments… will you be able to control me?” Damian asked quietly.

The abyss did not answer, it simply stared at him. The silence stretched unnaturally long, pressing down on Damian. Even the frozen world seemed to grow heavier under that gaze.

“Three fragments.” it repeated

Damian’s frown deepened. The silence had told him enough.

His suspicion was not baseless!

For a moment, he said nothing. He simply stared back. A strange feeling rose within him. It was an urge to resist. Rachel’s words surfaced in his mind. She explained that their powers were more like authorities. Which meant he should be the one giving orders. Not receiving them.

Damian’s jaw tightened and a flicker of defiance burned within him. But it didn’t last because reality crushed it just as quickly. He had just been completely overpowered by Duke Haborym and now he stood here, barely holding on.

How could he possibly compare to this thing?

And more importantly, could he survive without it?

The answer was obvious.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips and the tension left his shoulders. Slowly he nodded.

“I agree.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the abyss reacted.

Its armor twisted and warped unnaturally as though it were alive.Then it split open revealing a grotesque, jagged opening formed across its helm, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, stained dark with what looked like old, dried blood.

It smiled at him and responded with a light bow.

“As you wish.”

BOOOM!

The punch shook and surprisingly, it landed square on Damian but there was no reaction from him. Instead Damian’s veins bulged beneath his skin, swelling visibly along his neck, arms, and hands. They darkened gradually from blue to deep charcoal, then to absolute black. They pulsed once, twice, as if circulating something thicker than blood.

Duke Haborym was still confused by the sudden resistance of the dying human. However those worries became irrelevant the moment he perceived a familiar presence. One he has been opportuned to cross path with several times.

Without hesitation, Duke Haborym hopped back, his face pale with fright at the sight before him.

“Impossible!” He gasped.

How can the power of the demon lord and sin of lust be in this mortal?

But then he remembered something vital. Bathin vanished from existence, leaving not even a single trace. They had assumed Damain thoroughly destroyed him but it still felt strange there was not even a trace of him left, not even residual presence on places he had been to before.

Now, Duke Haborym finally understood how Damain did it

’Since he possesses this inheritance he is the demon lord already!’

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