Chapter 53: Training Officially Begins

The Next Day

Damian stood in the same open field he had come to with Hazel. They faced each other, only a few steps apart.

“You agreed to train on Sundays!” Ruby snapped at Damian, who was yawning, dark circles hanging under his eyes.

After their operation last night, he had decided to go sightseeing with Ruby. Having her carry him while flying over the city of Chicago had been a refreshing experience he desperately needed. However, they ended up staying out until five in the morning. He barely had time to sleep before he was woken up again by seven. How else was he supposed to look?

“Relax, I’m not complaining. I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.” Damian shrugged off her anger. “So… what are we doing today?”

Ruby’s frown relaxed when she heard his words. She pushed her hair back before responding.

“Demonic force control. I will be teaching you how to control your demonic force to an elite stage. That’s all we will be doing until you master it.”

Damian blinked. After watching a good number of anime and reading a few good books, he had developed the belief that training must involve sparring between two people. Hearing that all he would be doing was learning to control his demonic force only dampened his mood.

Snap!

With a snap of her fingers, a familiar dark red energy escaped through her pores, forming a thin yet dense layer of demonic force around her body. The next moment, all that demonic force moved away from her body and converged above her hand, forming a dark crimson dagger made purely of demonic force.

“Control is what differentiates weaklings from the strong. Once you master controlling your demonic force, controlling your other skills becomes ten times easier.” She said, her tone sharp.

“Alright… show me.” Damian didn’t argue.

After fighting Bathin, he clearly understood the difference between normal people like him and a demon like that. Control.

Ruby’s stern expression relaxed when she saw he didn’t resist, and they began their training. The first step was simple. He had to release his demonic force and hold it in position without shaping it.

Initially, Damian believed it would be simple, but he was quickly proven wrong.

BOOOM! BOOOM!

Each time Damian attempted to unleash his demonic force, it burst out violently, vanishing so quickly that most people wouldn’t even catch a glimpse of it. He had been at it for almost an hour now and still showed no improvement. Yet Ruby seemed convinced that floating around him was the best way to help.

“Are you waiting to hear me beg?”

Damian stopped trying and turned to face her, but she slipped behind him, moving through the air as if she were swimming in an ocean.

“You didn’t ask.”

Ruby giggled before dropping down in front of him.

“Okay, let’s start with the basics. Stop trying to release your demonic force like you are taking a shit. You are putting too much pressure on yourself.”

Ruby walked up to him and took his hands, staring directly into his eyes.

“Calm down. Lie in the dirt, sit, do whatever makes you feel comfortable. Then try to feel the demonic force inside you. It’s just like any other organ in your body. Find it.”

Strangely, holding Ruby’s hands calmed Damian down, and he silently paid attention to her words. When she finished speaking, he closed his eyes and began clearing his mind.

Soon, his head felt empty and the world grew silent. He could hear the rustling of leaves and the whistling wind, but more importantly, he could hear his own heartbeat. He held onto that silence for several minutes, and slowly he began to notice a change.

Listening began to translate into feeling.

He no longer just heard the wind. He felt it brushing against his skin. He no longer just heard his heartbeat. He felt each pulse clearly, even the blood flowing through his body. The expansion and contraction of his lungs with every breath became just as obvious.

However, there was something strange he couldn’t explain.

There was a faint rhythm coming from the other side of his chest, where his heart wasn’t located. It felt like a second heartbeat.

He never knew it existed.

“Your powers are not just thoughts you magically wish into reality. They are a part of you, and they must be understood to reach their full potential.” Ruby smiled.

She could tell Damian had found his still-forming demon heart. Once his demon heart fully formed, his demonic force reserves would increase exponentially. Over time he would gain more hearts until he eventually became a seven-hearted demon like the other princes of Hell.

At that point, only beings at the level of the supreme deity or a demon lord could threaten his existence. As his wife, it was her duty to ensure that day came, and to protect him until it did.

Damian, on the other hand, was stunned by the discovery. His entire perspective shifted instantly.

All this time he had been activating his abilities through the system as if he were pressing a button that automatically made things happen. Now he understood that these skills did not exist separately from him.

They were a part of him.

“Now that you have found the demonic force resonating within your being, hold onto that feeling while you manifest it.” She explained further.

Under Ruby’s guidance, his next attempt to unleash his demonic force showed major improvement. His demonic force spilled out in massive quantities, startling him. He could feel it now. He could hold it and make it manifest without it instantly bursting apart.

However, he still couldn’t control it.

Startled by the immense leakage of his demonic force, Damian panicked. The sudden panic shattered his focus, causing the surging demonic force around him to burst without restraint.

BOOOM!

This time the demonic force didn’t just pop. It exploded directly in his face, though it still lacked the power to move Ruby even an inch.

Contrary to his expectations, she looked extremely proud.

It didn’t matter how small the improvement was. As long as he kept improving, she was satisfied. How much progress he made didn’t matter to her.

“Don’t worry dear, we have all day to spend on this. You will get the hang of it by nightfall.” She chuckled mischievously.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep