Chapter 68: Threatening Asmodesus

Only after escaping the desolate lands of the abyss inheritance did Damian finally release a long sigh of relief. The thought that something so dangerous resided within his own mind made him shudder with lingering fear.

That realization left him wondering. If he were to kill Asmodesus using that power, would that not make Asmodesus a part of the abyss?

In the end, he would only be making the abyss stronger.

“Hahahahahahahaha….” A haunting yet mocking laughter echoed from within the towering gates of the dark chamber.

The moonlight turned crimson, dyeing the endless river a deep shade of red. From within the gates, three pairs of eyes burst to life, each glowing with a different and unsettling color.

“Did you truly believe the power of the abyss is something a human can control?” The world rumbled beneath the amused voice.

If it had happened before, Damian would have panicked. Now, however, he had already stood in close proximity to the abyss itself, and compared to that empty and terrifying gaze, Asmodesus no longer felt nearly as dreadful. Even with all its hostility directed at him, it was not half as frightening as the abyss.

“Nope. Though I was hoping I could.” Damian did not sound offended.

Strangely, unlike when he faced Bathin, speaking to Asmodesus or the abyss did not fill him with rage. Instead, it felt as though his soul instinctively recognized the hierarchy of hell and stubbornly insisted on respecting it.

“Abandon that power and rely only on mine. My strength alone is enough for you to sit upon the abyssal throne.”

All three pairs of eyes glowed within the darkness behind the gates as the voice spoke, but Damian was not intimidated. Even he could make his eyes glow. At that moment he finally understood why Lin Qui had been able to sit calmly while Asmodesus cursed and growled in fury. Once a person had witnessed something truly terrifying, everything beneath that level suddenly seemed almost human.

“You wish!” Damian scoffed with an amused expression.

He continued walking toward the lust talent tree as he spoke.

“One way or another, I’ll get my hands on the inheritance of the other sins. Then I will use their combined power to kill you. After that, I will use your complete power to subdue the other seven deadly sins, one after another.”

Damian stopped beneath the towering lust talent tree and slowly sat cross-legged upon the water while continuing to speak.

“With the full combined inheritance of the seven sins, I will then turn my attention to the abyss itself and swallow it, making it a part of me.”

For some reason, the more he spoke of this plan, the calmer his mind became and the steadier his heart felt. A strange certainty settled within him. He could actually see himself accomplishing all of this for one reason.

“Hahahahahahahaha!” Asmodesus burst into loud laughter, its voice dripping with mockery.

“You sound like the fictional rubbish you have consumed during your pitiful lifespan, a life that is nothing more than a speck of dust compared to the vast desert of existence I have endured. You simply do not understand the reality of your situation!” Asmodesus hissed.

Damian’s calm smile remained. While Asmodesus was mostly correct, there was one thing it misunderstood. He was not speaking out of some childish desire to recreate the heroic legends he had read in web novels.

Tilting his head and glancing over his shoulder so he could properly face the burning eyes behind the gates, Damian said,

“Yes, yes… I’m a weak human and a worthless mortal. But I’m also the husband of three beautiful wives, and you would be shocked to learn how far I’m willing to go to protect them.”

Damian spoke with a smile so unsettling that even the demon shuddered.

For a moment, those same words echoed in Asmodesus’ mind like the tolling of a bell.

“I’m a husband of three beautiful wives and you would be shocked to learn how far I’m willing to go to protect them.”

The words stirred old memories.

In the next instant, it felt as though Lin Qui’s figure had overlapped with Damian’s. That brat had spoken those exact same words only a month after marrying the three demon clan daughters who had supported his rise to the throne.

The once timid and indecisive human had suddenly transformed overnight into someone brilliant and fearless, daring to utter such words in the presence of Asmodesus. At the time, Asmodesus had treated those words like empty air. Yet he later witnessed that same man pass down a weapon capable of ending him forever to a new successor.

Asmodesus had been terrified.

Now this human was saying the same words, wearing that same look of madness in his eyes. The difference was that, unlike Lin Qui, Damian already possessed a weapon capable of killing him.

Last time, Asmodesus had mocked and insulted Lin Qui without restraint. This time, he chose silence.

Slowly, the glowing eyes within the darkness closed and vanished.

Half surprised and slightly confused, Damian casually shrugged it off and returned his attention to the talent tree.

[Lust Talent Tree Rejuvenation Process: 14%]

[Infernal Transformation: Lust I Unlocked!]

[Lust Talent Tree Awakened]

[Living Arts: 8%]

[Primal Soul: 10%]

[Elder Arts: 10%]

“Living arts, primal soul, or elder arts?”

Damian paused to consider which of the three held the greatest importance based on everything he had experienced so far. After what felt like an hour of sitting in quiet contemplation, he finally reached a conclusion.

Living arts.

Against Bathin, Damian had faced an attack that would have ended his life instantly if he had not awakened his infernal transformation. Moreover, keeping pace with Bathin’s terrifying speed had not been a victory achieved by his mind alone. His body had been strong and fast enough to adjust to that speed and endure the demon’s deadly blows.

Yes, his soul fire had also played a massive role, but to him it was still less important than the body that had allowed him to survive long enough to use it.

“We strengthen the body first to prepare it for the power of the soul, then we support that power with the knowledge of the mind. Yeah, I’ll stick with this sequence. Fifty points each.”

Damian finally reached his decision after long and careful thought.

As long as he maintained that order, everything should remain properly balanced.

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