Chapter 1562: Danger [1]

'This fucking...'

Damien frowned immediately.

The picture of Malevalon leaving gave him mixed feelings.

There was no way for him to understand it.

Straea hadn't lost yet, had they? What was the purpose of abandoning his clan?

Malevalon absolutely could have continued fighting, but for some reason, he chose to retreat instead.

'Or is it really a retreat?'

The Sacred Abyss Universe had a lot of unexplored opportunities. It was a cosmos of its own, after all.

For someone like Malevalon, who'd already given up his humanity and chosen to serve the Dark God, it was a place where he could grow into someone greater than his current self.

'And if he reaches that point, then the Straea Clan loses its value.'

Straea was an influence that was considered big in the Heavenly World's standards, but from what was happening, it looked like Malevalon's opinions had changed when he saw the Foreign Nobility.

That man believed that there was no force greater than the Dark God, but that didn't stop him from wanting to become second only to him in all of history.

The influence that Malevalon could build at that point would be far better than Straea could ever be.

And if those people of Straea could be used as sacrifices to fuel the birth of that new influence, then he would happily use them.

Even his own brother, the person most people believed to be the last person in the world whom Malevalon trusted was abandoned, left on the battlefield to fight off his enemies.

'I have to see it for myself.'

Damien didn't know much of that information, for he didn't know much about Malevalon Straea. He was able to infer a lot from the memories of those who had interacted with him, but it was impossible to understand the man's thoughts without finding out directly.

"Tch."

Damien clicked his tongue.

He had to rush, but he wasn't one to go back on a promise.

[Heal]

The skill still had the same name, but its effects had become monstrous with time.

It was cast on both Lust and Envy. As for Gluttony...well, he had never lost his power in the first place. He just hadn't found a reason to use it yet.

The two women immediately felt the difference. Their bodies warmed up beautifully, and a gentle force washed through them, cleansing their internals of all ailments.

The shattered Divinities they held were slowly put back together, and while their power didn't instantly return, "mana" didn't feel unfamiliar anymore.

In just five or ten years, they could probably gain back a majority of their power. The rest could be slowly regained with time.

Nevertheless, the weight on their shoulders caused by the neverending issues that spawned in their bodies was gone. They felt lighter than they had in a very long time.

It was enough to make even Lust want to thank Damien, but...

"...where did he go?"

"He left. Disappeared the same way he came," Wrath responded, answering her doubts.

"I see..."

He came and went like a storm, bringing storm-like actions along with him.

Of the 4 Evils, there were now two with the qualifications to become Gods again, one who still had his power, and one who had gained an extreme motivation to return to his peak.

Their stories would likely go untold. In the grand scheme of things, they likely wouldn't make much of an impact.

But their stories would still be imprinted on the world, written in its Legend.

And who could tell, looking at them now?

Perhaps they would eventually return to the world with gusto, proving their worth to all.

That was still to be seen.

Damien would've been curious about it in normal times, but he had to put his curiosity aside for now.

He arrived in Straea territory within the day, and infiltrated the main manor without a problem.

It was practically empty. There was still staff roaming about, taking care of their duties, but none of the people who originally lived here were still here.

Where they went...?

It was a variety of places. Some were on the battlefield, others were in hiding, and others more were already dead.

However, they were not the ones Damien was concerned with.

And this manor was not his end goal.

His eyes went to the ground. Far below his feet was the Dimensional Crack that Malevalon escaped through. The same Dimensional Crack that brought the Foreign Nobility to the Heavenly World.

'The entrance...'

He already knew. Horacio and the others had all taken it to leave for the outside.

Damien rushed through the halls, teleporting where he could until he reached the hidden location that would teleport him to the underground area.

This was a different entrance than the one that Malevalon used with Grand Duke Famas, but Damien didn't know about that system.

Nevertheless, within minutes of his arrival, Damien had already found his way to the hidden principality.

And...

BANG!

His fist slammed against an invisible wall.

There was around ten feet of the cave that remained outside the wall, but everything else, including the hidden Principality, the Foreign Nobles, and the Dimensional Crack, was inside.

Damien pressed his hand to it and tried to use Existence to break it down, but this was the second time he'd seen something of this kind.

'It's made of Existence as well.'

It was an Existence stronger than the one Damien currently had in his hands.

He couldn't break through it. At least, not without spending several days trying to comprehend and solve it.

'Do I have that time?'

He didn't know. If he only looked at the war situation, then he most definitely did.

However, at times like this, there were always-

Danger.

Everything else halted.

In Damien's mind, a sound of danger drowned out all else.

It wasn't a danger to his own life.

Nor was it danger targeting his women.

This wasn't danger that he sensed through the Void.

No, it was something that originated from the depths of his blood.

'Mom.'

Danger was approaching his mother.

She was a God. A God that was stronger than most others.

However, she now had danger approaching her that threw Damien's senses into chaos.

'She's going to die.'

If he didn't do anything, she would die.

'I have to-'

"Going somewhere?"

A voice drew his attention.

A man walked out from the shadows, his skin grey and his eyes filled with mockery.

"You have gone to such lengths to visit us, so why leave so fast?"

Damien's eyes narrowed.

'Grand Duke. No, not just a Grand Duke...'

All of the Foreign Nobility in this place.

They had him surrounded before he even realized what was happening.

'It was a trap.'

He didn't know how they predicted he'd come here, but they'd laid out an elaborate trap while they were waiting for him.

And now...

'Either I find a way out of here as soon as possible...'

He could no longer teleport. The barrier of Foreign Existence had expanded to cover him as well. He was trapped inside until he could disperse it.

'...or mom dies.'

It was a situation Damien didn't even think to expect. It came out of nowhere, and now, in a single move, he'd been put into a state of do-or-die.

Four Grand Dukes, all of whom had power similar to Malevalon Straea.

Fifteen Dukes, roughly the same strength as Duke Horacio.

The rest were fodder that didn't matter, but those nineteen people had more than enough power to make Damien suffer.

And as Damien tried his best to think of a way to escape...

...Claire found herself in a foreseen yet unexpected situation.