Chapter 355: Dire Situation
Damian stared at the pair of crimson eyes with a blank, thoroughly unimpressed expression. Slowly, he lifted one hand and the heavy clanking of chains echoed throughout the circular chamber. Every chain wrapped around his wrists and ankles carried a faint crimson glow that pulsed like living veins beneath the metal. He calmly examined them before narrowing his eyes slightly.
"If you wanted to talk, there is no need for this." He said calmly.
His gaze drifted downward toward his crossed legs where Rin rested comfortably. Even the fox wore a thick collar around his neck, with identical glowing chains disappearing beneath the blood ritual carved into the floor. Every restraint anchoring them seemed fused directly into the formation itself, making the entire room feel less like a prison and more like a carefully prepared altar.
"Do you think this is a joke?" The monstrous voice boomed throughout the chamber, causing the walls themselves to tremble as crimson flames danced wildly upon the torches mounted around the circular room.
Damian and Rin slowly twisted their heads toward the darkness with identical expressions of annoyance.
"Wrath is never reasonable, don’t bother wasting words on him and focus on breaking out of here." Rin turned to Damian.
Damian studied the fox for a moment. Rin looked worried, but it wasn’t the kind of fear someone had while facing death. It was the irritation of someone whose plans had suddenly been interrupted.
"What’s going on?" He asked.
"Summoning your consciousness is something you can’t fight against because you haven’t unlocked the ability." Rin began. "He simply used a confinement ritual to trap us here."
"For how long?" Damian asked.
Rin quietly pointed toward the opposite side of the room. Only then did Damian notice the lone candle resting upon a small stone pedestal. Its flame burned peacefully despite the overwhelming pressure filling the chamber, while the wax slowly melted downward at an agonizingly steady pace.
"Once the candle runs out, we will be released. Or we can try to force our way out."
Damian slowly nodded in understanding while staring thoughtfully at the candle. So his consciousness had been dragged all the way from Earth simply to be imprisoned inside a ritual. That alone wasn’t enough to concern him. What interested him was why someone would go through this much trouble merely to delay him.
"Could he be trying to kill Karim, that’s why he kept you here?" Rin asked after sensing Damian’s thoughts.
Damian slowly shook his head.
"That explanation sounds reasonable at first." His eyes remained fixed upon the candle. "But Karim isn’t valuable enough to justify something like this."
His expression remained calm as he continued piecing everything together.
"And so what if Karim dies? There are hundreds of thousands of dissatisfied people throughout Lebanon. If one voice disappears, another will naturally rise to replace it."
His fingers lightly tapped against his knee.
"No. This isn’t about Karim."
"YOU DARE IGNORE ME?!" The vicious voice exploded once again, shaking the ritual chamber so violently that dust rained from the ceiling.
Damian and Rin slowly turned their heads toward the enormous crimson eyes with visible reluctance.
"With all due respect you need to shut the fuck up so that I can figure my way out of this shit." Damian said before both he and Rin calmly returned their attention to the ritual circle beneath them as though the furious deity simply didn’t exist.
The crimson eyes hidden within the darkness suddenly began glowing with terrifying intensity. The murderous pressure filling the room became several times heavier, yet the two prisoners continued discussing their predicament as though they hadn’t noticed the increasingly enraged God glaring at them.
Back on Earth, Faceless smiled faintly as he looked down at Hagrid.
"I won’t lie, you’ve truly caught me off guard. I never saw this coming."
There was genuine admiration in his voice.
He had prepared himself for elaborate assassination attempts from his siblings. He had expected schemes from Belial, Sol, and the other Princes. Never once had he imagined someone completely unknown to him would quietly spend months studying every aspect of his life before making a move.
Strangely, He felt flattered.
"I can see you are losing a knot in the head like Sol. It’s no wonder the girls can’t control you." Hagrid admitted with genuine surprise.
Lin Qui had been calm. He lived entirely for the sake of protecting his wives and preserving the life he already possessed. He sought neither conquest nor expansion.
Damian, however, was the complete opposite. From every battle report Hagrid collected, one conclusion remained consistent. The stronger the enemy became, the brighter Damian smiled.
Rather than fearing assassination attempts, he seemed disappointed whenever they ended too quickly. It was almost as though battle itself entertained him.
He was dangerously similar to Sol.
Hagrid calmly took the second step upon the ten-step staircase.
Buzz!
Faceless’ aura doubled instantly, crashing into Hagrid’s crimson pressure like an invisible tidal wave. The collision produced a deafening metallic shriek that echoed throughout the parish. Hagrid’s upper body rocked backward ever so slightly beneath the impact, but his feet remained firmly planted upon the staircase.
Not even half a step.
Faceless frowned.
This demon was unbelievably strong. Not only that, he was easily the most meticulous enemy Damian had encountered since inheriting his powers.
For a brief moment, Faceless couldn’t help but wonder how much easier life would have been if someone like Hagrid served beneath him instead of trying to kill him. A subordinate capable of solving complicated problems before they ever reached his desk was infinitely more valuable than another soldier.
Instead he had wives and concubines who spent half their free time teasing one another. Without another word, Faceless reached toward the empty air beside him and slashed downward.
Nothing happened.
The familiar black crack leading through the void never appeared. He couldn’t even send Clara away.
"Don’t bother. The space within this realm is sealed. The only way out is to kill me."
Hagrid climbed another step as he spoke. Faceless slowly nodded in understanding. Truly, the only way out of this place was to kill Hagrid.
Clara’s eyes widened as Faceless finally rose from the throne. He turned toward her without the slightest trace of urgency. With the casual flick of one finger, her body gently floated into the air before settling softly upon the throne he had occupied only moments earlier. Before she could react, Faceless knelt before her and calmly adjusted the folds of her dress so they rested comfortably beneath her legs. He gently tucked her into the oversized throne before reaching upward and softly patting her hair.
"This will be over soon. Just sit right and keep your eyes shut if you have to."
His calm smile carried none of the tension filling the parish. It was reassuring. As though the terrifying demon standing at the foot of the altar wasn’t worthy of his concern.
For reasons Clara couldn’t explain, every ounce of fear gripping her heart quietly faded beneath that single smile.
Comments