Chapter 356: Kaiser and Lazarus
"Now, human. Do you still dare look down on this dragon?!" Kaiser’s voice boomed violently, shaking the entire chamber. The crimson torches lining the circular walls erupted with greater intensity as the overwhelming pressure rolled through the room like an invisible tsunami. A fierce wind burst into existence, whipping Damian’s hair wildly while the chains restraining him rattled violently against the blood ritual beneath him.
Despite standing before a being descended from the ancient Draconian bloodline, neither Damian nor Rin showed the slightest hint of panic. Their expressions remained calm, almost indifferent, as though they were staring at nothing more threatening than an angry stranger.
Only now did Damian finally get a proper look at the owner of those crimson eyes.
Like himself, Kaiser stood nearly twelve feet tall. His body was broad and heavily muscled, every movement carrying the raw physical power dragons were feared for throughout countless worlds. Thick crimson scales reinforced his brown skin in layered plates that resembled natural armor, stretching across his shoulders, arms and portions of his chest. His face possessed sharp masculine features, though the most unusual part of his appearance rested upon his jaw.
Instead of a beard or goatee, two curled crimson horns protruded elegantly from both sides of his jawline, somehow complementing the larger twisted horns that emerged from his long, rough crimson hair.
His appearance was completed by elaborate dragon themed crimson armor decorated with black engravings, while a dramatic black cape flowed behind him despite the absence of any wind.
Damian quietly observed him from head to toe. In all honesty the colors didn’t really work. The crimson scales clashed horribly with the brown skin.
He struggled to keep a straight face. For several seconds he genuinely fought the urge to laugh.
Then the amusement disappeared instantly and his expression became cold. He could feel it. Within his Sea of Consciousness, both his Hanfu robes and hand fan had vanished. Only one person besides himself possessed access to those treasures.
His clone.
And his clone would never summon them unless he had encountered someone worthy of treating seriously.
"Clara..." Damian muttered as his eyes widened ever so slightly.
Clara was with his clone.
"Now you understand."
Another voice echoed calmly from the opposite side of the chamber.
Darkness gathered within one corner before a pair of elegant golden eyes gradually emerged. A tall figure stepped forward at an unhurried pace, revealing an exceptionally handsome man with fair skin and long flowing golden hair that rested upon an expensive fur lined golden trench coat. His pointed elven ears were decorated with several golden earrings while every finger carried heavy rings fashioned from different precious metals.
He looked wealthy. Almost offensively so. Yet despite the luxurious appearance, his eyes appeared strangely lifeless. Dark circles rested beneath them and his shoulders hung ever so slightly.
Even the way he walked lacked enthusiasm, as though existing itself had become exhausting.
"I must confess. For a human who only gained the inheritance barely more than a year ago, you have far surpassed all of our expectations. You were truly a worthy heir." Lazarus admitted with obvious reluctance. The compliment sounded less like praise and more like an unpleasant obligation.
’Wrath and Greed. That explains it all.’ Rin gasped inwardly, though outwardly he remained perfectly composed.
The last thing either of them intended to do was reveal even the slightest weakness before these vultures.
’They brought me here simply to prevent me from noticing whatever they planned for my clone.’ Damian concluded silently. ’Whether their target is my clone or Clara, I still can’t tell.’
"This bastard has no manners. I’ll rip him apart." Kaiser growled, taking a heavy step forward.
Lazarus sighed.
It was the exhausted sigh of someone babysitting a troublesome child.
"Don’t bother. He’s only trying to bait you into breaking the formation yourself."
Buzz!
Damian and Rin frowned inwardly.
He was right.
From the very beginning they had deliberately ignored Kaiser, hoping the hotheaded God would lose control and destroy the ritual imprisoning them.
Unfortunately Greed had already seen through the trick.
Kaiser froze halfway through another step before rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Oh... I almost fell for it."
Watching the massive dragon suddenly become contemplative after such an obvious explanation, Damian slowly blinked.
Then he looked away.
Only now did he truly understand his stepbrother was an idiot. A catastrophically powerful idiot.
It was like handing a nuclear weapon to a child with anger issues. How could the universe possibly allow someone like this to exist?
"To think I expected so much before." Damian mumbled before dismissively turning his head away.
Thud!
Lazarus had already begun walking toward the opposite side of the ritual chamber.
His footsteps abruptly stopped. Slowly he turned his head over one shoulder and his brows knitted together.
His golden eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What did you say?" Lazarus hissed.
Meanwhile...
The white robes covering Faceless suddenly erupted into violet flames. The fire consumed every inch of fabric before dispersing into countless glowing particles.
In their place appeared flowing black and purple Hanfu robes embroidered with elegant purple patterns. A black and white hand fan rested naturally within his grasp, both sides painted with the image of a magnificent nine tailed fox beneath a full moon.
Even his hair transformed, returning from snowy white to its familiar mixture of black and violet.
In an instant Faceless disappeared and Damian stood in his place.
Boom!
An overwhelming eruption of demonic force exploded outward. The pressure filling the parish instantly tripled.
The altar trembled violently.
Stone cracked beneath Damian’s feet. The stained glass windows rattled as though they would shatter at any moment.
A third eye slowly opened upon the center of his forehead while rough black veins spread across both eyelids like fractured obsidian.
Hagrid reacted immediately. He crossed both arms before his chest and the expanding wave struck him like a mountain.
Booom!
His body was hurled several meters backward before his boots finally dug into the stone floor. Sparks erupted beneath his heels as he skidded uncontrollably across the parish.
Swoosh!
Three pairs of enormous black angelic wings burst from his back. With one powerful beat, the retreat finally stopped and silence returned.
Hagrid slowly lifted his head, his crimson eyes glowed threateningly. Across from him, Damian’s purple pupils burned with equal intensity.
"The first and only flaw in your plan is the part where you thought you stood a chance against me, even at thirty percent of my strength." Damian spoke calmly, his hands remaining comfortably behind his back.
He looked almost relaxed. As though this confrontation barely deserved his attention. Deep within his consciousness, however, calculations were already racing.
If necessary he would erase Hagrid exactly as he had erased Duke Haborym and every other unfortunate fool consumed by that inheritance.
This isolated dimension was perhaps the safest battlefield imaginable.
No witnesses or interruptions.
Still Damian had no intention of acting recklessly. Unlike Haborym, Hagrid was a genuine demigod and judging from the aura he had displayed so far, a remarkably powerful one.
Damian needed to understand the limits of Hagrid’s abilities before deciding how to proceed. Only then could he determine whether this battle demanded patience until his main body returned or whether he should simply erase another obstacle from existence.
"The problem with you mortals is that you forget we demons have lived for centuries and possess experience you could never hope to match..." Hagrid snarled as he slowly straightened his posture, completely unfazed by Damian’s words.
"And everyone who came to die at my hands before you gave me the same bullshit." Damian cut him off without the slightest hesitation.
He casually rolled his shoulders, and a series of bone cracking pops echoed throughout the parish. Without taking his eyes off Hagrid, he walked calmly toward the edge of the elevated platform until he stood overlooking him like an emperor gazing down upon a challenger.
"Vanish!" He hissed as his eyes erupted with a brilliant white glow.
The hand fan in Damian’s hand exploded into violent white flames. With a single effortless swing, the Samsara Flames surged forward in a raging tide. They expanded with terrifying speed as they advanced, growing larger and larger until the entire parish was consumed beneath an endless sea of white fire. Hagrid’s vision was instantly swallowed by the inferno, completely cutting off his view of both Damian and Clara. Only Damian’s voice continued to echo from somewhere beyond the flames.
"Without my existence and my inheritance, your clan is nothing more than a nameless low ranking Baron family in the Underworld. Yet you dare challenge me?!"
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the entire parish. The violent blast struck what appeared to be the very boundaries of the Mirror World itself, sending powerful vibrations rippling across the isolated dimension. The walls trembled violently as fragments of shattered stone and clouds of dust filled the battlefield.
Gradually, the dust settled.
Hagrid stood exactly where he had been moments earlier.
His three pairs of black wings had folded tightly around his body like an impenetrable shell. White Samsara Fox Flames coated every feather, burning brilliantly across the surface while failing to consume them.
"Do not allow your ignorance to become your downfall, foolish Prince." Hagrid’s voice echoed calmly from within the blazing cocoon.
"Everything you possess originates from my clan. The only difference is that most of us lack the aptitude to wield more than a single flame at any given time, making us appear weak in the eyes of the Underworld. Yet appearances deceive."
His wings slowly unfolded, allowing the white flames to dance freely across his body without harming him in the slightest.
"The truth is that we remain at the bottom, clinging desperately to the feet of Princes and begging them for recognition, when in reality they should be the ones begging for ours. Our greatest weakness has never been talent."
His crimson eyes burned with fierce conviction.
"It has always been leadership."
A slow smile spread across his face.
"We have never possessed someone strong enough to rise above everyone else, someone capable of leading by example and dragging the entire clan to greatness."
He spread his arms proudly.
"And that... is where I come in."
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