Chapter 78
"You killed the Jade Emperor?!" Rias shouted in surprise. The story had been ridiculous and though Damian had clearly omitted some details the main story remained untouched. She believed in Damian, she truly did, but the Chinese pantheon was not to be trifled with.
"Isn't your hubby awesome~?" Akeno replied deliriously, her cheeks once more tainted crimson and her vision swirling. At some point, she had stripped herself of her destroyed outer garments and now wore nothing more than her own underwear.
"Yes he is but this isn't the time Akeno!" Rias proclaimed with a frown, slightly jealous of her queen's state. Rias had nothing 'physical' with Damian due to being children when they first met and then their separation. Despite that, Akeno had shown her body off before her!
"The old man isn't dead. He isn't one to die so easily." Damian replied with a low chuckle. The Jade Emperor hadn't withstood his attack, that wasn't possible for even Shiva, but instead, Damian had destroyed it himself. The scandal wasn't worth the satisfaction.
"That's good." Letting out a sigh of relief Rias pressed her hand on her beating heart. Killing the Jade Emperor wasn't something that would go unnoticed but her worry was projected outward before she even had time to think about that.
"In any case, you've grown more than I expected. All of you. Good work." Praising the two before him and those that had attached themselves to Rias Damian smiled slightly, something that hadn't happened in a very long time.
Truth be told, he felt like he was living in a dream. For the last eight years, he had been living a life for nothing. He lived to accomplish his family's goal, to perhaps avenge his family, and to ensure this world didn't fall apart.
He didn't live for himself. He lived in the past, constantly reminiscing while deceiving himself that he looked toward the future. In essence, he was a dead man walking. But that has changed slightly in recent times.
Whether it be Akeno and her bold advances, Kiba and his determination, Shirone and her offerings, or Gasper and his determination they had all forced him into the present even if only slightly.
However, the biggest part of this journey was surely Rias. She stood by his side when he pushed her away, pointed out his faults, and willingly assisted him with whatever he needed without question. She was 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 there for him.
Naturally, his peerage had helped as well. Ingvild boldly proclaiming her desire just a few hours prior had been a wake up call for him. He wouldn't go as far as to call himself 'different' but there were certainly small changes in the making.
"Damian, did you… speak to me today?" Rias suddenly interrupted, a small blush on her cheeks. It was a foolish question but she just had to ask. The voice had been the same but everything about it was different. It was like a Damian that didn't lose his parents…
"No. However, I assume he had the same voice as me." Damian replied with a knowing sigh. He had a few encounters with the man in question albeit extremely short in length. The old man wasn't one to talk for long.
"He did! He also mentioned something about a crown?" Rias muttered unsurely. The voice had been very confident but she was incredibly lost. She knew most of the history of the devils and yet she had never heard of a 'crown'.
"I see. That's helpful." Damian replied casually, lightly sipping from his wine. Unfortunately for him, due to his body being strengthened by so much energy running through it over the years something as small as alcohol wouldn't be able to affect him.
"Damian. What's going on?" Worriedly asking the question gnawing at her mind Rias forcefully held Damian's hand tightly. Normally he wouldn't answer and leave in an instant but she had hope that he'd stay, after all, he was smiling again.
"Hm. To put it simply, the crown is the core of the Underworld. It acts as a stabilizer in the rapidly destabilizing Underworld. There is a reason we are affected by sin so strongly and individuals like Ajuka or Sirzechs were born. They aren't 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭." Damian began slowly.
Raising his hand pink energy condensed into what seemed to be an island floating through space, a pink crown floating atop it. It was extremely detailed but due to scaling Rias almost missed the fact that it was the underworld itself.
"Each realm has a core whether it be known or not. The Norse Pantheon has Yggdrasil holding them together and Heaven has the System holding them together. Although they are in a similar situation to us they're mostly fine because of that system." Damian continued.
"And that crown is ours?" Rias asked, a terrible premonition attacking her soul. She didn't understand it but she felt instinctively that it was horrible. That the Crown wasn't something to be touched.
"Yes. Roughly a million years ago the man you talked to acted as the Core of the underworld just as the God of the Bible did for Heaven. However, after Lucifer's rebellion, he wasn't willing to be second place again. He staged yet another rebellion." Damian explained, glasses adorning his face.
Enlarging the diagram he had created he created a pink stick of energy and pointed it at various locations atop it where people seemed to move. There was no color, everything was pink, and yet Rias recognized two of them instinctively.
"That's… you…" With wide eyes and her mouth agape, Rias could hardly believe it. Even without the use of color and the vastly different outfit, she could tell that the man sitting atop that throne was Damian Thaumiel.
The only difference was the lack of emptiness in his eyes. Instead, his eyes were filled to the brim with annoyance and boredom, his very existence radiating hatred toward reality itself. He was wrath incarnate.
"That man is Satan, the first King of the Underworld. He is also the original user of this body you see." Damian declared calmly, an amused smile on his face.
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