Grand Duke Lance's power was "throwing."
It wasn't a power fit for a Grand Duke. Usually, someone with this position would be expected to have some grand power that could control the laws of everything.
Lance was an outlier. He was born with something that didn't seem to have any use at all, but with his ambition as fuel, he worked and worked until he turned that talent into a goldmine.
Throwing was an incredibly tedious and repetitive power to train. Lance had to understand the movements of his body beyond anyone else, and he had to obtain the most perfect form to even reach the starting line.
Eventually, his power became massive.
Throwing was taken to a new level.
Anything Lance touched could be "thrown" as long as he pushed it with his arm. And as long as something was thrown, he could control it like his own limb.
His projectiles could reach speeds beyond light and almost beyond mana. Their power didn't need to be mentioned at that point.
But, throwing was an incredibly tedious power to train. The work put in to make it shine was worthwhile…but it didn't leave Lance with much time to practice anything else.
There was a reason he took a supportive role in battles and never confronted enemies head-on. He had the power level of a Grand Duke, but only in a single factor.
If one was able to get close to him, he was the weakest of the three that remained by far.
That very fact was what landed him at the top of Damien's list of targets.
Dukes weren't a problem for him, but he didn't want to start attacking them and give Maveth a clue about his real strength.
What Damien wanted to paint was a picture of desperation, luck, and triumph. It was a picture that would crumble the second he ran out of luck.
To convince Maveth that he still wanted to fight, he had to kill someone. However, how was he to do that without putting on a show?
That was very simple, just like Grand Duke Lance's daily schedule when he wasn't on the battlefield.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Lance was great at legislative things. When it came to ruling a territory, he was the best of the four. In fact, even the other three Grand Dukes often relied on him to manage their territories, as they were inept in some areas.
In the Sacred Abyss Universe, off the battlefield, was where he shined.
But working an office job made one sedentary. Lance didn't move much if he didn't have to.
He would always be in the same places, doing the same things. Even if he somewhat deviated from his routine, he'd eventually end up at one of the locations he spent every day at.
There was a small coffee shop he visited in the mornings, though they didn't sell coffee but whatever the Sacred Abyss equivalent was.
In Damien's opinion, it was worse. It didn't have the same effects as caffeine and the taste was much blander. But that was beside the point.
After he left the coffee shop, he'd walk to his office building, which was actually quite inconspicuous and built to resemble the surrounding infrastructure.
He would stay in that office for at least eight hours every day, and when he left, after another visit to the coffee shop, he'd make his way back home, which was no more than a ten minute walk.
'He's almost human.'
That was Damien's feeling as he continued to observe the man. His actions were like those of a modern politician or someone of similar status. To think he was a Supreme God who could destroy this entire world at will if he desired…
It just didn't feel right.
'Regardless, that's how it is.'
It was night by the time Lance left the coffee shop and made his way home. The shop usually closed earlier than this, but it would specially open back up at this time every day to serve Lance his coffee.
The commute home wasn't anything special, and it wasn't like Lance had anyone waiting for him at home.
Why did he live his life like this?
It was just easier.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Lance had Throwing because he did. He was a Supreme God because he was. None of those things were what he was good at.
He was born for stability like this, and it was the environment in which he thrived.
As such, he never left behind his routine. Not even when he was acting as a Grand Duke with his peers.
The walk home. It was a time for him to calm his mind and embrace the monotony of life. The streets here were empty, since not many people lived in this quaint city hidden in the countryside of his territory.
The atmosphere was to his liking.
However, he'd gotten too predictable.
Alleys were not common. The buildings either had too much space between them or not enough at all. It made sense why people would forget to be mindful of them.
But for Lance, the mistake was a lot more than just a small blunder.
As he walked home like normal, a shadowy figure rushed out of a nearby alley and attacked him.
He immediately reached into his pocket to grab one of the any small objects he kept with him so he could always use throwing, however…
VOOOM!
A door of light appeared in front of him and passed over him, transporting him somewhere new.
He looked around.
'This is not my territory.'
Same world, but not nearly the same place.
"Yo!"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})A voice called out to him. It was the voice of the man who brought him here.
"Damien Void."
Grand Duke Lance's eyes narrowed. He flexed his fingers as he prepared to send a message to Maveth.
"I can't let you do that."
Damien noticed immediately. It didn't matter, though. This space had already been prepared and covered in an Existence barrier so nothing could enter or leave without Damien's permission.
"That's right. It may be confusing for you, but this has been in the making since the moment I arrived here."
Damien nodded his head with a smile, drawing a glowing yellow grenade out of the air.
Lance's eyes went to the bomb and widened instantly.
"Wai–!"
"It's too late."
Damien dropped the grenade, letting it free fall.
Using the same portal he used to enter the barrier, he left, closing it behind him.
Grand Duke Lance's eyes shot around as he assessed his situation. Several projectiles hit the Existence barrier ar horrifying speeds, but none of them could do any damage.
In the split second he had to try and make a difference, Grand Duke Lance did whatever he could.
That, at the very least, couldn't be taken from him.
However, as Damien released the restrictions on the bomb and allowed the chaos within to reign free…
As the full force of Malefice's hatred, which had been condensed and strengthened by Damien's concept of chaos, was released into the world…
Grand Duke Lance was able to understand just an inkling of what Damien was forced to endure in the hidden Principality.
It was a sweet, sweet start to his revenge.
