Damien's battle with Polius wasn't anywhere close to contained. With each impact, they had razed the surroundings and moved tens of kilometers through space.
A massive area had been affected by their battle, with massive craters and riffs forming in the earth and the structures that used to stand being demolished. This kind of damage made it difficult for Feng Qing'er and Qing Tan to actually pinpoint where the battle had ended.
"Wow! This guy seems to have been a lot stronger than the Commanders the two of us fought!" Qing Tan exclaimed as she scanned the area.
"Right. Even though Kroa was doing all that posturing, she wasn't actually that strong without the dark material. It seems this one was different."
They continued to fly across the battleground with the ten Demon Generals silently following them, even coming across the traces of Damien's Dimensional Severance. But they still didn't manage to locate the man himself.
"Where did that guy run off to? Judging from the fact that the mana in the air hasn't even completely dispersed, the battle didn't end that long ago."
"He can teleport, though. I wouldn't be surprised if he was halfway across the realm by now."
"Pfft! You know he isn't that powerful. There's no way anyone of our strength can overcome the powerful suppression in the atmosphere."
"Well, none of that really matters now. What are we going to do with them?"
Qing Tan glanced at the Demon Generals. They had come solely to speak to Damien, so there was nothing the girls could do with them. It was impossible to fish more information out of them even with torture.
And judging from the poor state the Demon Generals were in, it was obvious that they had already tested it.
"You guys! Entertain me until he comes back!"
Qing Tan clapped her hands together and proclaimed, causing the Demon Generals to burst into a cold sweat.
"H-how can we do that, Milady?"
Even the form of address they used had become more respectful after everything they had been forced to endure.
They were Demon Generals. Of course they had pride that befitted their position. But this pride had long been broken by the absurd strength of the two girls in front of them.
"Hmm, I don't know! You decide!"
The Demon Generals lamented their fates as they began racking their brains for ideas. In the end, they went through a variety of different ideas to keep the two girls entertained.
When Damien finally returned to the Trial World, this scene was the first thing he saw. Ten Demon Generals dancing and performing tricks while two beauties watched with amused expressions.
"You two, what the hell did you get up to while I was gone."
Qing Tan turned around when she heard the voice and smiled brightly.
"You're back!"
"Yeah I'm back but what's with the enthusiasm?"
"Can't I just be excited to see you?"
"We've talked like three times in total. Why would you be excited to see me?"
"You're no fun!"
Qing Tan pouted at his bland responses. Seeing this, Feng Qing'er sighed and came forward, explaining the situation to Damien.
'Damn, Stormbringer? Not a bad title if I do say so myself.'
Damien nodded in satisfaction. The people of Apeiron were trash at giving titles. Lightning prince? And even worse, Spatial Lightning prince? He cringed every time he heard someone call him by those addresses.
Even Grim Reaper was bad.Though he didn't want to admit it, he was a bit chuuni back then since he was still in the process of coping with society. Due to that, he may or may not have enjoyed such a title. But thinking back to it only made him feel immense shame.
Shaking off his black history, Damien turned to the Demon Generals.
"You wanted to speak to me?"
"No, sir. More accurately, our King wishes to speak to you."
"Which King?"
"Demon King Lucius."
"I see."
Damien rubbed his chin. Elitra's father had taken initiative to contact him. If it was before, he might've been on guard hearing such a fact, but now, he didn't feel the same.
He had heard the story from Elitra. He didn't feel anything towards Demon King Lucius besides pity. But the man was strong, and he was the access point Damien had been looking for.
Hadn't he just been wondering where to start in his quest to assassinate all of the Demons' upper echelon? Hadn't he just been wondering how to get Demon King Lucius into the Sanctuary so they could speak freely?
Now that he had a point of contact, things would flow much smoother.
"How does your King plan to speak to me? I doubt he can freely leave the demon city as he pleases."
"Yes. Our King does not have the ability to meet you in person, but he can still speak to you in other ways."
"Ah!"
That's right. Elitra had mentioned once that the Demon King Lucius could manifest a projection to protect her if she was ever on the verge of death. Who said the same method couldn't be used for communication?
"Very well. Let me meet your King then."
The Demon Generals nodded and joined hands. They began to channel their mana and circulate it amongst themselves in a strange way.
Feng Qing'er and Qing Tan stood at the side and watched as everything took place.
"He knows something, right?"
"He definitely knows something."
"Also, could you sense it when he showed up behind us? Even though I had my awareness spread, I didn't notice him until he spoke."
"It's the same for me. It's like he was always there to begin with, rather than him showing up at that time."
"What a weird guy."
Qing Tan nodded. He was truly an interesting guy. Much more interesting than the people she frequently talked to in the 3000 Beast Mountain range.
He spoke freely like he was an open book, but anybody with a brain could tell he was hiding plenty of secrets. It was a strange kind of mystery that didn't come from posturing.
The first-ranked genius Hun Fang was also mysterious, but in a gloomy and unapproachable way. Qing Tan was interested in both of them, but she preferred Damien since he was more fun to talk to.
"Oh, right. Why are we so calm when those guys are literally summoning a Demon King? Shouldn't we be on guard or something?" Feng Qing'er exclaimed.
"We should! But look at him, he's acting so calm and unbothered that we also subconsciously did the same! Wow, what a cool guy!"
"What the hell are you saying?"
Feng Qing'er looked at the snickering Qing Tan with a dead fish gaze. Having seen the side of her that tortured people with a smile on her face, Feng Qing'er could no longer take Qing Tan seriously when she acted like a cheery fangirl.
As the two girls conversed, the Demon Generals' mana finally reached its peak. In front of them, a figure slowly began to form in the air.
He was tall, around 6 feet and 7 inches, and his straight blonde hair flowed down to his waist. His face was handsome and refined like an immortal cultivator, and his stoic expression only complimented his aura and vibe.
"Demon King Lucius," Damien muttered.
Looking at him closely, he did indeed share some features with Elitra. While Elitra's hair was pitch black, she had the same blood-red eyes and facial shape as her father.
Demon King Lucius's projection scanned the surroundings slowly as if he was getting oriented with the change of scenery before his eyes landed on Damien.
"So you must be the infamous Stormbringer. Tell me, why do I sense my daughter's aura on you?!"
A fearsome pressure fell onto Damien's shoulders all of a sudden, but he could only smile wryly.
'Why does it feel more like I'm meeting my father-in-law than a notorious Demon King?'
