Swoosh!

Within the massive crimson barrier surrounding Damian’s false world, a violent blizzard raged without end. Snow and ice churned through the air like living things while hurricane-force winds tore apart the frozen landscape. Entire walls of ice rose and collapsed beneath the storm’s fury. Visibility should have been impossible, yet Damian continued forward with slow, steady steps as though he were taking an evening stroll through a peaceful park.

Every snowflake that drifted within a meter of his body disintegrated instantly.

Every gust of wind bent around him and shard of ice shattered before it could even touch him.

ROOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!

A deafening roar shook the heavens as thousands of ice weapons materialized throughout the storm. Spears, swords, axes, hammers, and jagged crystalline spikes filled the sky before racing toward Damian from every direction. The attack was beautiful in a terrifying way, like an avalanche given intelligence and purpose.

Yet the result remained the same.

The moment each weapon crossed into Damian’s vicinity, it burst apart into glittering fragments.

Some shattered and melted. Others simply ceased to exist.

The storm continued screaming around him, but not a single attack reached his body.

Several hundred meters away, the two Kasok assassins exchanged grim looks. For the first time since arriving on Earth, genuine unease entered their eyes.

Whoosh!

Their black cloaks exploded into the air.

The disguises they had worn vanished completely as their true forms emerged.

Both demons towered over ordinary humans. Their skin possessed an icy blue hue covered with glowing draconic scales. Long tails whipped through the blizzard behind them while sharp horns protruded from their skulls. Frost escaped their mouths with every breath and their muscles bulged beneath thick scales that looked harder than steel.

Without exchanging another word, both demons charged. The speed they displayed completely contradicted their size.

"Here they come," Damian muttered with a bored expression.

"They possess draconic physicality. It is only natural they would resort to close combat eventually," Rin replied calmly from his shoulder.

Swoosh!

The first Kasok arrived instantly. His fist crashed forward with enough force to flatten a building.

The air exploded and the snow parted.

The demon’s scales glowed brighter as he unleashed everything behind the strike.

Yet Damian simply yawned.

Covering his mouth with one hand, he lazily extended the little finger of his opposite hand.

BOOM!

The collision produced a shockwave powerful enough to tear apart the surrounding ice field.

Snow erupted outward.

The demon froze and his eyes widened.

His punch had been stopped by a single pinky finger.

How was this possible?

"You hover somewhere around one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty points in strength," Damian said casually while inspecting him. "That is actually quite impressive for a Demon Noble belonging to a weaker race."

The Kasok’s expression twisted instantly.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

His roar shook the landscape.

Ice erupted around Damian from every direction. Massive glaciers formed instantly and swallowed him whole.

In less than a second, a mountain-sized block of ice stood where Damian once stood.

"FINISH HIM!"

The first demon leaped backward while his companion surged forward.

The second Kasok clenched his fist around empty air. The atmosphere trembled as a gigantic ice hammer materialized above him.

The weapon was so massive it looked capable of flattening a city block.

"DIEEEEE!"

The two demons roared together as yhe hammer descended.

Buzz.

Then everything became strangely still. A low laugh echoed from inside the frozen prison. The sound alone caused both demons to stiffen.

A pair of glowing violet eyes illuminated the ice.

"Do not tell me you expected this to hold me."

BOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion that followed resembled a natural disaster. The entire glacier detonated and a tidal wave of force erupted outward.

The mountain of ice vanished instantly and the storm itself was blown apart.

Both Kasok demons were hurled backward like rag dolls. Yet before either could regain control of their bodies, reality distorted.

The world seemed to zoom inward.

Distance folded and space twisted.

Their retreating forms abruptly changed direction. Instead of flying away, they found themselves hurtling directly toward Damian.

Pa!

Pa!

His hands closed around their throats. The demons screamed. Both grabbed his arms with all their strength.

Their claws dug into his skin while their tails whipped wildly. Their legs kicked desperately, yet they might as well have been children struggling against an adult.

Nothing they did mattered or moved him.

"Using Bathin’s technique already?" Rin observed while watching Damian carefully.

Dark cracks had begun spreading around Damian’s eyes while his irises turned pitch black.

"I will have to use the inheritance eventually," Damian replied calmly. "I might as well start getting accustomed to it now."

The demons continued struggling.

Bang!

Their bodies went limp and the resistance vanished. Their eyes rolled back as Damian released them and the unconscious forms dropped to the frozen ground with dull thuds.

Krash!

The crimson false world shattered like glass and the blizzard disappeared.

The night sky returned and the stars reappeared overhead. Everything became quiet once more.

Damian glanced down at the dead assassins before sighing.

"That was anticlimactic."

He sounded genuinely disappointed.

"I expected more."

Rin immediately smacked him on the side of the head.

"You should have held back until they finished displaying everything they had to offer."

Damian blinked.

"Oh."

He rubbed the back of his head.

"Right." A chuckle escaped him.

His gaze drifted toward the distant parish where another battle continued raging. Even from here he could sense the demonic signatures clashing against Faceless.

The fight was still ongoing.

"Shall we get going?"

"Wear some clothes first."

Smack!

Rin hit him again. Damian frowned before finally looking down. Only then did he realize he was completely naked.

For several seconds he simply stared at himself.

"Fair point."

A familiar laugh sounded behind him. Damian turned and standing several meters away were Hazel and Rachel.

Both women had already changed into black tactical jackets and fitted combat trousers. Hazel held a folded set of clothes while Rachel rested a baseball bat across her shoulder despite having absolutely no need for one.

"You are coming along?" Damian asked with genuine surprise.

The two women nodded immediately.

"Someone is trying to assassinate our husband," Hazel said with a bright smile. "The least we can do is memorize their faces."

Rachel flexed one of her thin arms dramatically.

"Do not worry. I’ll beat them up for you."

Damian stared at her and Rachel stared back proudly. Then he laughed.

"Alright."

He accepted the clothes from Hazel. Pulling on the trousers and jacket, Damian quickly dressed while the two women watched with satisfied expressions.

Once finished, he adjusted the sleeves and rolled his shoulders. Damian stretched lazily before turning toward the direction of the parish.

A grin slowly appeared on his face.

"Let’s go take a look, shall we?"

Hazel smiled, Rachel cracked her knuckles and Rin climbed comfortably onto Damian’s head.

Tonight promised to be the most entertaining they have experienced in 5 months.