Corbin stood silently amidst the ruined battlefield alongside the remaining priests and guardian angels.

The shattered remains of the cathedral still radiated faint divine energy while golden particles drifted endlessly through the night air like dying embers.

Yet nobody spoke. Confusion dominated every face present. They had prepared themselves for death but the unthinkable happened.

After witnessing Damian destroy both the deity and cathedral with raw force alone, every priest present understood they no longer stood a chance.

Yet somehow, at the final moment the enemy simply left.

It made no sense.

Damian held every advantage imaginable. He could have slaughtered all of them effortlessly.

So why didn’t he?

"That bastard..."

Corbin suddenly clenched his fists violently.

The sound of his grinding teeth echoed faintly.

"That bastard!"

Memories of his final exchange with Damian resurfaced immediately.

Corbin had demanded to know why Damian was sparing them. And Damian simply replied that he could kill them whenever he wanted, so there was no reason to rush.

Corbin’s body trembled violently.

"He’s looking down on us..."

His hollow white eyes shook visibly.

For the first time in years, Corbin genuinely felt like crying. It was not just Damian’s words that crushed him.

It was the indifference.

After everything they threw at him... After all their prayers, sacrifices and desperation Damian crushed them completely then acted as though none of it mattered.

As though they were insignificant!

Never in his life had Corbin been humiliated so thoroughly before. Gilbert floated silently nearby before finally letting out a defeated sigh.

"Report back to the Pope."

The archangel’s burned golden eyes remained fixed upon the distant skies Damian disappeared into.

"Inform him of the danger that exists in this county. It is clear we require additional support to contain this evil."

Corbin remained silent.

No matter how unwilling he was to accept reality, eventually he would have to. This battle had taught him something painful.

There existed enemies beyond his capabilities. Battles he could not win alone and situations where even a genius like him would be forced to rely upon others.

He was a Seed but at the end of the day he was still only human.

---

Far away from the ruined battlefield Damian slowly descended beside a quiet ocean bank.

The waves crashed gently against the shore while cold night winds swept through the area endlessly.

One after another, the surviving demons descended behind him shakily. Their bodies still trembled from everything they had witnessed tonight.

The gigantic fox avatar had already vanished. Now Damian stood calmly beneath the moonlight once more with Rin resting comfortably atop his head.

The moment Damian’s feet touched the sand, Jota timidly stepped forward first. The ugly demon lowered himself into a deep bow immediately.

"Thank you..."

His voice trembled emotionally.

"Thank you for protecting us."

Behind him, the other demons quickly bowed as well. Dozens of twisted monstrous figures lowering themselves respectfully beneath the moonlight looked surreal.

Yet Damian simply stared at them with dull empty eyes.

Honestly, at that moment he felt more emotional attachment toward the sand beneath his feet than their display of gratitude.

’I really don’t like them,’ Damian admitted internally.

Rin’s tails swayed slowly.

’But you don’t hate them either.’

The tiny fox glanced sideways at him calmly.

’You should have noticed that too.’

Buzz!

Damian’s eyes widened slightly. Then realization slowly surfaced across his face. In the past Creatures like this disgusted him. Even standing near them irritated him deeply.

Yet now he merely felt numb.

The same thing happened with Lith and Loth when Racheal first introduced them. Back then he hated them instinctively.

Now?

Now he did not particularly mind them anymore. In fact Damian realized he would genuinely go out of his way to protect them if necessary.

Because somewhere deep within his mind he already considered them his property.

’You are beginning to think like a God.’

Rin sounded oddly pleased.

A faint smile slowly appeared across Damian’s face then his attention shifted back toward Jota and the gathered demons still kneeling before him.

"What were you all doing before you got caught?" Damian asked directly.

Jota’s body jolted slightly. Fear surfaced inside his eye briefly but he suppressed it quickly.

"We were gathering together before leaving the state to search for our brothers in neighboring regions," Jota answered hurriedly.

"After that we planned to spread across the world."

The demon lowered his head slightly further.

"I intended to return only after every surviving member of the twenty four legions had been gathered."

Damian nodded slowly. The plan sounded reasonable enough. His gaze shifted past Jota toward the gathered demons behind him.

Over thirty stood there. Creatures of various grotesque shapes and sizes. Some were barely taller than children while others possessed twisted elongated limbs and distorted faces.

Yet Damian could tell with a single glance they were all weak. Mostly Imps and Lesser Demons.

GHardly threats.

"Hide within human bodies from now on."

Damian’s tone remained calm.

"That will make it harder for the church to track you."

Rin nodded approvingly atop his head.

"We understand!" the demons answered together immediately.

Damian paid them little attention afterward. Instead he slowly began levitating off the ground again.

Jota noticed immediately and panic flashed within the demon’s eye briefly. There was still something he needed to say.

"My Lord..."

His timid voice called out quickly.

Damian paused midair before glancing back at him with slight surprise.

Honestly he expected these cowards would want him gone as quickly as possible after witnessing his overwhelming strength.

"Is there a problem?" Damian asked indifferently.

Jota froze briefly before shaking his head repeatedly.

"I apologize for delaying Your Majesty," he bowed again hurriedly.

"But this lowly demon has something important to report."

Damian raised a brow.

"Go on."

Jota visibly blinked in surprise. He genuinely expected Damian would ignore him entirely.

"That priest controlling the archangel Gilbert..."

Jota lowered his voice instinctively.

"He is a Seed."

The surrounding demons visibly stiffened.

"Such individuals are too dangerous to leave alive, especially after developing hostility toward you, sire."

Clearly even demons feared Corbin’s existence. Damian remained silent for several seconds before shrugging casually.

"I still have use for him."

His violet eyes remained calm.

"When he ceases being useful to me, I will dispose of him."

Buzz!

Jota’s eye instantly lit up brightly. Several demons behind him reacted similarly. The confidence behind Damian’s words overwhelmed them completely.

"I understand!"

Jota suddenly screamed excitedly.

"If My Lord intends to use him, who is he to resist?!"

The ass kissing was so shameless Damian nearly rolled his eyes. Instead he simply nodded casually before turning away again.

But just before taking off he paused once more. Then slowly looked back toward the gathered demons.

"When leaving America, avoid the Middle East and Mexico."

His tone turned slightly more serious.

"My brothers’ forces will soon begin clashing within those regions."

The warning mattered. If these demons encountered the forces of Wrath or Greed, Damian already knew he would absolutely ignore their prayers.

The last thing he intended to do was expose himself further for the sake of demons.

"We understand!" the demons bowed deeply again.

Damian nodded once in satisfaction.

BOOM!!!

The ground beneath him exploded apart as he shot into the skies like a black comet. The resulting shockwave swept violently across the ocean bank.

Far above the clouds, Damian flew silently through the night sky. Cold winds battered against his body endlessly while the world below slowly faded into darkness.

After the chaos of tonight, he silence felt refreshing.

"You seem satisfied."

Rin’s calm voice broke the silence eventually.

Damian nodded honestly.

"I did get to play God a little."

A faint grin appeared across his face.

"It’s natural I’m satisfied."

He did not bother denying it. It felt good being needed. Even better, It felt good helping them.

At the end of the day, Damian realized something important. It was never truly about who he helped.

Nor was it about how they felt. The act itself made him happy. And honestly, that alone was enough.