Chapter 273: Beginner’s Luck
Chapter 273: Beginner’s Luck
Thud!
The Kasok woman landed heavily upon a frozen rooftop.
Snow and ice exploded outward beneath her feet as powerful winds continued raging across the battlefield. Her white hair whipped wildly around her face while her eyes remained fixed on the horizon.
Specifically on the massive crimson dome surrounding the cathedral. The barrier stretched for miles in every direction. It towered above the city like a blood-red sky that had descended to Earth.
The sight alone made her stomach tighten.
Below the dome, life continued normally. Pedestrians walked along sidewalks and cars moved through intersections.
Children played in nearby parks and people entered restaurants and stores. None of them acknowledged the barrier. None of them even seemed capable of seeing it.
A vehicle passed directly through her body moments earlier without slowing. The driver continued onward completely unaware of her existence.
The Kasok woman’s expression darkened.
"False World..."
The words escaped her mouth almost unconsciously and shock filled her voice.
"He can use this technique already?" Her heart raced.
The ability was not supposed to exist at this level. False World was a high-ranking authority. A power typically reserved for Dukes and Princes.
The skill allowed the user to separate a portion of reality from the normal world and create a battlefield detached from ordinary existence and dwelled in the spirit realm.
Months ago, Duke Haborym used the exact same ability to isolate Damian and force him into a desperate battle for survival.
Now Damian was doing the same thing. Only this time, the roles had reversed.
"He really reached the Demon Noble level..."
The realization struck harder than before. The information they possessed had already been outdated.
Dangerously outdated.
As the blizzard continued raging around her, several hulking figures emerged from the storm. Each stood over seven feet tall and wore dark cloaks concealing their reptilian features.
Each carried the same icy aura unique to the Kasok race. They approached cautiously, not because of her but because of the crimson sky above them.
Everything was happening so fast they could barley keep up. How did an assassination attempt turn into a horror scene even demons would shudder at.
The woman barely noticed their arrival. Her mind had already begun piecing together something far more disturbing.
Suddenly, her eyes widened.
"That means..."
She inhaled sharply.
Only now did she fully understand what Faceless had been trying to tell her inside the parish.
The realization sent chills down her spine.
The assassins sent toward Damian’s residence were never chasing the clone. They were chasing the original.
That was why Faceless seemed completely unconcerned about disturbing.
Her face turned pale upon realizing thry were in severe danger. But that wasn’t even the worst part.
If those assassins died, that meant the original could simply return here. Then the remaining thirty percent of power invested in Faceless would return.
At that point, everything would become hopeless. A demonic noble prince can trade blows with demigods. They stand no chance against him in full strength.
The realization struck her like lightning.
"He is only a clone here."
She immediately turned toward her approaching comrades and her voice remained surprisingly calm despite the panic building inside her chest.
"If we join forces, we should still be able to kill him and leave this place before the original returns."
The other three Kasoks exchanged glances. None of them needed further explanation, they had already overheard enough from the very beginning.
The situation was disastrous. This was the danger of acting first.
For months, powerful demons from multiple factions had quietly gathered around Chicago. Some came from the courts of rival Princes and many others were independent opportunists.
Several possessed terrifying reputations throughout the Underworld. Among them were even demigod-level demons serving in the inner circle of Princes.
Everyone wanted Damian’s inheritance.
Fearful that stronger competitors would claim the reward first, the Kasoks had acted early. Now, that impatience appeared to have doomed them.
The blizzard intensified.
"YOUR LACK OF AWARENESS EVEN AT THIS SITUATION IS TRULY EMBARRASSING."
The voice exploded across the False World.
The frozen air vibrated violently. Yet strangely the humans below continued their daily routines.
Nobody looked up, reacted or even heard a thing. Only the trapped assassins could hear it.
The realization made everything even worse.
"BUT SURE. LET US ASSUME I AM ONLY A DEMON NOBLE. LET US ASSUME THIS BODY POSSESSES ONLY THIRTY PERCENT OF MY MASTER’S POWER."
The pressure suddenly increased and the four Kasoks instinctively tensed. The cathedral in the distance seemed to grow larger.
"I AM SEATED UPON THE THRONE OF POWER. MY POWER IS DOUBLED. DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO TAKE ME?"
All four assassins shuddered at that word. Thirty percent doubled is sixty percent.
The realization hit them simultaneously. The throne itself was amplifying him and if Faceless was speaking truthfully then the clone currently ruling this False World possessed power equivalent to over half of Damian’s total strength.
The sky darkened as the the final question descended.
"ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU CAN DEAL WITH ME AT SIXTY PERCENT?"
The words struck harder than any attack and silence followed. Not one of the four Kasoks answered. Because for the first time since arriving in Chicago none of them were certain of anything anymore.
The female Kasok wracked her brain as she desperately searched for a solution to this problem while maintaining a calm exterior.
She was a leader who understood the moment she panicked, the terror would fear to her spread to her colleagues and the battle would be lost then.
The real question was, can they beat Faceless?
Her colleagues were all demon nobles and while she was also a demon noble, she was halfway into closer to the demigod realm.
She may not be able to beat the real body, but....
"Maybe we can win." She said firmly and her men nodded coldly in response.
A cold and amused laughter slowly rang from the Parrish, shaking the entire realm. The doors of the Parish slam open and the Faceless’s amused voice boomed.
"Come, show me what cold-blooded lizards can do."
AWB