"What?" Damian, for the first time in a very long time, was truly concerned. Cao Cao was not only a powerful villain but also an important side character in the canon story but Damian expected some things to change.
However, Cao Cao was strong, he shouldn't have been killed so easily that people had to actually find them. The deaths of strong members of the supernatural were never swift and the fight between Damian and the Jade Emperor was a perfect example
For the Hero Faction, a gathering of strong individuals, to die silent was unheard of. At least, it was unless a monster had gotten involved. Only the top 20, no the top 10 would be enough to make it possible but how many would move?
The Top 10 Strongest was a list of beings that was as far from objective as something could be and yet was, at this point, quite reliable. The list was based on achievements alone as most never fought one another.
Battles between powerhouses such as Damian and the Jade Emperor were rare these days with all the political aspects that needed to be taken into consideration. However, the list was fairly accurate nonetheless albeit it lacked some unknown names such as Trihexa.
𝟏 Great Red, Ophis
𝟐 Shiva
𝟑 Damian Thaumiel, Jade Emperor, Ra
𝟒 Lugh, Ddraig, Albion, Chrome Crauch
𝟓 Indra, Vishnu, Brahma
𝟔 Susanoo, Horus
𝟕 Sirzechs Lucifer, Ajuka Beelzebub
𝟖 Surtur, Sett
𝟗 Hades, Typhoon
𝟏𝟎 Thor, Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu
It certainly wasn't Great Red or Ophis and Shiva wasn't really likely either. Damian hadn't done it, the Jade Emperor would never be so quiet about it and Ra had all but retired. Lugh was a peaceful god and the Red, White, and Black Emperors were the same as the Jade Emperor.
Indra was a possibility but he was unlikely since Cao Cao was under him. Susanno was unlikely since Damian would have heard with his alliance with the Shinto faction still around and while Horus was strong enough he was too busy. Sirzechs and Ajuka weren't even up for debate.
Surtur was sealed away centuries ago and Sett was watched heavily by Horus so he was hardly a concern. Thor was a drunkard who while battle hungry restrained himself while Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu were in the same boat as their brother.
"It was Hades, wasn't it?" Damian asked, incredibly confident in his answer. He shouldn't be surprised as Hades was one of the final villains but it was incredibly shocking regardless. In Damian's mind, the God of Death was not one to act without proper forethought.
"We assume so." Nodding his head gravely, Vali had a deep frown. Cao Cao and the Hero Faction were enemies of him and his group but this was still the loss of a powerful enemy that he could have grown against.
"I wouldn't worry about not having an opponent, you'll probably face him soon enough." Damian spoke lightly yet a frown stained his face. As a God of Death, one of the most powerful ones, Damian had no doubt he'd be utilizing their corpses.
Reincarnating people in the supernatural world was difficult but the Hero Faction was made up of humans so there was no racial trouble there. Unfortunately, Hades could simply ignore any of the other issues and make the group his undead.
"Well, that's one thing at least." Chuckling lightly, Vali smirked proudly. The issue was, that was their only upside right now. Hades proving himself to be an enemy of the Khaos Brigade didn't mean much since the group was a terrorist organization.
However, even if they were a group of irredeemable scoundrels Vali had made something akin to a pact with Damian. Or, more aptly, Ophis had. The Vali Team was the only one to be alerted of their unofficial alliance but that didn't matter much.
What truly mattered was that Hades would not be prosecuted for killing the Hero Faction and would instead be praised extensively. Until further evidence was revealed, Hades would not be taken as a threat.
"I'll have to speed things up." Damian murmured lightly, a brow raised on Vali's face at the vague words. Truth be told, he wasn't all that worried. All the grim reapers would be a nonissue and he assumed that Damian would just take care of Hades.
"What do you mean by that? Did you already know this would happen or something?" It was almost comical how close Vali was to the truth but Damian ignored it in favor of thinking of how exactly he should go about doing it.
"I won't be able to defeat Hades myself. In fact, I won't even be able to participate." If there was disturbing news to be shared, it was that. But Damian had no choice, not with ExE trying to push their way in each day.
"Are you serious?" Vali asked, his smirk abruptly vanishing as worry washed over his heart. As far as Vali was concerned, Damian Thaumiel wasn't one to step away from an issue for no reason. He didn't know if it was the belief that they could do it or simply because he couldn't.
"Unfortunately. I think I know the root cause of Hades' actions as well but I'll keep them to myself for now. Right now, I think it would be better to increase my training efficiency. This includes you so come here each morning." Damian requested solemnly.
In his mind, the actual reasoning behind Hades' action was very similar or identical to his canon self. Somehow Hades had found out about ExE despite Damian and Great Red's respective efforts and wanted to protect the world from them.
In canon, Hades had the body of Lilith and therefore wished to kill all Longinus users who were dangerous elements but now he didn't have that luxury. Rizevim was still alive although not well and Hades didn't have the option to kill such a powerful group anymore.
No matter how much Hades didn't like them, he needed the Longinus users on his side. That didn't mean he needed them alive though. With the Hero Faction alone Hades had taken control of three high Longinus and dozens of other sacred gears.
And that was only the first step. There were plenty of Longinus users all around that Hades would want and it was unlikely Hades would suddenly get a moral compass. The issue has grown from canon.
"I'll have to send out a notice." Damian said with a sigh.
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