To become a God one requires certain skills that many consider unethical and one of them is manipulation. The ability to influence a person's opinion was needed to sway them over to your side, and while many believe Godhood means independence, they could never be more wrong.
No matter how powerful a mortal is, he or she will never attain Godhood if they cannot accumulate the power of faith.
The power of faith was the unique energy God's feed on that maintains their immortality. Meaning, that gods were tied to mortals more than mortals were tied to their kind.
To acquire the power of faith, a deity needs believers. One needs manipulation skills to make these believers choose to pray to them instead of other Gods. That's why God causes calamities and chaos once their believers turn on them to pray to other Gods.
Relevance was necessary to maintain Godhood.
One of the main reasons he failed to achieve Godhood in his past life was the coming of the church. It turned people from Damon and his counterparts, ushering in the worship of the old gods.
Their worshipers were stolen and they were killed eventually. Damon planned to change everything and reclaim his place in the heavens.
As long as they didn't find out about her identity, they had nothing in the forbidden palace. She sat on the back of the wolf, glaring deeply into Damon's eyes.
She understood the meaning behind his words, and for some strange reason, she felt compelled to obey his orders. For the past millennium, she was considered the fox spirit with the least talent, but she had always been Valysara's favorite.
She wouldn't have survived this cruel world for this long without the Fox Queen.
"I understand, but I have a request." Luna said with a bitter smile.
Damon frowned, seemingly reluctant to accept. However, after a few seconds, he could only let out a defeated sigh and nod to her request.
"I want to know. Are you the man my lady awaits?" Luna couldn't help but ask.
If this kid was the reincarnation of the man Valysara served, then she had nothing to worry about.
Umbra!
Buzz!
Suddenly, the darkness thickened and the light from torches dimmed drastically.
Huff!
A heavy exhale could be heard, and the temperature plummeted rapidly. Horses began screaming, kicking around in fear, while wolves howled loudly.
Michael, Lord Hail, and everyone present noticed the goosebumps on their body. While all this happened, Luna's gaze never left Damon's eyes, which had turned dark green.
"Hak…"
[A/N: Hak = Death]
Buzz!
Vegetations around began to wither away while a strange dark green seal appeared on everything Damon had touched including himself.
Swoosh!
Luna felt the dark energy within her, eroding her organs. This was the decay effect of the death magic, the true magic of the God of Death.
'Death primary magic… The Great Patriarch has returned. We are safe now.' Luna smiled sweetly before puking out a mouthful of black blood.
Just like Luna, the cloaked Magus, Danger, and Lucius, coughed up black blood and collapsed to the ground. The heavy darkness vanished, revealing the fallen bodies and leaving everyone confused.
…. Hail Family Mansion ….
Damon lay on the bed, his face pale and his bulging veins were pitch black. The decay effect he suffered from wasn't as severe as what Luna, Danger, and the cloaked magus had to deal with.
He was the only one who survived the rot, and the entire Hail family was torn. They had finally gotten their hands on the evidence they needed, and suddenly this happened.
Not only did they have to explain to the Forbidden Palace how their hostage died, but they also needed to find a way to appease the noble family to whom the Magus belonged.
Damon was hurt badly and was in no condition to participate in the Festival of Radiant Heir. The Hails dragged him into this, and now he was in a dire condition because of this.
The healers confessed by the time they could completely dispel the decay energy in Damon, it would be too late. The damage to his organs would be too severe by then, leading to an inevitable death.
Lara was broken by this news, but she was left crying when Danger succumbed to its injury and passed on. Damon could hear her cries from his room, causing him to open his eyes.
He saw Lord Ross pacing back and forth with a worried expression.
"Are you worried about me or what my death means for your family?" Damon asked in a hoarse voice.
Lord Ross quickly threw himself on the bed as soon as he heard Damon's voice.
"Relax, this is part of my plan. Who else can unleash the power of decay?" Damon rolled his eyes.
Lord Ross was taken aback by Damon's words and froze for a moment. He had been so worried about Damon that he didn't think things through.
Who else could manipulate darkness like that?
Who else can use the power of Death?
Only the Griffith Empire Patriarch!
"That means you killed the fox… You are helping the forbidden palace." Lord Ross mumbled under his breath.
Suddenly the Hail family mansion didn't feel safe anymore.
"Don't bother yourself with these things. To create opportunities, one needs to create chaos. I'm simply taking advantage of the laws of survival." Damon said coldly, even in his dire condition.
Lord Ross could see the pain in his eyes, but his voice was steady.
'What kind of pain has this person endured to get used to this level of suffering?' Lord Ross couldn't help but wonder.
In the end, Lord Ross could only trust Damon and follow his orders. If Damon is the one instigating the chaos about to disrupt the festival of radiant heir, then he has a reason for that.
All Lord Ross could do now was take a back seat and watch how everything played out.