"Kill me? I would like to see you try!" Hector bellowed.
Hector's transformation into the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox began with an ominous outburst of dark energy into the atmosphere.
Hector stood at the center of the dark storm as his body was engulfed in an eerie crimson glow. His human features began to distort, his skin stretching and his bones cracking violently.
His muscles expanded, tearing through his robes as his body expanded rapidly. Dark, black fur sprouted rapidly, covering his once-human form with a thick, glossy coat while glowing crimson lines began to trace their way across his body, forming unique patterns that pulsed with dark energy.
Hector's face elongated into a sharp, feral snout, filled with razor-sharp teeth that gleamed in the crimson light. His eyes burned with an unnatural red glow and his pupils narrowed into thin slits, resembling those of a beast of the abyss.
And then came the tails.
One by one, nine enormous tails erupted from his back, each as thick as a tree and glowing faintly with an infernal red light. His transformation was completed with a deafening roar, unleashing a shockwave that dispelled the clustered dark energy and revealed his new form.
Standing atop the burning rooftop with Valysara in his arms, Damon calmly glared at the massive demon fox gazing at them with murderous eyes. Its size was breathtaking, easily towering over the massive Forbidden Palace.
The demon fox was no different from a small hill. In its presence, Damon and Valysara looked insignificant.
"Since you both want to see me dead, I will be sending you two off!" Hector bellowed as it swung its massive claws in their direction.
It planned to obliterate the entire rooftop with a single swing, but even then Damon didn't panic, instead, he looked annoyed.
"Voice of death, scream your cry, let their souls begin to die!" Damon chanted in whispers.
Tier 1 Death Magic: Wail Of The Departed.
High-pitched screams from the dead within the walls of the Forbidden Palace infused with death magic erupted in waves. Bombarded with the painful and gut-wrenching cries of the dead, the Demon fox halted its attack.
The nine-tailed beast staggered back, its eyes squinting in pain. All those voices were driving it crazy, especially since it could recognize a good number of them.
These were people he had come across on a daily basis. Subordinates that reported to him and even guards that stood diligently at his doorpost.
"Know pain… Know despair, the kind you put your sister through…" Damon said as he casually raised his hand, pointing his index fingertips at the massive figure of the demon fox
"Goodbye, Hector." Damon said with a charming smile.
An immense quantity of hell fire erupted from his fingertip, consuming the nine-tailed demon fox whole. The beast screamed and cried loudly, swaying from side to side before collapsing to the ground completely.
"Against this God, you never stood a chance…." Damon sneered disdainfully.
The entire hill was burning down in ghastly green flames. Duke Hail and his soldiers dared not enter while the flames of hell burnt brightly.
Within the hill, Damon and Valysara stood amid the chaos, enjoying the scenery. This reminded her of the numerous battles she and his other wives had accompanied him into.
Seeing the chaos Damon could easily create was his most attractive feature. This reminded her of the good old days, bringing back a feeling of peace and security she hadn't felt since his death.
"Now you are safe, we can start all over again, find our friends and allies. Rebuild the Palace of the Dead and challenge the heavens." Damon whispered into Valysara's head, and she just nodded with a smile.
She had been dying to hear those words again.
…. The Next Morning …..
After burning for more than six hours straight, the raging flames of hell finally died down in the morning. Duke Hail, Michael and a few soldiers climbed the hill to see what remained of the Forbidden Palace
Duke Hail walked through the rubbles with a shaken expression on his face. Every corpse scorched by the fierce flames of the underworld was not actually burnt, instead, they were drained of everything until there was nothing left.
An hour into the search, the corpses of the four noble heads were found. Under Duke Hail's orders, all those handling the corpses were made to wear protective gear. He was scared the decay power of the death magic would still be effective even now.
They spent most of the day searching, getting frantic with each passing moment. Even if Damon was dead, they owed it to Lord Ross to recover his corpse.
By midnight, they eventually stumbled on a sealed door that led to an underground dungeon. That was where they saw Damon, in one of the cells, tied and brutally hurt.
In the room were countless torturing tools stained with his blood. He was barely breathing when they found him and needed immediate medical attention.
While Michael took Damon out, Duke Hail stayed back and completed his search of the dungeon. He stumbled across numerous corpses belonging to the numerous spies he had sent to investigate the Forbidden Palace in the past.