My Lust System: I Inherited The Sin Of Lust And His Three Wives

Chapter 288: Meeting Astaroth

Damian sat motionless for several seconds after Loth’s question, the cigar balanced between two fingers while ribbons of violet smoke drifted lazily through the darkness of the room.

Beyond the glass wall, the city continued its endless dance of lights and movement, entirely unaware that one of the most powerful beings on the planet was currently contemplating how much damage he wished to inflict upon the lives of people who considered themselves untouchable.

The file concerning Victor Hale remained open on the table beside him, the photograph clipped to the front staring upward like a challenge. Damian found it amusing.

Once upon a time, men like Victor had occupied a position above him. They had been his superiors, his gatekeepers, the people whose approval determined the course of his career. Now those same people existed within a world he could erase with a thought if he truly lost control of himself.

"What do you plan to do?" Loth finally asked after the silence stretched long enough to become uncomfortable.

Damian did not answer immediately. Instead, he took another drag from the cigar and leaned further into the sofa, allowing his gaze to wander toward the illuminated skyline. The question lingered in his mind for a few moments before a grin slowly spread across his face.

"I want to go against all of them." He chuckled softly, though there was something unsettling hidden beneath the amusement. "I want to set everything ablaze and watch it burn from the side."

The more he thought about it, the more entertaining the idea became. The Hale family had influence. Politicians had influence. Donors had influence. Judges, senators, lobbyists, business owners and wealthy families all believed they could bend outcomes through power and connections.

Damian genuinely wanted to see what would happen if he refused every single one of them. If Victor got convicted despite all their efforts, what exactly would they do?

Launch investigations?

Freeze assets?

Spread rumors?

Send assassins?

The thought alone almost made him laugh.

The next hearing was still a week away. That was seven full days for people to begin arriving at his doorstep.

Seven days for phone calls, secret meetings, veiled threats, bribes, political favors and desperate negotiations. He could already imagine the panic spreading through influential circles as they realized Judge Hill had no intention of playing along.

At that moment, a whisper brushed against his consciousness.

"Hear my request, oh great Lord."

The words rang through his mind like the tolling of an ancient bell.

Everything changed instantly.

The bedroom vanished as the sensation of sitting inside his own home evaporated. Damian’s vision blurred before rapidly reforming into an entirely different reality.

He now found himself seated upon the same sofa, yet the sofa no longer rested inside his bedroom. Instead, it occupied the center of a colossal chamber so vast that even his enhanced senses struggled to determine its boundaries.

Massive stone pillars stretched upward into darkness. Their widths rivaled skyscrapers. Ancient carvings covered every surface, depicting forgotten battles, extinct races and monstrous creatures that bore little resemblance to anything found on Earth.

At the far end of the chamber stood a throne. Darkness wrapped around it like a living entity and within that darkness burned two pairs of crimson eyes.

One pair belonged to the figure seated upon the throne. The second pair loomed far behind him. Only then did Damian realize that something massive occupied the wall itself.

A dragon.

Its body was so large it appeared fused into the architecture of the chamber. Crimson scales reflected the dim light while enormous wings remained folded against the stone. Every breath that escaped its nostrils sounded like distant thunder.

Murderous intent rolled off the creature yet Damian remained completely unimpressed.

His eyes calmly shifted from the dragon toward the man seated upon the throne.

The individual wore elegant robes resembling those of ancient Greek nobility. A crown rested atop his head. His expression remained composed despite the dragon’s hostility.

What interested Damian more was something else. He could see them yet he could not feel them. The absence alone immediately put him on guard.

"Using prayers to summon my consciousness and trap it inside whatever this is." Damian rested his chin on his palm and smiled lightly. "You are already far more impressive than the previous assassins."

Purple smoke exploded beside him.

Rin appeared on the backrest of the sofa before hopping onto Damian’s shoulder. The fox stared toward the throne.

"That is Astaroth," Rin said calmly. "Leader of the Council of Elders."

The moment those words left his mouth, Damian’s smile disappeared.

His eyes turned cold.

Across the chamber, Astaroth chuckled. The dragon behind him released a low growl powerful enough to shake the massive hall.

"The rumors were true." Astaroth’s voice carried surprising warmth. "You truly reached the demigod realm in less than a year. Are you aware that no prince in recorded history has ever accomplished such a feat?"

Damian shrugged.

"Is that why everyone keeps trying to kill me?"

Astaroth laughed softly before waving a hand dismissively.

"No. That particular stupidity belongs to Envy."

The answer came so casually that Damian almost believed him.

Astaroth leaned forward slightly.

"Some of us are simply curious. We wish to know what sort of prince you will become. Unfortunately, kidnapping the daughter of a Marquis family is not the most flattering introduction."

The elder’s smile remained polite.

"Would you give me some face and release her?"

The room fell silent as Damian stared at him, then he slowly extended his hand.

Astaroth blinked and the dragon narrowed its eyes feveral seconds passed.

"What?" Astaroth finally asked.

"My payment." Damian said blankly.

The elder frowned.

"What payment?"

Damian’s arm remained extended.

"The demigod artifact I requested in exchange for her life. Do you have it?"

The silence that followed felt significantly heavier.

Astaroth had expected negotiation, perhaps refusal or compromise. He had not expected the conversation to immediately return to ransom demands.

The elder slowly leaned back upon his throne while studying the prince before him.

For the first time, he began realizing Damian truly had no intention of releasing the girl without receiving something valuable in return.

"Tsk... tsk..." Astaroth sighed inwardly. "A stubborn prince."

His gaze briefly shifted toward Rin.

The fox remained silent and that silence alone told him everything. Rin trusted Damian enough to stop interfering with his decisions.

That fact alone spoke volumes.

"I don’t believe you understand the consequences," Astaroth said carefully. "Making enemies of the Kasok family could trigger a conflict you are not prepared to fight."

Damian’s response came instantly.

"Then I’ll exterminate the Kasok family."

The words were spoken with complete calm.

"The war ends when they cease to exist. Correct?" Damian asked.

Even the dragon’s breathing paused and Astaroth’s eyes narrowed.

Before he could respond, Damian continued.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear." His voice remained level and cold. "I do not tolerate threats. I do not tolerate blackmail. Those who stand with me will be protected. Those who stand against me will be destroyed. I don’t care whether they’re demons, humans, angels or gods."

His violet eyes locked onto Astaroth’s.

"Tell the Kasoks I said that."

The next moment he vanished and the connection shattered. Astaroth found himself alone once more and the dragon remained silent for several moments before finally speaking.

"He isn’t like Lin Qui."

"No." Astaroth smiled faintly. "He isn’t."

The elder leaned back while considering the encounter.

"Lin Qui loved demons too much. Damian doesn’t."

The dragon lowered its massive head.

"Does that disappoint you?"

"Not at all."

Astaroth’s answer came immediately.

"Lin Qui’s kindness made him predictable. Everyone knew exactly how he would react. Damian is different."

His eyes gleamed.

"He doesn’t separate people by race. He separates them into allies and enemies."

The dragon remained thoughtful so Astaroth continued.

"More importantly, he doesn’t wait for danger to arrive before acting. If Lin Qui considered Pride an enemy, he would spend centuries avoiding conflict until circumstances forced his hand. Damian looks like the kind of man who would march straight toward Aurelius and start a war himself."

The elder found that possibility oddly comforting.

"He’s perfect."

The dragon frowned.

"Should we stop the assassination attempts?"

"No."

Astaroth shook his head. His reasoning came quickly.

"There are three ways a Demi-god can grow. Faith, ritual mating partners and consuming enemy essence are the fastest paths available to his growth. Every assassin sent after him is nutrition ."

The dragon’s eyes narrowed.

"We are sacrificing demons for a human."

Astaroth’s smile disappeared.

"We are sacrificing demons to save demons from the real monster."

The dragon understood immediately as the image of Sol appeared at the back of his mind.

Back inside the California mansion, Damian’s vision gradually returned. The massive throne room faded and the bedroom came back into focus.

Loth sat exactly where she had been before. Concern filled her expression.

"My lord?" she asked carefully. "Are you alright?"

Damian ignored the question as his hand tightened around the cigar. His eyes narrowed and a second later Rin appeared directly on his lap.

Neither spoke. They simply stared at one another.

Finally Damian broke the silence.

"I couldn’t feel them. The dragon. Astaroth. Neither of them."

Rin nodded.

His voice carried none of the confidence he displayed earlier, only cold calculation.

Because now that the conversation was over, his instincts had finally finished processing what happened.

During that entire meeting he had subconsciously evaluated every possible outcome and the conclusion had remained consistent.

If he fought Astaroth right now, he would lose. The realization irritated him more than he cared to admit.

"Take a deep breath."

Rin placed a paw against his chest. The fox understood exactly what Damian was feeling.

For the first time since reaching the demigod realm, Damian had encountered someone who reminded him how far away true power still was.

And the person wasn’t even a Prince. It was just a duke.