sovbooks Chapter 267: The Story Begins
Chapter 267: The Story Begins
After Patrick Beaumont’s daughter was healed, the atmosphere inside the parish transformed completely.
The fear remained but now it was mixed with hunger.
Everyone who stepped before the altar carried desires buried deep within themselves and Damian granted requests one after another throughout the night while the violet flames burned endlessly across the church walls.
One man requested healing for his failing lungs, another wanted protection from an investigation threatening to destroy his business empire.
Each request revealed something ugly beneath polished appearances. These powerful people arrived dressed as elites, yet before the throne, they all looked desperate.
And Damian realized something amusing.
The higher people climbed in society, the more terrified they became of losing what they had gained.
By the time the final person left the parish, dawn was already approaching. The clock resting high above the entrance quietly read 4 AM.
The once crowded parish now felt massive and empty.
Purple flames crackled softly along the walls. The smell of cigars, incense, blood, and lingering perfume mixed strangely together in the air.
Damian remained seated upon the throne, mentally exhausted.
Even with his current strength, continuously using dark miracles while maintaining the divine persona placed enormous strain on his mind.
Still, the gains had been worth it. Every request he granted carried only two conditions attached.
His ambition to become a judge would receive their full support and the Ministry of Love would gain official backing from the Chicago government.
That alone would place his church above every other religion operating within the state. Having political immunity, public exposure and government sponsored outreach is the advantage he needs to grow fast.
The foundation for expansion had finally been established.
"Once I become president, I’ll try to have other religions banned." Damian spoke casually while leaning against the throne.
Rin immediately rolled its eyes.
"You are begging to be killed by the Prince of Greed." Its voice carried obvious irritation.
But to Rin’s surprise Damian rolled his eyes back.
"He is going to try and do it anyways, so we might as well fuck him over before getting killed." His tone remained completely indifferent.
Rin stared at him quietly for a few seconds before sighing. It had noticed the change long ago.
Ever since the breakup with Clara, Damian no longer feared death. There was now a frightening disregard toward his own survival buried beneath his ambition.
He still planned carefully, calculated and prepared contingencies. But emotionally he no longer cared what happened to him as long as he continued moving toward his goal.
Even if that path eventually killed him.
Bam!
The parish doors swung open again, this time the real Damian walked inside still dressed in his party suit from earlier that night. Loth followed quietly behind him with her hands folded respectfully before her body.
The clone seated upon the throne remained motionless.
The two Damains stared at one another briefly before the real Damian and Loth approached the altar calmly.
"We did pretty well today." Damian’s voice sounded tired but satisfied.
Faceless nodded slightly.
"With government sponsored outreach programs, we can reach a larger audience quickly and use our dark miracles to build influence. But that means you will be playing the role of the faceless form from now on."
Faceless adjusted the fox mask slightly before smiling faintly.
"I don’t mind playing that role. The real question is whether you’re comfortable staying with only seventy percent of your power."
That immediately made Damian frown. Splitting strength at a time like this truly was dangerous.
Especially because clones did not work like ordinary projections. If a clone died, the strength invested into it vanished permanently. That was why even deities rarely created powerful clones recklessly.
Faceless leaned back slightly upon the throne.
"It was just like Rin said. Demons don’t fight directly. If they realize I’m only a clone carrying a fraction of your power..."
Damian raised his hand calmly, silencing him midway.
"I’ll have Ruby remain here with you."
He answered almost instantly.
"With her around, you two should be capable of holding out long enough for the rest of us to prevent disaster."
Faceless nodded slowly in agreement. The pace of everything was accelerating too quickly now.
Within a month their influence would explode across Chicago and once that happened, remaining hidden would become impossible.
Especially because the conflict between Greed and Wrath still had not erupted into open warfare yet.
That bothered Damian deeply.
The tension had existed for too long without escalation. Something about it felt wrong.
Still whether war happened or not no longer mattered. Damian had already made up his mind. He intended to see this plan through to the very end.
Even if it eventually killed him.
"Gosh... life is just getting more complicated."
Rin sighed heavily before rising from Faceless’s lap. It jumped gracefully onto Damian’s shoulder and settled there comfortably.
"Of course things are getting more complicated. We’re only a few months away from becoming demigods." Damian shrugged indifferently.
The words sounded absurd. Yet nobody present doubted them. From this point onward, everything is war.
Every step forward would place them deeper into conflict with beings far beyond ordinary humans.
"So what happens now?" Faceless asked quietly.
Damian walked away from the altar toward the front row seats before sitting down heavily. Loth approached immediately and opened the cigar box respectfully.
Damian picked one calmly. The tip ignited instantly with violent purple flames. He took a long drag before releasing thick violet infused smoke into the air.
The smoke curled unnaturally through the parish ceiling like living spirits.
"I’ll create a third clone carrying ten percent of my strength to handle my daily affairs including the elections while I spend the next five months trying to become a demigod."
Loth’s face flushed red instantly and her breathing became slightly uneven. Even hearing him speak about ritual mating stirred something deep inside her.
Who among the sins did not desire a taste of Lust?
"And then we leave?" Faceless asked.
The parish suddenly became quieter. Even the flames seemed softer.
Once they became demigods, they could finally return fully to Damian’s domain in the underworld where he will be safe and begin traveling beyond Earth itself to spread influence across other worlds.
That was the real objective.
Damian needed enough faith to become a true God before the official competition for the Demon Lord position began.
But deep inside, he understood something painful. The moment he left this planet, his story here ended.
Any lingering possibility between him and Clara would disappear permanently. He would never drink with Twenty again.
Yet despite those thoughts, his expression remained cold.
"Yes. We leave." His voice did not shake.
It was difficult to accept but difficulty did not mean impossibility.
Damian rose from his seat slowly while Loth stepped forward holding a small ashtray beneath the cigar. He tapped the burnt remains casually into it.
"I might as well make Twenty the kingpin of Chicago before the ritual mating begins. Now that I have this level of strength, all our previous plans are meaningless."
Originally they created elaborate strategies to slowly climb upward carefully.
Now there was no need. Damian could simply walk into enemy territory, erase everyone standing in the way, and place Twenty at the top directly.
Faceless immediately understood.
"Just make sure nothing leads back to you."
Damian shrugged indifferently.
"Of course. I’ll burn their souls away with the soul lantern. Without physical wounds it can’t be traced back to us."
The casualness in his voice made the statement feel even darker.
Without another word, Damian turned around and left Rin rested quietly upon his shoulder while Loth followed behind him obediently.
The massive parish doors opened slowly as the three figures disappeared into the darkness outside.
Behind them Faceless remained seated alone upon the throne beneath the endless violet flames. His dull eyes silently watched their backs disappear into the night.
Their journey had finally begun.