The current situation was as follows.
Wrath had just leapt into the air. He would reach Damien within the second.
Lust had summoned her mana. The pink fog she created was already being mobilized.
Envy had returned to the battlefield, but she didn't look as good as her peers. She was hanging back, watching and waiting for an opportunity.
And Gluttony…
Well, he just stood there.
None of them noticed the change in Damien's demeanor.
He made sure to hide the change in his aura.
'It feels good to be back.'
Damien had reached a high level.
He knew that he'd reached a high level.
But he'd rarely ever tested the limits of that level.
As he looked at the 4 Evils, his mindset changed.
'I can escape at any time.'
Now that he had his power back, it wouldn't be a problem at all.
'Malevalon isn't nearby.'
Damien couldn't sense him. Not even with Absolute Perception.
Wherever Malevalon was, it wasn't here.
'No, that's concerning in its own right.'
Malevalon's location was something he absolutely needed to know.
'So basically…'
He could test himself, but he couldn't play around too much.
'Okay.'
Damien closed his eyes. Reality began to flow as normal.
BOOM!
The shockwave caused by Wrath's launch was finally allowed to spread.
The tiger-like man appeared before Damien like a flash of light. His fist was outstretched, and a mana filled with the aura of war swarmed around it fiercely.
'That's interesting.'
The mana was a combination of several laws. To imitate the aura of war was a difficult task, as one had to truly understand the various cruelties involved.
If this mana hit someone, it would strike with the power of an entire army.
It was truly impressive.
'It'll be fun to play with.
Gluttony gave Damien a great idea.
To use an enemy's power against them…
Couldn't he do that too?
Not only could he do it, he could do it far better than anyone else.
The concept of order and the concept of domination, though opposite in many ways, worked flawlessly together for an action like that.
Wrath threw his punch.
War-like mana flew towards Damien at high speeds.
But as he watched it approach, Damien just smiled.
His mana was already moving.
"...!"
Wrath's face instantly changed. He felt what happened, but he couldn't explain it.
His mana was moving.
It was moving, but it wasn't moving as he wanted it to.
He felt like time slowed down around him.
It was a beautiful sight, but it was equally eerie.
His mana simply…floated in the atmosphere.
It slowly wobbled and expanded, like a drop of water in a space with no gravity.
In this space, it was just him and his weightless mana.
And that man.
Damien, who smiled through it all.
Damien raised his hand as Wrath watched incredulously.
He put his hand in that mana, waving it around and feeling its fluctuations.
"You really are an accomplished practitioner," Damien said.
He wasn't being sarcastic. Wrath truly was impressive.
"However, it's a shame that you made me your enemy."
Wrath's senses were screaming at him.
Something bad was going to happen.
But he couldn't do anything to stop it.
"Especially at a time when I can do this."
Damien flexed his fingers.
And Wrath's mana moved.
It was no longer Wrath's anymore.
Whether it was his laws or the energy itself, all of it was under Damien's control.
"Have a taste of it."
Damien grinned happily.
"The mana you've cultivated after all these years, I mean."
The slowed time elapsed, and Wrath's perception returned to normal.
For a moment, he contemplated if everything that just happened was an illusion.
But the mana in his face told him otherwise.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Everything Wrath prepared for Damien struck him in the chest with amplified intensity.
"ARGH!"
He roared in pain, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood as he flew back.
Damien looked down at the ground.
He extended his hand again, and suddenly, he felt the fluctuations of an illusionary mana in his soul.
'So this is her power.'
Lust's ability of mental manipulation, he controlled it through her mana and sent it towards Envy, who was now back and trying to return to battle.
She immediately froze.
Lust's mana was extremely intrusive. When it touched one's skin, it would enter through the pores and immediately drive towards the brain.
Both mentally and spiritually, one would be subjected to an intense stimulation, and by the time it was over, Lust's mana would take complete control over their body.
Any actions they took or feelings they possessed after that point could be controlled by Lust. She could do whatever she wanted with them even if they were conscious.
They would never notice her influence. Not on their own, at least.
Envy had gotten used to this mana after being around it for so long, but even she didn't have a tolerance for it.
When she saw it coming, she tried to fight, but she was already injured from Gluttony's attack, so she wasn't able to properly free herself of control.
Her body was frozen.
Her mind was safe, but she was immobilized.
At this point, the Evils noticed the strangeness they were encountering.
Something was wrong with their mana. It was obvious that the enemy had gained a way to influence them, but they couldn't believe the easiest and most obvious answer.
Because they were Gods. That obvious answer was the most impossible one.
'They're confused.'
Wrath had already recovered, but he was standing back and watching with narrowed eyes.
Lust was also staring at him strangely, while Envy was forced into stasis.
The only one who couldn't be read was still Gluttony.
He was also the one Damien had the least information about.
Gluttony was obviously someone with a devour-type ability. Damien was used to those, so he thought he'd have an easy time dealing with that particular enemy.
That was an incorrect assumption.
'The longer he stands there, the more dangerous his aura becomes.'
It wasn't his physical aura, but something more ethereal.
'Gluttony is definitely a trump card. If I mess with him right now…'
Damien had to remember that his main purpose was to escape.
He'd saved Dante, but only temporarily.
To truly return his father to good health, Damien needed to take him back to Void Palace.
He looked at the 4 Evils.
They didn't look nearly as threatening as they did before.
With him in the air and the four of them on the ground with varying degrees of injury, it was obvious who'd won this battle.
'But if I want to kill one…'
"I can't risk it."
Damien gritted his teeth.
Never once had he doubted his intuition, and his intuition was telling him to just leave it at this and be satisfied with what he'd accomplished.
If he pushed any further…
Damien took one last glance at Gluttony.
'That man…'
Those dull eyes, that strange ability that was only displayed once, the general apathy…
Gluttony was an unnerving presence in every way.
'Preparation.'
As long as the lives of others were involved, preparation was the most important thing.
So, while Damien had the energy and desire to continue this fight…
"Tch."
He clicked his tongue. It was a sound of annoyance loud enough for all of the 4 Evils to hear him.
And he disappeared.
His aura and presence completely vanished from the vicinity, and soon enough, from the entirety of the Northern Region.
Damien's decision was a confusing one in the moment.
But if one stayed on the scene for just a tad bit longer, just a few more seconds after he left…
One would soon come to realize just how wise of a decision it was.
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