CHAPTER 270: 270. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE ME IN MY REALM

Asher’s system glitching could’ve been a disadvantage under normal circumstances—but right now, it felt like clarity. Like the fog had been wiped clean.

The glitch reminded him of one thing—this wasn’t his domain. He was powerless here. At least, compared to the ones who owned this cursed place. If he let rage and emotion take over, he’d dance forever on Max’s strings like his little plaything.

And from their little exchange, he’d picked up on something critical: Max was only strong inside the demon domain. Outside this corrupted sandbox, he was just another spoiled princeling with too much confidence and not enough caution.

So.....

"You know what?" Asher scoffed. "You almost had me. Dragged me down to my lowest. Twisted my head up real good."

He smiled, lips curling into a grin. "But you forgot one thing, Max!"

He raised his hand.

A violent wind vortex burst into existence before him, spinning fast and wide, sucking everything into it. The pressure howled. The prince stumbled, hands still jammed in his pockets in arrogance, too convinced of his dominance in this space.

But Asher wasn’t done.

He summoned his dimensional door, the edges of reality warping like melting glass. Max only reacted when he felt it—another space trying to override his domain. His eyes widened, instinct kicking in just a second too late.

Before Max could back away, the vacuum had already pulled him forward. And just like that—

He was through.

The dimensional door snapped shut behind them.

Gone was the corrupted air of the demon domain. In its place... a realm so peaceful, it almost felt like a lie. The skies above them were vast and blue, with soft golden light washing over endless green plains. A river glittered nearby. The trees swayed gently nearby. It was almost too perfect.

Asher’s system pinged:

[System Back Online!!]

He didn’t even glance at it. He knew the moment he left that wretched domain, it would return.

Max blinked in confusion, the arrogant smirk wiped clean.

"What the hell is this—"

CRUNCH!

Asher’s fist obliterated the question, snapping Max’s head back. Golden hair whipped through the dirt as he hit the ground. "This," Asher snarled, driving a knee into Max’s chest, "is my domain, bitch!" Another punch cratered Max’s pretty face. "And I didn’t bring you for the view!"

"*Gah!*" Blood bloomed on Max’s split lip, groaning, and dazed. But not helpless.

He’d brought his Revolutionary Bible with him..

He focused, and the dark book slithered from his belt, pages fluttering madly behind Asher’s head. Max whispered the incantation in his mind, his lips barely moving and his black chains shot out fast, snaking around Asher’s neck and wrists, yanking him backward.

But Asher didn’t even blink. He stood up calmly.

Crack!

The chains snapped in two with a casual flex of strength. They shattered like brittle bone and vanished into thin air.

Asher looked down at Max with a dark smirk.

"You really underestimate me in my domain."

He lifted his arms.

The wind around them surged. His cloak billowed behind him like a war banner. The air moved for him. Listened to him.

The tree beside Max creaked and twisted unnaturally, branches suddenly reaching for him like fangs. Max spun, dodging, rolling to the side and scrambling back up—but now, Asher’s eyes looked at him like he was just another insect.

He had more important things to worry about than Max. Like getting back to his mother.

Let’s do this quick.

Asher willed the world itself to respond.

And it did.

The land beneath Max’s feet shifted, becoming loose and crumbling. He stumbled, losing balance as the soil caved under him. From above, the massive baobab trees dropped their branches like spears.

One pierced his thigh deep enough to hit bone. Another gouged his flank.

"ARGHHH!!! YOU SICK BASTARD!! HOW DARE YOU!!!" Max screamed.

Asher’s eyes darkened. That scream felt real. Not the echo of some illusion. Not like back in Max’s playground.

Blood streamed down Max’s thigh. More branches came down—non-lethal hits, but painful. He cried out, thrashed, cursed.

"Stop this! I’m a prince!! Damn it—I’ll have you executed!!"

Asher didn’t move. He found a spot under a nearby fruit tree and sat. An apple dropped into his hand. He bit into it, and just watched.

"You’ll put your kingdom in danger!! Stop!! My mother will cancel all alliances with yours! I— I’ve got connections! People who’ll erase you from existence!!" Max roared, his voice desperate.

But Asher was done listening.

A thick root curled up from the earth and gagged him, wrapping around his mouth tight.

Then came the birds.

Massive black crows soared from the forest, dozens of them. They swarmed Max like a storm, talons and beaks tearing into him, tearing at his ears, nose, even his eyes. He tried shutting them, but they kept pecking. Their mouths felt metallic, heavy, like something meant to explode the eyeballs from inside.

Minutes passed.

When the crows scattered and silence returned, Max was unrecognizable.

His clothes were torn to rags, barely clinging to him. His skin was shredded—bleeding, raw, covered in claw marks like cursed tattoos. His limbs twitched faintly under the tangled mess of roots. The once-proud prince was now a broken, trembling mess.

His thoughts were all that remained.

How did I lose?

Why wasn’t he healing? His pact demon should’ve started repairing this kind of damage already. Yet nothing was happening.

He tried summoning a demonic domain around himself—even just a small one to give him enough strength to at least heal up!

But nothing appeared.

Not in Asher’s realm. His grimoire lay discarded, its usual malevolent glow reduced to a feeble pulse. Utter defeat. Beaten... by a brat eating an apple...

So... this was Asher’s domain, huh?

What kind of pact did he make?

Demons weren’t supposed to give power like this. Their nature was chaos. But this place... was harmony and destruction in balance. Beautiful and deadly.

Anger bubbled inside Max, but there was nothing he could do with it.

Asher finally stood, brushed his hands off, and turned away. Max hung there, suspended by a root like spoiled meat left to rot.

A new door opened—back to the demon domain.

He stepped through and found them.

Two women. One was his mother, unconscious, and the other was the gorilla-faced girl.

No time to waste.

He rushed in, picked Onalenna up into his arms, and turned back toward his door.

He wasn’t about to let those Revolutionaries get their hands on his mother again.

Not now. Not again!

As he arrived back in his realm, Asher soared through the skies toward his kingdom. It was quiet since he’d told his friends and Alice not to work today.

It was his birthday, after all.

The mansion came into view and immediately, he flew straight into his private wing and made his way to his bedroom, the doors opening at his presence with a soft thrum of energy.

Inside, he gently placed his mother on the massive bed.

He retrieved another healing potion, uncorked it, and carefully tilted it to her lips.

She drank.

A soft green glow enveloped her body, the light dancing across her skin as it mended bruises, sealed cuts, and chased away the pain. This time, it wasn’t an illusion. The potion worked on his real mother.

A few moments passed.

Then her eyes fluttered open and landed on him.

She smiled.

"Hey, mom..." Asher muttered, his voice low.

She slowly pushed herself upright, her eyes scanning the room warily as if expecting the Revolutionaries to burst in at any moment.

"It’s okay," Asher said, gently cupping her cheeks. "You’re safe now."

"Honey..." she whispered, her voice cracking. "I’m sorry... I was too weak. I let them take me." Her eyes welled up with tears. "And... Rex... I got Rex kidnapped too."

Asher pulled her close. His arms wrapped around her shaking form, her bare chest pressing into his.

"I’ll get him back, Mom," he whispered into her hair. "I promise."

They stayed like that for a moment, just a naked mother and son in a hug. Then he slowly pulled away.

He stood.

"This is my house, Mom. Make yourself at home. There’s food in the kitchen—you can cook something if you want. Then take a bath and find something to wear. I’ve got a few things to take care of."

Onalenna looked around, stunned by the sheer scale of the room. The massive canopy bed. The marble floors. The view outside the tall windows. Was this really his? Her son?

She smiled to herself. Of course it was. She wouldn’t expect anything less.

Asher gave her a final wave before heading out. The door clicked shut behind him.

Then his smile vanished from his face.

He’d saved his mother. She was alive. Safe. That was one weight off his shoulders.

Now it was time to bring back Rex...

Time to drag that spoiled little prince half-dead back to his mother...

And then... find Sharon.

He shot into the skies again. It didn’t take long to reach the place where he’d left Max.

The pompous prince was still there, unconscious and hanging from a tree root.

At Asher’s command, the root released him. Thud!

Max hit the ground hard, limp as a sack of stones.

Asher grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head up. Then, without ceremony, he opened a dimensional door and stepped back into their demonic domain!.

He knew he was powerless here, so wasting no time, he pulled out his demonic sword Ifrit and gripped it tightly. Its dark blade pulsed in his hand. He hoisted Max over his shoulder with his other arm and flew a few feet off the cracked, smoldering ground.

Up ahead, he heard the rustling of approaching guards.

His grip tightened.

"Ifrit..." he muttered. "Deal with any bastards that get in my way."

Ifrit beamed, ready to go all out! It had been long! Instead of red, black flames ignited across its length, licking hungrily along the edge like it wanted blood.

Time to clean up this wretched domain...

And leave it in ruins.

TBC