CHAPTER 42: PART ONE COMPLETE

The mansion’s courtyard was silent, only the sound of leaves rustling in the cold wind filling the space. Damon stood in the center, spear firmly in his hands. His sweat-covered body glistened in the pale morning light, his muscles rigid, his eyes fixed on the void before him.

It was the seventh consecutive day he had trained to the limit. With every blow, with every breath, he felt closer to something. Not just power. It was as if he were taming a beast within himself—the fury of his own existence mingled with the invisible decree of the Emperor’s Spear.

The manual said: "The Decree is only the first step. When the world accepts your will, your spear will no longer be a weapon. It will be an inevitable destiny."

Damon didn’t fully understand, but his body was beginning to comprehend what his mind still struggled to accept.

He took a deep breath, assuming his stance.

Spear in front of him, his gaze fixed, his feet planted like roots in the stone.

"First Stance: The Decree."

The strike was direct, simple, without flourish.

And once again, the air trembled.

This time, however, it was different. A notification appeared before his eyes:

[Technique Progress: Emperor’s Spear — 99%]

He felt a chill run down his spine. He was close. Very close.

The veins in his arms throbbed, demonic energy roaring through his body like a raging river.

"Once more..." he murmured, raising the spear again.

The next strike was like a bolt of lightning.

The sharp sound of the blade slicing through the air echoed through the courtyard, and in the next instant, the system responded:

[Technique Progress: Emperor’s Spear — 100%]

[You have mastered Part One: The Decree]

[Skill Acquired: Emperor’s Impaling Strike]

Damon gasped, his heart pounding. He blinked a few times, staring at the message before him as if it were a mirage. A skill. Something concrete, not just a posture, not just an exercise.

"Strike... Emperor’s Impaler..." he repeated, his voice low, almost reverent.

The spear in his hands felt heavier, more alive, as if the metal were aware of the newly awakened power. The air around him vibrated, charged with an invisible energy.

He couldn’t resist. He had to test it.

He placed the butt of the spear on the ground, took a deep breath, and murmured:

"Emperor’s Impaler Strike."

The world exploded.

The movement was swift, so swift that his own eyes almost missed it. The spearhead shot forward like thunder, and the air before him shattered in a violent gust. The impact generated a shockwave that rippled across the courtyard, tearing leaves, knocking down branches, and making the stones vibrate beneath his feet.

The boom echoed loudly, like the roar of a storm.

Damon was pushed back a few steps by the very power he had summoned. His eyes widened, his mouth hanging open.

He breathed heavily, staring at his hands, still gripping the spear. The ground ahead was marked with a deep line, as if the stone itself had been wounded by the blow.

"I... I did this?" His voice trembled.

Never in his life—not the last, not this—had he felt so much power surge from within him. It wasn’t just physical strength. It was an overwhelming presence, as if, for an instant, he were the will itself ruling the space.

But he wasn’t the only one who had witnessed it.

"What was that?!"

"Good heavens...!"

Two soldiers patrolling the side corridor stopped abruptly when they felt the impact. They held their ordinary spears, but their eyes were wide like those of children facing a monster. The wind from the explosion still rattled their light armor, and fear etched their faces.

One of them swallowed hard, staring at the gouge in the ground.

"He... He did this? With... a single blow?"

The other just nodded, unable to tear his eyes from Damon.

The young man in the center of the courtyard, panting, was still trying to process what had happened. His confused, almost frightened look showed that he himself couldn’t believe it.

And suddenly, the feeling hit him.

If even soldiers—men who wielded weapons every day—shuddered at the mere sight of him...

What would happen when he used this against real enemies?

His heart raced even faster, not with fear, but with excitement.

This was real power. And now he had it.

But deep within, along with the ecstasy, there was a shadow.

A cold whisper in his mind:

"This is only the beginning."

Damon shouldered the spear, breathing deeply. His body still trembled from the impact, his hands tingling, but his eyes shone with savage determination.

He took a few steps forward, staring at the trail left by the blow. It was like a signature on the world. A decree that said: I was here. I decided.

The panicked sound of the soldiers still rang in his ears.

But instead of embarrassment or discomfort, he felt a smile tug at his lips.

This was the effect he wanted.

This was the impact he needed to make.

He twirled the spear, feeling the perfect weight in his hands.

"Emperor’s Impaling Strike..." he said again, this time firmly.

"Hah... if this is the power of just one technique, then... where can I possibly go?"

The wind blew through the courtyard, carrying leaves away.

And Damon stood there, his heart burning and his mind spinning with possibilities.

The Emperor’s Spear wasn’t just a technique. It was a path.

And he had just taken the first step.

[Side Quest: Master the Emperor’s Spear — Part One Complete]

[Reward: Skill Unlocked]

[Global Progress: 18%]

The numbers flashed before his eyes, but more than the numbers, it was the sensation in his body that mattered.

He was no longer the same Damon from seven days ago.

No longer just a young man trying to survive the demonic pressure.

Now... he was someone capable of making the world tremble with a single blow.

And this was just the beginning.

"Ah... I’m tired," Damon said, a little breathless, sitting on the side stairs. While he trained, he had a few things on his mind...

"Okay, let’s begin..." He murmured, thinking of Ester.

Although the System already indicated that she was a target, even if it didn’t, he would be interested in a woman like her. A former general... That would be good... to meet her, to get closer to her...

Well, that’s what he thought at first, but he’s now seen there’s no point in holding back...

’Asmodeus’s Touch... I’ll keep using it on her every chance I get. Every chance I get, I’ll use Asmodeus’s Touch. Besides always having sex with Aria in that room, to make her uncomfortable...’

’Eventually, the discomfort will pass, and Asmodeus’s Touch will start to bother her... this discomfort will become a need... and she’ll come to me.’