Silence persisted between the six demigods as Damian watched them carefully. Kan and Kor were clearly struggling internally, their expressions shifting repeatedly as they weighed options that grew worse the longer they remained silent.

Behind them, the remaining four figures stood motionless beneath their cloaks, offering neither support nor advice. Their silence was unsettling. It was the silence of people confident enough to let others make mistakes on their behalf.

Huff!

A loud exhale escaped Damian’s lips. The waiting had begun to bore him. His violet eyes narrowed slightly as his consciousness reached toward the mansion.

’Break a hand please.’

His voice transmitted directly into the minds of Hazel, Ruby, and Racheal.

Barely a second later, a sickening snapping sound echoed from the direction of the mansion.

CRACK!

What followed immediately afterward was Rah’s pained scream.

"Aaaahhh!"

The cry tore through the battlefield. Kan’s face lost all color while Kor visibly flinched.

Both father and son instinctively turned toward the mansion with expressions filled with panic and fear.

The reaction was immediate. Meanwhile, the four cloaked figures remained completely still. Not one of them moved or reacted.

Their glowing red eyes remained fixed upon him.

"My wives are not very patient like myself." Damian’s voice turned colder. "If I were you, I would be taking off those hoods myself."

Behind the group, Rin’s violet eyes blazed brightly. The enormous fox lowered its massive body slightly. Its seven tails swayed violently behind it and the growl building within its throat sounded like distant thunder.

Suddenly, despite possessing the advantage in numbers, the six demigods felt cornered.

The realization was absurd.

Everything about this battle had gone wrong. Originally, the plan had been simple.

Kan and Kor would occupy Damian while the three would engage his wives and then last would extract Rah. The rescue would be completed before anyone realized what had happened.

Instead, all six had been forced to focus solely on Damian and even then they had failed to gain any meaningful advantage.

Just how much had this human grown?

"There is no reason to go this far!"

Kor’s voice exploded with anger.

The younger Kosak looked moments away from losing control.

Damian rolled his eyes.

"Then you should have paid the ransom from the start."

His indifferent response nearly made Kor choke.

"They are always looking for someone to blame but themselves."

Rin shook his massive head with an exhausted sigh.

"Tell me about it."

Damian nodded immediately. The two exchanged looks of mutual understanding.

The six demons stared at them in disbelief. The conversation felt surreal. How could someone kidnap another person’s daughter, hold her hostage, torture her, and still behave as though he was the reasonable party?

This man truly was evil.

There was no other explanation.

Seeing Kor’s face becoming increasingly distorted with rage, Kan finally stepped forward.

Unlike his son, the old patriarch still possessed enough experience to recognize reality.

And reality was simple.

They did not currently possess the upper hand.

"There is no reason for our enmity to run deeper than it already has."

Kan’s voice became significantly calmer.

"I will pay the ransom."

His gaze shifted toward the mansion.

"You will release my child."

Kan had chosen diplomacy. Unfortunately for him, he had chosen it far too late.

Damian immediately shook his head.

"No."

The refusal came without hesitation and Kan’s expression darkened.

Damian leaned forward slightly upon his throne.

"Diplomacy is not something people use conveniently." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

His voice became colder.

"Your daughter attempted to kill me. Your response to that was more violence.You only chose to speak because you discovered you no longer possess the advantage."

His gaze swept across all six figures.

The accusation landed heavily because everyone present knew it was true.

"The time for diplomacy died the moment you attacked my home. Now everything follows my terms or there will be bloodshed."

Damian’s killing intent exploded outward and the smile that appeared on his face was not friendly.

"Believe me when I say I won’t be the one dying tonight."

Kan’s frown deepened. The old patriarch studied Damian carefully. Then his gaze shifted toward the mansion once more.

Eventually, he looked over his shoulder toward the cloaked figures. A silent exchange seemed to occur and one of the figures finally stepped forward.

A hand landed upon Kan’s shoulder and the old Kosak immediately fell silent. The cloaked figure walked past him, then, with a single motion, it removed its cloak.

Swoosh!

The garment flew away and the figure beneath it revealed itself and Damian’s eyes narrowed instantly.

The cloak had been hiding far more than a face. As the cloak left its body, the figure seemed to double in size.

It stood twelve feet tall with massive wings unfolded from its back and twisted black horns curved upward from its skull.

Its entire body appeared forged from living fire and the flames rolled endlessly across crimson skin. Smoke poured continuously from its body, rising into the frozen sky and the surrounding snow evaporated before touching it.

"Ifrits!"

Rin’s amusement vanished instantly.

The giant fox’s expression hardened and its fur stood on end. For the first time since the battle began, genuine hostility appeared in its eyes.

Even Damian frowned. Memories surfaced immediately. During countless discussions in the Maldives, Rin had spoken extensively about the major demonic tribes.

The Ifrit Clan had always been mentioned among the strongest.

A race so powerful they stood only slightly beneath the Asuras. However, what made them truly dangerous was not their strength.

It was their allegiance.

"Why does Lord Gluttony concern himself with my lord?"

Rin practically growled the question. The intensity in its voice suggested it might attack at any moment.

The Ifrit ignored him completely. Its burning eyes remained fixed upon Damian, then the giant demon bowed respectfully.

"My name is Jugra." His deep voice sounded like molten rock grinding together.

"To secure the support of the Kosak Clan, my lord sent me to assist them in this rescue mission."

Damian remained calm. Far calmer than Rin.

He simply adjusted the position of his crossed legs upon the floating throne.

"Just to rescue the girl?" A cruel smile appeared on his face.

Jugra smiled back. The expression looked terrifying on a creature made entirely of living fire.

Their eyes met and for several seconds neither looked away. Then Jugra finally answered.

"He also demanded we bring you back half dead."

The battlefield became noticeably quieter. Even the wind seemed to lessen.

Jugra’s smile widened.

"My lord believes your sin is wasted on you."