Percy Jackson: The Firstborn

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Kill them all

The Bael castle’s meeting hall was vast. A long table of black marble dominated the center, and around it sat the leaders of the Underworld. Zekram Bael presided at the head, his expression carved from stone. Ajuka Beelzebub was at his right, arms crossed. Beside him, Serafall Leviathan with a notable seriousness on her face.

Falbium Asmodeus was not present. He was still recovering, his body having received the worst of Damon’s destructive power. And let’s just say Damon didn’t like the bald bastard enough to actually try healing him... he preferred to let him suffer for a few more months... unless Falbium’s mother came to visit him personally to negotiate, of course...

At the far end of the table, sitting uneasily, was Sirzechs Lucifer. The Lucifer clearly wasn’t happy to be there or that this meeting was even happening, but his position required his presence.

For her part, Grayfia Lucifuge stood behind him, in her typical French maid uniform and the professional expression everyone knew. Not a trace of the doubt she had shown earlier with Damon could be seen.

The door opened and Damon entered, guided by Venelana. The matriarch walked with a slight limp — almost imperceptible, a small shift in her right hip with each step — but her expression was serene and professional, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The conversations and whispers in the room died down, and everyone seemed to fix their attention on the Greek god who took the seat opposite Zekram.

Koneko stood at his side. Clearly, the neko didn’t want to be apart from Damon at all, so he decided to bring her to the meeting — after all, who the hell would try to complain? Venelana, for her part, took the seat that corresponded to Zeoticus; he was still in the hospital, so she was forced to take his place representing him.

Damon leaned back in his seat, crossing his legs under the table.

”Let’s get to the point,” Damon said. ”First: Kuoh is mine, and everything related to it — its souls and administration. You wanted to expand into Greek territory, so consider this a fair trade.”

No one really said anything. Seeing how neither Venelana nor Sirzechs seemed affected, they assumed this had already been agreed upon by both, so they saw no problem.

But Damon wasn’t finished. He leaned forward slowly, resting his elbows on the marble table, and his gaze found Koneko for a brief instant before returning to the gathered devils.

”Now, about another matter.” His voice was still calm, but something in it had changed. An edge that wasn’t there before.

”I have my little nekoshou here.” He extended a hand and brushed Koneko’s head gently. ”And I don’t like what they did to her family one bit. And let’s say that, by your bad luck, I get along very well with the Shintoists, and they aren’t happy either.”

Several devils swallowed hard. Lord Phenex, an older man with reddish-brown hair and a well-groomed mustache sitting near the center of the table, shifted in his seat. Everyone knew which clan he was referring to.

”The Neberius clan,” Damon said, savoring the syllables. ”Still exists, doesn’t it?”

The room remained silent; no one had the balls to speak. ”I just asked you a question,” the god said, narrowing his eyes.

”Y-yes, the Neberius clan is still active,” replied Lord Agares, a devil. Known for being a very capable diplomat, but right now that was in doubt thanks to his stammering in Damon’s presence.

”Hmm, I see. Well. I know what they did to Koneko’s sister. I know what they tried to do to her. Experimentation, cruelty, the kind of shit that even you devils look away from.”

Ajuka opened his mouth, but Damon raised a finger. ”Quiet. I haven’t finished speaking.” His smile widened. It became pleasant, warm.

”Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to gather your best devils. You’re going to track down every hiding spot of the Neberius clan. I don’t care what shit-hole they’ve crawled into in the depths of the biblical Underworld — I know one of you knows where they are. And you’re going to kill every single one of them.”

The room froze as Damon leaned back in his seat. ”You see, I’m feeling a bit lazy about tracking down a minor shit-clan, and since devils are so good at massacres, I don’t see why you can’t handle it, right?” the god said, looking around the room. No one dared to meet his eyes.

Lord Sitri coughed into his hand while adjusting his glasses nervously, his hands sweating and trembling. ”Damon-sama, are you being serious... you want us to kill all of them... that... that would be a—” the lord tried to speak intelligently before being interrupted.

”Do you think I’m talking nonsense?” the god spoke darkly. At that, Lord Phenex shot to his feet. ”Lord Damon, this is—!”

”Sit down or I’ll eliminate you.” Damon’s cutting voice rang out.

An immense pressure accompanied his words, sending Lord Phenex to his knees, his hands gripping the edge of the table, his face completely pale. The dull sound of his body hitting the marble echoed through the room.

The entire hall tensed instantly. Fear ran through the hearts of everyone present: it was one thing to have Damon out there, killing any devil he found; another thing entirely to have him in the same room, capable of killing them right then and there.

Damon let out a genuine, relaxed laugh, as if he’d just heard a really good joke. The hearts of everyone present calmed slightly.

”Ah, sorry, sorry,” he said, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. ”Were you saying something, Lord Phenex?”

The elder devil didn’t respond. The pressure of Damon’s power kept him pinned to the floor, his breathing ragged.

Damon curled his lips into an amused smile. In an instant, his power spread through the entire hall as he stood up.

And just as everyone thought things would calm down, the sensation of something infinitely larger than them pressed from every angle at once. Some minor devils stationed in the corners of the room fell unconscious immediately. Everyone gripped the arms of their chairs, knuckles white.

”These are the rules,” Damon said. His voice filled every corner of the room effortlessly. ”Every man and woman. Every newborn child. Every pregnant mother — kill them all. I don’t want a single devil with Neberius blood walking on this earth.” Everyone’s breathing quickened at his words.

”Second. You’re going to take their leader’s head and deliver it to Yasaka, leader of the Yokai clan.” Damon fixed his gaze on Serafall. ”Lady Leviathan, you personally will handle the delivery. And you’ll tell Yasaka it comes from me. As an offering, for future relations between the Greeks and the Yokai.”

Serafall stared at him. Her jaw tightened for barely a second, but she held the god’s gaze without blinking. Then she nodded. Once. Dry.

”And if I find out,” Damon continued, his tone becoming almost cheerful again, ”that a single devil of the Neberius clan remains alive anywhere... for every one I find, I’ll come and kill one of you.”

His smile turned sharp. ”So I hope you make sure to do a thorough job.”

Lord Phenex remained on his knees, trembling. His dignity as the head of a pillar lay shattered. But an old man on the other side — one of the Bael councilors, a devil with wrinkled skin and eyes that had seen too many centuries — slowly rose from his seat.

”Lord Damon,” he said, his voice trembling but firm. ”This is... this is an act of war against a noble house. A massacre. The original Satan Lucifer... even he wouldn’t have—”

Damon stood still, watching the old man. The elder swallowed. He knew he had crossed a line. But he was an old-school devil — one of those who believed words still held power against brute force.

”I only ask for a chance. A fair trial for the Neberius clan. That’s what the ancient treaties establish — by the name of the original Satan!”

Damon let out a deranged laugh. ”Don’t make me laugh, you piece of shit devil. Is that what you did when everyone wanted to massacre the nekoshou? Do you have any idea how stupid that sounded coming out of your mouth? I don’t give a shit whether Lucifer would do this or not. The reality is he’s not here, and if he were, believe me, the result wouldn’t change. I’m better than Lucifer. Stronger. Smarter.”

The old devil tried to reply, trembling with fear.

But before he could make a sound, with a movement of Damon’s hand and a single thought, his body began to disintegrate. The old man opened his arms in a useless gesture. A short, piercing scream escaped his lungs before they too faded into nothing, leaving not even ashes behind.

The room fell into absolute silence. The devils stared at the empty chair where the old man had been sitting. A drop of sweat slid down Lord Phenex’s temple before falling onto the marble, the tiny sound echoing like thunder in the silence. No one dared to defend him. Zekram himself hadn’t moved a finger.

The old devil, despite everything, tried to maintain his composure as best he could. His years in Lucifer’s presence had taught him that when someone infinitely stronger than you wants something, you simply comply and try to come out of the situation as best as possible. That was what had kept him alive for so many years.

”Mmm. Bad dog.” Damon murmured, straightening his clothes with a motion.

”This is what happens when certain types lose their master. Suddenly they think they’re the meanest, the owners of the world. When really, they’re nothing.” The god sat back down, crossing his legs calmly. The room exhaled at seeing him back in his seat.

”Well, the important thing is that we’ve all reached an agreement. I’m glad you’re all so understanding,” Damon said into the silence, a pleased smile on his face.

Damon clapped his hands on the table. The sharp sound made several devils flinch. ”Alright. Next point.”

”Second: compensation for the life of Sirzechs Lucifer, the integrity of the House of Gremory, and the continued existence of your Underworld.” Damon let the words settle. ”You tried to take one of my demigods, so it’s only fair if I do the same.”

Sirzechs fixed his gaze on Damon. ”What? We never tried to take one of your demigods.”

Damon narrowed his eyes. ”That’s not what this letter says, Sirzcehs”

The letter given by Serafall appeared in Damon’s hand, created from his power, resembling the letter he had read a few days ago alongside Athena and Hermes. Sirzechs cursed inwardly as Serafall’s ”I told you so” expression left a bad taste in the Lucifer’s mouth.

His gaze slid toward Grayfia. She already seemed prepared for the insinuation. ”I need a maid,” Damon said. ”Someone competent, loyal, and who understands the meaning of service.”

”I’ll go.”

The response came instantly from the Lucifuge, who didn’t think twice before accepting Damon’s proposal. Grayfia’s voice was flat and emotionless, but the reactions it caused were the opposite.

Sirzechs turned so abruptly that he nearly fell from his chair. ”Grayfia, absolutely not!”

The devil closed her eyes, standing erect despite the refusal. ”Sirzechs-sama must understand that this is for the greater good of the Underworld. That is why I accept the terms.”

”Grayfia.” Sirzechs’s voice broke as the room watched the interaction in silence. ”You’re my wife. You’re a Lucifuge. You can’t—”

”I already told you, Sirzechs-sama. It’s not a matter of whether I can or cannot. It’s something I must do,” she interrupted him. Her voice was still flat, but with a bit of steel. ”I was trained from childhood to serve. This is no different.”

Sirzechs stared at her, his eyes full of shame and helplessness. ”And what about Millicas? Our son?” the devil asked. The shame was clear in his voice, knowing his wife would pay for his mistakes.

”That’s something you should have thought about before getting us into this mess.” Grayfia’s cold words left everyone in shock. It wasn’t a surprise how blunt Grayfia could be with Sirzechs due to his lack of seriousness, but this time the devil’s anger and dissatisfaction with the Lucifer’s carelessness was unmistakable.

Damon, for his part, was simply laughing internally. He had expected the woman to accept, but he hadn’t expected such a dramatic scene.

Sirzechs’s fist clenched in his lap — the only one he had left — and he lowered his gaze.

Zekram Bael cleared his throat. His voice was deep and aged. ”That’s how things are, Sirzechs. You were the one who pushed all of this. When you make that kind of decision, you must be prepared for the consequences. That is the perfect balance, as all things should be. That’s why I believe Lord Damon has shown remarkable restraint. His terms are... acceptable. Dealing with the Neberius and letting Grayfia go shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, this could be the bridge to a better future between devils and Greeks.” The elder devil spoke, showing his cunning in seizing the right opportunities to demonstrate his dominance without even having to raise his power.

Damon, noticing the old man’s cunning, let out a smile. ”The terms were never negotiable, old man,” Damon corrected. His tone was light. ”But you know... I appreciate the formality.”

Zekram simply nodded slightly while remaining upright.

Damon stood up. ”Well, I expect to hear about your progress against the Neberius soon, or else you know what happens. Until then, ta ta...”

Grayfia quickly moved away from Sirzechs’s side and walked toward Damon without looking back at Sirzechs, who watched her go with glassy eyes.

Damon, followed by Grayfia and Koneko, wondered if this would be the end of his conflicts with the devils or just the beginning. After all, maybe those old geezers understood the point, but would it be the same with the younger devils, the children of the children of those old men? Only time would tell, the god thought, as he left behind a room full of devils who had just learned what it meant to lose.

>>>>>>>>>>>> Thank You For reading

Words 2385

https://discord

P@treon: Brotato