A young man with long white hair and a pointed horn flew through the sky, watching Damon with an unreadable expression.

His aura was powerful, almost overwhelming to those who felt it. It was as if anyone who saw him had to fall in line, enthralled by his presence and forced to bow under his control.

This was Bakemon Baal, the son of one of the strongest demon lords.

Baal of Order.

His attribute, as his name suggested, was Order. It was one of those unnecessary, overpowered conceptual magic attributes, and Bakemon had inherited it fully. Without a doubt, he was the strongest of the demons gathered in the arena.

'And from the looks of it, his farming aura.'

Damon thought unseriously, watching the young man floating above him without a shred of respect. The flashes of lightning behind him gave Bakemon an intimidating, otherworldly appearance.

But Damon was tired of raising his head. Even though he had only glanced up once, he still lifted his hand, pointing casually as he shaped his will into a knife and shot it straight at Bakemon Baal.

[Demon Dominate]

Before Bakemon could even react or say anything, he felt a fierce will invading his mind. It shattered his mental defenses with terrifying ease, and for a brief moment before he regained control, his consciousness went black. His mind was on the verge of being taken over.

However, he managed to resist it, though the wind howled past his body.

"Hmm... wind? What wind..."

His gaze was fixed on the sky, which seemed to spin and grow farther and farther away.

It was then he realized, he was falling.

He opened his wings just in time, twisting his body and stopping his rapid descent right before he could crash into the ground. He stood slowly, landing on his feet as cold sweat beaded down his forehead.

"Wha... what was that... how..."

He tried to make sense of it, but all he could recall was the will giving him a single command.

"Fall," he muttered. His body had obeyed that order. He fell, he actually fell. This power was...

"Is... is... was that... domination..." he uttered quietly, looking up at the figure standing in front of him.

This power was without a doubt domination. But he couldn't be sure, it might have been something similar. And the only being known to possess true Domination was Ashcroft, the Demon Lord of Domination himself.

He raised his eyes to look at the mysterious, hidden figure, this unknown entity standing before him.

'Could this be Lord Ashcroft...'

Ashcroft was a legend. Every child in the demon continent was raised on tales of his greatness. He was invincible. Ashcroft was an all-encompassing, overwhelming force.

He was the Dominator.

Bakemon almost knelt but stopped himself.

No... this wasn't Ashcroft. Why would the great Lord Ashcroft need to hide his face or call himself Amon? The Ashcroft he had heard of was the most arrogant entity in all of Aetherus.

Why would the Dominator hide? Hiding was not domination.

He straightened himself, his long white hair flowing in the wind as he glanced around at the demon beasts that had gathered all under the control of this person who might or might not be the Dominator himself.

This strangely terrifying entity.

The other demon youths behind him stood still, silent and unmoving. He had already established himself as their leader, and in the demon continent, strength decided everything.

Just as Ashcroft ruled through power.

He was their head. If any of them wanted that position, they would have to prove it with strength.

Still, he had come here to see this Amon for himself after Kashi and Manta Astaroth claimed they had been saved by him.

"Greetings, I am Bakemon Baal, son of Demon Lord Baal, Lord of Order."

His greeting did not provoke any reaction from the faceless entity calling himself Amon. However, this Amon was clearly on their side, since the goddess races wanted him dead, and he commanded demons.

Bakemon slowly turned his eyes toward the demon beasts to see the family crest that should have bound them. But to his shock, there was none. These demons simply obeyed.

His eyes flickered, but he stayed calm. His suspicions about Demon Dominate were confirmed, though he still didn't believe this was Ashcroft.

Damon didn't particularly care who this was. While strong, this was still a demon at ninety percent power—he could destroy him with ease. However, his goal was to play the villain, and what kind of villain didn't have minions?

Bakemon was an arrogant heir, but not a fool.

"I lead all the demons present here today. I have come to make you an offer... join forces with us."

Damon stayed silent. Then, as Bakemon and the other demons waited, a deep fog spread from his body. Their hearts began to pound faster, hands trembling. The weaker ones found it difficult to breathe as a suffocating aura of fear blanketed the area.

"Join you..." The voice spoke coldly, like the chill of winter itself.

A heavy silence fell over their ranks as the demon beasts around them began to growl, slowly surrounding them with monstrous eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Bakemon gritted his teeth. Never in his life had he been put under this kind of pressure. This was different from facing his father or even another demon lord. This was horror, a chilling disconnect between body and mind.

It was a strange kind of fear.

He forced a smile as cold sweat continued to bead down his face.

"Yes, my lord," he said, adding a deeper tone of respect as he stepped forward, acting as the representative.

Choosing his words carefully, he glanced at Damon, knowing that if he truly was a demon, he would humor him.

This was his way of knowing, if this was indeed Ashcroft, then so be it. If he lost, so be it.

'But Lord Ashcroft is invincible. If it's him, I will surely lose.'

He took another step forward.

"I would be honored if you would humor me in a friendly duel. Surely you would be victorious and secure command of all demons here."

Damon smiled, understanding what Bakemon was getting at. The guy was eloquent. If Damon refused, the demons would have no reason to show him loyalty.

He glanced at them, waving his hand as the demon beasts slowly backed away.

"You may all attack together if you wish."

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