Seeing the confusion in Lazarus' eyes, a surge of anger rose within Damian. If he had known Lazarus' mortal body was this useless, he would never have struck a deal with him. At this point, Lazarus was more of a liability than an asset. To make matters worse, Lazarus had wasted a substantial amount of energy. If Damian had absorbed that energy himself, his strength would have increased significantly, making his battle against Robert far less taxing.
Damian could feel that his power was superior to Robert's in both offense and defense. This was evident from the fact that, after all this time, Damian hadn't suffered a single injury. However, this advantage wasn't enough to overwhelm Robert. In fact, Robert still had enough strength to deal with Lazarus, and the damage Robert had inflicted on Lazarus was even more severe than the combined efforts of both Damian and Lazarus on Robert.
This meant that Damian and Lazarus' plan to quickly eliminate Robert had already failed. If the fight dragged on, Lazarus' mortal body would be the first to fall apart, and then Damian would be left to face Robert alone. While Damian currently had the upper hand, he had no confidence in defeating Robert, Clark, and Diana by himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed Lazarus' help in the first place and would have attacked Robert and his allies head-on back at the Sun Never Sets.
"Boom!" As Lazarus was distracted by his conversation with Damian, Robert's fists didn't let up. His battle instincts took advantage of Lazarus' momentary lapse in focus, landing a heavy blow on Lazarus, worsening his already serious injuries.
"Argh!" Though Lazarus' body didn't explode from the punch, blood gushed from his wounds, and his aura weakened significantly.
Just then, Damian's aura surged, and he immediately began absorbing the blood pouring from Lazarus' wounds. This infusion of energy made Damian just a bit stronger.
"You! Damian! What are you doing?!" Lazarus roared at Damian. Having been subjected to countless experiments and having his flesh devoured by others in the past, Lazarus had a strong reaction to seeing Damian absorb his blood.
"Boom!"
But Lazarus' anger only made him lose focus again. Robert capitalized on this, launching a powerful energy blast that hit Lazarus squarely, sending him crashing into the ground. The energy wave pierced through Lazarus' body, causing even more damage.
This highlighted a major weakness of Hell Lords' mortal vessels. While these vessels could channel their Hell Lord's power, they were still susceptible to the Lord's consciousness, especially in terms of priorities. In the Hell Lords' minds, losing a mortal vessel was unfortunate but not catastrophic. However, matters touching on their core issues were far more significant.
Despite his severe injuries, Lazarus didn't even glance at Robert for revenge. Instead, he turned his furious gaze on Damian and shouted, "Damian! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Lazarus' fury wasn't simply because he was injured. It was because Damian was still greedily absorbing his blood, and the worse Lazarus' injuries became, the stronger Damian grew.
"Even if I don't absorb it, the energy will go to waste. Why not let it benefit me instead? Besides, isn't part of the power in your body already mine?" Damian responded coolly, showing no concern for Lazarus' anger. If not for the fear of completely enraging Lazarus, Damian might have fully devoured his mortal vessel by now.
"You're asking for death!" Lazarus roared, despite knowing that Damian's words made sense. The experience of being consumed triggered something deep within him—he had zero tolerance for such violations due to his traumatic past.
Simultaneously, in the Hell Dimension, the real Lazarus—who had been in the middle of peace talks with Damian—suddenly attacked. The discussion about collaborating against the Earth Dimension came to an abrupt halt as terrifying explosions echoed throughout the Hell Dimension once again.
Even if it meant losing a mortal vessel, Lazarus couldn't bear to see his body consumed by another. After all, that was the very reason he had defected to the Hell Dimension in the first place.
"Are you insane?! I was doing this to help us defeat Robert and the others! If you had contributed more energy, we could have easily suppressed him!" Damian's avatar was dumbfounded as Lazarus' attack obliterated his form. After regenerating his body, Damian shouted in disbelief.
"So what if we lose? I can accept defeat. But what I can't accept is you consuming my blood! That's non-negotiable. If you insist on doing this, take my mortal vessel, but know that your avatar won't survive either!" Lazarus was resolute. Though he could compromise on many things, this crossed a line. It had taken years of planning for him to return to Earth, solely to avenge the Church's experiments on him—experiments that involved eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Damian had done the exact same thing, which was unforgivable.
"Argh!" With a furious roar, Lazarus unleashed his full power in the Hell Dimension, easily overwhelming Damian's avatar despite being in his own territory.
Since Lazarus was already deep inside Damian's domain, external defenses were useless. After a few more devastating explosions, Damian's avatar was completely annihilated.
But Lazarus didn't stop there. He intended to uproot Damian's influence in the Hell Dimension entirely, ensuring Damian's permanent death. Lazarus knew that whether Damian consumed his mortal vessel or not, neither of them would survive on Earth. Robert alone was already a difficult opponent, and when Clark and Diana joined in, their defeat was inevitable.
Lazarus planned to use Robert and his allies to eliminate Damian for good. He didn't fear Damian personally, but he didn't want another Hell Lord constantly seeking revenge. Lazarus had his own territory to protect and couldn't afford to have an enemy lurking in the shadows.
As for his own vendetta against Earth, Lazarus decided to put it on hold. He would first absorb Damian's territory into his own and then carefully plot his next move.
"Boom! Boom!" Explosions rang out continuously in the Hell Dimension as Lazarus rampaged through Damian's domain, obliterating every demon and Hell Lord loyal to Damian. Lazarus had no regrets about this—he knew these beings could serve as backup plans for Damian's return.
In the Hell Dimension, territory was abundant, and once Lazarus absorbed Damian's domain, his own demons would fill the void.
It was worth noting that although Damian's territory was far from Lazarus', once he fully conquered and refined the core of Damian's land, it would automatically merge with his own.
"Damn it!" Back on Earth, Damian's expression twisted as he realized what was happening in the Hell Dimension. He shouted at Lazarus, "You're stabbing me in the back! This isn't just because I absorbed your blood. You're doing this because you think we're going to lose, and you want to take my territory!"
"Heh. If you hadn't gone after my blood, I wouldn't have done this. Losing a mortal vessel means nothing to me. But you crossed the line!" Lazarus coldly retorted, his tone full of disdain. "You love devouring, don't you? Then prepare to face the consequences!"
"Fine! Lazarus, don't think you'll get away with this! You really think I don't have other ways?" Damian's eyes flashed with fury. After striking Robert, he didn't put his full strength into the blow, instead using the force of the impact to retreat toward Lazarus.
Having realized that Robert wouldn't retreat, Damian had no choice but to employ this tactic. Now, with his aura fully unleashed, he easily suppressed Lazarus' mortal body—just as Lazarus had done to Damian's avatar in the Hell Dimension.
"Your aura... something's wrong! Why does your dark energy feel so overwhelming?" Lazarus' eyes narrowed in shock as he stared at Damian.
"Why do you think I severed my connection with the Hell Dimension's source?" Damian chuckled darkly. "I've been struggling to control my emotions because my power has become too chaotic, and it's starting to affect my mind."
"But it doesn't matter. Once I kill them and absorb all of your power, I'll establish myself in the Earth Dimension. With its ability to accommodate all kinds of energy, what troubles me now will instead become a source of strength!"
"Boom!" As Damian finished speaking, Lazarus' mortal vessel exploded into a bloody mist, unable to withstand the force of Damian's power.
"Buzz!" Damian opened his mouth wide, impossibly large, and consumed every last bit of Lazarus' flesh and energy.
"So they're really fighting each other? I thought it was another act…" Robert muttered, slightly surprised by the escalating infighting between the two Hell Lords.
"Heh, if it weren't for you holding back, I wouldn't have been able to devour him so easily. So, I should thank you. As a reward, you'll get to see my true trump card!" Damian sneered, his childish face twisted with a menacing grin.
"Buzz!" As Damian spoke, his aura grew even more terrifying. The Hell Dimension's energy that had once surrounded him dissipated, but his power didn't weaken. In fact, his form began to change.
"Hmm? No, it's still not working!" Just as his transformation started, Damian's aura suddenly stalled. Frowning, he muttered, "It's still not enough? I haven't fully severed my Hell identity? Weren't there other examples of beings from the Dark Dimension completely transforming and remaining on Earth?"
"Oh? Are you talking about those masks?" Robert's eyes
lit up. "I destroyed a few of them, but the remaining masks have been hard to find. They seem to be hidden outside normal space. Can you help me locate them?"
Robert's excitement grew. He had initially thought Damian was just another Hell Lord, but it seemed like he was a double agent, which opened up a whole new avenue of intrigue.
"You arrogant brat. Are you really not going to let your companions join in?" Damian's face darkened as he glared at Robert.
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