Zeke, Cass, and Leonel went silent for a mont, exchanging glances as if deciding who would speak first. Finally, Zeke exhaled sharply and said, "Before I tell you that, answer sothing for first. How exactly does the Devour Affinity work?"
Damon leaned back slightly, considering the question. After a brief pause, he said, "From what I’ve experienced so far, it has two distinct aspects. The first is a Skill, and the second is its inherent nature."
Leonel’s curiosity piqued. "Elaborate."
Damon nodded. "The Skill: Devour allows to consu a being completely."
Zeke’s eyes widened. "Holy shit, that’s overpowered as fuck."
Leonel rolled his eyes. "You, of all people, are the last person who should be saying that." Then, turning his attention back to Damon, he added, "I assu the Skill has so limitations."
Damon confird with a nod. "There are. First, I can only use it once per Grade. Second, the being I devour must not be more than a Grade higher than . Third, I have to land the killing blow myself. And even if the body is damaged or incomplete, its blood essence must remain intact—otherwise, the Skill will fail."
Cass, who had been listening intently, finally spoke. "But when you say ’devour completely,’ what do you actually an?"
Damon exhaled. "Exactly what it sounds like. If the being ets all the conditions, I can use the Skill to consu it. I gain a boost in my stats, and I also acquire the being’s most powerful Innate Skill. And on top of that, it’s a requirent for to ascend to the next Grade."
Leonel’s gaze sharpened. "And what did you devour in the F Grade?"
Damon hesitated briefly before answering. "An E Grade Troll. I obtained the Skill: Higher Troll’s Regeneration. It’s also the reason why my Vitality and Stamina stats are significantly higher than my other stats."
Leonel’s lips curled into a smirk. "Good choice. A Skill like Higher Troll’s Regeneration will take you far. If you manage to upgrade it to Troll King’s Regeneration, you’ll be a damn near-perfect tank." He then crossed his arms and added, "Now, tell about the nature of your Affinity."
Damon tilted his head slightly. "Well, I have extrely large mana reserves, and I can absorb mana much faster than others."
Zeke furrowed his brows. "But your MANA Stat isn’t particularly high."
Damon didn’t respond imdiately. Instead, he raised his hand and summoned a small wisp of mana. A dense, potent energy radiated from it, far richer than what was normal for soone at his level.
Realization flashed in Zeke’s eyes. "Quality over quantity, huh? Makes sense."
Damon nodded. "Exactly. So, now that I’ve answered your question, can sobody please answer mine?"
Zeke let out a breath and t Damon’s gaze directly. "Damon, listen carefully. There are only two natural Neo-Nephilims in existence. They are Aunt Kat’s children, Zein and Zia. The rest of us, even Cass and , were turned. Just like Neo-Humans. The others were either Angels or Demons before becoming what they are."
Damon blanked out for a second, his mind struggling to process the information. Then, his eyes widened in shock. "What did you just say!?"
Zeke continued, undeterred by Damon’s reaction. "Cass and I are the Primogenitors of the Neo-Nephilim bloodline. We created it by fusing the Neo-Human, Ash Demon, and Sol Angel bloodlines."
Cass took over. "And we have the ability to turn others into Neo-Nephilims. There are two thods to do it, but both co with significant risks and requirents. That said, you et at least one of them."
Zeke interjected, "No, he ets the requirents for both."
Cass frowned. "Bro, he isn’t a fetus."
Zeke smirked. "That doesn’t matter. He can absorb blood essence, right? And Primogenitors’ Blood is just that—highly condensed blood essence. We’re both E Grade, so it should work. If both of us give him our Primogenitors’ Blood and then use Faith to complete the process, we can turn him. He’s already a Saint, which ans we can use the second thod as well."
Cass shook his head firmly. "No. It’s too dangerous."
Zeke t his eyes without hesitation. "I agree that it’s risky. But it’s also his best shot at breaking free from the shackles holding him back."
Leonel, who had been silent for most of the discussion, cleared his throat. "Guys, did you bother asking Damon if he even wants this? You’re talking about turning him into sothing entirely different—maybe even sothing irreversible. Did it occur to you that he should have a say in it?"
Cass and Zeke paused. A brief but heavy silence settled between them.
Then, Cass turned to Damon, his voice softer. "He’s right. We should have at least asked for your opinion first."
Damon took a deep breath. His expression was resolute. "Turn ."
Cass blinked. "What? You haven’t even heard the potential dangers—"
Damon cut him off. "I don’t care. Turn . And use both thods. If I die, then I die. At least this will be my choice. I’m done living a life that has already been mapped out for by soone else."
Cass hesitated. "Still—"
This ti, Zeke interrupted. "You heard him. He wants this. And so do I. If this were a democracy, I’d say I win. But it isn’t. And I still win."
Cass narrowed his eyes, grabbing Zeke by the shoulder and pulling him aside. He lowered his voice. "This isn’t a ga. There’s no winning or losing here. We’re talking about soone’s life, Zeke."
Zeke’s expression darkened, his usual carefree deanor replaced with sothing colder. "A life that he’s willing to risk." His voice was lower, edged with sothing Cass hadn’t heard in a long ti. "Cass, you need to understand sothing. This is war. And wars demand sacrifices. I’ve already lost this war once, and I will not lose it again. No matter what I have to do. No matter who I have to kill. Their lives are inconsequential to ."
He took a step closer, his eyes glinting with intensity. "Make no mistake, I’m not hiding behind so noble cause or pretending it’s for the greater good. It is what it is. Maybe I’m selfish, but you don’t get to tell what to do. You haven’t lived through war like I have. Not yet."
Cass stared at him, stunned into silence. It had been a long ti since Zeke had let his emotions show so openly. He swallowed. "I didn’t know you felt that way."
Zeke exhaled sharply. "I never said anything, and you never asked. Maybe we need to work on our communication skills after all. But that’s a problem for later. Right now, we turn Damon. Using both thods."
Cass closed his eyes for a mont, then let out a resigned sigh. "Fuck it. Let’s do this."
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