Chapter 138

Chapter 138

"Hand over the Celestial Stone!" Bavich roared again.

Damien shrugged. "You've been tailing me this whole time. Didn't you notice I didn't take anything after I came in?"

Bavich frowned. "Search the place!"

At his order, his men swept through the cave from top to bottom. There were plenty of gems, but nothing that looked like the Celestial Stone.

Damien kept his eyes down and said nothing. He thought to himself that they'd never find it.

"You think you're clever? My patience is running out!" Bavich was convinced the Celestial Stone was on Damien.

"Here's some good news for you — I have Judy. Hand over the Celestial Stone, or I'll kill her." Bavich's face twisted into something dark and menacing.

"Judy was always one of yours from Celestial Temple. Do whatever you want with her." Damien kept his expression neutral, but his mind was working fast.

What Damien didn't know was that Judy was right outside the cave, gagged, listening to every word.

When she heard what he said, even knowing he was just playing Bavich, she couldn't help feeling a wave of disappointment wash over her.

Bavich finally lost his patience and ordered his men to grab Damien and search him by force. Several of them rushed him at once, but couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

Bavich, furious, fired at Damien — only to find that the bullets couldn't get through the strange energy shield surrounding him.

"Bavich, my backup is almost here. You'd better finish me off before they arrive." Damien said with a cold smile.

Bavich flew into a rage and yanked a large blade from his side, sparks flickering along its edge.

"Everyone, rush him!" With that roar, Bavich charged forward himself, and even the men guarding Judy outside came storming in.

Judy heard the fierce fighting inside and felt a flicker of worry for Damien — but thinking back to his cold words, she stayed put and didn't go in to help.

Let Bavich keep misunderstanding things. That was the only way she could get inside Celestial Temple and uncover the truth about her mother.

Damien was already a terrifying fighter on his own, and with the Electromagnetic Shield boosting him, he was nearly unstoppable. He handled the mob with ease, taking down several men almost as an afterthought.

Bavich struck once, missed, and pulled back sharply, a flicker of wariness crossing his eyes.

"Still sharp as ever. You've been busy building Shadow Sect all these years, but your skills haven't slipped one bit."

He waved his men back. He could already hear footsteps approaching from outside.

Knowing he wasn't going to get what he came for, Bavich said coldly, "Celestial Temple is everywhere, Damien. Watch your back."

With that, he led his men out in a hurry. Judy fell in step behind them without a word.

Moments later, Ironclaw arrived with Mona at full speed.

"Are you okay?" Mona rushed to Damien's side, her voice tight with worry.

"I'm fine. Check if there's anything related to the Celestial Stone and take it with us. Send someone back later for the rest." Damien told Ironclaw.

The group spread out and started searching.

Meanwhile, the further Bavich got, the angrier he became. He had his men lob grenades at the cave entrance, blowing it apart.

"If I can't have it, nobody can!"

Judy watched in shock and fury, but kept her face blank.

A massive blast echoed through the valley and the mountain shook hard.

Inside, Damien and the others heard the explosion and their faces went pale.

"Move! This place is coming down!" Damien ordered everyone out immediately.

Chunks of rock were already falling from the ceiling. Damien grabbed Mona and pulled her into his arms just as a huge boulder crashed down exactly where she'd been standing.

Leaving everything behind, they all sprinted for the exit. Luckily, they found another narrow hidden passage in time and made it out before the cave buried them alive.

The tunnel was pitch dark. Ironclaw led the way with a lantern, while Damien stayed close behind with Mona. When they finally reached the opening and sunlight poured in, everyone felt the same rush of relief — they'd made it out alive.

Mona looked at the man who had shielded her the whole way through. On impulse, she rose up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to Damien's lips.

Damien pulled back immediately, stunned.

"I know you have a wife. I know this is wrong. But I like you, and I don't want to let you go." Mona looked at him steadily, a quiet smile on her lips.

She was a mess right now, but Damien's heart still pounded in a way he couldn't control.

Then, a second later, Sophia's face appeared in his mind. He quickly looked away, not knowing how to respond to what Mona had just said.

Mona pouted. "Nothing happened that night, so don't feel guilty. And who I like is my business — you don't get a say in that."

The others standing nearby, Ironclaw included, wished they could crawl back into the collapsed cave and disappear.

For the rest of the journey, Damien kept a stiff expression — not out of anger, but because he genuinely didn't know how to face Mona.

Then a message came in from Ghosthand.

"Crescent City's mayor, Domingo, dropped someone off. Says Judy sent them. The person claims to have escaped from the Mordell family."

"Judy has gone back to Celestial Temple. Word is Bavich threatened her with her mother's life."

Hearing that, Damien realized Bavich's threat had been real all along. He felt a pang of worry for Judy.

"Got it. I'm heading back now." He kept it short and hung up.

Silence settled over the group again.

"If I'm making things awkward, I can head back to Lia region." Mona couldn't take the tension anymore.

Damien thought of Eloise's request to look after Mona. He didn't seem to want her to leave.

And when it came to Mona, he actually...

"I can't return your feelings. I already have someone I love, and a child." Damien finally spoke.

Mona's expression dimmed a little. "Fair enough. If you'd said yes without hesitating, I probably wouldn't like you anyway. I just don't believe in hiding how I feel."

She looked up at him, her gaze honest and stubborn.

Damien let out a quiet sigh. "I don't mind that you told me. But I can't give you an answer."

"Feelings can come in many forms throughout a person's life. But not every spark needs to be acted on. You're young — keep your eyes open. Do you understand what I mean?"

Damien was trying to reason with her, but all Mona really heard was that he didn't mind her confession. A small, secret thrill bloomed in her chest.

On the other side of things, Bavich assumed Damien had been buried alive in the cave. In a good mood, he started making his way back.

Judy watched, her heart heavy, but she had no choice. She buried every bit of her frustration deep down and quietly followed along.

Bavich had his men escort Judy back to Celestial Temple headquarters first, while he stayed behind in Crescent City to take care of other business.

Then he had some of his men disguise themselves as Bryce's people and go back to Dragon Society headquarters. They told Rhett that Bryce had died at the treasure site — and that Damien was the one who killed him.

"Damien broke free of the poison long ago. He was after the treasure the whole time. Both Bryce and Pax are dead because of him."