Damon's Ascension

"Don't get cold feet now. We still have one more bet to play." Damon said with a cold smile.

Nyros shook his head with a wry smile, but his hesitation disappeared the next moment. While he personally felt that Damon and his squad of humans were too dangerous to be kept around, the Chaos Casino was going mad with desire for them.

"Before we move on, there is one thing to sort out, which is our reward." Felicia interjected with crossed arms, her expression still hostile.

Nyros stretched out his arms generously. "Feel free to make your request. The house will try its best to meet your demands."

The moment Nyros offered that invitation, the entire casino shuddered and tension rose in the air.

The idea that these Post-Chaos creatures - newcomers from a universe barely three years old - could now name their reward in a den of devouring odds was like watching a child walk into a lion's mouth and demand dinner.

Inside the Vanguard's private mental link, a flurry of thoughts exploded but none were from Damon. He remained dead silent, arms loosely crossed as his gaze swept over the platform, the crowd, and Nyros' still-smiling face.

Felicia was first to speak her mind. "We shouldn't ask for anything too small. That would be spitting on what we went through."

Levi grunted in debate. "And asking for anything too big paints a bigger target. We might be safe now, but once we leave…"

Kyle suddenly cut in. "Then we have to leave with enough power to not need to be 'safe'. Let's ask for another ability slot or an EX-grade chaos item."

Henry, ever sly, made a suggestion. "We should ask for an Area Scanner or something. You know, something that alerts us to the presence of even hidden areas like this one so we don't get caught again?"

Marshal considered it as he felt this made sense. "Or a skill combiner? Basically something that lets us combine lesser skills into a unique one. That could be game-changing."

"Or… we could ask for nothing." Bane spoke up, tone measured.

A few surprised sounds from the crew emerged at that, then the entire group went silent briefly.

Bane continued. "If we ask for too much, we might get it... and then get sabotaged the next round. If we ask for too little, we lose leverage. If we ask for nothing, we force them to fill in the gap… and that will make them more nervous than any demand."

Connor wasn't convinced. "That feels like gambling with half a hand. We earned a request, so why not use it proactively? We definitely need something that lets us survive the Bright Realm ruleset if it changes again."

Xela, speaking for the first time, softly chimed in: "I want something like a Safe Passage Token. One that lets us cross the remaining three sectors without triggering detection or trouble. It doesn't have to be permanent, just long enough to reach the Primordial Lake."

That made them all pause once more.

Felicia hummed with agreement. "That… might actually be the most important thing."

Protizen analyzed it. "We already have power - very diverse power too - but what we lack is certainty. If something like the Chaos Eye takes interest again…"

Nicholas, his mental presence cool and sharp, added.: "We could bundle the request. Word it vaguely enough that the casino gives us what it thinks meets the criteria."

Marshal nodded in agreement. "Something like, 'Grant us one item, concept, or privilege that best ensures survival and progress in the coming trials.'"

Kyle snorted in approval. "Nice! This bastard casino can't deny us without looking petty."

Felicia turned toward Damon, as if waiting for input… but he remained impassive, his eyes still roving over the area with chilling coldness.

And so, the conversation turned outward.

Meanwhile, the crowd of spectators had already begun to stir as they waited for the humans to make their request.

Whispers spread like pollen on a breeze as sharp-toothed humanoids with gemlike veins chattered to their neighbors. Ethereal creatures whose forms flickered between geometric shapes and fleshly silhouettes leaned forward and beings older than our sun murmured in disgust.

One particularly loud voice rang out.

"Don't be greedy, you malformed spawnlings!"

The speaker, a Pre-Chaos being with obsidian horns and silver-colored skin, stood arrogantly in the audience pit. He sneered toward the humans, voice dripping with contempt.

"Your kind stumbled in here by fluke. Take your winnings and leave before you're dragged out piece by piece!"

Another chimed in. "If you ask for a Chaos Concept Key or a Realm Shard, I'll take that as a challenge! The House isn't the only one you'd offend!"

"Name your reward modestly or invite extinction." A three-eyed entity intoned, its voice echoing strangely upon itself.

And more of them came, threats made in courtesy along with promises of retaliation who wore the mask of friendly warnings.

Yet before the murmur could spiral into open hostility, Nyros raised a single hand.

A silence fell so complete that even the background hum of the casino seemed to disappear.

The host's tone was velvet over steel.

"Enough."

He didn't raise his voice nor did he summon flames or majestic power, but the weight of the Casino - who was behind him - hung behind that word like a guillotine.

"I offered them a reward and the House keeps its word."

He stepped down from his seat slowly, each step deliberate, measured, like a performer descending into the center of the stage. "They may ask for what they wish, and we - all of us - shall respect it."

Nyros paused before the crowd, his hands folding behind his back. "After all… that is the rule here, is it not?"

Dozens of beings flinched or averted their gazes.

Silence lingered for several long moments before a shapeshifting, six-limbed observer muttered. "Hmph, very well. But let them not think it wise to remain after the third win."

Another nodded. "They will not get a fourth."

Whether that was a warning or a prophecy was unclear.

Back within the Vanguard's private channel, Felicia exhaled slowly. "He silenced them. That's both good and bad."

Protizen's cold tone was analytical. "It's likely bad because he doesn't want our focus divided. He wants us to ask boldly."

Felicia nodded at him. "It likely means he's already trying to plan how to counter whatever we request."

Henry sighed. "Whatever it is, I just hope it's worth the trouble."

Still, Damon said nothing.

He remained still… watching, listening, calculating.

And when Nyros turned toward him again and offered that smile...

Damon finally spoke. "Chaos Essence. What we want is Chaos Essence."

The room didn't go still, it practically stopped existing for a split second.

Dozens of Pre-Chaos entities stared blankly at Damon Arnan like they hadn't heard him right.

And then…

"…Hah?"

A strangled laugh escaped from a scaled twin-throated creature.

"You came all this way… played your little games, won, and you're asking for Chaos Essence?" One glowing being asked in disbelief.

"…Is he simple?" Another muttered.

A burst of mocking laughter erupted across the spectators, the kind of laugh that struggled to decide if it was witnessing brilliance or idiocy.

A beast composed of churning liquid stone howled. "Give the human a medal! Or better yet, a chunk of rock! That's all he's asking for!"

An elderly matron with glassy hair leaned on her cane, shaking her head. "I've seen pets with more ambition."

Even a few of the younger Pre-Chaos guests, previously reverent of the vanguard team's victories against the odds, burst into open ridicule.

"A reward slot wasted. What a joke."

"Must be their backward universe's currency."

"How pitiful…"

The mockery spiraled until even some of the casino staff - like Atticus who led them in or the female who wheeled the tray of reward in previously - gave off the service staff equivalent of side-eyes.

Even Nyros blinked in surprise.

The ever-grinning chief gambler of the Chaos Casino momentarily broke character, his brows twitching ever so slightly as the meaning of the request landed.

"…Chaos Essence? You mean the ambient strain that suffuses this entire Realm? The lowest common denominator? The baseline particle?" He asked again, slowly, as if expecting a correction.

Damon simply nodded once. "Yes."

Inside the mental link, chaos erupted.

Felicia was stunned. "Wait, what?!"

Kyle wanted to cry. "Bro, we were right there! You could've asked for a law seed, a crown license, a sector sovereign title…"

Xela was hesitant. "I… don't understand, Damon. We can extract Chaos Essence by killing things or looting Areas. We don't need to ask for it…"

Connor Baines was less roundabout. "Is this a joke Boss? Please tell me it's a joke."

Even Bane was rattled. "Boss… I trust you, but you're gonna have to explain this one before we go 'back into hell' to fight round three."

All eleven of them turned inward, waiting.

Damon finally spoke… just two words, telepathically.

"Trust me."

That was all and yet somehow, it was enough.

Felicia, jaw tight, exhaled slowly. "You better not be planning to ferment it into wine."

Levi chuckled with lament. "The worst part is, he's very capable of doing that."

Marshal seemed worried. "...I'm terrified because I don't know what he's thinking… and that always means something is about to break."

Their emotions settled barely as uncertainty reigned, but their loyalty was stronger.

Back in reality, Nyros slowly descended from the last stair of the host's platform, gaze level now, not amused, not mocking… just wary.

"Very well, as the designated winner of a house game, the Chaos Casino honors its commitment." He said softly.

He raised one hand and the air itself shuddered as a vortex opened - a small one that vibrated with colorless energy - and from within it, a single floating orb of condensed Chaos Essence emerged.

It was no larger than an apple but so pure that the ambient laws warped faintly around it.

"This orb contains one million units, enough to awaken a minor continent of life if scattered properly. Enough to poison a lesser realm if weaponized." Nyros declared carefully.

He walked forward with deliberate calm, placed it on the velvet platform between them, and stepped back.

"…Enjoy."

There was no smile now on his face, just that same flicker of unease in his eyes.

Because for all the mockery and derision from the crowd, one simple fact loomed:

Damon Arnan didn't make mistakes.

So if he wanted Chaos Essence that badly…

What exactly did he plan to do with it?