Bai Yumo was more than a bit vexed at the moment.
He pulled out a card that he'd never used before in Grand Heavens Boundary, yet Damien shone with a light that made it seem like nothing more than a natural progression of the battle.
It was extremely annoying.
To find out that there were geniuses in existence who could show such power was definitely a blow to the Saint King.
He didn't know anything about Damien. If he did, maybe his shock would be even more pronounced.
But it was because he didn't know Damien's reputation that he was able to view this battle the way he did.
This was his stage, not the stage of some human who crawled out of the grapevine!
Yet, his notion was thoroughly rejected by the terrifying multitude of explosions that surrounded him.
His body was thrown from side to side by their force, and the combined effect of several elements impacted him in a way he'd never felt before.
Searing pain came from all over his body, and the armor that he'd summoned so proudly…
Crack!
'Dammit!'
He growled as his eyes darted around in search of his enemy. The air clouded by mana was difficult to see through, but he didn't have to worry about that.
His eyes shone with Abyss Energy and all things were turned to nothing more than particles in his eyes.
His gaze panned as time seemed to slow, and he eventually found Damien's figure not far away at all.
In fact, he was getting closer by the moment!
Bai Yumo's eyes narrowed and his hand shot out.
'Call of the Abyss.'
He infused his own mana into the Abyss Energy to mimic its properties and spread his fingers, allowing it to naturally spread into the atmosphere.
And as Damien neared…
His body suddenly halted.
The Abyss Energy in the air invaded his spiritual world and sent him into an illusion realm that mimicked the Abyss itself.
It was an environment many couldn't stand, but Damien wasn't the same!
Crash!
The illusion broke almost instantly. The Abyss seemed like nothing more than a diluted version of the Void, and the Void could never hurt Damien!
However, that split second his mind was gone was enough for Bai Yumo to approach and grip his face tightly.
"Die, human."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
An explosion of Abyss Energy tore through Damien's head, ripping his skin and muscle to shreds and even cracking his skull.
It was truly a deadly move.
For a second, Bai Yumo even thought he'd won the battle.
But how could it be so easy?
Damien's body began to change, almost showing signs of similarity with the Saint King's transformation.
He grew and his hair turned stark white like his skin. His sclera were dyed black and countless mystical runes covered his figure.
Under Bai Yumo's shocked gaze, Damien's head healed, his lips curling into a grin as soon as they appeared.
"Brat, you're much more fun than your father."
Damien taunted him and sent a kick into his stomach before he could respond.
He charged several energies in his foot, imitating another attack he had.
'Umm…should I also call this Supernova?'
BOOOOOOOOOM!
Shining light like a sun's splendor burned through the air and exploded into Bai Yumo's body, throwing him back and punching another hole in his figure.
Damien gave chase to the receding figure, his blood runes shining as they gave him power.
As he observed Bai Yumo's form, he realized that there were several similarities to his own Demon Transformation that had been neglected for so long.
The reason for this neglect was its inability to support him in the battles he usually fought, but if he was able to glean answers from a fight against the Saint King, this ability would once again become a crucial part of his skillset!
Damien and Bai Yumo were like shooting stars in the chaotic sky. While Damien observed him and made moves to counter, Bai Yumo did the same.
The burning pain of the holes in his torso made his mind incredibly clear.
At this moment, he was severely disadvantaged.
As long as Damien could showcase such frightening healing capabilities, there was no such thing as a chance of winning.
Bai Yumo gritted his teeth and put down his pride.
This opponent was not someone he could limit himself in front of.
He reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a certain device, watching as Damien approached with a blazing aura around his body.
The time for the two to collide neared, and time slowed down.
Seconds turned into infinite timespans of their own as the duo stared each other down, preparing their own methods to deal with each other once and for all.
Until they finally connected.
Damien's fist slammed into Bai Yumo's face, crashing through his armor and cracking his skull.
Meanwhile, Bai Yumo reached his hand out and pushed the object he held into Damien's chest.
That object turned liquid and entered Damien's body immediately, and despite being thrown back with heavy injuries again, Bai Yumo was content.
Because as Damien found out soon enough, his body was being altered in a way he couldn't stop.
The Void had always had a single restriction: its energy could only control and devour other energies.
When Damien was exposed to natural poison back in the Cloud Plane, he learned this the hard way.
And now, the substance that clouded his veins and set itself in his heart was showing the same tendencies.
'This…'
He could feel the difference.
'Transcendent Regeneration is being…blocked?'
Damien's shock was understandable. Even when his spatial abilities were blocked, Transcendent Regeneration never stopped working unless he had no mana.
Whatever Bai Yumo put in his body was unseen in the universe, a treasure or material that couldn't be gauged by normal standards.
'It almost feels like the dark material from the Primordial Undying Realm.'
If what those Nox had was a diluted version of the material, Bai Yumo had the source.
What else could be expected from the son of the Saint Emperor?
Damien frowned as he looked down at Bai Yumo, who was crawling out of the crushed ground.
His injuries were far more severe. It looked like he was on the verge of death already.
But as a Nox, death was a concept that didn't function the same for him. No matter how injured his body got, it wouldn't stop him from operating at full capacity.
Damien was different. With his healing cut and no way of knowing how long it would take to get it back, Damien could no longer act rashly.
'He almost blew my head off a second ago. If that happens again…'
It was too dangerous.
In this moment of respite, Damien's gaze unknowingly went to the Saint Emperor.
That man was standing in the same position without any signs of movement, but the expression on his face was truly disgusting.
It was slight, so slight that it couldn't be seen by others, but Damien saw it clearly.
Because he knew what the Saint Emperor wanted.
That look was one of perversion and one of desire, an expression that was validated by Damien and Bai Yumo's battle.
Damien's frown deepened.
He knew he had to defeat Bai Yumo here, but the longer the fight went on, the less sure he became of the Saint Emperor's intentions.
He had the feeling that even if he won here, he would eat a loss.
It was extremely disconcerting.
