The Second Primal Sovereign.
Just like the fifth in his species, he was a chimera of several kinds of beasts with a draconic undertone.
His head was that of an eagle, proud and domineering. His body was both feathered and furred, a twisted mix between a wolf and an unknown short-feathered bird species. He had the tail of a phoenix, and the expansive wings of a dragon, which completed his truly unmeasurable figure.
Despite the unnerving nature of his chimeric body, he gave off a feeling of absolute might. It was an unconscious aura exuded by beings of extreme strength, a phenomenon that was generally rare to see outside peak experts.
Yet, he was clearly at the end of his life.
There was hardly any vitality coming from him, almost to the point where Damien wasn't sure if he'd be able to have a conversation with this creature before it passed.
But his worries were unwarranted.
He wouldn't have been tasked to come all this way to find a corpse.
[You have arrived quickly, child.]
The 2nd Primal Sovereign's eyes slowly opened.
[Come, let me see you.]
Damien's brows furrowed, his expression morphing in confusion. This tone…wasn't what he expected.
'I don't sense any hostility, so…'
He carefully made his way forward until he was only a few feet away from the dying being, face to face with its eye.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, 2nd Primal Sovereign," he said, bowing his head slightly.
The Primal Sovereign's eyes softened. It slowly shook its head.
[There is no need for such courtesies between us. You may call me Uncle.]
"...I'm sorry?"
[Haha, it is okay for you to be confused. You came to me because you require something, no? Do not be shy. I shall answer any questions you may have.]
Damien frowned at the undeserved hospitality.
This was a stranger, and a beast as old as the universe itself, so why was it treating him like this?
'And…uncle?'
Damien shook off his thoughts and glanced at the hole in the Primal Sovereign's side.
"I don't think it'll be possible to talk when you're in this condition, though?"
[Worry not. Now that you have arrived, the method to heal my wound has also arrived.]
"You mean…"
[Indeed. This injury was inflicted by a great being from the past and cannot be patched through ordinary means. What I require is the power of my origin.]
Damien smiled wryly. As expected, the beast wanted something from him!
As he recently confirmed, Primal Sovereigns were born in tandem with the universe, so their origin was naturally the Void.
Damien didn't have a problem with using Void Mana to help the creature, but the situation itself was strange.
"Is there a being in existence who can do that? I can't easily believe someone out there can deal damage that can only be fixed by the origin of all things, especially not in this lower universe."
He questioned it but moved faithfully to the other side of the Primal Sovereign's body and started injecting the energy of the Void into his wound.
He devoured a Primal Sovereign before, but he didn't have much memory of it due to the Abyssal Corridor. All he remembered was the nonsensical spatial dimensions that existed inside of the Fifth Primal Sovereign, which made him extremely confused about the beast's anatomy.
From the looks of it, the hole would heal itself as long as the Void was present, but Damien wanted to know the bodily functions of one of these beasts, the closest beings to the Law of Space in existence.
He observed from up close and took in every detail.
It was a crater-like wound that dug deep into the creature's flesh and just barely pierced into its internal. The layers of skin and muscle that made up the crater itself were decayed and infected to the point where any surgeon would recommend amputation.
And it was laced with coursing lightning, inky black yet occasionally flashing with a myriad of colors.
Damien's frown deepened before the Sovereign could voice his answer.
"Saint Emperor."
[...so that is the title he has been granted this time.]
"...?"
[Child, since you have recognized his mana, you should know a bit about his history, no?]
"I do, but that's not what I want to talk about right now. I have a feeling that the information you have won't provide me any answers."
[I see…]
If it had to do with history, Damien saw everything he needed to see from Iris. The questions he came here to answer had nothing to do with the Nox…or at least, he hoped.
[...then, what would you like to ask?]
"How did you create the Severed World?"
He wanted to start simple and get his personal questions out of the way before asking anything that could topple his worldview.
His original interest in the Severed World was its very existence as a sub-universe, and there was no better person to explain its function than the creator itself.
[Aha, you are quite persistent in your pursuit of strength.]
The Primal Sovereign answered, sighing lightly as he felt the pain of his wound subsiding slightly.
[As you may have realized, this sub-universe is a product of my dreams. In a sense, it does not exist at all.]
[I have remained in slumber for an eternity, because in my current state, opening my eyes would cause utter calamity. The true scale of my wound…is not something you can comprehend.]
Damien's eyes narrowed.
"Then, right now we're…"
[...inside a pocket space within my body. The Severed World you know is also a varied dimension that I have connected to the outside world.]
Damien sighed.
'So, in the end, it was formed through a shortcut.'
The Primal Sovereign smirked almost indiscernibly.
[Child, are you underestimating me? While I may have used my own body as a foundation, transforming it into its current state was quite the task.]
A trace of mana flowed through the air and immediately caught Damien's eye.
'It looks like nothing, but the amount of information packed in that stream of energy is so immense I can't even perceive it unless I devour it.'
[I shall show you my process after our conversation ends. You will not be disappointed.]
Damien nodded, his expression eternally negative.
In what little was already said, there was too much to process.
Disregarding everything about the sub-universe, its nature alluded to the unimaginable size of the Primal Sovereign's true body.
If the body Damien saw now was an Avatar, then the fact that even a portion of the wound's existence was reflected meant the damage the Saint Emperor was able to cause was terrifying.
'I didn't want to think about the Nox again, but I guess it's good to know the true height of my enemies.'
The thoughts he'd been entertaining about a smooth journey to power were tossed out. He knew they were fruitless from the start, but they were nice while they lasted.
'Since it's this pressing, I'll get to it after one more.'
He was definitely unhappy that he had to throw out some smaller questions, but important matters came first.
"Tell me…" Damien said firmly.
"Tell me everything you know about the Void."
