The Giant Domain and Human Domain were neighboring Sectors. It only took Damien a day to reach the boundary between them.
The main problem was the turbulence that existed at the boundary.
Several tens of millions of kilometers of destroyed space, like a diluted representation of the Abyss, separated the Human Domain from everything around it.
While it acted as a nigh impenetrable defense against outside forces, it was also the very cause of the Sector's decline.
Naturally, this portion of the universe healed considerably over the past 10,000 years, so it was only powerful enough to hold off against enemies under the extreme peak of 4th class, but that was more than enough.
After all, the Human Domain also had its experts. They would only lose if the other side could abuse a numbers advantage.
And even then, they would have much time to prepare while the able forces made their way through the spatial chaos!
This was Damien's first time seeing the phenomenon. After all, his exit from the domain was more than unconventional.
He marveled at it for a few seconds before passing into its depths. He waded through the fractured space with the ease of a master, avoiding anything that could shake his flow and destroying anything that blocked his path.
Though, he was doing more than just that.
This was the Human Domain's fortification! He couldn't make it easy to pass through, right?
The spatial traps he laid in his wake were specially constructed to only attack intruders. Those who carried the mana signature of a Human Domain denizen would not encounter any problems from them.
'It's not perfect, but it's good enough. As long as I inform the old man about it, emissaries should be able to avoid them too.'
Damien shrugged off the disadvantages of his actions for now and flashed through the disrupted area, arriving on the other side.
It wasn't like he had no plans of coming back. He could clear away the loopholes later.
For now, he continued teleporting until he was closer to the more populated areas of the domain before calling the girls out.
"We have arrived, miladies," he said with a teasing smile.
"The ride was quite nice. Do you have any interest in being my personal chauffeur?" Rose responded in kind.
"Haha, I don't mind at all. But…I don't work for free."
Damien unleashed a lecherous gaze he hadn't used in very many years, causing Rose to roll her eyes.
"Cheeky…"
Damien smiled.
"Alright, then. My first stop is Apeiron. Is everyone coming?"
It was natural for them to move together, but since this was a home visit, it was also natural for them to have things they'd rather do alone.
"You are going there on business?" Ruyue asked.
"Mm. It's mainly for that, but I figured I'd pay a visit to some old friends as well."
"Then, I shall return to the Cloud Plane first."
Ruyue was never a sociable person to begin with. She was interested in the people Damien met at the beginning of his journey, but she wanted to go home more.
Because something important happened since the last time she saw Tian Yang. There were many things she wanted to tell him privately.
Damien nodded in understanding.
"I'll be there after I finish up on Apeiron. It won't be too long."
"Mm. We must face Master together as well."
"For…ah, yeah, we do need to do that, don't we?"
Damien smiled wryly.
Seeking approval from his in-laws; Tian Yang wasn't the only one he had to face for this purpose.
Damien turned to Rose and Elena.
Rose was obviously coming with him as he was visiting her hometown, but Elena…
Elena was the only one among them with no family at all. She never showed it, but it was something that deeply affected her.
She learned much about her Valkyrie ancestry, but her parents and family line were a mystery to this day.
She didn't hold attachments to them, but that didn't mean she had no interest in their identities.
Frankly, Elena didn't have a home to return to.
Her home was these people she currently traveled with, and perhaps somewhat Commander Huo Xuan's group.
What was she to do here?
Though there was nothing for her to reminisce on, she had a goal to accomplish.
The Human Domain and Valkyrie race were closely connected, after all.
"I'll also move on my own for now. We can talk from wherever now, right? I won't be gone for long."
Damien looked at her with a slightly troubled light in his eyes but quickly covered it up.
'I'll support whatever she wants to do. If this is something she has to do alone, I can only make sure she remembers the home she has here.'
After a few more minutes of conversation, Ruyue and Elena split from the group, going their separate ways.
Meanwhile, Rose went back to the Sanctuary.
It would definitely be short this time, but she had no interest in feeling what it was like to teleport through egregious amounts of space!
Damien shook his head wryly, pitying those who couldn't experience the feeling he loved so much, and made his way to Apeiron.
A few hours later, the middle world appeared in his sight.
This familiar appearance, this familiar world…
Had it been over a decade already?
Damien stopped in space and slowly descended into the planet's atmosphere.
He appreciated the cool air of this peaceful place and relished in the power of a Star Master that flowed through him. He had nearly forgotten what having so much control felt like.
[Long time no see, Master.]
An excited yet monotone voice entered his mind.
"Mm, it's good to be back," Damien responded.
Apeiron's voice. The voice of the World Core, something he hadn't heard for a very long time.
[It is unacceptable that I was not visited first. I am going to rebel.]
A second, more masculine voice joined the first.
"Yun, it's not a big deal. I'll be over there soon enough."
[You do not understand, Master. That one is incorrigible.]
[You only say that because I won. You are less important.]
[Lies. You were bound last. Forever remember that fact.]
Damien's smile got warmer and warmer as he listened to the quarreling World Cores.
'That's something I never thought I'd see in this life.'
Sure, World Cores had sentience, but they weren't supposed to have this much emotion.
It was a product of Damien's influence on their growth, and he wasn't mad at it at all.
'It looks like they can contact each other without my interference too. That's something worth celebrating.'
And what better way was there to celebrate and visit a person he had been wanting to see for a very long time?
Claire Watson, his dear mother.
'After so long, I wonder how she's doing?'
Damien spread his senses through World Force and scanned the entire world to locate her.
A frown formed on his face.
His good mood was immediately ruined.
"Explain. Right now."
[Master, that is…]
His heart fell.
Apeiron's hesitant voice was like an explosion in his mind.
[...the individual known as Claire Watson disappeared 500 days ago.]
