Dark clouds filled the sky. The earth was deathly and corroded, barely discolored from the blackness in the surroundings.
From every direction, sounds of madness could be heard. Just existing in this environment could drive an experienced practitioner mad.
This was the environment of Al'Katra, homeworld of the Nox.
In the sky below the dark clouds stood a man whose visage was hidden by their shadow, but his identity was not a mystery.
'The Saint Emperor.'
He didn't care about the man on the ground. He didn't care about what happened here. He stood there for one purpose.
He used his Demonic Providence to create an isolated space where "Law" became present in the Abyss.
This was the location of Bai Yumo's main training ground.
He barely had time to breathe, he barely had time to rest. He could barely heal from the injuries he accumulated before he was forced into another wave of training.
It was simple yet brutal.
It was training designed to kill a man's soul in exchange for power.
All he did was kill.
His power was restricted, but he still killed until he couldn't kill anymore, and then kept killing.
Lesser and Higher Nox alike charged him in droves of millions, intent on slaughtering and devouring him.
His only choice was to comprehend the Laws contained in this space.
If he did that, he could fight back.
This was what the Saint Emperor made him do.
For 350 years.
'I will kill you…I will kill you…I WILL KILL YOU!'
That was the only thought running through Bai Yumo's mind.
It was the very thought that allowed him to endure this hellish training for power.
The burning desire to slaughter the one who ruined his life.
***
BOOM!
Two fists connected.
Space shattered to oblivion. The battle continued in the chaotic void.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Abyssal Mana created its own Spacetime that was shattered by a Spacetime created by Void Mana.
Damien's Samsara was cut off by Bai Yumo's.
Damien laced his attacks with Universal Law, abusing his territorial advantage.
With Universal Law behind them, his individual Laws became far greater than they usually could be.
It wasn't just Spacetime and Samsara.
Damien activated Elemental Wargod and brought the five elements into their collision, a force Bai Yumo didn't possess.
It definitely helped, but not enough.
The five elements weren't enough.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
This time, it was Damien's turn to be shot through a planet.
Broken debris of dead stars filled the space and were actively being controlled by the two combatants, who both barraged each other with their blunt force or used them for cover.
It wasn't just one or two stars that were destroyed in this collision.
Tens of uninhabitable worlds and three living stars were crushed to pieces, creating a scene of destruction that allowed the audience to understand how fearsome these powerful beings could be.
And outside their perception, Void and Abyssal Mana flowed through these two enemies' bodies.
Another half an hour passed.
In the end, it became a battle of attrition.
Only, Damien was no longer infinite, and Bai Yumo had the capacity to match his base mana capacity.
Black and red blood coalesced as they floated through the starry sky, creating an unnerving river.
If it was anyone but the two of them, they would have been crippled after so much damage.
But whether it was Damien or Bai Yumo, whether their bodies were shattered or torn, they kept going.
With only the goal of victory in mind!
***
"There will be a being born in the near future, one with enough power to completely rid existence of balance."
The scene was once again the Abyss.
The speaker was once again the Saint Emperor.
This interaction happened several decades before Damien was born, when Bai Yumo himself was still a young boy.
He listened to the Saint Emperor's words with sharp eyes.
"That being will not be one of our own, but a product of our enemies. When the time comes, you will be the one to take his head."
The young Bai Yumo had a flame in his heart, a flame that was born when he was still young.
The target of that flame became clear before he even understood his sense of self, and over time, his hostility toward that man became the center of his identity.
He was raised as a tool for the purpose of killing one man.
Yet, when he finally met that man, he lost.
But…
The time he spent battling that man…
…why did it feel like a refreshing breath of fresh air away from the torture of his regular life?
***
The fight continued.
Damien now held Mirage in his hand and had Absolute Mastery boosting his sword skill.
He stabbed, slashed, and parried with such precision that peak swordsmasters were learning from his movements.
Bai Yumo had no space at all. The most he could do was dodge and block, preserving his life to the best of his ability.
If the problem was merely Damien's power, he could compensate somehow, but there was Void Mana in his body making him unable to use most of his abilities.
For Damien, the mingling of Void and Abyssal Mana was perceived but not felt, because Void Mana was still the greater force.
When Void Mana met Abyssal Mana in Bai Yumo's body, their intermingling had a suppressive effect, as if his mana no longer wished to follow his command.
It was a situation Damien experienced constantly through the Void Physique, but for most, the feeling of mana acting as if it was sentient was completely unheard of!
'Think. Think. Think.'
He'd been preparing for centuries for this battle. He prepared for centuries for the first. He couldn't lose both.
'Think. Think. Think.'
Void Manifestation, his Demonic Providence, was powerful enough to save him from this situation, but he was certain it would completely consume his mind if he let it out.
'Think. Think. Thi—'
Shiiiing!
Damien's sword approached dangerously close to his neck before he could move out of the way. A line of blood surfaced on his skin.
'Think, goddamnit, think!'
There were no other options.
He had no choice but to use his final trump card.
Even if it meant crippling himself in the process!
***
The Nox were belligerent and uncultured in the perception of all, but they were not all as such.
Some emulated the facets of human society, such as family and community.
The Nox were able to reproduce with each other, but the result of those unions wasn't much better than the products created by Al'Katra. The only difference was they had more talent and supportive backing, which allowed them to gain sentience at a faster rate and in a more controlled environment.
One of such societies existed in a secluded corner of Al'Katra, hidden from the chaos of the world's surface.
And at this moment, it was left in ruins.
All beings living in that community decorated its streets as stains of black ink. Their bodies were merging through the Nox's natural rebirth process that would turn them into a super soldier puppet for their superiors to command.
In the midst of this broken society, only a group of six children survived.
Under the guidance of their elders, they'd gained sentience at a young age, something that was detrimental to them in this moment.
Because their horrified eyes had the intelligence to look at the man who caused this traumatic scene.
The man standing in the sky with his face hidden in the shadows cast by the dark clouds above.
