Departing.
A time filled with sorrow, longing, and loneliness, a time when all good things come to an end.
The time to set off for a new journey, a new part of life one has yet to experience, tended to be a bittersweet one for most, but this time, there was nothing sweet about it.
Only bitterness at the truth of reality.
Damien knew he wouldn't have to separate from the people he loved forever. He understood that this temporary separation was for the sake of a better reunion.
But he couldn't help it.
He didn't want to separate from them.
After so long, they finally got to spend a few years together. The warmth and comfort provided not only by his wives, but also by his family and friends was addicting.
The choice to fuel this addiction was not one he could make.
With a Mana Oath in place, he couldn't run even if he wanted to.
Rose, Ruyue, and Elena tried their best to keep their parting a good memory. They didn't cry, nor did they mention anything negative.
They merely wished their husband good luck on his journey and made sure he understood the security waiting for him when he came back.
As for the rest, it was hard to say everyone was so considerate.
The stronger and older acquaintances he had kept their calm and bid him farewell with pride, while those of the younger generation like Atticus and the rest were…less capable of controlling their emotions.
Nevertheless, the parting took place.
Damien stood before a crowd of his people with a smile.
"Then, until next time," he said with a smile.
His face was filled with confidence and his eyes were burning with a bright flame that couldn't be extinguished.
"Don't forget to keep us updated!"
"Call when you're free!"
"Be well."
"Stay safe! If you die, I'll revive you just to kill you again!"
The responses were many and quite varied, with the last from Iris being the strangest, but in the end, it was a heartwarming sight.
It was the last Damien would see in the universe as well.
As the time came, blue Cosmic Mana from the universe itself rose around his body, turning him immaterial.
He would be transported to No Return Pass as soon as his body disappeared completely.
And the rest would have to get serious about the war within the universe.
Nobody had time to relax anymore.
This farewell celebration for Damien wasn't just a turning point for him, but all of them.
When his calm and domineering visage faded, the atmosphere in the area changed.
Solemnity.
Perhaps they wouldn't feel anything else for a long time.
***
Cold eyes.
Indifference beyond comprehension, an utter disregard for all existence.
Damien's unbothered appearance, the burning flames in his eyes, died when he reappeared at his final destination.
His eyes became those of a monster.
It was hard to hide it for this long.
He was angry. He was incredibly angry.
He was so filled with negative emotion that he could hardly contain himself.
But he couldn't let anyone else see that.
If they saw it, their worry for him would become a problem.
He couldn't allow them to be dragged down by his matters.
But now, he was alone.
He was alone in a vast expanse of darkness.
In the distance, almost fifty thousand kilometers in each direction, he could see the vague grey outline of the towering walls that encaged him here.
He was alone.
Not just in a metaphorical sense, but literally.
There was nobody else present here.
There wasn't even a barracks or an army camp as the information suggested.
There was no elite troop guarding this dangerous pass as the Great Commanders promised.
…no, there were signs of their existence.
Chips of wood and faint lines in the dirt that were covered thoroughly, but not thoroughly enough to hide from All-Seeing Eyes.
There were definitely troops here at some point.
And they definitely abandoned their posts in the recent past, no more than half an hour ago.
'The reason they're presumed dead is because return is impossible. Even if they held thoughts of mutiny, they couldn't leave, unless…'
"Unless they had outside help."
Damien was alone in this place, unable to leave its bounds due to the Mana Oath.
He had to hold this place alone?
For five years?
'Immortal Blood Asura backed down easy. I thought he was taking the loss, but I was wrong.'
That was the situation.
At this point, nothing could change it.
'They're probably realizing what happened back in the real world right now. Unfortunately, they won't be able to do anything.'
Immortal Blood Asura had shown time and time again that he was a schemer. He would wait for an opportunity and strike like a snake to poison his target to death.
Since he made a move like this, he had a way to justify it and make others unable to touch him.
Damien could guarantee this.
'I'm alone here. I will be alone here for the next half a decade.'
No, he wasn't alone.
His company was a Nox wave that never ended.
In fact, that very Nox wave was making its way to him already.
He could hear the thundering earthquakes caused by their combined footsteps.
He could feel their dark aura clouding the atmosphere.
'I'm alone here…'
Damien's dull eyes turned to the barely existent horizon.
'…so nobody will bother me.'
He was angry. He was so incredibly angry that he wanted to explode.
It was a good thing nobody else was here.
If others came, they would probably just be those sent by Immortal Blood Asura to watch and hinder him.
'He's still arrogant.'
Since there were no such people, the enemy must have been confident the sentence on Damien's head would be enough to kill him.
'You were wrong.'
Damien would never die just because someone wanted him to.
If someone wanted him to die, he would stay alive for the sole purpose of spiting them.
'This situation…'
His emotions were already cut off.
He cut them off a long time ago.
If not, he would've exploded too early.
'The enemy is too powerful.'
With his status, even if Damien used status in opposition, he could only act on the same level.
He would never beat Immortal Blood Asura, who'd been accumulating his status and political power for generations, in this facet.
Therefore, there was only one option.
'Become strong. Strong enough to be unaffected by petty schemes.'
Immortal Blood Asura was that type.
If Damien was stronger than him, he likely would've bit his tongue and held his hatred in his heart for eternity.
'But that isn't the case.'
And since that wasn't the case, a certain pest thought he had the qualifications to act bold.
'Strong enough to kill him.'
Strong enough to kill anyone who got in his way.
He summoned his body and lifted his body into the air.
Damien stood in front of an army.
Countless hundreds of thousands of existences stood before him, charging up the length of No Return Pass.
There were likely millions or even billions of them hiding in the dark, just waiting to join the siege.
Damien stared at them calmly from his spot within the air.
He gazed down upon them like they were ants.
Lightly raising his hand, he said a single word.
"Collapse."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
All hell broke loose.
Space was torn to shreds. Anything existing in that space was broken into its fundamental materials and eradicated from existence.
The Nox had no chance to regenerate or regroup.
The majority of the army was wiped out in that single move.
The residual shockwaves decimated the rest.
Today was Day Zero in No Return Pass.
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six remained.
