Damien didn't have much of a perspective on the outside world.
He didn't have much contact with it, after all.
In truth, he could solve this problem by going to the Sanctuary, but he didn't do so for a myriad of reasons.
First and foremost, he didn't know how his mentality would be affected by comfort.
He wouldn't break down, he knew he was secure enough to confirm that, but comfort was still the primary cause of contentment.
He wasn't allowed to be content right now. The second he felt comfortable, his motivation would take a hit whether he liked it or not.
The people he loved were the main providers of his motivation, but they also made him want to put everything down and rest.
The Sanctuary was simply too comfortable.
If he wanted to, he could take all his people there and be safe from the current conflict.
The Nox could not reach the Sanctuary.
Why else would it be called that?
The haven he was building was not for himself, but for others. That was why he always stayed away from its development and allowed its people to decide their direction for themselves.
The second reason was more logical.
Universal Law was never able to bind the Sanctuary, but the current Oath required him to remain in a specific area.
He couldn't be sure if leaving for the Sanctuary would break this Oath or not.
He would be safe from its consequences, but what about everyone else? If his Oath was broken, everything he'd been fighting for would go down the drain.
The final most important reason was the simplest.
It was fear.
He didn't want to know the reality of the situation. He didn't want his hopes crushed by what was happening. He didn't want to see his people harmed and desolated by the situation.
It was selfish, but selfishness was necessary at a time like this.
When he needed to know, he would allow himself the privilege, but until then, it was banned from him.
The rational mind unhindered by his emotions locked in the Mind Prison made this decision, and he stuck by it.
There were plenty of other factors, smaller things that didn't have any value without the three main reasons, but the end conclusion was that Damien couldn't make contact with the outside world.
His knowledge of its situation was solely being provided by the worlds entering his authority.
The Soul Emperor wasn't finished after the Giant Domain.
Considering the amount of worlds that came from that place over time, the Sector was guaranteed to not exist anymore.
The Giant Race was exterminated, which was a huge blow to the universe.
Afterward came worlds from the Beast Domain, but there were far fewer of these than the previous.
More often, the worlds he bound in the Beast Domain…
…were directly destroyed.
It wasn't a daily occurrence, but while he was spending his second year learning the clone technique, it wasn't rare for him to experience sudden bouts of extreme pain.
This was caused by the destruction of World Cores he was connected to. It was similar to the torture Hassan experienced but far worse.
'Honestly, I don't know what the Beast Domain's fate is. I can't be certain if the Sector is alive or dead, but the situation shouldn't have reached its worst.'
There was no news from Galantis, who controlled the Black Dragon Clan in the Sanctuary, which meant the remnants in the outside world hadn't been exterminated.
Those guys would've absolutely made a fuss otherwise.
On top of that, he could still feel Astoria's existence. Their bond of master and disciple, supported by the Void when it titled her, made certain he knew her fate.
She was still growing steadily, but there was no shortage of times she almost fell beyond the boundary of death.
Finally…
'It's looking terrible. What are they doing out there?'
Was it ever this fast?
The previous wars raged for tens or hundreds of years before finally coming to an end, usually with a pyrrhic victory as their conclusion.
Yet, in a mere two or three years, the remaining universe had lost so much.
'No, in reality, the war started a long time ago, before the Elven Domain's destruction. It's just been so slight that nobody considered it apocalyptic until now. Frankly, we were fooled.'
His knowledge of Nox history and power became more complete as he devoured more and more of them, and when combined with his existing knowledge of the universe's forgotten history, he came to a frightening conclusion.
'We never had a chance to begin with.'
The Nox had been a force of opposition since a time when the universe was a hundred times its current size.
With time and constant pressure, they reduced the existing universe to its current size and allowed the Abyss to expand.
How could the little piece of the universe, the last piece, put up any resistance?
'Should I alter my ideal path?'
The situation, from a logical standpoint, was utterly hopeless.
Yet, Damien didn't give up hope.
He remembered what the Second Primal Sovereign told him.
It could very well be considered an end, but every end was also a new beginning.
'The key…'
Damien suddenly had a wild thought.
'Am I the key?'
The universe could not be saved.
…at least, not in its current form.
'Okay.'
Damien ended his train of thought.
There was no need to ponder any longer.
'I don't have the power to do anything yet, but I already know the way forward. All I need to do is walk faithfully, and the answer will come on its own.'
It wasn't idealistic, it was the truth. A truth so idealistic it almost seemed like fiction.
'Haha, it's always like this with me, isn't it?'
Recently, a larger number of nine revolutions Nox were visiting him. Their Demonic Providences were quite interesting to study, but they were also annoying pests his clones couldn't deal with, so he had mixed feelings about them.
But their level had been increasing.
'If they start sending Supremes soon…'
Damien grinned.
Looking at his current level, he was no longer afraid of confronting those once-high-and-mighty existences.
No, he was actually waiting for them to arrive so he could test the limits of his power.
'Even if it's the Nox, Supremes are hard to come by.'
His grin widened as he tuned into his clones' vision and presided over the battle situation.
'Send as many as you want.'
WHOOOOOOOOSH!
With a single thought and the height of his main body's power, Damien eradicated every living being in No Return Pass in a single instant.
'Let's see how long it takes before you can't hold it anymore.'
His words were directed at the Saint Emperor, the other Nox Emperors who stood below him, and the entire race they controlled like pawns.
His heart felt light. Unbothered by the universe for now, he glanced out into the Abyss.
'I'm working hard on this side, but what's happening out there?'
He was curious. It had been a while now.
It was easy to forget, but the Nox weren't the only ones making use of traitors.
Damien also had a hole card.
A hole card in the shape of a once-revered Nox genius.
