Now that he'd made this inference, finding signs of the Universal Core's presence was his top priority.
He didn't know exactly what to look for, but his comprehension of Universal Law combined with his position as a Celestial gave him several ideas.
And more than just finding the Universal Core, which would only benefit him, he needed to find a way to merge this space with the Abyss.
'If I just take the Universal Core and let it naturally merge, I'll definitely see something interesting, but is it worth spending another decade here to find Al'Katra?
The answer was a resounding "no."
The so-called "natural merger" was the process of chaotic forces being tamed by the Void and turned into a piece of the Abyss. This process would inevitably worsen the Abyss' irregularity and push him away from his goal.
There were plenty of ways for him to see how the Abyss functioned, but his current task was already extremely delayed by the environment and couldn't be pushed back further.
Therefore, his primary focus was still split between creating an opening to leave and fulfilling his personal desires,
Luckily, they went hand in hand.
He couldn't destroy or plunder the Universal Core directly if he didn't want to ruin everything, but finding it was a key component in escaping this place.
'And even if it's the Abyss, it's impossible for me to be the first in history to stumble upon this place. The rest must've died after being stuck here for an eternity, eventually becoming a piece of this space or food to the core.'
His conjecture was feeling more factual with every passing second.
So, how was he to find the Universal Core?
'That's even simpler.'
The only reason he hadn't made progress in the past year was because he didn't have any viable leads to follow.
Now that he did, executing the process would be easier than anything.
Mana flared from his body and turned into several threads of Celestial Mana.
These threads then shot into the void of space in the fragmented dimension and formed a spiderweb that encapsulated its entire area.
'The answer is World Force.'
If the Universal Core was bent on hiding, all he needed to do was force it out.
VOOOOM!
"World Force" was a power Damien rarely used.
It was a subset of Universal Law that acted as a world's natural defense mechanism against all things. If one was on-planet, as long as one had enough World Force, one could practically act as a God even without binding it.
However, it didn't have much use for Damien.
After all, not only did he control Universal Law itself, he had several other methods to alter worlds however he pleased.
Regardless, he naturally collected World Force as he bound more and more worlds, and instead of letting it go to waste, he allowed it to strengthen Reva so the Sanctuary's laws could become more complete.
This was the first time he'd felt the true power of his World Force with his body.
And as the master of almost 500,000 worlds, it was something of wonder.
WHOOSH!
A sparkling universe formed through the spiderweb of Celestial Mana Threads. The iridescent blue mana of his World Force twisted and swirled, dancing along the threads as they spread further into the void of space.
As they came together and pushed apart, the reactions that were showcased were similar to the formation of worlds. It was almost as if, as long as they were allowed to continue, countless new worlds would be born in this space.
With this kind of power occupying all the space in the fragmented dimension, even pushing into nearby fragments and drawing them closer, how could the Universal Core stay silent?
After all, Damien represented its greatest dream.
He represented the revival of this universe!
It started small. A barely visible fleck of light, like a single star in the vastness of the cosmic, flickered indiscernibly as if trying to grab Damien's attention.
But when he paid it no mind, it rapidly expanded, becoming a sun-like force in a matter of seconds!
"There you are," Damien said with a smile.
The light was just a representation of its power. If one scaled the universe up to its true size, this light would've encompassed almost half of its entirety.
However, the current Universal Core wasn't so massive.
No, it was just that single fleck, endlessly small in this endless expanse.
Damien's perception locked onto it now that it had shown itself.
His body couldn't shrink. He didn't have that kind of control over his systems, however…
A small light ball exited his forehead and traveled towards the light, entering it and quickly reaching its center.
The small string of consciousness took form in front of the Universal Core, standing at the same height as it and marveling at its existence.
It wasn't blue like a World Core. Instead, it was pure white.
Damien couldn't tell whether this was its true form or only what could be perceived by a lower existence like himself, but that didn't matter.
"You understand what I want, right?" He said calmly.
The Universal Core shook slightly, transmitting its emotions to him.
"Hm? Rudimentary intelligence? With this age…I guess intelligence isn't permitted to your kind. The one I met was just an isolated case.'
It made sense why there wasn't even a single rumor about an existence like Reva before. They must've been exceedingly rare, if not totally unique.
"No matter what, this place will eventually fall prey to the Abyss. I respect your efforts thus far, but considering the current situation, you only have two options," he said, responding to the core's emotions.
Damien held up a finger.
"The first is death. When I escape this place, you will inevitably become exposed to the Abyss, where your only fate is to be swallowed and incorporated by it."
Looking at the core's timidity as he spoke, he smiled wryly, feeling as if he was bullying a child.
But there truly were only two options.
He wasn't going to ruin his escape plan just for its sake.
His second finger rose to accompany the first.
"The second option is survival. I will take you somewhere, and if you inhabit that place, you will be able to take a form like never before and grow past your previous limits. However, you will have to abandon this body."
He saw it in many World Cores in the past.
Their bodies meant everything to them, but…
…their desire for survival trumped all else.
The Universal Core calmed down. Its emotions slowly started taking the form Damien expected.
Damien nodded, pleased by its quick response.
"Very well. Then, I hope you enjoy your second chance at life, and don't forget. If you act unruly, I will exterminate you without hesitation."
He didn't speak anymore, directly pushing his mana into the Universal Core to bind it.
He was quite happy. Not only did he gain an unexpected boon, he found a shortcut to escaping this place, all in one.
After he bound the Universal Core and sent it to the Sanctuary, he just needed to use the Void to directly control the direction of the following merger, which could guarantee the maintenance of his position, or perhaps even push him closer to his goal!
And, in the end, he still somewhat gained the thing he was prepared to lose, the opportunity to witness the natural merger of these forces.
Overall, it was a great event for him.
And since he could sense that his destination was at most a few months away…
…his mood was truly giddy.
