Damien descended to the earth.
His first move was sending a wave of Rudimentary Existence Law towards the area Di exploded, making sure the enemies were dead.
In the same movement, he teleported to Ran and pushed her to the ground, forcing his mana into her body and giving her no choice but to comply.
"LET GO OF ME! LET GO NOW!" She roared, mania in her eyes.
However, Damien did not.
He circulated his mana through her circuits and calmed her Divine Energy.
"Did you think I'd just let you die here?"
Right, she was just moments away from following her husband to the grave.
But Damien stopped her.
And for that, she was enraged beyond belief.
"LET GO! LET GO BEFORE I KILL YOU, DAMIEN VOID!"
Damien sighed.
"Do you think that's possible? You've already subordinated yourself to me. You cannot hurt me."
"THAT DOES NOT MATTER! UNHAND ME THIS INSTANT!"
'It looks like she never planned to hurt me. Is she trying to trigger a restriction and kill herself using a roundabout method?'
Damien sighed again.
Frankly, he wasn't expecting an event like this either.
He wasn't close to Di or Ran, but they were vassals who'd been prepared for him by his father's people in the past.
Because of their intertwined fate, he assumed they'd be protected in the same way his wives were.
But he was wrong.
His wives got absolute protection from death, but even they could be harmed to the extreme.
As for close friends and allies, their protection wasn't nearly absolute, but their growth would be boosted and without any extraneous circumstances, their lives wouldn't be in danger.
But…
Well, Di and Ran didn't meet any of the qualifications.
From the start, they did not willingly subordinate themselves, nor did they accept his rule once they conceded.
That was why Damien never once tried to mobilize the Ancient God Clan. He didn't care to force them into submission, and it was essentially impossible when their leaders and young master were all hostile to him.
'Of them, Di was the only one who was somewhat supportive. It's a shame that he died.'
Damien was friends with Xinyue for a time, but her complete change in attitude upon learning his identity tore their relationship apart.
Let alone friendship, they'd hardly talked since back then, and when they did, it was strictly business.
Though, she couldn't hide her hostility even in those circumstances.
'So it really is something more ethereal. It's not just about being connected superficially.'
Damien started to understand why physical intimacy was required for the [Void Daughter] title to be passed on.
Perhaps many were willing to be in that kind of relationship with him, but he never saw other women like that. If someone was able to pull his heart to that extent, and the Void deemed them worthy, the title would appear naturally.
Nevertheless, that was completely unrelated.
Damien turned his attention back to Ran, who was still screaming and thrashing on the ground, trying to end her life.
He couldn't stand it anymore.
"What the hell are you doing?" He asked.
"WHAT?! WHAT AM I DOING?! WHAT ELSE IS THERE FOR ME TO DO?! THIS LIFE HAS LOST ITS MEANING!"
She was spouting utter nonsense.
"Are you a child?" Damien pressed.
"HOW DARE YOU LOOK DOWN ON ME?!"
Ran tried to use her mana to escape his grasp, but she could no longer overpower him.
Pah!
Her eyes widened in shock.
"D-did you just…?"
"Slap you? Yes, yes I did. Because you, who's supposed to be an old and wizened Divinity, are sitting here throwing a temper tantrum like a child. Who the fuck do you think you are?"
Damien couldn't stand her behavior. He never could, and would never be able to, but it was especially embarrassing right now.
"Do you not understand what just happened, you fucking idiot? Di sacrificed his life so you could live, so why the fuck are you trying to die like a dumbass?"
"You're telling me your life is pointless? On whose fucking word? The Nox still exist, so you still have purpose fighting them until the last breath to avenge him. Even putting aside petty revenge, did you forget about the WHOLE FUCKING CLAN waiting for you in Grand Heavens Boundary? What will happen to them when they lose their ONLY TWO Demigod Ancestors in a single breath?!"
Damien was utterly fed up with this woman.
He was pissed for multiple reasons, the most selfish of which being: this could've all been prevented.
If they just put down their pride and accepted him, this would've never happened.
What kind of reason did they have to reject him? Was he an unjust ruler?
No!
He hardly ever asked his forces to do anything, and he would never force them to do anything they weren't willing to.
So there was no real reason to reject his rule besides the fact that they couldn't accept an outsider being their lord.
He understood his thoughts were selfish, but they were his thoughts nonetheless. He hated that he had to deal with bullshit that could've been avoided so easily.
But the majority of his anger wasn't directed at Ran specifically. She'd just become an outlet for his bottled-up emotions.
So many of these Demigods acted like the pathetic young masters Damien had met throughout his travels, even though they were supposed to be the face of the universe, its strongest and most reliable force.
Damien had been active on the Ancient Battlefield for several years now, and besides Iris, Alucard, and the others he was associated with, he hadn't met a single worthy Divinity.
They were just cowards and stuck-up brats who had no shame.
Damien forced his mana a bit more, placing a restriction on Ran's Divine Energy.
"Idiotic bitch, if you try to die in any way, shape, or form, this restriction will activate and send you directly to me. You should be very clear on what I can do to you if you disobey me, so make sure to act nicely."
It wasn't just her own actions. If she was nearing death by any means, she would be teleported to him. He could read her memories to find the circumstances and decide how to proceed from there.
Damien let go of Ran's shoulders and got up, glancing at her in disgust.
"Go and live. I won't let you die until you've become a proper human being."
Damien turned around and walked away.
"Fuck, I came here with good intentions and it ended up like this. I can't believe Di put up with such a brat for so many thousands of years."
"How pathetic."
That was the last thing Ran heard before Damien's presence vanished from the surroundings.
She lay there on the ground, unmoving with a blank expression.
She had no idea what just happened.
But she could feel the restriction well. Damien wasn't joking. Its power was far beyond what she thought possible from him.
'If…if we just followed him…'
If such a strong person was their backing, if they could've called him for help before things went wrong…
"Ha…haha…"
Everything was pointless now.
But she couldn't die.
The deep humiliation engraved in her soul forced her to stay alive.
She didn't even think of her clan before Damien mentioned it.
She didn't even think about revenge.
The only thought in her mind was death. Her emotions boiled over and made her vision tunnel in on the single most pathetic option available to her.
She was supposed to be a Demigod…?
She was supposed to be someone others relied on…?
"Haha…how…pathetic."
She raised an arm over her eyes.
Tears trickled down the sides of her face.
It hurt.
It really fucking hurt.
But she couldn't blame anyone but herself.
If she was more mature, if she focused on comprehension instead of stupidly involving herself in mortal affairs, if she wasn't controlled by her emotions…
It didn't matter how many "ifs" she thought of. They all came down to a single thought.
This was a consequence of her own actions, and if she continued acting as she pleased, the consequences would be even greater than they already were.
So she cried.
In the middle of the Ancient Battlefield, realizing her mistakes and flaws, mourning the death of the only person who'd put up with her in this world, she cried.
'I'm…'
'...such an idiot.'
