Destruction.
That was the final piece of the puzzle. It was the only law Damien had left to comprehend before his path to ascension was cleared.
It was the answer he'd been searching the past two years to find, yet…
Here was his father, Dante Void, telling him it had been inside him all along.
Damien…
He didn't know how to feel.
Pieces of the puzzle started to click together, but there was also an empty feeling in his chest that he couldn't explain.
It started back in the 3000 Beast Mountain Range. When his rage reached a point he couldn't contain, a reddish-black energy appeared and decimated everything around him.
After that, the same reddish-black energy appeared several times to aid him, but he'd barely been aware of its presence.
No, it was like it hid its presence from him on purpose.
Those memories of its existence were only returning now that he understood its identity.
It boosted his other laws and acted as if it had its own consciousness, but was that just its way of trying to make itself known from within the seal?
Damien didn't know.
Nor did he know how to feel.
Because he accepted it too easily.
He didn't even have to think about it. If he compared Space to Destruction, while he loved the former, the latter was more deeply connected to his identity.
Wasn't that always his character?
From the First Dungeon to Apeiron, from the Cloud Plane to Nifelheim, all the way through the Divine Realm and the rest of Grand Heavens Boundary, from the day Damien gained power he'd left a trail of destruction in his wake everywhere he went.
That was who he was. He was never ashamed of it, rather, he accepted it wholeheartedly and actually enjoyed this part of his character.
And, there was something more subtle.
Space was his father's path.
He never consciously had the thought, but here he was, realizing it at an age that'd make him a senior citizen at Earth's standards.
He was still living in his father's shadow.
Despite not knowing the man well at all, ever since he first realized that his spatial talent was inherited, he'd been trying his best to escape the shadow of his mysterious father.
He'd been trying to take space in a direction nobody had ever traveled before. He was paving a path that exclusively belonged to him, because that was the only way he could claim this talent his own.
And what was that path?
Naturally, it was Destruction.
It was funny when he thought about it. The amount of subtle influence the concept had on his life was so extreme he felt stupid for not realizing it earlier.
But it made him incredibly happy.
An affinity of his own. Not one that he was granted, but one that belonged to him and him alone.
Wasn't it great?
Even putting aside his emotions, the fact that the final piece of his puzzle of laws was already in his grasp was amazing news.
He could feel it.
The second it was unsealed, he would change.
And that change would propel him to heights he could only dream about in the past.
He stopped reminiscing about the past and started looking towards the future.
Like always, he let go of the "how" and "why." He let go of the concerns that would only hold him back from utilizing his full potential.
And his timing was immaculate.
"...this projection is not the only one in the battlefield fragment. I made sure to leave countless thousands of similar artifacts so I would not miss the opportunity to grant you this freedom."
"As you have encountered one, there is only one thing left to do before I can undo your seal. Collect the remaining slates, and once their power is combined, a portion of my true self can descend. Only with that power will I be able to free you."
"I will not say goodbye, as this is not our last meeting. I will not say good luck, as luck is beneath a man of your caliber. So, until we meet again, my son…I pray you live well, and I pray for your victory in any endeavor you pursue."
The projection smiled softly.
Before Damien's complicated gaze, it turned into particles and returned to the diamond, whose form transformed back into a dull slate.
The leftover mana created a small crystal in its center, which drew a line of mana into the surrounding rock.
'This is another path.'
Damien was clear on what to do next. Dante didn't leave him unequipped for the following task.
To follow this thread and find the next slate, and then continue that pattern until he'd filled the entire slate with crystals and reached its final form…
Damien smiled wryly.
His ability to take in information had become enough for him to not have his brain explode from the knowledge he gained, but he did have another worry.
'I hope all these slates are in the underground. If I have to go back to the surface…'
He shivered just thinking about it, but his heart was beating so fast it was dangerous.
This was his opportunity.
Not just for his future progress, but to take down the enemy waiting for him on the surface, this was his chance.
'Even if I have to risk it all in the process, I'll do so without hesitation.'
Because this time, he wasn't just going to be receiving something.
No, unlike the rest of his journey, which had been carefully guided by the hands of his seniors, this time, he was reclaiming something that had been his own since the beginning.
And that feeling was wondrous.
***
Damien immediately went to work.
He traveled through the underground vigorously, carving a system of tunnels that connected from one hidden cave to another, excavating as much area as possible as he followed the path of the slates.
His excitement couldn't be underestimated at all. Within just a few months, he'd collected everything he could find in the subterranean area.
And in the process of collecting slates, he also found himself in possession of a variety of treasures.
Among them, the notable ones were another Heavenly Flame, the 8th rank Light Devouring Flame, and several other Elemental Seeds that boosted the power of his Elemental Law to a completely new level.
The rest included the hammer that went with the anvil he found at the start, several heavenly materials and resources, and a collection of techniques and miscellaneous artifacts that would be of great help to his subordinates in the Sanctuary.
Nevertheless, all of those were mere byproducts.
Damien looked down at the slate in his hand.
The majority of its surface was covered in glimmering diamonds that shone in the darkness, but there were still vacancies.
'Five more…'
Five more slates.
If the Ancient Battlefield had shrunk just a little less, he'd have been able to find them in the underground, but at its current size…
'I guess it's unavoidable.'
The mana thread guiding him to the next slate was pointed straight up. He had no choice but to go to the surface.
'But it's only five more.'
Now began a race against time.
Would he find all the slates first, or would Immortal Blood Asura find and kill him before he got the chance?
Frankly, with his life on a tightrope again and the stakes so high…
His eyes were swirling and a wild grin lit up his face.
…he was extremely excited for what was to come.
