The next target was in the center of the Ancient Battlefield, that place that looked like cloudy lily pads drifting in a river of stars.
After following the thread long enough to fill the slate to its current point, Damien was roughly able to understand where it was taking him without directly seeing it.
At least, now that he was on the surface.
He rushed towards it while avoiding everything Immortal Blood Asura threw at him, letting their endless chase continue.
There really was no point.
Immortal Blood Asura could definitely kill Damien if he didn't have a chance to escape, but in the same way, Damien would always be faster than Immortal Blood Asura when he had the ability to run.
Since Immortal Blood Asura was alone, there was no way for him to end this stalemate unless he found a way to either slow Damien down or strike him, but clearly, neither was possible!
'No, I shouldn't get conceited again. Immortal Blood Asura was always working closely with the Karmic Emperor. I have to be wary of him sending help, or even coming personally.'
Damien's eyes became serious as he found himself nearing the central area.
'The thread is…'
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Blood light filled the air, but instead of dodging as he usually did, Damien withdrew his mana and dropped down.
The rushing winds brushed across his face as he slammed down onto the ground and ran.
Every step had the power to leave a dent in the Ancient Battlefield's dense earth, but they were light as a feather, barely making a sound as he moved, let alone an impact.
He rushed and rushed and rushed.
Originally, he thought being on the ground would make it harder for him to escape, but as Immortal Blood Asura's mana carpeted his position, he found that being immersed in the clouds of blood and smoke concealed him far better, and Immortal Blood Asura's aim weakened.
'That tracking ability must not be omnipotent. Unfortunately, even if his sense of my position is vague, these conditions can't be replicated easily, or in a way that he wouldn't immediately notice.'
Damien shrugged it off. Hiding away wasn't in his plans anyway.
He reached the edge of the starry river within a few minutes, and without hesitation, he jumped.
The central area of the Ancient Battlefield was, in reality, a void.
That starry river was a view of the universe itself from the Ancient Battlefield, and if one fell into it, the only fate waiting for them was death from crushing pressure.
Damien wasn't an idiot. He learned about this fact from Iris a long while ago, but what could he do?
This was where the mana thread led him.
"YOU…!"
He heard Immortal Blood Asura's bellow from the depths, but the pursuit and attacks stopped when he jumped.
'He's too scared to follow.'
This was good for him.
Damien used his mana to levitate and looked around.
Everything around him was dark. He was in a void, after all. Above him by just a few feet were the cloudy lily pads, which were actually floating platforms made of marble.
'The slate is…'
He looked towards a certain lily pad and rolled his eyes.
'How annoying.'
Unfortunately, it wasn't giving him anything more than a break. The slate was latched onto the bottom of the marble platform, waiting for him to pluck it.
And pluck it he did.
With three slates under his belt, he rushed back into the Ancient Battlefield and, as expected, Immortal Blood Asura once again chased him endlessly.
It seemed like they'd made multiple loops around the Ancient Battlefield. Danger was all around him, but Damien didn't feel endangered.
He never dropped his wariness, of course, but that didn't change the situation.
He wasn't escaping, but he was certain he'd be able to accomplish his goal before Immortal Blood Asura caught him.
The next slate was a bit more treacherous than the last.
Rather than being in a position in the terrain itself, it was on an individual.
It was a Nox Lord Damien didn't know, and the mana thread directly pointed at his spatial ring.
'Well, it's not surprising. If I saw a random slate sitting in a cave, I'd probably pick it up too.'
Damien grinned.
'Not like this is a problem, though.'
Didn't he have a pursuit helicopter wildly shooting missiles behind him?
It was actually easier to steal the slate from the Nox Lord than it was to take it from the mountain!
The second Damien converged on his position, Immortal Blood Asura's rain of blood light did so as well. The Nox Lord was caught unawares and tried his best to defend, but who would've thought his ally was the one shooting?
His enemy was already behind him, an arm through his chest burning his body and soul with Rudimentary Existence Law.
Damien grabbed the spatial ring off the melting corpse and rushed away. He didn't have to worry about completely killing the Nox Lord since Immortal Blood Asura took care of the job for him.
And it came time for the final one.
This was also in someone's possession, but unexpectedly, the individual was familiar.
'Damn!'
Damien flew over them, bringing the enemy's attacks overhead and giving them a warning about what was to come.
At the same time, he connected to their mind and sent a message.
"Tang Lingzi, can you hear me?!"
Tang Lingzi was in a group of four and had just finished one of many battles in this war.
She and her team were on alert already because of the flyby beforehand, but the voice in her head almost made her think she was hallucinating.
"D-Damien?" She questioned strangely.
"Yeah, there's no time right now! You saw what flew by earlier, right, that was me!"
"You…what are you doing?!"
"As I said, no time to explain. When I give you the signal, take the slate you picked up earlier out of your spatial ring and throw it into the sky!"
"H-huh? What do you– wait, how did you even know I had–"
"No time, remember?! Just throw it when I say to!"
Tang Lingzi gave a sound of affirmation amidst her confusion.
Considering both his tone and the image of what she'd just seen overhead, she relatively understood the situation.
She didn't know what the slate was, but if it could help their universe's biggest hope escape his trying circumstances, she wouldn't hesitate to follow!
Damien sighed in relief as he swerved through the air.
Tang Lingzi was a reliable character, more than most. They also had a deep connection since she was Zara's master.
Damien trusted her to do what she needed to, and so, as he led Immortal Blood Asura on a wild goose chase, he expertly randomized his teleportation so the man wouldn't realize them circling back on their previous path.
Damien saw Tang Lingzi in the distance, and she saw him as well.
However, Damien's eyes widened.
Not even a thousand kilometers behind her was an approaching comet.
No, it was a man in the form of a comet.
'The Karmic Emperor…'
Damien gritted his teeth.
He had to be fast!
"Tang Lingzi, now!"
It all happened in a single second.
Tang Lingzi blindly threw the slate straight up with all her power.
Damien and Immortal Blood Asura arrived at her position.
The Karmic Emperor did too.
Damien stopped, his hand swiping through the air to grab the slate.
From behind him, Immortal Blood Asura saw the opportunity to strike a fatal blow and dug his bloody claw forward, filled with all the Divine Energy he had left.
And from the front, the Karmic Emperor let loose countless dozens of thousands of threads made of his Divine Energy filled with Karmic Laws, his intent to both bind Damien and control him if possible.
The winds roared.
The entire sky was blotted out by the attacks of these two divine beings.
They approached Damien, leaving him no chance to escape.
And…
Damien grabbed the slate.
VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The final slate transformed into a pristine diamond and attached itself to the main slate.
That was what Damien had been aiming for this entire time.
But, it was also too late for him to dodge.
As he stood there in the midst of chaos, both attacks reached their target…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
…and all hell broke loose.
