At the end of the day, this was also that type of battle.
Damien had the subtle urge to keep the Saint Emperor alive, not due to any misguided sympathy, but from sheer curiosity. This kind of character couldn't easily be created, and he wanted to explore the true depths of this strange man to satisfy his own interest.
However, he was a man with responsibilities.
He had a duty to end the Saint Emperor and usher in a new era for the universe.
And while he did have that slight urge, his desire to finally end this and move on was far greater.
Therefore, this was also a battle Damien needed to win no matter what.
Creation, Destruction, and a final round where they used everything they could to come out on top.
The Saint Emperor was acting strangely, but even he didn't want to just die. He wasn't making it easy for Damien to win in the slightest.
Until now, he'd used just enough force to match his opponent, but the control he exercised while doing so made it clear he had much more power that he kept hidden within him.
The second Damien stopped playing by his rhythm, he would surely bring that power out.
That time was now.
Damien summoned the forces of Creation and Destruction on his palms as he looked at the enemy.
The Ancient Battlefield, or rather, this area outside its bounds was completely wrecked already. The mountains and dense earth were torn to shreds, and the atmosphere through which they clashed was already showing signs of collapsing.
There wasn't much time left before the entire area was swallowed by the chaotic void, and until then, they would fight.
"Huu…"
Damien took a deep breath.
'Focus.'
He put aside everything else.
All those useless feelings that were dredged up as he faced the Saint Emperor were thrown away.
The Saint Emperor was the reason they came into being. He was doing everything he could to perturb Damien's mental state, but Damien was the one who allowed those emotions to exist.
As long as he disallowed their presence, such feelings wouldn't invade his mind anymore.
'Feeling them was like understanding him. My curiosity made me want to keep them, but if I want to win this battle, understanding him is meaningless.'
There was no need to sympathize with the enemy. Everybody had their own story. In most cases, the people be fought had their own desires and motivations and couldn't be considered evil one-sidedly.
The Saint Emperor was the same.
No matter who he was or how similar he was to Damien, no matter what value he held elsewhere, in this moment, here and now, he was an enemy to be killed.
That was all Damien needed to know.
He closed his eyes for a second and stabilized his mind.
When he opened them again, he was already shooting forward.
Creation and Destruction were his newest attainments, but he felt far more adept at them than others.
After all, despite being complex, they were the easiest for him to use.
He had a foundation built by the laws that made up these two supreme concepts, so when it came to using them in their true form, he really only needed to focus on their most basic definitions.
To create and to destroy.
He began with Creation.
As Iris did, Damien had to learn how to use this law offensively.
There was the obvious method of controlling constructs he created, but that was too plain for him.
Damien wanted to make an attack style worthy of the Law of Creation.
Iris took the route of energy creation. Not only did she create different forms of energy like Universal Law, she learned to create her own reality to influence at will.
The path Damien chose was different.
The best way to describe it was "realization."
He was a man with quite the imagination, and due to his upbringing in a mortal world like Earth, that imagination was filled with things that didn't exist even in this fantastical world.
The path he took in Creation was bringing these imaginary concepts to reality.
And on top of that, using his legacy as a Celestial, Universe Creation was something he wanted to try his hand at.
He saw the Saint Emperor do it earlier. All he had to do was mimic it.
Focusing his energy on the Divine Energy in his body, he infused his will into Creation Law and brought his imagination to reality.
VOOOOOM!
A shadow blanketed the entire battlefield.
"Oho…?"
The Saint Emperor made a sound of interest as he looked up.
It was hard to see it in its entirety. It simply did not fit on the plane they were on and was forced to exist beyond it.
But its pressure could be felt clearly.
"Aim."
Damien gave the command.
A strange sound whirred through the atmosphere, like a heap of matter being collected into a single, minuscule point.
"Is this your declaration of war?" The Saint Emperor asked, the expression in his eyes much colder than before.
Damien nodded.
"This battle must end somehow. There doesn't exist a universe where you and I can coexist."
"Haa, so be it, then. I shall also cease my mercy."
The Saint Emperor spoke as if this was a foregone conclusion, something that was bound to happen.
And since Damien was no longer holding back, neither would he.
The Saint Emperor grinned.
"Are you going to–"
"Fire."
Damien didn't plan to listen.
With his word, the massive structure in the air let loose the energy it concentrated.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive beam of Divine Energy with the thickness of a building struck down from the heavens. It was followed by tens of others of similar size and energy, covering the entire battlefield in a rain of destruction.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Saint Emperor was essentially illusory. He flashed in and out of the spatial layers, in and out of reality as he avoided each and every pillar of light.
"Rise."
Damien gave another command, and the earth followed his will.
He summoned an earth spirit, or rather, he brought it into being.
He gave life to the world itself and used Creation to give it form. The spirit of the Ancient Battlefield that he birthed rose from the ground amidst the raining light and slammed its fists through the air.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The Saint Emperor couldn't avoid it.
He was powerful and extremely agile, but avoiding such a concentrated impact without being struck by an energy beam was impossible.
Damien made sure of it.
The Saint Emperor's body was sent flying, but no blood leaked. The impact was superficial at best.
"Attack."
After all, what Damien created wasn't just a golem.
He imbued spirituality into the plane itself.
The golem body it used was just a manifestation of its power. In reality, the entire Ancient Battlefield became Damien's weapon.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The earth flowed like the waves of a tsunami, and from those waves, countless spikes and fists jutted out to attack the Saint Emperor wherever he passed.
"Very good!"
The Saint Emperor shouted out happily.
"You are learning well, however…"
He spread his arms, taking the incoming wave's energy with his body alone.
"...you have yet to reach my level, Damien Void!"
VOOOOOOOOOOM!
The Saint Emperor's Law of Creation manifested in reality.
"This is the answer to everything you have been questioning," he said as he worked.
His aura flared out, twisting reality with its pressure.
The earthen tsunami and energy beams were blown away as it spread. They were incinerated by its light, as if the stage was completely focusing on the Saint Emperor alone.
"Experience it, Damien Void."
"Something" appeared in the sky.
"Experience the weight of your existence."
"..."
Damien was left speechless once again.
This…
'...is something like that even possible?!'
