Damien treated the universe like a grandson did his grandfather.
He dealt with a lot of trash in Grand Heavens Boundary. He experienced trials and tribulations, bullshit brought upon him by people who didn't deserve to live, but he never blamed the universe for the actions of its people.
Because Grand Heavens Boundary never did anything wrong.
The universe was a grand thing. It housed everyone without discrimination and allowed them the opportunity to become bigger than themselves. It was a beautiful place filled with wonders and mysteries that one couldn't help but want to explore.
The universe was an inspiration.
And Damien loved it.
Yet, the universe was no longer existent.
"Grand Heavens Boundary" was now a part of the Sanctuary and would eventually become one of many universes that filled its space, the Universal Core was now nothing more than an isolated entity with no universe to support, and Damien was left alone.
That old man's identity…
He was, with no better way to describe it, the Universal Will.
He was the Universal Core's consciousness, but he had no real power.
Because the Universal Core was never meant to develop a will of its own.
It was never meant to have feelings and emotions.
Reva was a fragment of a Universal Core, and her "mother" was also an entity like this, a "taboo" that shouldn't have existed.
With no power of his own yet forced by his own existence to be omniscient, the old man retreated to the Abyss and acted as an observer, doing nothing but watching as his own people brought him to destruction.
That old man was the one Damien viewed like a grandfather.
And the fact that the old man viewed him like a grandson made him feel an unknown tightness in his chest.
Perhaps nobody would ever be able to understand the relationship between them. The universe wasn't meant to choose sides or favor anyone, but it favored him and reciprocated the emotions he held towards it.
It helped him become the man he was today, both directly and indirectly, and now that its will, the old man, had vanished into nonexistence, Damien was left feeling hollow.
But he had to move on.
And he had to carry out the old man's last will.
He wanted to be sacrificed.
To aid the Sanctuary, which would become the new Grand Heavens Boundary, he wanted to dedicate his existence.
For that purpose, Damien absorbed the Universal Core that was left in the Abyss.
That Universal Core wouldn't just be devoured by the Sanctuary like the rest. Rather, Damien made sure the two cores would combine and become one entity on mutual terms, so that if a new consciousness was born in the future, it would honor its forefather and properly inherit the old man's legacy.
The Sorrows of Farewell. He called it the 111th entry in his series of liquors, but it was really a unique product made exclusively for himself and the old man.
He wanted to send him off properly. That was the only purpose of his visit.
And now that it was over, he needed to make his final preparations.
There wasn't much time left, after all.
Alexander went to the Sanctuary.
And this was Damien's first time seeing it in its newest form.
Calling the Sanctuary a sub-universe was inadequate at this point. No, after absorbing Grand Heavens Boundary, it became a new universe in its own right.
And with a Universal Core supporting its growth ever since he first absorbed it back in the Abyss, it now had the functionality to create its own worlds and facilitate its own improvement. Damien didn't need to directly intervene anymore.
There were only 5 Sectors at the moment, but it was getting bigger with every passing day.
Theavel was the center of the universe, and Avalon, which was just a few million kilometers beyond its orbit, took the position of Sky Castle Luxurion.
From those two points, the entire universe was managed. Under Lynn Carter and Elvira's conjoined rule, no matter how much distance separated worlds and Sectors, they all worked in tandem.
Yes, there was conflict. Conflict was unavoidable with such a huge population. However, the conflict never reached a breaking point where the universe itself would be harmed, as per Damien's will.
He had been moving so fast that he almost forgot about it. He was viewing everything from the Void, and with reality slipping past him, it was hard for him to realize the extent of what he'd done.
Time also moved like he was reading a book. Countless years were condensed into just a few words, and even though Alexander spent over a year swallowing Grand Heavens Boundary, Damien didn't really feel the effort.
Only when he saw it like this did he feel amazement at his own actions.
He was really doing the impossible.
He had really become Divine.
It was unreal.
Did he change?
Did he become someone else, or was this a natural progression he was meant to experience after ascending?
He didn't know, but he felt different.
He was like a real God. He almost couldn't accept it.
Nevertheless, he had to.
Because from this point forth, he would need that kind of attitude to stay with him.
'But the real question is…'
He put all the negativity and agitation aside.
'...how do I do this?'
He had done this too many times for it to be comfortable, but the situation now was a bit unique.
'I can't really go as Alexander, but my main body is also in a bit of a situation…'
He couldn't leave the Void. He tried to do it once he finished everything he needed to do in the lower universe, but he found that it was impossible.
He was too far disconnected from it all. If he tried to go back now, his body would be torn apart by the displacement.
'Still, I want to meet them before I move on. I can't just take everyone to the Heavenly World without explaining anything.'
He thought deeply to find a way, and as expected, there was only one.
'I guess I need another Avatar.'
Instead of a living Avatar like Alexander, he needed a regular one that was just a reflection of his qualities.
He needed a second Damien.
The process was similar yet different.
He tore off another portion of his soul and sent it to the Sanctuary around Alexander's location.
That piece of his soul sat without a vessel for a moment before absorbing all the mana in its vicinity.
That mana was used to create a vessel around the soul. It didn't have a beating heart or any sort of physical systems, but it was a vessel created specifically to be an Avatar, so it was more than enough.
Unlike Alexander, this one was built through Damien's Legends and Divinity, so it held his appearance and could only use abilities specific to him. Its strength was at the Supreme level from the beginning and couldn't be improved or degraded at all.
When it was fully formed, it had the same appearance as Damien himself, and as Damien took control of it and felt the differences between it and Alexander, he smiled.
'As expected, it's a lot worse than a living Avatar, but…'
'...with this, I'm ready.'
It had been delayed enough.
He was finally prepared to reunite with everyone he left behind.
