The Void's reflection had a lot to say, but it didn't have much it had the right to say.
It wanted to tell him how difficult his journey would be, how much stronger his enemies would be, what True Godhood was like, but the Void didn't permit it to give him any information or advice about those matters.
It might've seemed like it was restricting Damien, but it was actually the opposite.
The Void had never trusted someone so much. It had enough confidence in Damien to guarantee he could do it all on his own without an inkling of foreknowledge.
So it wanted to test Damien, to see if he also thought the same.
And since he did, since he could maintain his mentality even in a situation like this, it was absolutely assured of its choice in descendant.
Damien didn't feel it.
Perhaps because he'd completely inherited the Void Physique, he didn't notice it at all.
The Void had a subtle coercion that rejected anyone standing within it. If any regular existence came here, their entire being would be erased in an instant. Not just their current person, but the entirety of their existence. Those people would be erased from the timeline, and even those who were closest to them wouldn't be able to remember their past presence.
Even the Void's chosen were meant to experience the weight of the existence they were attempting to tame when they reached this step.
But Damien didn't feel it at all.
He was already at a point he wasn't supposed to reach yet, and whether it be coercion or fear, he simply wasn't affected by them.
His mentality was far more concrete than anyone could imagine. How else was he able to pass through Cosmic Rebirth so easily?
His mentality was hardened through a myriad of trials throughout his journey. It was practically the main focus of his growth for half of his life.
That kind of thing couldn't be broken just because someone else wanted him to break. It was probably his greatest strength, outshining even the Authority of Existence with its light.
Damien smiled as he looked at the reflection's expression.
It looked proud, but also a bit stumped, as if it didn't know how to breach the main point.
He long understood what it wanted to say.
"It's time for me to go, right?" Damien said, doing it for him.
The reflection nodded.
"You have already overstayed your welcome, but that entity favors you, so it did not persecute you. Instead, I have been sent to both test you and send you on your way."
Damien already figured that was the case. His long yet unbelievably short stint here allowed him to accomplish far more than he ever should have had the right to, so it was granted that he'd be evicted soon.
If he had to place himself somewhere in the timeline to accurately place how long he spent in the Void…
…he would probably still be in the spatial corridor headed back to the lower universe right now.
But the Void was an entity that wasn't meant to be touched by his lowly hands yet. The mere fact that it was already gave him an unbelievable position amongst all living beings.
Still, all good things had to come to an end, and all ends were new beginnings.
As he stood there, he cut himself off from perceptions of his Avatars in the Sanctuary. He focused his entire spirit into his main body and prepared his mind.
Those thoughts came inadvertently.
Like a gentle stream that trickled into a massive river, roaring and raging as it became one with the ocean, the memories of his journey flooded through his mind in droves.
His time as a mere cub in the First Dungeon, his time in Apeiron learning about how big the universe was, his time on the Cloud Plane coming into his own, his time in the unnamed world becoming a true main player in the universe…
His time in the Dawn world gaining a footing in the wider universe, his time in Hidden Death Valley gaining prominence, his time in Calypto when he first met the Saint Emperor, his time in Eden fighting his first true war…
His time in Eien and the Void Corridor becoming someone who could hold a say in the universe, his time in the Beast Domain where he first entered war as an expert, his time in Luxurion being crowned the universe's greatest genius…
Everything he did with his life, all his fights and all his connections, all his deeds and all his Legends…
They all flashed through his mind one by one.
It was a cathartic moment.
Those experiences that made his life what he was, the death he experienced that made him realize how important his life was, the people who surrounded him and made his life worth living…
How could he not look back on them now?
He entered this wild world at the young age of seventeen. Back then, who could have imagined that a few decades later he'd step into the realm of Divinity, becoming someone who could eliminate entire worlds with a single flick of his wrist?
He really achieved something.
He made something out of his life.
He was proud.
He was so proud that he could hardly contain his emotions.
But…that was only who he was here.
That would not be his status anymore once he turned his back on this place.
He wanted to reach a place higher than this. He wanted to see what truly stood at the top, above all else, at a place nobody else could ever reach.
He let go of all his lingering emotions. He allowed his memories to stay memories and engraved those things that defined him into his soul.
He was ready.
He was scared, he was excited, but he was ready.
Damien Void was graduating on this day.
He was leaving everything behind, grasping everything in his hand, and stepping into a new playing field.
The Void's reflection disappeared at some point.
Its presence wasn't needed, because Damien already knew what he needed to do.
He turned around.
It was there as if it was waiting for him the whole time.
A world, or rather, a complete universe.
It was a single celestial body, however, its size was bigger than the entirety of Grand Heavens Boundary.
Even standing in the Void, Damien could feel the waves of power and Divinity emanating from that place, purely a byproduct of the auras of those who called it home.
It was a beautiful place filled with a myriad of colors as viewed from the outside, and even Damien, who was extremely knowledgeable on all things celestial, found himself stumped by its existence.
That was his destination.
That was the Heavenly World.
"Huu…"
He took a deep breath.
His family, his destiny, and everything that remained a mystery to him now were all awaiting him there.
There was no need to hesitate; there was no need to falter.
He took a single step, a step that took him out of the Void.
The time he spent there was no more than 0.00001 seconds.
And with nothing left to bar his path, the moment had come for him to descend on that place.
To the first step of a new adventure, to the start of the , to the end of his destiny…
It was time to go to the Heavenly World.
