Damien didn't waste time freeing Asher.
The chains that hoisted him in the air were thick and made of a metal that wouldn't break easily even if a Demigod thrashed around in pain, but since Damien had all of Richter's memories, he didn't have to forcefully break them.
He undid the shackles using the correct method, which was far easier than messing with the chains, and after bringing the Norn child to the ground, he inserted his mana into the man's body to check for any abnormalities.
'It doesn't look like any permanent damage was done yet. There's a lot of internal bleeding and injury, and whatever that liquid was definitely had some effect, but I shouldn't have to worry about it.'
[Heal]
First things first, Damien took the necessary steps to get rid of the physical injuries. Once Asher's bones and tendons were reconnected, once his organs were returned to their rightful places, and once the traces of past surgical procedures completely vanished, Damien sunk his senses into Asher's soul to check there as well.
'It really is an interesting physique. It emulates one aspect of the Void Physique but takes that aspect to its maximum potential. A body that can adapt to anything is also practically ready to inherit the Void. The only thing it's missing is a connection.'
Damien almost wanted to fill Asher's soul with Void Energy to see what would happen, but naturally, he refrained.
Such experiments weren't his style.
'Putting all that aside, at least from what I can tell, the serum itself didn't have any negative effects. Rather, it's a net positive since the following experiments were never done.'
The serum was meant to "prepare" Asher's body to receive everything Richter wanted to give him. The primer's basic effect was to enhance Asher's inherent qualities, since the things he was going to be fused with were far too great for even his physique to digest without help.
If it went unchecked now that Richter was dead, the solution would've dispersed into Asher's bloodstream and damaged his physique. However, since Damien was here, that didn't have to happen.
Rather, the solution could be used to provide a permanent enhancement to the man's qualities.
'Phew. It's good that that's over with.'
Asher's state was brought back to normalcy within half an hour, and with nothing but time and some chimera blood on his hands, Damien created a chair and sat down, leaning back and closing his eyes.
'Haa…no matter the world, there's always trouble.'
Damien absorbed Richter's existence. He didn't care about the Legends of a man like that, but the memories he held encompassed far more than Damien had seen since he arrived in the Heavenly World.
This was the first time Damien was able to devour the memories of a Heavenly World being.
Thus, this could be considered his first introduction to the Heavenly World in its truest form.
He already knew about the layout of the world. That didn't need to be reiterated to him.
But there was a lot Yulia left out of her explanation. Maybe it was for his own good or maybe she had her own agenda, but she did forget to mention some of the most important details.
'Like the fact that this grand world isn't as secure as one would think it is.'
Damien expected it.
No, he already knew it would be like this.
Ever since that day on Al'Katra when he saw the memories of the corrupted foreign material, he'd been painfully aware.
The Heavenly World was not safe.
Just like the lower universe, the Heavenly World was facing a grave threat.
It was a threat greater than anything Damien could've ever imagined.
'The Foreign Races.'
That was how they were known.
Their true name wasn't known. They never tried to spread their legends through the world.
The people of this world called them the Foreign Races, because they truly did not have a word to describe these existences otherwise.
Nor did they have a way to logically explain where they came from.
Those beings were the creators of the Nox, and as if their agenda in the lower universe foreshadowed a greater plot, they were treating the Heavenly World the same way.
Like a plaything.
Like something they could destroy as they pleased.
'Richter has more knowledge on them than the average person, which is better for me, since I don't have to wonder and speculate about their existence.'
The Foreign Races shared a lot of similarities with the Nox, but they differentiated themselves plenty as well.
'Mainly, they don't have the flaws of the Nox.'
Things like limited intelligence or insatiable desire didn't exist in the hearts of these beings.
In the first place, those were flaws they created the Nox with for the purpose of controlling them.
The Foreign Races were all intelligent, and their power was greater than or equal to that of the Heavenly World.
And they'd been at war with this world for millions of years already.
'The Heavenly World hasn't been insanely corrupted or put at a disadvantage yet, but that's only what can be seen on the surface. If I learned anything from the wars of the past, it's that believing in the external appearance of affairs will only dull one's senses and point them away from the truth.'
The problem was that, while Richter did plenty of research on the Foreign Races, he was never actually involved in the war.
He only knew about their races themselves, not the details behind their invasion.
'It's useful information, sure, but I don't have anywhere to use it right now.'
Damien's eyes hardened.
'The current game plan was formed under the assumption that things would be calm for a long time, but I can't rely on that anymore.'
Damien needed to change his goals.
He couldn't slowly explore this place and go to Void Palace as he pleased.
'I need to reach Void Palace as soon as possible and find the people who I need to meet. I need to gain a footing in this world fast, because I can't let this situation deteriorate like it did in the lower universe.'
Back then, it ended in total destruction. Damien might've saved a large portion of the universe by sending it into the Sanctuary, but compared to what was lost, he saved less than one percent.
The Heavenly World was still largely intact, enough for the threat of the Foreign Races to still not be catastrophic.
They were his lifelong enemy, and the lifelong enemy of countless subordinates who entrusted their lives to him.
He naturally wanted to crush them before they could cause so much harm that more tragic cases like those he'd seen in the past became common.
'Huu…let's organize first.'
He took some time and sorted out his thoughts, forming a relative path forward while considering the possible futures he'd been ignoring before.
And in that time, Asher Norn also awoke.
Damien turned his eyes towards the man who was confusedly taking in his surroundings and stood up, allowing his chair to dissipate into mana.
'My wariness was never something I could drop.'
He'd accepted it.
'Slow and steady was never an option available to me.'
He'd accepted it.
'I need to end everything with my power.'
He clenched his fist with determination.
'So that I can enjoy everything I'm forced to ignore because of this bullshit.'
