The boundary steles were close. Actually, he got closer to them as he went through the groups and saved everyone from Veritas.
After all, that was how the Forbidden Secret Realm was laid out.
The closer one was to the boundary stele, the more dangerous the environment around them became. The more talented people were naturally closer to it than the rest.
Celeste could be considered an exception, since she had the talent to approach far closer than someone like Romulus or Reva Veritas, but chose not to for her own reasons.
Nevertheless, at the current distance, only a few million kilometers stood between Damien and the steles.
The problem was, he wasn't alone.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The force of a God. Damien was feeling it personally now.
They never hit him directly, either because of his nimble movements or because they were corralling him in a certain direction, but just from the damage done to the surroundings as the two Straea Gods chased him through the realm was terrifying.
Massive, deep-rooted trees were torn out of the ground like they were made of paper, beasts were shredded by just being in the vicinity, and the earth was sundered to the point where it wouldn't be able to house life again for many eons to come.
Damien maintained his track to the boundary steles.
He didn't pay attention to anything going on behind him, whether it be the rampant mana or the incessant yelling of his enemies.
He was single-mindedly focusing on reaching the boundary steles.
BOOOOOOM!
A furious explosion rang out only a few feet away, pushing Damien in the other direction and burning the side of his body.
'Damn.'
He clicked his tongue and teleported, rapidly regaining his momentum.
'They aren't going all out.'
That was the first thing he noticed.
Unlike when they were fighting the Veritas Gods, these two Gods weren't using the entire capability their authority over law allowed.
Rather, they weren't using laws at all.
'Is it because I'm a Demigod, or is there something I don't know about at play?'
With the female God's hatred against him maximized to the fullest by his actions, there was no way she'd let him go easily.
Maybe she wanted him to suffer, but this wasn't the way to cause that suffering.
So why were they using mana without trying to suppress him through laws?
'Maybe their goal is the same as mine…?'
Damien dodged another mana explosion by a hair's breadth and teleported away, taking a moment to look at the wounds on his body.
If they wanted to corner him against the boundary stele, they were doing a great job of pushing him towards it.
'These wounds aren't too deep, but they're hard to heal. The Authority of Immortality that evolved from my natural healing and traits like Transcendent Regeneration can't get rid of them as they happen, so they're accumulating nicely.'
It was a weird way of thinking considering he was talking about his own body, but Damien was used to viewing himself objectively for the sake of research.
The Authority of Immortality was powerful. He'd seen its power firsthand in the years he spent as a mercenary for the Veritas Clan.
If the wound was made by a Demigod, no matter how powerful they were or what methods they used, it would heal in seconds.
Even a severed limb could be completely recreated and strengthened to its former capabilities before an enemy could attack a second time.
It was a monstrous Authority, but even it was having trouble against Godly Divine Energy.
Because, at the end of the day, even the Authority of Immortality was built on laws.
'Though their standing is probably pretty low amongst Gods, they still stand above all Laws.'
That was what it meant to be a God.
Their pursuit was quite severe, but it wasn't at a level Damien couldn't handle.
That was how it continued until they reached the boundary steles.
The massive wall that blocked off the majority of the Forbidden Secret Realm, a wall that even Gods couldn't break.
Damien wanted to test that theory.
He wanted to go beyond it.
And for that chance, he brought two Gods along with him to attack it.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Their mana pelted it mercilessly as Damien teleported across its surface. Despite his ability to flee being limited by its presence, the omnidirectional movement ability that teleportation allowed him wasn't something that could be inhibited because a single direction was blocked.
The two Straea Gods became more and more annoyed as Damien evaded their attempts to catch him, and by the time they reached this point in their chase, they were already using their Authority, which they held back from doing until now.
It was a shame, though.
Because Damien was still toying with them.
'It's a little funny.' He thought to himself.
'Considering their attack power, if any of these attacks hit me, I'd be out of commission long enough for them to capture me and do whatever they pleased. But that's only if they can hit me.'
This definitely wasn't the fullest extent of their capabilities.
Attacks like these were at the level of complexity that someone like Immortal Blood Asura could replicate, even if the power was far greater.
Where was that ability he saw earlier?
Where was the natural movement of ambient mana that supported each and every movement, the true terror of a God?
'Are they mocking me?'
Damien glanced over at the two.
Their expressions were twisted. Especially that woman. She wouldn't have such an expression on her face if she was just toying with him.
'Then, is that why they haven't been able to break the boundary stele until now?'
Maybe it wasn't a matter related to them in any way.
Maybe the boundary stele itself restricted a God's control, leaving them as what could basically be called overpowered Demigods.
If that was the case…
'...then it makes sense why they never managed to break the steles.'
If their power was that restricted, then breaking the steles would be a truly impressive feat.
'But if that's the case, then how am I supposed to get past it?'
Damien had no plan to resign. Every time he'd felt a calling like this, he'd encountered something that was monumental in his journey to power.
Damien had no plan to resign. Every time he'd felt a calling like this, he'd encountered something that was monumental in his journey to power.
He couldn't just leave it behind because the stele felt unbreakable.
'Hmm…'
It was troublesome since he had to focus most of his attention on dodging and evading, but he did have just a small piece of his consciousness focused on breaking through the wall.
'Oh, I could also do that!'
He thought they would become useless once he came to the Heavenly World, but this was the perfect situation, wasn't it?
While Damien held the attention of those two Gods, another figure quietly appeared on the ground below and pushed towards the boundary stele.
His flaming red hair stood out in the lush greenery, but within a second, he'd already hidden himself so he couldn't be sensed easily.
Plus, with his strange existence, he wouldn't be regarded in the perception of others as human unless they truly looked into his origin.
That man, Alexander, pressed his hand against the boundary stele and inserted his awareness into its surface.
He studied it using all his memories as Damien Void, and after almost an entire minute, he found a trace.
'That is…'
His eyes widened.
His main body's eyes widened as well.
It wasn't what he was expecting at all.
There was a trace of mana hidden in the steles. It was the secret behind their mysterious strength and purpose.
It was a trace of "Existence."
In a form that Damien had never seen before.
