After Hestia came Yiren, and after Yiren came Darius.
They were both fighters, so they received the same treatment as Dominic. It didn't end well for either of them.
Yiren was relatively skilled for her age. There was a reason for her arrogance.
Not only did she have good control and understanding of her laws, but she'd also been going in and out of the palace to experience the outside world far more than her siblings, so her practicality and instincts during battle were leagues above her peers.
However, even she had weaknesses. They, of course, weren't to the level that they betrayed Damien's expectations, but Damien was planning to turn Void Palace into something magisterial.
It was only natural for him to bring his siblings past their current level.
Yiren's problems were more mental.
While she excelled in battle, she wasn't very good outside of it. Her tactical thinking when facing multiple enemies was lacking, and she had a tendency to rush into battle without enough caution backing her actions.
Fortunately, these weaknesses were far easier to correct than what Dominic dealt with.
And Darius…
Well, Darius was another level.
When Damien appeared and did the same thing to Darius as he did to Dominic and Yiren, the response he received was completely different.
Darius rushed into battle immediately, using the 16 Swords of Heaven to strike Damien down.
Instead of standing in place and dispersing all his attacks, Damien instead chose to teleport, matching Darius' flow and casually dodging.
It infuriated Darius, who acted more on emotion than his other siblings. His attacks became more frenzied and reckless, and he stopped relying on his eyes as much as usual.
Damien was both impressed and disappointed as he entertained Darius.
'His instincts are crazy. He's like a beast who knows exactly when to attack and retreat, exactly where to strike to kill the enemy.'
Darius was amazing in that aspect, and considering his lack of experience outside the palace, he was surprisingly adept at using the environment to his advantage.
He would kick up sand and rock whenever he needed to, and he wasn't afraid to take everything at his disposal and use it to support him, even if that meant taking risks.
However…
'He's just not suited for space or time.'
Space and time were both elements with little fluctuation. People who used them needed to make calculations and be perfectly in tune with their flow, otherwise they always ran the risk of ruining themselves.
They needed to be calm. Even if they were reckless in battle, they could never waver in their use of the laws.
Darius was…
Well, he didn't fit this criteria.
At some point, he completely threw away space and time, using the 16 Swords of Heaven as a pure sword technique with no other laws supporting it.
'I'm amazed he made it this far. What kind of Divinity did he establish with this kind of suitability?'
His affinities were probably space and time since his parents' genes were incredibly strong. However, there has to be something else, something he'd neglected because it wasn't in line with the family's practices.
Damien opened his eyes wide, focusing on Darius' soul.
He found that space, the place where he tethered his laws together, within Darius' body and peered into it.
'As expected, space and time. There's a surprising hint of destruction, but it isn't enough to be an affinity. It's more like a buff for his other abilities. Aside from that…'
It was difficult to search someone else's soul so deeply without being in direct contact with them, so Damien had some trouble finding it.
It was hidden behind the other two since it'd been neglected while they grew for so long, but it was there.
Something fiery, but not fire. It was a greater law, but it had so much resemblance to fire that Damien almost doubted its identity.
'Or maybe…'
There was another option too, something Damien never thought possible.
'I should look for it.'
Damien always thought the possibility was out there, but he'd never found evidence to back that thought.
Not until today.
Because inside Darius' soul was a flame unlike any other flame.
It was an inborn Heavenly Flame.
Within Darius' soul, the third-ranked Heavenly Flame, the Sun and Moon Divine Flame, lay in hibernation.
'Holy shit.'
It was more than Damien ever expected to find.
The Sun and Moon Divine Flame was Damien's most coveted Heavenly Flame.
It was a flame with two sides, a two-for-one deal.
The Sun Flame which alit in the day burned brighter than anything else. It was fueled by excitement and acted like a berserker, endlessly growing stronger the longer it was used in battle.
Meanwhile, the Moon Flame came alive in the nighttime. It was a cold, ruthless, and soulless killer that burned a dark blue color. Under a fully grown Moon Flame's soul torture, not even a God could survive.
Both sides had their own advantages and were equally strong. It was a difficult flame to master, but if someone could truly control it, they would become indomitable.
'It's not just Fire Laws contained within the flame. It's a mixture of fire, death, light, and several other forces. This is an unexpected boon.'
Damien obviously wanted the Sun and Moon Divine Flame, but he wasn't going to steal it from his brother.
Rather…
VOOOM!
Damien let out a pulse of mana, immediately breaking through Darius' attacks.
"What are–!"
"Sleep for a while."
Damien appeared directly in front of him and put his hand on his head.
A fusion of strange laws entered Darius' mind and pushed his mind into a state of sleep. He collapsed onto the ground, and Damien immediately went to work.
"Come out."
A flicker of black flames appeared on his hand.
With a flick of his wrist, Damien sent that flame into Darius' soul.
The Sun and Moon Divine Flame had been suppressed for too long. It couldn't be awakened through normal means.
Therefore, Damien judged that the best way to rapidly awaken it was to feed it.
Traces of all the Heavenly Flames Damien had ever collected, traces of his past Sun Flames and even a part of the Void Flame itself rushed into Darius' soul space and encircled the sleeping Heavenly Flame.
THUMP!
It was like the beating of a heart.
With so much Heavenly Flame aura surrounding it, it was impossible for the Sun and Moon Divine Flame to stay silent.
THUMP!
It beat again.
The flame expanded, encompassing the rest.
They devoured, filling the hunger they'd been suffering from for over a century.
And they thumped again.
Over and over again.
'This is going to be fun.'
Damien grinned.
It seemed Dominic was worried about how his brother would react when Damien appeared, but the result was beyond anyone's expectations.
'There's so much hidden talent in Void Palace.'
It was really a den of dragons.
That fact made Damien infinitely anticipate the future.
Because this was his den of dragons.
This was the homeland of his people.
This was his palace.
'With this, the recruitment part is over.'
'What comes next…'
Damien's eyes narrowed.
'...is a shitton of training.'
