The original goal was to stop the spread of corruption into the Heavenly World.
Tiamat and the rest did their jobs perfectly. They eliminated the incoming threat with speed and precision so that the corruption didn't get further than they wanted it to.
But they couldn't stop it completely.
The corruption began spreading the instant the Foreign Races' vanguard entered the world. There was no way to stop that.
By the time the battle ended, an area the size roughly a hundred square feet in size was left rotted. In the pure white scenery of the principality, it stood out quite severely.
When Damien came back, it was the first thing he saw.
The people who'd come to deal with the crack had already retreated to recuperate.
Tiamat and the rest were the same. They were waiting for Damien to return while entertaining those who tried to make connections with them.
It was good practice for Dominic and Darius, who were part of the ruling clan of Void Palace, but they didn't have the eyes necessary to know how to treat each and every person.
Luckily, Tiamat was different.
She could judge people well with her years of life experience, and she'd been taking time throughout the battle to see how everyone else was doing, so she knew better than anyone who to associate with and who to shun.
With her help, the two gained social skills they never thought they'd need, and even the belligerent Darius learned how to be eloquent when he needed to.
It was a convenient few minutes of growth that would become useful in the future.
Damien saw them second, but seeing how his brothers were acting, he decided to leave them alone for a bit and study the corruption.
'It's gross.'
The ground was reddish black and flaking like polluted skin.
It had a disgusting mushy texture, and as Damien stood on it, he could feel himself being subtly affected by its aura.
'I see. Even this is an offensive tactic.'
They weren't just claiming land, they were creating traps for their enemies.
'Thinking about how many of these corrupted patches exist in the world makes me want to gag.'
Foreign Territories weren't as rare as they needed to be. It was a real concern.
Damien knelt down, putting his hand to the ground.
'Can I purify it?'
He closed his eyes and felt the world.
'I…am not sure.'
Damien could definitely do it. If he could purify the chaos in Alex's body, there was no question about whether or not he could purify such a small Foreign Territory.
The problem was something else.
'These laws…don't feel natural.'
He recognized it somewhat.
These laws functioned similarly to the Demonic Energy in Damien's possession.
'As expected, it's different over there.'
Just like how the Severed World had its own laws, just like how the Sanctuary had its own laws, the place the Foreign Races came from had a unique set of laws.
Until Damien comprehended them, he wouldn't be able to properly get rid of the corruption or anything related to the Foreign Races in the same way.
'It ends up coinciding with my original plans, so that's good.'
Damien glanced at the crack in the distance.
Despite the battle being over, it hadn't closed yet.
This was routine.
Dimensional Cracks would remain open for several hours or even days after the Foreign Race invasion. There was a possibility of a secondary invasion, but for the most part, they'd easily close once their energy was dispersed.
The problem was that their energy would enhance the surrounding Foreign Territory, which not only made the corruption spread, but also worsened the negative effects experienced by those in its vicinity.
The usual solution to this problem was to bring in spatial practitioners who could close the crack prematurely, but Damien had other plans for this one.
'I'll have to wait until the others leave…'
He couldn't do it outright. He also couldn't evacuate them all under false pretenses, because the processes for such a situation had already become streamlined across the entire world.
But, since Void Palace was in charge of closing the crack and there were several research teams present to take measurements of the strange structure, there was still an excuse to use.
The first wave ended too easily.
For a crack that killed so many Demigods to be cleared without a problem could be amounted to Void Palace's interference, but to guarantee safety, it was better to excavate the area so the palace's experts could investigate properly.
Or, at least, that's what Damien had his people spread.
It was somewhat suspicious, but did Void Palace have a reason to lie?
Other than the researchers, who were given a few more hours to finish getting their readings and pack up, everyone left.
And once they were gone as well, Damien finally approached the crack with his people.
'I'll have to leave most of them behind.'
He was planning to go alone, but he gave that up in return for giving his brothers a good training trip.
'But someone has to stay back to command the rest.'
It had to be either Dominic, Darius, or Tiamat.
But it couldn't be Tiamat.
This trip meant more to her than it did to anyone else, so she was definitely coming.
Of his two brothers, Damien didn't know who would be more suited for a trip like this, but…
'...Darius will probably grow more.'
His power source was a Heavenly Flame. Heavenly Flames were extremely adaptable, and even if put in a situation where the Universal Law or Heavenly Order was completely reversed, they'd be able to maintain their power.
It wasn't the same for Dominic. He'd be essentially crippled until he learned how to maneuver around the new laws.
'Alright.'
Damien just had to break the news to his brother now.
He really expected it to be a huge argument.
Surprisingly, though, Dominic was quite receptive.
He pretty much understood Damien's reasoning. He was a smart man. His intellect was one of his specialities.
Since he knew why he wasn't chosen and knew what role he was necessary for in the Heavenly World, he readily accepted Damien's plans, promising to hold down the fort while the expedition team took care of business.
With everything settled, Damien approached the crack with Darius and Tiamat.
They stood before it, feeling its chaotic energy.
It was dark and malevolent.
But it was also something unique.
This kind of aura just couldn't be found in the Heavenly World. Not because the Heavenly World was all righteous, but because it simply couldn't configure its laws in such a way to create it.
They stood there in silence. They weren't hesitating. They were taking a moment to digest the weight of their actions.
It had been done before.
Cracks were entered all the time.
But not in this manner.
And not with Damien heading the expedition.
This would not be something normal.
They would likely see many jaw-dropping things from this point forth.
For that, they needed to mentally prepare.
A minute passed as those who would remain in the Heavenly World watched them.
Damien looked between Darius and Tiamat, seeing them nod back at him.
With his eyes wide open in search of something amazing, he took his first step forward.
To enter the homeworld of the Foreign Races.
