Damien's body shook as the familiar scent entered his senses. This mana…he knew exactly where it was from.
'The Eclipsing Shadow Sect…'
A memory was vividly recalled in his mind. At that time, he was young and just beginning the process of maturing. Back then, even the smallest loss was something he'd hold dearly in his heart while hoping for revenge.
When Damien was forced into the 3000 Beast Mountain Range after being chased by the assassins from the Eclipsing Shadow Sect, it was the first major loss he was ever forced to endure.
Even if his spatial abilities were suppressed, it wasn't to the degree where he should've lost. At the same time, he wasn't someone limited to just the space element. What was really lacking back then was his mind and his will.
Because of that, he'd been fooled by the Myriad Illusion Veil into believing his abilities were further suppressed, causing him to eat a massive loss to the assassins.
Perhaps this single loss wasn't a large enough altercation for Damien to hold a death grudge against the Eclipsing Shadow Sect, but that was completely wrong.
To someone like Damien, his will and spirit were formed on two desires. One was the desire for survival, and the other was the desire for freedom. If he ever acted in a way that went against his conscience, it'd negatively impact his training.
This was a concept Damien anyways referred to as "Heart Demons," but in reality, heart demons were simply traumas.
His first major loss took a big hit on Damien's juvenile psyche, so naturally it engraved itself as something that would turn into a trauma that hindered his path if he didn't take care of it.
And in this situation, to take care of it meant to destroy it.
Damien's body flashed into the protection of Shadow Garden's isolated space. Without hesitation, he moved back to where he met the six experts of the organization.
When he arrived, the only one he found was Albeus. Still, this was more than enough for him.
"I'd like to borrow a peak 4th class Elder and a few of your disciples." He spoke bluntly, not bothering to hide his intentions.
Albeus quirked his brows in curiosity. Although this request could be considered absurd, as if breaking into someone's home and asking to borrow their kids, Albeus somewhat understood Damien's personality after seeing how he carried himself these past few days.
Damien could be said to have a trustable personality, especially in comparison to the others in this world. In this case, if his goals were agreeable, there was no reason for Shadow Garden to not lend help.
"What do you need our troops for?" Albeus asked.
Damien nodded and quickly explained his encounter with the beast incense eggs. At the same time, he spoke about his connection to the Eclipsing Shadow Sect and their origin.
"I see," Albeus commented after listening to it all. "So this force is subordinated under Niflheim. If the tide is truly their doing, helping you is helping ourselves as well. Very well, I shall have them put together a team for you to use."
Albeus took out his personal device and began sending some messages. While he did so, Damien excused himself from the area.
The reason he came back to Shadow Garden first was so that troops would be ready to dispatch as soon as he returned. While the small unit was being put together, it was Damien's job to actually find the Eclipsing Shadow Sect.
But if there was one thing Damien wasn't nervous about, it was tracking.
Tracking was yet another function of his spatial abilities that Damien rarely used. It wasn't that he couldn't use it, he simply didn't have the opportunity to. After all, if he was searching for something, it usually meant he had no indication of it.
To have a trace of residual mana was an incredible helper.
Damien's senses linked with the surrounding space. His awareness remembered the scent of the residual mana from before, using it as a sort of filter as it spread tens of thousands of kilometers in every direction.
'Found it.'
It truly didn't take long. Judging from the appearance of the area he found, it was only a temporary residence, but it was still another trace.
Damien's figure faded away, appearing a few tens of kilometers away from his desired target. It couldn't be helped. When he reached the edge of his teleportation range, his aim became much hazier.
But that was fine. He could move the extra distance within an instant. And after doing exactly that, Damien used the same method to search once more.
This routine continued for half an hour. Every time Damien found a new trace, it would lead him to yet another location. Judging from this alone, the Eclipsing Shadow Sect had been quite busy.
It was only after that entire half an hour of searching passed that Damien finally reached the end of the rat trail. There, what he saw was a secluded space not much different from Shadow Garden's.
'Well it makes sense why they went unnoticed until now. Even if Shadow Garden had experts, they don't have anyone skilled enough in spatial abilities to see through dimensional walls with ease. Not to mention the distance…'
Damien shook his head. He still hadn't confirmed whether the ones inside were truly from the Eclipsing Shadow Sect, but if the traces led here, it meant the group inside was at least related.
The problem was that although Damien could pass through the Dimensional Walls, he couldn't do so covertly. If so, there was only one option left.
'It always ends up being brute force. Why do I even bother trying to use my head anymore?' Damien mocked himself.
Using Warp, he returned to Shadow Garden and met the team put together for him. The one in charge was a beautiful middle-aged lady with a motherly aura,
"Mm, it's a pleasure to meet you. You can call me Elder Trinity." She said upon seeing Damien.
Damien nodded and cupped his fists in response. Shaking hands was an earthly tradition, so he became accustomed to a greeting without bodily contact. It wouldn't be good to accidentally offend anyone.
Regardless, Elder Trinity was an amiable woman. Despite Damien's status as an outsider, she didn't look down on him or attempt to establish dominance. Since she was under his command during this time, she would act accordingly.
Damien nodded after a small talk with Elder Trinity. During this time, he filled her in on the strength of the Eclipsing Shadow Sect.
Her job in this raid was to kill the Eclipsing Shadow Sect Leader. Everything else would be handled by Damien.
Normally, people would wish to accomplish their revenge with their own hands. This was a kind of cathartic release that would free one's soul from the shackles of their trauma.
But Damien wasn't the same. If there was a problem, he'd take care of it as soon as he found a solution.
Even if he couldn't kill the Eclipsing Shadow Lord with his own power, he was the reason the latter died. This fact was enough for him.
Nevertheless, the first thing he needed to do was invade the isolated space. Everything else came after.
