While Damien and Tephit were having a relatively relaxed time at the top of the Tephit Clan's main building, the battlefield only continued to grow more violent.
Elvira and the Sanctuarians stood against what remained of the Tephit Clan's High Elders, a group of only ten. The other twenty were already one with the ground.
The inside of the Dimensional Cage was still. The Tephit Elders no longer had the courage to attack after seeing their comrades get cut down like vegetables. Their hesitation wasn't strange at all.
As for the attacking force, they didn't move either. While it would be simple to kill off these last few elders, the group decided to instead take time and recuperate any lost mana or injuries they'd acquired during the battle. They didn't know what risks they would have to face after leaving the Dimensional Cage's protection, so it was best to be safe.
Still, the outcome of their fight was all but decided. With no chance at resistance, the remaining High Elders would die the second the attacking force decided to strike.
This overwhelming scene translated to all parts of the battlefield. The regular elders of the two clans struggled against the Tephit elders alone, but with their advantage in numbers, overpowering the enemy became light work. Even the third-class beings were slaughtering their way through the Tephit Clan.
Under Damien's forces' leadership, the losses were kept to an absolute minimum. Compared to the Tephit Clan's losses, they were entirely negligible.
The most eye-catching scene, however, was naturally Lunaria's Baptism.
The swirling World Energy Barrier drew the attention of countless elites who flocked over to witness it, but these people were all struck down by Feng Qing'er and her followers.
None were able to get near Lunaria's Baptism site. And even if they did, it was unknown whether they could survive the biting cold that was slowly permeating the area.
Within the World Energy Barrier, Lunaria was facing the Baptism of a Phoenix, a trial known as Rebirth.
Unlike humans who changed classes every time they ranked up, beasts would experience bloodline evolution. This method of strengthening would put them on the path to becoming Godbeasts, whether they followed the path of their ancestors or forged their own.
Just like Feng Qing'er experienced rebirth to unlock her Reincarnation Flames, Lunaria had to do the same to unlock her latent bloodline abilities.
In particular, the Ice Phoenix Clan's Life Flames.
Lunaria already had access to a preliminary version of this flame. Her natural Ice Flames already carried a hint of life energy, which was also what allowed her to utilize Ice Phoenix Runes to her convenience. However, this was, at the end of the day, still just a preliminary version.
The rebirth of an Ice Phoenix was a multiple-stage process where Ice Laws and Life Laws would engrave themselves into a young phoenix's psyche and body, empowering them and providing them the comprehension they needed to continue forward.
But naturally, they needed to prove themselves before they could access any of these boons. Lunaria was in the process of undergoing extreme torture by Ice Laws. Her body was ripped to shreds, and her mind was corrupted to the extreme.
Yet, regardless of what was thrown at her, she remained stoic. This was a natural trial she'd been prepared to overcome for many years now. With it now dawning upon her, the only thing for her to do was complete it as she planned many times in the past.
And she would do so in just a single hour.
***
The only person missing from the ongoing chaos was Zara. Unlike the rest, the task she'd been assigned…wasn't related to the Tephit Clan at all.
Rather, it was to ruin the plans of a single person.
Zara's main body and shadow clone set off in different directions, melding into the surroundings and sinking into the ground.
She arrived in an underground area that not many had access to. Here, the culmination of Tephit's life's work was present.
A large tube holding an unknown greenish liquid sat in the center of the room. Multiple mana-powered consoles surrounded it from every direction, each having a different purpose.
Underneath the tube was the outline of a portal. This was where every bit of power Tephit claimed from blood sacrifice was stored.
Zara had found this place relatively easily, sure, but that was only due to Damien's strict guidance. He wasn't just aware of the internal layout, but also the weak points in every security measure in place to guard this area.
If she had even a little bit less information, she would've died trying to infiltrate this forbidden area.
Looking at the portal outline, Zara was reminded of Damien's words.
"I want to recruit Tephit into the Sanctuary. That old geezer's knowledge and breadth of vision surpass even the oldest of the 3000 Beast Mountain Range's refugees. If he becomes a part of our force, the level of equipment and technology we possess will increase to a completely different level."
"Tephit is too smart. Even if his original plan fails, he'll surely have multiple countermeasures in place to ensure an overall success. If there is even an ounce of success in his schemes, he won't be willing to submit. Despite his nihilistic viewpoint, he's quite the stubborn old man."
"I don't plan on lying to him. It's true that no matter what he does, the Emperor Bone Sea won't submit to him. But…Tephit's main wish is freedom, not control. Even if controlling the Emperor Bone Sea is impossible, the power he's collected until now is enough to open a portal to the outside world. This much is already enough to make recruiting him impossible."
"Zara, I will go speak to him personally and try to recruit him, but while I do so, I need you to do an even more important job…"
"Destroy any chance of his plan's success. Make it impossible for him to reject our proposal. It may be cruel, but it is simply the way of the world. Just like he is willing to use any means possible, I am the same."
Damien didn't try to justify his actions to her. He'd grown past that point long ago. Everything he did was for the sake of his and his family's future. There wasn't a single minute that went by without him thinking of how to destroy the Nox so they could live peacefully.
Unfortunately, his personal power wasn't enough to change the tides of war, nor did he have the time to grow to a level where it was.
His best bet was to create a terrifying force that could demolish the Nox, crushing their race into extinction.
If he ever met a person he felt worthy of this force, he would recruit them. That was the end of the story.
Tephit fell into this category as well. Not only because of his technical ingenuity, but also because of his possession ability. To Tephit, possessing another body was a death wish.
But to Damien…
As long as he could increase [Heal]'s prowess until it could heal even souls, what else did he have to fear?
