Events proceeded easily from that point on. Now that Tephit was tucked away in the Sanctuary and his clan was in shambles, the biggest threat in the Prominence War had been totally eliminated. It was now a stage for the remaining four clans to battle it out.
Between the Ruvia and Oga Clans, the relationship was still unknown. Now that they'd gone through such an experience together, the members of the two clans had formed bonds that were extremely hard to break. Something like betrayal in the face of power was still difficult for them.
As for the Hubo and Verxis Clans, they likely weren't even aware of the massive war when it first broke out. Information about the Tephit Clan's defeat should've just recently reached them, their reactions still in the midst of taking place.
The question was, who would take the central position of this war from this point forth?
The Oga Clan was different from the rest. Despite how others still lumped them together, the higher-ups of the Oga Clan were well aware of their separation from the remaining clans.
After all, they'd sword loyalty to a different leader, an outsider. To others this looked like a hasty and stupid decision, but to those who'd felt Zara's bloodline pressure and seen what it did to the former Great Elder, this choice wasn't just smart, it was genius.
Someone of Zara's caliber would go incredibly far in life. Perhaps, she would one day even surpass the universe.
And that wasn't even mentioning the people she surrounded herself with. If Damien was any example, it was clear that Zara didn't make friends with anyone normal.
The Oga Clan's lower members were incredibly reluctant to accept Zara as their new Clan Head before the war, but after seeing the carnage the Sanctuary's forces wrought, they changed their minds.
They wanted to be like that too. They wanted strength like that too.
Now, the Oga Clan's fierce loyalty to Zara was already established and set in stone. They would from now on be inseparable from her…
At least in some form.
Zara didn't have a method to keep a large number of people for a prolonged period of time. Her shadow realm ability was only meant for short-term inhabitance by outsiders. Unfortunately for both her and the Oga Clan, she didn't have the facilities to keep them with her.
It was a conundrum she faced for many hours. She didn't want to throw away her first followers just after receiving them. It felt like she'd finally taken a step towards her goals, and she didn't want to lose that feeling.
Zara stood with Damien, handing him an assortment of technological parts and a few stranger fantasy-like items. These were the machinery Zara stole from the underground space. The base structure for a realm-breaking teleportation device, a rudimentary version of the Blood Sacrament God Array, and many other useful trinkets were stored there.
It wasn't just any day when one got the chance to raid such a vastly beneficial treasure chest.
Nevertheless, as Zara handed the items to Damien, she actually voiced another request. It was the final solution she came up with after so many hours.
"Can I…house the Oga Clan in your Sanctuary?" She asked hesitantly.
She knew that the Sanctuary was Damien's life's work. Even when compared to his Void comprehension, the Sanctuary was still a better representation of him as an individual.
Zara didn't want to taint that land he was growing himself with troops that weren't his own.
But contrary to her expectations, Damien just shrugged. "Why not? Tell me when they need entrance and I'll help you out."
"Really?" Zara exclaimed with excitement.
"Of course! Not even counting the fact that you're my precious little beast companion, the Sanctuary has always been its own isolated world. You know how little I interfere in its growth." He continued.
"I'll let people into the Sanctuary and later, once they've been acclimated and have sworn their loyalty, let them out. Besides the people I'm actually close to, that's the extent to which I interfere in the Sanctuary's happenings."
"The Sanctuary has always been strange in my heart. I've always been aware that it's my world. If I wanted to, I could slaughter every single existence living within in a few moments. But still, I don't like being too involved in it."
"That place is its own world, after all. Especially now that it's evolved, it's looking more and more like a true world in outer space. I don't want that world to take on my characteristics. I want it to grow through its natural course of action until the Sanctuary universe would become so independent that it's nearly inaccessible to those who aren't accepted by its residents."
Damien's spiel wasn't completely meant for Zara, more for himself. Seeing the Sanctuary again with Tephit made him desperately want to change many things to make function better.
Unfortunately, he had to remember his own ideals.
He was letting the Sanctuary grow on its own for a purpose. Rather than a conscious thought, it was more of a hunch; a hunch that would only come true far in the future, if ever.
Nevertheless, his opinions about the Sanctuary didn't have any place in his mind at the moment.
After his conversation with Zara, the Oga Clan naturally settled in the Sanctuary. They decided to live nearby the continent of White Dragon Grotto and the Demons.
Their belligerent personalities fit well with White Dragon Grotto's ideals. With them in the ocean and the grotto on land, the two were an invincible duo.
Left in Aquazyl were 3 clans. And of the Oga Clan, only Ria remained in the Real Plane.
She stood facing Maximus, her mouth moving but no words coming out. She didn't know how to explain the situation to him at all.
"You're leaving?" He asked. He had known Ria for too long. He could easily read her thoughts through her face.
"M-mm. The Clan is leaving. I…might stay," Ria said with difficulty
Unlike the others, she had things she didn't want to leave behind. Mainly…
"Just go," Maximus said softly.
The man in front of her. He was always quietly supporting her and making sure everything went her way. Despite his cold attitude, she was well aware of his heart's warmth.
If he annoyedly spat at her to go, it only meant that he'd be disappointed if she wasted the opportunity.
In the end, she took the offer. As she turned to leave, she found herself incredibly reluctant.
She looked into Maximus' eyes and in the next moment…
A pair of lips firmly pressed onto his. Maximus' eyes widened in shock as he watched Ria passionately kiss him, eventually joining her in the fun.
"I…don't want to go yet…" Ria muttered.
"But if you don't go, will you have time later? Your entire clan is going. Even if you've chosen to serve a different leader, you're still their central point. You can't just leave." Maximus said realistically.
Ria already understood. He didn't want her to miss something so major simply because of him…
Especially since he might not survive until the end of the Prominence War.
In their current society, the coming of a Prominence War cut off any possibility of a relationship.
Because it was entirely possible for those clan members to die instantly, their relationships meaning nothing but empty comfort in the end.
And Maximus…he didn't want to devalue Ria into a mere empty comfort.
