Was it a month that passed after that day?
Damien didn't know. His squad hadn't stopped moving during the time that passed, so trying to understand its span was difficult to do.
After Theasi was destroyed, the nearby bases at Engra and Lilas were taken care of as well. With the immediate area cleansed of Nox, the group moved on to the next.
Calypto as a whole had 8 continents on its surface, taking up most of the world's space. The continent that Damien and the rest landed on was succinctly termed the Jade Continent due to the overflowing jade-green color that used to permeate it.
Nowadays, that color was wholly replaced with the same desolation as the rest.
Nevertheless, the Jade Continent was relatively small. There were only a few thousand peripheral bases present here, and none of them mattered in terms of the Infected Source World's general operations.
In essence, the troops here could be called reserve forces or cannon fodder.
For this reason, they all were around the same level as the Nox in Theasi, a level that was all too easy for Damien and his group to take on.
The Jade Continent found itself cleansed of Nox within a single month. It wasn't just because of the efficiency and speed of the squad's movements, but also because of their personal hatred fueling their actions.
They rarely took rest, moving immediately from one base to another. With the perpetualness of their movements and the ferocity of their attacks, tens or even hundreds of bases could be targeted in a day.
Of course, this would've been impossible without Damien's presence.
As time passed, he realized the value of the people who'd been grouped with him in this operation. None of them were weaklings, and while their mentalities were still in the process of tempering, none of them shied away from the trials they had to go through.
If they were alone, they'd be forced to take breaks to recover mana and stamina. No being in the world had the capability to move perpetually without consequence.
But Damien had the Void Physique, a power that seemed to always find a way to surpass the world.
The mana-gathering method he usually used for himself became available to everyone. The Void Physique punched a hole in reality and sucked any and all mana in the atmosphere into its grasp. It was up to Damien how to repurpose this mana once he had it.
And for the past month, he'd been providing it to his squad so they could move without restrictions.
Even aside from this, Damien's teleportation allowed them to move at speeds that wouldn't have been possible on their feet or through the sky. Going from base to base, a process that could've cost them many hours of precious time, became an afterthought.
The ten bases a day they could take without setting aside time for recovery suddenly ballooned into the hundreds.
With such a routine continuing for so long, how could the Jade Continent's Nox survive?
Currently, the group sat on the continent's edge looking out on the mucus-like seas beyond. For the first time in a month, they took a day for themselves.
'Their physical health has been maintained by me, but their mental health is probably a mess right now. I'm surprised they aren't on the verge of collapse.' Damien thought to himself.
Even now, after enduring so much stress, those three were setting up a campfire and grilling some of the beast meat they brought as rations. It was unbelievable when he compared them to their past selves.
'It's a bit of a shame, though…'
For some reason, the more he saw them grow, the more he felt like their current circumstances were corrupting the innocence they once held.
These people weren't young at all. Even Ash, the youngest, was 24. Still, whether it was 20 or 30, it was all still considered a genius' growth-period. Only after 500 years would one's strength be considered saturated.
Damien couldn't help but see them as kids. Even if he was younger than Tyler, he'd experienced too much more to care about something as paltry as a few-year difference in age.
The "innocence" they held couldn't be called innocence considering that they'd been raised in the Hell Hole, but the blissful ignorance they possessed towards the struggles of the weak was something to be envied.
Because even the most indifferent person would sigh seeing this ignorance get shattered.
'Well, I hope they can keep at least a spark of that youthful exuberance within them. For now, enjoying moments of peace like this is the only way they can do so. As for me…'
Damien didn't have time for peace. Unlike them, he had a far greater mission to accomplish.
'It should be about a month before I can get there, but I might as well prepare beforehand.'
He sat down in a lotus position and closed his eyes, sending his awareness into the earth.
He was curious about something.
When he saw Apeiron or the Cloud Plane's World Core, he was met with a degree of corruption the Nox had achieved over time before the purge took place. However, the unnamed world's World Core was in perfect condition.
Even though it was an Infected Source World, even Wrath couldn't have predicted that a Primal Sovereign was slumbering beneath its surface. Naturally, with a Primal Sovereign's natural protection field, the World Core didn't get corrupted no matter how much the Nox tried.
But what about Calypto…?
It was simply impossible for one of the four remaining Primal Sovereigns to take residence within Calypto. That kind of coincidence never happened twice.
In that case, what state would the planet's World Core be in?
It didn't take long for him to find out.
Damien's consciousness was pulled into the center of the world. He could clearly feel a rejection force stemming from what lay there, but this force couldn't hold him back at all.
World Cores were infinitely powerful constructs, but in front of a Celestial, they could only submit.
'Haa, I guess I expected it, but this is still pretty jarring to see up close.' Damien sighed inwardly when he finally made his way to the World Core.
It was just as black as a starless sky. The disgusting gloop that made up the World Core writhed disgustingly in response to Damien's presence.
'It can't be saved.'
The Nox mana corrupting the Cloud Plane's World Core was like a tumor. As long as it was removed, the remaining material could be salvaged.
However, this World Core had been fully corrupted. Down to its very core, it was transmuted into something only the Nox could explain.
'If I devour it, the world will collapse. Plus, since it's Nox mana, I can't even benefit from it.'
A Celestial Mana Thread shot forth from Damien's finger and tried to pierce the Infected World Core, but it was met by a barrier of rejection immediately upon contact.
'As I thought, controlling it is also impossible. Do I have to possess Nox mana to do so?'
As he quietly observed the World Core, its writhing form began to change.
An eye appeared on its surface.
Damien smiled when he saw it. "You finally noticed me? Well, that's not a problem. I've been wanting to have a talk with you for a while now."
