"Haa…haha…I didn't expect it to be this difficult…"
Immediately after Sebastian retreated, Damien dragged his haggard body into the spatial layers and began moving at his fastest speed towards Calypto.
Unfortunately, the task was far harder than he originally expected.
The previous battle was extremely intense, and even if it was abruptly cut off, Damien still used the majority of his power to fight off Sebastian.
He'd even used his Void Physique's abilities, something he'd been avoiding doing openly ever since the Wrath incident.
'That butler…he definitely knows.'
"Khhh…!"
Damien trudged through the muddied waters of space with a metaphorical limp. His body was healing, but at a far slower pace than Transcendent Regeneration usually allowed.
'Haha…is this the consequence of low mana reserves? While it's fun to feel something new every once in a while, this isn't really the time for that, is it?'
Transcendent Regeneration, no matter how heaven-defying it was, was still a skill. Its continued activation was heavily reliant on mana.
In truth, it was only because of Damien's unorthodox Mana Circuit and ability to gather mana into his body that Transcendent Regeneration could function. For any other person, it'd be a nigh-useless skill in battle.
Damien was currently experiencing what it was like to be "normal."
'Dammit. Has the Ananta Matrix been affected as well?'
Bodily regeneration and mana regeneration were both moving at a snail's pace, but Damien didn't have the time to check on the damages in his body.
All he knew was that he was a wreck, a wreck that urgently needed to return to Calypto and save his companion.
What felt like hours passed within a few seconds. Damien exited the spatial layers within Calypto's atmosphere and took in a breath of fresh air.
'Right, the air here sucks.'
Ignoring the foul stench filling his nostrils, he spread his awareness to its limits. His spiritual intent raged as a substitute for mana, connecting with space and forcing his awareness past the bounds of its usual reach.
'Where the hell did you go?'
Damien wondered for only an instant before he realized.
'Ah yeah, the answer is way too obvious for me to dally like this.'
For a blood-crazed Zara who wanted to devour every Nox in sight, what better location was there than the Willow Continent?
Damien flashed through the atmosphere. He redirected his mana so that Transcendent Regeneration only focused on his arms and arrived on the Willow Continent in a little over a minute.
'Holy shit…'
The scene of destruction before him was terrifying in its connotation.
'I can't let this continue.'
Zara's feral state was a secondary concern. The existence of the Sanctuary allowed Damien the peace of mind when it came to Zara's overall safety.
But that was only within the Sanctuary.
'If our allies find her, they'll kill her, and if our enemies are given the chance, they'll turn her into a puppet.'
Zara was in a situation where she could become an enemy of the universe in a single instant.
Damien couldn't hesitate.
His body became a blur as he kicked off the air and rushed towards the area of the continent where rampant mana fluctuations were currently tearing everything apart. From the sky, he could clearly see the intense battle taking place.
Zara had completely shifted back to her beast form. Her titanic wolf body crushed everything in its path and spread a plague of shadows across the continent.
The inky and horrid smell of Nox Mana in her aura was growing by the second, and the complexity of her utilization was growing with it.
At this rate, Zara would become a full-fledged Nox being before the battle ended.
In front of her stood a group of thousands of Nox, far outstripping the number that the Stargazer Squad had fought only mere minutes prior. These Nox were in strict formation, emanating a devastating killing intent as they formed a myriad of seals around Zara's body.
'No…!'
Damien immediately became alert. Those seals were too similar to the ones Sebastian formed for him to stay still.
His body came crashing down like a meteor. With the dredges of mana he had gathered while making his way to the continent, he activated his most chaotic ability without any of the care he usually showed.
'Starfall: Endless Rain'
BOOOOOOOOM!
A flurry of portals opened in the sky. Massive chunks of space debris and equally large meteors streaked out of their depths and crashed into the continent below.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The deathly impacts seemed never-ending. The massive Willow Continent was bombarded from one end to the other, with no land left untouched by the terrifying rain of celestial bodies.
Damien's body blurred through the storm and arrived atop Zara's mountainous body. He slammed his hands down against her back and pushed any remaining mana he had to swirl around her.
Yet, with his measly reserves, how could he cover a body spanning multiple thousands of kilometers?
"FUCK!"
Damien roared. His blood began to boil and burn, roaring alongside him.
A second wave of power filled his body, but at the same time, he could feel himself weakening immensely.
Still, his mana was doing what he desired it to do. Zara's body was coated in a thin filament of spatial mana that was slowly becoming more pronounced.
It was at this time that Zara herself noticed his continued presence on her back.
AWOOOOOO!
A fearsome howl left her maw. A layer of shadow immediately spread across her fur and activated, turning every single follicle of hair into a blade to attack her enemy.
The enemy, however, was her only ally in the current circumstance.
"ARGH!"
Countless thorns stabbed through every inch of Damien's skin. Even his heart was pierced, darkness permeating its core and interfering with its operation.
Damien felt suffocated. Blood spurted from his body in fountains, dying Zara's black coat in red.
'DAMMIT! THIS…FUCKING…HURTS!"
The thorns piercing his body didn't stop after a single barrage. With every passing second, his worsening wounds were further aggravated by their continued assault.
He felt the stench of death encroaching upon him, making him nauseous.
But at the same time, this stench was invigorating. Death wasn't some new concept to Damien. He'd been living while teasing its keeper for years, and its presence only brought his attention to a new high.
Something within his body came to life, empowering him further. A black and white seed hidden somewhere within him emitted a strong pulsation of light that filled every nook and cranny of his system with energy.
"I WON'T…GO DOWN…UNTIL I FULFILL…OUR PROMISE!" Damien bellowed through halted breaths.
His blood burned brighter, reddish-black sparks enhanced his abilities, and his spatial mana…
…finally succeeded in covering Zara entirely.
"COME ON!"
He made his final push. He put all his focus into his connection with the Sanctuary. With the smell of burning blood vitality, he used every ounce of power remaining in his body.
His blood drained rapidly, his face turned pale white, his aura deflated like a popped balloon, but even then, he didn't have any mind to stop his actions.
HAAAAAA!
His spirited shout echoed through the world, and in the same instant, finally…
…he and Zara completely disappeared from its surface.
