A body sat silently within the infinite void. It was motionless and nearly lifeless, resembling a stone Buddha more than a true living being.
This was because, while the outer frame of this body was completed, the internal structure was still in the process of forming.
It had been over a day since Damien moved from his personal chamber to the infinite void. In this time, he'd been wholly absorbed in the processes in his body, disregarding all else in the world.
'If I connect this here…ah, that blocks bloodflow to the left leg…'
'What about…that'll work, but I'll have to rewire the digestive system somewhat to accommodate it…'
Damien's thoughts spun rapidly in his mind. As he observed his internal body, he endlessly experimented on which structure would allow him to perform as perfectly as he wished it to.
After the original restructuring and blood-washing process, Damien was finally able to access his mana again. Using this advantage, he wrestled partial control over the process and gained the chance to restructure his body.
This was the only time when it'd be possible. Using the immense overflowing vitality of the white and black blood that had yet to settle and consolidate within Damien's body as a fallback, he could ruin himself as much as he wanted without the risk of repercussions.
Thus began a gruesome process of trial and error.
Damien first played with his Ananta Matrix, further increasing the cohesion between the multiple Mana Utilization Methods he combined into the Mana Circuit.
Even this process took multiple hours, but it was rather quick compared to his bodily modification. After all, the Ananta Matrix was created to evolve. It actively assisted Damien in his quest to improve it.
His body itself had no such function.
To observe the complex pathways of veins and nerves and to understand the relationship between organs and how they needed to be connected for the human body's systems to function wasn't an easy task. Before he could even start experimentation, Damien needed to spend multiple hours perfecting his understanding of how his internal body functioned.
When he finally did, he began testing theories without a single qualm about the immense pain he was putting himself in.
After all, how could this pain be worse than the pain of literal death that he experienced not long ago?
With time, his body changed. The still form in the void became more complete, emitting a faint aura of strength that was hardly noticeable if one didn't focus on it.
While Damien was making changes, he wasn't planning to change things too much. The human body was already designed with such beautiful precision that he didn't actually need to make many changes.
For the most part, there were three factors he focused on.
Firstly, he built his new body with a restructured system that revolved around his Mana Circuit rather than existing under it. More than just baking his Mana Circuits into his body, this new structure was far more efficient since it was assisted by the aura of mana emanating from the circuits.
This new system also brought more importance to the bloodstream and allowed it to perform past the original abilities of the heart and blood vessels. The newly formed Samsara Blood was able to showcase its highest capabilities and adapt to any possible situation with this system, maximizing its potential.
The second factor was the same path he'd been taking through Devour all this time. Damien optimized his body for battle, turning himself into a machine of efficiency and output that went unparalleled among those on his same level.
And finally, he set up an entirely new system within his body. This system was a collection of Dimensional Spaces that existed in harmony within his body. These spaces were isolated, yet tethered to reality.
Within each space was a vital organ. Through the newly implemented system, these organs were semi-separated from reality, which made it far harder to attack them. If an enemy happened to pierce his body and attack his vitals, Damien would have another layer of protection.
Time passed with immeasurable slowness. The essence of time that permeated the infinite was almost negligible, making it difficult to understand how time truly flowed in this area.
But if one thing was certain, it was that the time flow certainly wasn't the same as the outside world.
With time crawling, Damien was given far more freedom in his actions.
And finally, an entire week passed.
A pair of eyes gently fluttered open and stared into the sky.
HONG!
The sound of an ancient desolate bell reverberated through the tremoring space.
HONG! HONG! HONG!
The bell rang continuously, and with every proceeding ring, a materialization became more visible in the sky.
It was a golden wheel surrounded by white and black wisps of flowing mana.
'The Wheel of Samsara.'
Damien calmly looked at the forming manifestation. Even though it carried the appearance of Heaven's wrath, he didn't show any fear.
"Come."
He beckoned the wheel. Immediately upon his invitation, it began rapidly rotating in the air and shot towards him.
Damien accepted it with open arms. The manifestation struck him and disappeared into his body in an instant, completely fusing with him.
"Ah…finally done."
The Wheel of Samsara's manifestation fully merged with his heart, and upon the completion of this process, Damien could clearly feel the white and black blood in his system activate.
Voom!
It finally seemed to melt into his body and become one with it. It finally conformed to the system Damien had built for it, accepting him as its rightful owner.
Damien clenched his fist. Space trembled at this mere motion,
'If I fought that butler now…would he have the chance to escape?'
Damien was well aware of the immensity of his change in the past week. Even if it didn't look like anything more than an increase in vitality on the outside, it was far more significant than that.
The power of Life and Death flowed through his veins. It wasn't a power he needed mana to access, it was a power that was one with his body itself.
'Maybe I should integrate Spacetime Laws into my body this way as well…'
Damien had a somewhat nonsensical thought. Even if it'd be great, when would he get the chance to do so?
The titanic vitality from the white and black blood was now a part of his body and couldn't be used as wantonly as before. The chance of him coming across another situation where he was overflowing with wasted vitality was nil.
'Well, it isn't a problem. If I'm right, then I got more than just a few benefits from this new blood. Namely…'
'Status'
[Status]
[Damien Void]
????
Male - Age 27
Level 240 - [Voidbringer] - [Celestial]
Experience value: 246,000/380,000
Title(s): [•••••••, Bearer of the Void Physique, Evolver]
Affinities: Spacetime, Samsara, ????
Physique: Void Physique
Magic Power: 250000
STR: 5500
AGI: 5330
DEF: 5000
INT: 4500
DEX: 5330
Skills: [Dimensional Magic Level 8], [Transcendent Regeneration Level 6], [Void Art Level 6], [Devour Level 8], [Dragon Transformation], [Demon Transformation], [Awareness], [Celestial Authority], [Reality Shift Level 2], [Sea God's Descendent], [Void], [Spacetime Intent], [Samsara Intent]
Trait(s): [All-Seeing Eyes Level 8], [Dragon's Breath], [Ananta Matrix], [Storm], [Void Essence], [Void Flames], [Heal]
'Now that's an attractive sight.'
