"…finally here."
A lonely voice rang out in the midst of nothingness, the owner of that voice floating alone in the endless night.
At this time, only a month had passed since Damien's meeting with his father. The deeds of the Heavenly King had yet to be made known, but the string of challenges had been completed only a single day ago.
It only took Damien a single month to locate and defeat a majority of Hidden Death Valley's Emperors and Paragons. The academy emblem was especially helpful for this task, but more than anything, the Celestial Realm provided Damien a nearly endless space to abuse his teleportation for movement.
It was an extremely refreshing experience to travel millions of kilometers unrestrained, and this experience also led him to find other challengers at an extremely rapid pace. By the time the month ended and Damien finished beating up his peers, he'd already seen everything the Celestial Realm had to offer.
'So naturally, it was time to disappear.'
Damien had no idea just what kind of stir he'd cause in Hidden Death Valley after news of his feats leaked, but it was definitely a shame that he couldn't see it.
In the 2 months before the progress examination came to its true end, he needed to establish himself in Heaven's Army and prepare for what was to come next.
'The Director owes me a few favors, so he should take care of the aftermath. But…damn, seeing Atticus' face at that time was great.'
If there was one match Damien enjoyed more than the rest, it was his battle with Atticus. As the two were friends to an extent, they fought for an entire day and night without rest, merely testing each other's skills and enjoying the battle rather than thirsting for blood.
'I didn't think anyone in Hidden Death Valley could challenge me anymore…but I guess there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers everywhere.'
Damien grinned. He couldn't help but anticipate their next meeting.
But until then…
'I'm closing in on them. If I'm not mistaken, a large portion of Heaven's Army is still in Throh's vicinity. If I head there, I should be able to find someone important enough to give me a position.'
Heaven's Army did have a central headquarters, however, it was located in Hephaestus, the Dwarven Domain.
Hephaestus was the technological hub of the universe. Only in Hephaestus could one find teleportation arrays that could connect directly to any other part of the universe.
For the sake of efficiency in the mobilization of troops and fortification of the headquarters' defense, the Dwarven Domain was the most obvious choice.
Unfortunately, Hephaestus was on the complete opposite side of the universe from Eden. If Damien wanted to get there, even with his speed it'd take at least a few months.
'Therefore, I can only go for this much stupider yet somewhat more convenient method.' Damien sighed to himself.
His body passed through the ruined remains of Eden. Everywhere he went, he saw destroyed worlds and debris from the chaotic warfare that'd been taking place in this realm for many years already.
'It's really a shame. A mere few years to destroy an entire sector, a place where countless quintillions of existences are housed. The scale of this war is outrageous.'
When Damien first heard of Eden's condition, he thought the reports were exaggerated. He assumed that along the way, he'd be able to find at least a few safe worlds or dead stars to bind.
This, however, was merely his wishful thinking. Eden was truly destroyed, only slightly better than the Elven Domain, which was turned into a complete Dead Zone.
'But compared to the rest of the sector, this place is particularly lively.'
Damien's body rematerialized in the void once more, and finally, he saw activity in front of him.
Countless starships and troops moved about through the starry sky. A plethora of temporary base camps had been formed on the remains of the surrounding planets. Among them, there were even a few celestial bodies that survived.
Sensing the familiar fluctuation of World Force, Damien smiled. He was glad that at least a few seeds could survive. As long as they existed, nothing would remain destroyed forever.
Damien maneuvered through the ordered chaos uninhibited. Since Heaven's Army was originally a coalition of forces, nobody doubted his identity. It wasn't rare to see strangers among the troops.
He eventually found his way to an open area in the starry sky.
In the distance, the debris of a wrecked planet floated like rings around a shining blue World Core.
Those were the remains of Throh.
The temptation to swallow that World Core naturally rose in Damien's heart, but for now, he suppressed it.
'I should find the highest authorities. The life fluctuations of extreme peak 4th class beings should be…yeah, that was as easy as expected.'
Damien's head turned in a certain direction, and his body moved thereafter. He teleported until he was only a few hundreds of kilometers from Throh's World Core.
Here…
Two massive auras flared in the distance. Within a second, the owners of those auras arrived in front of Damien.
"This is a restricted area. State your affiliation and your purpose." The man on the right said.
"I've come to speak with those extreme peak experts residing here."
Damien responded succinctly, but he was inwardly marveling a bit. After all, the late-stage 4th class beings before him were positioned as mere guards.
How could he not be surprised?
Nevertheless, these guards clearly didn't take well to his answer.
"Unless you have been authorized, you will not be allowed entry. State your affiliation and your authorization code." The same man coldly said, raising his spear at Damien.
Damien sighed and scratched his head. 'This is going to become an annoying interaction if I let it keep going. I have two options from here…'
Either he could cause a scene and gain the attention of those extreme peak masters, or he could turn around and join a smaller force before slowly working his way up to a prominent position.
'Unfortunately, I don't have the time or patience for that. I guess I'll have to—'
"Let him through."
"Hm?"
A distant voice echoed in the ears of the three present. The guards who were just seconds away from pouncing on Damien suddenly backed down, glaring at him intimidatingly before making way for him.
Damien quirked his head curiously, but didn't make a fuss. If his purpose was being achieved more efficiently, why would he complain?
He followed the aura fluctuation from the voice just then until he arrived at a small dead star floating amongst Throh's debris.
'This is…'
Damien's eyes widened yet again.
'Spatial expansion magic spanning an entire dead star is impressive regardless of how small the star is. I wonder what it's like inside…?'
Damien entered the star's "atmosphere." He felt a small tug as space changed its wavelength. The scenery around him changed as well, almost as if the dead star was transformed into an entirely different realm.
"Oho…"
Damien was definitely looking for an expert when he came to Throh…
But this exceeded his expectations by a landslide.
