Heads flew.
Sickles made from the surrounding mist appeared on the neck of every living Nox present in the area. Before they could even react, their heads had been separated from their bodies.
'Don't let them escape.'
The mist pressed down against the Earth, swallowing up the inky remains of the Nox and disallowing them from being reborn.
The Nox didn't deserve rebirth, whether it was through their own convoluted method or the true Cycle of Samsara.
'I'll sentence the lot of you to purgatory.'
Damien's attention turned outward. There were still 10 left alive.
10 Higher Nox for him to kill.
'It's only 10 here, but it's in the hundreds in some of the other fortresses. I need the power to dominate them alone.'
Right now…
Kill.
Eat.
Evolve.
…his old slogan came back to prominence.
A savage grin spread across Damien's face.
"Hahahaha! Come! Show me why you should be feared!"
He recklessly threw his body forward and confronted the late-stage 4th class Nox.
"A gentleman's challenge is single combat!" Damien yelled raucously as he formed a set of seals with his hands.
'Dimensional Cage Variation One: Suppression of All Things.'
Countless separated dimensions clouded Eien's space. These Dimensional Cages were infinitely stacked on top of each other, forming Russian nesting dolls with thousands of layers!
On top of that, the attack itself was supported by the Breath of All Things.
It was specifically designed to control all things material.'
"This…!"
"You fiend…!"
"Release me!"
A number of exclamations rang out when the 9 trapped late-stage 4th class Nox understood their situations, yet before they could even try to escape, Damien was long gone.
"You're the first," Damien stated to the last untrapped Nox.
Contrary to what the others believed, Damien never disappeared. Rather, he dragged his first target into an alternate dimension so deeply woven into the fabric of space that it couldn't be recognized by anyone other than another expert.
He and the last Nox were still very much in the vicinity of the rest.
"You are a strong human, but you are not strong enough to defeat me!" The Higher Nox said.
Damien smirked. "Don't talk, act."
He flashed forward and slashed out, using his hand as a blade aimed to decapitate the enemy.
The Higher Nox quickly dodged to the side before he was hit, but just as he turned to regain his balance…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Black mana bullets exploded all around his body, scattering Death Energy that tried to enter his system and corrode him.
"Ha! You cannot beat me with my own trick!" The Higher Nox exclaimed mockingly. He mobilized his own corrosive mana, quickly dissolving Damien's.
"Who said I was going to use your trick?"
Damien's voice sounded from behind the Higher Nox.
He felt cold metal on his head.
"Bang."
Bang!
A bullet fired, filled with pure white light that contrasted the previous black bullets. The bullet submerged into the Higher Nox's head like a powerless light ball and disappeared.
The Higher Nox immediately flared his aura and got away from Damien, warily raising his defense.
"Strong human, do not underestimate me!"
The Nox began dancing.
His form was ferocious and war-like, completely belligerent unlike the usual graceful dance postures one expected to see. His every move summoned a tide of mana, a tide that only became exponentially greater with every step he took.
"Face my wrath!"
The Higher Nox's roar was the key. The attack he'd been building was released, forming a massive saucer of disgusting black mana that swirled in the air.
"Come! Kill this fool for me!"
Upon the Nox's command, the saucer spun even faster and blobs of inky black mana dropped from its surface, landing on the floor and deforming into strange creatures.
KREEE!
Their cries were cacophonous, almost breaking Damien's ears as he retreated.
'Is this Demonic Providence?'
The strange creatures weren't Nox, nor were they mere mana constructs. Damien had no idea their identity, but he could confirm that they were true independent life forms that unhesitantly obeyed the Higher Nox's commands.
'Let's test this out a bit.'
Damien charged into the fray once more. With Hel in one hand and Freya in the other, one representing Death and the other Life, he was judge, jury, and executioner on the battlefield.
He was the true adjudicator of fate.
Using the Twin Moons as well as his close combat skills, Damien went into battle with the strange creatures. As he did so, he carefully observed their patterns and strength.
'How fun. These are like game mobs with set patterns and sequences, but their power isn't a joke. If I get hit by their attacks, my body will definitely be broken.'
Crack!
'Oops.' Damien smiled wryly as his ribs shattered. A frog-like creature slammed its head into him, but instead of being fleshy like a toad, it was like a cement gargoyle slammed into Damien's body!
Damien shook slightly as his healing factor kicked in. Without hesitation, he charged back into the field.
'Against a group, this Providence would be incredibly useful. Not only are there tank types like that frog, there are even long-ranged damage dealers and even attackers with specialized skills. It's like a miniature army of gremlins.'
Damien smiled as he became more interested in the strange ability.
At that moment…
"Did you forget about me?!"
"Not if you announce your presence like that."
Bang!
Crack!
Damien turned around and slammed his fist upward, directly shattering the Higher Nox's ribs.
As the man went flying across the space, Damien flashed and appeared above him.
'Let's increase the gravity a bit.'
BOOOOOM!
Space shattered.
Damien descended with the weight of a meteor, picking up speed until his feet collided with the Higher Nox's flying body and slammed the man into the ground below.
BOOOOM!
Two consecutive explosions and the multitude of cracking and squelching sounds that came from the Higher Nox's body were enough to understand the damage that'd been done.
"I do want to play with you for a bit longer, but your friends will escape if I delay too much. Unfortunately, you'll have to go."
This first Higher Nox had solid skill, but was completely unsuited for fighting Damien. His army was powerful, but how could they do any lasting damage to someone who could heal nearly instantaneously?
'Now that I think about it, aren't extreme peak 4th class masters the only ones who can kill me?'
Damien smiled slightly. It was an ironic situation where his strength was only enough to compete with late-stage beings, but his vitality could put him among the experts.
'I shouldn't get too careless. Regardless of how heaven-defying Transcendent Regeneration is, it isn't omnipotent. It's failed before, and it can fail again.'
Damien reaffirmed his cautiousness as he slammed his foot down on the Higher Nox's head.
A dark cloud of Void Mana consumed the body thereafter.
Damien frowned as he felt the changes in his body.
'It's a shame. It doesn't look like I can inherit Demonic Providences. It might also be a situation where I just need to devour more before it happens.'
The only way to find out was to fight.
Damien snapped his finger and summoned the next Higher Nox into the separate dimension. It was possible since the dimension itself was connected to the Dimensional Cages he made prior.
The grin alighting his face was wider than ever.
"Now then, show me what you can do."
