The battle lost its excitement after Damien's plan was set into motion.
The vitality-sucking Life Bullet put Jared in a situation where, as long as the battle was prolonged, his defeat was inevitable.
And what was Damien if not an infinite killing machine?
His mana endlessly replenished from the ambient mana in the surroundings, at a rate far faster than any normal 4th class could achieve. This mana supplemented his recovery and allowed his body to heal nigh-instantly.
Infinite body and infinite mana, the concepts that Damien was partially embodying were both terrifying.
If he could truly raise himself to that level, and bring his mind to the same level…
'I might become unparalleled.'
Damien threw his fist out and summoned Hel and Freya. The two guns blasted without pause, filling the entire isolated dimension with deathly mana.
Explosions of Death Mana caused withering, and concentrated bursts of it caused corrosion. These two concepts together made it impossible for Jared's body to remain unaffected.
Especially since every hit he took accelerated the rate at which his vitality was sucked.
This was the true trap Damien laid with Life and Death Mana. It was the temporary solution he'd envisioned to fight until he could use his techniques more intricately.
In short, he drained the enemy until they were dry, regardless of how long it took.
Eventually, even Jared's Heavenly Demon Body couldn't hold on. The black and gold light weakened and fizzled out, and the effect of Damien's attacks on Jared's body heightened to an extreme degree.
"Ha!"
Damien threw another punch, but something was different about this one.
The Death Mana around his fist swirled like a cyclone. In the midst of the strange wind cannon shape was a chaotic ball of Life Mana that seemed ready to burst at any moment.
'Purgatory Cannon'
A variation of Seven Stars Encircling The Moon using Samsara Intent.
The Life Mana in the center of the cyclone was a bomb. The second it came in contact with the repelling force of Death Mana and the natural flow that it created…
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
White and black light blinded all vision. The isolated dimension shook and started collapsing. As for Jared…
Half of the Higher Nox's body had been blown away by the attack.
"Haa…haa…"
The man stood clutching the half of his chest he had left. Beads of sweat dripped down his brow, mixing with the blood staining his body to create a visceral picture.
"You…cannot…kill me!" Jared roared.
His eyes turned red. His body began to transform, mutating into something terrifying.
Shing!
"Yeah, how about no."
A sword pierced the Higher Nox's forehead.
The transformation fell apart before it could finish.
'Devour.'
Damien swallowed his enemy's body with no other thought in mind.
'Transformation skills are really a double-edged sword.'
Even the Demon Dragon Form was impossible to use in real combat nowadays unless it was activated beforehand.
The time needed to transform might've only been a few milliseconds, but too much could happen in this timeframe when 4th class beings were concerned.
For instance, death.
Jared's memories flowed into Damien's head, broken into incoherent fragments that mirrored the falling spatial fragments formed by the collapsing isolated dimension.
Damien flashed away, reappearing in reality.
'It was easier than expected, but it definitely wasn't easy.'
If he was alone, it would've been impossible.
Damien appeared next to Ximen Wuhen and nodded his head. "Good work."
"It was my pleasure. I, unfortunately, could not aid the young master in battle, so I had to make myself useful otherwise."
Damien smiled wryly. He tried to get her to stop calling him young master, but she refused.
But it was true that her innovative thinking helped Damien win this battle.
It took roughly 3 hours to kill the Higher Nox one at a time, and the only reason he was able to properly separate them was because of Ximen Wuhen's help.
If she didn't use her ability to enhance the strength of Damien's Dimensional Cages, even with the enhancements he made to the ability, he couldn't trap 10 late-stage 4th classes and still have the peace of mind to battle for 3 hours straight.
'As expected, bringing her along was a good idea.'
"It's time for us to go. Things should get spicier in the coming days, so for now, let's sit back and wait for the results." He said out loud.
Taking Ximen Wuhen along, he returned to the Sanctuary guild branch.
In his wake was only a destroyed fortress.
The destruction spanned tens of thousands of miles, and the only reason it wasn't worse was because Damien took the battle into an isolated dimension before fighting the strongest enemies.
Nevertheless, the scene couldn't stay isolated for long.
The routine patrols around the surrounding Nox Strongholds noticed the complete disappearance of one relatively soon.
On the same day it was destroyed, a punitive force was sent from Iron Fortress, Hope Organization, and Sanctuary to investigate the scene.
The atmosphere was intense as the branch managers of the three guilds sat across from each other at a table.
"We have been holding off on stronghold subjugation due to an unspoken agreement between our forces, but I never expected someone would be brazen enough to destroy a stronghold entirely! This is a slap to our faces!" A man growled.
He had light blonde hair and a body optimized for combat. He wore thick knight armor and carried a double-edged sword on his waist, signifying his occupation.
This man was the Branch Manager of Hope Organization's Blood-Drenched Wilderness Branch, Jean Brightmond.
Sitting opposed to him was a large man and an icy beauty. The man was truly an Iron Fortress in human form, named Geralt. As for the woman, she was mysterious and didn't speak much, but her identity as the Sanctuary Guild's Branch Manager couldn't be doubted.
Her name was Rilia Sterhaven. The minimum requirement to become a Branch Manager was to be a Millennium General, but it was speculated that her power was even above this realm.
"There is nothing to say. Our Sanctuary was not involved in this case, and will contribute to the search for the perpetrator."
"Iron Fortress as well. We will not let those who slight us live!"
The two voiced their agreement with Jean, however, the man himself wasn't happy.
He gritted his teeth in frustration. 'There is nobody other than the three of us who can waste a stronghold thoroughly and quietly. It certainly wasn't me, so it must be one of them!'
This wasn't a train of thought unique to him. In fact, the other two branch managers were thinking the exact same thing.
While they remained amicable on the surface, a storm was brewing between them.
Someone destroyed a stronghold. Not just conquering, but total annihilation.
This meant that the resources and strategic advantages gained by capturing the stronghold were both ruined!
This was nothing but a loss from the guilds' perspectives!
However, regardless of who did it, the fact that it was done still stood.
There were two more Nox Strongholds in the vicinity of the three guilds.
Before these strongholds could be destroyed or captured by the force who decided to move…
The others needed to move first.
Proverbial sparks flew through the air.
The war that had been stalled for so long due to personal interests…
…was finally getting back on track.
All because of the actions of a man who hadn't even been in Eien for an entire day yet.
