Somewhere in the universe, there was a far-reaching wall of bloody fog, a natural phenomenon whose cause was unknown.
For many years, this phenomenon had remained unblemished. Even when it was broken apart, it always returned to its original position to act as a fortress wall protecting a specific corner of the universe.
BANG!
With a single punch, a hole was torn through the fog, completely dispersing it in a certain area.
A man calmly stepped through and traveled several thousand kilometers before finally exiting the tunnel he'd made for himself, watching the fog return to its place thereafter.
'Beast Domain…this must be it.'
The man's red eyes glowed with fervor.
It had been a month since he left Eien after a largely incomprehensive search.
Now, Arthur Bloodlock had found his way to the Beast Domain.
'I heard that a very interesting competition is going to take place soon.' He thought to himself.
In fact, Arthur hadn't come to the Beast Domain after tracing Damien.
He made his way here naturally after hearing rumors about the Genesis Bead.
'A treasure of the Ancient God Clan that was stolen by the Golden Dragon Clan in the previous war…if it wasn't for those lizards, the supreme treasure of Life would have been our Bloodlock Clan's.'
Arthur's eyes sharpened. At the moment, he was filled to the brim with rage. His son's killer had disappeared without a trace and was largely assumed dead, but Arthur didn't believe that sentiment.
Someone who would dare to provoke the Bloodlock Clan so openly wouldn't die so easily. Someone who could evade his search for so long absolutely had to be alive.
'The Beast Domain is a gathering place for warriors. According to that man, that boy should be here, however, finding his traces will require intense effort. Nevertheless…'
Arthur grinned as he began moving through the void.
'As long as I have the Genesis Bead, I can find his location in an instant.'
The Genesis Bead's abilities were truly vast. The reason it was so coveted, the reason it was called a supreme treasure wasn't just a matter of conger effectiveness.
The Genesis Bead was the greatest vessel of Life in the universe, and as such, tracking someone's unique life fluctuations through it was a menial task.
Not to mention this, in the hands of the Bloodlock Clan, the Genesis Bead would be a truly terrifying force.
'Beast Emperor Star…that golden bastard's territory. I heard he has a beautiful daughter. If our clan can obtain her…'
Arthur's ambitions ran wild.
The Bloodlock Clan was born to conquer. The Bloodlock people were destined to rule the universe.
Even in this quest of vengeance, Arthur never disregarded his clan.
He never had and he never would.
Because the Bloodlock Clan was everything.
'Humph. Let's see what kind of resistance a group of mere beasts can put up.'
Arthur's body turned into a stream of red energy as his speed reached an unprecedented level.
At this time, it had been a month and a half since Damien took Astoria to the Celestial Realm.
And now, only days remained before the festivities began.
***
"Fuwah! Master, wake up! It's time to go!"
An energetic voice rang through an isolated cave. A young woman happily bounced through the cave, humming in excitement as she eagerly awaited the awakening of her master.
Suddenly, she vanished.
A karate chop landed where she once stood, but she was already 10 meters across the cave by the time it arrived.
"Good. You've gotten better in the past year and a half."
The karate-chopping assailant nodded his head in satisfaction. Even though he hadn't tried too hard, he had indeed coated his arm in spatial mana that should've cut off her ability to teleport.
Since she'd been able to do so regardless, it was clear that her comprehension of Dimensional Magic had reached a new level.
Damien felt nothing other than elation from this fact, knowing that in just three years, he was able to completely transform Astoria…
….at least, strength-wise.
"Master, Master, isn't it crazy?! I'm already 21, but 2 months ago, I was 18! Isn't that crazy, Master?!" She chirped ceaselessly.
Damien rolled his eyes and ignored her. She'd been squabbling about his time-dilation ability for several years already, and he'd long gotten used to it.
'Three years, eh?' He thought to himself.
At first, he didn't think he'd get so much time. He expected to be able to extend the time they had by another half a year at most.
However, the Celestial Realm provided him with an unexpected boon. In fact, his ability to control time within the realm didn't differ much from the Sanctuary.
'After that bastard appeared here, along with this new revelation, it's become clear that the Celestial Realm has some connection to Void Palace in the Heavenly World. I need to come back after the Grand Assembly and try to excavate it.'
Unfortunately, he didn't have time now.
A year and a half was the maximum he could do. Since he didn't have absolute control over the realm, slowing time to the point where half a year could pass in a few hours simply wasn't possible like it was in the Sanctuary.
Still,
'Three years was a perfect duration. Not too long, not too short.'
"How come you're so excited to go back? Last time we spoke about it, didn't you want to stay as far away from the competition as possible?" Damien asked with a teasing smile.
Astoria turned her head away in embarrassment. "W-well, I changed my mind, that's it!"
"Mhm, and it's not because you want to pummel a few people back on Beast Emperor Star?"
"Third brother, fourth brother, Peng Haotian, Rena Asagaki— hm? Master, did you say something?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it."
"Oh, okay!"
Astoria happily hummed and skipped out of the cave.
The second her foot exited the cave's protection, a massive shadow enveloped her body.
The maw of a beast closed around her, its razor-sharp teeth sinking into Astoria's…
Crack!
The beast's teeth directly shattered upon contact with her skin.
Astoria looked up and tilted her head curiously. "You're just a little mid-level 4th-class beast. What gave you the confidence to attack me?"
She flicked her finger and send a beam of mana into the beast's head.
It traveled through the beast's skull without any interference and came in contact with its brain.
Immediately, the previously harmless mana expanded.
A Dimensional Cage opened in the beast's skull and enveloped its brain.
In the next instant, Astoria clenched her fist, compressing the Dimensional Cage into a marble-sized ball.
Squelch!
A strange sound rang out.
The beast's eyes went dull.
And it collapsed to the ground, strange fluid leaking from its eyes.
"Master~ I took care of the problem! Come on, let's go now!"
Astoria called for Damien, completely disregarding the beast carcass.
His figure materialized nearby not long after with a smile on his face.
'Raising disciples is great.' He thought to himself.
Was this how all masters felt when they saw their disciples expertly use a supportive spatial skill to attack and efficiently assassinate their enemies, or was it a feeling unique to him?
Either way, it was something he thoroughly enjoyed.
In fact, he also couldn't wait for their return to Beast Emperor Star.
After all, those little Holy Land disciples thought they were on the same level as HIS disciple…?
He couldn't wait to see how she'd slap their faces.
