The golden fate clouds surrounding Beast Emperor Star were truly magisterial, especially when viewed from space.
Wap!
The folds of space twisted as two figures appeared to marvel at this very view.
But of course, one of them was far too used to it to feel any sort of grandiosity.
"Master, let's go, let's go! I don't want to be late!"
Astoria tugged on Damien's hand and pulled him towards Beast Emperor Star with fervor.
Ever since she'd gained some strength, she'd been dying to come back to Beast Emperor Star.
While she never truly explained her reasoning, nor did she outwardly display any strange behavior, Damien was more than aware of her struggles.
From long ago, Astoria had been viewed as the weakling. She was the easily bullyable little princess who'd always choose running away over fighting back, a target that even regular geniuses without matching status could pick on, since she would never report the bullying to her father.
Of course, Astoria was also the little devil emperor that all people feared. Her mischievous nature and "interesting" way of playing pranks earned her several enemies, and though they'd never try to harm her for it, they surely ruined her name and refused to offer aid in even the direst of situations.
Astoria was always surrounded by hate, envy, and negativity.
Even since the very first day of her training, when she first began to see the benefits of capitalizing on her spatial affinity, Astoria had been dreaming of the day she returned.
For Damien, as her master, how could he be unaware of her ambitions?
Merely, he kept his mouth shut so as to allow her to maintain that drive, that independence that would lead to her growth in the future.
"Let's go. I'm sure your father still thinks he'd handed you over to a scammer," Damien commented with a smile as he began to move forward.
Astoria smiled happily, following after him.
"Master, when we get back, there's so much I want to show you! Beast Emperor Star is the best world in the universe."
"Yes, yes. Once you win that silly marriage tournament and earn your freedom, I'll take you out to play for an entire month if you truly wish for it."
"Really, Master?! You can't go back on your—"
Damien's eyes sharpened. He pulled Astoria's arm and rapidly set up a defense before…!
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
It happened in an instant.
A massive cloud of hostile mana enveloped Damien and Astoria, burning the space around them and causing the fabric of reality to tremble.
Damien's defenses cracked immediately. The chaotic mana fluctuations tore through his own mana and even impacted his body.
He shielded Astoria to the best of his ability, allowing his skin and muscles to be shredded as he maneuvered his mana internally and summoned the golden palace from the Sanctuary.
BANG!
Damien and Astoria disappeared into the palace, and the horror-inducing mana that assaulted them fell against the palace walls, causing dull thuds as it lost its momentum against the protective formations.
"HAHAHAHAHA!! SO IT WAS YOU ALL ALONG!"
A mad cackle boomed through space and penetrated the castle walls.
Damien put Astoria down and summoned the castle's surveillance systems to catch sight of his enemy.
Immediately, his face fell.
Those signature piercing bloody red eyes, he couldn't mistake them anywhere.
This was a Bloodlock clan member.
'He's finally here!' Damien realized.
The pursuer he'd been waiting for this whole time, the one he'd provoked all those years ago when he was just leaving Death Emperor Star…
This man was Arthur Bloodlock, Reavus Bloodlock's father!
"Master, what's happening?!" Astoria exclaimed from the side.
"Nothing, don't worry about it. This is your master's personal issue," Damien responded calmly.
"But Master…!"
"No need to say anymore. You'll have to stay with your auntie Elvira and the rest for a little bit, alright?"
"Master!" Astoria yelled again.
She didn't need to say any other words to convey her feelings.
The force of that attack…
It wasn't something just anyone could create, especially so suddenly that it could be used as a sneak attack!
The enemy was definitely a peak expert, and even if it was Damien…
Astoria wasn't allowed to complete her thought before Damien sent her into the Sanctuary.
For this battle that was both extremely sudden and expected at the same time, Damien didn't need to involve anyone else.
After all, this trouble was directly brought by him, purposefully at that.
"Arthur Bloodlock, you've finally found me. Isn't it funny? You're an exalted Supreme, yet you couldn't even find a little growing genius like me for months on end! Hahahaha!"
Damien used the golden palace's mechanisms to project his voice into space, immediately choosing to provoke the enemy.
As expected, Arthur's face turned black.
"Boy, you killed my son and now dare to mock me; do you not put the Bloodlock Clan in your eyes?!" He roared, his mana flaring into the surroundings.
Kacha!
Space shattered once again, transforming several thousand kilometers around Arthur into a chaotic void.
Damien's heart beat so fast that it almost leapt out of his chest.
He truly didn't expect the enemy to be a Supreme, but he'd sensed it upon their first collision.
This challenge…was he truly up for it?
As someone who hadn't even properly entered the extreme peak yet, could he truly face a Supreme?
'No, facing him isn't enough. I need to kill him and make sure he can't cause more problems in the future!'
What Damien needed was a stepping stone, not a cockroach.
But even with the golden palace, he could only resist the attacks of a Supreme, he couldn't fight back.
"Boy, if you do not come out and obediently receive your punishment, I will drag you out with force!" Arthur roared, ending the tirade he'd been going on while Damien thought about his options.
Damien found himself smirking.
Even if they were supreme experts, they were still prey to their own egos.
That was something that could easily be used to his advantage.
'Shit, I can't take it anymore. Let's just fight!'
Damien clapped his hands together and summoned the palace formations. A massive golden halo formed in the starry sky around the palace, and a beautifully ornate ancient formation backed it domineeringly.
"Old bastard, did you see it?" Damien asked with a smile.
Arthur's eyes sharpened as he watched the palace rev into action.
"Boy, what nonsense are you speaking now?" He said icily.
Damien's smile widened into a condescending grin.
"Oh, nothing. I was just asking if you were able to see how I mutilated your son. The video feed was a little interrupted on the way back, you see."
"BOY, YOU DARE?!"
Arthur immediately flew into a rage.
To be taunted by his son's killer, especially when the target himself was so much weaker…
He couldn't stand it!
Arthur immediately let loose his mana. He coalesced a suit of bloody armor around his body and shot out.
He arrived in front of the palace before Damien could even register his movements.
His fist punched out powerfully.
And another explosion rocked the starry sky.
A second battle was beginning above Beast Emperor Star, and on the surface below, an even more gruesome collision was following the same path.
The fate clouds in the atmosphere swirled, countless worried sentiments clouded the air.
It wasn't expected, but today…
Today, a final battle set for the future was going to begin far earlier than it should have.
