From the very beginning of Damien's journey to power, Legends had been a concept he was curious about.
Back when he was still a small warrior trapped in the First Dungeon, when the system constantly sent him messages to help him progress, it had constantly mentioned that his Legend was being enhanced.
However, he was never able to pick apart the existence of Legends.
In this moment, after devouring Arthur's mana and Laws, that hazy idea became clear.
And it was almost laughable just how simple the concept was.
Legends, put simply, were an amalgamation of one's life and achievements.
Every action one took, whether it be a grand adventure or a single minuscule step, was recorded by the system and would become one's Legend. This Legend would then become the foundation of many things, silently supporting one's strength.
It seemed extremely simple at first glance, but within that simple overarching explanation were many complexities that lower existences simply couldn't perceive.
It was unknown when the system first arrived in the universe.
The system, or rather, the Apeiron Records, was a metaphysical phenomenon of sorts, the universe's method to bring order to its plentiful forces and establish a 'system' for the existences within it to follow so they could systematically increase their strength.
However, it wasn't always so. In fact, with the existence of mana and the spiritual intelligence of the many living beings of the world, it was an inevitability for them to gain power.
Only, with no established system, growing in strength was almost impractically difficult.
To grow one's Legend was a far more intensive process, and to define one's being was even harder than that.
The system quantified the things that were previously esoteric, and even the method to build one's Legend became streamlined.
That was, naturally, the slaughtering system that was in place to the present day.
The concept of experience, this strange energy that was stolen from the corpses of those one killed, from heavenly resources, and even from absorbing ambient mana, was a numerical representation of one's Legend built through the system.
For the most part, it was an extremely accurate representation of one's strength. After all, the myriad beings didn't have the ability to gain so-called "Achievements" by themselves. They needed the system's support to translate them into an accessible format.
Conversely, the system could gain a perfect understanding of one's strength, as for the most part, it is the one transferring that strength over.
Then, what would happen if one somehow managed to gain Achievements through hard work?
In fact, it wasn't impossible or even that rare. The universe itself was keen on blessing those it appreciated, aiding them in growing their Legends as they adventured and contributed to its existence.
Though, Achievements that were earned by oneself weren't reflected in one's experience, which was why it was possible to find such disparities among those at the same level.
Those who worked hard to improve themselves and didn't rely on the system's help to succeed would always be stronger than those who only knew massacre.
The enlightenment one gained upon entering the 9 revolutions…was it supposed to be this thorough?
Damien felt like he could see through the universe, or at least take the slightest peek through its exterior, for the first time in his life.
And so many questions he had been harboring for over a decade were answered one by one.
Mainly, his own status window.
What kind of existence was Damien?
He was a unique existence in the universe, the Bearer of the Void Physique who had the impossible ability to do the system's job better than even it could!
When he devoured his enemies, their Legends, the stolen Legends that the system usually transferred to and integrated with a practitioner, were stolen directly by his hand and incorporated into his body through the Void Physique itself.
This process didn't just take place out of the system's jurisdiction, but out of the universe's as a whole!
Of course the system couldn't display Damien's strength properly when it was barely allowed to read his strength in the first place!
Damien realized that, in a sense, he was walking a similar path to those original humans who existed before the system.
He was defining himself, not letting someone or something else define him.
And this…
'This is the foundation of my strength.' He muttered inwardly, clenching his fist as he gazed down at his own body curiously,
'Legends are the foundation of everything in terms of a practitioner's strength, and most importantly…'
'…Legends are the foundation of Divinity.'
Damien glanced over at Galantis and Arthur. It had been many seconds already, yet the two remained motionless.
Damien suddenly teleported, arriving only a few meters away from the two beings.
'I understand the path forward.'
The 9 revolutions weren't technically a part of the power system at all.
If so, why would such a large power realm be relegated to mere names, rather than having its own set of levels?
In reality, the 9 revolutions could be seen as a bridge between 4th and 5th class, a road on which one defined their Legend until it grew into a Divinity that could propel them to Cosmic Rebirth.
Now that Damien had stepped on that path…
"Haha…hahahaha!"
He couldn't help but laugh. It was a boisterous and jovial laugh that Damien hadn't let out for several years at this point.
For the 9 revolutions, "levels" no longer mattered.
"Collecting experience" was no longer important.
What was important was comprehension and action.
With the Void Physique as his backer, with the universal flow directing him to the most major events taking place within his homeland, how could it be difficult for Damien to progress through these revolutions?
This was…
This was his playing field!
Shik!
Damien's arm shot out.
Arthur was currently preoccupied with his stalemate with Galantis. If his focus wavered even slightly, he'd lose the edge and be overpowered.
Therefore, when a young genius who'd just entered his 1st revolution, a genius that should've been long dead already, snuck up behind him and placed his hand on his back…
Just how was Arthur supposed to react?
'Hmph.' Arthur scoffed inwardly, not paying the slightest mind to the touch. Even if Damien managed to live somehow, there was no way for him to exert enough power to actually affect the current collision.
Whoosh!
Pitch-black mana deeper than the blackness of space surfaced on Damien's palm.
As he felt the breath of that mana, Damien closed his eyes and became absorbed in it.
'Void Breathing Enhanced Technique…'
Damien's eyes fluttered open, calm and gentle.
His beautiful amethyst pupils were dyed in black.
'Altering Spacetime.'
Arthur reacted immediately.
A horrendous fluctuation like a beast of the void appeared behind him so suddenly that he jerked his body, blasting his mana out to evade.
However, he was already too late.
And in the first place, acknowledging the attack was a fatal mistake.
Arthur felt his life force leaving his body. It wasn't being absorbed, no, it was being burned as he rapidly aged past his prime.
Just…how?!
How was this power that a 1st revolution brat could output?!
And that's when he realized it.
It wasn't the power of a first revolution brat, but the power of a first revolution brat that was being supported by the mana of a Supreme.
To the side, Galantis grinned.
"Haha, the battle was just getting fun, but I guess it has to end now! Stranger, you were a good opponent!" He said, giving Arthur a strong thumbs up.
For that to be one of the last interactions he had before death…
How could Arthur accept this?!
