Back in the starry sky, Damien now stood quietly and unmoving in the void. The 5 Emperors of Theavel, as well as Galantis and Tephit, formed a defense around his body, making sure that no being could even get a glimpse at their Young Lord.
Currently, the man himself was wrapped in a fog of inky black Nox Mana that wouldn't leave his system. It was difficult to not view him as someone who betrayed humanity and the universe.
However, everyone standing here knew just how much Damien had done to save those who were oppressed by the Nox, and all those present understood that the Sanctuary itself was the utmost anti-Nox fortress in existence.
The person who created, nurtured, and constantly grew that place had no need to be tempted by the Nox's sophistry.
Nevertheless, under Elvira's express order, none of them said a word and merely stuck to their jobs as guards.
As for Damien's situation, that was for him to figure out himself.
They could only pray that their Young Lord would come out on top of this challenge like he always did.
Since he was Damien Void himself, a man who was titled equal to heaven by so many unrelated existences, he'd definitely find a way out…
…right?
***
Within Damien's spiritual world, a strange scene was taking place.
Two people, both spiritual bodies, sat across from each other at a small materialized tea table. Naturally, there were refreshments before them, but in a simulated space like this, they didn't truly give one the satisfaction of real food and drink.
"So, Divine Power, huh," Damien said, breaking the silence between them.
"Indeed. I did tell you that you would be able to resist the strike of a Demigod with it. How does it feel to waste it here?" Tiamat responded teasingly.
Damien shrugged. "Is it a waste? I'm more surprised that I went so long without provoking a Demigod to come after me."
Tiamat shook her head. "It is indeed a waste. If you were standing in front of that Demigod's true body when my Divine Power was used, you might've had a chance to injure him."
"Well, that's no fun. If I'm going to make him bleed, shouldn't I do it with my own power?"
"As bold as always."
"Isn't that my charm?"
"Hmph. Your charm is simply nonexistent."
"Ah, my heart."
"At least try to make it look real."
Tiamat smiled lightly. Compared to the boyish personality Damien had when they first met, he was indeed a different person now. The current Damien was far more mature, less susceptible to his impulses.
This could especially be seen by the fact that he allowed her to control his body for a period of time and let her continue existing in this space for a conversation afterward.
"With your previous attitude, my Divine Power should've been extinguished by now. Why are you keeping it within your body?" She asked curiously.
Damien smiled. "Well, let's just say the line between enemy and ally has been pretty skewed lately, so I can't really sit here and pretend every Nox is a mindless evil being like I used to. Aside from that, didn't you save me? I should at least give you the benefit of the doubt."
"Hmm, then should I be honored that I am being allowed to have this conversation?"
"Absolutely."
"Cheeky brat."
Tiamat sighed and looked at the world around her, marveling at the unique spiritual world unlike any she'd seen before.
"Choosing you was a good choice,"
"Choosing me was your only choice."
"Don't ruin the moment."
"Tch."
Damien looked at the deadly beauty before him without knowing what to say at all.
She'd saved him due to a promise that had been made almost a decade ago in his time. Even back then, he'd only had thoughts of turning this Demigod into a maid as revenge.
Now that he'd experienced Elitra for long enough, he'd definitely thrown that plan out the window, but he couldn't lie that having this woman as an ally would be extremely beneficial for him.
"Back then when you were sealed…"
"Don't ask," Tiamat cut him off before he could continue.
"The matters of the past, the matters of our race…simply cannot be spoken of to outsiders."
"I see…" Damien muttered, somewhat understanding what she wanted to say.
"Then, why don't you tell me what you've been waiting to say this whole time? I do have other things to do after I clear your mana out of my system."
Tiamat nodded.
Indeed, it wasn't just Damien allowing her to stay in his spiritual world, but her maintaining herself for a purpose.
Now that they'd gotten to that point, there was no longer a need to hold back.
"After possessing your body for a period of time, I became sure of something," she began, her eyes turning solemn.
She took a small breath and made sure she had Damien's full attention before continuing with a single, extremely ominous sentence:
"If you continue following the current trajectory of your fate, you will absolutely die in the coming years."
***
Only a single minute passed in the starry sky before Damien's eyes fluttered open, solemnity reflected in his pupils.
That talk with Tiamat…
'Let's put it aside for now.'
What she'd told him wasn't information relevant to the current moment, and in the current moment, he needed to rush to Beast Emperor Star to stop the ongoing catastrophe.
After all, if he didn't help save it, he would lose the allegiance of both the Golden Dragon Godbeast Clan and the Ancient God Clan.
It wasn't something that could be allowed to happen.
But before that…
'I need to get rid of this disgusting mana.'
Despite his gratitude and relatively positive feeling for Tiamat, Damien was still conscious of her status as a Nox.
She could come under him, but he absolutely couldn't cooperate with a Nox on such a level where she had control over him as well.
In the end, he was still a loyal denizen of Grand Heavens Boundary.
'It's annoying because I can't devour it. Should I find a way to repurpose it?'
Truthfully, Damien currently had a rare opportunity.
He had Divine Power, the mana of a Demigod, flowing through his body without any hostility.
And on top of that, it was Nox Mana, whose connection with the Void Damien had always been curious about.
'I need to set it aside until I have time to properly study it. After that, I can get rid of it easy.'
Devouring it was impossible, but expelling it was easy.
Therefore, at least for the moment, Damien gathered all that mana within his Mana Heart and encased it in a solid prism of Void Mana so it would be invisible to the prying eye.
And without hesitation, Damien took his people and made his way to Beast Emperor Star.
So much happened in the starry sky after Arthur's original attack, but not even 15 minutes elapsed throughout it all.
With the world's current state, Beast Emperor Star had around 5 minutes left before it was beyond salvation.
5 minutes…
Could Damien truly save the world in this short amount of time?
