Was it back in the 3000 Beast Mountain Range when he finally overcame the mental barriers that held his progression back so much?
It had been so long that the memories were starting to feel distant.
Back then, Damien was still young. He was still struggling with his past, the terrible traumas he'd incurred over years of suffering in silence.
When those traumas were confronted and resolved, Damien was essentially reborn into a new person.
However, while the wounds themselves healed, they left behind scars.
More specifically, a single, extremely deep scar.
Damien looked at the images presented to him with indifference in his eyes.
Shik!
Shik!
Shik!
A sword repetitively stabbed into a corpse on the ground. Its wielder showed no emotion as he cut off the last remaining hope of life for the blue-haired woman below him.
That woman was none other than Elena.
Surrounding her were several mutilated corpses. Yet, despite their unrecognizable states, Damien could perfectly tell who they were.
Ruyue, Rose, Zara, Tian Yang, Long Chen, Astoria, and everyone else Damien had ever had a strong relationship with…
…including his own mother, Claire Watson.
Damien looked the killer in his eyes.
And the killer stared back.
Crash!
Damien shattered the mirror, his eyes never changing.
The same force that allowed him to live as he lived and even allowed him to overcome the current danger as easily as he currently could was the same force he feared the most.
'My own indifference.'
Damien was always a person who attached extreme importance to his sense of identity. He always made sure he understood himself better than his enemies ever could, so they could never use his weaknesses against him.
As such, he was painfully aware of how dangerous his indifference was.
If he ever encountered a situation in the future where he was forced to drop his morals, if that situation caused him to loosen the tight grip he kept on the relationships he had with those people who managed to enter his dead heart…
Would he also become like Immortal Blood Asura who could easily sacrifice his children and family for the sake of power?
The Marionette Lord's next attack came faster than expected.
Ironically, the very insecurity Damien faced in the 4th attack allowed him to bypass it easily, sending him into the 4th test.
"Fear."
The fears represented were two branching concepts that formed a single whole.
The first was connected to Damien's insecurity. It was a fear of his own desire for power.
From the beginning, Damien's driving force to grow stronger was simply so he could grow stronger.
The main motivator that pushed him forward was his dream to look down on existence from the peak of everything.
When his core desire for strength wasn't rooted in those he cared for, the likelihood of the aforementioned tragedy coming to life was high.
Therefore, Damien always slightly feared and kept a leash on this desire, finding new small goals to tie it to so he could always remain grounded, never reaching a state where he would commit the unthinkable for its sake.
As for the second fear…
Damien stood at the top. He had achieved that unknown realm that even the universe didn't know about and looked down on all existence from below.
Yet, he stood alone.
Where would he go from here?
There was nothing above him, and all things below him gazed at him in fear and reverence.
The people he loved and cared about stayed by his side, but they were never able to reach that untold height, stopping at the universe's final bounds of power.
No matter how close they were, they felt millions of kilometers in the distance.
As someone at the finish line, Damien could clearly understand how impossible it was for that gap to close.
So…then what?
When he finally achieved his goal, what was he to do?
The greatest fear at the very core of his being was this very situation.
An unattainable peak being reached once could be chalked up to heavenly luck and skill, but multiple times? For everyone related to the first individual?
It was unrealistic to even hope for it.
To sit on this peak alone was something Damien couldn't stand the thought of, and to stand on this peak and not see greater horizons in the distance was just as terrifying.
Even now, facing this situation firsthand, Damien could feel the emptiness in his soul that made him want to give up and abandon his dream.
Yet…
'I don't even understand Divinity yet, how can I guess about the peak of existence? Whatever happens will be solved by the me that exists in that time. Isn't that right?'
Damien smiled. He felt a warm force cover his body, bringing him out of that bleak and desolate future.
'These past two illusions have shown me things I needed to see. A situation like that can only end in tragedy if one doesn't prepare for it beforehand. Since I've been made painfully aware of the possibilities, I just have to make sure they don't ever get realized. Easy enough, right?'
Damien stepped forward and entered the next illusion with a smile on his face.
Really, when he exited this prison, he had to offer the Marionette Lord his sincerest thanks for their gracious gift.
After all, to an extreme peak master, defining their sense of self and furthering their understanding of Laws was the most imperative task.
And wasn't that exactly what the Marionette Lord was allowing him to do?
Seriously, just as they'd stated themselves, they were truly a kind and benevolent Lord!
***
"Hohohoho…huhuhuhuhu!"
The Marionette Lord's strange laughter echoed through the void.
In the Real Plane, in their residence in the void, the Marionette Lord watched Damien's progress through their soul wisp's eyes.
"Look at this! This is great! I knew the Saint Emperor couldn't be interested in someone normal, but to think it'd be like this!"
The Marionette Lord happily clapped their hands as their eyes turned to crescents.
"Flaffy, isn't this interesting?" They asked with a beaming smile.
"Keeurrgh…gaakhhogb…"
A ball of mush nearby let out a string of incoherent sounds in response.
"Hm? Spare you? But I'm busy right now. Wait until later and I'll think about it."
The ball of mush trembled at her words.
"Huuugggh…haaaaaaaaggggh…"
The Marionette Lord's eyes immediately shot over to the mush.
"Trash, disobey me again and see what happens." They uttered coldly.
"…guuuu…"
The mush shivered fiercely and tried to back away before remembering its current form.
A mush ball named Flaffy, not the exalted Nox Demigod, the Flame Lord.
"Wow, seriously wow! He crushed Seduction before it could even start, used Solitude to attain comprehension of a mysterious law that I don't know, breezed through Insecurity and Fear with a straight face, what comes next?!" The Marionette Lord exclaimed as they stroked their chin in intrigue.
"Not to mention, his insecurities and fears are so surprising. Everything he doubts is internal. It's as if he truly believes that there is no greater threat to him in this universe than himself…"
Not only that, he truly believed without a sliver of doubt that it was inevitable for him to eventually reach the unknown peak.
It was arrogant beyond arrogance.
He was facing a death sentence from a Demigod, yet he viewed it as a training ground to refine his mental fortitude.
Not only did he not place the illusions in his eyes, he looked down upon the caster themself as well!
"I like it!… I dont like it!… I hate it!…no, I love it! What is this feeling?! Was there ever something like this?!"
"Guu—"
"Flaffy, I'm so happy right now!"
The Marionette Lord hopped over and picked up the mush ball like a puppy, holding it up in the air.
They brought it to their chest in a tight hug.
Bang!
"Flaffy~!"
The mush ball exploded into a rain of black ink that drenched the Marionette Lord.
They smiled happier than ever as they licked the ink off their lips.
"This one…I want him!"
