An unknown amount of time passed after the soul transformation began, and by the time it ended, the bodily processes reached their conclusion as well.
"Haa…haa…haa…"
Damien fell to the ground and desperately tried to catch his breath.
That was truly an unbearable process.
Usually, Damien could at least watch the changes taking place and he could use this to maintain his lucidity and focus, but this time, he was alone with the pain.
It was enough to make any normal person lose his mind. It didn't matter how strong Damien's mental defenses were; the Divine Power would have absolutely crushed his mind into oblivion if he didn't take the initiative to hide away everything that defined him.
His spiritual world was an absolute mess in its current state, which made it extremely difficult for Damien to take his mind off the terror he just experienced and move on,
It was only after he removed his ego from isolation and regained the warmth of a "sense of self" that he managed to calm down.
'What…happened?' He muttered inwardly as he inspected his body.
First of all, his physical body had been strengthened to a new level. He would definitely be able to resist attacks from anyone under the High Commander level without any mana defense at all.
His response time was nearly instantaneous now. His body could now react to his intentions before he could even fully realize them.
His thoughts and processing ability were much faster than before, a noticeable change caused by the refining of his brain and spiritual world.
Damien skimmed over these changes as he focused his perception on his bloodline core.
It used to be pure red, almost like a blood clot. Now, however, it was entirely different.
It was pitch black in its base, with intricate patterns of gold, white, blue, and a hint of red wrapping around it to form a beautiful and profound picture.
'This is…have my bloodlines been merged?'
Not just merged, but empowered. The previously immovable demon bloodline had somehow swallowed its draconic companion and merged with the Azure Dragon's Divine Power to create a completely new "bloodline-like force" that resided in Damien's bloodline core.
"What a good thing," he muttered somewhat spitefully as he realized that he'd have to put effort into fully digesting his bloodline change.
"No, instead of focusing on that, why does it feel like I can…"
Damien summoned a ball of Void Mana on his palm. He moved it around and played with its wisps, observing it thoughtfully.
"If I just…"
There was a new instinct in his body, backed by mysterious comprehension.
Damien followed that instinct and altered the structure of his mana.
The wispy pitch-black Void Mana gradually brightened and shifted in color as well as texture.
Its entire state of matter changed.
From what exhibited itself as a gas, the Void Mana became liquid.
No, it became "water."
Damien flicked his finger and let the ball of water fly forward with the strength of a regular mortal's throw.
Without much suspense, it arced through the air and separated into droplets before splashing against the ground.
It was just ordinary water…
'Holy shit…did I just do that?!'
…however, Damien's reaction suggested anything but.
'Even the Saint Emperor can only imitate other elements with his mana. I have no affinity for water at all, and I've barely come in contact with it. How can I…'
How could he bend the laws of reality so easily?!
Affinities existed for a reason. Humans, or all living things for that matter, were granted affinities at birth and would follow their paths until death. It was still possible to gain new elements, but only those one already had some affinity with.
Damien's Time Law was an inborn affinity that took time to manifest, but his lightning was a perfect example of the aforementioned phenomenon. If Damien originally had no affinity for lightning, the Void Physique wouldn't have been able to implant a new affinity into his weak and malnourished body.
Simply put, to directly control an unrelated affinity was one of the greatest impossibilities for a practitioner.
Or at least, it was supposed to be…?
'Is this an inherent effect of the Void Physique that was revealed by the new instinct I gained, or is this a direct result of the Azure Dragon's blessing?'
Damien was in a rush to find out, because if it was the former, it was massively important; the most grandiose breakthrough in training he'd had ever encountered.
[Child, are you satisfied with your gains?]
The Azure Dragon's voice broke him out of his trance.
Damien wasn't the slightest bit bothered. He directly stood up and bowed until his face was parallel to the ground, deeply expressing his thanks to this primordial being.
"I will never forget this graciousness you've shown me. Until the day I die, I will be an ally to your Azure Dragon Clan."
He didn't just say it, he swore it on his mana and his soul, letting the universe acknowledge his sincerity.
Disregarding every other benefit, the Azure Dragon gave Damien a hint about how to move forward in comprehending the Void. This alone was worthy of utmost respect.
However, the Azure Dragon didn't stop at this. Rather, he gave a greater blessing than what even the greatest geniuses of the Dragon Clan could receive.
He gave Damien "everything."
Damien raised his head to look the dragon in the eye.
"Has the time come?"
[Indeed. The time has come.]
"..."
Damien didn't respond. He walked up to the Azure Dragon and took a seat, leaning back against one of the being's massive claws.
[What are you doing?]
"Nothing much. I just felt like sitting here for a bit. Is there a problem?"
[...none.]
Silence enveloped the realm. Neither Damien nor the Azure Dragon took initiative to speak, but it was as if they shared an intrinsic understanding of what they wanted to and needed to say.
Those words didn't need to be voiced.
Time passed slowly. Every second that ticked by was perceived to its greatest by the only two beings existing in this space.
Damien gritted his teeth.
He didn't want to acknowledge the fact that the feeling against his back was disappearing.
He didn't want to acknowledge…that the Azure Dragon was fading.
So he sat there.
He stayed silent before this being who could passively read his every thought.
Until the Azure Dragon's body was no more than an outline of wispy blue energy.
At that last second…
"I will fulfill your final wishes. Go in peace."
The Azure Dragon's hazy consciousness snapped back to reality.
His eyes widened.
He showed true emotion, something he forgot after millions of years.
A small smile spread on his lips.
[Hmph.]
Pride.
The expression he wished the world to remember him by was the last one he exhibited.
The hidden realm that housed only two…was left with only one.
The Azure Dragon's body slowly dispersed into a beautiful display of crystallized azure blue shards, like snow ascending to the heavens.
A hollow smile surfaced on Damien's face as he watched it.
He only knew the Godbeast for a short period, but in that period, he not only gained immensely, he saw how that being lived his life.
He was a powerful Divinity that provoked fear and reverence wherever he went, but he was always alone.
He never met someone who could see the world from his perspective, and he ended up isolated in his own research and chasing after the peak.
He lived in an era Damien couldn't imagine and fought millions upon millions of enemies that were equally unfathomable.
He wasn't some kind of hero, nor did he have an exemplary character. He was arrogant and domineering and did anything to grow stronger, but he never crossed the bottom line he set for himself, and despite the sheer amount of failure he faced, he never faltered.
The Azure Dragon was not a hero, but he was without question a being worthy of utmost respect.
There were only two before him.
Kurt Galloway, the Spatial Grandmaster of Apeiron, Alaric Alfheim, the Primordial Undying Tree, and now, the Azure Dragon, Ruler of the Seas.
They were seniors who lit the flame in Damien's heart, seniors whose memories and vestiges inside of him would always remind him that there was someone better, whether it be in character or strength.
"Haa…"
Damien sighed.
Death was a concept all too familiar to him, but it never hit as hard as it did when these people he respected met their inevitable ends.
'If only I met them sooner…'
This thought clouded his mind every time, but he knew it was useless.
They died with pride and were remembered in glory, exactly as they wished to pass.
Selfishly interfering with their fates would be a sin.
Damien quietly stood up and looked into the sky. There, the passage to return to the Ancestral Dragon Pool revealed itself.
He wished he could've spoken to the Azure Dragon more, but this was the end of their fated encounter.
It was time for Damien to set his sights on the next goal and move on as he always did.
It was time for him to set out for the Grand Assembly.
