"You've got one more. Make it count."
When these words entered his ears, Atticus almost snapped.
He didn't waste any more time thinking about "why" Damien was able to stop him. He merely needed to let out a law concept so powerful that the "why" became irrelevant.
And so, he did exactly that.
He used his full power, gathering 9 Lightning Seeds as one and using their concepts to enhance and empower each other, not just forming a web, but a massive interconnected network that far outstripped a mere web.
It was formless in the sense that it was given no form, but it had form nonetheless. At this level, it didn't just color the atmosphere, the law fluctuations created their own manifestations and existed in reality with their sheer intensity as support pillars.
A lightning god formed in front of Atticus, its eyes looking down on Damien as if it was sentient.
It raised its arms into the air and created a gargantuan spear out of ambient mana, forcing Lightning Laws into it until its properties changed.
'Oho? Now that's interesting.' Damien commented inwardly.
He'd never tried something like this himself, so he'd never actually seen if his Laws could create such manifestations.
His fingers twitched with the urge to try on the spot, but his rationality held him back.
'There's a difference between overpowering Atticus and letting my Law Manifestation out. If the Void decides to pull something funny, it'll be too late to laugh.'
While shelving the idea for a more secluded location, he watched the lightning god stab its spear at him with a ferociousness that tore the atmosphere apart.
"Hmph."
He snorted lightly and crossed his arms.
Unlike before, he didn't use his Laws to consume Atticus' attack.
He just stood still and allowed the spear to pierce his body and impale him against the arena wall.
Rampant law fluctuations raged through his body, but they couldn't do any damage.
The Void Physique didn't have to take action at all. Damien's bodily defenses were already at a level where 3rd and 4th revolution masters wouldn't be able to easily harm him.
For Atticus who wasn't even in the extreme peak yet…?
Damien didn't feel an ounce of pain. It felt like tiny static shocks were snaking through his skin for a few moments before they died down.
And that was it.
The lightning god projection faded, the law fluctuations calmed, and all that was left in the arena was an uninjured Damien and a devastated Atticus.
"This…why…? I…after so long…!"
Atticus collapsed to his knees. His words came out fragmented as he tried to piece together his sanity.
Damien sighed in disappointment.
He walked up to Atticus and placed his hand on the man's shoulder.
"The answer was always the simplest. You just needed…to let go."
He muttered those words so only the two could hear them, and in the next second…
Voom!
A pulse of mana spread through Atticus' body.
"Keuk…!"
He coughed a mouthful of blood that was filled with chunks of organs.
Damien didn't stay to watch what happened.
And Atticus didn't try to stop him from leaving.
He sat collapsed on the ground, unmoving as blood leaked from his lips and eyes.
Just as Damien promised, he ended it in a single move.
In a single move, Atticus realized the insurmountable gap that had opened up between them.
The man he once saw as a promising genius who could aid him in the future had grown into someone far more powerful than him before he could even blink.
'The answer…to let go…'
Atticus finally understood.
His obsessions were only holding him back. His desire to "do" first and "think" later was making him overlook the most obvious truths.
And because of that, he almost completely disregarded his friendship with the very monster that defeated him.
"Haa…"
He sighed in disappointment, a similar sigh to what Damien let out moments ago.
'I really messed up this time.'
***
Damien and Elena quickly left the battleground after the incident, but they couldn't stop rumors of his existence from spreading.
In the end, it only took half an hour for almost everyone in Luxurion to know about the mystery genius who thoroughly crushed the Fallen Star Holy Land Young Master in a duel.
Meanwhile, the man himself found a quiet corner of the castle with a view of the starry sky beyond and took some time for himself.
He didn't expect his mood to be ruined so quickly, but after seeing Atticus' behavior, it couldn't be helped.
He'd been traveling alone or with little company almost his whole life, so while he understood the base truths of the universe, experiencing them still hit him harder.
Today, he was reminded how far people would go for the sake of power.
Atticus' case wasn't too extreme, but with Damien's immense perceptive ability and the All-Seeing Eyes' partial ability to see through reality itself, he could almost be considered an empath in his ability to read other people's emotions if he so desired.
The deep-seated desire within Atticus that clouded his every other feeling, it was the same desire Damien felt within himself.
Seeing that Atticus had the potential to fall prey to such desire reminded him that he was just as much at risk.
And more than that—
'It's guaranteed that a majority of those coming to Luxurion in the next few months will have already succumbed to that desire. Those older experts have a hard time resisting the temptation of power after facing the ultimate limits of their potential. Not only does this suggest that the number of traitors in the universe is probably higher than expected, but it also means this Grand Assembly will be turned into a stage for them to strut their egos in front of each other.'
To others, it could seem like Damien was making wild guesses and acting as if they were truths. On such small scales, however, a "guess" from Damien was no different from truth.
His understanding of Universal Flow made it easy for him to read the flow of people.
'The original plan was to show up and show out. That was fine, but at most it would get me recognized as a monstrous genius…'
'…but "monstrous genius" isn't enough anymore.'
His eyes hardened.
'I have to utterly dominate and ruin this event.'
The flickering flame of a nearby candle danced in his eyes, casting a shadow over his face that made him look quite villainous.
The plan was set.
Damien just needed to remove the ability to focus on personal interests.
And to do so, he needed to play the villain role.
'I'll beat up your geniuses and I'll beat up your elders. When you try to catch me, you'll learn that it really is possible to get so mad you cough blood.'
When that time came, what choice would these forces have but to band together to deal with him?
Not only would this force them into cooperative relationships, which he could figure out how to make sustainable later, it would be great fun for him.
'I've never really had a hero arc, but a villain arc sounds like a great way to release stress…well, let's call it a mini-arc. I don't want to go full villain, after all.'
He smiled to himself, and even more so, he smiled at the universe beyond.
'Just trust me. I refuse to let you die under my watch.'
