Elena's original plan was simple, at least in its first stage.
The first step was to monopolize the treasures of the Holy Light Realm. Of course, the real meat of the plan came after this step ended, but it was essential for the days ahead to take hold of every treasure he possibly could.
However, Damien now had a secondary goal: to use this secret realm as a stage for Xue'er, and if possible, initiate her Baptism under the eyes of all those experts outside.
Xue'er needed to make a proper wave upon her introduction, or she wouldn't be taken seriously at all. The current Xue'er was naive and easily exploitable, something unacceptable if she wanted to survive without his umbrella shielding her from the rain.
It hurt him to even consider it, but he needed to expose her to the cruelty of reality while she was still under his complete protection, so that when the day came when she decided to leave and experience it on her own, he could have a semblance of confidence.
That day would surely come. As an extreme peak expert himself, Damien was perfectly clear on the importance of forging one's own way.
This was, in fact, the only way to grow in the extreme peak and beyond.
'If the path she picks is to follow me, I'm sure she'll grow fine and bloom magnificently, but how can it compare to what she could achieve on her own? I hate feeling like I'm making similar decisions to my old man, but it's not about me anymore.'
"Huu…"
He shelved the thought for now. That was a decision to be made in the far future, and for now, he only needed to focus on what he needed to do.
"Xue'er, since you've come out for the first time, do you want to have some fun?" he asked with a slight smile.
"Fun? What kind?" she questioned back.
"The kind where we blow a bunch of stuff up and steal even more!"
"Oooh, that's my favorite kind of fun!"
"Haha, as expected of my little sister!"
The demonic duo happily walked through the secret realm, plotting deviously along the way.
The advent of a little girl who acted like a mini Damien…
The universe was in for a treat, that much was for certain.
***
The golden pyramid, as those geniuses learned as they entered it, was called the Tomb of Ayakashi.
According to the story told my the tomb's walls, it once sealed 100,000 demonic spirits and was erected opposite the Holy Light Tomb to weaken them until they eventually dispersed after countless years.
After all, these demonic spirits were once peak entities that tormented countless races, and they were far too ethereal for them to be killed easily.
Over time, several tens of thousands of them dispersed, returning to the heavens, but an unknown number of them were still sealed within the tomb, awaiting their eventual demise.
The trials of the tomb were plentiful, and mostly related to the concept of demonic spirits and illusions.
The geniuses who rushed in at the very beginning were still stuck in the first corridor of the tomb, unable to get past the tens of trials that existed within a few steps of each other.
The tomb was designed to never be infiltrated, and while the Holy Light Tomb was rebuilt by them, the Tomb of Ayakashi was the original tomb they encountered in the original mystic realm.
When the Angels raided it the first time, they spent an immense amount of time in preparation and avoided thousands of the trials and traps in the tomb, which meant they remained to this day, awaiting those who fell in their grasp.
It was silly in a sense. There were many traps, but they weren't unavoidable. As long as one took the correct path, one could avoid every single trap in the tomb and reach its center in an hour at most.
However, it was easier said than done. Unless one possessed the All-Seeing Eyes or a similar perception ability, it was impossible for them to see the swerving and patternless path they were meant to take.
Elena surpassed most geniuses in many facets, but perception wasn't one of them. Her perceptive ability could only be considered above average at best.
Her mental specialty was instead intuition.
Patterns were present everywhere. Once Elena experienced a situation enough times, she was able to intuitively understand the patterns and plot the best path forward.
Unfortunately, the Tomb of Ayakashi was made opposing order. To contain the most chaotic of spirits, only total chaos could be used.
Order was simply too predictable, something Elena's talent essentially proved.
When she first entered the tomb, she was able to traverse the path relatively easily by relying on her strong mental fortitude, however, upon moving 100 steps, the floor below her dropped out and she fell into a completely dark space.
She kept her eyes closed and her awareness spread thinly around her.
The illusions impacted her mind constantly, showing her horrifying imagery both of those she know and of general scenarios of tragedy.
They wanted to see her break, to see her succumb to their will and become their puppet.
She could hear their voices calling out to her.
"You are worthless," they said.
"You are destined to be useless," they said.
"You will die without accomplishing anything," they said.
"Unless you accept our presence."
She would've been swayed a few months ago.
Back when she was still doubting if she was doing things the right way, back when she was still traversing this cold world on her own, perhaps she would've entertained their voices a little.
But no more.
Meeting Damien was the trigger, but it wasn't the reason.
The reason was rather the blooming of her new title, something that would've happened with or without his involvement in the War of Beast Emperor Star.
With that event, Elena formed a direct connection with the universe's source of Life. She gained "validation" from the universe and the Void, these forces that silently encouraged her and told her to grow as she desired.
It was hard growing without a guiding influence. Damien had the Void that removed any need he had for one, but Elena had nothing but her own thoughts.
Thoughts that were now backed by Life in the same way Damien was backed by the Void.
Voom!
A powerful surge of Life Laws shot in all directions, centered on her body. The vigorous aura illuminated the darkness and tore the voices to shreds, disallowing them from nearing her.
Skeletons and crazed writings littered the ground. Far more disgusting objects joined them, but Elena paid them no mind.
She walked to the center of the dark space, where a dim glow lit a nondescript shrine surrounded by skeletons, still in the prostrated position they held until death.
"Transcended Death Shrine…" Elena muttered, reading off the text on the main tome.
Her eyes widened. Her pupils shrunk into dots as her eyes glazed over.
Elena's mind was transported to a new space, and her body…
Her body was left unattended in the resting place of demonic spirits.
What could possibly go wrong?
