"I've been waiting so long to meet you."

Lord Garvy's face twisted into a disgusting smile as he spoke, making Damien shiver.

"Have we met before?" He asked warily.

Whoosh!

Lord Garvy was only a few inches away from him before he realized it. He looked Damien up and down before taking a sharp inhale.

"Haa…this is the scent. You are indeed the one who killed him."

Damien's eyes narrowed.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Hm? How am I supposed to know his name? He was…a present that I had yet to open. However, you ruined him for me."

Lord Garvy tilted his head in an oddly feminine motion, his eyes curving into crescents.

"So, I was curious to meet the little genius who had the gall."

"Attack!"

Damien immediately roared as he teleported away and sent Elena's unconscious body to the Sanctuary.

He definitely hadn't yet comprehended the identity of who he'd just saved. Though, it wasn't as if he had the free time to do so.

4 Executioners from the Golden Dragon Army followed Hedrick's lead and charged at Lord Garvy with their weapons raised.

"Hmph. Do not get in my way."

Lord Garvy swept his hand through the air, producing a furious gale that pushed all 5 opponents away and penetrated their bodies.

However, before he could use his strength advantage, a strange formless sensation covered the 5 Golden Dragons, stabilizing them.

Their bodies were strengthened and their mana was elevated to another level. They could even vaguely feel gaps in their comprehension filling themselves with peak efficiency.

"This…"

"Don't question it and just fight!"

Damien's booming sound transmission entered Hedrick's ears, making him grin.

'So this was your secret card.'

"Come! With the strength we've gained, let us slay the enemy!"

Hedrick roared and charged again, utilizing his new strength to its greatest limits and swinging out his spear.

Bang!

Lord Garvy held his finger in the air and casually blocked the spear tip, however…

Crunch!

The ground crunched as he took a step backwards.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

4 attacks struck him from different directions at the same time, compounding on top of the impact of Hedrick's strike to form an even stronger blow.

Five 8th revolution Executioners had nowhere near enough force to kill a Supreme, but what about five peak 8th revolution masters with strength just under the Supreme level?

Then…wouldn't the scales be tipped?

As Hedrick led the four soldiers under him to barrage and suppress Lord Garvy so he had no chance to attack on his own, Damien watched from the distance.

"Young Master, have you been well?"

A feminine voice came from his side.

Damien smiled. "Mm, and you?"

"Likewise. Your hidden world is quite the place."

"Isn't it? I was wondering why you hadn't asked me to let you out yet. It seems you fully integrated with those inside, eh?"

"Please don't joke with me, Young Master. I am nowhere near qualified enough to live amongst those pioneering a new civilization."

"That Pricilla really raised you to be too submissive. Since you're with me now, you should show some more pride. We're an arrogant bunch on this side, you know?"

"I will keep that in mind, Young Master."

"Hmm…"

Damien looked up and down the woman at his side, marveling over just how much she'd changed in the past few years.

At least in terms of appearance, recognizing this woman as Ximen Wuhen was almost impossible!

Ximen Wuhen had been living in the Sanctuary ever since Damien sent her there when he was still in Eien. During that time, she'd gotten well acquainted with the citizens of Theavel and had even provided several contributions to their societal growth.

Ximen Wuhen was very clear about her role in Damien's mind. She was a weapon that he could use when he needed her, but otherwise, he didn't really care about what she did.

Therefore, her mysterious power had gone unused for a considerable period.

At times like this, though, her aid was perfect.

'I didn't even think about bringing her out when I was facing Arthur. I need to take better stock of Theavel's strength when I have time.'

He also needed to populate the new second world that still remained unnamed, but that was a matter for even further in the future.

For now, he kept his attention on the battle.

'It's creepy. Why is he still looking at me?'

It was almost impossible to see what was happening inside the cloud of mana that enshrouded the ongoing battle, but it wasn't a problem for Damien.

He could see clearly through the fog, he could see how Lord Garvy's eyes remained focused on his position even as he faced the onslaught of several experts.

'He has no care for his own physical condition. He's almost treating it like it isn't his own…don't tell me…'

The Black Dragon Clan clearly didn't recognize their Supreme anymore.

Rather than focusing on the overall situation, Lord Garvy only focused his attention on Damien, who had never met him before.

'I killed someone he cares about…?'

If it was recently, then the only important person he'd killed was Arthur Bloodlock, but did the Bloodlock Clan and Black Dragon Clan have relations?

As far as Damien knew, the two clans didn't even come in contact.

'Wait…!'

He suddenly remembered an important fact.

Something Tiamat had told him during their conversation in his spiritual world.

'Arthur Bloodlock had a trace of Nox mana in his body, and not just any mana, but the mana of a Demigod. What are the chances that it connects back to the Nox again?'

"…!"

Damien's senses suddenly became alert. His gaze shot back to the battlefield just in time to see Lord Garvy's heinous grin and…

The wisps of inky black mana that were emitted from his gaze for less than a single instant.

Damien's eyes widened.

'That was on purpose.'

His original suspicion became truth in that instant, making Damien sigh to himself.

'Dammit, I really can't get a break.'

'Let's think. If it's a Nox Demigod, it definitely isn't someone at the Emperor level. They wouldn't be so covert in showing themselves. If it's a Lord, then the one who would gain the most from Arthur Bloodlock would be…the Marionette Lord?'

Damien gritted his teeth and cursed his luck. As he grew stronger, the broken memories of all the Nox he devoured also slowly organized themselves under his guidance. When it came to the power structure of the current Nox, Damien had a rough understanding of the most important characters.

The Marionette Lord was one of the Lords he had sworn to avoid for as long as possible.

Because this person—

'—is like the Saint Emperor but crazier.'

It really was a coincidence among coincidences that their paths happened to intersect.

The Marionette Lord was a follower of the Inhuman Emperor, so they weren't aware of the true importance of Damien's existence quite yet.

However, it just so happened that Damien's existence forced a figure with great influence in the inner universe to visit Eien, granting the Nox a prime opportunity for infiltration.

It was just unfortunate for them that Damien was well-prepared for their confrontation and ended up winning.

Yet, despite the victory that his actions evoked, he still found himself stuck in deep, deep shit!