Void Evolution System

Damien disappeared from the Heavenly World.

As did the massive dome of light that seemed like it'd exist for eternity.

As did something within Claire.

Her eyes fluttered open only moments after the scene regained peace.

They were no longer reptilian. Claire had regained her sanity.

'What…?'

She held her head as she tried to remember what had happened after she went berserk. The memories were foggy, as they didn't necessarily belong to her.

The fact that she was never able to know the chaos she'd wrought in her crazed state was one of the most terrifying things about her power.

But somehow, she'd returned to normal.

"Claire!"

Her eyes snapped to the side as she heard a voice call her name.

Serena approached from the distance, phasing in and out of reality as she stopped time and essentially teleported closer.

She reached within a few seconds and instantly hugged Claire.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

She glanced around, trying to gauge the situation through the surroundings.

'Nothing…?'

It was incredibly confusing.

'The explosion was…if Claire is alright, then was it worse at the edges…? But that doesn't…'

Serena tried to make something of what she knew, but it was practically impossible. Nothing she could imagine could explain what was happening now.

She was downright stumped.

Claire wasn't any better

"I…I don't know," she muttered.

"I just woke up."

"That's good, isn't it?" Serena replied with a sigh of relief

"Then Damien must have succeeded. Where is he now?"

"Damien…?" Claire echoed.

"Yes. I was trying to stop you in the Heavenly God Plane when I sensed his aura from here. You only started improving when he came."

Serena smiled slightly

"That's a good son you have. It's just…it seems he had something urgent to attend to."

She didn't know where Damien was, but if he'd left so hastily, then there had to be another important matter at hand. Her nephew was a filial and caring person, and she didn't mind covering for him in moments like these.

However…

"No."

Claire felt differently.

Something was wrong.

'Damien was here…?'

That wasn't right.

How could he have come?

If he saw her in that state…

'No…'

That wasn't the problem. Her son was not that type of person.

If he saw her in that type of state, and he wanted to help her get out of it…

'No…'

She felt it in her soul. There was a difference in the scourge that had plagued her all her life.

The fluctuations of its energy were much calmer now. Rather than trying to invade her soul, it felt like it was strengthening it.

And beyond that border, she no longer saw that terrifying beast.

She saw a picture of the universe, strong and proud. It was an image that filled her entire body with energy and ideas.

'This is not possible…'

Even Dante couldn't do it. If he couldn't, then who–

'No…'

There was no denying it. Her son had been here.

"Where's Damien?"

Serena frowned.

Her heart sank as a bad feeling set in.

She'd been ignoring it until now because she wanted to focus on the fact that the situation was resolved rather than "why" it was resolved.

But the question came back to her in that moment.

How did Claire regain sanity?

And where did the massive amounts of rampant mana coiling through the air go?

The only outlier in the entire situation was Damien himself. The answers to their questions were with him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

He definitely had the ability to, but there was no way he'd just leave. Serena was able to feel Damien's concern through his aura.

The two women looked at each other as a realization dawned on them both.

"We need to go."

It was a consensus between them.

They needed to return to the palace immediately. Using all of the resources and manpower at their disposal…

They needed to make sure their child was safe.

***

A lot of things changed from that moment.

Damien Void's disappearance was confirmed by many sources. He was not anywhere in the Heavenly World.

It was normal for Damien to disappear at this point. He'd been caught in many plots like this and had ended up in several wild places where he found new adventures to give him strength.

But this time was different.

Back then, Damien didn't have something like a home. He had his wives, but he was still a wanderer in his core. He never truly had a place to settle down and truly call his own.

Because of that, the only connections he made were fleeting. If he found something that lasted through it all, then he would celebrate it, but he never actively tried to create relationships that would last a lifetime.

He was used to being alone, traveling as he pleased to places where others couldn't go.

Void Palace was a new thing to him. His biological family was one thing, but everyone else in the palace also considered him as family. They loved him and respected him in so many ways.

They trusted him and put faith in him, absolutely believing that he would take them to greater heights.

So his disappearance had far more impact than it ever had before.

Countless people were mobilized throughout the Heavenly World to find a trace of him. The Straea Clan was even further isolated and the war against them raged on in a completely new way.

The current Straea was just doomed for destruction. Its head had been thoroughly chopped off.

Of those who knew him, only his wives remained unconcerned.

It was definitely unexpected for a situation like this to occur at this point in their lives, but they of all people had gotten used to this.

They could feel Damien's soul. He was alive and well somewhere in the planes of existence.

And as long as he was alive, he'd always return.

The four of them further entrenched themselves in their current missions, remembering their goals and why they wanted to get stronger.

Still, while they knew he was alive, they had no way of knowing where he was.

Only one specific group had that knowledge, and they had no plans of sharing it.

After the destruction of the hidden Principality, the Foreign Nobles were forced to return to their homeland to hide for a bit before they could target Damien again.

The Dark God was playing the long game. He never intended to wage a full war against the True Void Universe. He wanted to see it slowly destroy itself.

As such, those under him had to be careful with their movements. It wasn't yet time for them to reveal themselves openly to the world.

It was depressing, but they had no choice.

For Grand Duke Maveth, who took the lead of the operation against Damien, the defeat they faced was an especially humiliating one.

However, it wasn't long after they'd returned in shame that they sensed it.

All of them at once.

Some of them shot to their feet, while others immediately grabbed their weapons.

'He's here.'

There was no doubt about it.

The presence of Damien Void…

It was now in the Sacred Abyss Universe.