Chapter 1766: Succession [7]

August went off to deal with the remaining matters and find closure. He did somewhat apologize to Damien, but Damien didn't really mind, so it wasn't something they focused on.

It was normal for August to lose his cool sometimes. It was normal for him to have mood swings as he grew. Damien was never going to punish him for anything like that.

The only reason they didn't take the time to catch up was because there was still a lot to do. As August left, Damien also did the same, but he was headed to a completely different dimension.

With August's choice made, it was time for him to enact the slave contracts he spoke of.

'I've been waiting for this moment. I was really hoping that he'd choose this method.'

Obviously, Damien gave August three choices that he could pick between, but there was only one right answer.

It was exactly as August said. To separate revenge from blood debt, to properly treat others as they were meant to be treated rather than viewing them as bugs.

Perhaps Damien himself didn't adhere to such ideologies, but the kind of person August wanted to be deemed that he needed to learn them.

As his supporter, Damien chose which lessons to teach based on the path he was following by choice.

Plus, this time, Damien had other plans as well.

'These few months have been beneficial.'

He left August to take care of Arulion to teach him responsibility and the value of life. Through his experiences, August learned to not take things for granted as he would have if he was coddled by his father for eternity.

But, he also stayed in the shadows for his own benefit. August was bringing the dragon kingdom under control. Damien didn't need to do much, as his main goal was to have their help when the final war arrived.

With August at their head, that problem was gone. To make preparations, he only needed a week at most.

The majority of Damien's time was spent in disguise.

The concept of "control."

It was the final barrier that separated Damien from controlling True Existence. The power he showcased made it seem like he had already attained it, but that was not quite the truth.

Damien understood how to control Existence already. He could do mystical things and his strength had already risen past the level of even a Holy Dragon. Only the true Supremes in the universe and the Unrecorded could stand against him now.

However, the sixth jewel refused to manifest on his crown.

He wondered why for a long time. He changed his genetic makeup and walked Arulion as a mortal for a very long time, even making some connections to the lowly people who populated its streets.

Through this ambling, Damien believed that he would find some sort of random inspiration that led him to the answer he sought.

In a sense, he did receive the answer he was looking for, but it was not immediately made available to him.

The concept of control, as the last piece of the puzzle, was a bit different from the others.

It had to be comprehended both individually and as a whole.

For Damien to gain its acknowledgement and bring Existence under his control, he needed to show it everything. He needed to prove to Existence itself that he was able to utilize all of its power, so that it would accept him and allow him to complete the Emperor's Crown.

Damien started interfering mainly for this purpose. He healed, he created, he manipulated, and he destroyed. He could feel in his own soul that he was on the verge of gaining acceptance.

The matter of the Holy Clans was orchestrated in part so that he could accomplish his objective.

As long as August chose the third option, he'd get another chance to use Existence while also helping his son, and he'd reach the peak he had been watching ever since he arrived in the Heavenly World.

The Holy Clans were none the wiser by the time he arrived.

They had made use of their short time in the void to create some sort of functional system through which they could cooperate and find a way out together, but it was meaningless now.

Damien didn't bother to say anything.

Like August, he understood that not all of these people were bad and not all of them deserved to be punished.

However, that wasn't his problem anymore. August would hold the reigns. If he wanted to release them, he could. If he wanted to oppress them, he could.

Just as August asked of the Dragon Emperor, Damien was willing to support his son as long as he didn't stray too far into degeneracy.

So, without remorse, he acted.

A mana spread through the void, unnoticed by even the Ancient Dragons who led the Holy Clans. It bore deep into the souls of the tens of millions of people in the realm and established itself as a statute that could not be disobeyed.

Though they could not feel its induction, they did feel its presence when it appeared. The statute itself called upon them and informed them of their new circumstances.

Right, they had been forcefully pledged to August Void. If they were to make any moves, direct or indirect, to damage August Void or the dragon kingdom of Arulion, then they would die.

A meeting was held in the void. The highest authorities of the six clans came together and called all of their people collectively to relay the news.

These statutes were not to be interfered with at any cost. For they, who had the power to glance into their own souls, understood that there was no undoing the shackles they were now carrying.

That statute was more powerful than an Ancient Dragon; more powerful than a Holy Dragon. Even if all of the strongest powers of their clans came together and worked for countless millennia to find a solution, they knew it would be impossible to do so.

Not unless they could reach a level that no dragon had ever stepped foot on.

Naturally, there were a few who tried regardless. Still, it was only a few. The scene of their bodies turning to ashes in an instant as their existences were wiped was enough to scare anyone who had similar thoughts.

Only the Liqua Clan was separate.

As a matter of fact...where was the Liqua Clan?

It was a concern that could not be given any attention at the moment. A sudden disappearance was characteristic of their people, and there was a far bigger problem at hand.

The Holy Clans had quite some time to rationalize what happened and cope with their situation in the void before they were returned to the world.

After all, Damien was also going through something at the moment.

The statute he placed on their souls was extremely complex in its own right. The amount of particularity necessary to create a shackle that wouldn't randomly destroy its bearer or easily be released with some years of research was massive.

On top of that, to influence the souls of tens of millions without their knowledge was almost impractical. Especially when some of those people were Ancient Dragons, it should have been impossible.

Control.

In the sense of the concept, it meant control over the workings of Existence.

But, it could definitely mean something like this as well.

There had been many grand events in the past few days. Most of the time, grand events were accompanied by phenomena. The world was quite adamant about announcing everything and being actively involved in such celebrations.

However, on Damien's level, the world was no longer worthy of producing phenomena. As the sixth jewel formed on a crown that technically did not exist, as the six jewels melded and shared energy to become six different faces of the same concept, a definitive change took place in the core of Damien's being.

Existence, one of only two great forces under the Void, manifested under his reign.

It was truly a perfectly timed entrance.