Chapter 1768: Succession [9]

It was an extremely extended farewell. August didn't want to let go, and though Damien knew he had to leave, he didn't want to do so without entertaining his son's whims as much as possible.

It had only been a few months in real time since August was just a ten-year-old boy who left home with dreams of majesty, but for him, it had been over six years of fighting and struggling for his goals.

He missed his father. He was still in his formative years, so Damien's presence in his life was important.

If Damien had the chance, he would have at least left Alexander in Arulion so he could maintain contact with August, but he didn't have access to the Sanctuary which took away many of his conveniences.

Plus, August probably wouldn't like it if he felt like Damien was giving him too much protection, so Damien went with a different method.

He erected a tower in the center of Arulion. As long as August wanted to contact him, he would be able to do so from the tower. Distance wouldn't matter. Time wouldn't matter either.

That was the best he could do.

And once the tower was created, there weren't many excuses left to keep Damien in the kingdom.

Damien was never much of a hugger, but in that moment, he felt the opposite.

He hugged his son dearly and told him how proud he was. He told him that he would always be there and that he was excited to see what he could accomplish in the future. He told him that he would miss him, and he told him to visit whenever he had the time, as frequently as possible.

When that conversation ended, there was really nothing left.

That night, as August slept, Damien disappeared from the kingdom, and his life went back to its usual routine with just a slight emptiness left in his heart.

"Just you wait, Dad.' August thought to himself.

'Next time we meet, I'll surprise even you.'

August had big plans for Arulion. Though it seemed like he was being a little arrogant, there wasn't a single ounce of falsehood in his words.

The next time Arulion became prominent in the eyes of others, it would be a completely different kingdom than it was today.

And August...

Well, the rest could wait until the time was right.

After all, that moment wasn't all too far away.

***

The Heavenly World had gone through many changes since Damien left.

It was far more than anything anyone in Arulion could imagine. After all, the main world was flowing at a speed that far exceeded all of the hidden realms incorporated into its folds. Selena was able to find a method to interfere in worlds that she could not sense, but it was naturally to a lesser extent than the main world.

The few months that passed in Arulion could be equated to around three years in real-time. For the Heavenly World, however, it had been almost twenty.

Under Void Palace's influence and with their support, the people of the world were able to train at an unbelievable rate and gather great power. A new influence rose in the north to fill the void left by the Straea Clan, which just so happened to be fully created by Eyrissea Luminous.

Rose generally understood that the array was being created, so she was aware that the Heavenly World would have changed by the time she returned, but she really wasn't expecting this place that looked like a utopia.

Void Palace was too strong for another major enemy of the world to rise. There were still petty criminals everywhere, but without real obstructions, society was able to progress at a magnificent rate.

Resources were available to all people, which led to revolutions in the many fields of research surrounding mana. Even the smallest villages were equipped with systems that would have been considered advanced ten years ago.

The world was now united under the palace's banner. The other influences were still present and had control over their individual regions as a sort of division of power, but Void Palace did have the final say in all important decisions.

As such, even the palace was no longer the same as it was when Rose left. It had been upgraded and improved several times. The overall aesthetic was still the same, but it was almost impossibly bigger and more technologically and magically sophisticated.

The most surprising thing, though, was the realization that her quest actually amounted to nothing.

Well, the artifacts she stole seemed to be pretty valuable, so it was still worth robbing the dragons.

But shouldn't someone have told her that Dante Void was awake?!

She was only told about it since she was part of the inner circle of the palace that only contained real family members. Damien's other wives knew, but they happened to be invested in their own tasks at the moment so they didn't find the time to inform her.

Nevertheless, it was surprising to meet her father-in-law before his own son had, but she left a good impression as she delivered everything she'd taken.

When Dante saw those treasures, a grin lit up his face.

"Those old bastards are still at it? Well, that's good. I was just craving dragon meat."

They would undoubtedly arrive at the palace soon as they traced the signatures of these objects. And when they arrived, they'd promptly be dealt with.

Those pesky lizards were always holed up in the world they created so they could pretend to be the strongest. Now that their auras were present in the Heavenly World, did they think things would be the same?

There was a time when dragons were stronger than humans to the point where they could only be feared.

However, that was long in the past.

A dragon had never become Unrecorded.

Humans on the other hand had three verified members of their race who attained the unattainable.

Confidence was infectious, and the spirit of Void Palace even more. Ten years had produced enough improvement in the world's population to give everyone surety that they'd be well prepared in a hundred.

However, would they really receive the time they worked so hard to earn themselves?

Before even Rose's return, there were machinations influencing the universe from beyond.

A hundred years had been given, but they could be taken away just as fast.

From beyond the veil, the Dark God sneered as he sensed the change in reality. He peered beyond the nothingness of the Void and watched time change in the Heavenly World.

[Foolish little things.]

He snickered. It was a sound made by countless voices that mixed into one, echoing through the starry sky and shaking the surrounding planets.

It was a respectable maneuver, but a foolish one nonetheless.

[You have had your time.]

Did they want to find a loophole in the five-year promise?

Well, unfortunately for them...

[Mimic.]

He spoke a single word to the Existence he controlled.

A black fog spread from his body as it was forced to obey.

The time flow in the Sacred Abyss Universe changed and changed and changed until it matched the True Void perfectly.

Five years...

It was meant to have increased into over one hundred, but it was no longer so.

The two cosmos had never been perfectly aligned before now.

And, with five years passing multiple times in both places in tandem...

...the Dark God no longer had a reason to hold back, did he?

An army was summoned from nothingness. They readied themselves for war and opened portal after portal.

The war that was meant to be far in the distance was already beginning.

And Damien wasn't even slightly aware of it.