Chapter 1773: Answers [2]
Claire was really just going to find Dante since dinner was ready.
Dinner was something they were doing now that Dante was back. It started as a way for him to get closer to the family he had been taken from, but it had become a tradition that kept them all grounded in times of war.
Finding herself arriving in a random universe when she followed his presence to the family room was strange, but seeing Damien there was even stranger.
At first, she wanted to let them resolve their differences in whatever way they wanted. As long as they didn't actually harm each other, it was okay.
But they were taking too damn long!
Dinner was ready and everyone else had gathered. She couldn't let them hold everyone else up, could she?
They could talk it out like real men later.
She only acted mad because she knew how to exploit her advantages. Since they were both afraid of her, wasn't it the best way to bring them together? She almost wanted to smile when she saw them interacting, but she was forced to hold it in at least until they returned to the table.
Like that, Dante and Damien joined Serena, Hestia, Rose, and Claire for their dinner. Unfortunately, the rest of their family wasn't present, but most of them were already on their way back.
Damien had a short mental conversation with Rose where they greeted each other, but they could talk more later. Even Rose knew that Dante came first at a moment like this.
Still...
"I saw what you did in Arulion. It was pretty amazing to watch."
...that line caught her off-guard.
Right, Damien was operating there when she was.
Right...
'...I saw a certain name that I ignored because I thought it was a coincidence.'
Her eyes turned a shade colder for a second, but she hid it behind a wide smile.
Damien shivered.
'What did I do this time?'
Well, he would have to find out later.
But he got the sudden feeling that his life would become another degree harder quite soon.
Nevertheless, Damien heard about everything that was happening in the Heavenly World again through his family and told them that Arulion would also participate in the war effort.
There were a few hours of banter and food that was honestly better than he'd ever tasted. Granted, Damien hadn't had food in quite a long time.
When the dinner ended, Damien followed Dante to another room so they could finally talk.
"You said something about the Heavenly God Plane, right? What is that event?" Damien asked, starting the conversation.
He definitely wanted to start with something deeper than this. He wanted to know Dante's story and the answers to the questions about his father that he'd had for so long.
But, it was better to get current events out of the way first so they could spend more time on matters that needed to be focused on.
Dante nodded, understanding.
"It is mostly just as I said. The Heavenly God Plane will become corporeal in the coming days. Only Divinities are eligible to enter, but that is all Divinities who have access to this realm, which includes the Dark God's forces."
"They can enter it too? I thought they didn't have access to that plane."
"They don't. And, since you definitely killed them all when you got back, it seems even more improbable for them to be able to reach that place, right?" Dante said.
Damien nodded. That was indeed what he thought.
"Unfortunately, that's not the case. Since they have a connection to our realm, it will invite them as well. It is an unbiased system, after all. As long as one is a Divinity, one has the opportunity to chase its benefits."
"Most people will immediately rush towards treasures. It is a chaotic event, but not one to be worried about. The main issue now that the Foreign Races are invited is the potential massacre of our strongest forces."
The Heavenly God Plane opening was really no different from any other secret realm opening. However, in the current situation, too many Gods and Demigods couldn't die. They were the most essential fighting force against the Dark God's armies, after all.
"You said that the energy there helps with ascension as well, right?"
Dante nodded in affirmation.
"If you stay there for a long enough period of time, then you will inevitably ascend. There is no doubt about it."
Damien didn't have much interest in secret realms anymore, but this case was special.
It could be so easily forgotten since he was already Unrecorded, but the universe still regarded him as a Demigod.
It was funny, right?
All of that about Edicts and ascension was inconsequential to him because Existence already brought him past it.
However, Damien encountered something odd.
He already had the keys to Nonexistence, but for some reason he couldn't use them.
As he looked at his soul, he found out why.
He still had the soul of a Demigod, but his Void Soul allowed him to carry the weight of Existence regardless.
If he wanted to add Nonexistence as well, however, then he needed to ascend to True Godhood and expand his soul space.
It wasn't like it would be hard for him to do so. Only, having the right environment was always important. A few months of effort could be transformed into only days, especially if the environment was as good as the Heavenly God Plane.
"I guess I have to participate too. When does it start?"
"Hmm...judging by the spatial chaos, anywhere between today and three days from now?" Dante responded.
"That's perfect."
Damien could get it out of the way before anything serious happened and focus on comprehending Nonexistence once he had properly unlocked the door.
His fight with the Dark God was fated to take place when he achieved a level where both concepts were equal.
After all, the Dark God wanted to fight him when they were at the same level.
'It won't be a waste since I can also take care of the idiots he sends. Rather than taking measures so that the fewest number possible die, I can preserve all of our Divine forces in a single move and instill some more loyalty in them while I'm at it.'
There was no reason for him to miss it.
Letting others chase treasures and gain the benefits of that realm also meant that the Heavenly World's fighting power would increase.
'Huu...'
Damien closed his eyes for a moment.
He could see the end of this road already.
All he needed to do was walk it.
And with that knowledge in his mind, he put aside the Heavenly God Plane's matters to focus on something he actually had an interest in.
The mood changed a little, so Dante also seemed to know what was coming.
Damien asked without hesitation. He knew that his father wanted to tell him the story just as much as he wanted to hear it.
"What happened to you?"
Dante Void, a tragic hero.
His tale was one that truly deserved to go down in history.