Void Evolution System

Damien and the Dark God would both be disallowed from interfering in the war actively. This meant that other than each other, they were not allowed to fight anyone from the other side.

A binding vow to the Heavens meant nothing to either of them. The Heavens could not contain them anymore, so those vows were meant to be broken.

Between them, the pact had to be placed into the folds of both Existence and Nonexistence, ensuring that they would lose everything if they chose to disobey.

Damien didn't know why the Dark God was catering to him so much.

This was not the same as the Saint Emperor in the slightest.

That man catered to Damien first because he dreamed of taking the Void Physique for himself and later because he understood that his role was meant for Damien from the start. The Saint Emperor ended up entrusting Damien with his legacy, as he raised him for that purpose even when he himself was unaware.

The Dark God had no similarities to that man. He didn't care about the Void Physique. Hell, Damien doubted if he even knew of its Existence.

It wasn't that he didn't have an interest in swallowing Damien, but it had nothing to do with his overarching plan.

Unlike the Saint Emperor, the time he put into this cosmos was inconsequential. This was just one of his many conquests that he was especially having fun with.

He was raising Damien because he wanted to see him suffer and fail. Those words he spoke when they first met made that part obvious.

Just…

The "why" of it all just didn't exist. Not from Damien's perspective, at least.

'I can't read his Existence yet.'

It was more of a problem than expected.

'But there are more important things to do now than worry about it.'

The Dark God could definitely just mass-produce Gods to wear down the Heavenly World's defenses, but he would not do that.

He wanted the entire world enveloped in war. From the common people to the Supremes, he would provide them with enemies so they could struggle for their lives.

'That doesn't mean we won't be overwhelmed by forces.'

They also needed a way to mass-produce Gods. A way that came naturally, not something like enslaving souls.

'Okay.'

Damien closed his eyes and reopened them. His mana etched itself into the piece of papyrus that proceeded to float in the air and meld into the folds of reality. The corpse liquid of the envoy vanished, and Damien stood up.

First things first, he had to inform his people about what happened.

And after that…

It was time for the general public to learn the truth about everything.

***

It happened just like that.

Damien informed his family about his deal with the Dark God and his exclusion from the war. Claire and Serena instantly went to work. As they were the ones who had been most involved in the palace's matters in recent times, they had also become its face.

It was better if they, Gods trusted by all as the strongest in the world, were the ones to break the news.

To learn that the world was going to end if they didn't win this war would be a fact that not many could rationalize. However, with the current state of the world and the people's loyalty to the palace, it wasn't a question if they'd rise to the occasion.

Damien entrusted such tasks to his family members. He would be there when the most important moment came, but until then, he had to focus on himself.

His personal growth was the most integral factor affecting the outcome of it all. Now that he had a sufficient opportunity, he was going to enter seclusion and train quietly.

In the meantime, he could send a clone into the world to manage the armies, allowing him to multitask efficiently.

The next few months or years would be very, very busy.

So, before everything started to spiral, Damien wanted to see his wives at least one more time.

***

Within the next week, Damien traveled across the world to meet his wives where they were.

He had already visited Iris and he'd been spending most of his time since coming back from Arulion with Rose. As such, he decided to visit Ruyue first.

She was the one he hadn't seen in the longest time. And, she was the one with the least definite path at the moment.

Ruyue was definitely stronger than the rest by a large margin now. But, without her emotions or feelings, she couldn't feel comfortable with herself.

Only when Damien was present did she find herself able to express anything. Being trapped in a cage of her own mind, forced to yearn for the emotions she once felt, she had suffered.

Originally, she was sent out for a different reason. Damien, knowing that she would be leaving the palace for the first time, guided her just slightly.

He convinced her to stay out, so when she finished dealing with the Straea Clan back then, she was able to go on a journey of self-discovery.

What did it lead to?

Well, there wasn't much for Ruyue to find. Her emotionless state allowed her to analyze herself more bluntly than ever before. She was able to perfectly categorize herself and gain control over her sense of self.

She was just looking for emotions.

She didn't know how. She was just experiencing life and hoping they'd return to her.

The path to fight against her curse was actually simple in the most difficult possible way.

All she had to do was become a being above the Heavens so the pact she signed with them would be nullified.

Just…

Now that Ruyue also had to chase the undefined and become Unrecorded, she was lost.

She and Elena were the two who actually had a desire to reach that level. Iris was more than content with stopping as a Supreme God and Rose didn't care as long as her lifespan was secured.

Elena already had her path.

Whether she'd become Unrecorded or not depended entirely on her own effort, but if she kept moving the way she was, then with a little push from Damien she'd be able to touch upon the base of that level.

After all, Elena was an Empress now. She had found the remnants of the Valkyrie civilization from which her bloodline originated.

She found the traces of her parents, Gods of the past who did not have the same fortune as Damien's parents.

Rather, they were crippled and fell to the lower universe and had no possibility of regaining their power. They chose Earth as the appropriate world to leave their child after sensing Dante's presence there, but after exhausting their energy to do so, they lost their lives.

What they left behind was a hollow civilization. Elena had taken its mantle and was already working on reviving the Valkyrie bloodline through the gifts she attained in the ruins of the old Valkyrie world.

In the past months, she had been gathering descendants of the Valkyries and creating a kingdom of her own. Through her endeavors, she learned a lot about the administrative duties she usually left to others and the leadership ability she lacked.

She naturally became more powerful as well. Her bloodline finally had its opportunity to shine.

Her advantages were less than Damien's, but having Divine parents and a strong lineage were very important factors that would contribute to her rise.

Ruyue…

Well, she wasn't alone.

Ruyue and Rose had the lowest status among Damien's wives in terms of ancestry.

Rose's indifference to power made it a nonissue, but if Ruyue wanted to continue on a path to becoming Unrecorded, then she needed more than just the Xue Clan lineage and unique talent that took her this far.

Damien wanted to help not only her, but all of them on their individual paths as he once again left them for a long period.

And he knew exactly how he was going to do it.