Cloud-free skies where the sun could freely spread its glory, a refreshing breeze, perfect temperature, and an overall peaceful atmosphere that couldn't be replicated.
Damien closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It'd be a lie to say he didn't miss this environment. Truthfully, the second his feet touched the ground, he felt like a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders.
But that was simply reality.
The Cloud Plane was a place where even the ambient mana was laced with a trace of battle intent. Even when one wasn't on guard, they'd subconsciously stay vigilant because the ambient mana forced them to do so. Like this, every second staying in the Cloud Plane could be labeled training.
But it was a kind of subtle training that would only show results in the long run.
Experiencing Apeiron's calm atmosphere was actually the first time Damien even realized the constant tense state his body was previously in.
But currently, that didn't matter much.
Damien had a single goal in coming it Apeiron. Perhaps he'd visit some old acquaintances and sightsee later, but his first priority would never change.
Damien spread his awareness, easily covering tens of thousands of kilometers. He soon found an inconspicuous mountain a few hundred kilometers to the north.
"I'll go over there and try to connect to the World Core. My relationship with Apeiron is already far deeper than what I had with the Cloud Plane, so it shouldn't take long. This world is pretty much 100% safe for 3rd class beings, so you guys can wander freely without worry. I'll come find you when I'm done."
After receiving nods from the girls, Damien immediately teleported to the mountain. No matter how much he wanted to just spend time with them and relax, he couldn't allow himself to do so.
As long as the work was finished, he'd have plenty of time to relax. But for now, he needed focus.
When he arrived on the mountain, he found himself an inconspicuous cave to meditate in. And once he sat down, he immediately submerged his consciousness into the earth.
This was completely different from how he contacted the other two World Cores, but for some reason, his instinct as a Celestial told him this much was more than enough to catch Apeiron's attention.
And his instinct was soon proven correct.
His consciousness was dragged away from his body, appearing like a hologram in a massive cave where the World Core presumably resided.
[You have finally come.]
Damien's eyes widened. He didn't expect the World Core to immediately speak to him.
[We have been waiting for you for many years. You achieved your class as a Celestial within us, so we assumed you would bind us immediately.]
Damien rubbed his head sheepishly. 'I was an idiot back then and didn't know how to properly wield my power. In fact, I only recently learned what my authority entails. I apologize for making you wait.'
[You are forgiven. As you are the fated one, we shall follow you wholeheartedly. Please bind us with your authority.]
Damien's widened eyes grew even wider. This World Core…was far different from the World Cores he had met so far.
Earth was like a child, so nothing needed to be said there. As for the Cloud Plane, it was cold and calculative like a machine. It didn't care about its people, it only cared about survival.
But Apeiron was like neither. With the way it was practically begging him to bind it, he could infer that it had far more emotion than Yun did. Perhaps it even held endearing feelings for the inhabitants on its surface.
[You are correct. There was once a man who could communicate with us. Although the level of communication cannot compare to a Celestial such as yourself, he was able to freely speak to us and hear our voice.]
It instantly clicked in Damien's head. 'Kurt Galloway. That guy did something amazing again.'
Damien sighed. Kurt wasn't a Celestial, he was a normal Spatial Grandmaster. It would've been different if he could communicate with the World Core after forming his Divinity, but it was unprecedented for him to do the same beforehand.
Kurt's talent was astonishing even to Damien.
'So, because of the time you spent with that man, you were able to develop emotions?' He asked curiously,
[We believe it is so. That man was the only outside influence we have experienced before meeting you.]
Damien furrowed his brow. It should've been obvious that the conditions in which they spent their lives would influence their personalities, since that was a completely normal thing for humans, but the ones Damien was thinking about were World Cores. He didn't think the rules of mere creations could be imposed on them.
But maybe that was just another naive thought. If plants could become sentient and even gain human form, who was to say that World Cores couldn't have emotion?
Although he enjoyed having Yun as an assistant, he couldn't talk to Yun casually…ignoring the occasional snarky comment that the latter sometimes made.
Damien smiled. It looked like his journey as a Celestial would never become boring. If World Cores really had differing personalities, he wanted to see how many of them he could experience.
'Well, then. There's nothing more for us to talk about. Let's form the contract.'
[That is currently impossible. As you have guessed before arriving, we have been heavily corrupted by foreign mana. You must remove this mana first.]
Damien grinned. 'Nice. My mana capacity will increase yet again.'
After voicing his agreement to the World Core, Damien experienced the familiar feeling of his body being transported to the location of his consciousness. And just like that, he found himself physically standing before the starlight-blue World Core:
Well, at least a portion of it was the original starlight-blue color. Around 50% of the World Core was made up of disgusting inky black mana instead.
Damien wanted to whistle at the sheer scale of corruption, but unfortunately, he didn't know how to. Due to this, he was forced to settle for sucking in a cold breath instead.
"Damn…" he spoke out loud. "Last time, it only took around a day. This time, I guess I'll need a week or more."
Damien clicked his tongue in annoyance. 'These damn Nox messing up my timetable. See how I deal with you after I find out where you stay at from the World Core.'
Snorting once more, Damien put his hand into the inky black mass and activated Devour.
And he kept devouring for a week straight without rest. His body actually felt more invigorated by the time he was done, considering how his mana capacity surpassed the 100,000 mark by 15,000 units.
Two threads of mana, one from Damien and the other from the World Core, met in the middle and entangled with each other. An eternal bond was formed between them in that moment.
[It is our honor to serve you, Master. We look forward to seeing what you will achieve.]
Damien cracked his neck to the side. 'You want results? That's easy enough. Just direct me where to go, and I'll kill every Nox bastard and traitor that dares to step foot in this world.'
[That is our wish as well. Whatever assistance you require, we will provide it to the best of our abilities.]
Damien grinned in response. As information poured into his mind through his connection with Apeiron, he only had one thought running through his head.
It was time to go hunting.
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