Void Evolution System Chapter 1890: Clash of the Titans [19]

Within the crushing gloom, Damien's physical form was utterly annihilated. With both his corporeal frame and soul extinguished, he was, for all intents and purposes, deceased.

The mortal entity recognized as Damien Void had been wiped out; however, he had long since transcended the limitations of a human soul and body. As a Supreme, his being reacted to the threat of extinction exactly as a Supreme’s should.

His presence persisted. Amidst the obsidian vacuum, his Legend radiated with such intensity that it carved out a space for his continued existence. Anchored to his very essence, the Void Soul and Void Physique remained intact, prepared to manifest at any moment.

Under normal circumstances, such a state would be an advantage. In this form, Damien was virtually indestructible, and with the promise of resurrection, even being pushed into a corner would rarely result in true peril.

The Dark God, however, posed a unique threat because he could strike at things others could not perceive. Once he succeeded in erasing Damien's physical shell, his objective shifted. Realizing that simply overlaying the Worldwalker's fate onto his foe wasn't yielding the desired result, he pivoted his tactics.

He began targeting the fundamental anchors holding Damien together. Systematically, he dismantled the Legend from its inception to its conclusion. He assaulted the remnants of his form, striving to pulverize every source of his power.

Every bond Damien had forged as a Celestial was severed. The World Core Fusion Reactor, previously overseen by the fragmented Universal Core known as Reva, vanished. His internal spiritual realm was purged of all he had built, regressing into a featureless, flat expanse.

Though his physical body was gone, its traits were still encoded within his essence. The Dark God struck there, forcibly regressing his bloodline back to his original human state. He stripped away his unique traits, including his regeneration, doing everything in his power to unravel the very existence of the Void Physique.

A soul and body tempered by the Void were supposed to be invincible, yet the Dark God had evolved into an entity that was the direct antithesis of that concept. Having drawn so close to the Void himself, even these primordial aspects were forced to yield to his will.

This was Damien’s ultimate trial. Regardless of his actions or the unfolding tragedy, the Void would offer no assistance.

He was faced with a binary outcome: transcend this moment to become Absolute, or perish in obscurity. The Void’s cold indifference left him no middle ground.

That Damien was fading away was undeniable, yet he remained unconcerned. Tucked away in the most profound depths of his being, his ego was preoccupied with a different endeavor.

He was communicating with Existence and Nonexistence. As he grasped the nature of their duality, he began to weave a bridge between them.

With every passing heartbeat, the light of his essence grew fainter. Yet, with that same cadence, his two core concepts drew closer to unification.

If Existence and Nonexistence were viewed as two halves of a black-and-white puzzle, the majority of the pieces were already settled.

Only ten pieces remained missing at the very center, leaving the dark and light halves disconnected from one another.

One by one, Damien began to set those pieces into place.

Nine… eight… seven…

Six… five… four…

In this state, his rate of comprehension reached a velocity he had never before experienced. The pieces locked into place seamlessly; now that Damien was reduced to this extremity, Existence and Nonexistence were forced to make a decision.

Inevitably, either he or the Dark God would emerge as the representative for these forces. In the eyes of his own concepts, Damien was the superior choice, causing their internal conflict to cease.

They threw their support behind his will, embracing him as their total master. Through that surrender, his progress accelerated exponentially.

It was enough to lead him to a pivotal epiphany.

Time was of the essence. Only a few moments had elapsed since Damien’s destruction, yet his essence was being consumed at a terrifying speed.

His light had become so dim it was almost invisible. It was shielded only by a thin, transparent membrane that the Dark God struggled to pierce.

Nevertheless, nothing could withstand such a relentless and violent assault indefinitely.

The light of his essence nearly flickered out of reality. Damien stood at the precipice of true death, his entire being on the verge of being swallowed by the incarnation of envy.

Yet, that final instant stretched into an eternity. For a single second, the light vanished completely, before a shift occurred in the behavior of the envious entity.

Abruptly, the creature recoiled as if seized by panic. As the darkness pulled back, a tiny spark emerged. Though no larger than a speck of dust, it was unmistakable light.

Damien was still there. He refused to let the jaws of death claim him.

Instead, he had exposed the very nucleus of his being to bait the Dark God. He utilized the sensation of total erasure to bridge the final gaps in his understanding.

Finally, Damien perceived it. On the thin line separating life and death, the state of an Absolute—once a mere myth—became a tangible reality.

Even the tale of the Worldwalker hinted at this: Absolutes were beings who moved closer to selflessness than any other. To reach that rank, one had to transcend the identity of a mere individual.

It was a requirement to evolve beyond that point, becoming an entity that defied definition by existing laws, concepts, or their nonexistent counterparts.

What Damien felt on the verge of annihilation was the freezing touch of the Void—a sensation his body had been shielded from during his previous visit.

Back then, he lacked the strength to survive it, so it remained hidden. But now, things were different.

He felt it vividly, and through that sensation, he attained the catalyst needed to become something more than himself.

‘So that’s it,’ Damien realized.

A qualitative transformation surged through his essence. This was the moment he had been moving toward his entire life.

Ever since the World Awakening, those mysterious asterisks had sat in his status window. He had questioned them many times, but never searched too deeply. Eventually, they had become a background detail he no longer cared to solve.

However, that mystery was the most vital part of his essence. It was the reason he could endure the Dark God's onslaught even while reduced to pure energy.

The title within Damien’s status window finally unveiled itself, and its power became manifest.

‘It was this all along. At this moment, I shall become… infinite.’

He had to sever his ties to the mortal realm, if only for a fleeting instant. To be an Absolute who remained connected to the world, he first had to touch infinity.

His essence erupted. Every component that defined the mind, body, and soul of “Damien Void” was broken down.

[Child of Infinity]

For that heartbeat, the title was the only thing that existed in reality.

It was the title that dictated his destiny, a name granted solely to him.

It was a declaration that regardless of the circumstances, his path was always destined to be infinite.

And it was the key that finally threw open the gates to the Void.