Chapter 1289 Cosmic Rebirth [10]
Most of the Void Physique's newly unlocked abilities, now that it was fully unsealed, were hidden until Damien could find them.
However, there were also several that amounted to direct changes in his body and soul.
The Void Physique wasn't just his body. It was everything that made him, the entire vessel his ego inhabited, including his soul.
That was why harmony was so important. With disharmony, he could only somewhat exceed the limits of reality while still being held back, disallowing him from reaching the level of Demigods like the Marionette Lord and Immortal Blood Asura.
Now that harmony was achieved, Damien's vessel could experience the full effects.
His soul space expanded and reached an almost impossible size. The hidden cavity in which his laws resided became visible to him whenever he wished to see and alter it.
His comprehension skills would be heightened immensely purely due to this change, even putting aside the changes in his spiritual world.
His soul state also gave him another ability, similar to the All-Seeing Eyes, but more intuitive.
It was a sort of absolute perception.
It didn't near omnipotence, of course, and it had nothing to do with his awareness of the surroundings. It was more like...he could learn everything about a person from a glance. n(-OVelBIn
Whether it be their habits, their thoughts, their character, or anything else, it'd be revealed to him as if it was never hidden.
It was a mystical ability that appeared when his soul connected to the All-Seeing Eyes, and though Damien was still unable to see it, the eyes themselves had changed in both his body and in his status window.
Of the soul-based abilities, the one that was most basic yet most vital was likely "protection."
With the Void taking root in his vessel, his soul received absolute protection from harm similar to how the Void Physique protected his body from foreign energy.
This protection was much more far-reaching, however, and made sure nothing could perturb his soul unless it was far above his league and unstoppable.
Then, one also had to look at his body.
In truth, there weren't nearly as many changes to the body itself.
Once it was totally merged with the Void Physique, all of its uniqueness blended into his systems. His traits disappeared and became regular parts of his body, and the same process was mirrored by everything else.
It wasn't that they were leaving. If Damien wanted, he could still easily use [Storm] or [Heal], however, rather than being defined as "traits" they were now in a state where they simply existed as part of his body, just like his heart or lungs.
His blood became robust, his systems melted into his physique and became impenetrable, and, in essence, Damien gained an immortal body.
No matter how many times it was broken down, as long as his soul existed, his body could not be killed, and as long as his body existed, his soul could not be killed.
Whether or not he could die was still a question, though, because there was no guarantee he'd experience something like Nonexistence again if both body and soul were eradicated together.
But, while all these changes took place, Damien was in a completely different place.
To put it simply, he was drowning in his own Divinity.
It wasn't a dangerous thing. In fact, it was a necessary step for him to truly understand what he was creating.
Divinity was too ethereal of a concept. Most people tried to rationalize it while they built it, which led to the systems currently in place, but Damien didn't do that at all.
He threw everything inside of it, embracing its ethereal nature and choosing to approach it the same way.
His Divinity was truly a reflection of him, but at the same time, it wasn't anything of the sort.
It was like he created a Divinity for his future self, and his current self had to work hard to reach even the starting line to use it properly.
This was definitely holding him back in the short term. His growth rate would be slow, and he probably wouldn't grow at all for months or years at a time, but it was all worth the disadvantages.
Because once he reached the starting line, he'd be able to race like nobody ever was before him.
This Divinity...
Damien created a Divinity that, in terms of league, was only a single step below Godhood. It was quite insane to even consider.
'What is this...power?'
Damien wondered as he allowed his Divinity to entrap him.
It felt like mana, but it was far higher. It wasn't quite Divine Energy, but it was just as powerful.
'Is this...me?'
It was an energy.
Damien remembered when he faced the Envoy in Al'Katra. That man also used a strange "energy" he'd never seen before.
This wasn't that, of course, but in the same way, he found himself in possession of an energy that wasn't mana.
'Is this even possible?'
He couldn't deny that it was.
'Then, is this what I'll be using from now on?'
It seemed problematic at first glance. In a place where mana was the energy ambient in the atmosphere, wasn't it a terrible idea to use something else?
'No, this transmutes and can be transmuted.'
His spiritual body raised its hand. The energy around him easily changed form with just a single thought from him.
In one moment it was Void Essence, in the next it was mana, and for a second, he even replicated the strange energy the Envoy used.
'This...is this what it means to control existence?'
All energies that existed could be controlled by him, and his mana was simply a malleable energy that could become anything he wished for it to be.
'Hahaha...'
He resolved himself to do it properly this time, but it seemed he failed in the best way possible.
He made a Divinity that could alter itself. The base concepts would always remain the same, but he could change his nature as he pleased due to it.
'How amazing...'
Damien could somewhat understand the situation in the outside world.
As his Divinity became more defined, his senses slowly returned to his body one by one.
The Heavenly Order still existed and was still sending waves of energy cascading over his body, which meant his Rebirth was technically still in process.
'But, I don't think much else needs to change.'
Rather, he felt quite complete already.
He didn't feel the elation of growing stronger or the excitement of breaking the boundary to becoming a higher existence. He felt calm, as if his current state was natural.
As if this was how it was always meant to be.
'Then...'
The spiritual form Damien smiled happily.
'I should use this time that's been given to me.'
Since he still had time within the barrier until his Divinity took shape, he could use it as he pleased.
And until he left this place, he'd become as strong as possible.
So that nobody could threaten him.
'So that I can finally reach "his" level.'
He had a clear goal and a way to get there.
Now, all that was left was a silent road of comprehension and growth.