“Hoo…”

Damien took a deep breath. He could feel the evolution of his body finalizing. It meant that within a few minutes, his 30-minute timer would begin.

Are you prepared?

‘Is there any way for me to prepare for a situation like this?’ Damien smiled wryly.

Nevertheless, you do not look nervous. Your disposition is admirable.

‘Well, I just have to stop thinking about the negatives and I’m fine. I’m an expert at running away from my problems.’

…

‘I’m kidding…well, partially kidding. I do have a plan, but I don’t know how feasible it is until I try it. How long will I have before being sent out of the secret realm?’

Will you collect the geniuses here? They are too preoccupied with their greed to care for your help.

‘Hmm, I don’t care about the rest of them, but those three who took the green fruits are my comrades, so I’ll take them out. As for the rest, sending them out normally is fine. Whether or not they survive is their fate.’

I do not know whether to call you apathetic or mindful of the bigger picture. Regardless, I will not tell you how to live your life. All I ask is that you complete the favor I’ve asked for.

‘Senior, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m not such an ungrateful person that I’d take all the gifts you’ve given me without repaying anything. Besides, I owe you a life-saving grace, don’t I?’

Damien felt like he could see Alaric’s smirk as he spoke.

Your evolution has been completed. The blood rituals are also reaching their end. I wish you good luck in your future journeys. And please, get rid of the scourge that has plagued our universe once and for all.

Damien nodded heavily. ‘I’ll listen to your words.’

In the next second, he found himself back in the Primordial Undying Realm. Even though three days had passed, skirmishes for the red fruits were still taking place. It seemed like it would continue until only enough geniuses to match the number of fruits were left alive.

But Damien didn’t care about that. The instant he appeared in the real world once more. He teleported onto the green layer of the Primordial Undying Tree in front of Feng Qing’er.

“I have no time to explain, but I apologize in advance.”

He put his hand on her shoulder and forced her into the Sanctuary. After his evolution from eating the purple fruit, the power difference between the two was too large for her to resist.

After finishing up with Feng Qing’er, he moved over to Lunaria and did the same. Finally, he appeared before Ruyue.

“Although I wish we could have a tearful and happy reunion, the circumstances seem to be hellbent on preventing it.” He said wryly.

Ruyue looked into his eyes seriously. “You’ve matured since the last time we saw each other. I feel a little sad that I couldn’t be there with you, but it can’t be helped. As for the joyous reunion, we can have it once everything is over.”

Damien smiled and nodded. Without any prior notice, he wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her to his chest, pressing his lips against hers,

“Until then, I can only leave you with this. Don’t miss me too much while I’m gone.”

Ruyue was too shocked to answer, but before she could regain her senses, she had been sent into the Sanctuary.

“Haa…that concludes things in here. Hun Fang and Qing Tan…it isn’t the right time for me to take those two under me.”

He could clearly see how discontent they were with their circumstances when he watched them through Alaric’s eyes. But, it was more beneficial to him if they returned to the Nox for now.

“They’re probably being monitored, so I can’t act rashly. Next time we meet, let’s see if I can properly save you from your fates.”

Not even a minute had passed, but this was better for him. 30 minutes. The Primordial Undying Realm was an incredibly vast area that was as large as, if not larger than, the United States. To travel across that area multiple times within 30 minutes, he needed as much time as he could get.

He smirked to himself as he had the thought. ‘Didn’t I just acquire the perfect means to gain more time?’

A portal opened up in front of his body. Without hesitation, he stepped through it.

The fresh scent and vitality that filled the 3000 Beast Mountain Range filled his nostrils. The bustling streets of Taesi colored his eyes. He was finally back.

‘I have no time to enjoy the scenery though. What a shame.’

His awareness spread to cover the entire city. Within moments, he was able to find the location of the Elf Queen.

Well, considering that her residence stood out from the rest, it wasn’t too hard to do so.

‘Won’t they make a scene if I barge in? I guess Senior’s seal will hell with that when the time comes.’

His figure vanished from the air, appearing in front of the Elf Queen’s abode. Although he wanted to teleport directly inside, there was a powerful barrier stopping him from doing so.

He put his hand out and touched it. When he did, the seal reacted and shined with emerald green light. A gap was formed in the barrier, allowing his passage.

‘Thank god. Going through the formal processes alone would’ve taken up at least a third of my time.’

He teleported once again, appearing in the location where he sensed the Elf Queen’s presence.

When he reappeared, a blade was pressed against his neck.

“Who are you?” The Elf Queen glared at him. A powerful pressure enveloped his body.

“I have no time to explain.” He responded. He held his hand up and flashed the seal on it. “What does this mean to you?”

The Elf Queen’s blade wavered. At the same time, a formless domain enveloped the duo.

“This is…time distortion?” The Elf Queen muttered in shock.

“Ah, I’m on a time crunch, so it’s necessary. But even with this, I’ve only extended my time limit to an hour so I can’t chat much. So tell me, what does this seal mean to you?”

The Elf Queen put away her blade. Without hesitation, she got down on her knees and bowed before Damien.

“By law, the bearer of the Ancestral Seal can be considered the Lord and Master of our Southern Elf Clan and all other Elf Clans of the same origin. It holds the same power as a Progenitor of our race.”

Damien marveled at the seal on his hand. ‘Senior is really putting too much trust in me. What if I was a terrible person? Actually, I know for sure that I’d be a **ty ruler.’

But the “why” no longer mattered since the seal was already in his hands. It was just a matter of how he chose to use his newfound status.

“Gather as many as you can from your race within 10 minutes. Anyone who can’t gather in that time will die.”

“W-what are you?” The Elf Queen stuttered. If it wasn’t for the seal on Damien’s hand, she would’ve killed him instantly.

But the seal wasn’t a mere representation of status. Damien just didn’t know its power yet. In fact, because Damien possessed the Ancestral Seal, his commands could be forced onto the Elven Race. Even the Queen, a 4th class existence, would be forced to obey.

Not to mention, she wasn’t allowed to take any hostile action against him. Such was the power of the seal.

But Damien was still in the dark about this. He didn’t even pay attention to the Elf Queen’s confusion. He was scanning Taesi to see if the rest of the Clan Heads who had come were still present.

‘Tch. It seems like I’m forced to do some leg work…’

“L-Lord…” The Elf Queen hesitantly said. It still felt awkward for her to call someone else so formally, not to mention a boy that was far weaker and younger than her. “What exactly did you mean when you said all who don’t gather will die?”

Damien clapped his hands. “Ah, right, I guess that’s something that needs explanation. Hmm, what’s the easiest way to say this…”

“In 30 minutes, the 3000 Beast Mountain Range will be razed to the ground.”