In the deepest depths of the unnamed world on which Niflheim was built, the world that was once known as Asgard, a fierce wind blew.

It was a truly terrifying wind, a wind that could shred a peak 4th-class existence to pieces the instant it touched them. This powerful wind was blowing and creating large cave formations near the heart of the world.

But the movements were truly odd.

For many breaths, it would flow in one direction. And once that reached its peak, the wind would suddenly reverse, rushing just as fiercely in the opposite direction.

This cycle continued on and on, and if one observed it for long enough, they’d notice that it somewhat resembled…

Breathing!

The being whose mere breaths could kill peak experts awoke from its endless slumber. Even though its breath was traveling, no visage of a nose or mouth could be seen anywhere, nor could the being’s eyes be spotted.

Regardless, it stood true that this being finally awoke. Its thoughts slowly adjusted to its new condition, its monstrous awareness spreading soon after.

But not a single being sensed its gaze.

‘Hmm, has the seed that You planted finally blossomed?’

The being’s gaze traveled to a certain bedroom. While those in Evotech would never notice anything wrong with this room, this being was naturally different.

‘Hmm, it hasn’t quite blossomed, but it is in partial bloom. No matter. This King has been slumbering for untold millennia, waiting a mere few months or years means nothing.’

The being couldn’t help but smile. Somewhere on the world’s surface, a mountain range imploded and turned into a valley.

‘I have been awaiting you for so long, my little seedling. Keke, bloom to your full potential and spread your wings. Only then will you be ripe for my enjoyment.’

The labored breaths of that being slowly became restrained, the fierce winds calming down.

The being returned to its rest, eagerly waiting for its precious seedling to blossom.

***

Within Evotech Headquarters, the North and East Wings were meant for research-related buildings. Whether that be labs, workshops, forges, or anything else the researchers needed, it could all be found in these two wings.

As for the South Wing, naturally, it was the residential area.

The final wing was the West Wing, which was solely used for business and management-related jobs.

However, it was also the main office of Evotech’s CEO and his closest aides. Whenever something came up that needed his attention, he could arrive in an instant.

Currently, such a situation was taking place.

It was the immediate next day after Damien’s advent, and all four scientists had been found missing. Following this, Evotech Headquarters went on complete lockdown.

Massive barriers covered the entire headquarters. And it had to be known, the headquarters was a massive complex.

It housed hundreds of thousands of people at least. For this, the size needed to be at least that of a small city.

But this entire area, including the sky above it, was secluded from the outside world by a massive metallic dome.

Naturally, this wasn’t merely a mechanical device. Mana coated every inch of the metal, both bolstering its defense and giving it the properties of lightning so any who attempted escape would be directly incinerated.

A fierce investigation was going to be performed from this moment on. There wasn’t a single member safe from this. And for this occasion, the president himself was called in.

A man slowly appeared within the penthouse office of the main building. His hair was slicked back and jet black, his eyes a frightening shade of red.

“What’s the situation?” He asked indifferently, not bothering with anything around him.

The secretary who was awaiting his arrival quickly gave him the rundown, to which he nodded without care.

“Very well. Carry on as you please. If you truly require my assistance, I shall aid you.”

The president turned away from the secretary and sat at his desk. His eyes closed as if he was deep in thought.

Seeing him in this state, the secretary quietly sighed and left. When the president got like this, he would only return to reality when he desired to.

Instead of relying on his help, the secretary began putting together an investigation unit. Every member of the security force was immediately queued in to the situation as well.

While Evotech entered lockdown due to his actions, the man himself was pretending as if nothing happened.

After all, it was impossible to trace it back to him.

Damien Grey didn’t have a spatial affinity, and Damien himself had an alibi for what he was doing that night.

As for what the alibi was…that was a story for another time.

Currently, Damien was sitting on the master bed with Aishia, his hands gently running across her wrists and fingers.

Despite the seemingly intimate actions, neither party looked aroused in the slightest.

In fact, while Aishia was trying to suppress her surprise, Damien’s expression was that of utmost focus.

Small wisps of mana flickered from his fingertips and submerged into Aishia’s skin. As Damien’s hand moved across hers, he felt a strange sort of reverberation.

‘What is this?’

When he asked Aishia if he could probe her mana utilization method, she had been more than just a little confused. But, Damien didn’t quite know how to explain it without revealing everything about himself.

But, he did tell her about the Cloud Plane’s meridians system. After all, this much was common knowledge.

And Aishia naturally didn’t have meridians. She also confirmed that her method of mana utilization was indeed a more advanced version of what everyone in this world practiced, including those in Niflheim. Even if the structure was more complex, the base concept was the same.

p anda nOvel.cO,m Since the concept of meridians interested her, Aishia started to understand what Damien wanted to see from her. So in exchange for Damien allowing Aishia to probe his own Mana Circuit, he was given the opportunity to probe hers.

And to Damien…this was the best deal possible.

He hid his grin as he pushed more mana into Aishia’s body. ‘The Ananta Matrix is far more sophisticated than it was when I first met Master. Not only that, but the power difference between me and Aishia isn’t nearly as great. If it’s her, it shouldn’t be a problem.’

Damien smiled slyly. He couldn’t wait for her to probe him so he could try it out. But until then, he focused on what his senses were showing him.

“Strange!” Damien couldn’t help but comment.

Meridians of the Cloud Plane, Mana Circuits of Apeiron, Mana Circles and Veins of Earth, and finally…

Nodes of Niflheim.

Aishia’s circuit was best described as nodal. In actuality, there were no more than 12 places in Aishia’s body where mana was concentrated.

Starting from her two ankles, next was both her knees. Her arms followed the same configuration, with a node on each wrist and elbow joint. Lastly, three nodes represented the three sections of her spine, and a final one sat at her nape.

“Could you move your mana for me?” Damien asked, far more politely than he had ever spoken before.

What he was doing was practically prying into her secrets, and while Aishia herself didn’t seem to know, Damien would have a guilty conscience if he didn’t at least show some courtesy.

Not understanding his complex emotion, Aishia simply followed what he said, mobilizing mana into her wrist.

Bzzt!

Blue flickering sparks of mana popped out of her wrist like firecrackers, but Damien didn’t pay attention to their spectacle.

He was too fascinated by what he’d just seen.