Damien was in a predicament at the moment.

pαndα`noνɐ1–сoМ

‘Fuck you, universe!’ Damien shouted inwardly, cursing the difficult position he was placed in.

‘I mean, yeah the planet is important and all, but come on…!’

He sighed in lament as he tried to ignore the fierce fluctuations slamming into his body from above. The pain was, of course, nothing, but the desire to watch the battle was simply too strong!

‘Damn Calypto, if you don’t want to lose my interest, keep me occupied! I’m the table in this relationship!’

The planet answered his call. Its surface rumbled fiercely, creating worldwide earthquakes that collapsed most manmade structures on the planet. Waves of black and blue mana drilled through the core of the world, seemingly attempting to hollow it out from the inside.

‘Fuck! Now is not the time to start communicating properly!’

Bam!

Damien slapped his palms deeper into the ground as if the tactile sensation would better connect him to the situation. He clenched fistfuls of rock and turned his wrists vigorously, remotely controlling the Void Mana infiltrating the World Core.

‘It’s really like a different world in here.’

They weren’t the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth, but they weren’t far off. Like minimized fragments of the universal law, strands of Law floated aimlessly through the slowly reforming World Core.

‘These are the foundational laws of the world, a microcosm that mirrors the universe’s overall set of laws.’

Damien was generally knowledgeable about the universe at a conceptual level. Rather than reality, he had spent far more time interacting with such concepts.

His consciousness was unconsciously pulled towards those fragments of Law.

The All-Seeing Eyes passively activated, removing the temptation the Laws emitted from Damien’s system.

‘Phew…’ Damien sighed in relief.

‘Now is not the time. Once I’ve bound this World Core, it won’t be too late to understand its complexities.’

Damien could feel it in his soul. A World Core that was partially of his own creation…

Would be a completely different existence than a regular World Core.

***

5 minutes passed.

Damien’s purification of the World Core was roughly 25% complete.

Above, the battle remained roughly the same as it was before.

The two experts were fighting, but neither of them desired the destruction of the terrain. Even if their reasoning was different, the end goal was the same.

As a result, the number of large-area or destructive skills being used was negligible. Instead, an intricate battle of Laws and close combat was taking place.

To parry was to create an opening, to strike was to kill.

Park Jinho had always been a swordsman who followed these rules, aiming to end every battle with at most two swings of his swords.

His body was large and stocky, but his affinities forced him to adopt a more lithe and graceful combat style.

It was an oddly contradictory sight to watch his massive body maneuvering as if it weighed nothing, but Park Jinho wasn’t ashamed of his style at all.

This unconventional style was the exact skill that allowed him to reach his current position.

The amount of effort he’d put into perfecting his swordplay and basic movements was unholy.

And as a result…

‘Sixty-Three Faces of Water, 16th Face: Absolute Boundary’

It was a skill usually used during large brawls, but the Saint Emperor possessed more power than any number of men combined.

Each of his punches could crush a mountain with ease, each of his kicks could split the seas. His body seemed to be made out of the universe’s strongest materials with the way he never broke.

Park Jinho’s twin swords began to move like water to counter this gargantuan force.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The swords moved like butterflies flitting through the air. Each of the Saint Emperor’s strikes was met by a blade that expertly parried them and transferred the battle’s momentum into Park Jinho’s hands.

“Hahaha! How fun!” The Saint Emperor laughed wildly as he continued his assault. His fists were coated in terrifying extermination mana that threatened to kill Park Jinho whenever it came close.

Each strike wasn’t just powerful, but extremely dexterous as well. Despite Park Jinho’s attempts to make distance between them, the Saint Emperor’s fists always managed to make their way into his blind spots to strike him.

Absolute Boundary gave the human commander the first moment of respite he’d tasted since the battle started.

But of course, he wasn’t one to merely sit still and wait.

If Absolute Boundary merely deflected attacks, wasn’t it too domineering to give it such a name?

Park Jinho’s swords glowed with strange murky light as he continued deflecting and parrying the Saint Emperor’s attacks.

The light continuously grew, and as the Saint Emperor threw a surprise kick at Park Jinho’s stomach…

‘Release.’

Park Jinho crossed his swords and sliced in an X, his blades aiming for the Saint Emperor’s unguarded chest.

’17th Face: Weight of Water’

A fluctuation of laws covered the murky energy around the sword blades as they slashed. The energy abruptly became tens or even hundreds of times heavier, and as the swords finished their crescent arcs, the energy went flying towards its target.

SHIIIIIING!

BOOOOOOOOM!

The Saint Emperor’s own energy was returned to him, compressed and consolidated by the weight of an ocean. The Saint Emperor’s body went flying, chunks of black gunk flying from his form.

“Haa…haa…”

Park Jinho stood silent and caught his breath. His eyes stared warily at where the Saint Emperor’s body landed, waiting for the man to make another move.

‘7 more min—’

“Bastard!”

Park Jinho’s figure blurred and reappeared in front of Damien, slashing out and countering another stream of invisible energy that almost struck the young genius.

“Blight Emperor, you bastard! How dare you use such petty tricks?!”

“Hahaha! This battle has been my loss since its start. Why shouldn’t I use any means possible to enjoy the time before I must retreat?”

“Is this a game to you?!”

“Weren’t you already aware of this fact?”

“Grr!”

Park Jinho tried to charge again, but he was forced to halt immediately.

Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!

His swords cut through the air and decimated multiple invisible projectiles.

‘Ranged combat? This is more advantageous for me!’

Park Jinho withdrew his swords and brought his hands together.

His swordsmanship was his best attack method, but it was far from his most effective and versatile.

When it came to battle, unless he was facing an opponent he respected, Park Jinho rarely brought out his blades.

Instead…

He used the abilities that granted him the title “Poseidon.”

The seas raged outside the barrier. Even though they couldn’t answer Park Jinho’s calls, they showed their fervent desire to do so.

Luckily, a sea wasn’t necessary for Poseidon to show his power.

He could merely conjure his own.

‘Multi-cast: Barrier’

‘Elemental Summoning: Aquarius’

‘Sea God’s Dominion’

Multiple things happened at once.

Damien and Park Jinho were covered by a thick array of barriers.

A beautiful ethereal woman appeared behind Park Jinho and wrapped her arms around his neck.

And with his hand outstretched, Park Jinho became a God of the Sea, ready to unleash his wrath onto his enemies.