He felt blessed to be able to avoid such dangers easily, but he was given another reminder that this was not the product of his own power. He had yet to reach a level where he could comfortably touch the sky.
Damien put away stray thoughts. While he was being guided to his destination, he focused on the ever-changing nothingness around him.
This place was unique. If it weren't for the vanished egos around him, there wouldn't have been a way for him to actually understand that he was moving in any specific direction.
This vein of Nonexistence was untouched by his hands thus far, but it was also the closest to him. His ego personally experienced this space from the perspective of one who died. He felt the grasp of Nonexistence turning him into nothingness clearly back then.
Now that he'd found a way to experience that same feeling from a secure position, all of the thoughts he had back then turned into concrete comprehension that deepened his ability to control the facets of Nonexistence.
The journey was both short and long. Naturally, there was no way to perceive time, so it could be said to have ended almost instantly.
Nevertheless, the overwhelming environment made every second feel like a year. Every single piece of that space took Damien ages to observe and understand, lengthening his perception.
Still, the end goal was never the space itself. It was the singular treasure contained in this deep nothingness.
'The Crown's Shadow.'
It was not necessarily a crown of its own. Damien was already wearing the crown after all.
It was the second half of an already complete structure, a piece of it that was always present but never seen.
As such, the second crown became a shadow of the first, unseen by those unworthy of its presence.
When Damien arrived at the crown, he was only able to see it because the owl highlighted it in its aura.
Its physical form was specifically designed to evade the sight of a Supreme, so it was only natural for Damien to miss it.
'If only I could use the Void…'
The Void would reveal these things to him easily. It would probably allow him to comprehend this space at a faster rate as well.
However, he couldn't use it. No matter how much he wanted to, he could not use its power.
The fourth island had to be the final time, because even then he only used it to check on his progress.
Damien could tell after his encounter with the entity that it would be watching him closely from now on. If he wanted to cut corners and do things the easy way, it would remember his actions.
Compared to his grand dream of ruling the Void, what was a little bit of effort? If he couldn't put in the work, then the Void would simply never accept him as its master.
At times like these, wishing for the Void was only meaningless complaining. From start to finish, Damien had no intention of receiving its help.
He was doing just fine on his own, wasn't he?
The careful steps he took on the four islands before this one, the methodical approach he took in comprehending Nonexistence; together, these two culminated into a foundation that caused even the owl to willingly choose him without a fuss.
The guide was supposed to be convinced by one's actions or achievements. In most cases, those achievements didn't reach the qualifications the guide was searching for, so one would need to prove their worth in the moment.
While following the owl, Damien determined that it was satisfied with what he'd accomplished thus far and chose him because he fulfilled its conditions beforehand.
That was a product of entirely his own effort.
Damien looked at the Crown's Shadow and extended his hand to touch it.
For a moment, he felt another sense of absolute nothingness wash over him, but it was not hostile.
The shadow read his existence and confirmed the owl's presence. It ensured that he truly was worthy of its power, and when it sensed the Emperor's Crown that eternally sat atop Damien's head…
How could it think about rejection?
If even that extremely picky Emperor's Crown chose an owner after so long, then what right did it have to disagree?
It seemed the person it chose was more than just adequate as well. He currently had the power of two faces of Nonexistence in his body, and the rest were willing to follow him as long as he just asked.
This was an unprecedented feat for a human to accomplish. Quite literally, Nonexistence had never been so close to another living being before.
The shadow separated from the surrounding Nonexistence and slithered up Damien's arm. It made its way up his neck like a collection of black veins until it reached the top of his head and came together.
Nothing visibly changed in the Emperor's Crown, but if one was skilled enough, one would be able to see that it was now a combination of two separate entities.
The first was the proud and regal crown that Damien had been wearing until now, and the second was a dark entity with an unknown form that forced one to bow to the aura of an emperor.
They were equally domineering. They were opposites, but in the end, they were the same.
It was something Damien had been striving to reach for his entire life. Now that he had both crowns…
'I feel like I've finally reached the cusp of it.'
Damien patted his chest. The owl understood his message and led him back to the surface.
He thought he would be confused without its help, but that was no longer the case.
Even he could now see a path in this expanse.
He could see the way home.
Damien came out of the sky like he was breaking through a powerful wave and taking his first breath in a long while. The owl came out of his body and returned to its usual pattern of flying around him and perching on his shoulder.
Without a word about what happened, he returned to his abode.
He didn't quite know how long he'd been gone. The people there likely wouldn't know either. They hardly kept track of time.
However, Damien could tell that this was the end.
Perhaps he would spend a little longer digesting everything he'd learned, but…
'...it's finally time to go home.'
To return to the Heavenly World, to return to war, and to return to the Dark God.
That fated battle, that long-awaited spectacle was just over the horizon.
And after seeing what he'd accomplished during his time in this realm…
Damien was both extremely confident and extremely excited about that battle.