Returning to his abode, Damien was greeted with a lot of stares.
'I must have been gone for some time.'
His assumption was entirely wrong. Since these experts were able to hide their emotions, they didn't show anything, but they were feeling something inexplicable from Damien.
If he was their equal before he left, he was clearly superior now. It was to the point where those who didn't speak to him as often were hesitant to even watch his training anymore.
He was an Emperor while they were merely nobles. That was the difference they felt.
It was almost disrespectful to thoughtlessly interfere with the training of someone like him.
None of them liked the feeling that invaded their hearts, but they couldn't deny it.
The few who did converse with him regularly came up and said a few words as they always did, but there was a subtle distance in their interaction that Damien felt clearly.
'I guess it isn't necessarily a bad thing.'
It would be a shame if there were hard feelings about his early departure. He only just came to this island and he'd already reached a level that the rest of them could only dream about.
It was better for him to disappear quietly. It was better if they assumed that he went and killed himself in the Sea of Nothingness, since that was easier to handle.
'Well, quietly may be impossible.'
The moment he escaped, a huge phenomenon would encompass all five islands. Damien heard of this from the first island, so it had to be true.
Rather than leaving quietly, it was more like he wanted to disguise the fact that he was the one leaving.
'This island…isn't it too pitiful?'
When it was naturally accepted that absorbing energy was the right method and there wasn't a way to go back and tell people it was wrong, was it right to blame these experts for their current situations?
Sure, it was partially their fault, but it wasn't enough of a blunder to turn this place into their grave.
The experts on this island had different personalities, goals, and interests, but each and every one of them was worthy of being a Supreme. Damien could tell that their journeys through the four islands before this one changed them all into decent people.
'It would be a missed opportunity if I left them all here to rot.'
The people of this land were all upright practitioners even if their pasts didn't assume the same. Perhaps it was stupid to say that all of them were good people, but he knew that they were all at least sane.
Plus, their talent was undeniable.
At the moment, he wasn't too much stronger than them, so it was impossible. When he became Absolute, that would change.
If he wanted to have a dominion over several cosmos, or if he wanted to be prepared for a potential threat that may appear, he needed subordinates, didn't he?
Who better than Supremes that he personally raised?
Bringing the Land of Nothingness into the limelight. It was a new goal that Damien established in that moment.
But, it wasn't attainable until he became Absolute, so his focus shifted to another way to improve the fifth island's condition.
A project that he could consider a culmination of everything he'd learned. If he could pull it off, then he could guarantee that he was ready to leave.
That day, Damien left his abode again. Unbeknownst to those who inhabited that place with him, that was the last time they'd ever see him.
He found the tallest mountain in the realm and flew high above it. Using the mountain as a center point, he started building again.
But this time, it wasn't for his own sake.
As those who lived on the mountain watched, a massive floating island was formed above them. It appeared in a single instant, a landmass large enough to be called a mountain of its own.
And, on its flat surface, there was a palace of crystals and purple gold. A palace with an insignia on the front that belonged to no known individual or clan.
The people of the mountain immediately flew up to investigate. They carefully entered the palace, knowing that the one who created it was incredibly powerful.
However, instead of meeting him, they found themselves feeling a sensation like nothing they'd ever felt before.
A certain man exclaimed as he looked at his own hands. He returned his gaze to the interior of the palace. The massive staircase at the entrance branched off in both directions, and on the wall of the step where that happened, there was a message for all.
[Welcome to the Void Palace. This is a space for any and all practitioners who wish to improve. It will not and may not be claimed by anyone. Share with your fellows, progress through your journeys, and meet me in the real world.]
It was a message signed with a single word.
The man exhaled that name with an air of reverence.
He could feel it clearly. This palace wasn't just any normal thing. Disregarding all of the complicated concepts in place to keep this place as a neutral zone and assure that it would never fall into the wrong hands, it only had one purpose.
'Passive purification.'
For the first time in his life, the man felt like he was seeing progress in his lifelong quest.
He could already tell that this place was going to become a haven of the fifth island soon enough.
Suddenly, the man's head whipped to the side, his eyes peering through the palace's entrance.
Just as people started investigating the palace and realizing its worth, a massive flash of light appeared from the shoreline.
How long had it been since the last time?
Somebody was ascending and escaping this realm.
And that flash of light…for some reason, it felt extremely warm.
Because that man knew, and everyone else would soon come to know.
That light was the first of many.
The fifth island was finally going to be revitalized.
As for the person who created it…
He was content with leaving a small piece of himself for future generations.
Without regrets and without hesitation, he returned to the world from which he came.
He had a lot of work on his plate, after all.
See, that was what Damien thought was the end.
It made sense, right? Now that his adventures in the Land of Nothingness were over, it was time for him to focus on the events in the True Void Universe.
That statement wasn't necessarily wrong, but his long yet short trip caused a few problems.
Damien returned to his isolated training room. He could tell from the air that time had not passed.
But, clearly, something had changed.
The universe rushed to read his existence. It was extremely confused by his current state, but it was forced to acknowledge what he'd achieved in only a single second.
Almost exactly when Damien appeared, he was swept away again.
But this time, he was not taken out of the True Void Universe.
He was once again in a place that other people could not reach.