Void Evolution System

Dawn was felt differently in Luxurion.

Due to the Sky Castle's special location and existence, it didn't orbit a sun, nor did it have any moons in its own orbit.

Both of these celestial bodies would cloud Luxurion's stainless image with their light, so the castle itself was built with several regulations to guarantee that such bodies would never enter or be born in its vicinity.

Time in Luxurion was defined by an interesting system implemented by Angels who frequented the castle, utilizing Fate Lines and Light Laws to create a special mechanism that provided a falsified sense of day and night that actually originated from the air itself rather than a specific light source.

The system was realistic to the point where one would only notice its existence if one took the time to truly perceive the starry sky outside.

Nevertheless, this realism was exactly what made residing in Luxurion comfortable.

On this particular dawn, the castle was bustling far more than usual. Almost a thousand geniuses made their way to the first banquet hall with those experts who brought them to the Assembly.

As the number of incoming parties thinned, three figures walked into the hall and walked onto the elevated stage that had been prepared beforehand.

All three of them were beautiful blonde-haired Angels, though only a single one was female. Of the two men, one was a familiar figure, the Angel named Luciel who led the Heavenly Clan.

He panned his gaze across the experts below and smiled charismatically.

"It makes me proud to see how our universe's people can put aside their personal biases and unite as one in times of crisis. I am honored to stand before those of you here, and those who will later arrive, and host this Grand Assembly," he started.

"Due to the nature of this gathering, I will not give any lengthy speeches at this time. After all, I don't think any of us would want to hear me repeat my self-righteous spiel over and over again…"

"...today, we have gathered for the opening of the Holy Light Realm. This event is for geniuses under 200 years of age only, and the only rule is that killing is not allowed. Within the Holy Light Realm, there are countless peak treasures offered by the experts of our beautiful universe as well as our own Heavenly Clan. These treasures are yours for the taking, however…beware the dangers of the realm, and beware each other over all."

Luciel wrapped up his speech quickly, just as unwilling to drag it out as everyone else, and smiled when he felt the anticipation radiating from the geniuses in the crowd.

He exchanged nods with his two companions and turned around, his back facing the crowd.

His hands became blurs as they moved into several complex formations. His mana swirled through the air, connecting with the mana exerted by the other two Angels until it finally materialized as a beautiful compass-like array that flew into the air and rotated fiercely.

VOOM!

Along with a strong pulse of vitality-filled mana, a pure white portal opened at the end of the hall behind the three Angels.

Finally, Luciel turned back to the crowd with a smile.

"Geniuses, enter at your own discretion! Remember, you can enter at any time, but once you leave, you will be disqualified! Now, go forth and meet your fortuitous chances; grow and bloom into heroes who will protect our universe!"

Immediately a wave of geniuses flooded the area, rushing into the secret realm as fast as they could to monopolize the opportunities within.

The three Angels left the stage, allowing the crowd to pass. Luciel's gaze panned over the crowd once more as he made his exit, and just before his figure disappeared into the corridors of Luxurion…a mysterious smile illuminated his face.

Standing at the back of the crowd, Damien twitched slightly. His eyes shot over to the receding figures of the Angels, his expression hardening.

'That guy…knows me?'

He frowned to himself as he tried to think of a connection between him and the Heavenly Clan, but there was none at all.

In fact, the only connection they had was through Parsiel who befriended the Human Domain's forces, though this was something neither the Heavenly Clan nor Damien knew quite yet.

Damien shook off the thought after realizing there was no reasonable answer with the information he knew, instead turning to Elena.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Ready? I've been ready for a while now. You're the one who suddenly got absorbed in your thoughts," Elena quipped back with a teasing smile.

Damien shook his head wryly. "I had a good reason for it this ti– never mind, let's just go."

The duo waved goodbye to the two mentors who were watching over them from afar and flew into the air, joining the crowd of geniuses rushing into the portal.

A grin lit up Damien's face.

'This is going to be fun. To think this plan was something Elena came up with…'

His eyes were bright with a light of genuine amusement for the first time in a very long time.

He couldn't wait to see the looks on those geezers' faces when it was over.

***

The Holy Light Realm, as its name suggested, was a hidden realm related to Light and Life Laws. It was formed on the remains of a destroyed Mystic Realm, using its residual energy to create a completely new environment.

The inside of the Holy Light Realm was mainly a collection of forests with a few plains separating them. These forests oozed with strong vitality that empowered the plants and animals within, mutating them into greater species.

In the far north of the realm was a stunning pyramid made of sandstone-like material that shone in the artificial sunlight.

In the far south was another pyramid, made of pure gold and radiating an even stronger aura than its opposite.

When Damien and Elena materialized in the realm, they were merely a few steps from the gold pyramid. They could see every detail of its figure clearly, including the line of geniuses racing through its doors.

"Do you want this one, or should I take it?" Elena asked. Her tone was clear and cool, lacking its usual playfulness.

"You can have it if you want. I'm more interested in the rest of the realm," Damien responded with a shrug.

When Elena got serious, bantering with her was pointless. Let alone going in one ear and out the other, extraneous words would never enter her ears at all.

Elena nodded, acknowledging his words as she began to walk away.

"Then I'll start here. Don't forget to keep in contact. We should keep track of each other's progress while we aren't together."

Damien nodded with a wry smile as he watched her leave when suddenly…

Whoosh!

A breeze brushed past his face, and a pair of soft lips quickly met his.

By the time he processed it, Elena was already gone, disappeared into the golden pyramid.

His smile warmed up considerably in that single instant.

'I see you still remember your husband, huh.' He remarked inwardly as he turned around.

'Now then, let's get started. There's a lot of work to be done.'