“As you can see.”

Damien said, “I’ve stopped time in this world.”

“You can even do that?!”

“Truly, the divine is unfathomable.”

Once again, Seitenshi was awestruck by Damien’s immense power.

Eradicating Gastrea, judging the guilty, summoning a storm, and now halting time itself.

“There aren’t many things in this world I can’t do.”

Violet had already analyzed the laws of this non-magical world, making it trivial to freeze its time.

“There are things even you can’t do?”

“Of course.”

Damien smiled. “For instance, I can’t turn this world into a perfect utopia.”

“Utopia…”

Seitenshi was familiar with the concept. “Is that because a utopia defies reason?”

“No.”

Damien said, “It’s because I don’t want to.”

“If it’s just about appearances, I could hypnotize the entire world, altering their perceptions.”

His words filled Seitenshi with dread. “But I won’t, because it’s meaningless.”

“So that’s what you mean by ‘can’t do’?”

It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but the methods to achieve it were unacceptable to him.

“Taking you away doesn’t mean you can’t return here.”

“I know you want to protect your people and stabilize the chaos.”

“But the question is, do you truly have the power to do so?”

Damien continued, “You must know your situation well.”

“To put it kindly, you’re the leader of district. Bluntly, you’re just a figurehead pushed to the forefront.”

Even with Seitenshi’s political acumen and talent, how many would truly heed her?

Would her decrees actually be carried out?

“After Judgment Day, the world will descend into chaos.”

“Without a strong enough voice and power, more innocents will inevitably perish.”

Damien held little affection for this world, and with Violet’s calculated fate, those who died deserved it.

But even the most precise calculations had flaws.

“What do you mean?”

“Become my angel, Seitenshi.”

Damien revealed his intent. “By my side, you’ll gain vast knowledge and power enough to change the world.”

“You needn’t worry about what happens to this world while you’re gone.”

“Everything here will remain frozen in time until you return.”

To recruit a pure soul with the potential of a hero, Damien had shown ample sincerity.

If Seitenshi still refused, even he would be angered.

As for the consequences of his anger?

He wouldn’t harm Seitenshi… perhaps just a spanking at most.

Then he’d send her back and wash his hands of this world’s fate.

Pure souls were rare, but not unique.

As Damien continued traversing worlds, he’d eventually find another, and another…

“So, what’s your answer?”

“…”

Seitenshi took a deep breath. “Please let me be your angel! I want to save my world!”

Excellent. Seitenshi didn’t disappoint him.

She made the right choice.

“Come.”

Damien extended his hand, inviting her. “I’ll show you a far greater world.”

“As for this place…”

“Consider it my welcome gift to you.”

Afterward, Damien settled Seitenshi in the Void Ark, placing her among the Cursed Children.

This time, upon returning, Damien’s first task was the True Demon Lord awakening ceremony.

Thus, the matter of the Cursed Children would have to wait until after his awakening.

“Violet, are the souls purified?”

“Purification is complete.”

Soul collection was swift, but afterward, Justeaze, aided by Violet’s super-computational abilities, extracted pure soul energy.

The collected souls were divided into three parts based on their yield.

First, the soul core and a small amount of soul energy, ensuring the individual could reincarnate as a normal person and start anew.

Second, the bulk of the soul energy.

Justeaze would refine this, yielding pure soul energy and negative energy.

The former would fuel Damien’s awakening ceremony.

As for the negative energy, Damien wouldn’t discard it. Instead, it would be consumed by the ultimate skill Lord of End, evolved from All the World’s Evil, making it even stronger.

“All preparations are complete. We can return anytime.”

Violet was ready to conduct the awakening ceremony for Damien.

“Good.”

Damien said, “Notify all of them to board the Void Ark immediately.”

As the lord of his followers, retainers, and kin, once Damien began his evolution, all would fall into slumber, as seen in the stories.

This slumber wasn’t mere sleep but a chance to gain greater power from Damien’s awakening.

A Demon Lord’s blessing, of sorts.

Advancement, evolution, new skills.

Even fallen subordinates could be revived under this blessing.

But all this came after the slumber.

Thus, a safe resting place was crucial for Damien and his majins.

“The Void Ark has been linked to the Cardinal World. The majins are boarding in an orderly manner under Snow Empress and Artoria’s lead!”

“Additionally, during the awakening, we can draw magicules from the Cardinal World as needed.”

Damien trusted Violet to handle everything flawlessly.

But one issue remained.

His own safety.

While his majins could hide in the Void Ark, safe from external interference, Damien had to remain in the Cardinal World.

Thus, he needed a powerful guardian.

“I recall in the original story, Rimuru summoned daemons, didn’t he?”

Conveniently, Damien had preserved the bodies of the Gastrea he’d eradicated.

Yes, those creatures destroyed by the light hadn’t truly turned to ash.

Human corpses held no interest for him, but Gastrea bodies had research value.

At the very least, they could be refined into pure bloodline crystals to enhance his Cursed Children.

***

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