[: 3rd POV :]
As Daniel had arrived, he realized that the skies of Virexia Minor were still corrupted.
There were dark crimson fractures stretched endlessly across the atmosphere like infected wounds carved into reality itself.
Vast storms of black energy spiralled above continents, releasing violent flashes of distorted lightning that carried traces of the Black Meridians' influence.
Even the planet itself looked as though it was suffering.
The oceans trembled unnaturally.
The land had begun decaying in certain regions.
And deep within the air lingered a suffocating pressure that made countless living beings instinctively uneasy.
Daniel floated silently above the world.
His golden eyes calmly observed everything below.
Even now, the corruption continued spreading slowly.
But to him…it no longer felt threatening.
It merely felt…unfinished.
Something that could be erased whenever he desired.
Then, all of the sudden, a ripple of mana appeared beside him and it caused the sace to distort lightly.
And moments later, Mika emerged.
The instant she appeared, relief immediately crossed her face.
"Daniel!"
Her voice carried obvious worry.
For the past several moments, Daniel had completely vanished from her senses.
It happed all too quickly that it felt like he simply ceased to exist within her perception entirely.
There weren't any trace of aura and it was as if the reality itself had swallowed him whole.
She had searched desperately and for the first time in a long while…she genuinely panicked.
But then...
"Wait…"
Mika froze slightly.
Her eyes widened as she stared at him.
"Why does your appearance look different…?"
Daniel remained silent for a moment.
The strands of his longer hair drifted slowly despite the absence of wind, while his eyes glowed faintly with an ancient radiance that no longer resembled mortal existence.
His entire presence had changed.
Not outwardly monstrous.
Not terrifying in appearance.
But something far worse.
Something incomprehensibly higher.
Mika instinctively took a small step back.
And immediately, her breathing halted.
"Gh—!"
A suffocating pressure slammed into her existence.
Her body itself was fine, but her soul, her instincts and every part of her being screamed in absolute terror.
'Bow'
The thought emerged instinctively inside her mind.
And this happened not because Daniel demanded it nor did he released his killing intent.
But because her existence itself recognised something standing before her that it should never stand equal to.
Her legs trembled violently.
Her heart pounded painfully.
Even the mana flowing within her body became unstable.
It felt as though she was standing beside something this world was never meant to contain.
An existence far too elevated and far too overwhelming.
Mika's eyes widened further as she struggled to even maintain eye contact.
Her entire body instinctively wanted to kneel.
And deep within her soul, an unbearable warning echoed endlessly.
Do not look directly.
Do not stand equal.
Do not offend.
Daniel immediately noticed it and his expression shifted slightly.
"…Mika?"
The moment he spoke, the pressure intensified unintentionally.
Mika nearly lost consciousness.
Daniel's eyes widened slightly at the realization.
"…Damn."
He finally understood.
Even passively…his existence alone had become dangerous.
Not dangerous through violence but dangerous through sheer superiority.
Like forcing a mortal creature to stand beside a collapsing star.
Daniel frowned slightly.
'This is bad.'
He looked at Mika, whose breathing had already become uneven.
'I can't let this keep happening.'
Because if even Mika, someone powerful by mortal standards was reacting like this…
Then ordinary people?
They would collapse instantly.
Their bodies might even self-destruct simply from perceiving him.
Daniel's gaze lowered slightly as he focused inward.
For the first time since obtaining his new powers, he actively attempted to suppress them.
And this time, it wasn't suppressing his powers, abilities or even his mana, but the very "weight" of his existence itself.
'It would be more than just a problem if every person I meet is forced to kneel…'
Ancient inscriptions beneath his skin glowed faintly.
Primordial Mana shifted carefully throughout his body.
The countless authorities within him slowly restrained themselves.
Like sealing away endless oceans behind fragile walls.
Space around him stabilised gradually.
The overwhelming pressure began decreasing.
This wasn't him sealing his powers, but merely suppressing them to the level where even ordinary people could endure it.
'…And I definitely don't want people's eyes exploding every time they look at me.'
The thought almost made him sigh.
Eventually, the suffocating presence faded enough for Mika to finally breathe properly again.
"Hah…!"
She inhaled sharply while holding her chest.
Her body still trembled slightly.
But the unbearable instinct forcing her to bow had lessened significantly.
Daniel carefully continued adjusting the suppression.
This time with more precision.
He instinctively separated people into categories within his perception.
And subconsciously…his existence itself adapted around that distinction.
For those he acknowledged and cared for, the passive oppression weakened drastically.
Not completely gone.
But manageable.
A natural protection formed around them.
Daniel exhaled lightly after stabilising everything.
"…Sorry," he muttered.
Mika stared at him silently.
She didn't feared him, but rather, she was still trying to process what she had just felt.
Then slowly...she spoke.
"…Daniel…"
Her voice was quieter now, almost uncertain.
"…What exactly happened to you?"
For a brief moment, Daniel himself didn't know how to answer that question.
Because even now…
He wasn't entirely sure what he had become anymore.
"Mika, how's the result so far...?" Daniel questioned quietly as he avoided her question with a calm voice.
Mika stared at him for a brief moment.
Even now, she still could not fully comprehend what she was looking at.
His appearance had changed yet again.
The presence around him no longer felt like ordinary power.
It was deeper, older and more terrifying.
Space itself distorted slightly around his body, as though reality could no longer withstand his presence properly.
Eventually, Mica never pursued her curiosity and she simply smiled bitterly inwardly.
'Honestly... this is normal for him at this point.'
Ever since she met her lucky prince charm, Daniel had continuously shattered every expectation she had of him.
Every time she thought she finally understood the limits of his strength, he would casually reveal something even more monstrous.
At this point, she genuinely no longer found it strange anymore.
Instead of questioning him, Mika lightly coughed before fixing her composure.
"Well..."
She began softly, brushing aside several strands of hair that had become messy from the violent energy storms earlier.
"We've managed to overtake this world far easier than expected."
Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly with interest.
Mika continued.
"With the help of the Fifteen Rulers, we secured all major territories within hours"
"The remaining resistance collapsed almost immediately after news of your battle spread throughout the world."
As she spoke, scenes of what had happened replayed through her mind.
Entire armies of the Black Meridians surrendering in terror.
Cities opening their gates willingly.
Countless inhabitants kneeling not out of fear alone, but relief.
Because for the first time in centuries...the nightmare ruling their world had finally ended.
"We're currently providing aid to the civilians as we speak," Mika explained further.
"Food distribution, healing support, reconstruction...even the Rulers themselves are helping stabilize the damaged regions."
Daniel blinked slightly.
That alone was shocking enough.
He never thought that the plan they had formed would have worked successfully even though the starting point of the plan had changed entirely.
Mika's expression softened.
"And unexpectedly..." she said, sounding genuinely surprised herself, "the people of this world supported us almost immediately"
"Many of them are even requesting to join our forces voluntarily."
Daniel was the one left surprised.
His brows slowly raised.
"And all of you did this within hours?"
There was genuine amazement in his voice.
He knew Mika and the others were capable, but this speed was beyond even his expectations.
After all, when he left to confront the Black Meridians, the original plan had involved lengthy negotiations, military suppression, and strategic infiltration across the world.
But instead...the entire world had practically fallen into their hands in mere hours.
Mika let out a small laugh.
"Yes. Though..." she sighed helplessly, "almost all the plans we prepared beforehand became completely useless."
Her eyes glanced toward the shattered heavens above.
"Because no one expected you to do... that."
Even now, recalling the battle made chills run down her spine.
One man.
Against the entirety of the Black Meridians.
And Daniel had not merely won.
He had annihilated them so thoroughly that the psychological shock alone broke the will of the entire world.
The moment people witnessed what happened, the destruction of Black Meridians, the collapse of corrupted skies.
The disappearance of armies within black singularities.
The overwhelming aura that made even the laws of reality distort.
Everything changed instantly.
All of it spread across the world like wildfire.
Mika looked directly at Daniel.
"It was thanks to you," she admitted honestly.
"The moment people saw you standing against the Black Meridians alone... they understood."
Daniel remained silent.
Mika continued quietly.
"They realized the monsters they feared for centuries were insignificant before you."
The winds around them howled softly.
Far below the floating ruins, countless lights could be seen throughout the world as reconstruction efforts began everywhere.
For the first time in ages, the cries echoing throughout the world were no longer screams of despair.
They were cries of relief.
Daniel slowly closed his eyes for a moment.
Even he had not expected things to progress this quickly.
Truthfully...he never intended for any of this to happen the way it did.
Originally, the battle against the Black Meridians was supposed to be shared amongst everyone.
Strategies had been made.
Roles assigned.
Risks calculated carefully.
Yet when the battle began...
Something inside him changed.
Perhaps it was anger or exhaustion, or perhaps he simply no longer wished to see others burdened by enemies he himself could erase.
And so, he carried the entire battlefield onto his own shoulders alone.
Daniel exhaled slowly before opening his eyes once more.
"I see..." he murmured.
Mika watched him carefully.
Despite his overwhelming power...
Despite the terrifying transformation he had undergone...
There was still an indescribable loneliness surrounding him.
As though the further he ascended...
The further he drifted away from everything else.
But before the atmosphere could sink further, Mika suddenly smiled brightly.
"Well, regardless of everything..." she crossed her arms proudly, "we won."
Daniel stared at her for a second.
Then finally...
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"…Yeah," he answered softly.
"We did."
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