The woman's lips slowly curled upward.
A smug smirk spread across her face as she lifted her hand and pointed directly at him.
Her silver eyes gleamed faintly with a sense of superiority.
"What makes you think you have a choice in the first place?" she said.
Her tone was calm and filled with certainty, as if the outcome had already been decided long before he even arrived here.
Damien's eyes narrowed slightly.
A faint glint of coldness flickered within them as he stared at her outstretched hand.
"So…" he said slowly.
"You're going to force me to serve this goddess?"
His voice dropped slightly.
His lips curled into a faint, cold smile.
"You think you can?"
The woman scoffed lightly.
The smirk on her face remained as her finger stayed pointed directly at him.
Then—
Her voice changed, becoming sharper and more authoritative.
As if she was no longer simply speaking, but declaring something absolute.
"Damien Voss," she called out.
The moment his full name left her lips, a strange ripple passed through the white space around them.
"For your sins and depravity on this world…"
Her silver eyes glowed faintly.
"You will be sent to another."
Her arm remained raised, her finger still directed at him like a judge passing sentence.
"To serve as an exorcist to the goddess of light…"
A faint pressure began to build in the air.
"Until the end of your life."
Her words echoed.
Carrying an undeniable weight.
But Damien didn't flinch.
"I already told you, woman…" he said flatly. "I refuse."
A smirk slowly spread across his face.
But this one was different.
Darker.
More mocking.
Then he spoke again.
And this time—
His words were far more blatant.
"The only people who'll be serving anything…"
His golden eyes locked onto hers.
"…are you and that goddess."
His smirk widened.
"Serving my cock."
For a brief second—
Everything went still.
Then—
The woman's expression snapped.
Her composure shattered instantly.
"INSOLENT!"
Her voice rang out sharply, filled with pure rage.
At the same moment—
A brilliant light burst forth from her hand.
It gathered rapidly, condensing into a solid form.
A sword.
A blade made entirely of radiant light.
It shone brilliantly, even within the already blinding white space, its glow sharp and intense.
Without another word—
She moved.
Her figure blurred.
Then vanished.
In the next instant—
She reappeared directly in front of Damien.
The distance between them erased in less than a heartbeat.
The sword of light was already descending.
Aimed straight for his head.
Its speed was fast, incredibly fast.
Damien's eyes sharpened instantly.
His pupils flared.
A brilliant golden light erupted from within them.
At the same time, power surged through his body.
Golden energy burst forth, spreading rapidly across his skin.
It thickened, and expanded, forming a dense, wavy coat that wrapped tightly around his entire body.
He raised both arms without hesitation, crossing them in front of his face to block the incoming strike.
The golden aura around his forearms intensified, condensing into a dense layer as he braced for impact.
The woman's lips curled slightly at the sight.
She scoffed.
To her, the action looked almost laughable.
"Pathetic," she muttered under her breath as the blade continued its downward arc.
The sword of light met his forearms.
But instead of stopping, it passed through.
Damien's eyes widened.
For a brief, disorienting moment, there was no resistance.
The blade phased cleanly through the golden coating around his arms, ignoring it completely as if it didn't exist.
Then—
It cut through him.
From the top of his face…
Down across his cheek…
Past his neck…
And diagonally across the side of his torso.
The strike was clean and seamless, like his body had been nothing more than air.
For a split second, everything froze.
Then—
Golden light burst outward.
Instead of blood, a stream of radiant golden energy spilled from the wound.
It poured out like liquid, flowing down his body and dripping toward the white floor beneath him.
Damien's body jerked violently.
"Ghh—!"
A pained grunt escaped his lips as he staggered backward, his steps uneven.
More golden energy continued to spill from the slash, leaking out in steady streams.
It looked almost surreal.
Like molten gold flowing from his body.
The moment the droplets touched the ground—
Sssszz!
They reacted, sizzling and flickering before evaporating into thin air.
Damien's breathing grew heavier as he steadied himself, one hand instinctively moving toward the wound.
His fingers passed through the area where the slash had been made, golden energy still seeping out between them.
"What is this…" he muttered under his breath.
His brows furrowed deeply, confused avoid what just happened.
Even after everything he had gone through…
Even after gaining this golden power…
His blood had always remained the same, red like that of any normal human.
Yet now—
There was no blood.
Only energy.
And it wasn't just replacing his blood.
It was as if his entire body had become something else entirely.
He stared at the golden flow for a moment longer.
"…Why is it like this…" he muttered quietly.
Or rather—
Why was his energy the one spilling out after being attacked?
The thought lingered in his mind.
But before he could think further—
A faint chuckle reached his ears.
Damien's gaze snapped upward.
The woman stood a short distance away, her figure completely unharmed.
A smug smirk rested on her lips as she pointed her glowing blade directly at him.
"Surprised, aren't you?" she said calmly.
Her silver eyes gleamed faintly with amusement.
"Did you think because you had a little divine energy…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"…you could fight on par with a knight of light?"
There was clear mockery in her voice.
She took a slow step forward, the sword in her hand humming faintly with power.
"Our bodies here aren't physical," she continued.
Her tone became more instructive now, as if explaining something obvious.
"They are made purely of our energy."
Her blade lowered slightly, the tip now angled toward the golden liquid still dripping from Damien's wound.
"So any injury you receive…" Her smirk widened. "…results in a direct loss of energy instead of blood."
The explanation settled heavily in the air.
Damien's eyes flickered faintly.
'So that was it.'
This place.
This body.
None of it was real in the way he understood.
Everything here was made of energy.
Which meant—
Every drop he lost… was a piece of himself disappearing.
The woman's expression darkened.
The faint amusement on her face twisted into something colder.
Something far more ruthless.
"So don't worry," she said, her voice lowering slightly.
A chilling edge crept into her tone.
"I'll make sure to cut you down…"
She raised the blade again, the light around it intensifying.
"Waste all that energy you have…" she said, her eyes locking unto his. "And reduce you back to a pathetic human."