Not only did time not pass while he was in the void, it even slightly reset. The damage the void energy inflicted on the realm and its inhabitants was nowhere to be seen. How? Well, the void technically exists in a different layer of the universe that functions as a gateway of sorts. Time here is scrambled to fit the different locations it’s connected to. Some of these places are functioning on the same time scale, some are in the future, and some are in the past. The region Samuel was in was connected to something existing in the past, causing this situation. What these locations actually are, however, no one knows. Many have speculated that they lead to lower dimensions or pocket universes full of infinite resources. Some have gone far enough to say that there exists an infinite expanse of universes similar to Balamier, and the void is the border between them. But none of this matters much to Samuel, who was plotting his revenge on people who technically did nothing wrong.
“That’s it! There is nothing more embarrassing to people like them than being weak. You are only as strong as people think you are, so let me change that.”
Samuel quickly utilized By Creation, his painting technique, to change the fabric of the sky in the Shattered Realm to that of a giant mirror. The mirror was more like a television screen, however, as it showed the Overlord Sect’s goons in the air above Lilly’s destroyed island. Samuel’s plan was quite simple: since the Overlord Sect had such respect for the people, he would bring them down a few levels. Basically, he was about to humiliate them in front of all their friends.
“Hey, punks. Remember me? Yeah, of course you do. So, I’m going to make this very simple for you: apologize profoundly or suffer the consequences. Do not discuss this with each other; just act in accordance with your heart. You are judged individually, not as a group.” This was his glorious plan. Have the more intelligent people recognize his grace in public, and the others be beaten halfway to hell. Of course, the last part of his statement was pure nonsense. Just like a teacher never adheres to saying this, neither will he. All of them are going to receive a good wallop, just to varying degrees, starting with the strongest of them.
“Boy, you leave for a few seconds, then you return with delusions; did one of the demon gods get to you?” said an inconspicuous, stern, old, yet powerful man standing in the center of all the powerhouses. “You will be brought before the Hall of Ritousness to receive a sentence. Strike him down.”
A few of the goons moved to capture Samuel, but before they could even reach the same height he was standing at, they were all blasted to God knows where. Five of the most powerful experts in the entire realm were tossed away like garbage for everyone to see, much to the dismay of the different sects. Most of the heads and leaders of the more modest sects were lower-standing members of the Overlord Sect, making them feel embarrassed at the difference in power between them and some random kid. Samuel did not let them collect their bearings, however, as he flicked his finger towards the old man at the Pseudo-Transcendent stage.
“What the hell—”
“Oops. Well, fuck. I used way too much power. Guys, you have to believe me when I say I didn't mean to kill him. Wait, even though I don't have my talent, I still retain my comprehension. Let me just see if this works before you start insulting me.” Samuel never intended to kill the old man, but he seriously overestimated his power, resulting in this situation. Samuel was too fragile to be yelled at by the entire realm, and as such, he wanted to reset time by a few seconds. He was convinced it probably wouldn't work since his talent was nowhere to be seen, but surprisingly, time felt much easier to control now compared to before.
“—are you doing?"
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“YES! Suck it, losers! I think you all learned your lesson from facing off against someone as excellent as me, right? Time for me to go!” Before anyone could react, the sky went back to normal, and Samuel was gone.
...
On the deck of the grandest water vessel to ever exist, the relaxing figure of a middle-aged man could be seen. Merling was having the time of his life on this long voyage. There were no tasks to be done, no nagging from the elders, and no stress. Simply put, he was on vacation. Merling was so engrossed in his relaxation that his eyes were closed constantly, meaning he was unable to watch the display covering the sky mere moments earlier. Samuel didn’t really consider the fact that you needed to look towards the sky, unhindered by objects like roofs or clouds, to watch like he intended people to.
Anyway, the only thing keeping Merling grounded were the two kids, who occasionally would come to him for guidance. It was annoying for them to interrupt his moment of peace, but he still knew the importance of teaching the youth, especially when they were his niece and nephew.
Lukas came running out from the lower levels of the boat, rushing directly towards Merling. “Uncle Merling, can you show me the Shadow’s Precipice technique again? I feel like I’m close to reaching full mastery of it.” Lukas appeared very antsy when he asked Merlign for help, almost as if he couldn’t wait. Because he couldn’t. He was certain that if he mastered the technique before the tournament began, he might stand a chance of entering the Overlord Sect. “Uncle, didn’t Father say that the family needs someone within a century to enter the Overlord Sect to maintain power? This is what we need. No one will be able to deal with me if I possess the perfected Shadow’s Precipice technique combined with Shapeless.”
The previously relaxed Merling sprung to his feet. “Are you sure you can master it!? Lukas, I knew you were the best! Come, we will enter the sparring room. I will show you whatever you need for however long you need it. If you manage to do this, then you will instantly be placed within the Hall of Respect.”
“It will be difficult, but I’m certain I’ll be able to do it before the tournament, but we will need to get started right now—”
“How the fuck are you guys still so obsessed with the Overlord Sect after the display that just took place? Are you joking with me? Here I am, showcasing, through very crude means, how pretentious the sect is, yet you keep idolizing them. At this point, the Shattered Realm will be doomed."
“Who are you!? This is a ship of the Strand family; do not act rashly!” Merling projected his bow and entered a fighting stance, ready to fend off this rambling lunatic of an intruder.
“Right, you don’t remember who I am, do you? Hmm, let’s brainstorm how to remedy this. Do you have any ideas?”
“Ideas about what? What are you talking about?”
“What do you mean, what am I talking about? I’m talking about the fact that you don’t remember me. I’ll give you a quick recap to make this easier: we knew each other in the past, then time reset, and here I am. Now, how would we go about getting your memories back? I’m thinking about creating a sort of projection or imprint technique that will allow me to pull the memories of different entities throughout time to the present. What do you think?”
Merling was at a loss for what was going on. Time reset? Memories? Techniques? This random madman just popped onto their ship from nowhere and began to spout pure nonsense. There was but one reason why Merling had not attacked Samuel yet: he was simply too intimidating. Samuel’s appearance changed quite a lot with the alteration of his physique and cultivation level. Not only that, but it was all supported by void energy, making the changes even more pronounced. Samuel now stood at a staggering 2.5 meters tall, with a wildly fit body. His hair was now a combination of black, purple, and silver, while his eyes consisted of pure darkness. His aura now belonged to that of a primordial demon. Merling did not have to be a genius not to attack him. What made the situation worse was the fact that Samuel was not aware of his new appearance, meaning the communication barrier remained strong.
“Okay, so I have an idea. God, isn’t it crazy how rapidly the human mind works when not suppressed by unwanted energy? Anyway, I will need you to imprint all your life experiences into one of the memory jades you have in your spatial storage. Remember to do it in runes, not common letters; otherwise, it would be worthless. Do it as quickly as possible; I will create a time distortion around you so I don't have to wait too long. Remember this: the accuracy of what you write down has to be 95% or above to be usable. If it fails to meet the requirements, then you will have to do it again.”