My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 1240 - 1241: Fate [1]

"Show yourself, Aetherus! Surrender now and bow before the power of man!"

The Emperor’s words were met with a rumbling cheer as the sounds of battle echoed below. The soldiers sent forward were merely the first battalion, while the majority of the army remained behind, watching as the first forces clashed with the loyalists of the Temple.

Screams echoed across the battlefield as blood and magical explosions filled the air. Magic of every kind rained down in all directions, tearing through soldiers and scattering bodies across the black, ashen ground.

As the battle continued, more and more troops emerged from inside the Holy City, reinforcing the defensive line and bolstering their forces.

The Emperor and everyone else waited in silence as the battle was broadcast to the entire world.

The fall of the Temple was meant to be a glorious event. This was their chance to show the people who truly held power now.

Damon looked toward the sky.

For whatever reason, he began to have a bad feeling. Something was bothering him, but he didn’t know what.

He slowly looked around, searching for anything out of place, but sensed nothing.

This wasn’t his Danger Sense.

It was his intuition.

Whenever something terrible was about to happen, his intuition was almost always spot on.

There was no telling the future, or at least he couldn’t do it, so all he could do was remain on guard and prepare for whatever was coming.

"Luna, Iris. Both of you, come here."

The only people he had to worry about on this battlefield were the two of them, and the closer they were to him, the better he could protect them.

Luna and Iris mounted their unicorns. They wore simple armor and carried swords at their sides as they galloped toward Damon.

But the moment they reached him, a fracture suddenly tore open in space in front of the battlefield.

Damon’s eyes narrowed.

From within the fracture came a vast field.

Thousands of figures stood upon it.

No.

They weren’t people.

Or at least, they weren’t the kind of people Damon was used to seeing.

It was a race of beautiful beings that could have passed for humans, while others were monstrous and terrifying. Some had horns, while others carried whips made of fire. Some wielded mighty clubs, while many didn’t even appear to belong to the same race.

Their auras were powerful, especially those who rode upon enormous mounts that seemed to make the very air tremble around them. Others stood upon enormous platforms, looking down upon the battlefield.

There were seventy-two of these powerful auras.

And they were all demons.

As far as the eye could see, demons had arrived.

The Demon Lords had come.

Along with their armies.

On top of a large camel-like beast, Paimon looked down as the army continued pouring through the fracture in space.

The first to walk out was a Demon Lord with long purple hair. His expression was calm, and he wore garments resembling those of a scholar. He carried no weapon.

Yet his aura was so deep that Damon felt a weight settle upon his chest.

"I am Baal, the Victorious Demon."

The moment he appeared, the demons behind him began stepping forward, revealing a vast and powerful war machine that seemed almost endless.

Many warriors from the Goddess Races immediately became agitated at the sight of their ancient enemies.

Damon noticed Luna draw her sword from her waist.

The killing intent that radiated from her was so cold that Damon couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her.

"They aren’t here as our enemies," Damon whispered to his sister.

"They aren’t fighting us now, but they’ll always be the enemy."

Luna’s gaze remained cold as she stared at the demons.

"The only good demon is a dead one."

Damon stared at her.

Now more than ever, he could see it.

There was a darkness in Luna’s heart deeper than any shadow.

Damon felt a chill run down his spine when she said that.

"Demons didn’t kill our parents, Luna."

"They did."

She gritted her teeth as she looked toward the sea of lesser demons following the main demon army.

"I don’t suppose humans or elves can rip people to shreds with their fangs and claws."

Damon couldn’t argue with that logic. Lesser demons had been the direct cause of their deaths, but it was more complicated than that. There was so much more behind it than simply ’demons killed our parents.’ She just didn’t understand.

"It’s more complicated than you think," he whispered to her.

"Then let me make it simple for you. I’ll kill them all."

She whispered the words back to her brother.

"That’s genocide," he replied coldly.

"No. It’s purification."

Iris could see that Luna was becoming agitated, so she quickly intervened.

"For now, they are allies, so we can hold off on killing them, right?"

Luna glanced at her before biting her lips.

"Fine."

Evangeline didn’t say anything throughout the entire exchange. Instead, she glanced at Damon, her gaze subconsciously searching for Renata.

If Luna found out that Renata was a demon, Evangeline couldn’t imagine what would happen.

She was starting to understand a little more about why Damon had kept it a secret.

At this point, she was beginning to wonder what else he was hiding from them and why.

Demon Lord Baal was met by the Emperor, who represented the Goddess Races, and right before the broadcast, with the entire world watching, the two old enemies shook hands and pledged to destroy the Temple and the Outsiders together.

Their alliance did not come without conditions. They had only agreed to a ceasefire and temporary alliance. Once the eternal threat was dealt with, they would return to their own war.

Even so, many people found it difficult to accept the demons’ help.

Many knights openly cursed at the demons and showed them hostility, while the demons returned their hatred in kind.

On all sides, everyone had been hurt.

Families had been erased.

Bloodlines had ended.

Blood feuds had begun.

Even Damon’s own grandmother had been killed by demons.

His mother and father too.

So many people had lost everything to the demons that Damon becoming one himself was perhaps the greatest act of betrayal against his own family.

Perhaps that was why he felt relieved that Ranar didn’t have any visible demon traits.

If his family or the world found out, where would he belong?

Would they even accept him?

"Sorry, Luna," he muttered softly to himself.

As the battle reached its next phase, hordes of lesser demons charged forward.

*****

In the capital, two children sat watching the battlefield through the broadcast.

Beside them were a squirrel and a raven, each perched on top of their heads as they watched the battlefield as well.

Ranar didn’t know why, but she felt on edge.

She kept looking over her shoulder as though she were expecting something to happen, but there was no one behind her, only the maids watching over them from a distance.

Ric noticed and smiled at her.

"You can’t stand the gore? Who knew war was this scary?"

She nodded but didn’t say anything, her eyes remaining fixed on the broadcast as she waited for it to show her father.

Not far from where they were, in some corner of the capital deep underground, a man sat in tears while a blonde woman looked down at him.

"Is that all? Is that all you know?"

"Yes. I swear it’s everything."

Linga’s voice was barely a whisper.

"No, it isn’t. You’re still hiding something. Tell me, what did the princess say to you? I’m sure there is a reason she didn’t push you to reveal the truth. She already knew that."

Linga felt tears drip down his face before looking up.

"Yes. I told her everything, and she ordered me to remain silent."

His voice was weak, and he was now thinner than before.

"I see."

The woman paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she pieced the information together.

"So it is that interesting."

She slowly began walking around him.

"Godric killed Lady Ranar, and years later, you told her son, Damon Grey, who we all know is a very vengeful and ruthless person. Yet he did nothing. Or at least, that is how it seemed."

Her lips curled into a smile.

"However, not long after, Amon, the Unknown Ruler, appeared. Then he killed Godric."

She stopped.

"Which makes it quite obvious that Amon and Damon are connected. I am sure Abellona put two and two together and figured that out."

She seemed to laugh when she said it.

"Now this is where it gets interesting."

Her eyes gleamed.

"Amon and Damon had fought and clashed so many times. Both of them were in the same place more than once, yet neither seemed to win."

She paused.

"Which, now that I think about it, is strange. Damon Grey doesn’t fight the same opponent more than three times without finding a way to kill them. Killing people is his specialty."

Her expression slowly changed as another piece fell into place.

"Then there was the time he went to the Demon Continent..."

She went silent.

"It’s all coming together."

She frowned.

"What I don’t understand is how it connects to my sister and her son."

She paused for a moment before suddenly recalling the young boy who had been with Damon.

"Hmm..."

The boy who acted very much like Damon.

"No."

She immediately dismissed the thought.

It couldn’t be that simple.

Damon wouldn’t make such a sloppy mistake.

Which meant the person who could put all these clues together would be her sister.

Her sister had already concluded that there must be some kind of connection.

She smiled.

"Looks like we’re going to the battlefield."

She turned toward Linga.

"I should get my sister."

Her gaze shifted toward the broadcast playing on a floating projection nearby.

"Now this would be interesting."

She glanced back at Linga.

"Abellona truly let you live after knowing all this? Is everyone out of their minds these days, or did they all get hit by a rock?"

She laughed softly.

"Or is something driving us all toward this moment?"

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the battlefield.

"Is this fate?"