My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 878 - 879: His Return

The two opposing forces prepared themselves for the climactic showdown, marking the final phase of the conflict.

On a personal level, Damon yearned intensely for the pseudo-immortality elixir, yet he shared that desire with many others. Countless individuals coveted it, even without understanding its true nature.

Chatter about the elixir already reached his ears. Ambitious young nobles aimed to claim it for their clans as a prized symbol. They planned to exchange it with influential houses for opportunities to climb higher in status.

Bold adventurers sought noble status and saw an easy path to it. Devout followers wished to offer it to the temple, hoping to win divine approval and the ensuing benefits.

Certain folks thought that possessing it would grant eternal life, rendering them truly immortal.

Speculations abounded in number. Venturing into a world dungeon aimed to achieve renown, acquire scarce materials, and naturally, ascend in strength.

This harrowing ordeal promised everything: the elixir itself, the glory from conquering such an extraordinary challenge, and ultimately, the supreme prize bestowed by the enigmatic deity.

Ascension to the fourth class milestone.

Such advancement represented true might. Fourth class individuals typically stood as formidable experts, playing crucial roles as commanders in conflicts. Matters had escalated to the extent that any outsider reaching fourth rank faced constant surveillance for security reasons.

Genuine strength lay within reach, requiring only endurance until the conclusion.

Far simpler in words than in execution.

A barrage of enchanted projectiles hurtled from the foes' fortified positions toward them.

Xander lifted his shield, joined by the sturdy line of frontline defenders ahead, all bolstered by enchantments cast by the spellcasters at their rear.

Towering shields in hand, they erected a solid wall, with support casters mending any harm they suffered.

Once shields faltered, the spellcasters and bowmen retaliated with their counterattack.

Such exchanges had persisted over the previous three hours.

Utterly futile, as neither faction inflicted substantial harm. In reality, it became a grueling test of endurance, with Damon's group destined to yield first.

Xander peered at him over the edge of a massive shield.

"How much longer must we endure?"

Damon lifted his gaze, staring far off where Renata had hidden both herself and Lilith amid the turmoil and haze. Their presence escaped detection.

"It should happen any moment..." he whispered.

Suddenly, a purple glow illuminated everything as Renata eroded the adversary's shield. The instant it crumbled, Lilith extended her arm, unleashing a surge of arcane energy into the atmosphere.

[Void Scythe]

In her grasp materialized a scythe forged from nothingness, and she hurled it without pause, the void's embodiment slamming against the protective field.

An enormous crack, akin to fracturing glass, resounded, causing the barrier's forward portion to shatter like broken gems.

Shock gripped the chained knights.

Damon signaled to Xander, who hoisted his spear aloft.

"Charge forward..."

His bellow ignited the spirits of all, and with a dense phalanx of shields leading, they surged into the melee while shafts and arcane bursts hammered their barriers.

Awareness dawned on the chained knights that their defense had vanished. No longer a blockade, it transformed into direct confrontation, prompting a shift in strategy.

The overseer commanding them lifted his arm.

"Rebuild the shield. Front unit, push ahead."

He issued the command, yet before response came, Damon appeared at his back and thrust a blade into his torso. Despite being fourth class, he evaded fatally, blood streaming from his wound as he swung a fist at Damon.

A grin crossed Damon's face as he vanished via teleportation before the overseer could connect.

A pale arrow struck his skull while Sylvia broke her bow apart, reshaping it into paired swords.

Indignation marked his end, a fourth class felled so humiliatingly, caught off guard by two third class foes.

Though the barrier lay breached, superiority remained elusive. The chained forces boasted superior gear and battle-hardened discipline.

Thus, their edge began to slip away.

Shadows of airborne silhouettes emerged from the rooftops.

From the heights, the flying unit rained down a salvo into the heart of the opposing ranks.

Abellona directed this group of winged allies in a skyward strike. Having discarded bows for close-quarters, the chained knights now contended with threats from overhead.

Spotting this, one commander bellowed.

"Spellcasters, form up. Spellcasters, form up."

In the frantic melee, casters hurried to unite. Tension filled the air; a fall meant being crushed underfoot. Crimson drenched the earth, blades and spells colliding like thunderbolts in a raging tempest.

Aerial ambushes and skyborne tactics. Such methods favored demons and winged folk like fae, with demons excelling most.

This stemmed from nearly all demon descendants possessing wings, making flight innate, whereas divine races featured wings in select groups, not universally enabling flight.

Yet this marked merely the beginning, and Damon resolved to exploit the momentum.

The Staff of Carnage would suit this moment well, but prior use against Seraph Null prevented it.

Nevertheless, he extended his arm and released a deluge of dark fire.

Agonized cries rang out as forms reduced to cinders.

The system's recognizable tone resounded.

[You have slain Tatin of the Chained]

[You have slain ...]

[You have slain...]

...

Damon prepared to press toward the obsidian spire when cloaked individuals emerged, intoning homage to Seraph Null.

Then came their astonishing act.

Blades drawn, they drove them into their chests.

"Through the mighty deity's grace, we summon his celestial guardians."

They crumpled into spreading crimson pools, and upon doing so, an eerie hush fell over the field. Their blood swirled gradually into a ring.

Detection hit Damon, draining color from his features.

Summoning sorcery at work.

Ethereal beings with wings materialized from the pattern, evoking memories of the mirror seraph.

Upon full emergence, each wielded spears, diving into the fight without delay. Some ascended to challenge Abellona's flyers, while others crashed into the beleaguered terrestrial clash.

Their arrival unleashed devastation via sweeping strikes that carved paths of ruin. Fallen bodies plummeted from above, and the earthbound troops faced utter submersion.

Damon clenched his jaw, invoking his mark.

Reluctance filled him at deploying them, but necessity demanded it.

At the battlefield's fringe, as desperation peaked, Damon drew a steadying breath.

Then—

"Frost, seize control."

An icy, malevolent tone reverberated, and those words birthed enormous ice spikes that skewered all in their trajectory.

Recognition of that voice sent shivers through the spines of all who heard. He had emerged from death's grasp yet again.

"Haahahhah..." the icy, malevolent tone resounded.

"Perish."

Astonishment froze one fighter.

"That's... that's Amon..."

Uncomprehending, the chained knights reacted with unease, but the goddess-aligned races knew terror toward him.

Amon the Enigmatic Sovereign, rumored harbinger of Ashcroft's revival.

Demon airborne allies gazed in reverence as he mounted a subordinate fiend, then gestured broadly.

In response, draconic beasts materialized abruptly. Hundreds of silver-clad warriors followed, accompanied by obsidian-armored ones.

Amon's resurgence brought undiminished potency.

The Enigmatic Sovereign had returned.

Damon observed his shadow duplicate Amon basking in triumph. Fortune favored his gamble in forging another shadow duplicate fused with the Faceless ability.

Damon prepared contingency measures should the primary scheme falter.

Victory in the clash now tilted their way.

Regarding his legion of shadow constructs, concealment from association with himself remained the intent. Discovery of their mechanics spelled complications, particularly if the temple amassed further suspicions against him.

Moreover, assigning the antagonist role to his shadow duplicate served its purpose. That formed the rationale for its creation.

Even so, Damon scowled. Advantage restored, yet reaching the obsidian tower persisted as a priority.

Amid his deliberations, the shadow duplicate surveyed the chaos from elevated perch, detecting an irregularity.

Lilith and Sylvia evaded his sight.

"What scheme do they pursue this time..."

Locating them proved challenging, but Amon arrived with company. Lyn and Sithara accompanied as aides, aiding his efforts.

Tasked with assembling this shadow force alongside Lazarak, they grasped its intricacies deeply.

Lyn eyed him curiously.

"What's the matter, anything amiss?"

Damon shook his head deliberately.

"Nothing major. Stick near me, both of you; I'll keep you safe."

Sithara appeared unconcerned. Her focus centered on evaluating the wyvern-resembling war machines' capabilities.

On the field below, Damon lacked leisure for concerns.

He looked skyward, reaching out to Abellona mentally.

"I'm going into the tower."

Silence met his words.

Still, confidence assured her awareness.