My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 900 - 901: Into Difficult Times

Calling Father Dantalion 'Danny' required immense boldness, something no one possessed. Truly, it was something never heard before. Who would even attempt it? Absolutely no one... except for Damon Grey alone.

Damon's hand remained extended, and though Dantalion felt a faint impulse to sever it, his sense of reason and practicality held him back.

Naturally, the repercussions played a role too. The Nine Star Elders served as spiritual guides, much like the High Templar, who functioned as both Templar and Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire, yet leaned more toward a role of spiritual guidance.

Still, the true restraint came from the Grand Duke, who wouldn't hesitate to raze the entire city if harm came to his grandson.

Beyond that, he could simply assert afterward that his actions aimed to safeguard the Holy Child.

Muttering curses at Damon's brazenness inwardly, Dantalion gradually extended his own hand.

Damon appeared far from content. In the most brazenly ambiguous tone he could produce—

"Kiss the ring, Danny my son... kiss the ring."

With so many onlookers present, including the fervent members of the Inquisition, he had no choice but to kiss the ring.

Swallowing his pride, he grasped the hand once more and pressed his lips to the ring. The moment he finished, Damon pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the ring as if it carried the foulest contamination imaginable. Then he cleared his throat.

"Ahem... you are blessed, my child."

He laid a hand atop Dantalion's head, an odd gesture. Damon nearly sensed a connection before Dantalion pulled away.

"Many thanks, your holiness."

Turning aside, Damon's eyes now fixed on Aurelius Venn.

The dragon-kin nearly yearned to unfurl his wings and flee, yet he drew in a deep breath and endured. He'd ensure Damon faced complications soon enough.

"Venny, my boy... kiss daddy’s ring... I mean, kiss the holy hand and receive the goddess’ divine blessing."

He cleared his throat again, despite his words hanging in the air, while the crowd averted their gazes.

Aurelius Venn pressed his lips together, then seized Damon's hand.

Damon shut his eyes, as though absorbing a sacred vision.

"The goddess has forgiven you, Venny... you are blessed."

No one desired to follow. Damon was turning a sacred ceremony into a farce, yet nobody intervened. After all, the occasion revolved around him.

He prepared to head back to the altar when his attention caught on an individual.

Damon halted. His gaze sharpened. Wasn't this the priest dispatched by the Temple to purchase his Ascendant armor upon his return from Lysithara? Indeed, this fellow had attempted to hinder Damon.

A weaker individual might overlook it and display generosity. Damon wasn't such a person.

He stopped before the man, directing his finger toward him.

"I sense evil energy around you..."

Damon merely aimed to offend. Worst case, he'd face scrutiny, but they'd clear him if proven innocent.

"You must be colluding with demons... I sense evil around you..."

The man's complexion drained of color at Damon's words. His eyes bulged in alarm.

Dantalion's brow furrowed deeply, his stare icy and unyielding.

Risking everything, Damon circulated a trace of that divine energy. The Holy Shroud amplified his aura of sanctity.

"You are an enemy of the goddess. I see your truth laid bare..."

"Seize him," Damon ordered. As the central figure of the day, they owed him that respect.

The Knights Templar present looked to the High Templar, who gave a gradual nod. They'd likely free him later and reassign him elsewhere to preserve the Holy Son's enigmatic reputation.

Yet the priest's features hardened, his eyes blazing with frenzy.

"Damn you foul people... you will never take me!"

He delved into his robes and extracted a tiny trinket resembling a pendant. Damon nearly froze in shock upon spotting it. It bore the unmistakable emblem of the Unknown God.

The instant it emerged, shock rippled through everyone's faces. Damon grew even more bewildered. He'd only intended to harass the man; he hadn't suspected actual demonic espionage.

He lifted the trinket high.

"Hail Unknown, the Unknown God."

At those words, a protective field materialized around him, enveloping him in a rounded shield.

He erupted into manic laughter.

"Hahahahaha! You cannot harm me. I will chant the Unknown God’s divine name, and when it’s complete I will be sent to the Snake Temple..."

The Knights Templar brandished their blades and struck the field, but every blow rebounded harmlessly.

"Hahaha, fools! Only those of the Unknown God’s faith may pass."

Dropping to his knees, he gripped the trinket tightly.

"All hail Unknown—

God of Names, Unmaker of All.

The Dreamer and the Void,

The Birth and the Silence."

As he intoned the words, the space inside the field warped, as though reality itself was crumpling.

The High Templar clenched his jaw.

"Raise the holy barrier. This traitor must not escape alive. Seal this whole space."

Upon his command, golden luminescence rose from the earth and pierced the sky. A vast barrier encased the entire Holy City in its brilliant glow.

But it proved useless.

He pressed on with his incantation.

"Wielder of All Absolutes,

Bringer of Truth, Master of Lies.

Genesis Alpha — the First Light,

Nemesis Omega — the Last Breath."

Damon froze momentarily. It stunned him that the Temple harbored a spy in its ranks. This individual was unmistakably human, a devotee of the Unknown God, and clearly held significant status to possess such a potent artifact.

This served as the supreme means of evasion for dire threats to life.

He needed to claim it for his own survival.

His invocation persisted unbroken.

"He who is the Law, and He who denies it.

He who dreams reality and wakes into nothingness.

The End of Ends, the Origin of Origins."

Knights, mages, and others unleashed a barrage on the field, but despite their combined might, it seemed anchored in a separate dimension. His getaway appeared inevitable.

Reality within began to shimmer like a mirage.

"God of Wrath. God of Resentment.

Praise to the God of the Damned.

Hail the Lord of Choice."

Damon advanced and touched the field with his hand. No opposition met him. It permitted his entry.

He stifled a grin. Of course—he remained aligned with the Unknown God in essence, so the field recognized him as an ally.

Amid the crowd's stunned stares, Damon stepped through the field.

"Unseen Sovereign.

The Silent Witness.

Discordia the Imperfect.

Hail the Paradox.

Hail the Abyss.

Hail Unknown, the Unknown God."

Seizing the priest just before his vanishing, Damon drew his sword from shadow storage in one fluid motion and plunged it into his chest.

With his free hand, he snatched the trinket and stowed it away in his shadow storage via the shadow cast by his palm.

"Ho... how did you get past the barrier..."

Fortune favored Damon as the man posed the question unprompted, his voice carrying to all ears.

"The goddess is by my side, and she has given me the divine mandate of the heavens. I shall be the end of all heretics."

Crimson pooled on the ground as the man's gaze dimmed in demise. Damon exacted his vengeance in the least anticipated manner.

In the meantime, cheers erupted from the assembly. The Knights Templar and Temple devotees now regarded him with reverence, his white shroud and shining crown enhancing his divine presence.

Father Dantalion's frown deepened, though he masked it carefully. The High Templar approached the body, flanked by Knights Templar.

"Where is his evil ornament..."

Damon shut his eyes.

"I’m afraid it must have been destroyed by my holy aura... evil things cannot seem to withstand me... ahh... goddess be with us..."

He shook his head deliberately, feigning regret.

"A shame. Who would have thought these evil people could sneak into our glorious and holy Temple? How dare they blaspheme the goddess’ name and practice such heresy before your holiness, to boot. We must act to crush any remaining followers of that vile, no-good god."

Damon's voice rang with fervent outrage. Naturally, he wove in subtle barbs to prompt the Temple to purge its internals.

"We cannot tolerate such evil amongst us. I personally cannot abide that Unknown God and his corruption. He is truly the most vile and evil of existence."

These sentiments sprang from his genuine disdain, particularly given how the Unknown God constantly undermined him.

After all, resentment simmered within him.

"Indeed. Indeed," the High Templar replied measuredly.

"But how did you get past the barrier?"

Damon emanated his holy aura.

"The goddess spoke to me... it was divine inspiration. Only the power of the goddess can overcome this evil, and I have been chosen."

The High Templar inclined his head.

"Yes, I see. I finally understand why the Aether Academy made the decision it did. The Temple will fully support them. Only someone like you can handle such a task."

Damon's sense of peril surged abruptly.

"Huh? What?"

The High Templar rested a hand on Damon's shoulder.

"The Academy will fill you in... goddess be with you in your difficult times."

Damon stood completely stunned.