My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 910 - 911: Fields Of Roaring Glory

A ripple swept across the woodland. It seemed like a quiet detonation had burst in the realm surrounding them, though the chaos's roar targeted some distant layer of reality.

Seras swung her blade downward. Her strike froze the two stalkers right where they stood.

She let out a breath, easing her sword a bit.

"That strike ought to have ended any beast at the fifth class advancement, particularly with such a straight hit, but they're hanging on."

Damon eyed the pair of monsters. They clung to life, fighting to reclaim command over their forms.

Almost in unison, they broke free from the daze, but Seras stayed calm. She lifted her tachi and slashed once more. Colors drained from the world as though reality itself split under her blow. The narrow cut sliced straight through the stalkers' forms. The raw force was meant to tear them apart, but they held steady.

The moment her assault halted, they stirred back to motion and attempted to flee from her reach.

"Hmm. These beasts truly can't be felled by standard means. While under watch, they're untouchable."

Damon halted briefly.

"Observation..." he whispered. His gaze sharpened. Naturally, that explained it. Their abilities revolved around watching, so their flaw would too.

As the monsters scrambled away, he seized Seras's arms.

"I got a plan. Can you hold them in place?"

She watched them bolt from her, then drew in a steadying breath.

"My domain could pin them down. But that's a big gamble here in the evil forest."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. We'll handle whatever follows. I couldn't rest knowing these horrors lurk out there."

A grin crossed her face as her eyes shimmered.

"Whatever messes we stir up ahead, remember this was your call."

[Fields of Roaring Glory.]

The ground quaked beneath Damon. Crimson seeped from the dark earth at her feet. Ash and grit shrouded the heavens. Wails rang out while war shouts thundered. Airships bearing conflict flags soared above, unleashing spells upon the terrain. Warriors from myriad races clashed in a wild frenzy.

"This is my domain—the field of battle. Inside it, my power surges immensely. Like most domains, its heart is enhancement, boosting my mana reserves and renewal rate."

She lifted her arm, and the troops plus vessels above pivoted toward the stalkers. A barrage of arms swarmed the skies as barrages rained down on them.

Weapons materialized in the air and locked onto the pair. Shackles emerged, wrapping them tight. The creatures stood immobilized.

Damon scanned his surroundings. The woods had vanished. Now he stood on a war-torn plain beside Seras.

"A domain reflects what someone has truly understood. It's the peak of their beliefs, their existence. It begins as a mere concept. Folks might not even realize they've seized it. Over time, it hardens and takes shape in the real world. In your domain, you're the deity, the ruler of that realm. That's the command you hold."

A vast surge of mana washed over Damon. This ranked as the second purest domain he'd witnessed. It stood apart from Lazarak's. His was pure shadow, yet soft, like a peaceful evening. It eased suffering and brought tranquil peace.

The Mirror Seraph's domain consisted of misty looking glasses.

Seraph Null's domain involved bonds and captivity.

Every being crafted a domain all their own, for even close resemblances yielded utterly distinct realms.

That essence of domains made the Beldam so fearsome at the fourth class advancement.

He looked toward the stalkers, and as the restraints gripped them, one parted its jaws. Then a spread emanated from its base.

In that instant, Damon sensed a shift, like they dwelled in some alien plane now.

This was a domain as well.

Seras let out a light laugh.

"You know you've caged yourselves in too, or do you bet I'll drain my mana before you?"

Damon's stare hardened. It clicked. No surprise only one activated its domain. They aimed to wear her down. That's why top beings avoided constant domain use. The energy drain was massive.

It had to be, given they forged an actual zone of control inside the world.

'Gods must handle it smoother, being woven into the fabric of existence.'

Seras shot him a sharp look.

"Well, what're you stalling for? Get on with it."

She spoke deliberately.

"My domain speeds up mana recovery, but keeping it up still burns through a lot."

Damon spotted a drop of perspiration on her brow. It wasn't from the fight. She couldn't slay them, but they lacked the might to tax her.

His eyes drifted to the domain's border. Something pressed in. The evil forest's dark earth. The woods assaulted her domain.

This differed greatly from the Whispering Forest, where the Beldam wove a domain tied to her lair. Or perhaps it stemmed from this one being fleeting and shifting, not anchored.

Domains fascinated Damon deeply.

"Damon!" Seras snapped.

He coughed lightly.

"Yeah, yeah. My bad."

He dropped low, melting into shadow and sliding toward the stalkers. Upon arrival, a chill smile formed.

"I see through you now..."

Shackles confined the pair. Damon delved into his shadow storage, drawing forth an item.

It was a mirror.

No enchanted artifact or mighty relic—just a plain, everyday mirror.

Damon held it up, aiming at the monsters' faces. They gazed into their own images.

Upon viewing themselves, their frames locked up, then crumbled, fracturing like brittle glass and disintegrating.

[You have slain Stalker of the Evil Forest.]

[You have slain Stalker of the Evil Forest.]

Damon peered as their remains scattered to dust.

Seras exhaled in relief while her domain folded away. The battling soldiers dissolved. The arms. All traces vanished.

The woods reemerged, yet Damon sensed a shift. The evil forest brimmed with greater malice, as if it exuded pure murderous aura.

"How'd you puzzle out their end?" Seras inquired, ignoring the forest's menace.

Damon lifted his shoulders.

"A hunch. I reckoned this wouldn't top the horrors ahead in the woods. More like a grim prelude to worse."

Seras eyed the trees gravely.

"The forest's rule got defied. It's roused now, and that's final. We ditched the stalkers, but tougher threats await."

Damon shifted and spotted a scout nearing. He checked his injury; the curse from the stalker had lifted.

Seras pivoted.

"Let's move. We gotta clear this zone fast."

She melted into the underbrush. Damon trailed, his instincts tingling in rapid flares.

He chuckled, ensuring Dethrone quelled his Deathless ability.

They linked up with the others, and right away, the wounded troops appeared healed.

Damon's nocturnal stag was gone. No chance to snag and break another, so he shared Renata's mount, and the team took the sole sensible path.

Tremors shook the earth encircling the woods. Bellows and eerie chuckles-like noises boomed.

Some tones he couldn't place. They defied human grasp.

Damon's arms circled Renata's midsection.

"Seras, what's the play?" he shouted amid the thunder of hooves smashing brush.

"That's commander to you. We're pushing further in. Stick close and cut down whatever nears."

Damon groaned, luck feeling sourer than ever.

He glanced rearward, spotting branches thrashing and growls rising as odd imps leaped from the canopy in hordes.

Damon grimaced, clutching Renata firmer as they raced through the trees.

"Hmmm. Not as rough as expected. Just imp-like fiends. No big deal."

Right then, a thunderous snap echoed. Turning, he watched a massive trunk arch and splinter, though nothing showed.

His eyes tightened. An imp rose skyward, then crunched with a grind as unseen jaws worked it over.

Something enormous. Something unseen.

Damon's face drained of color. As if pursuit wasn't dire enough, it hid from sight too.

"Dammit. Dammit"