My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 915 - 916: Driven By Love

Drawing from his recollections, Amadeus attempted to recall the initial encounter with Mugu from many years past.

"A young man hailed from the Demon Continent. I recall him vividly. His eyes burned with an unusual determination." He hesitated briefly, as though summoning the image of Mugu's appearance back then.

"Indeed, he served as the disciple to the woman who later ascended as the one clad in the Crescent Seer armor. Back in those days, no such armor existed yet."

Damon paid close attention. Based on his prior knowledge, the Ascendant armor emerged from Mugu and Vathren's encounter with the Unknown God, granting them insights into its creation. Using that wisdom, Lysithara forged five such armors to combat the corruption and decay unleashed by the outsiders.

This tale unfolded prior to those events. Prior to the reasons driving Mugu's every action.

"Prior to becoming her disciple, he wasn't especially gifted as a youth. Yet his resolve remained unbreakable. Strength was his sole pursuit, as though pursued by some force or entity."

The lich caressed his staff softly, immersed in the past.

"His fellow students didn't particularly favor him. Mugu kept to himself, though perhaps not willingly." Amadeus envisioned him clearly, practicing relentlessly long after the corridors emptied, repeating the efforts endlessly.

"Why was that," Damon inquired, recognizing his own reclusive nature.

Amadeus faltered, seeming reluctant for Damon to probe further.

"Mugu lacked the leisure for such interactions, or so he thought. While others mingled, as humans naturally do, he focused on training. For any assigned duty, Mugu exceeded the expectations by a wide margin."

Damon visualized it clearly now. An unmatched talent capable of surpassing all obstacles.

"Competing against such a genius must have been tough."

Amadeus denied it with a shake of his head.

"Quite the opposite, Mugu wasn't a genius at all, contrary to what history claims. He wasn't an innate prodigy like Ashcroft. In truth, he ranked as ordinary, maybe a touch better."

Seras squinted suspiciously. Ordinary. No ordinary individual could accomplish what Mugu had. He alone had transformed the world irrevocably.

"How could someone average accomplish such feats. Founding the demon race. Claiming the Doom Continent."

The lich reclined, his skull bowed. If sockets held eyes, Damon might have glimpsed a trace of sorrow.

"That's precisely what rendered him so fearsome. He attained everything through middling ability. Mugu lacked superior intellect. He wasn't the swiftest or mightiest either. Mugu pursued his aims relentlessly. That quality turned him into a monster. His relentless push. His unshakeable belief."

The skeletal fingers of the lich quivered, as if revisiting a haunting recollection.

"Everyone toils diligently. We trained to the point of bleeding. Mugu pushed until he neared death. If tasked with a hundred miles, Mugu covered ten thousand. While we recovered, he continued. When we studied one page, he devoured a hundred."

The lich shook his head deliberately.

"Despite his averageness, he outworked everyone. Even amid the bitterness others felt, we admired his achievements. He compelled those nearby to surpass their boundaries. It spread like a contagion."

His voice carried a hint of joy, almost.

"That's when Valcara noticed him and accepted him as her direct pupil. It wasn't her initial intent to mentor him. Mugu simply wouldn't relent. He shadowed her persistently, brimming with genuine intent. Ultimately, she yielded to his persistence."

Damon furrowed his brow.

Hold on. Something felt off. If Mugu shone so brightly, why hesitate to teach him. He assumed Mugu wouldn't need to plead.

Noticing Damon's look, the lich grasped the unspoken query.

"As a seer, Valcara foresaw disaster. Taking Mugu as her apprentice would bring her doom. Thus she turned him away, or at least that's the account from Valarie."

Damon inclined his head gradually. He recalled the figure shrouded in fog on the bridge to the Whispering Forest.

"So he exploited and abandoned her."

The lich dismissed it with a shake.

"No. Valcara transformed him. Through her guidance, he warmed to others, gaining widespread admiration. Those walking the same scholarly road soon uncovered his backstory and the source of his fervor. He spoke of it endlessly. That marked the sole occasion he appeared joyful. Yet that joy concealed a snare."

"What fueled it," Seras murmured gently.

The lich fell silent briefly before responding.

"He was in love."

Damon nearly dropped his wine at the revelation. In love. That powered his ambition. His purpose. How did that connect to aiding the Unknown God.

The lich shot Damon a quick look.

"Love wields immense power. It foretells destruction. This love doomed Mugu. It shattered Valcara too. This love threatened the entire world. Love terrifies," Amadeus murmured, his staff quivering faintly.

Damon's gaze sharpened. Did this lich fear love.

"Why," Renata interjected at last.

"Isn't love meant to be wondrous. A force uniting souls. With love, solitude vanishes, though it carries some fear." She said it while eyeing Damon.

The lich shook his head.

"Perhaps. Still, its splendor proves fleeting. Its fallout devastating. Mugu's motivation stemmed from simplicity. Deep in his homeland of Valtheron."

"Valtheron," Seras echoed. Wasn't Mugu from the Demon Continent, Centros. What tied him to Valtheron amid the War Continent, Soltheon.

"Valtheron once stood as a minor realm within the Demon Continent," Damon explained to ease her doubt.

"You ought to learn more," he tacked on.

"Mugu shared a youthful romance with a sweetheart. I've never encountered her myself. By his descriptions, she'd seem a divine beauty of this realm. Their affection mutual, they vowed eternal union. A vow Mugu chased without mercy."

Damon sensed the story veering darkly. It already had.

"One day, a worthless prince from the royals spotted her and desired her. She was seized from Mugu against her will to wed him. Mugu resisted fiercely. Ultimately, what chance did he have against the throne. To spare his life, she consented to the union, extracting Mugu's pledge to rescue her later."

The lich halted momentarily. Sorrow touched even him.

"That ignited his quest for power. His drive for all he pursued. It was love. He departed the continent, tracking Lysithara. He braved treacherous routes and soloed the Duhu Mountains until reaching her."

Amadeus gripped his staff with both hands, shaking his head gradually.

"Back then, we all rooted for him. None foresaw his unyielding spirit birthing catastrophe."

Ages had passed. Amadeus still held memories of Mugu.

"It was tragic, in truth. Mugu cherished this girl, while his mentor Lysithara developed feelings for him. That sealed Valcara's fate. Those emotions paved her downfall."

Damon blinked. Threads connected everywhere. This explained Mugu's deep hatred for Valtheron's leaders. They stole his beloved due to his frailty. What fury he harbored. Sufficient for an everyday man to reshape the world.

"What followed. How did he pull it off."

Amadeus shook his head.

"I'm unsure. What I recall is his rapid rise in power, departing Lysithara for greater might. He vanished for years."

Purple glow filled his empty stare.

"Upon his return, he appeared shattered. Darker and more fractured than ever. Rage consumed him, but above all, Mugu wandered aimlessly. Yet his determination shifted to a fresh objective."

Scars marred Mugu deeply. Shadows cloaked his eyes. Unconcealed agony lingered. The once invincible figure now resembled a fractured vessel brimming with wrath.

"He started discussing the metaverse and forbidden lore against the goddess," the lich grumbled, remembering Mugu's formidable state upon reentering Lysithara.

The pinnacle of mortal potential. Seventh class advancement.

"Valcara perceived his disorientation. Despite that, her emotions kept her loyal," Amadeus intoned gravely.

"Valarie, Vathren, Vulcan—her companions all urged her to abandon Mugu."

"I recall her telling Valarie, if you ever love your own student, you'll understand why I'd sacrifice for him." The lich appeared to exhale without breath.

"Details escape me now. What remains is that Valcara and Mugu swayed them. They pitched the concept, and through it, the outsiders invaded our realm."

"Thus began the downfall of Lysithara and the First Epoch."

Damon opened his mouth as the lich lifted his gaze.

"That's everything I know of Mugu."

Damon nodded gently until the lich tilted his head upward.

"One more thing lingers. Phrases he uttered that haunt me still. The day he returned to Lysithara, I overheard him declare."

Amadeus halted until his words chilled Damon's veins.

"We aren't chosen for birth; existence is imposed. Today proved dreadful; tomorrow worsens it. Eventually, all ends. Everything dissolves. Memories crumble under time, the ultimate ravager."

A chill gripped Damon's heart.

These echoed the Unknown God’s philosophy.

The very outlook that had molded Damon's existence.