My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 918 - 919: Hugging The Right Thighs

Bones scattered across the sandy terrain, remnants of long-forgotten deaths. Damon's eyes fixed on a body ensnared amid the trees, where dark roots stabbed through its ribcage like twisted vines seizing a prize. The meat had decayed ages ago. Corroded arms and shreds of faded hide armor held fast to the bones. Based on the leftover scraps of garb, he deduced the remains were once a man's.

An utterly deceased fellow, and from the style etched on his blade, Damon reckoned he dated back to the second epoch.

Nearby rested a battered helmet and a shattered bow, its cord frayed and thinned until it broke. Mud caked its surface, the inscriptions dimmed and stripped of any enchanted worth.

Perhaps a collector might buy it, but by now Damon's riches meant he had no interest in such trifles.

A profound quiet weighed upon the group as Damon's foot crushed the skull of some unfortunate creature. It shattered beneath him with a brittle snap that echoed too sharply in the hush.

Signs of the ravenous earth appeared everywhere. Its doing. Its insatiable hunger.

The exploration team advanced without a word, saving even the effort needed for talk. Nobody squandered air on chit-chat. Just steady, measured breaths trailed them like a pulse of endurance. Every bit of stamina counted.

This woodland stretch alone stretched over hundreds of kilometers.

Damon yanked his boots from the yielding dirt with clear strain, the earth gripping him tightly as if unwilling to release. His mouth curled in revulsion. It seemed the woods pushed back at him harder than the rest.

"Hmhmm," he grumbled, shrugging his shoulders while weariness seeped into his muscles quicker than normal.

"What’s that mean?" Seras whispered sharply, keeping her pace steady.

"Nothing. Just curious why nobody ever tried wiping out the Evil Forest. This spot’s dreadful, and it sprawls over the entire continent," he grumbled, eyeing the trees while stepping along.

Seras shot him a sidelong look, one eyebrow dipping.

"Someone tried. Forgot about the event that called forth Rashi Ignath and emptied the Empire’s coffers?"

Damon’s pace faltered. His chin dropped.

Of course. Emperor Rashnet had aimed to torch it. The woods retaliated by invoking Ignath. The fallout had ravaged the terrain and ushered in the present era with the initial verified appearance of the primordial dark entity Ignath.

"Slipped my mind. Believe it was covered in second year."

"Yes," Kael chimed in, shifting his hold on the staff as he moved. "Earlier accounts mentioned smaller appearances. They got labeled as dubious and ignored. Post-event, royal experts ramped up studies on dark spirits, focusing on Ignath, until the Temple banned the subject."

Damon gave Kael Blackthorne a dull stare.

"Professor. I’m already in a damned woods. Spare me the lesson. I expect top marks after this awful trek."

"You’ll get full credit," Kael answered with controlled tolerance.

Damon halted abruptly in his stride.

His boot plunged further than expected.

"Did you catch that?"

Seras stopped short, fingers clenching her weapon. Her gaze scanned the nearby trees.

"What? Saw nothing."

Damon pulled his foot out as slender dark tendrils shot up, just grazing his ankle. Soil flung into the air.

"Hmm. Probably just a breeze."

He swiped sweat off his forehead using his hand’s back.

"I fret too much. It’s not like a root-made thing would pop up behind and snatch me."

The team turned to eye him gradually.

A huge shadow engulfed his form.

Damon let out a breath.

"Had to voice it."

He dove and tumbled ahead without glancing back. Simultaneously, he flung a hand rearward and loosed a blazing rush of fire. Flames erupted in a fierce surge, scorching hot yet laced with that eerie, spirit-freezing chill.

A solid thud came next.

Enormous roots surged to guard the beast, shining crimson like molten iron while soaking up the flames.

Seras dashed in right after Damon vacated the spot. Her sword sliced down in a slim, exact curve. The atmosphere tore. Trees beyond the monster sheared off neatly, along with the massive root cluster.

Crimson sap gushed from the gash as the fiend toppled with a booming thud.

"Phew." Damon rose, brushing grime off his jacket.

"That was tight. Only one. Figured we’d face a horde. Guess I overthought it. We’ll sweep this area no problem. The ravenous earth isn’t so tough if you stay in motion."

Lana, quietly serving as his dedicated mender now, raised her hand on reflex as if to hush him. She paused midway and eased it down, mindful of her role.

The ground quaked.

Its top layer undulated and boiled like some colossal force below stirred in annoyance.

Seras blinked once.

Then she thwacked Damon’s head from behind.

"What’s your issue? Why say that? You buy into bad luck more than anybody."

Damon clapped a hand over his lips.

True. He did.

’I get it. It’s Deathless, right? Clever. Very clever.’

He eyed Seras.

"Didn’t mean to. It just came out."

Kael advanced, staff now fully drawn.

"Theories propose the Evil Forest acts as a unified being. It might sense motives or words. Didn’t think it could react with feelings."

Renata glanced at Wendy, who steadied a raven and a squirrel on her shoulders without fuss.

They shared a look before uttering in sync.

"Congrats, Damon. You’ve perfectly enraged a whole forest."

A system tone echoed in his head.

[Rage bait +30]

[Rage bait +40]

[Rage bait +20]

[Rage bait +100]

[Rage bait +250]

[Ragebaiting lvl 7] +4

His ability jumped four tiers right away.

He hadn’t even aimed for it.

Following weeks of intentional taunts, success hit now. When real peril threatened his life.

Seras unsheathed her tachi completely, arcane power flowing over the edge.

"Form up for battle. Keep advancing. Circle shifts. Don’t plant your feet."

The team rearranged swiftly, soles scraping the shaky ground.

The earth burst around them. From the torn soil, dense muck ascended. Out of the muck, tendrils coiled and formed into human-like shapes, slathered in dirt.

Each displayed a unique human visage.

Visages of victims swallowed by the ravenous earth.

Damon sensed annoyance ignite.

He faced the on-edge troops.

"Hold firm. They seem scary, but don’t flinch. These are holdovers from past times who couldn’t beat this wretched woods. Hack them apart."

The troops stood taller, weapons gripped firmer.

Still, the presence from the root figures intensified. Their gazes glowed scarlet. Arms raised weapons aloft.

Seras pivoted her head toward Damon slowly.

Damon coughed lightly.

"Wasn’t on purpose."

"Quiet."

The woods lit up with dazzling bursts of spells as both factions fired barrages.

Damon swept a fireball away with a casual wrist snap, scattering it in flight.

"They cast spells. Thought they stuck to raw power."

The root figures froze.

One advanced. Its garb identified it as a deceased sorcerer. Sludge fell from its bony digits as it unleashed a spirit-rending wail and charged straight at Damon.

Rationally, it ought to stay back.

Its stare showed disregard.

In its undead state, it craved only him.

Damon adjusted his footing and dodged at the final second. Wendy’s bone blade arced up, slicing the entity neatly mid-leap. Its form spasmed wildly before dropping into the dirt.

"Radiant Knights, form a defense. Guard Lord Damon," Silas ordered while shields formed a barrier around him.

Damon scowled at the shielding line.

This felt unfamiliar.

Abruptly, he burst through a gap and released a twisting blaze stream, torching multiple root fighters instantly.

The faster they fell, the preferable.

But others emerged.

They scaled one another, fusing into a twisting heap of tendrils, charging ahead in a frenzied rush. Every one targeted Damon.

He halted for a moment, gazing at the growing pile as flames danced in his sight.

Then he looked to Seras.

She met his eyes.

He flashed her a gentle, brazen grin.

In a flash, he warped right next to her, forsaking the frontline.

He chose what struck him as the smartest choice.

His eyes darted down for a beat.

Next, he encircled both arms around her sturdy legs, clutching without delay.

No chance for talk.

The mob slammed in, spells detonating overhead, tendrils cracking, metal clashing on tough bark.

Seras swore softly as the onslaught neared.

From Damon’s hold’s firmness, she grasped it at once.

He showed zero plan to release.