My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 924 - 825: Seras Plan
Previously on My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger...
Divine power.
This particular force originated from the Gods themselves. It emerged from the core of Divinity and possessed the ability to blend with various other energies.
No being had ever wielded both without repercussions, save for the enigmatic Unknown God alone.
Damon observed as the shadows grew thicker, intensifying in depth and strength. In every area they expanded, the surrounding light vanished completely.
Through his skin, he sensed that immense force flooding into each and every pore.
It loomed over him, ready to devour everything.
His feet lifted off the earth, and he floated upward, several meters into the sky.
Seras witnessed his actions and clenched her jaw while blood streamed from his nostrils.
She bounded onto the encroaching shadows, gliding up a surging tendril before slashing with her sword.
A sharp wail of anguish echoed out.
The beast hidden in the treetops howled, its cry utterly unnatural—a harsh screech that pierced the ears and caused them to ring painfully.
Guided by Damon's command, the shadows twisted into enormous spikes that shredded through the forest's upper layers. The mighty old trees creaked loudly as colossal shadow limbs yanked them free from the soil.
The entire woodland seemed to lean precariously.
A devouring blackness materialized, hauling trees skyward while deadly spikes shredded everything nearby.
Inky black blood cascaded from the shredded canopy, accompanied by the creature's piercing shriek.
It writhed in torment.
Yet Damon's suffering dwarfed it entirely.
He sensed his Seed of Depravity releasing infernal energy to fill the void created by his depleted divine power.
With every throb of his heart, excruciating agony surged through him, as though his heart was repeatedly squeezed and torn apart.
Damon clamped his teeth together.
His sole exposed eye widened dramatically from the sheer torment.
"Arghhh—"
He hoisted the uprooted trees high above the canopy and then smashed them downward, demolishing vast stretches of the Listening Canopy spanning kilometers.
The earth shook fiercely as an enormous, mysterious form collided with the ground.
In that instant of impact, the world appeared to bend to a fresh governing principle.
It let out a desperate scream while attempting to escape, now bereft of its protective treetops.
Damon refused to allow it any such opportunity.
The shadows coalesced into a solid sphere encasing it, trapping it within.
As soon as confinement took hold, it burst a puncture from inside the sphere.
Damon hacked up blood.
He ground his teeth.
That suited him perfectly.
He had already fashioned the breach he required.
The very second the creature shattered his shadow sphere, a fissure opened wide enough for a tachi to pass through.
The sword hurtled inside.
Though the shadow orb hid its actual shape from view, upon the blade's reemergence—
It glistened with fresh gore.
The sphere fell eerily motionless.
A heavy quiet descended.
Blood soaked into the dark forest earth as Damon toppled rearward.
Before he could strike the soil, a figure emerged from his shadow to steady him.
Her gaze remained icy and unyielding.
With no shift in her stoic face, she assisted him back to standing.
"Thanks Matia..."
She gave a single nod, then offered a faint scowl.
"You should have called me sooner," she stated in her even tone.
Damon managed a feeble grin, left with just one eye and one arm.
"Hehehe... you're my secret weapon, I can't just bring you out..."
He wheezed, dizziness washing over him as shivers ran through his frame.
He detected a demonic horn starting to emerge from his skull.
Matia erected an icy barrier around him.
Without pause, she seized the budding horn and tore it away.
Blood erupted in a fierce spray, splattering her features.
She showed no reaction.
She applied healing potions to his scalp as the gash gradually sealed and his injuries mended.
She nudged him gently.
No reply came.
Her pulse almost halted.
Gradually, she leaned down to his torso, straining to hear his heartbeat.
She placed her ear firmly against him.
After a fraught pause—
She breathed out in deep relief.
He still drew breath.
No need for alarm gripped her.
Even as his form repaired itself, fresh harm afflicted it simultaneously.
The trouble lay deep within his core.
She detected him instinctively channeling shadow energy still.
That eased her worries.
Had he ceased—
Death would have claimed him.
"Keeping you safe is endless work..." she whispered steadily, eyeing the sturdy ice enclosure around them.
She dissolved the shield and drew a calm inhale as Renata and Wendy hurried over.
Renata assumed care of his recovery while Wendy and Matia positioned themselves protectively, blades at the ready.
The remaining knights swiftly established a guarded circle as the servants rushed to erect a shelter.
Seras surveyed the surroundings.
She had already cleared away the beast's remains.
Not a soul among those lost that day had glimpsed its real appearance.
For the best, truly.
Much safer that way.
Even lifeless, its body held the power to corrupt anyone who beheld it.
Seras clutched her tachi more firmly.
Leading such a large group into the Evil Forest had been a perilous choice.
Given the deadly perils here, it was miraculous they'd advanced this far with so many survivors.
This had been merely one monster.
Countless others of its kind lurked.
It didn't rank among the most terrifying.
And then there was Damon Grey.
He alone justified their stand to battle.
In truth, engaging wasn't the wisest move.
Continuing onward like this, they'd wear themselves out before the sea.
Seras extended her awareness outward.
This technique went by the name of Magic Sense.
It resembled Shadow Perception, but relied on the surrounding mana to forge an extra sense.
Typically, those achieving Fourth Class advancement unlocked this skill.
Some honed it through dedicated practice.
Others gained it instinctively.
Plenty ignored it altogether.
The flood of details it provided could swamp the thoughts.
Only a fool would maintain it nonstop.
Handling it proved cumbersome.
Seras had mastered it effectively, yet deployed it only in critical moments.
Most elite warriors followed suit.
Why rely on it always when stealth escaped it?
Opponents could detect its use.
And in hazardous spots like this, careless activation might summon horrors beyond measure.
She cast her senses with utmost caution, avoiding any provocation to the woods.
Attracting notice could invite assault.
After probing for some time—
She located her target.
"Hmm, displacement flowers..." she murmured, tucking a strand of hair aside.
These blooms had the power to teleport individuals to random spots without notice.
"I shouldn't consider this—it's too hazardous, and the dangers mount..." she whispered to herself as a bold notion took shape.
The concept was straightforward.
"Why didn't I consider the displacement flowers for transportation? If we try, we could shave off weeks from the journey..."
Or—
They might find themselves stranded in a remote forest section, miles from their destination.
The metallic tang of blood wafted through the exposed canopy.
A chill wind whipped her hair back.
The two moons bathed the woods in their silvery glow, mirroring in her gaze as her mind raced on.
Moonbeams draped over the bodies of the slain.
The soldiers advanced in hushed silence, too wary to celebrate lest they rouse the forest once more.
Should they press on in this manner—
Perish they would.
Damon lay senseless.
"Yes, that could succeed..." she pondered while approaching him.
A strategy had crystallized.
The deepest area facing the sea bore the name Bone Hollows.
It marked the final stretch of the forest nearest the ocean.
A zone of utter doom, no less.
Yet it fell under the Evil Forest's domain still.
From her knowledge, it brimmed with bottomless craters and vast bone-strewn plains.
Every pit teemed with swarms of beasts and restless undead.
The displacement flowers fell short of that extent.
Thus, the subsequent choice would suffice.
"The Hanging Paths."
She knew that territory well.
Trees there soared to unbelievable heights, with no sight of the earth below.
Just infinite descent.
Tales warned that plummeting there meant tumbling to the world's edge.
Flight attempts ended in fatal plunges.
Bridges of woven vines dangled between colossal tree shafts.
And that scarcely scratched the surface.
The Hanging Paths detected one's feelings.
Should fear arise—
"Ahh—" she rubbed her nose's bridge.
"It's chancy, but we bypass countless threats. I guess I truly owe that lich for the details, or I'd stumble blindly into the upcoming peril."
Several years had passed since her prior venture into the Hanging Paths.
On that occasion, she'd come from the sea, traversing the Bone Hollows to arrive.
She'd pursued a demon that had escaped into those lands.
"Ultimately, I never claimed his life... just witnessed his drop into the abyss of the paths..."