My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 931 - 932: Across And Above

The air hung motionless. A thin mist shrouded the vines, and underneath lay a plunge that offered nothing but doom.

Damon had no desire to discover what hid in the depths. Once, when he'd leaned over the brink, he'd glimpsed shadowy outlines, forms that seemed utterly alien. From that point on, he'd trained himself to remain quiet and press onward.

Seras positioned herself at the forefront, clutching a map—or more precisely, the path etched for them by Amadeus the lich.

Two weeks had elapsed since their entry into this realm. The insidious notion that escape might elude them forever wormed its way through the group like decay.

To make matters worse, far overhead in the haze, the remote outline of a dragon continued its vigilant sweep of the heavens. Rexagon hunted for them. Hunted specifically for Damon.

Unease dragged at his limbs more with each passing instant. In this place, dread carried substance. The pull of the earth grew denser around them, like unseen shackles.

Renata kept it unspoken, yet Damon sensed their provisions dwindling. No hint of freedom appeared from this accursed labyrinth.

He wiped perspiration from his throat and observed a warrior up front bearing a fallen ally who lay senseless.

That's the method they'd endured these past two weeks. Anyone overwhelmed by terror got rendered unconscious and transported. Still, exhaustion closed in relentlessly. No matter their superhuman prowess, mortal boundaries persisted. And not every member was mortal. The venture formed a stark blend of species, each hauling their personal frailties along.

Damon extended his shadow sense deeper along the misty trail. Emptiness. He let out a deep breath, his eyes shifting to Kael, who took quiet pulls from a water flask.

At the very least, death hadn't claimed anyone yet. They just needed to locate the way out and depart.

Seras lifted her arm and pointed forward. Damon traced her direction and grasped it right away.

A wave of ease unclenched tension in his torso. The gravitational strain lightened. His breathing came freer, his stance uprightened unconsciously.

In front, the foliage parted to reveal a fresh passage. Countless thinner tendrils twisted around a colossal main vine that vanished into the vapor. At its terminus loomed an enormous cranium, vast as a peak. Past it sprawled a terrain strewn with pale skeletons and timeless cadavers.

The Bone Hallows.

Seras gave a single nod and advanced onto the enormous vine. The rest trailed behind, their expressions gaunt and drained.

Damon looked rearward at the Orchard of Regrets, catching the far-off beat of Rexagon's wings. Fourteen days gone, and the beast persisted in its pursuit.

Did such fury consume him? Such endurance? Or mere refusal to allow Damon's survival?

He averted his gaze.

Once I cross to the far side, he'll never spot me again.

A cry pierced the quiet.

A fighter bearing a senseless companion faltered as dread rushed over him. His form pitched toward the haze below.

Kael moved without delay, lunging to seize his limb. For an instant, they dangled poised on the edge of existence and nothingness.

Then the burden struck.

Terror intensified. The force replied.

The senseless figure roused in horror, and the abrupt surge overwhelmed them. Kael's limb twisted unnaturally with a gruesome snap while both tumbled into the vapor beneath.

Their wails resounded well after they disappeared.

In this domain, cries endured. They lingered in the mist for ages, defying silence long past the source's end.

That very outcry was precisely what Rexagon had anticipated.

The wyrm understood tracking them proved difficult amid the Hanging Paths. Thus, he bided his time. Inevitably, one would tumble. They resembled rodents, after all. Defeat loomed certain.

A booming growl thundered over the firmament.

"Rwaaggh... hahahaha little mice."

His roar quaked the skies. Enormous wings unfurled, whipping savage gusts across the haze.

"I have found you. Now you die."

Seras refused to linger for his approach. The instant she detected him, she cast aside the edict of quiet.

"Run. We need to reach the giant skull," she bellowed.

The Bone Hallows offered their sole hope. Amid the infinite pale relics, concealment from the dragon's gaze might succeed.

Yet panic outpaced their strides.

Rexagon's colossal shape emerged from the mist, and mere sight of him sufficed. Dread bore down upon their spines. The Hanging Paths reacted at once.

A woman's knightly breaths turned labored. Frenzy coursed through her blood. The earth's grip swelled about her until her plating groaned.

Then she exploded in a mist of crimson.

Her dread had surged beyond her frame's tolerance.

"Stay calm. It is not over yet," Seras yelled, her tone slicing the turmoil. "Remember who you are. We are the goddess races. We are chosen."

Her gaze blazed with frantic resolve.

"Goddess races feel no fear."

The warriors bellowed in response, shoving valor into their frames. The crushing force diminished slightly.

They dashed ahead.

Damon refused to dally. As Seras bolstered spirits, he bolted forth, the massive cranium nearing with each pulse.

Seras vaulted abruptly, soaring meters high. She touched down before Damon, barring his way.

"Come on. We need to buy time so the others can escape that dragon," she declared, tone intense.

Damon halted, eyeing her as if madness had seized her.

"We? Who is we?"

He attempted to dissolve into the darkness and bolt, but Seras clutched his arm and hauled him close.

Her stare cut keen while she withdrew a blade from her storage box.

"We as in me and you. Stay alive and I’ll give you a kiss."

Damon flicked his view from her to the nearing beast, its pinions whipping cosmic gales overhead.

"No. No thanks. I choose life. Beautiful lips come and go but my life is—"

She hauled him to a side vine just as a beam of ruin ripped through their prior spot.

The tendrils surged from the haze, striking at the wyrm in vengeance.

Damon slammed onto the limb, tumbling until he regained balance.

"You owe me a lot more than a kiss after this," he grumbled.

Then he delved into his shadow and pulled forth a massive blade.