My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 938 - 939: Venom From A Cage

Damon swallowed hard, his throat constricting as terror surged through him. Moments earlier, he had nearly uttered the name of Obamion out loud.

His fingers jerked at his sides.

Damon was aware of several true entities' names. Among them, the Unknown God stood out as the most horrifying. Besides that one, he also recognized Muses, the deity of inspiration. That name had appeared to him during his death. The System had uttered it back then, in a tone both icy and detached.

He had never mustered the courage to voice it.

At this moment especially, he felt immense relief for holding back.

Another figure was Minerva, the Goddess of Doom. Speaking a god's name casually seemed improper, yet this realm belonged to her. He had invoked her name on multiple occasions.

These deities appeared unconcerned about concealing their identities. Solely the Unknown God's moniker had vanished, wiped out by Doom in person. Or maybe it faded away since he himself despised it.

A certain poem referenced that tale.

Damon yanked his mind to the now and advanced, his boots crunching against the powdery remains of bones.

"What are your intentions with us?"

The directness in his voice caused the group to stiffen. Dread hung heavy in the atmosphere, much like a stench. Why wouldn't it? Seras had collapsed to her knees just from echoing a name that Damon had almost blurted out carelessly.

"I mean you no harm," Morticai responded fluidly. "I merely detected the mark I set on a vanquished foe activate. It sparked a brief interest."

Damon's gaze sharpened.

Mark.

He looked toward the luminous inscriptions etched into the massive bones surrounding them.

"What mark?"

Beside him, Seras climbed to her feet gradually, her complexion still ashen. She brushed the perspiration from her forehead using her hand's back and regulated her breaths.

"A faction of beings rejects obedience," Morticai went on. "In previous encounters with them, I inquired about their reasons for challenging the gods."

A subtle hesitation.

"Resistance was their constant reply. They never offered a satisfactory explanation."

Damon's stare wandered over the cave's surfaces, tracing the bending backbone that loomed above like a temple of demise.

"Did you slay this being?"

Quietness reigned.

Afterward, the illumination on the bones intensified, while the warmth in the air seemingly decreased.

"Yes. Indeed, I did. One of those inferior creatures lacked a monster core at birth. They excised their mana core, abandoning their monstrous essence—the destiny assigned to them. Afterward, they pretended to belong to the favored races born without such cores. They boldly altered their soul's essence and defied divine will."

Contempt dripped from his words.

Damon instinctively cast a look at Wendy.

Her hands clenched faintly into her robe's fabric. Her features drained of color.

Once, Wendy had existed as a monster. The Unknown God extracted her core. This transformation rendered her neither wholly human nor entirely animal. Instead, she became a hybrid of sorts.

The hush grew taut.

Morticai let out a soft cough.

"Pardon my outburst. Such beings irk me far more than ordinary monsters who embrace their role in the omniverse. Altering one's soul and inherent form is unacceptable. Particularly for base monsters."

Damon's jaw clenched.

"Is that your view," he inquired calmly, "or your god's?"

"My god pays no heed to such minor matters," Morticai answered right away. "We Puritans handle the necessary actions."

A soft exhale resounded across the chamber.

"Regrettably, a particular loathsome demon has confined me to this jail, preventing direct intervention."

Damon's eyes focused intensely.

A loathsome demon.

Did he mean Mugu?

Confirmation was essential.

He edged closer, dropping his pitch and infusing it with scorn.

"Do you mean that despicable fiend? The self-proclaimed Wicked Prophet? The traitor who betrayed the goddess. The individual called Mugu."

He ensured the loathing in his delivery rang true.

"You seem acquainted with his identity," Morticai stated icily. "Correct. That is him. The betrayer. To imagine some once considered him tolerable. Ultimately, what else from a lowly realm's outcast."

Damon maintained a composed facade, yet his mind raced keenly.

It was settled.

An intruder.

The identical scorn. The matching arrogance displayed by Ittorath. Regardless of their composed or polite demeanor, they remained conquerors pursuing hidden agendas.

Seras drew in a deep breath and stood upright, despite a subtle shake persisting in her hands.

"Then," she declared steadily, "you have no dealings with us. We will continue onward."

The glow throbbed once.

"Quite so. I hope your travels prove secure. Yet the route before your group appears perilous. Facing an undead of the seventh advancement class is surely not your desire."

Various expedition members grew rigid. One fellow gulped noticeably.

Still, Seras held firm.

An undead of the seventh class, even then, beat confronting Rexagon, who continued his fury beyond the entrance.

"Our mission will transform our realm eternally," she affirmed, raising her head. "Should our lives be forfeit for our people's ultimate benefit, we accept it."

The radiance coalesced, shrinking inward.

"Such valor. Your goddess surely delights in followers so loyal."

The shimmer extended ahead, twisting the atmosphere in front of them.

"It appears you're bound for the sea. Let me provide aid."

Reality twisted. Skeletal structures and shadows parted like drapes, unveiling the far-off gleam of waves.

"Proceed. This represents the extent of my influence with my lingering essence here."

Seras paused briefly. Her glance shifted to Damon.

He probed outward with his awareness carefully.

No overt hostility registered.

He offered a small nod.

Nevertheless, they verified it. A mage inscribed a rock with enchantment and hurled it across. No blast occurred. No warping followed.

They crossed one after another.

Until Damon and Wendy lingered behind.

Wendy approached the gateway.

The illumination wavered.

It quivered.

"Hold on. You... you're a—"

Damon refused to let the words conclude.

With a single push, he propelled Wendy ahead and bounded in pursuit, hauling her completely past as the tang of brine and decay invaded his nostrils.

From behind, Morticai's tone warped, stripped of its polish.

"Vile creature posing as female. I damn you. How dare you. It was you all along. The presence I detected was yours."

The gateway closed abruptly, like a barrier slamming down.

Damon tugged Wendy aside on reflex, shifting to shield her somewhat as the last reverberations hit them.

"I damn you all. I damn you."

Ocean gusts roared. The bony outcrop had vanished.

Seras gazed at the vacant space the gateway occupied before, bewilderment marking her expression.

A damnation.

She creased her brow lightly.

"Hm."

Damon exhaled gradually.

Pity for Morticai.

Trapped and impotent, he could only hurl barbs from his enclosure.