My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 962 - 963: Change

The troll's form abruptly seized up.

Its muscles swelled fiercely, as though an internal force was ripping through its skin.

"GRAAAAH!"

The beast bellowed in torment.

The goblin chief fared little better. His frame shuddered while dark veins crawled over his hide like scurrying bugs.

The nearby goblins fell into chaos.

"Chief!"

Yet the troll's bellow intensified.

Bones snapped audibly.

Its enormous build swelled even more, back curving as infernal power burst forth from within.

Then—

A bell-like sound rang out.

[Follower has awakened secondary skill: Regeneration Burst]

The troll pounded both fists down onto the soil.

The ground cracked apart under the impact.

Its injuries sealed shut in an instant.

At the same time, the goblin chief drew a sharp breath.

A peculiar golden glow flickered in his gaze.

Yet another alert surfaced.

[Follower has awakened secondary skill: Instinct of the Pack]

Damon gradually lowered his arm.

The troll remained standing, panting roughly.

The goblin chief bent low in reverence.

Both regarded Damon with eyes full of divine awe.

A grin gradually formed on Damon's face.

"Interesting."

Soon after, the following alert emerged.

And it left Damon utterly stunned.

[Trolls have begun evolution → War Trolls]

Demonic energy detected. Evolution progressing → Demon War Trolls.]

Damon sensed a pull ripping from his core.

A rush of strength drained from him and surged into the trolls.

However, the trolls weren't alone in their shift.

One more alert popped up.

[Redcap Goblins have begun evolution → Redcap Hobgoblins]

Demonic energy detected. Evolution progressing → Demon Redcap Goblins.]

Horror gripped Damon as he watched.

All the goblins and trolls in the vicinity started transforming.

Including those he hadn't even contacted.

Their bodies bloated and warped. Flesh bulked up, skeletons fractured and reshaped, their silhouettes expanding into something far more hideous.

A piercing ache lanced into Damon's head.

His infernal essence was flowing into every one of them.

Their shapes kept morphing until they gradually settled.

Once the changes halted, their eyes fluttered open once more.

Brighter.

Keener.

Now holding a deeper, more malevolent cunning.

Lana staggered back.

Her fingers shook as she dropped to the dirt.

"What... what is this..."

Her words quivered.

"They’ve become demons."

Indeed.

That described it precisely.

They had turned into entities much like demons.

Damon perceived it clearly.

Should he apply Demon Dominate to them at this point, it would succeed without fail.

"Wait..." Damon murmured thoughtfully.

"Does this mean I can turn non-demon races into demons?"

His eyes drifted gradually to Lana.

She gazed at the beings in utter disbelief and terror.

Only then did Damon grasp the essence of Bestowal fully.

He had misjudged its depth before.

Now the reality dawned on him.

It was indeed a perverse gift.

Strength granted as a favor.

But the toll...

The toll involved a tainted essence.

Wasn't that the Unknown God's very method?

No might arrived without sacrifice.

Damon embodied that truth.

He had claimed his abilities only by enduring a horrific penalty.

He had devoured fellow beings.

His will had shattered.

His essence marked.

Even today, that guilt lingered buried in his chest.

And the cruelest truth?

Were he thrust back into that dire time...

He recognized he would choose the identical path.

Damon pivoted toward Lana bit by bit.

She stood as the sole individual there unaware of his full hidden truth.

Matia served as his shade.

She would perish for him in a heartbeat.

Renata belonged to the demonkin. Betrayal was impossible from her.

Wendy had once embodied monstrosity. Mortal ethics held no sway over her.

But Lana...

Lana differed entirely.

She had trailed him from pure allegiance.

A steadfast and honorable guardian.

Maybe she ought never to have joined this journey.

Crimson liquid trickled from Damon's nostrils.

Employing Bestowal had taxed him greatly. His Heart of Shadows wavered from the demonic surge and the burden on his spirit.

Lana had arrived to shield him.

He recognized her intent.

That realization deepened the tragedy.

He may need to end her.

Damon advanced toward her steadily.

Behind her, Matia quietly shaped an icy blade.

Should Damon truly plan to slay his sworn protector, Matia would act without pause.

She would deliver the strike personally.

But Damon gave a subtle shake of his head.

Not at this moment.

He drew nearer and softly raised Lana’s chin with his fingers.

Then, in a gentle yet perilously silky tone, he inquired,

"Lana Mesh..."

"Who do you serve?"

Her reply to that query would determine her survival.

Damon desired not to eliminate her.

Yet he would if required.

He dared not hazard his concealed truths being unveiled. Never now. Never at all. Particularly following Sylvia’s foretelling of the moment his deceptions would surface.

I will slay anyone necessary to safeguard the existence I hold dear.

Lana lifted her gaze to meet his.

Damon's visage remained serene. Even kind.

He showed no sign of intending her ill.

And abruptly, a realization struck her.

This remained the Grand Duke's heir.

And she his sworn blade.

Lana composed herself and offered a crisp salute.

"I am your knight, my lord."

Damon's lips curved into a slim smile.

Then he lifted his hand deliberately. His features hardened.

"Then accept my Bestowal."

Energy streamed from his open hand.

Lana inhaled sharply as an otherworldly presence invaded her.

Her legs gave way, sending her to her knees on the earth.

She sensed it infiltrating her core.

Her spirit.

Her very self.

Her inner power roiled wildly, intensifying and condensing. Her might amplified as though unseen bonds snapped successively.

It felt exhilarating.

Magnificent.

But soon a darker presence trailed behind.

A subtle thread of malice slithered into her spirit and rooted there like a planted kernel.

The initial outward shift showed in her gaze.

Her golden pupils shadowed a touch.

Her complexion lightened.

Her locks extended as if stirred by an unseen breeze.

Damon observed intently.

Bestowal functioned solely on those who genuinely viewed themselves as his underlings. By affirming her service to him, Lana had unwittingly invited this alteration.

Lana lifted her quivering palms slowly.

They brimmed with newfound vigor.

She regarded them in stunned wonder.

Damon creased his brow faintly.

The alteration proved... modest.

Merely her gaze and tresses had shifted subtly.

No protrusions.

No appendages.

She hadn't morphed into full demonkin as anticipated.

Curious.

He had expected her complete conversion.

An idea flickered through his thoughts.

Damon had long pondered the origins of demonkin.

Maybe it stemmed from—

Lana rose to her feet gradually.

Her eyes locked onto his directly.

In that instant, the system toned once more.

[Individual: Lana Mesh has evolved → Demonic Human.]

Damon arched a brow.

Such a designation was unprecedented.

He had encountered no such lineage previously.

Nevertheless, he extended his hand and murmured,

"Demon Dominate."

An unseen force radiated forth.

All present halted abruptly.

The goblins.

The trolls.

Including the freshly altered.

Every one submitted to the supreme command of Demon Dominate.