My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 963: Chapter 964: Origin Of Demon kin

”On your knees,” Damon commanded in a soft but domineering voice.

Immediately, they obeyed.

The trolls.

The goblins.

Even Lana.

They all dropped to their knees, their heads bowed before him.

Lana trembled.

Her eyes shook with confusion and fear at the violation of her will. Yet her body obeyed Damon’s command without hesitation.

Even worse, a strange feeling rose within her heart.

It told her this was right.

That kneeling before him was the greatest honor she could ever receive.

Domination... she thought.

That power...

It belonged to Ashcroft, the Demon Lord of Domination.

So how...

How did Damon possess it?

Damon, however, had no idea what was going through her mind. And even if he did, he would not have cared.

It no longer mattered.

Lana was now subject to his overwhelming will.

Demon Dominate was not truly absolute. Damon knew that much.

In theory, someone strong enough could resist it.

But so far...

He had never encountered anyone who could break free.

His will was still supreme.

Overbearing.

Unyielding.

”Haha... hahahah...”

A laugh slowly escaped his lips.

He looked at the kneeling figures before him.

Demons.

Yes.

They were demons now.

”Jahahahaha... hahaha...!”

The sound of his laughter echoed across the meadow.

Renata watched silently from the side.

At that moment Damon truly looked like an evil demon lord reveling in his power.

Finally, he waved his hand casually.

”You may rise.”

Slowly, they rose from the ground.

Yet none of them dared meet Damon’s eyes.

Their gazes stayed lowered, their bodies tense with reverence and fear.

Damon’s attention settled on Lana.

Then he used Demon Dominate again.

This time, only on her.

Lana suddenly felt a powerful will coil around her mind like an invisible serpent.

It twisted deeper and deeper, pressing against her thoughts.

”Lana Mesh,” Damon said quietly.

”From now on, you will protect my secrets with your life. You will never reveal them, nor will you ever act against me.”

The command sank into her.

Not just into her mind.

Into her soul.

Her face turned pale as the order embedded itself deep within her being, erasing whatever fragile resistance she had left.

Her eyes glazed over for a moment before slowly regaining focus.

As a Demonic Human created by Damon, she was technically his demonkin.

Except Damon himself was not a true demon.

Only partially one.

Because of that, Lana had become something different.

Something new.

A Demonic Human.

Damon studied her silently.

Then realization slowly dawned on him.

He understood now.

He finally understood how the demon races had come to be.

It all made sense.

The first step toward becoming a demon was resentment.

A heart filled with resentment would eventually give birth to a seed of depravity.

When that seed grew and bloomed...

One would become a demon.

But that only explained how an individual became a demon.

It did not explain how entire demon races had come into existence.

Because the resentment required to transform into a demon was not ordinary hatred.

It was something far deeper.

The kind of venom that could poison the world itself.

To become a demon meant carrying emotions so intense that every heartbeat felt like it was screaming.

Love.

Hatred.

Melancholy.

Ennui.

Envy.

Lust.

Pride.

Obsession.

Hopelessness.

Fear.

Anger.

Acceptance.

All of it swirling together inside a single soul.

And beyond emotions there were desires.

The desperate desire to live.

The desire for death.

The desire to overcome.

The desire to confront fate.

The desire to see beyond what the eyes could perceive.

The desire to hear in a world filled with sounds one had grown to despise.

The taste of life.

The scent of the world itself.

Damon’s eyes widened slightly.

He was understanding something profound.

Yet the realization did not feel like it came from his own thoughts.

It came from somewhere else.

His shadow.

The shadow beneath his feet lay unmoving, yet the knowledge flowed from it like a whisper.

True demons were born from emotion and desire.

”I see it now,” Damon murmured softly.

”I understand.”

When Damon had first obtained Demon Dominate, the system had shown him its description.

[Skill: Demon Dominate]

[Description]

A demon is not cruel because it lacks kindness, nor hateful because it cannot love.

Demons are creatures of overflowing emotion, beings who have drowned within their own myriad of desires.

Any who bear a name, when consumed by depravity, become demons. And the truest of demons are the demon kings who have fallen from grace, enduring damnation for the sole purpose of surpassing their greatest enemies.

A heart swollen with resentment against those who did not see, who did not understand.

A demon is one who resists, who endures, who shatters and yet continues even while broken, for even depravity cannot extinguish the fire that burns within.

They bewitch with beautiful promises, yet deliver only cruel outcomes.

[Effect]

Grants the authority to dominate demons. If the wielder’s will surpasses theirs, demons, whether feral or intelligent, must yield. Demonkin and higher demons resist more fiercely, but in time even they shall kneel beneath the power of the Dominator.

[Cooldown:]

0 seconds

That was what a demon truly was.

A heart overflowing with emotion.

Damon wondered about Ashcroft.

Ashcroft had been born demonkin.

Yet Damon was certain that at some point he had become something greater.

A true demon.

Not like the ancient primordial beings, but something beyond ordinary demonkin.

Which led to the real question.

How had demonkin originally been created?

The answer was suddenly obvious.

It was happening right in front of him.

Just as he had transformed the goblins, the trolls, and Lana through Bestowal.

The wicked prophet Mugu must have done the same long ago.

He must have bestowed power upon the races that once lived on this continent.

And through that power...

They became demonkin.

That was all there was to it.

And if Damon one day fell completely down the demonic path, perhaps after some great tragedy...

Then he too might gain the ability to create true demonkin.

A quiet thought surfaced in his mind.

Was this Ashcroft’s ultimate goal?

To conquer the world...

And turn every race into demonkin?

Damon exhaled softly.

In a strange way, it would solve everything.

After all...

If everyone became demons...

Then there would be no more wars between races.

Damon fell silent.

For a brief moment...

The idea did not seem wrong.