My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Those words made Damon pause. His gaze lingered on the old man for a long second before he slowly crossed his arms over his chest, his posture tightening as thoughts aligned in his mind.

“In the past, during the First Epoch, the Sky Continent used to be called the Heaven Closest to the Abyss,” he said, recalling knowledge from when Mugu studied in Lysithara. “I never figured out why until now.”

Understanding settled over him like a dark veil. The pieces fit too neatly.

“The Sky Continent was used to suppress the Abyss. That is why the continent is floating. It has been carried by an Abyss all this time.”

No one truly knew why the Sky Continent floated. It was simply accepted as a natural wonder of the world. The only thing people knew was that if you tried to go beneath it, you would either die or never return.

Damon’s eyes sharpened.

“The Abyss began with the death of Lazarak. His death sparked the first seed of the Unknown God, which formed the Abyss. It was how the Unknown God bypassed the Goddess’s barrier.”

He did not like the implications of that realization. His jaw tightened slightly before he turned toward the Blind Old Daoist.

“Do you know the Unknown God’s ultimate goal?”

The Blind Old Daoist narrowed his sightless eyes and spoke calmly.

“The pillars are important to the gods. Whoever obtains all the pillars will have the divine right to rule, as per the agreement in the No Absolute Accord.”

He scoffed lightly, as if the answer were obvious.

“The Unknown God must want to rule. To be the only god who decides. Therefore, he wants to make sure the other gods do not interfere in his order.”

Damon’s expression did not change, but his silence made the old man frown.

“You seem to know something I do not. May I know what it is?”

His politeness only made Damon more cautious, yet he did not mind answering.

“The end,” Damon said plainly. “The Unknown God wishes to bring all things to a permanent end. There will be nothing left. Even the concept of nothingness will be erased, and so will the concept of erasure. I cannot imagine what uncreation looks like. That is his goal.”

The Blind Old Daoist chuckled at first, then laughed outright.

“Ahh, do not be ridiculous, Junior. No one would want something like that. Even the god of the Abyss has so much to lose and nothing to gain. Why would the god of nothingness want to…”

His voice trailed off mid sentence. His expression changed as realization dawned on him, and a faint tremor passed through his frail body.

“He is the god of the end.”

It sounded like a memory resurfacing from a place he wished had remained forgotten.

“Unknown was Genesis Alpha, the creator, and Nemesis Omega, the end.”

A god who embodied the end wanting the end of all things was not strange at all. It was frighteningly consistent.

“We have to stop him. I have to tell the true gods. He cannot be allowed to obtain even one pillar.”

As he spoke, his blind eyes seemed to burn. The memory of gazing into the Abyss clearly resurfaced in his mind. This was likely one of the truths that had forced him to blink and lose his sight.

Damon’s eyes narrowed, and his tone turned mocking.

“What are you going to do about it? Sealed in here? A trap left by Lazarak got you. I doubt you stand a chance against the Unknown.”

The Blind Old Daoist took a long, slow breath.

“That is true. I understand how small I am. Even with my rank restored, I am little more than an insect. However, I never intended to fight him. I was going to tell the true gods and the true demon kings. They would do something, even if I cannot.”

Lilith glanced at Damon, then back at the old man.

“What good would that do? They cannot kill him. Death is a mortal concept, and true gods do not die. He is relentless and patient.”

“He will fail,” the Blind Old Daoist said quietly, cutting her off.

“The demon god is powerful. He seems to be several steps ahead, always the one winning. But when it truly matters, he always fails. Not because he made mistakes. He just does.”

He said that last part in a whisper.

“Not because someone hinders him. It could be something as small as a pebble, but something always stops him. Even so, he learns how to accommodate failure as part of his outcomes. Even failure becomes part of his plan. Failure becomes a part of success. For that reason, his failure is also classified as success.”

Those words sent a chill down Damon’s spine. The first half had sounded hopeful. The second half was deeply unsettling.

“If failure and success are one and the same to him, does that not mean if he fails, he still succeeds?” Lilith asked slowly.

“Yes,” the Blind Old Daoist replied. “And that is why I fear the end of all things is upon us.”

He turned his sightless gaze toward Damon with a sad smile.

“There are no more possibilities. There are no more futures. We will have no more memories. Despair as the end marches ever closer to us.”

Damon shook his head slowly.

“No. I will not despair. I despaired my whole life. I know the end is coming. Is that not what life is? Knowing it will not last forever. Still, we struggle in our small lives knowing tomorrow the sun will shine again.”

“Did you not hear what I said? The Unknown God is going to have his way,” the old man said quietly.

Damon smiled faintly.

“I heard you. Then let me live my way. For starters, I want someone to kick his ass. Any recommendations on who to call?”

The Blind Old Daoist slowly turned his head toward the glowing Lake of Tears.

“You do not mean…”