My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Evangeline gritted her teeth as light filled her body. She raised her hand, knowing they were completely outmatched. Aetherus was in the seventh rank, and even among those in that rank, he was vastly more powerful.

Renata unleashed a flurry of attacks, each one tearing through the air as Aetherus easily avoided them. He suddenly appeared beside her, grabbed her by the head, and slammed it into his knee, creating a vast shockwave that blew away everything around him.

The knights who had followed them could only watch the apocalyptic battle from a distance. Anything that got close enough would be crushed by the overwhelming power radiating from the three of them. Light vanished and the world dimmed when Lilith unleashed a torrential attack on him. The space where the attack passed was left with a long rift that exposed hidden space and the vast, empty abyss of the void.

Aetherus seemed annoyed by Lilith’s attack. He waved his hand, and the distorted space-time began to stitch itself back together.

”Your power has no regard for the world. Then again, it is no surprise considering you got it from foul origins. The one with the zero attribute is also annoying. A member of the goddess race should not be born with such an attribute. I suspect...”

He vanished.

In the next instant, he appeared in front of Renata. She immediately formed a magical seal to defend herself, but Aetherus simply walked past it and slammed his fist into her back. Her body was sent flying, the impact ripping apart what little trees remained and tearing the earth open beneath her.

Renata left a long trail of ruined earth behind her before finally crashing to the ground. She coughed up blood and struggled to push herself back up, but before she could, a gentle breeze brushed against her back.

”As I suspected. You are one of those demon kin.”

When Aetherus said that, Renata’s demon wings unfurled behind her, bent slightly from the force of the attack.

Evangeline’s eyes widened when she saw the demon wings. Her hands trembled slightly.

This was unimaginable to her.

Renata was a close family friend. More than that, she had practically been their senior at the academy, so her origins were well known.

”No... Is this some sort of trickery?” she whispered, unwilling to believe what she was seeing.

”This is no trick. That woman is a demon. To think you would side with this heretical being created over the god of this world.”

Evangeline narrowed her eyes. She glanced between Renata and Aetherus.

”Don’t let him distract you. So what if she is a demon? We can resolve that after we get rid of him. For now, protecting Damon’s body is the most important thing.”

Lilith’s voice reached them both. Behind them, her hands were gathering a ball of destructive energy that continued to grow with every passing second.

”The both of you need to buy me some time. Use your domains if you have to.”

When she said that, Evangeline nodded and glanced at Renata. She was sure her domain and Renata’s were poorly matched. If she used her domain while Renata used hers, Renata’s zero attribute would interfere with it.

So they already knew what they had to do.

As for the truth of Renata’s nature, they would figure out what to do with her later.

”Domain, Scale of Uneven Heaven!”

When she spoke those words, golden light erupted from her body and spewed outward, washing the world of every impurity. Water as clear as crystal began to flow across the ground, mixing with the golden light. At the center, a vast and gigantic woman’s figure appeared, holding a scale in one hand and a sword in the other.

She was blindfolded, but the blindfold was slightly open, allowing one of her eyes to see the world.

Around her were countless chains dangling from a golden sky and falling into the clear water.

At the center of this domain stood Aetherus, forced to face judgment.

This was Evangeline’s domain.

Scale of Uneven Heaven.

Within this domain, all who entered were forced to face judgment. Using it drained a great deal of her magic, yet here, she felt empowered. Everything within this world was under her control.

”A domain. How quaint. Was the giant statue perhaps inspired by the image of the goddess?”

”No. The goddess represents doom. This is justice, or at least an attempt at equitable judgment,” Evangeline said, looking down at Aetherus from one of the scales.

”Is that why the blindfold is partially open? How can this be a fair judgment if the judge sees? Wouldn’t it be more unfair if she showed mercy to others because of their appearance? Killing a butterfly is a crime, but no one cares when you crush a roach.”

”No,” Evangeline said. ”You misunderstand. The judge sees, but justice without mercy is injustice. I don’t need you to agree with me. After all, you are a god of war.”

She raised her sword and pointed it toward him.

”Now face judgment, God, for all your cruelty.”

The scale shifted.

Aetherus suddenly felt some of his power being stripped away. At the same time, Renata and Evangeline’s auras grew stronger.

Marks flew from Renata’s hand and appeared across his body. Numbers appeared alongside them, and then they began to fall rapidly, desperately trying to make their way toward zero.

”Your domain is powerful, but I am greater.”

Aetherus suddenly jumped into the air before slamming down onto the clear water.

The entire space cracked.

Evangeline coughed up blood as the golden sky and clear water split apart. The entire domain was torn asunder, as though it were two different worlds being violently pulled apart.

Aetherus smiled, a menacing expression spreading across his beautiful face.

He raised his hand and extended it like a spear.

”This is why you shouldn’t face a god.”

Evangeline didn’t seem bothered. Instead, she smiled and said,

”You resist judgment. I find you guilty.”

When she said that, the giant statue of the woman opened her eyes, which glowed golden. Then the sword moved first, and the scale moved second. The sword of the sacred judge would punish those it judged.

A sword vast and larger than a mountain came splitting down toward Aetherus. He wanted to move, but Renata had cast several seals on him, and chains wrapped around his body. Her face was disheveled, and she was covered in blood.

”Stay,” she whispered.