My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Damon didn’t really like the march or how long it took to prepare. He was sure that if Aetherus had his body for this long, he would have figured out by now that Damon was mostly a demon. He was only a tiny step away from becoming a true demon.

He had very much expected the Holy Emperor to accuse him of being a demon and claim that was why Aetherus had attacked him, but he didn’t. Which made it quite obvious that the Holy Emperor did not know.

Aetherus was arrogant, or maybe he had a plan. Surely, he was not stupid enough to think he could just get away with taking Damon’s body.

And even if he did, so what? The Outsiders were more powerful than he was. Individually or collectively, they were out of this world in both knowledge and power.

Damon glanced at the flying probes while sitting atop a large war bicorn.

He would have gotten on one of those fancy unicorns, but apparently the bastards were really picky and only wanted a pure maiden or man. Damon had tried to mount one by force once, and it had just died.

There were other options, but the Pegasus was scared of him, and so were most of the others. The bicorn, however, had been a peace offering from the demon races, and it had taken a shine to him. No surprise there.

He had the steed he got from his grandfather, but Damon liked the bicorn more. It was just much edgier, and it reminded him of his youth.

Moving an army was annoying. They had been traveling for days and had only crossed the distance he could cover in a few minutes.

The army had to stay together even when they were being teleported. They had to load and maintain supply lines, transport supplies, and keep their logistics routes operational.

Three days ago, the army had split, and the majority of it had begun heading toward Lysithara.

The ones left behind were the subjugation force against Aetherus.

In the end, Aetherus had not accepted their terms for surrender. He hadn’t even bothered to respond.

Damon climbed over a tall hill with his bicorn. Behind the hill was a field of blackened ground that stretched for miles, filled with the charred remains of buildings and a field of drifting ash.

All around them were pieces of construction equipment and buildings that had begun to rise across the ruined landscape. Some had already been completed while others were still being constructed. Holy Knights and Templars stood ready behind barricades, weapons drawn, the flag of the Temple flying above them.

The Holy City was now a ruined shell of its former self.

The place that had once held so much power had been reduced to this by one man.

Amon.

The unknown ruler who had leveled the very ground upon which the Temple stood.

There was no city wall to defend them. All they had was a thin barrier protecting the ruins.

However, Damon was sure the barrier wasn’t actually thin. It was a magical artifact used by the Temple, and its power could stop someone in the Seventh Class as long as it was supplied with enough energy.

That energy could come from magical power, magic crystals, or even monster cores.

”This looks like it’s going to be a long siege.”

Evangeline rode up beside him on a white unicorn covered in golden armor. She wore her Ascendant Armor, making her look like a knight forged from the sun, radiant and beautiful.

”Yes, it is. Looks like our viewers are going to get bored.”

Damon chuckled as he looked toward the probe broadcasting the battlefield.

This magic technology had been drastically improved by his guild and made public by the empire. It was just one of the advancements the empire had insisted should be made available to everyone.

Evangeline slowly shook her head before sighing.

”This will take months of continuous siege to break through. If only there was a way to bring down that barrier from the inside. Someone to deactivate it.”

”Yeah, that’s a fantasy. If only I had thought of that.”

Damon held his chin, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

”Oh, wait. I did.”

As soon as he said it, the barrier that had been thin and almost invisible flickered for a moment.

Then it crashed down.

It shattered like glass, fragments of light scattering through the air before disappearing.

”There’s your answer.”

Damon laughed at the stunned Evangeline.

”How did you...”

”I know a guy.”

He whispered the last part before waving his hand.

A dark-armored woman stepped out of the shadows.

”Matia, do the honors.”

The world turned grey.

Frigid air swept across the battlefield as dark clouds gathered overhead. The troops on both sides began to shiver from the sudden cold, and even Damon let out a foggy breath.

Snow began falling from the sky.

Then the snow transformed.

It became an avalanche of weapons made from transparent crystal ice, raining down upon the Holy City.

The barrage covered everything for miles.

Damon glanced at Matia before muttering, ”Congrats on reaching the Seventh Class, you show-off.”

Matia glanced at him, her blue eyes glowing through the visor of her helm.

Damon was quite bitter.

As soon as he got his body back, he was reaching the Seventh Class. Everyone was ranking up except him.

”Don’t get arrogant. You need to stay calm and level-headed. Aetherus is ancient. He will not go down easily.”

Ashcroft’s voice echoed inside his head.

As the snow settled, Damon raised his hand and signaled toward the center of the army, where Abellona was standing on a platform.

He was a little worried about her, so he was going to make sure she stayed out of the fighting.

Abellona raised her hand and gave the order to attack.

Thousands of footsteps echoed across the battlefield as battle cries erupted, the army rushing toward the city that had once been held in holy reverence.

War was chaotic, so Damon glanced at Matia.

”Protect the princess.”

Matia vanished into the shadows.

When she reappeared, she was standing beside Abellona, holding a spear made of ice and a large tower shield.

Abellona glanced toward Damon before rolling her eyes.

She couldn’t help but think he was underestimating her.

She was pregnant, not helpless.

Though if she didn’t need to push herself, she certainly wasn’t going to.

Abellona glanced toward a carriage bearing the imperial family’s crest.

There were three of them.

Each one was one of her siblings, her two older sisters and, of course, her brother.

’They were here to die.’

After all, she had pulled strings to make sure they ended up on this particular battlefield.

With the three of them dead, she would have no siblings left to compete with her for the throne.

By default, she would become Empress.

She just needed the Emperor to step down.

Or for something to happen to her father.

There was no hesitation in her eyes. She had already consolidated her power in the capital. Now all that remained was to kill them.

Abellona had many worries, especially knowing that the father of her child was not a demon and was an heir to a great house. She was committing two crimes by having a child with him.

As for what hardened her resolve, she had probed her father, and he had made it clear that if she ever became pregnant by Damon, he would not disown her.

He would kill the child to keep her position safe.

It had been a short conversation, but she knew where her father’s loyalty stood.

And just like her father wanted to protect his offspring, she would protect hers.

Sad, wasn’t it?

He probably said it so she would know he was on her side, but being secretly pregnant already, it was virtually the same as hearing him say he wanted her child dead.

Damon had no idea what was going on inside Abellona’s head, but he could sense her bloodlust all the way from the front.

”How did you get someone to break the barrier?”

”It’s a trade secret.”

He smiled at Evangeline, who was still curious.

”Fine. Keep your secrets.”

She scoffed.

Damon sneered as he looked toward the knights not far from her.

”I’m the one keeping secrets when you snuck Luna and Iris here? Thought I wouldn’t notice?”

Then he raised his voice and waved toward the two thin-armored female knights.

”I can see you two! I’m not blind! You’re both in trouble for this!”

She glanced at the battlefield ahead, biting her lips before scoffing.

”I’ll protect them. Worry about yourself.”

She more or less had no choice since Luna and Iris had insisted on coming.

In fact, it wasn’t only them.

There was a whole parade of noble young men and women wearing ceremonial armor to witness the fall of the Temple. It was a massive event, and there was no way they were going to lose.

Almost all the Seventh Class old monsters in the world were here or not far away.

They had even brought flying pavilions.

”Protect them? I’m more worried about whatever idiot fights them.”

”So who is your guy on the other side?” she asked, still curious.

”I don’t know.”

Evangeline rolled her eyes.

He was such a liar.

Except Damon wasn’t lying at all.

He really didn’t know.

It was some spy from the Temple who had been coordinating with the Unknown Order for years. He seemed to be pretty high up, so Damon had been making use of him.

From one of the flying pavilions, the Emperor’s voice echoed across the battlefield.

”Aetherus, self-proclaimed god, the might of the people has come for you! Surrender now to the people of this world, and all your sins will be forgiven!”