My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

All things come together. All things converge at a single point, and then it explodes.

Damon was sure that was what was happening. Everyone was gathering here, demons and Goddess Races alike.

A decade ago, no one would have believed they would ever work together, but now it was happening.

The footsteps of the marching army were met by the troops of the Temple, who held their ground through sheer faith.

Damon took a deep breath, the unease in his chest growing deeper and deeper. For some reason, he wanted to end this quickly.

Yet Aetherus had not shown himself. Instead, the one who appeared was the Holy Emperor, holding a long staff with a statue of the Goddess mounted on it.

He raised his staff toward the heavens, his robes and hair fluttering in the gathering magical pressure, and then brought it down against the ground with tremendous force.

His voice boomed across the battlefield.

”Everyone here has forgotten who they are! You have all become heretics! You have all been bewitched by an evil force, one that manipulates the mind! How else would you work with demons?”

The single strike of the staff caused a massive earthquake, sending many of the weaker soldiers flying as the ground cracked beneath them. Dirt and debris erupted into the air, rising so high that it reached the clouds.

The Holy Emperor steadied himself before glancing forward at an old man floating with a staff in front of him.

The person he was looking at was the Headmaster of Aether Academy.

Then he pointed at him.

”How many of our people have been killed by demons? I understand wanting to bring the Temple down, but to involve demons?”

”Your words fall on deaf ears, Holy Emperor.”

The booming voice of Baal echoed across the battlefield.

”We have left those grudges in the past. Now we all fight for survival. When have the demon races ever been the first to attack? Every time, we only defend our lands. We keep to ourselves more than anything, and we avoid unnecessary provocation. It is you, the Temple, that has caused so much death. The blood of everyone who has died in all the demon wars is on your hands.”

Baal was a demon. How could he not be able to incite and sway people?

The words the Holy Emperor had spoken before may have had an effect, but suddenly, it didn’t matter anymore.

The people now had someone to hate.

”The Battle of Harlem Pass. Who was it that caused that disgraceful event? You told the youngsters of the Goddess Races that all they needed was faith, and when they went to battle, their logistics line was gone. No supplies and no help. Of course they would die. It’s a war, and it was all because of you.”

The Holy Emperor was visibly shaken. His fingers tightened around his staff before he bit his lips.

”Slander, you vile demon!”

His aura grew, pressing down on the battlefield, and he began forming hand seals.

Then, just as he was about to attack, Damon suddenly readied a piece of paper.

”If I remember correctly, you folks are indebted to me to the tune of billions of Zeni.”

He lifted the paper slightly, letting the contract catch the light.

”And according to the terms, you can’t antagonize me or do me harm. But it seems you violated your contract, which means all your assets belong to me.”

Then he turned toward the broadcast.

”So-called agents of the Goddess have reneged on their word. How many more lies will they tell us? Down with the evil of the Temple! For the Goddess! For the Goddess Races!”

His battle cry invigorated thousands of soldiers, and without any regard for the Holy Emperor, they surged forward once more.

It was a vast clash of steel and flashing might, magic of different attributes, and bodies that fell upon the ashen ground.

The United Army pushed them further and further back. The Holy Emperor gritted his teeth, then turned around. As he did, several auras belonging to those in the Seventh Class filled the air, changing the very weather as clouds gathered and thunder mixed with magic.

Damon looked up at the figures that had appeared. It seemed the Seventh Class powerhouses of the Temple had finally shown themselves.

He grabbed his sister and pulled her onto his bicorn before tossing Iris onto Evangeline’s unicorn.

The two girls didn’t know what was coming next, but he did. The battle between those in the Seventh Class was about to begin.

In all the demon wars, those in the Seventh Class rarely got involved, but when they did, it was a calamitous event.

The battle was about to become even more chaotic.

The density of magic in the air was incredibly high. It felt similar to how magic felt when one approached an area of magical anomaly.

Then those in the Seventh Class of the demon races and the Goddess races flew into the air. When they did, all the troops below the Fourth Class fell to the ground, unable to move beneath the intense pressure filling the air. Those in the Fourth Class could only kneel, barely able to breathe.

The Fifth Class cultivators were already shaking, but they could still move.

Luna felt a weight on her chest, but she was covered by the deep shadows of her brother’s aura. She wrapped her hand around his waist.

If her brother was with her, then everything would be okay.

That was how they had both survived.

Damon looked over the chaos and then noticed Renata and Lilith, who gave him a signal. They had to go to the ruins of the holy city to get his body back.

”You’re outnumbered. There are more of us than there are of you.”

The voice of Grand Duchess Astranova echoed out across the battlefield.

Then, by her side, her son, Lilith’s father, raised his hand as space began to ripple.

”I haven’t forgotten the incident from a few years ago. The woman you killed was a dear friend of mine and a trusted member of my house. Today, Ishana’s death will not be in vain.”

When Lilith heard his booming voice, she couldn’t help but smile. It seemed it wasn’t just her who remembered Ishana.

Damon grabbed the bicorn’s reins as he cut through the crowd and rushed toward Lilith. Evangeline quickly followed him.

When he reached close enough, Lilith pointed forward and then raised her hand.

”The battlefield is about to get chaotic. I can teleport us to the center of the Holy City, but I can’t take us directly to Aetherus. We’ll just have to find him the good old-fashioned way.”

Just as she said that, white moonlight gathered, and Sylvia appeared. Soon after, a streak of lightning flashed across the battlefield, and Leona appeared from it.

”Let’s go. We’ll help too.”

Damon didn’t argue. He knew how powerful Aetherus was, so he wasn’t going to stop two people in the Seventh Class from helping him.

He glanced through the long array of troops toward Abellona, who had Matia by her side. She nodded and then whispered,

”What he assumed was good luck.”

”I have a terrible premonition.”

The cold voice of Ashcroft echoed in his head.

Damon was hesitant for a moment before replying.

”You too?”

”Me too. I see... so you feel it too. Then it seems something truly is about to happen. Could it be Aetherus?”

”What is that creep doing to my body?” Damon cursed under his breath.

”Whatever it is, it can’t be good. Hurry.”

Damon glanced at Lilith before taking a look at Iris and Luna.

”You two should stay with Grandfather. That’s what I would have said if he wasn’t in the sky. I’d rather not have you two die to a stray attack. You really should have stayed home.”

Luna clenched her fist.

”Don’t worry. We’ll try not to get in the way. I just wanted to help. Besides, I’m practically immortal. I can regenerate from any wound, remember?”

He paused.

That was true. Luna could regenerate from almost anything thanks to the elixir she had drunk years ago. It had done far more than cure her magic circuit cancer. It had also given her extraordinary regenerative abilities.

Then he glanced at Iris.

”I have your training. Worry about whoever fights me.”

Damon sighed, then glanced at Sylvia. She closed her eyes for a moment before answering.

”They will die... but not today.”

He almost had a heart attack.

”Couldn’t you have led with that?”

She gave him a small smile before glancing at Lilith.

”Shall we?”

”We have a contact in the Holy City, so we’ll be meeting them. We can plan from there.”

Lilith said this before opening her arms. A black void spread from the center of her chest and then consumed them.

When they reappeared, they were inside a ruined chamber in the Holy City.

”Welcome.”

A voice came from the darkness.

When Damon saw who the spy was, his eyes widened.

”No way.”

”Dantalion.”

Leona and Evangeline said it together.