My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

It traveled through the very ley lines that made up the world, racing across continents and oceans.

In the capital city of Soltheon, built directly upon the world’s ley lines, white aurora-like lights reached into the heavens.

Ranar and Ric watched the lights through a window.

Raven stood nearby, while a squirrel clung to the edge of the room.

The moment the strange lights appeared, Grand Duchess Annalise’s expression changed.

She immediately grabbed both children and pulled them away from the window before slamming it shut.

At the academy, the ley lines beneath Lysithara began to glow.

Ittorath and the old wizard Orbitus were in the middle of casting a spell when the white magic flooded into the ley lines.

Orbitus laughed.

”It seems someone has sped up the process.”

Zhang Dafei looked at the white light spreading across the world and smiled.

”Someone has decided to cast a large spell using the dragon veins of this world.”

He turned toward the old wizard.

”Is this spell what I think it is?”

”Yes.”

Orbitus’s grin widened.

”It’s even better than that. To think the god of this world would be foolish enough to risk casting a spell like this.”

He studied the flowing ley lines.

”From the looks of it, someone with a deep mastery of rune magic added a few adjustments to the spell. Now, instead of breaking only a few seals and boundaries, it will undo every seal placed upon this world.”

Zhang Dafei’s eyes widened.

”That includes the barrier of the Goddess?”

”I doubt it will fall completely, but it should develop some cracks.”

Orbitus’s smile grew wider.

”As for the other seals, they most likely include those other fellows who are still sealed.”

”Rather redundant, since we can free them anytime. We’ve already completed the ritual to release them.”

Morticai shrugged.

”Whatever the case, they still owe us.”

Ittorath’s form had changed completely.

It was no longer that of a little girl.

Instead, it appeared to be a shifting psychedelic mass composed of countless different things, constantly changing and moving.

Yet somehow, it still retained the voice of a little girl.

”I would have appreciated this before I undid the seal that bound me to the moon of Lysithara.”

The strange mass shifted.

”As for our preparations to enter the world beneath and claim the Pillar, it seems this spell has drastically affected the chasm we created beneath Lysithara thousands of years ago.”

”What about those lesser gods of this world?”

Zhang Dafei asked.

”It seems this seal doesn’t involve them.”

Orbitus chuckled.

”After all, the seal that traps them is behind the Abyss. They won’t be able to escape on their own.”

His laughter grew louder.

”The god of this world is an even more ignorant fool than we thought. A lowly bumpkin from the Lower Realms.”

These were experts.

And now, the advantage was even more firmly in their hands.

The light coursing through the world’s ley lines continued to spread across every continent.

From space, the glowing lines connected.

They formed a single, enormous magical seal around the world.

But Sylvia had her own plans.

Why else would she cast a spell on such a massive scale?

This was the defiance of a single woman.

Perhaps it wasn’t enough to defeat a god.

But it could change the world.

Sylvia glanced upward.

It would take some time for her spell to complete.

That was fine.

She needed to create her own outcome.

Aetherus suddenly slammed Damon toward her.

Sylvia stepped aside without even looking.

Damon crashed into the wall, the impact shaking the chamber as the shock wave of the spell washed over him.

”What have you done?”

Aetherus’s voice echoed through the chamber.

His hair was disheveled from the battle, and golden blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Sylvia calmly looked at him.

”Nothing.”

Her eyes remained cold.

”I merely increased the power of your spell.”

Aetherus’s expression darkened.

”You wanted to use it to open the world of Lazarak, didn’t you?”

Sylvia looked toward the ground beneath them.

”The world beneath us.”

Aetherus’s eyes narrowed.

”How do you know of that world?”

Sylvia’s expression didn’t change.

She still looked calm.

Almost tired.

”I know many things.”

Her head lowered slightly.

”I know too much.”

Her fingers curled faintly at her side.

”So much that I know...”

Her voice trailed off.

There was pain in her expression, but she couldn’t scream.

”You wanted to open the world beneath Aetherus. Was your plan to lure the Outsiders inside, then close it with them trapped within?”

Aetherus stared at her.

”Then you would detonate Lazarak’s divine spark, sending the world drifting into the Void.”

Her eyes lifted.

”But you couldn’t simply do that.”

”You first had to find something there and bring it here.”

Sylvia’s gaze sharpened.

”After all, the Goddess wouldn’t be pleased if you cast your brother’s divine corpse into oblivion without taking back what she had kept hidden there.”

She tilted her head slightly.

”What could it be, I wonder?”

Her words made everyone pause.

Dantalion had barely understood the scale of the conflict until he heard Sylvia mention the Goddess of Doom.

His eyes shifted toward Damon.

Damon slowly pushed himself upright, one hand clutching the side of his head.

”Sylvia...”

Sylvia looked at him.

”It’s fine.”

Her voice softened.

”I promise you, no matter what happens, you will survive the worst of it.”

Damon didn’t understand what she meant.

But he nodded anyway.

”I’ll replace you.”

Sylvia’s voice remained quiet.

”I’ll get your body back before the divine spark is fully extracted. Otherwise, you won’t be able to suppress your seed.”

Damon nodded again.

His hands slowly began to form flames.

The flames were both scorching hot and freezing cold.

The Shadow Drone’s body began to distort beneath the conflicting forces.

Damon wasn’t holding back anymore.

”No matter what happens...”

Sylvia whispered.

”Don’t despair.”

She raised her hand.

White light enveloped her body.

Armor shimmered into existence around her as her bow appeared in her hand.

With a sudden flash, the bow collapsed and transformed into two twin blades.

Sylvia shot toward Aetherus.

Aetherus didn’t retreat.

Their powers collided.

The impact caused the entire chamber to tremble.

Yet neither of them looked away.

Their eyes remained locked.

Aetherus glared into Sylvia’s eyes as the world shook around them.

”What powers have you tampered with, witch?”

Sylvia’s expression remained calm.

”Why don’t you find out?”

Golden and white light exploded outward.

The resulting shock wave tore through everything.

The entire building was leveled.

Walls collapsed.

The ceiling disappeared.

The world outside was suddenly exposed to the light of the battlefield and the distant screams of war.

The nobles had won.

They had pushed back the Temple’s remaining forces.

Luna and Iris survived thanks to Sylvia’s barrier.

When they finally stepped out, they stared at the devastation before them.

At the center of the destruction, Damon stood motionless.

His Shadow Clone had been impaled by a sword held by Aetherus.

Yet Damon merely smiled.

His soul suddenly squeezed out of the dying body.

Like a mass of darkness, it shot toward his original body.

It entered him.

The moment Damon’s soul returned to his own body, Sylvia lowered her head.

Aetherus immediately rushed toward Damon.

Before Damon could fully settle into his body, Aetherus raised his sword and swung toward him again.

The others attacked at the same time.

Aetherus’s expression twisted.

His divine form suddenly glowed.

A massive wave of golden power erupted from his body, sending everyone flying.

Golden blood dripped from his nose.

He raised his sword.

”Die.”

But Damon grabbed the blade.

The sword pierced through his body.

Damon gritted his teeth but refused to let go.

He shoved the blade to the side.

Then his other hand moved.

Dealer’s Hand struck Aetherus.

A black mass of shadows entered the god’s body.

Aetherus staggered backward.

His eyes widened as darkness spread through his body.

He coughed up blood.

”You wield a tool that can hurt a god.”

His gaze became murderous.

”You demon.”

Then Aetherus opened his hand.

A brilliant spark floated above his palm.

Damon’s expression changed.

His divine spark.

”You cannot have this.”

Aetherus tossed it into the air.

The divine spark shot upward.

Higher.

Higher.

Until it reached the heavens.

A new sky began to form around it.

At its center burned a single golden light.

Aetherus’s body began to change.

His divine form twisted and expanded as he entered his true battle form.

He looked down at Damon.

”Come, demon.”

His voice shook the heavens.

”Show me your true form now that you can no longer hide behind the divine.”

Damon remained still.

His hand pressed against his chest.

There was an emptiness there.

A hole where his divine spark had been.

He could still feel it.

A faint connection remained between them.

His divine spark was still connected to him.

But for how long?

Damon slowly raised his head.

”That’s not yours to take.”

The golden light above them pulsed.

Then the world shook.

BOOM.

He needed to go after his divine spark but also hold off Aetherus.

It’s not like he could be in two places at the same time.

Ohh wait he could.