My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

For a small moment, there was complete silence between everyone there.

None of them dared to move even an inch.

It was as if the very thought of moving might anger the gods, so none of them dared risk it.

Ashcroft remained quiet inside Damon’s mind.

After a few minutes, he finally let out a small whisper.

”Is she gone?”

Damon groaned, his shoulders sagging slightly.

”You... what a great aura loss you bum.”

”Shut up. You’ve never been shattered to pieces by a True God. If you were and remembered how it felt, you’d be spooked too. Fearing a True God is the beginning of wisdom.”

Damon was sure Ashcroft was correct, but he wouldn’t let him have that.

”Did you forget she killed me too? You don’t see me whining about it.”

”Then why didn’t you dare move a few seconds ago?” Ashcroft asked, clearly wanting to curse.

Damon felt a chill run through him when he remembered her terrifying form.

”I was in deep thought. That’s why. She’s lucky I let this slide. I would have soloed her.”

”Shh. Shush. Shu. She will hear you,” Ashcroft whispered.

Xander, on the other hand, was sweating as he slowly lowered his shield.

”What... what was that?”

Morticai took a deep breath.

Then his claws suddenly slammed into Damon, tearing through his armor.

Damon’s body was knocked backward as Morticai’s flames erupted around him, his form transforming into that of a massive bird.

”You have angered me. My God has clashed with the Goddess of Doom because of your selfishness.”

”My selfishness? You’re the one who summoned another god’s power in her domain. Of course she’d be pissed.”

Damon paused.

He suddenly realized this fanatic was not being logical at the moment.

He thought for a moment.

Then he bit his lip.

The best way to deal with someone like this was to anger him.

And what better way to anger someone than to belittle their religion?

It was the best way to incite people.

In fact, wars had been fought over this.

”I really thought all this talk of the God of Purity meant he was overpowered, but I see that he is overpowered.”

”What?” Morticai was slightly confused.

”Ahem. Ahem.”

Damon cleared his throat.

”Read between the lines. I see you aren’t smart, you bum. Your God just lost to the Goddess of Doom, and she’s been on a losing streak for the past three hundred thousand years. My goat Unknown could never.”

”What are you doing?” Ashcroft asked, his voice low.

”I’m ragebaiting him.”

”By belittling other gods? Are you mad? And why are you using slang terms you learned from me?”

Ashcroft still didn’t understand why hearing the word ’goat’ sounded so jarring.

Damon sneered as he looked down at Morticai.

”If some God of Purity, who according to you is above everyone, had been the one to make a move, everyone would feel it. Are you sure your religion is real and your god isn’t imaginary?”

”You... dare insult Lord Obamion, God of Purity?”

Damon raised his hand to clarify.

”Hey, I’m not saying anything. I’m just an unbeliever. I mean, I’ve met Doom. I’ve met Unknown. But I’ve never heard of a God of Purity. Are you sure you aren’t making him up?”

”It... you’re referring to my God as it... I will burn you for blasphemy!”

A streak of golden light shot toward Damon, who smiled with a cold killing intent.

”I told you I would kill you, but first, I will humiliate you,” Damon whispered as he threw the Spear of Rot with all his might toward the golden streak.

However, even enraged, Morticai knew the spear was deadly to him.

He blinked out of the way, teleporting past the flying spear and appearing directly in front of Damon.

The Nirvana Extinction Sword in his hands pierced through Damon’s chest.

Damon merely smiled.

The spear that had been flying past him reached Xander, who swung his own spear and slammed it back like it was a ball.

The corrupted weapon flew through the air.

At the exact moment Morticai impaled Damon, the spear pierced through Morticai’s body from behind.

Morticai’s expression froze.

He looked down at Damon, who was coughing up boiling hot blood, before slowly looking down at his own chest.

His golden feathers had already begun turning pitch black.

”You traveled a great horizon, Morticai. I’m sure you’ve been to many worlds and have seen things that I can’t even imagine. That’s why you can’t imagine beings weaker than you defeating you. I wouldn’t either. And I haven’t even seen half the things you have, or gone where you’ve gone, or lived nearly as long.”

Damon raised his head toward him, his breath coming out raggedly as he felt his own organs burn. His soul, his desires, his hatred, all of them were being consumed by the flames, yet his hatred was the only thing that burned hotter.

”Years ago, you killed Wendy simply because you thought she was impure, and my daughter grew up without a mother. Every day I looked at her, I never forgot. I smiled and laughed, but I never forgot. I never forgave.”

He raised his head fully, a smile slowly appearing across his bloodied face.

”This won’t kill you instantly. I know that. But it will eventually. Before then, you will suffer as you slowly become corrupted by the very rot and impurities you despise. You will have a thousand terrible visions and hear a million whispers. You will live a million regrets and have a billion laments, and you will beg for death a trillion times.”

Morticai backed away, his wings becoming black and gray flames as the spear sank deeper into his chest.

Damon used his fist to slam the spear farther down, forcing the weapon deeper into Morticai’s body as he floated there in silence.

”You will die, immortal phoenix, at the hands of a lower being you look down on. And I will wait right here for you to go mad.”

Morticai looked at him.

His golden eyes seemed to narrow.

Then he gasped, his beak trembling as his flaming wings spread wide.

”I see your mouth moving. I can’t hear a word you are saying. I assume you are having a moment to watch in amusement as I fall. I will not give you that satisfaction. Before I die, I will take you with me, into this rot.”

The black flames spread across his body.

Then Morticai raised his feathers and began to create a spell.

”Nirvana...”

Damon didn’t know what was happening, but he suddenly felt his physical body, along with Xander’s, being pulled into another realm.

He raised his head.

A world of white stretched endlessly around them.

At its center, a darkness was spreading.

”You’ve been pulled into his mind,” Ashcroft said to him.

”He can’t pull me into his mind when I have my Crown for mental protection.”

”He can if he pulls your physical body and not your mind.”

Damon stared at the spreading darkness.

”Try not to die.”