My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 831 - 832 Chain Brand

Upon hearing the term "brand," Damon’s eyes instantly sharpened, and he subtly tensed as the distinctive branding seal became visible.

His gaze quickly surveyed the gate, noting the total number of stationed guards, before returning to the small seal clutched in their hands.

It was unmistakably a magical artifact.

Activating Appraisal, his system promptly confirmed its nature: an artifact specifically crafted for branding purposes.

However, the brand itself proved less insidious than his initial apprehension suggested.

Its function was straightforward.

The brand, applied at the gate, partially etched itself into the soul. Any individual possessing even moderately effective soul protection could resist its full effect.

Damon, notably, possessed a formidable soul.

Primarily, the brand recorded location, operating much like Ghost’s skill in its ability to track a target. Naturally, within a city boasting such a vast population, locating a single individual remained a daunting task.

Another feature swiftly captured his attention.

It monitored kill count.

‘Hmm… why would they be interested in our kill count?’

A clear reason existed.

Kill count served as an accurate measure of combat prowess, but, more crucially—

Mana cores.

‘They want to ascertain the number of mana cores we acquire.’

While other auxiliary functions existed, Damon’s focus remained intently fixed on the branding seal.

It possessed the capability to automatically trigger punishments for alleged rule violations.

Typical effects included Mana bleed when resisting commands, pain feedback upon lying, and paralysis when attempting to flee designated zones.

Damon saw no compelling reason to reject the brand.

It was readily manageable. A couple of neutral runes would suffice to suppress it. And should that fail—

More… permanent solutions were always available.

Such as severing the limb or completely excising the branded flesh.

The two guards smirked at Matia with malevolent intent.

One guard subtly adjusted his grip on his weapon, a crescent-shaped blade—a khopesh, clearly intended as a deterrent should she attempt anything untoward.

Matia glanced at Damon, silently awaiting the command to eliminate them.

Instead, he shook his head once, radiating calm and logic.

Not at this moment.

If she wished to dispatch them, she could do so later.

Her icy blue eyes returned to the guards.

Damon observed as she raised her arms, removing her gauntlets to reveal her palms.

‘Well… that explains how they recognized us as outsiders.’

They lacked these brands.

The seal was pressed against Matia’s wrist.

A faint glow pulsed, and a small, chain-shaped mark etched itself onto her skin.

“Heheh,” one guard sneered.

“Attempt to tamper with your mark, and your soul will be obliterated. Should you somehow survive that, we’ll personally finish you.”

They strode past her, then halted before Lyn and Sithara, their eyes narrowing.

“So young, yet already first-class?” the khopesh-wielding guard remarked mockingly.

“It appears we have a pair of geniuses in our presence…”

His smile twisted.

“Good. Geniuses perish here. You are not special.”

Sithara trembled slightly at his words, her fingers clenching. However, upon seeing Damon and Lazarak standing utterly unperturbed, her fear stabilized and receded.

She extended her palms.

The brand was pressed down, glowing as its magic brushed against her soul.

Then it was Lyn’s turn.

He was branded without incident.

Finally, they paused in front of Lazarak.

The guard scrutinized him from head to toe with overt disgust.

“Hmm… is this a baby or one of those halflings I’ve heard rumors about?”

He snorted.

“This one will undoubtedly be eaten within a day.”

Lazarak merely smiled, completely unfazed.

He had grown marginally since their departure, yet remained small, too diminutive to be taken seriously.

He raised his hand.

The guard casually pressed the branding seal against Lazarak’s skin.

Nothing occurred.

The guard blinked.

He pressed harder.

Still nothing.

He withdrew the seal, staring at Lazarak’s unmarked skin.

“What’s taking so long?” Lazarak inquired, his voice light, his eyes gleaming playfully.

Damon rolled his eyes at the performance.

The khopesh-wielding guard narrowed his eyes.

“What are you doing? Brand him.”

“I am,” the other guard replied, a hint of panic entering his voice.

“It’s not working.”

The khopesh-wielder snatched the seal.

“Give that to me.”

He glared at the seal, then at Lazarak.

“These brands are creations of our great god Seraph Null. They embody his almighty power. How can they fail to work?”

He pressed the seal against Lazarak’s forehead, holding it there for several seconds.

Then he lifted it.

Nothing.

Sweat beaded on his brow.

He tried again. And again.

He then stopped, leaning in close to whisper to his partner.

“This is dire… if it doesn’t work, we might be taken away…”

He swallowed.

“Look… we might have to eliminate this one.”

The instant the words left his mouth, Lazarak swiftly lifted his sleeve.

“Sir! I believe there’s no need,” he stated innocently.

“Look, the brand appeared. I’m a slow learner… this frequently happens. No need to resort to violence.”

The guards stared.

A faint, chain-shaped brand now rested on Lazarak’s skin.

They exchanged glances.

“It appears sufficiently real…”

The first guard slapped the other on the back of the head.

“Of course it looks real enough. It is the real deal.”

Damon glanced at Lazarak and rolled his eyes.

It was glaringly obvious.

Lazarak had simply created his own brand.

How could the power of Seraph Null, a mere lesser god, possibly affect a minor god?

Without further delay, the guards turned their attention to Damon.

As they approached, the chilling, abyssal gaze in his dark eyes caused them to hesitate.

The first guard unconsciously swallowed hard.

He couldn’t pinpoint what was amiss with this individual, but he was undeniably terrifying.

Damon slowly raised his hand.

He could bypass the brand at a later time.

It was fortunate they seemed unconcerned about the demon beast or its contents. Demons did not yet exist, so they likely presumed it was merely a tamed monster.

The brand pressed into Damon’s skin with a sharp sizzle.

The moment it made contact, something reached into his soul.

But before it could penetrate deeper—

His Heart of Shadow released a brief, violent pulse.

The crown upon his head vibrated.

The mark flickered… then faded slightly.

The guard frowned and pressed the seal down once more.

This time, Damon suppressed his Mana and shadow energy.

He allowed it to happen.

The brand finally settled, a faint chain glowing weakly on his skin.

The guards nodded in satisfaction and departed, pocketing the seal.

The mark on Damon’s hand already appeared unstable, slowly fading.

He turned around.

The branding seal lay in his palm.

A thin smile curved his lips.

“Well… it’s a good thing I pickpocketed it.”