My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 848 - 849: Final Rebellion

Evangeline rested her head against Damon’s shoulder, her movement cautious and slow. It was as if she were gauging whether such intimacy was permitted. A fleeting thought entered her mind—perhaps she should have simply agreed to his earlier words, even if he had only meant them as a jest.

Biting her lip, she looked down at the hand she held in hers. Her grip tightened for a moment before relaxing again in a state of indecision.

Ultimately, she felt she lacked a true choice in the matter.

She was well aware of Sylvia’s feelings toward Damon. While the elf girl appeared gentle and pleasant on the surface, Evangeline recognized the truth. Sylvia possessed a sharp mind, a subtle possessiveness, and a deep emotional stake in him.

Nevertheless, in this quiet moment where they were alone, Evangeline found she didn't mind the closeness at all.

"Hey..." she whispered at last, her voice barely audible.

"Hmmm?" Damon murmured in response. His eyes remained shut as he felt the city steadily siphoning his mana, like a persistent parasite feeding on his internal reserves.

"Do you believe we will ever return to our home?"

It was the first time Evangeline had given voice to her lingering dread. Perhaps it was because she was with Damon that she permitted herself to show such vulnerability and fear.

"Why wouldn't we?" Damon answered in a nonchalant tone. "I've already formulated a plan. Our task is simply to slay a god and use his extravagant magical gateway to return."

Evangeline adjusted her position slightly, causing strands of her hair to fall loose and graze his shoulder.

"But what if we have merely been cast into a past version of our own world?" she asked softly. "What if this is a dream from which we never wake?"

This time, a frown slowly formed on Damon’s face.

"A dream?"

His voice held no dismissal; instead, it was filled with curiosity. Having known him for so long, Evangeline could easily tell the difference.

"Yes," she confirmed. "This is the nightmare belonging to an entity named Lazarak. I recall a voice speaking when we first arrived..." She hesitated, the memory vivid in her mind. "Victory is an eternal nightmare, while defeat is the moment of awakening."

She leaned her chin on his shoulder, disregarding the social norms that usually dictated the distance between men and women. The city was freezing, and his warmth was far more important than any rules of etiquette.

"There is also mention of a reward," she added. "The survivors who reach the end are promised the boon of a fourth-class advancement."

Damon shifted his head toward her, bringing their faces so close that their noses nearly brushed. His expression grew more troubled.

The Nightmare of Lazarak.

The name was familiar to him, as was the supposed location of its namesake. He also remembered the system notification that had echoed those same words.

‘Victory is an endless nightmare.’

That specific phrasing was undoubtedly the handiwork of the Unknown God. This was the same being who had pulled them into this nightmare and used it to consume the dungeon gate itself.

If that were the case, then this place might indeed be a—

"Nightmare," Damon whispered under his breath.

However, the information regarding the boon was new to him—the promise of reaching the fourth class just by surviving. Evangeline’s concerns were valid.

If this was an artificially simulated dream rather than the actual past, then...

Damon shook his head to clear his thoughts.

The evidence was mounting. Yet, when dealing with the Unknown God, even a dream could function as reality. This was a deity capable of folding the entire omniverse at his whim.

Was that the reason for his personal appearance?

He had manifested through the body of the priestess from the snake temple; there had to be a significant reason behind that choice.

Damon stood up suddenly.

The core question remained simple.

Was this truly the past?

Or was it a realm meticulously crafted by a true god?

"You are experiencing the Nightmare of Lazarak," Damon muttered to himself.

"You are... not Lazarak is..." He trailed off, his brow furrowed in concentration. He needed to think. In the waking world, Lazarak was surely dead. Damon had discovered the tomb of the lesser gods that Lazarak had fathered. The Goddess would never permit him a second opportunity to threaten her established order.

Therefore, Lazarak must have already met his end.

Which led to one conclusion—

Every single one of them was currently sharing this dream.

"How does one wake up," Damon whispered, "from a terrible dream?"

Evangeline watched him closely. She could tell that Damon was lost in a train of thought far more complex than he was letting on.

"We cannot afford to die here," she said in a hushed voice. "I have a feeling that if we perish in this place, we die for real."

He gave a slow nod of agreement.

"I know. The gravity of the situation isn't lost on me." He let out a long breath. "But at the same time... the Unknown God is fond of enigmas. ‘Victory is an endless nightmare.’"

He turned his full attention toward her.

"Does that imply that if we succeed... we are trapped here forever?"

She frowned, considering the logic.

"But we cannot choose defeat as a way out," she argued slowly, "because defeat equals death."

The night breeze stirred her hair gently.

"We are caught in a paradox. Victory means we never leave, and loss means we die." Her tone turned cold. "It’s exactly what I’d expect from the deity of the demons. A truly malevolent entity."

Damon took a deep breath, shaking his head.

"That is true. However, our immediate priority is locating the others, demons included." His gaze sharpened with intent. "Given their strength, I suspect they are somewhere within the inner city. we will need the help of Sylvia, Lilith, Renata... and whatever capable individuals the demons have."

He squeezed his hand into a fist.

"If this truly is the Nightmare of Lazarak," he declared coldly, "then let it be. I want to witness the horrors Lazarak endured in the ancient past."

From the way he spoke, Evangeline realized he possessed specific knowledge about this figure.

"Who is this Lazarak, exactly?" she inquired tentatively.

"Lazarak is a minor god associated with darkness, peace, serenity, and repose," Damon explained. "Though he rarely grants the latter."

He went on in a calm voice.

"He was the first being to exist in Aetherus, the elder brother of Aetherus itself."

She started to ask a question, but he gestured for her to wait.

"Indeed. Aetherus is more than a place; it is a person—or rather, a god. The planet itself is the god of light, life, and war."

He began to pace as he continued his explanation.

"For a time, there was a specific order. War ravaged the world, and lesser deities were worshipped on blood-stained altars. That lasted until Lazarak, the god of peace, staged a rebellion."

His voice grew somber.

"The revolt was crushed. Everything shifted. Lazarak was locked away in this world for millennia, entombed in the deepest reaches of Eidolon—the imaginary prison."

Damon folded his arms across his chest.

"Eventually, I suspect he broke free. He wiped out the lesser gods, signaling the conclusion of the Zero Epoch. In doing so, he paved the way for the Unknown God to enter this world."

He sighed heavily.

"True worship of the Unknown God didn't take root until the First Epoch, initiated by the Wicked Prophet Mugu. He was the first demon, planting the seeds of a race that Ashcroft would later forge into a dominant empire during the Second Epoch, before his eventual downfall at the hands of the Goddess."

He finally went quiet for a moment.

"I believe we are standing at a pivotal moment in history," Damon said softly. "We are observing—or perhaps participating in—the dawn of Lazarak’s final uprising."

His expression softened, reflecting a hint of melancholy.

"The concluding chapter of his legend."

Evangeline bit her lip nervously.

"If we only knew Lazarak's location," she whispered, "we might be able to stop him."

Damon cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Stop him?" he repeated. "Why would we want to do that?"

Evangeline met his gaze with a questioning look of her own.

"You know where he is, don't you?"

Damon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well... we were essentially cellmates back in Eidolon."

Evangeline’s eyes went wide with shock.