My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 853 - 854: Names And Memories

"Wow, you’ve certainly been through a lot."

Leona spoke in a low voice while observing Damon.

He gave a slow nod in response. Shaking her head, Leona let out a heavy sigh.

"It’s no wonder this city suddenly grew more chaotic over the last few days following your arrival."

Damon narrowed his eyes before rolling them in annoyance.

"What are you implying? That I’m some kind of troublemaker?"

She nodded firmly.

"Yes, exactly. You are."

He pulled her into a brief hug before releasing her. Nevertheless, he remained curious about Leona's current circumstances. She was staying in a pleasant house that seemed well-furnished, and the lingering scent of delicious food filled the air—a promising sign. After all, Leona had always been something of a foodie.

Even if she did have a habit of convincing others to do the cooking for her.

"So, what is your story?" Evangeline questioned.

"I mean, you’ve been here for quite a while, haven't you?"

Leona gave a slow nod of confirmation.

"Yeah, I suppose I was initially dumped into one of those slave fighting coliseums. A few guys tried to get handsy with me, so I just ripped their arms off. I ran into a familiar face there, so we decided to escape the arena and killed the man who claimed to own us. It was quite an ordeal."

Damon nodded. That certainly sounded like the Leona he knew.

She crossed her arms, looking irritated.

"I mean, being a slave or fighting all day didn't really bother me. What I couldn't tolerate was the fact that those bastards refused to feed us. I got so angry that I just popped the guy's head off."

Her teeth could be heard grinding together.

"After we wrecked the place, the chained knights were deployed to restore order, but I used rune magic to slip past them. Following that, we ended up in the pleasure district, where some man tried to trade us for meat. So, we destroyed the pleasure district too."

She folded her arms over her chest, her ascendant armor emitting a few sparks while Damon watched with a deadpan expression.

"Afterward, we retreated back toward the Grinding Gate."

She hesitated as she spoke those words, her expression turning somber.

"We didn't really have a destination. The women we rescued from a life of commercial sex chose to follow us, even though they didn't stop what they were doing. I suppose it was the only life they had ever known."

She gripped her cup tightly, bowing her head.

"I didn't actually have a plan. I just thought that if we found you, you’d figure things out like you always do. Leading people is difficult. You have to worry about everything, and when a follower dies, it truly hurts and makes you feel so powerless."

Damon reached out and patted her head, gently rubbing her beastkin ears.

"Don’t let it weigh on you. So, what happened after that?"

Leona nodded, though she shook her head slowly a moment later.

"When we reached the Grinding Gate, the residents there were surprisingly kind to us. They assisted us in settling in, provided a place to live, and well, we shared our food with them."

A soft smile touched her lips.

"We discovered an entire community of people who were genuinely nice. They were generous and gave us things for free."

Damon’s look became skeptical. From what he knew, the Grinding Gate didn't harbor a single decent soul, let alone a helpful one. Yet here was Leona, claiming the opposite.

It brought to mind something Carmen Vale had once told him.

If you only look for monsters in people, that is all you will ever find.

Leona was a girl of pure heart and intentions. Perhaps that was why she only drew out the good in others. Even a piece of human scum like Damon was moved to act with kindness by her presence. That was the reason she was his best friend; she didn’t really give him any other choice.

Leona gritted her teeth again.

"Everyone was so good to us, but now most of them are gone."

She lowered her gaze.

"Even the children."

Damon looked up, his features tightening.

"When did this occur? Were you attacked?"

Leona shook her head slowly, brushing away a tear.

"No. We moved into the inner city. I believed if we came here we could find you, so we kept searching. But just yesterday, the chained knights massacred a few million people in the Grinding Gate."

Damon went still, his face as unreadable as calm water.

Yesterday.

Wasn't that part of his own strategy? He had known the chained knights would react that way. To him, it was simply collateral damage.

She stared downward, looking dazed.

"Mrs. Slytack and her kids, that greedy old butcher, One-Eyed Pete who was always drunk, and Grandpa Broker who only cared for mana cores... they are all dead."

Damon took a deep breath as Leona recited the names of those who had helped her. He didn't want to listen.

To him, their passing was a mere statistic—cogs in a grander machine that would lead to total war.

It was a necessary evil.

"Leona, I am sorry about your friends."

Damon reached out to touch her head, slowly stroking her hair.

She sniffled like a child finding solace, then began to sob, clutching Damon tightly as she wailed.

He continued to pet her head gently.

"It’s okay. Everything will be alright."

Ultimately, Damon wondered what truly troubled him more: the fact that millions had perished, or that his friend was suffering because of it.

The answer was obvious.

Following the Trial of Sin, Damon felt no need to shoulder guilt that wasn't his. Everyone made their own path. He hadn't killed those people; the chained knights had.

If he had personally slaughtered them, he would have readily accepted it as his own sin.

If anything, his only fault here was his complicity—the sin of sloth.

"Don’t worry, Leona. I promise their deaths won't be for nothing. We will tear down this twisted city together."

She nodded, resting her head against his chest and weeping silently.

Evangeline closed her eyes, gazing out the window in silence.

Damon was the only person capable of reaching Leona. If he couldn't comfort her, nobody could.

After several minutes, Damon brushed away her tears and offered a smile.

"Hey, speaking of which, you mentioned meeting a familiar face. Who was it?"

He would do anything to shift the conversation.

She raised her head, her ears twitching with interest.

"Oh, it’s..."

Bang!

The door was thrown open violently.

Damon didn't even turn around. His skin began to crawl. He recognized that gaze.

'I recognize that shadow.'

He spun around in sheer horror.

"It’s you!"