My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 881 - 882: A Full Time Job

The chains went quiet.

A brief hush filled the chamber, as though the tower itself rejected the reality of what transpired. Suddenly, the light on the suspended chains wavered, the red hue fading into a dull, corroded brown, before they broke apart completely. The metal pieces tumbled down like lifeless snakes.

The High Prophet's form jerked once.

Then it started to break down.

Fissures of faint light extended from the spot where Broken Bonds had struck him, spreading over his torso, neck, and features. His lips parted as though to cry out, yet silence reigned.

The breakdown wasn't fierce or destructive. Rather, a gaping mouth emerged from the darkness and swallowed him whole.

A powerhouse of the fourth class.

Wiped out.

The blade absorbed deeply.

Damon remained standing for a few moments, teetering a bit, with blood continuing to flow from the devastation slashed across his body. His shadow detached from the column and glided under his soles, blending perfectly, as if it had always stayed.

His shadow's craving plunged sharply from near-starvation to a level he could handle.

Damon drew in a sharp breath while pulling out a healing potion and carefully drizzling its liquid over his injuries.

As recovery took hold, the agony eased bit by bit, his skin mending itself. He inhaled deeply.

That brought some comfort. Had he not acted with such caution and fortune, death would have claimed him then and there.

He rose to his feet and gradually moved toward the exit that led to the elixir's location, his breaths coming labored.

"Advancing to the fourth class remains such a hassle."

He passed through multiple doorways until arriving at a radiant portal at the far end. Crossing its threshold, he entered a pristine white chamber.

The ground featured enormous columns, set widely apart. To cross to the opposite side, traversing atop them was necessary.

Damon showed no delay. The instant his foot touched a column, a broad walkway materialized above them.

"Illusion magic."

He looked ahead and advanced onto the concealed route. Step by step, he proceeded toward the room's conclusion.

Upon arriving at the elixir, his brow furrowed.

Blood marred it.

The rotating device supporting the shimmering golden liquid bore faint stains.

Damon let out a quiet scoff.

"Lilith, I know you're here. The scent of gardenia hangs in the air. And Sylvia as well, I suppose."

He spun around to see them both positioned before him.

Sylvia pursed her lips a little.

"So you sensed Lilith's presence, but not mine."

Damon grinned at the elf girl's clear envy.

"Not at all. I expected you'd show up too."

Sylvia eyed Lilith.

"Why? Because of her awful perfume."

Lilith balled her hand into a fist.

"This isn't the moment to take jabs at me. Don't let him play you."

Sylvia let out a sigh and turned to Damon.

"Sorry, Damon. Usually, I'd go along with whatever you want, but not today. It's not a good time for me, alright."

Damon winced a touch at her wording.

"Could you avoid phrasing it like I mistreat you? Even if I'm on the brink of death, I care about my image. I'd rather not be the one whose grave gets spat on."

Sylvia sharpened her gaze. Her gray eyes grew icy in a manner he'd never witnessed aimed at him before.

"So you're going back on your word then. The promise you gave me back at the academy."

She nibbled her lower lip, dropping her chin.

"You vowed to give me the world."

A sharp pang hit Damon's chest seeing her face, the sorrow in her gaze.

"I'm sorry, Sylvia. For failing to honor my promise. I'm sorry for brushing off your emotions. I'm sorry for taking advantage of you too."

"Besides, if I handed you the world, where would the rest of us stay?"

He bowed his head as profound gloom took root in his soul. His seed of depravity awakened, expanding a fraction within his torso. A horn gradually protruded from his skull, with another budding along his spine. Intense agony flared as an entity strained to break free.

Beyond the walls, the battle raged on. His shadow drones cut down foes, and each fallen soul channeled resentment and essence into his seed of depravity, sustaining it with anguish and devastation.

"I don't need your sorry."

Sylvia uttered, heedless of beholding the initial true demonization in ages, the rise of a new demon lord on the horizon.

All she perceived was Damon, as downcast as when she'd first collided with him in that library.

"I only want you alive. That's my sole request. It's okay, really. It's alright if you fancy other women. I'll learn to tolerate them. So please."

Damon displayed a soft, nearly tender grin while Sylvia begged him against ending it all.

He looked toward Lilith, who stayed silent. Her face held the look she always wore when bracing for a major event.

"And you? Nothing to add? This could be your final shot."

Lilith let out a chuckle.

"Caring for you is a nonstop gig with barely any perks. Poor thing. She hasn't figured that out yet. She pretends to be tough, but she's innocent."

Her presence surged gradually.

"I've faced this scenario before. Across all prior timelines, I believed I could sway a lunatic with logic."

She halted.

"I couldn't have been more mistaken."

Damon lowered himself next to the elixir, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

"Ah. Understood."

He lifted his hand to take off his crown. The relic that preserved his rationality, or at least a portion of it. Without it, his insanity persisted.

Yet that day, the murmurs in his mind hushed. They merely observed.

Damon breathed in deeply.

"I aimed to be my most authentic self for this. I planned a note, but you two remember well."

He cleared his throat with flair, insanity blazing in his stare.

"To all I cherish. You'd fare better without me."

He regarded them.

"That's the message to pass on. Claim the elixir and deliver it to my ailing sister. Remind her to think of me now and then, and urge her to reside with my grandfather."

He shot a look at Lilith.

"Remain pure forever, alright. If you wed anyone, I'll come back to torment you."

She snorted, then laughed in tune with his frenzy.

"Agreed. Once this ends, I'll offer my purity to you. Consider it amends for what's ahead."

Damon arched his brows as he drew forth the Spear of Death Mutuwa from his back.

Before he could plunge it into himself, Sylvia loosed arrows. Lilith vanished in a flash and booted the spear aside. It rang out as it hit a far-off column.

Damon lifted his gaze, his frenzy now fully alight.

He felt serene.

Icy.

"You two should realize you can't beat me in combat these days."

Lilith's emerald eyes gleamed.

"Bring it."