My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 900 - 901: Into Difficult Times

Calling Father Dantalion "Danny" required immense boldness that no one possessed. Truthfully, it was something utterly unprecedented. Who would even attempt it? Nobody at all... except for the one and only Damon Grey.

That hand stayed extended forward, stirring a faint desire in Dantalion to slice it clean off, though common sense and careful thought held him back.

Naturally, the repercussions loomed large. The Nine Star Elders served as spiritual guides, much like the High Templar, who functioned as both Templar leader and Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire, yet leaned more toward a role of spiritual authority.

Even so, the true barrier was the Grand Duke, who wouldn't hesitate to raze the entire city if anyone harmed his grandson.

Beyond that, he could simply declare afterward that his actions aimed to safeguard the Holy Child.

Dantalion extended his own hand gradually, muttering curses about Damon's brazenness beneath his breath.

Damon appeared far from content. In the most brazenly neutral tone he could produce—

"Kiss the ring, Danny my son... kiss the ring."

All eyes were fixed on the scene. Crowds of people surrounded them. He needed to kiss that ring, including even the fervent members of the Inquisition.

Swallowing his pride, he grasped the hand once more and pressed his lips to the ring. Right after finishing, Damon pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the ring as though it carried the foulest grime imaginable. Then he cleared his throat.

"Ahem... you are blessed, my child."

He laid a hand atop Dantalion’s head, an odd gesture. Damon nearly sensed a spark before Dantalion pulled away.

"Many thanks, your holiness."

Damon spun around, his attention shifting to Aurelius Venn.

The dragon-kin nearly unfurled his wings to flee, but he drew in a deep breath and endured it. He'd ensure Damon faced troubles soon enough.

"Venny, my boy... kiss daddy’s ring... I mean, kiss the holy hand and receive the goddess’ divine blessing."

He cleared his throat again, despite the words he'd just uttered, while the crowd averted their gazes.

Aurelius Venn pressed his lips together, then seized Damon’s hand.

Damon shut his eyes, as if a sacred vision descended upon him.

"The goddess has forgiven you, Venny... you are blessed."

Nobody wished to step forward next. Damon turned a sacred ritual into a farce, yet none intervened. After all, the ceremony revolved around him.

He prepared to head back to the altar when a figure caught his eye.

Damon halted. His gaze sharpened. Wasn't this the very priest dispatched by the Temple to purchase his Ascendant armor upon his return from Lysithara? Indeed, this fellow had schemed to complicate matters for Damon.

A weaker individual might pardon him and display grand mercy. Damon wasn't that sort of person.

He stopped right before the man, directing his finger toward him.

"I sense evil energy around you..."

Damon merely aimed to insult him. Worst case, an inquiry would follow, but they'd clear him eventually if proven blameless.

"You must be colluding with demons... I sense evil around you..."

The man's complexion drained of color at Damon's words. His eyes bulged in alarm.

Dantalion's brow furrowed deeply, his stare icy and unyielding.

Damon staked his safety and circulated a trace of that sacred energy. The Holy Shroud amplified his aura of purity.

"You are an enemy of the goddess. I see your truth laid bare..."

"Seize him," Damon ordered. As today's central figure, respect demanded they obey.

The Knights Templar present looked to the High Templar, who gave a deliberate nod. They'd free him later and reassign him elsewhere, preserving the Holy Son's enigmatic image.

Yet the priest's features grew taut, his eyes blazing with frenzy.

"Damn you foul people... you will never take me!"

He delved into his robes and extracted a tiny trinket resembling a pendant. Damon nearly froze in shock upon spotting it. It bore the unmistakable emblem of the Unknown God.

The instant it emerged, shock rippled through every onlooker. Damon felt even greater bewilderment. He'd only meant to harass the man; he hadn't suspected a true demon race infiltrator.

He lifted the trinket high.

"Hail Unknown, the Unknown God."

With those words, a protective shield enveloped him, forming a spherical dome.

He burst into manic laughter.

"Hahahahaha! You cannot harm me. I will chant the Unknown God’s divine name, and when it’s complete I will be sent to the Snake Temple..."

The Knights Templar brandished their blades and struck the shield, but every blow rebounded harmlessly.

"Hahaha, fools! Only those of the Unknown God’s faith may pass."

He dropped to his knees, gripping the trinket tightly.

"All hail Unknown—

God of Names, Unmaker of All.

The Dreamer and the Void,

The Birth and the Silence."

As his voice echoed, the space inside the shield warped, like reality bending upon itself.

The High Templar clenched his jaw.

"Raise the holy barrier. This traitor must not escape alive. Seal this whole space."

His command unleashed golden light from the earth, surging skyward. A vast shield of gleaming gold enclosed the entire Holy City.

But it proved useless.

His incantation pressed on.

"Wielder of All Absolutes,

Bringer of Truth, Master of Lies.

Genesis Alpha — the First Light,

Nemesis Omega — the Last Breath."

Damon froze in place. It stunned him that a spy lurked within the Temple's ranks. This individual was plainly human, a devotee of the Unknown God, and clearly held a lofty position to receive such a potent artifact.

This served as the supreme means of evasion in dire peril.

He needed to claim it for his own survival.

His invocation flowed without pause.

"He who is the Law, and He who denies it.

He who dreams reality and wakes into nothingness.

The End of Ends, the Origin of Origins."

Knights, mages, and others unleashed a barrage on the shield, but despite their might, it seemed rooted in a separate dimension. His getaway appeared inevitable.

Reality within flickered like a mirage.

"God of Wrath. God of Resentment.

Praise to the God of the Damned.

Hail the Lord of Choice."

Damon advanced and touched the shield. No force repelled him. It permitted his entry.

He quelled a grin. Of course—he still aligned with the Unknown God in essence, so the shield recognized him as worthy.

Amid the stunned stares of the crowd, Damon stepped inside the shield.

"Unseen Sovereign.

The Silent Witness.

Discordia the Imperfect.

Hail the Paradox.

Hail the Abyss.

Hail Unknown, the Unknown God."

Then he seized the priest just before vanishing. In one swift motion, he drew his sword from shadow storage and plunged it into the man's heart.

With his free hand, he snatched the trinket and tucked it away in his shadow storage via the shadow of his palm.

"Ho... how did you get past the barrier..."

Damon felt fortunate the question arose organically. He projected his voice for all to catch.

"The goddess is by my side, and she has given me the divine mandate of the heavens. I shall be the end of all heretics."

Blood pooled on the ground as the man's gaze dimmed in death. Damon exacted his vengeance in the most startling manner.

Meanwhile, cheers erupted from the assembly. The Knights Templar and Temple devotees now regarded him with reverence, his white shroud and shining crown radiating sanctity.

Father Dantalion's frown deepened, though he masked his reaction. The High Templar approached the body, encircled by Knights Templar.

"Where is his evil ornament..."

Damon shut his eyes.

"I’m afraid it must have been destroyed by my holy aura... evil things cannot seem to withstand me... ahh... goddess be with us..."

He shook his head with a slow motion, feigning regret.

"A shame. Who would have thought these evil people could sneak into our glorious and holy Temple? How dare they blaspheme the goddess’ name and practice such heresy before your holiness, to boot. We must act to crush any remaining followers of that vile, no-good god."

Damon's words rang with fervent outrage. Naturally, he slyly implicated the others, prompting the Temple to purge its internals.

"We cannot tolerate such evil amongst us. I personally cannot abide that Unknown God and his corruption. He is truly the most vile and evil of existence."

These sentiments burned true within him, particularly given the Unknown God's habit of undermining him.

After all, resentment festered.

"Indeed. Indeed," the High Templar replied deliberately.

"But how did you get past the barrier?"

Damon released a surge of his sacred aura.

"The goddess spoke to me... it was divine inspiration. Only the power of the goddess can overcome this evil, and I have been chosen."

The High Templar inclined his head.

"Yes, I see. I finally understand why the Aether Academy made the decision it did. The Temple will fully support them. Only someone like you can handle such a task."

Damon's instincts flared with sudden peril.

"Huh? What?"

The High Templar rested his hand on Damon’s shoulder.

"The Academy will fill you in... goddess be with you in your difficult times."

Damon stood completely stunned.