My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 910 - 911: Fields Of Roaring Glory

A ripple surged across the woods. It resembled a hushed blast rippling through their surrounding realm, yet the havoc it wrought targeted an entirely separate layer of reality.

Seras swung her sword downward. The pair of pursuers froze in shock from her strike.

She let out a breath, easing her weapon a bit.

"That strike ought to have ended any beast at the fifth class advancement stage, particularly after landing straight on, yet they persist in living."

Damon eyed the duo of beasts. They clung to life, fighting to reclaim command over their forms.

Almost in unison, they broke free from the daze and fled the stun, but Seras stayed calm. She lifted her tachi once more and cleaved downward. Colors drained from the world like wounds in the fabric of space caused by her blow. The slender cut pierced directly through the frames of the two stalkers. Such devastating force was meant to cleave them apart, but they stood unmoving.

The moment her assault ceased, motion returned to them, and they attempted to flee Seras's reach.

"Hmm. These beings truly resist death by ordinary means. So long as eyes remain on them, destruction eludes them."

Damon halted briefly.

"Observation..." he whispered. Realization dawned in his gaze. Naturally, that explained it. Their abilities revolved around watching, so their vulnerability would mirror that.

As the beasts scrambled away from her, he seized Seras's arms.

"I’ve got a plan. Could you hold them in place?"

She watched them bolt from her, then drew in a steadying breath.

"Deploying my domain might pin them down. But that carries grave danger here in the evil forest."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. We’ll handle whatever follows. I won’t rest easy with these horrors lurking."

A smile curved her lips as she met his eyes, then they flashed with power.

"Remember, any woes ahead are your doing."

[Fields of Roaring Glory.]

The world quaked around Damon abruptly. Crimson seeped from the dark earth at her feet. Ash and grit shrouded the heavens. Wails resounded while war shouts thundered. Airships bearing conflict standards soared above, unleashing spells upon the terrain. Warriors from myriad races clashed in a frenzied storm.

"This realm is my domain—the theater of war. Here, my power surges immensely. Like most domains, its essence boosts my capabilities, expanding my mana reserves and speeding their renewal."

She lifted her palm, and the troops along with the aerial vessels pivoted toward the stalkers. A barrage of arms swarmed the skies as assaults rained upon the pair.

Up above, armaments materialized and encircled them. Shackles emerged, ensnaring their forms. The creatures found themselves immobile.

Damon surveyed his surroundings. The woodland had vanished. Now he stood beside Seras amid a raging battlefield.

"A domain embodies the insights one has mastered. It’s the peak of their beliefs, their existence. It begins as a mere concept. Often, folks don’t even realize they’ve seized it. Over time, it hardens and takes tangible shape. In your domain, you reign as its deity, the sovereign of this realm. Such is your granted dominion."

An overwhelming mana presence washed over Damon. This marked the second purest domain he’d witnessed. It diverged from Lazarak’s. His consisted of mere shadows, yet those shadows soothed like a peaceful evening. They banished agony and instilled tranquil peace.

The Mirror Seraph’s domain consisted of misty reflective surfaces.

Seraph Null’s domain involved bindings and captivity.

Every being wielded a domain distinct to itself, for even near-identical souls birthed utterly unique domains.

This very nature of domains rendered the Beldam so fearsome at the fourth class advancement.

He looked toward the stalkers, and right as the restraints gripped them, one parted its jaws. Then a strange essence unfurled from its base.

As that happened, Damon sensed a shift, as though they now inhabited a separate plane altogether.

This too was a domain.

Seras let out a light laugh.

"Do you grasp that you’ve ensnared yourselves as well, or do you wager I’ll deplete my mana before you?"

Damon’s gaze sharpened. It clicked. No surprise only one activated its domain. Their aim was to drain Seras dry. That explained why mighty beings avoided constant domain use. The energy toll was staggering.

It needed to be so, given they forged an actual zone of control inside the broader world.

’For gods, it must come easier, being woven into the world’s fabric.’

Seras shot him a cool look.

"So, what’s the holdup? Get on with it."

Her words came out measured.

"My domain quickens mana recovery, yet upholding it demands even greater expenditure."

Damon spotted a droplet of perspiration on her brow. It stemmed not from the foes. Though unable to slay them, they posed no real threat to tax her.

His attention drifted to the domain’s boundary. He perceived an intrusion there. The sinister earth of the evil forest. The woods assaulted her domain.

This differed starkly from the Whispering Forest, where the Beldam could weave a domain tied to her lair. Or perhaps it was the transient, wandering quality of this one, unbound to a spot.

Domains fascinated Damon deeply.

"Damon!" Seras shouted.

He coughed lightly.

"Yes, yes. My apologies."

He dropped low, merging into shadow, and slithered toward the stalkers. Upon arriving, a chill grin spread across his face.

"I’ve unraveled your secret..."

Chains held the stalkers fast. Damon delved into his shadow storage and withdrew an item.

It was a mirror.

No enchanted artifact or mighty relic, just a plain everyday mirror.

Damon held the mirror aloft, angling it toward the creatures’ visages. They gazed upon their own images.

The instant they beheld themselves, their forms stiffened and crumbled, fracturing like brittle glass and disintegrating.

[You have slain Stalker of the Evil Forest.]

[You have slain Stalker of the Evil Forest.]

Damon peered at the remnants as their bodies dissolved into dust.

Seras exhaled in relief while her domain folded inward and vanished. The battling soldiers dissolved. The armaments. All traces faded away.

The forest reemerged, but Damon sensed a shift. The evil forest brimmed with heightened malice, as though it now pulsed with overt murderous aura.

"How did you deduce their demise?" Seras inquired, ignoring the forest’s hostility.

Damon lifted his shoulders.

"A hunch, really. I sensed this wouldn’t top the horrors awaiting in these woods. More like a prelude to far graver perils."

Seras eyed the trees gravely.

"The forest’s dominion has been defied. It stirs now, and what’s lost. We’ve banished the stalkers, yet worse threats await us."

Damon shifted, spotting a scout nearing them. He checked his injury and noted the stalker’s curse had lifted.

Seras pivoted.

"Let’s move. We must vacate this zone swiftly."

She melted into the underbrush. Damon trailed her, his instincts warning in rapid flickers.

He gave a soft laugh, ensuring Dethrone kept his Deathless skill in check.

They linked up with the others, and upon arrival, saw the wounded troops restored to health.

Damon’s nocturnal stag was gone. No chance to snare and break another, so he shared Renata’s mount, and the expedition pressed onward logically.

Tremors shook the earth encircling the woods. Bellows and eerie chuckles-like noises reverberated.

Certain sounds eluded his understanding. They defied human comprehension.

Damon’s arms encircled Renata’s midsection.

"Seras, what’s our course?" he called amid the thunder of hooves smashing foliage.

"That’s commander to you. We plunge further into the woods. Stick close and eliminate any that near us."

Damon breathed out heavily, curses of misfortune weighing on him.

He glanced rearward, witnessing branches quivering and growls rising as odd imp-like swarms leaped from the canopy.

Damon grimaced, clutching Renata firmer while they raced through the trees.

"Hmmm. Not as dire as I feared. Merely some impish fiends. Hardly a challenge."

No sooner had the words left him than a thunderous snap rang out. Looking back, he spied a massive trunk bending and splintering, though nothing visible caused it.

His eyes tightened. An imp soared upward, then met a grisly end with a snap, devoured by unseen jaws.

Something colossal. Something unseen.

Damon’s face drained of color. As if pursuit weren’t dire enough, invisibility compounded the terror.

"Dammit. Dammit"