My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 915 - 916: Driven By Love

Delving into his recollections, Amadeus attempted to recall the initial appearance of Mugu from many years prior when they first crossed paths.

"A young man hailed from the Demon Continent. He left a strong impression on me. His eyes burned with an unusual determination." He hesitated for a moment, seemingly visualizing Mugu's former visage.

"Indeed, he ended up as the disciple of the lady who later ascended while donning the Crescent Seer armor. Back then, such armor didn't exist yet."

Damon paid close attention. Based on his prior knowledge, the Ascendant armor emerged from Mugu and Vathren's encounter with the Unknown God, granting them insights into its creation. Using those insights, Lysithara forged five such armors to combat the decay and corruption unleashed by the outsiders.

All of this came later. This tale predated the reasons behind Mugu's every action.

"Prior to becoming her disciple, he wasn't especially gifted as a youth. His resolve in pursuing power remained unbreakable. Strength was his sole desire, as though pursued by some unseen force or entity."

The lich lightly caressed his staff, immersed in the past.

"His fellow students didn't favor him much at all. Mugu kept to himself, though I doubt it was intentional." In his mind, Amadeus envisioned him practicing relentlessly after everyone else had departed the corridors, repeating the drills endlessly.

"Why is that?" Damon inquired, relating as someone who avoided company himself.

Amadeus hesitated, appearing reluctant for Damon to probe further.

"Mugu lacked time for such things, or so he thought. While others mingled naturally as humans do, he focused on cultivation. For any assigned duty, Mugu exceeded expectations by a wide margin."

Now Damon envisioned it clearly. An unrivaled talent capable of mastering any challenge.

"Competing against such a genius must've been tough."

Amadeus denied it with a shake of his head.

"Quite the opposite—Mugu wasn't a genius, contrary to what history claims. He lacked the innate brilliance of Ashcroft. In truth, he was merely ordinary, maybe a touch better than that."

Seras squinted suspiciously. Ordinary? No ordinary individual could accomplish what Mugu had. He alone had transformed the world eternally.

"How could someone average pull off such feats? Founding the demon race. Conquering the Doom Continent."

The lich reclined, his skull bowed. Had sockets held eyes, Damon might have glimpsed sorrow there.

"That's precisely what rendered him so fearsome. He attained those heights despite his unremarkable aptitude. Mugu wasn't the cleverest. Nor was he the quickest or mightiest. He pursued his aims relentlessly. That relentless nature turned him into a beast. His relentless pursuit. His unshakeable belief."

The lich's skeletal fingers quivered, as if revisiting a haunting recollection.

"Hard work was common among us. We'd cultivate till blood flowed. But Mugu pushed until near death. If tasked with a hundred miles, he'd cover ten thousand. Rest came for us; he kept training. One page for us meant a hundred devoured by him."

Slowly, the lich shook his head.

"Despite his averageness, his effort surpassed all. Resentment brewed among us, yet we admired his achievements. He compelled those nearby to shatter their boundaries. It spread like a plague."

His voice carried a hint of joy, almost.

"That's when Valcara noticed him and accepted him as her direct pupil. Not from her initiative. Mugu's persistence wore her down. He shadowed her constantly, brimming with earnestness. Ultimately, it touched her heart."

Damon furrowed his brow.

Hold on. Something felt off. If Mugu shone so brightly, why the reluctance to mentor him? Damon assumed no pleading would be necessary.

Noticing Damon's look, the lich grasped the unspoken query.

"As a seer, Valcara foresaw disaster. Taking Mugu under her wing would spell her doom. Thus she turned him away—or so Valarie relayed to me."

Damon inclined his head gradually. The misty figure on the bridge to the Whispering Forest came to mind.

"So he exploited and abandoned her."

The lich dismissed it with a head shake.

"Far from it. Valcara transformed him. Guided by her, he warmed to others, gaining widespread admiration. We who walked similar scholarly roads soon uncovered his backstory and the fuel for his ambition. He spoke of it endlessly. That was his sole glimpse of joy. Yet it proved a snare."

"What fueled him?" Seras questioned gently.

The lich fell silent briefly before responding.

"He was smitten."

Damon nearly toppled his wine at the revelation. Smitten. That powered him. His core reason. How did romance propel him toward aiding the Unknown God?

The lich cast a quick look at Damon.

"Love wields immense force. It foretells catastrophe. This very love destroyed Mugu. It shattered Valcara too. This love threatened the entire realm. Love terrifies," Amadeus murmured, his staff quivering faintly.

Damon's gaze sharpened. Did this undead fear affection?

"Why?" Renata interjected at last.

"Isn't love meant to be wondrous? A force uniting souls. With love, solitude vanishes, though it carries some fright." Her eyes flicked toward Damon as she said it.

The lich shook his head.

"Perhaps. Still, its splendor fades quickly. Its fallout devastates. Mugu's ambition stemmed from something straightforward. Deep in his birthplace, Valtheron."

"Valtheron," Seras echoed. Wasn't Mugu native to Centros on the Demon Continent? How did a Valtheron native end up in Soltheon, the War Continent?

"Valtheron was once a minor realm within the Demon Continent," Damon explained, easing her bewilderment.

"You need to learn more," he tacked on.

"Mugu shared a youthful romance with a girl. I've never encountered her myself. By his accounts, she'd seem a divine beauty of our plane. Their bond was mutual, sealed with vows of eternal union. A vow Mugu chased without mercy."

Damon sensed doom looming. It already had.

"Then a worthless royal prince spotted her and desired her. She was seized from Mugu against her will and forced into matrimony. Mugu resisted fiercely. Ultimately, against the throne's might, what recourse did he have? To spare his life, she consented to the union, extracting Mugu's oath to rescue her someday."

The lich halted briefly. Sorrow seemed to touch even him.

"That ignited his quest for power. It drove every step. Pure love fueled it. He fled the continent, pursuing Lysithara. He braved deadly trails, solitary across the Duhu Mountains, until reaching her."

Now gripping his staff with both hands, Amadeus shook his head deliberately.

"Back then, we all rooted for him. None foresaw his tenacity birthing catastrophe."

Centuries had passed. Yet Amadeus recalled Mugu vividly still.

"Tragic, in truth. Mugu adored that girl, while in Lysithara, his mentor developed feelings for him. That sealed Valcara's fate. Such emotions paved her downfall."

Damon blinked in realization. Threads wove together here. This explained Mugu's venom toward Valtheron's lords. They stole his beloved due to his frailty. What fury he must have harbored. Sufficient to let a mere mortal reshape existence.

"What followed? How did he accomplish it all?"

Amadeus shook his head.

"That's beyond my knowledge. What I recall is his rapid ascent in power, departing Lysithara for greater might. Years passed in his absence."

Purple glow filled his empty sockets.

"Upon our next encounter, he returned shattered. Darker, more fractured than ever. Rage consumed him, but above all, Mugu wandered adrift. Even so, his zeal shifted to a fresh purpose."

Scars marred Mugu deeply. Shadows cloaked his eyes. Agony he couldn't conceal lingered. The once invincible figure now stood as a hollow vessel brimming with wrath.

"He started ranting about the metaverse and forbidden lore against the goddess," the lich grumbled, reminiscing on Mugu's formidable return to Lysithara.

The zenith of mortal potential. Seventh class ascension.

"Valcara perceived his wayward state. Despite that, her emotions bound her to his side," Amadeus intoned gravely.

"Valarie, Vathren, Vulcan—her closest allies—all urged her to abandon Mugu."

"She once confided to Valarie: if ever you succumb to loving your pupil, you'll understand why I'd willingly perish for him." The lich appeared to exhale, lungs or not.

"Details escape me now. But Valcara and Mugu swayed them. They pitched the concept, and through it, outsiders invaded our domain."

"Thus began the downfall of Lysithara and the First Epoch."

Damon opened his mouth as the lich lifted his gaze.

"That's everything I recall of Mugu."

Damon assented quietly while the lich tilted his skull skyward.

"One more thing lingers. Utterances from him I can't erase. The day he reappeared in Lysithara, these words reached me."

Amadeus held back until his spoken words chilled Damon's veins.

"We are not asked to be born; we are forced to exist. Today was a horrible day; tomorrow will be worse. In the end, it will all come to pass. All things fade. Memories perish with time, the greatest destroyer."

A chill gripped Damon's heart.

These echoed the Unknown God’s creed.

The very creed that forged Damon's existence.