My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 933 - 934: Bone Hallows

Damon tumbled into the depths of the skull, his back colliding with a rough protrusion that wrenched a ragged cough from his lungs and sent blood trickling over his lips. He kept rolling and scraping onward, his fingers trailing along weathered bone while Seras leaped in after him through a separate empty socket. Chasing close behind came surges of molten lava and wild flames flooding the gaps, casting a wavering orange glow that flickered over the aged skull's rough exterior.

He hauled himself to his feet moments before a enormous claw hammered the skull, Rexagon straining to shred the old bones to bits. The blow triggered fissures to spiderweb across the outer layer and chunks of rubble to tumble around them, its talons gouging and scraping over the bone, though still falling short of demolishing the prehistoric skeleton.

Seras seized Damon's arm and yanked him along as they dashed deeper into the skull, their boots thudding emptily against the arched walls inside. Damon stumbled a bit when the ground trembled once more, and peering over his shoulder, he caught sight of Rexagon's massive eye glaring into the skull, blazing with unchecked fury.

Damon pressed on without pause. Rounding a bend farther within the skull, he discovered expedition force members concealed in a hollow that must have been the neck area of the gigantic beast this once belonged to.

His energy drained away.

He dropped to his knees, smearing blood from the corner of his mouth before bursting into sudden laughter as he drew forth a enormous fang ripped straight from Rexagon's jaws.

He clutched the fang close, his arms bulging under its tremendous bulk. It dwarfed a typical spear in length and was broader than four full-sized cattle.

"Hahaha hahahha.." Damon chuckled, out of breath and exhilarated. He had seriously misjudged how well the Sword of Nicholas worked against colossal beasts. Who could have guessed it would snap Rexagon's fang clean off? Damon had channeled all his power into the blow, but the blade seemed to pulse with its own intent, steering the cut perfectly.

The group stared at Damon in disbelief. Watching him try to embrace the fang, or at least make the effort, felt utterly bizarre.

"Yo.. you broke Rexagon’s fang.." Renata whispered. Those words rang impossible to all who heard, but proof stood right there, undeniable by their sight. That was indeed a tooth from Rexagon.

As the others stayed frozen in awe, a chill deeper than before gripped Seras's heart. The fang itself didn't stun her. The deception did.

Damon had declared himself from the Moon Glades, offspring of Kadelas Moonveil, the elven monarch called the White Ruler.

Such a claim was utterly ruthless. The motive was straightforward. Should Rexagon fail to locate Damon, it would redirect its fury to his alleged origins, raining destruction down upon them.

Under normal circumstances, that origin meant the Valtheron Empire, Damon's true home, but now Rexagon was convinced Damon was Kadelas's heir.

'I must avoid angering this fellow.' She pressed her lips together. 'He's an extremely hazardous individual.'

For all they knew, Rexagon could rampage across the land and strike the eastern realms of the elves, hunting the Moon Glades to reduce them to ashes. Or try, at least. Kadelas was far from weak.

In any case, it wouldn't slay Kadelas or raze the Moon Glades, but it would spark enormous trouble.

The group had already clustered around Damon, showering him with acclaim, when Seras advanced, gripped his shoulder, and drew him apart.

"Are you crazy.." The idea grew more absurd the longer she dwelled on it.

Damon shook his head, feigning offense.

"Of course not. I’m actually insane..." he amended. Crazy suited ordinary folk. Madness had claimed him ages ago.

Seras drew in a steady breath and tugged him to a more secluded spot out of view.

"Do you realize you just painted a bullseye on the Moon Glades during wartime? They're a vital ally to the empire in this demon war, no less."

Damon lifted his hand to halt her.

"I just saved you from grave harm and instead of thanks I get scolded..."

He lifted his hand once more, jabbing a finger her way as he closed the distance boldly.

"And by the way, don’t you owe me for all this hassle..."

Stepping nearer still, he disregarded the intimidating pressure of her presence or her status entirely.

"I believe you owe me a little something something... or are you reneging on your promise.."

Seras breathed in deeply, his bold expression giving her pause. She hadn't overlooked it. She was merely a touch embarrassed, nothing more.

She fumbled her hair aside awkwardly, dipped her chin a fraction, and planted a swift kiss on Damon.

Then she shoved him away, accidentally launching him through the air. Damon hardly registered the moment before crashing down and gradually lifting his hand.

"That.. erh.. doesn’t count.."

She spun about at once.

"Let’s go. We need to sneak out of the Bone Hallows before Rexagon spots us."

She began striding off with Damon trailing, massaging his scalp.

"Speaking of which, how are we gonna get to the demon continent? I mean, the Bone Hallows is by the sea. We need a boat, except if you can fly us over the sea.."

Seras inclined her head.

"Flying spells are easy to learn. Anyone can learn them. It’s just no one bothers because they’re also easy to disrupt."

She halted briefly, absorbing the drab gray haze surrounding her.

"We have airships now, although I wouldn’t advise using them to get to the demon continent. Air defence magic has come a long way. We can’t get in without being seen and shot down."

"So we’re going through the sea then," Damon replied.

"That still doesn’t answer my question. Or wait, it does. Is there a boat? No, in this case we’re taking a ship. There’s a ship waiting for us, isn’t there.."

Seras nodded gradually as they approached the expedition force, who continued to gawk at Damon's dragon fang.

"Yes, there is.."

Damon nodded, then twisted his features in irritation.

"If they were giving us a ship then why did we have to go through the evil forest.."

He had a point. Why not slip through safer territories or settlements, or even unexplored but milder zones?

Seras shook her head.

"Because you and I are too high profile. The enemy wants to know our location at all times. The demon races’ spy networks are actually quite complex, as you’ve seen with the priest. We don’t know who is a spy or who isn’t anymore. Following the unknown god isn’t about race anymore. It’s an ideology... and there’s also the fact that some of the goddess races’ continents openly worship the unknown god."

She pivoted to confront him, her armor shimmering softly.

"We can’t trust anybody or even ourselves.."

Damon nodded pensively. It added up.

Seras offered a composed smile.

"As far as the world is concerned, you and I are in the Aether Academy having a special secret one on one training to prepare you for the battlefield, which means the enemy thinks we are still there."

Damon grinned slyly, eyeing the barren terrain and the far-off flaps of dragon wings with sporadic bursts of fire erupting beyond.

"Well, it’s definitely not a picnic."

Seras returned to the expedition force alongside Damon. She didn't issue commands. After weeks battling cursed vines, the entire group slumped down to recover, fatigue claiming them in the skull's protective hollow.

Damon soaked up the admiration and vividly retold his triumph over Rexagon, snapping its fang in the process. He earned even greater hero status. Naturally, true to form, Damon highlighted how he rescued Seras's life and depicted her as a damsel from a legendary tale.

Each time he spun an over-the-top detail, the expedition force shot looks toward Seras, but she never challenged him or disputed the account, letting the legend swell unchecked.

Inevitably, one recounting led to more, until the expedition force buzzed with an outlandish yarn of Damon shattering Rexagon's fang while safeguarding Seras.

He held firm and, lady in one grip and sword in the other, severed the dragon's fang.

That wasn't the reality.

Seras overheard soldiers bickering close by.

"You bastard, I saw it with my own eyes. He was a real hero. She was in his left hand and his sword in his right.."

"You’re mad. I saw it. She was in his right hand and his sword in his left. You think an honorable gentleman like our vice commander would mistreat a lady by holding her in his left hand..."

The squabble was absurd, given no one had witnessed a thing.

Seras shook her head.

Damon, meanwhile, reveled in the hero's welcome, the awed stares from the expedition force, and the gentle care as the healer tended his injuries.

He felt truly valiant. Fate had a way of thrusting a person into wild spots. Had he not been in the Bone Hallows, he'd have savored this glory even more intensely.

"Right, speaking of which, what kind of bones are these anyway?" he asked casually.

Seras replied evenly.

"These are the bones of the enemies of the wicked prophet, all relics of an ancient battle all the way from the demon continent to here in Soltheon."

Her tone softened to a hushed murmur.

"Have you heard of the graveyard of gods."