novellaaa Chapter 174: Aftermath of Killing A Divine Beast
Chapter 174: Aftermath of Killing A Divine Beast
Damon let Ayame rest her head on his shoulder for a little while, listening to her slow breathing before he slowly pulled back and rose to his feet.
"You should get some rest," he said.
Ayame raised a brow. "Huh? Are you going somewhere?"
"Nowhere far," he replied, but judging by her expression, which sat between a pout and a frown, that wasn’t enough of an explanation.
"I’m going to my domain," he began to explain. "I have a few things to take care of. Don’t worry, time passes differently there, so I’ll be back in no time."
She stared at him for a moment, as if debating whether she should try to stop him, but decided against it. "Okay."
Damon took a last quick glance at her before calling for his domain and disappearing from her room.
The familiar cold of his domain hit him almost immediately, followed by the usual sight of the black castle.
Just as always, the Black Knight was there, kneeling and awaiting his command. But this time, there was more than just the usual sight of the armoured knight.
Beside him, a massive serpent coiled across the frozen floor. It was enormous, its torso thicker than most trees, its tail spreading for more meters than he could count at a single glance.
Immediately, he thought back to the notification he received after killing the Naga Clan Leader.
’Is this the true form of his soul...?’
He already assumed what the notification meant by adding the soul of his fallen enemy to the dark legion. The only thing that did surprise him was the difference in form.
Suddenly, the serpent’s eyes snapped open, and two golden pupils locked directly on him.
For a moment, the hostility in its gaze was so intense that Damon almost forgot the creature belonged to him.
He frowned slightly before an idea flashed in his head.
"How about a little sparring to see which one of you is stronger?"
With a single intent, the two summons sprang into action. Black Knight moved as fast as always. Without any hesitation, while the serpent—
Damon’s eyes widened.
He knew the strengths and limits of the Black Knight. His superior swordsmanship was enough for most monsters. Combined with his level, which rose alongside Damon’s, it brought him to a strength most creatures could not oppose.
And yet, in a mere second after the battle began, the serpent was already coiled around the armour figure, its jaw wide open and ready to kill at a command’s notice.
"That’s enough."
Damon’s command was final.
Immediately, the serpent loosened up, and the second it did, the Black Knight dropped to his knee, bowing deeper than usual as if apologising for his shortcomings.
Damon looked between the two summons.
The Black Knight remained kneeling, while the serpent remained upright, unapologetic for its superior strength.
"Stand."
The knight immediately obeyed.
Wanting to find out more about his new summon, Damon activated Inspect on the serpent.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a screen he hadn’t seen before appeared.
[Naga Sovereign]
[Dark Legion Unit]
[Rank: Divine Beast]
[Status: Bound]
[Loyalty: Absolute]
[Power Retained: 35%]
Damon’s brow rose slightly.
Thirty-five per cent.
The creature had nearly killed Ayame and Raiden while alive.
It had overwhelmed the Black Knight while reduced to barely a third of its former strength.
His gaze lingered on the final line.
Absolute loyalty.
That explained why it hadn’t attacked him despite the hostility in its eyes.
Whatever emotions remained from its previous life, the Dark Legion had placed them under complete obedience.
The serpent lowered its head slightly when his attention settled on it.
The movement wasn’t submissive.
It looked more like an acknowledgement.
For a brief moment, Damon had the strange feeling that the creature knew exactly who he was.
Then the sensation passed.
He closed the screen.
The questions could wait. The serpent wasn’t going anywhere while under his command.
Damon stared at the serpent for a little longer before turning his attention away.
With it by his side, he now felt confident about facing other Clan Leaders, all except the Dragon Clan Leader, whom he knew little about, except for the fact that it was undoubtedly the strongest.
The thing he wanted to do now was check his status, which he hadn’t seen in a short while.
***
[Name: Damon]
[Level: 127]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Error-!]
[Attributes: System Breaker, Dark Evolution (Lord of Darkness)]
[Classes (8/∞): Lightning Mage, Lord of Darkness, Blood Berserker, Blacksmith, Sentinel, Barbarian, Soul Shooter, Overlord]
[Abilities: Black Ice Manipulation (Lord of Darkness), Domain of Darkness, Dark Legion, Corrosion (Lord of Darkness), Shadow Manipulation (Lord of Darkness), Absolute Comprehension, Ravenous Bloodlust(Blood Berserker), Blood Berserker’s Fury(Blood Berserker), Furnace(Blacksmith), Verdict, Inspect, Relic Weaving(Blacksmith), Lightning Manipulation (Lightning Mage), Endless Ammo (Soul Shooter), Lifesteal (Barbarian), Unbroken Will (Barbarian), Aegis Veil (Sentinel), Eternal Bastion( Sentinel), World’s Authority(Overlord)]
[Talents: Abyssal Sword Art III]
[Stats:
— Strength: 1039 (with [Void Edge] equipped)
— Dexterity: 987
— Vitality: 1221
— Stamina: 953
— Mana: 9476
— Luck: 1]
[Stat Points Available: 15]
***
Looking at the list before him, it was hard to consider him human.
Well, it would’ve been hard to call him human, considering he did kill a Divine Beast, a being that transcended mortality.
Of course, Damon wasn’t naive enough to let it get into his head.
His main advantage over the Divine Beasts was his mana stat, which was greater than that of any Divine Beast by at least trifold.
And yet, despite that advantage, he wasn’t able to finish the battle in one hit, despite putting most of his mana into the attack.
His gaze hardened.
He needed to get even stronger.
Strong enough that the next Divine Beast he faces won’t be able to walk away from his attack.
Especially since somewhere beyond the Kitsune territory, another Divine Beasts had undoubtedly already felt the death of the Naga Sovereign.
And if the stories were true, the Dragon Clan Leader was not known for their patience.