My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 866: Chapter 867: Anyone’s Gamble

His raw hatred for demonkind could be felt in his words and in the crushing heaviness of his aura.

As expected of the one who had slain Amon, the so-called unknown ruler of the demon races. He was a hero of the goddess races Even if he was a piece of shit, his hatred for demons was genuine. Just knowing that alone earned him approval.

This was how a youth of the goddess races should be a demon hater always .

So what if he was arrogant. He had the strength to justify it. As long as he hated demons, that was enough.

Ishara Fang glanced at him, ears twitching slightly. Velora Nyxfall of the Silver Glades, who had been standing quietly in the shadows, allowed herself a small smile. It was only fitting that the one who carried the Silver Blades despised demons.

After all those blades had been made solely to kill demons, they were passed on as heirlooms for generations for that purpose.

Magnus Trombone stared at Damon, his eyes glistening as emotion welled up.

“Such righteous fury. Such noble hatred for the vile demon race. I apologize, sir. I did not know you were a man of such uncompromising ideals.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room. Admiration spread quickly, feeding on Damon’s presence and the certainty in his voice.

Sylvia sighed.

She still had to push forward with this ridiculous farce. If she were a more intelligent woman, if she had not fallen for the wrong kind of man, she would not be here committing social suicide.

Then again, she had already committed political suicide once when she pretended to be pregnant out of wedlock for Damon’s sake. Compared to that, this was nothing.

“The demons possess power,” Sylvia said, standing straighter. “Each of them is a powerhouse. They have unique abilities and unconventional strategies.”

Damon clenched his teeth.

“Sylvia, I cannot believe a noble elven princess would suggest such a thing. Are you truly willing to betray your ancestors who fought demons for centuries?”

She bit the inside of her lip.

’Do not bring my ancestors into this, you bastard.’

The crowd reacted instantly, cheering him on.

She forced herself to continue.

“Our chances are slim. You said it yourself. The demons increase our odds. Some of you have families. Loved ones waiting for you. You must consider the lesser evil.”

Damon crossed his arms, appearing conflicted as he scanned the suddenly silent room.

He closed his eyes.

“Then I choose death.”

Lilith’s hand trembled.

The image surfaced against her will. Damon laughing arrogantly, bloodied and broken, liberated through death.

Her gaze unfocused as she watched the discussion like an outsider.

There was still one more chance. If she failed, she would still have one more regression left.

’At what point does surviving under Damon become indistinguishable from being ruled by him?’

These people only wanted to survive. And he was playing them with terrifying ease.

Sylvia crossed her arms.

“Then we use them as expendable pawns. Place them in the most dangerous positions while our people remain safe.”

Damon paused.

“Hm. Are you suggesting we act without honor?”

“Yeah,” someone shouted. “We would rather die. We are honorable goddess races.”

Damon raised his hand, silencing the crowd.

“We, who is we.” he said slowly, lifting an eyebrow, “there is no honor when dealing with demons.”

He turned toward the assembled group.

“Do you not see it? We pretend to ally with them and send them into the most dangerous parts of the battlefield.”

His shadows spilled outward, darkening the room.

“We kill two birds with one stone. This will be revenge for my friend, Prince Wagon.”

The pressure of his aura suffocated dissent. With nothing but his presence and a simple scheme, he crushed any thought of opposition.

“It is a splendid strategy. Good thing I thought of it.”

Sylvia grimaced. At least pretend she contributed.

“Oh. And Sylvia too,” Damon added lazily.

He raised his hand.

“All in agreement with using demons as disposable pawns, say aye.”

Silence.

Then voices followed.

“Aye.”

“Aye.”

“I agree.”

Xander narrowed his eyes.

“It is dishonorable. However, I will not oppose it.”

Damon rolled his eyes.

“Shut up Xander, no one asked you.”

He looked around the room.

“Now let us discuss logistics. We will be moving thousands. We need supplies, potions, mana cores, food, weapons, and more.”

Abellona, who was supposed to be leading this meeting, found herself completely sidelined.

She closed her eyes.

’I really hate when he does that.’

Lilith, who had already lived through this war once before, raised her hand.

“Your plan is to cause chaos in the outer districts while elite raid squads attack in sets of forty parties to strike the Black Tower.”

Damon blinked.

“Ah. Yes. That. How did you know?”

He frowned inwardly.

’Am I that predictable?’

Or was it simply that Lilith knew him too well, including his obsession with chaos.

She shook her head.

“Seraph Null will counter. Casualties will double. Even if by some twist of fate we defeat him, we still lose.”

She exhaled slowly.

“It is not worth it. The Elixir of Pseudo Immortality is always guarded by apostles.”

She intentionally let the information slip.

Damon noticed instantly as the adventurer’s eyes lit up with greed.

“Elixir of Pseudo Immortality?” he asked.

Lilith turned to Damon. Her emerald eyes were cold, every fragment of frustration from watching him choose death burning through her restraint.

“Yes. A legendary elixir crafted by a god. It cures all illness and grants functional immortality.”

She smiled faintly.

“It is the treasure of the Black Tower. Seraph Null has guarded it for many years. An artifact like that is one of a kind. Whoever obtains it could sell it for more wealth than any empire possesses.”

Damon frowned. Confusion flickered across his face.

What was she doing?

Lilith clenched her teeth.

She was done mourning. Done feeling powerless. If he refused to live, then she would give him a reason to.

Her hand brushed the flower tucked into her hair.

This time, she would win.

“Anyone here can obtain it.”