Chapter 924: Chapter 825: Seras Plan Divine energy. This was the specific type of energy that came from Gods. It was born in the nature of Divinity and could be used alongside other forms of power. There was no precedent for any entity being able to use both without consequences, with the sole exception of the Unknown God. Damon watched the shadows darken, becoming deeper and more powerful. Wherever they spread, the light was consumed. He could feel every pore in his body filling with that overwhelming power. It threatened to consume him. His feet rose from the ground, and he began hovering several meters in the air. Seras saw what he was doing and gritted her teeth as blood rushed down his nose. She leapt onto the shadows, sliding upward along a rising tendril and swinging her sword. There was a cry of pain. The creature in the canopy screamed, its voice inhumane—a grating sound that made the ears ache and throb. The shadows moved according to Damon’s will, turning into massive spikes that tore through the canopy of the forest. The large ancient trees groaned as they were ripped out of the ground by enormous tendrils of shadow. Everyone felt the forest tilt. An all consuming darkness appeared, dragging trees upward as razor sharp spikes ravaged the area. Blood as black as ink poured from the torn canopy, followed by the creature’s screech. It was in agony. But not nearly as much as Damon. He could feel his Seed of Depravity unleashing demonic energy to take over the space left by his expended divine energy. With each pulse of his heart, pain racked through his body as if his heart were being crushed and ripped open again and again. Damon gritted his teeth. His one remaining uncovered eye dilated from the intense pain. "Arghhh—" He pulled the uprooted trees high into the sky above the canopy and brought them crashing down, crushing several kilometers of the Listening Canopy. The ground rumbled violently as something massive and unidentified slammed into the earth. The moment it fell, the world seemed to shift under a new law. It screamed as it tried to flee, having lost its canopy of trees. Damon did not give it that chance. The shadows formed a dense orb around it, sealing it inside. The moment it was trapped, it pierced a hole through the orb from within. Damon coughed blood. He gritted his teeth. That was fine. He had already created the opening he needed. The instant the creature cracked his orb of shadows, it formed a gap large enough for a tachi to fly through. The blade shot inward. The orb of shadows concealed its true form from sight, but when the blade emerged— It was slick with blood. The orb went still. Silence followed. Blood gushed into the forest’s black soil as Damon collapsed backward. Before he hit the ground, someone stepped out of his shadow and caught him. Her eyes were as cold as ice. She helped him to his feet without a single change in her expression. "Thanks Matia..." She nodded once, then frowned slightly. "You should have summoned me earlier." she complained flatly. Damon smiled weakly with only one eye and one arm left. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 "Hehehe... you’re my trump card I can’t just summon you..." He gasped, feeling woozy as his body trembled. He could feel his head beginning to sprout a demon horn. Matia raised a wall of ice around him. Without hesitation, she grabbed the forming horn and ripped it off. Blood spurted violently, spraying across her face. She did not react. She poured potions over his head as the wound slowly closed and his body began to heal. She shook him slightly. There was no response. Her heart nearly stopped. Slowly, she lowered her head to his chest, listening for his heartbeat. She pressed her ear against him. After a tense moment— She exhaled in relief. He was alive. She did not need to panic. Although his body was healing, it was also being damaged at the same time. It was an internal issue in his heart. She could still feel him subconsciously using shadow energy. That was a relief. If he had stopped— He would be dead. "Looking after you is a full time job..." she muttered calmly, glancing at the thick wall of ice surrounding them. She lowered the barrier and took a steady breath as Renata and Wendy rushed to his side. Renata took over his treatment while Wendy and Matia stood guard with weapons drawn. The surviving knights quickly formed a defensive perimeter as the attendants hurriedly set up a tent. Seras looked around. She had already disposed of the creature’s corpse. None of the men who had fallen here today knew what it truly looked like. It was better that way. Safer. Even in death, it could still affect someone with just its corpse. Seras tightened her grip on her tachi. It had been dangerous to bring this many people into the Evil Forest. With how lethal this place was, it was a wonder they had made it this far with so many still alive. This was just one creature. Many more like it existed. It was not even among the worst. And then there was Damon Grey. He was the reason they had stayed to fight. Honestly, fighting had not been the best idea. At this rate, they would be exhausted before reaching the sea. Seras spread her senses outward. This was called Magic Sense. It was similar to Shadow Perception, except this technique used the ambient mana in the air to create a sixth sense. It was an ability typically developed by those who had reached Fourth Class advancement. Some trained deliberately for it. Some awakened it naturally. Many did not bother. It overwhelmed the mind with information. Only a madman would keep it active at all times. It was unwieldy. Seras had trained it well, but she only used it when necessary. So did most high ranking fighters. Why use it constantly when it was not even stealthy? Others could sense when you were using it. And in places like this, using it recklessly could draw the attention of something far worse. After spreading her senses carefully, she made sure not to disturb the forest. If she drew attention, she could be attacked. After scanning for a while— She found what she was looking for. "Hmm displacement flowers..." she muttered, adjusting her hair slightly. These flowers could displace people to unknown locations without warning. "I shouldn’t think this way it’s dangerous and the risks are higher..." she said quietly to herself as a reckless idea began forming. The idea was simple. "Why didn’t I think to use the displacement flowers as a means of travel if we do we can cut weeks of travel..." Or— They could end up lost in a distant region of the forest, far from their goal. The smell of blood drifted through the open canopy. A cold breeze sent her hair flowing behind her. The twin moons illuminated the forest, their pale light reflecting in her eyes as she continued thinking. Moonlight fell over the corpses of the fallen. The troops moved silently, not even daring to cheer for fear of angering the forest again. If they continued like this— They would die. Damon was unconscious. "Yes that would work..." she thought as she walked toward him. She had a plan. The farthest region toward the sea was called the Bone Hollows. It was the last region of the forest closest to the sea. It was also a death zone. But it was still classified as part of the Evil Forest. From what she knew, it was a place filled with countless pits and endless fields of bones. Each hollow crawled with hordes of monsters and undead. The displacement flowers did not reach that far. So she had to settle for the next best option. "The Hanging Paths." She was familiar with that place. It was a region where the trees grew impossibly high, and beneath them there was no visible ground. Only an endless fall. Legends said that if you fell there, you would fall to the end of the world. Flying was not allowed. Those who tried crashed and died. The paths were made of vine bridges suspended between towering trunks. And that was only the beginning. The Hanging Paths could sense your emotions. When you felt fear— "Ahh—" she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Its risky but we get to skip so many dangers I suppose I really owe that lich for the information otherwise I would be going in blind to the next obstacle." It had been a few years since she had last visited the Hanging Paths. The last time, she had arrived from the sea, crossing through the Bone Hollows to reach it. Back then, she had been chasing a demon who fled into that region. "In the end I never got to kill him... only watch him fall down the paths..."