My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 1125: Chapter 1126: Fight Or Flight

”Our situation just keeps getting worse, doesn’t it?”

Lilith muttered with a weary sigh. A few strands of her crimson hair swayed across her face as she leaned back in her chair, her emerald eyes narrowing in thought.

”The last I heard of a Lunar Moth was when you told me about those eccentric travel companions you met on your way back to your village.”

Damon remained quiet.

Beside him, Renata gently rocked Godric in her arms, humming softly as the child slowly drifted to sleep. They were gathered inside a large stone chamber deep within the Tomb of Lesser Gods.

The stone chairs surrounding them weren’t part of the original structure.

Damon had ordered them carved and placed there himself, making sure they matched the ancient aesthetic of the tomb. Along with several other improvements, the once desolate chamber had become something resembling a meeting hall.

Unfortunately...

No amount of renovations could solve the problem before them.

Their only lead to the Pillar of Conflict was a wandering Lunar Moth.

And they had no idea where he was.

”The last time I saw him,” Damon finally said, resting his elbow on the arm of his chair, ”he was heading toward the Sky Continent, Vuldren, along with his companions. Apparently, they were trying to leave this world.”

”They seem to have the right idea.”

Renata spoke without lifting her eyes from the sleeping child.

”Why don’t we consider doing the same?”

Her tone was perfectly logical.

After all...

If the world itself was doomed, then escape was the obvious answer.

”Yes, we could.”

Damon gave a bitter smile.

”And brave the Abyss.”

”I doubt we’d survive the journey.”

”They only considered it because they believed they actually had a chance.”

Lilith slowly bit her lower lip before taking a long breath.

”Who do we take...”

”And who do we leave behind?”

Her voice softened.

”I doubt the children could survive something like that...”

She bit down harder until Damon noticed a thin line of blood forming on her lip.

Of course she had considered it.

Truthfully...

Damon had thought about escaping this world long before now.

If he had been alone...

If there had been no one waiting for him...

He probably would have thrown himself into the Abyss without hesitation.

”It would be like crossing the Duhu Mountains and Lysithara...” Damon said quietly.

”Only a million times worse.”

”Every creature lurking there would be more terrifying than anything we could possibly comprehend.”

”The Abyss itself would try to drive us insane...”

”Or worse.”

His hand slowly curled into a fist.

”And besides...”

”The Abyss is the Unknown God’s eye.”

”I doubt he’d simply let us escape.”

”So that isn’t even an option.”

”The goddess above...”

Lilith lowered her gaze.

”And the Demon God below...”

She let out a humorless laugh.

”No way to escape.”

Only then did the reality finally settle over the room.

Their world...

Was a cage.

”I once heard...” Renata whispered.

”If you fly high enough into the heavens...”

”The stars exist inside a weightless void.”

”A vacuum.”

”No sound.”

”No air.”

She absentmindedly brushed a strand of violet hair behind her ear.

”They say the distance between stars is measured in millions of miles.”

Damon rested his chin against his hand.

”Yeah...”

”I remember learning about that.”

”It was during Professor Hammerhand’s theory class.”

”Astronomical Symbols and Magic.”

He chuckled to himself.

”It was painfully boring.”

A faint smile appeared on his face as old memories resurfaced.

Back then...

His greatest worries had been examinations, mana control, and surviving another day at the academy.

At the time those problems had seemed larger than life.

Looking back now...

They almost felt peaceful.

He realized there had been far more choices available to him than he’d believed.

Perhaps...

He could have made better ones.

”Professor Hammerhand...”

Lilith smiled faintly as well.

”Yeah.”

”I remember.”

The room fell silent again.

”So now what?”

Renata finally asked.

She carefully placed the now sleeping Godric into a small cradle beside her before returning to her seat.

Her eyes lingered on the sleeping child.

”I don’t think we’ve done many good things for this world.”

”If anything...”

She lowered her head.

”I think we’re just as bad as the people we’re trying to replace.”

Lilith didn’t answer.

She knew that everything they had done would eventually cost countless lives.

She had accepted that burden long ago.

But...

The end of the world had never been the future she wanted.

”I wonder...”

Her voice was barely audible.

”What Ishana would have done.”

Damon glanced toward her.

It had been a long time since he’d seen Lilith doubt herself.

She had always carried herself with absolute certainty.

”Well...”

He smiled slightly.

”From everything you’ve told me...”

”I think she’d confront God with her heart on her sleeve.”

Lilith laughed quietly.

”Defiance sounds easy...”

Damon looked toward the ceiling above them.

”Until you actually see how large gods are.”

”Then...”

”You realize you’re trying to climb something impossible.”

His voice became quieter.

For the first time...

He wasn’t sure they could win.

Even so...

A smile slowly spread across his face.

”But I’m not quitting.”

”Not yet.”

”I talk big...”

”Because I intend to follow through.”

Renata crossed one leg over the other.

”So...”

”Where do we start?”

”The last place the Lunar Moths were seen isn’t far from House Brightwater territory.”

”If anything...”

”It’s disputed land between the Brightwaters and the Astranovas.”

”That dispute was never resolved.”

”Yes...”

Lilith sighed, rubbing her temple.

”Unfortunately...”

”We can’t enter that place anymore.”

Damon immediately rubbed the back of his head.

”Ah...”

”Right.”

”That place still has that strange curse.”

”Yes.”

Renata nodded.

”The Anarchy Mountains remain as dangerous as ever.”

That was where Dred had once told Damon he lived.

The ancestral home of the Lunar Moths.

A place where madness had consumed the entire race until they slaughtered one another.

Only Dred had survived.

”The Pillar of Conflict is somewhere inside the Anarchy Mountains.”

Until now Matia had remained hidden within the shadows near the edge of the chamber.

She finally stepped forward.

Her blue eyes glowed faintly.

”Those who approach the Pillar...”

She spoke quietly.

”Are consumed by madness.”

”And an overwhelming desire for violence.”

Damon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

”Great.”

”We found its general location.”

”Too bad we can’t actually go there.”

”I wouldn’t say we found it.”

Lilith interrupted immediately.

”There are countless places in Soltheon that induce madness.”

”For all we know...”

”Every danger zone on the continent could be hiding it.”

She wasn’t wrong.

The Anarchy Mountains were the largest mountain range in all of Soltheon.

Stretching farther than most kingdoms.

Worse still...

The mountain range obeyed one absolute rule.

No one above the Third Class Advancement could enter.

Those who tried were rejected by the mountains themselves.

Near its highest peak stood Anarchy City...

A lawless settlement where imperial authority meant nothing.

Even the Temple’s influence barely reached its streets.

”The fact that none of us can enter narrows it down considerably.”

Renata brushed her violet hair behind her shoulder.

”Think about it.”

”Of every danger zone in the world...”

”The only one that rejects powerful individuals is the Anarchy Mountains.”

”She couldn’t have made it any more obvious if she tried.”

Lilith slowly nodded.

”Then perhaps...”

”The question isn’t where the Pillar of Conflict is hidden inside a mountain range.”

”No.”

Her crimson eyes flashed.

The Stigmata upon her back faintly illuminated beneath her clothes.

”We’re past that.”

”The real question is...”

”How do we get into the Anarchy Mountains?”

...

Far above their world...

Beyond the reach of stars...

Within another realm entirely...

A beautiful man with ebony skin and long silver hair quietly turned another page of the ancient book resting in his hands.

His dark lightless eyes lingered upon them.

Then...

A faint smile crossed his lips.

”Found it.”