Chapter 222 In a state of breakthrough
After Veronica, Elizabeth activated her power and was surprised to find that their magical energy was indeed growing stronger with each passing second. She was shocked and unexpectedly discovered that the space around them began to crack, but then the cracks disappeared.
"Is space... fluctuating?" Sierra exclaimed in surprise, looking at Veronica.
"As you can see, yes. All because these two started absorbing the law of darkness, although, to be fair, it's mostly Amarantha absorbing it. This random opportunity of hers can help her rise to a higher level," replied Veronica, closely observing both of them. She smiled when she saw Adam's aura getting stronger. She thought, "This is your chance... something was blocking him before, preventing him from developing, even when I gave him many valuable resources, but now... this is his chance!"
Back when Adam was very small, Veronica wanted to make her future husband as strong as possible and put in a lot of effort, but no matter what she did, he couldn't raise his level, remaining an ordinary Lower demon. Despite trying everything and even giving him all the useful and rare resources, Adam's body rejected it all, refusing to evolve.
So, when she found him again after his disappearance, she was greatly surprised by his growth but didn't show it.
"Before he came here, he had a strange mark that hindered leveling up like a true demon. And now, entering Hell, he can simply absorb the attribute of darkness and strengthen his foundation. Even my elder brother didn't... um?"
Veronica froze, feeling a bit strange. Suddenly, she completely lost her train of thought and couldn't understand what she was thinking. Shifting her gaze to Adam, she simply shrugged and decided to wait for him to finish his task.
***
Drips of water echoed in the small cave. The man sitting near the wall wore extremely tattered, blood-stained leather armor with holes. He held a sword in his hand, cracked and on the verge of breaking at any moment.
The middle-aged man had wrinkles and scars all over his face, while his right eye was covered with a bandage soaked in blood, giving it a crimson hue. "Ugh... it hurts..."
He moaned, tightly holding his left arm with his right hand, which arched – it was evident that he had broken a bone and was in pain. A single drop of sweat rolled down his forehead, while his lips were purple, and his body trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind. He was in a severe condition and could only endure his pain.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, the rain continued. It relentlessly produced loud sounds, and the howling wind, penetrating through every crevice, brought spiritual suffering as if it were the wailing of ghosts conveying their torment and pleading for revenge. Darkness surrounded everything.
Gray clouds filled the starry night sky, obscuring everything from view. The light couldn't penetrate the barrier created by nature itself, as if it were saddened and disappointed by this world.
"Pain... how painful it is..."
The warrior continued to groan in pain, unable to contain himself. He endured prolonged suffering, unable to do anything. Every part of his body ached, numerous bones were broken, and internal injuries caused intense agony. It seemed like his fate would end here – in this dark and soulless cave.
"Why... why... why..."
His voice echoed throughout the cave. The voice was filled with anger, resentment, and endless suffering, attempting to find a response in the hearts of others but meeting only with the cold drops of rain, disappearing in the unrestrained flow of nature.
"To hell with this war... why did I have to go on it?" He complained aloud. He shook uncontrollably from both anger and the cold. He bit his lip in desperation, growling, "Damn! The War God promised us that everyone would receive his blessing if we survived this war, but... I won't even live to that moment! What will happen to my family? What will happen to my parents and my sister if I die?"
Despair penetrated his heart. It was understandable – the world seemed to have turned against him. The squad he belonged to fell into an ambush first, and he was forced to flee to seek reinforcement from other squads. Joining another squad, he suffered once again. It was as if he carried a curse, repeating countless times!
"Damn it!" he cursed, sharply raising his head, hitting it against a rock: "Ouch... damn, my hand!"
The pain from the impact seemed to transfer to his hand, causing it to ache again, bringing him another dose of suffering. The man sighed and cursed the gods to himself, who had put him in such a situation.
It all happened a year ago when a man came to his village, calling himself the envoy of the War God. In his message, he conveyed that every warrior who followed the War God's command and went to battle would be rewarded with blessings, and his family would live long and happily. They would receive wealth and everything they wished for!
But there was one condition – to return alive. That is, if you died during the war, no one would compensate for it. It was a narrow and irreversible path; there was no way out – either you took the risk, or you stayed at home in poverty. That was the dilemma.
"Why would I, Barlin, die in such a miserable cave? Oh well, how pathetic..." he muttered, smirking.
Barlin. That was the warrior's name. In his village, he was famous for his strength, and kindness, as well as his attractiveness and charisma. Among the young girls, few could refuse him if he proposed to marry them, but he preferred training to that.
"Damn, if I knew it would end like this, I would have at least left something of myself. As it is, I'll die unnoticed..." he thought, sighing.
He closed his eyes, feeling exhausted. His gaze began to darken, while small black particles started absorbing into his body, gradually infiltrating his bones, even affecting his DNA. A strong wind blew, and the rain continued to make noise. The world was changing every second, but there was no one to remember the lone warrior who died in an unremarkable cave.
Years passed. The war ended, and the name of the War God was praised as if he had participated in the war himself. At the same time, no one remembered the warrior whose body had already turned into bare bones. But...
Did he need that?
Shhhh...
The wind blew. The bones began to get darker and darker, while the entire cave was filled with black liquid that covered all the walls and even sealed the passage. And all this liquid was heading towards the skeleton, starting to envelop his bones and thereby forming new flesh.
The body was created out of nothing. However, with each passing second, he became more and more human-like, except that wings and horns were growing on him. After an hour...
"Am I... alive?"
***
Amarantha opened her eyes and grinned, feeling her power rise to Ascendant: demigod (3 worlds) [SS+], showing hints of a further breakthrough. She planned to finish it as soon as she rested a bit, as the entire process of evolution took a lot of time.
"Oh, are you done already?" Sierra exclaimed in surprise and ran to Amarantha, hugging her. "Well done! I raised such a talented daughter!"
"Who's your daughter, damn it?" Amarantha protested and pushed Sierra away, pinching her small nose. However, she smiled, "Thanks. Where's Veronica?"
Sierra didn't say anything and just pointed to the right. Turning her head in that direction, Amarantha saw Veronica sitting by a large cocoon, carefully observing it.
"Is this... Adam?" Amarantha exclaimed in surprise, immediately recognizing him by his aura.
"Yeah..."
Veronica replied, not turning away from the cocoon. Amarantha approached the cocoon and sat down next to it, carefully inspecting it for any problems. However, when she tried to enter and check Adam's condition, she encountered a barrier that instantly destroyed her magical energy.
"Eh?! H-how?!" she exclaimed in shock.
"Don't even try... I tried to do the same as you, but couldn't. Some energy blocks external threats," said Veronica, sighing and looking at Amarantha. "I monitored his condition, but after an hour, his aura suddenly disappeared. It turned out that the cocoon had strengthened."
"Doesn't that mean he encountered some problem?" Elizabeth asked, approaching them from behind.
"Hmm? What's it to you?" Veronica snapped with a grim expression. However, feeling a pat on her shoulder from Amarantha, she snorted and replied, "No, he didn't encounter a problem. It means he entered the final phase and will soon finish his evolution. It's a common thing for demons. Soon, he'll return stronger."
Elizabeth nodded and stepped away, sensing that Veronica's hostility was increasing as she approached Adam's cocoon. The Queen of Avalonia bit her lower lip and grunted displeasedly, moving away, unwilling to talk to them. Amarantha, who was watching all this, could only sigh bitterly.
The enmity between these women was so strong that it was unbearable. She tried to reconcile them, but they refused to make concessions, considering each other dangerous. Moreover, the fact that Elizabeth placed Adam under house arrest infuriated Veronica, who almost considered the man her world.
This conflict was brewing, with both sides harboring hostility, while Amarantha had to balance between them to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control. Furthermore, she believed that if they could combine their efforts, they could create an excellent alliance that would become a strong foundation for their shared future.
To be continued...
Follow current novℯls on f(r)eewebnov𝒆l