Volume 2 chapter 72
When Clyris awoke from her slumber, Kane, who had been waiting outside for a long time, entered and bowed respectfully.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your recovery and awakening!"
"During my slumber, has anything happened?"
Clyris stood up from the shallow Mana Pool. Light flowed like water over her body, obscuring her graceful curves. As the mana dissipated, a set of dark golden armor materialized, perfectly fitting her form.
Her long black hair was pulled back into a simple, high ponytail, revealing a neck as white as snow. Her face, free of makeup, possessed a natural, breathtaking beauty—like the first snow on the frontier, white yet touched with a vibrant pink, reminiscent of a winter plum blossom braving the cold.
Her crimson eyes were moist and lustrous, spirited and sharp. Occasionally, it seemed as though lightning flashed within her pupils, capturing the soul of anyone who dared look.
Though encased in armor, her tall, voluptuous curves remained evident. The leg armor outlined the straight, powerful lines of her long legs.
This was a new ability she had comprehended: condensing mana into a solid state and shaping it with her will to create weapons and armor. While not as durable as true enchanted steel, its convenience was unmatched.
Besides, for a Ninth-Rank powerhouse, even the best physical armor could only withstand two or three hits. Against a Saint, physical armor was no better than paper in the face of a Domain.
"Reporting to Your Majesty: During your slumber, the Alliance showed no unusual movement. They have merely grouped together for defense," Kane replied.
"Mm! Very good! You may leave!" Clyris nodded.
"Yes!"
After Kane left, Clyris stood alone in the hall, feeling her rejuvenated body and the power surging within it.
Crack... Crack...
She clenched her fists, and her joints popped like firecrackers. Terrifying mana condensed in her hands, her Authority coiling around them like a tangible substance.
"Although I haven't been able to open my own Domain yet, my application of Authority has reached a new level! My control over mana is also stronger. It's an improvement."
Clyris muttered to herself. Her power had long reached the ceiling of the Ninth Rank, perhaps even exceeding it. Yet, every time she tried to construct her Domain, her Authorities conflicted, preventing her ascension.
Darkness, Death, Gravity.
In reality, only Gravity belonged entirely to her.
Darkness was inherent to the power of the Demon Lord.
As for Death...
Although she gained this Authority when she touched the Wall of Despair, it didn't seem related to the Demon God. Furthermore, she couldn't control it as completely as Gravity. It was strange... Was it given by another existence?
"Back then..." Clyris's eyes grew unfocused as she recalled the moment.
"After touching the Wall of Despair, the first thing I felt... was warmth."
Yes! What dispelled the despair in her heart back then was a power as warm as a mother's embrace. It allowed her to retrieve her burnt-out reason.
Because of that power, she maintained her sense of self while absorbing the energy from the Abyss. She reconstructed her body without being swallowed by madness or turning into a mindless killing machine.
"Roger... or the Lord of Light?"
She could only think of these two existences. Given the situation, it was either the Lord of Light sending divine power across worlds, or the remnant power of the "Glorious Hero" Roger.
After all, Phyllis had retained her will after being sealed for twenty thousand years. It wouldn't be strange for Roger, who died ten thousand years ago, to leave power behind.
History said Roger fell while channeling the Lord of Light's power to become the Wall. But since he entered the Abyss alone, no one knew the full truth.
The last person to enter the Abyss before him was the Original Hero. His power still restricted the Abyssal Passage to this day. Roger, equally formidable, could easily have left behind a surprise.
Clyris had merged with Phyllis's will, meaning Phyllis could access her memories, and she could access Phyllis's.
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Phyllis, as the Daughter of the Demon God, was not born on this continent. She was born Outside and sent in by the Demon God personally to remove the power of the Original Hero lingering in the passage.
The Original Hero's restriction was limited; he focused most of his power on defending against Great Demons from the Outside. His defense against the Inside was weak. Yet, even so, no Saint-level Demon from the Inside could shake it.
The local demons were too weak to produce an existence capable of breaking the seal. Thus, the Demon God sent his daughter.
As a High Demon, Phyllis's growth was smooth. In just fifty years, she reached the Saint Rank (Sanctuary) and became the Demon Lord. In less than twenty more years, she reached the limit of the Saint Rank. She was half a step away from igniting her Divine Fire and becoming a God!
Everything was going according to plan. Although the resources within the barrier weren't enough for Phyllis to ascend to Godhood, with the blessing of the Demon God's will, she could step halfway into the Divine Realm. Combined with the nine Archdukes (all at the peak of Saint Rank), it was enough to uproot the Original Hero's power!
But then... "Golden Hero" Ian descended!
In Phyllis's memories, Ian's oppressive force was far greater than history recorded. Ian's campaign was simply too smooth. No one realized the true strength or weakness of the demons because they died too fast.
Before Ian, the Alliance didn't even know the demons were only using 30% of their strength against them. Even so, the Alliance was losing ground and despairing.
On the first day of Ian's descent, he encountered a Saint-Rank Demon. He chopped him down instantly.
After that, Ian's war against the demons could be summarized in one phrase: One-Man Army (Musou).
It was absurd. Ian carved a bloody path through hordes of Ninth-Rank and Saint-Rank demons, straight to Phyllis!
Wherever he fought, the sky cleared, and the earth turned into crystal. Under the sunlight, the battlefield shone with golden brilliance, like pure gold. Hence, he was named the "Golden Hero."
In the end, facing the combined assault of nine Peak-Saint Archdukes and a Phyllis empowered by the Demon God, Ian fought a fierce battle. He shot Phyllis down, cleaved apart the Demon Lord's power, and severed her connection to the Demon God.
Although Ian fell in the end, the Demon Race's ten-thousand-year plan failed. Their accumulated power reset to zero.
Crucially, the Alliance suffered almost no losses. The balance of power tipped. The Alliance began to suppress the demons, culminating in the arrival of Roger, who completely crushed them.
"Forget it... If I can't figure it out, I won't think about it for now! I need to focus on advancing to Saint Rank..." Clyris shook her head, tossing the ancient history aside.
"Why is there a conflict? In Phyllis's memory, this didn't happen..."
Clyris couldn't understand. She reviewed Phyllis's cultivation memories.
Phyllis was born mastering an Authority. After entering this world and becoming the Demon Lord, she mastered the Darkness Authority and smoothly transformed it into a Domain. There was no conflict with her innate domain. Why did Clyris face conflict?
"Perhaps my understanding of the Saint Rank is insufficient..."
Finally, Clyris concluded that this was the issue. To advance quickly, she needed to understand the essence of a Saint!
Normally, advancing to Saint Rank required decades or centuries of meditation to understand oneself and the world, to grasp the operation of laws, and finally carve out one's own "World"—the Domain!
But Clyris didn't want to grind slowly. She didn't have a hundred years! She didn't even have ten!
With this thought, she made a dangerous decision—Deep Dive into Phyllis's cultivation memories! She would view the laws of the world through Phyllis's perspective!
This was incredibly risky. If she immersed herself too deeply, she would shift from a third-party observer to a first-party participant—meaning she could be assimilated by Phyllis's memories and lose her own ego!
So...
"System, you can protect my consciousness... right?" Clyris chose to use her cheat.
[Answer: The System prioritizes the protection of the User's consciousness. It will reject all attacks, assimilation, or infection targeting the User's consciousness. Please rest assured.]
The System's mechanical voice echoed in her mind.
"Then I'm relieved!"
Clyris nodded. She sat on her throne, closed her eyes, and let her consciousness sink into the depths of her soul...
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