Chapter 202: Is this Real?
I stepped through the portal created by the demoness—expecting a confrontation, expecting her presence to lash out the moment I crossed the threshold. But instead... silence.
She was nowhere to be found.
That alone was troubling. A being of her caliber should’ve immediately sensed my intrusion. My presence wasn’t subtle—I was still in my transformed state: [Yami no Shogun / Dark Shogun]—a form bursting with concentrated Dark Magic. I hadn’t reverted it on purpose.
The darkness radiating from me was like a flare in the void. There was no way she hadn’t noticed.
"Nao! Stop!" Envi’s voice rang urgently in my mind, sharp with concern. "You’re going to burn through your mana at this rate! You’ll exhaust yourself before the real fight even begins!"
"I know," I replied, my voice calm, resolute. "But maintaining this form is more effective than deactivating and reactivating it repeatedly. The cost of recharging is higher than sustaining."
"But—"
"We don’t know how strong the enemy ahead is, Envi. I’m not taking any chances. I’ll fight at full power from the beginning."
Envi hesitated... then relented.
"You’re reckless... but I get it."
Then his voice softened, tinged with awe. "Still... the Blessing of the Darkness—it’s incredible. I can feel it. With it, I’m not just borrowing your dark magic anymore... I command it."