Transmigrated with my corruption system

He mused over the thought for a moment before discarding it. Something about this... wasn’t right.

As his soul hovered in the empty expanse, he could see a sea of corpses stretching into infinity.

He didn’t have time to observe it fully before his vision shifted again. This time, he stood in an open wasteland.

The ground was littered with bones. Standing atop them was a great army of demons and all sorts of abominations.

The only strange thing was the figure standing before them. At first glance, it appeared to be a human clad in a dark robe.

Then the figure slowly stood. Instantly, its aura exploded outward as a sea of crimson energy tore forth, crushing every monster to its knees.

Looking closer, Ulric saw looks of pure reverence in their eyes as they knelt before the dark-robed figure.

From the figure’s back, a pair of blood-red wings tore free, extending to monstrous lengths.

In a single flash, the figure disappeared without a trace. If Ulric’s being hadn’t been a floating ethereal wisp of energy, his eyes would have blinked rapidly in shock. For a brief moment, he had felt a tinge of that aura and it was nothing short of abominable. Beyond anything he could imagine.

Just as he was about to sink deeper into his thoughts, the surroundings shifted once more. Suddenly, a golden-robed figure appeared before him.

Perhaps he should have felt fear. But as he stared into the figure’s eerily familiar blood-red eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a strange connection.

He didn’t have time to linger on the feeling. A single close glimpse sent flashes of insight flooding his mind, locking him in a trance.

Ancient arts poured into his consciousness. He muttered inwardly in sudden enlightenment:

The Asura Demonic Physique.

Almost instantly, a faint smile stretched across the golden-robed figure’s face. He raised his hand and poked a single finger toward Ulric.

Like a jolt of lightning spreading across his entire being, Ulric’s soul fizzled out and went blank.

One moment he was in the endless expanse of death and darkness. The next, he was back inside his body as it suddenly jerked upright.

He inhaled sharply, gasping audibly.

Looking down, he saw a gaping hole in his torso where his heart should have been. His life force was slowly fading away.

Instead of panic, a shard of understanding filled his eyes. He extended his palm toward the source of the crimson energy.

This time, he didn’t feel helpless—he felt in control. The crimson energy compressed into a dense core and slowly landed in his palm.

He gave it one look before slamming it deep into his chest, instantly sealing the gaping hole. He could feel his heart regenerating, melding seamlessly with the new energy source.

Soon after, the cracks lining his body sealed shut. His wounds healed instantly, leaving not even a single mark behind.

Before long, the surging energy died down. His body slowly descended back to the ground.

He could sense Lyra and Amber’s piercing gazes on him, but he paid them no mind.

There was still one last thing before the transformation was complete.

Looking down at his chest, he growled,

"Emerge."

As if in response to his command, the muscles around his chest constricted violently before parting to reveal a giant, singular eye.

It opened for a split second before sinking back into his flesh. But that was more than enough to announce the birth of a grand physique.

A crushing aura exploded outward, almost identical to the one radiated by the golden-robed figure. It swept across the entire Greyson residence.

Everyone froze for a moment, turning to stare toward his residence as murmurs broke out.

"Wait, did you feel that?"

"That aura... no pulse... what was it?"

"I don’t know, but it came from the lord’s residence!"

"Do you think he broke through?"

"I don’t know... there was just something about that aura. It felt... unholy. Like it shouldn’t exist. What is the lord doing?"

In another chamber where the elders had gathered, they couldn’t help but gulp audibly, their eyes fluttering rapidly.

Perhaps the rest of the Greyson family couldn’t tell, but that aura... its strength bordered on peak D-rank, maybe even beyond. The only reason they hadn’t been crushed was because it carried no ill intent.

Their eyes constricted violently. It had only been a few hours.

Yet the lord’s strength had already grown so massively.

The thought caused their eyes to light up with excitement, a new spirit rekindling within them. With this kind of strength, perhaps they would be enough to face the incoming crisis.

But that didn’t matter right now. They rushed to execute his orders. They would not disappoint him once he exited seclusion.

Back inside Ulric’s residence, a confused glint flashed across his eyes. He relived the past few moments repeatedly. What had just happened? He mused, before exhaling sharply when he reached no conclusion.

Whatever it was, it was too freaking strange.

His thoughts were cut short as a flurry of notifications suddenly filled his vision.

[Ding! Your Advanced Mortal Corrupted Physique has evolved!]

[Ding! You have awakened the Asura Demonic Physique!]

[Ding! You have gained three new innate skills!]

[Abyssal Chains: With a thought, summon spectral chains from the underworld to wrap around your enemies and devour their souls to strengthen your own.]

[Blood Death Wings: Summon wings from your back, laced with the Asura’s energy, to soar freely across the skies.]

[Asura’s Gaze: With a single look, corrupt all enemies with weak mental fortitude with your essence, driving them mad.]

"This..." Ulric breathed, staring at the descriptions. It was just too stupendous. For the first time, his physique abilities extended beyond mere physical defense and raw strength.

He could feel that his previous innate abilities had been upgraded as well. He inhaled sharply as endless waves of power coursed through his body.

If his previous strength could be considered a small pool, then what he possessed now was nothing short of a raging ocean.

To put it into perspective, if he were to face Aelira again, he supposed that simply unleashing his aura would suffice. It was insane.

Clenching his fingers, the air whipped violently around him, shimmering with a liquid-like light that gave him the illusion he was about to tear space itself. He hummed beneath his breath in excitement.

Was this what peak D-rank strength felt like?

His thoughts were cut short as he watched Lyra and Amber nervously approaching him. Their eyes darted across his body repeatedly.

Before he could speak, Amber rushed forward, her hand reaching out to his bare chest where the hole had been.

"You scared us," Amber finally muttered, her eyes stuffy with unshed tears.

Lyra nodded beside her. "We thought you were dead," she said softly, her gaze trailing across his body. A faint blush spread across her face.

Somehow, his muscles had become even more perfectly sculpted. Not too much, not too little... just perfect.

As Amber stared a little longer, Ulric’s voice cut through their thoughts.

"I think I did die," he muttered.

To him, it had perhaps been hours inside that vision. But in the outside world, only a few seconds had passed. Still, it didn’t take away from how surreal the experience had been.

"Huh?" Both women gasped at his words.

Ulric smiled faintly before reassuring them.

"I’m here now, ain’t I?"

Watching them nod slightly, Amber pried further. "Are you done with your seclusion?"

It had only been a few hours, but his strength had grown to such great heights... and his essence, it must have grown thicker. If she could have more of it... maybe it would be enough to push her to level 10, maybe even beyond. Just the thought made her mound grow a little damp.

Sensing her thoughts, Ulric smiled. His hands dropped, swatting both their asses and eliciting surprised yelps.

"Ooh... this is just the beginning," he muttered, watching them rub their backsides, eyes widening in shock.

Before they could say another word, he murmured beneath his breath:

"Allocate 100,000 corruption points to SS-rank talent: Wielder of Darkness!"