Chapter 96: Shadow Monarch
Unlike upgrading his physique, this time the process went much smoother... and far more pleasing.
As his words echoed out, the air around him ruptured once more. It wrapped him in a gentle cocoon of warm, nourishing energy that seeped slowly into his body.
His body was tempered under the surge as a flood of information poured into him, new insights about darkness that would let him wield it with far greater mastery.
The energy rushed inward, enlarging the core in his chest that powered his darkness. Its very composition began to shift.
As it did, dark runes lit up across his body in a pattern almost identical to those formed by his physique.
The sight pulled both Amber and Lyra into a trance. They only snapped out of it minutes later, blinking rapidly.
They had seen Ulric use his talent in battle countless times. Each time it had been brutal, overwhelming, merciless.
Yet now, watching the gentle streams of energy pour into him, the contrast was striking. It was almost... tender.
Occasionally the flow would ripple with violence before easing back into calm. As they stared closer, their eyes widened in shock. The fluctuations were caused by subtle hand incantations he was making. He was controlling it, bending it to his will.
His control had already been exceptional before. Now it felt like it was evolving right in front of them.
"Woah..." Amber gasped, unable to wrap her mind around it. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn Ulric was evolving his talent... but that was impossible. Or so she told herself, her conviction faltering even as she thought it.
She had seen and heard him accomplish far more insane feats... but this? It made her lips twitch as she leaned in closer, afraid to miss even a second.
Lyra wasn’t much different. She exhaled a frosty breath, her thoughts mirroring Amber’s, before inhaling sharply.
A person’s talent was mostly decided by heritage and sealed at birth. There were ways to improve them, even rare methods to upgrade them entirely, but they were the stuff of legends.
Yet here he was, doing something others could only dream of with nothing more than a few words. The realization made her breath grow heavier. She sighed.
Nothing was ever fair in this world, she mused, leaning forward to stare at his figure as she rubbed her nose. Did the rules of the realm even apply to him? He broke them so easily, again and again, like they meant nothing.
But none of that mattered now. Lyra exhaled, a slow smile carving across her lips. As long as he grew stronger, she would always be happy.
Unaware of the two women’s thoughts, Ulric sank deeper into meditation. His eyes fluttered faintly before snapping open.
This time, his crimson eyes were swallowed by darkness. A gasp of shock slipped from his lips.
What had once been empty space was now filled with countless arts related to darkness, applications he had never imagined possible, all integrating into him at once.
It felt as if he were ascending to become the true master of darkness itself. He remained in that state for hours, the energy drilling into him continuously, sealing him inside the cocoon.
Finally, his core could take in no more. He exhaled softly.
It was time. Time to take the leap from SS-rank to SSS-rank.
The moment the thought formed, the core shrank. The power inside compressed again and again before exploding—not violently, but naturally.
No pain came. Only a deeper sense of comfort as the process unfolded on its own.
When it reformed, he sensed the difference instantly. The core was smaller than before, yet the shadow energy it could store now felt limitless. Combined with his repeatedly refined insane physique...
He exhaled. A slow smile curved across his face. He didn’t think he would ever feel strain when using his darkness again.
He could conjure hundreds, maybe even a thousand dark blades before fatigue even touched him.
The thought drew a low chuckle from his throat.
He could feel a beam of dark energy about to shoot skyward as the transformation neared its end.
But he refused to let it. He reinforced the cocoon again and again, trapping the light inside with every ounce of elemental strength he could muster.
An S-rank talent was wondrous. An SS-rank was heavenly beyond compare. But an SSS-rank? That was legendary.
The commotion it would cause would be even worse. The light of its awakening could easily reach several human city bases, no exaggeration.
And that would only draw unwanted attention.
The suppressed light struggled for a few more hours before finally dying out. The cocoon slowly cracked, revealing his figure once more.
Hearing the micro-fractures spiderweb across the shell, Lyra and Amber’s eyes widened in anticipation.
They couldn’t wait to see him again.
When the cocoon finally shattered, they froze for a moment, staring blankly.
At first glance, he looked relatively the same.
But the illusion shattered the longer they looked.
"Your eyes..." Amber muttered, finally regaining her breath as she stared closer.
They had once been devious crimson. Now they were like swirling abysses of crimson. She tore her gaze away, almost afraid they would pull her in.
Lyra scanned his figure as well, brows knitting slightly. She could tell something had changed, she just couldn’t put her finger on exactly what.
Watching the two of them circle him, appraising every inch, Ulric smiled. In a blur of unearthly speed, he appeared before them and grabbed both their waists.
"Curious about my new power?" he asked.
They nodded, barely suppressing gasps at his speed.
Ulric’s smile widened.
"How about I show you?"
He glanced at the notification blinking in front of him, old memories resurfacing.
[Ding! SS-rank talent: Wielder of Darkness has evolved!]
[Ding! You have acquired the SSS-rank talent: Shadow Monarch.]
Back when he had first used the power of darkness and destruction, he still remembered the words he had muttered:
"The darkness can be anything I want."
At the time, he hadn’t fully understood the magnitude of that statement.
Now he did.
And it was finally time to unleash it.