The clash between the Lich's dark sorcery and my newly unleashed demonic power painted a surreal tableau of chaos and destruction. The abyssal forces flowed through me, transforming my once-human form into a being of ethereal darkness, a vessel of malevolence that sought to reclaim its dominion over the realms.
The dark sword, born from the manifestation of my demonic essence, cleaved through the shadowy minions summoned by the Lich with otherworldly efficiency. Each strike sent shockwaves through the magical fabric of the dungeon, leaving behind a trail of arcane disturbances.
As the battle raged on, I felt the dormant malevolence within me reaching its zenith, yearning to break free from the confines of the mortal vessel. The Lich, realizing the impending threat, unleashed his most potent incantations in a desperate attempt to repel the encroaching darkness.
Bran, still trapped within the protective barrier, gazed upon the unfolding spectacle with a mixture of awe and terror. "Lucas, what have you become?" he muttered, his voice barely audible amidst the cacophony.
With a resounding roar that echoed through the astral planes, I plunged the dark sword into the heart of the Lich's magical defenses. The elderly sorcerer recoiled, his power waning in the face of the abyssal onslaught.
"Your time is over, necromancer," I declared, my voice resonating with an unearthly authority. The dark tendrils emanating from my being constricted around the Lich, draining the last remnants of his magical essence.
The once-formidable sorcerer, now reduced to a mere specter of his former self, hissed defiantly, "You may have taken this vessel, but the forces that bind me are eternal. The abyss cannot be tamed. You phony!"
With a malevolent grin after hearing what the creature has said, I absorbed the remnants of the Lich's power, feeling the surge of dark energy coursing through my veins. The dungeon, once a realm of peril, now bowed to my newfound might.
Bran, released from the protective barrier, staggered to his feet, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Lucas, what are you? What have you done?"
I turned to him, the dark aura emanating from my transformed form casting an ominous glow. "I am the harbinger of chaos, the one who wields the power of the abyss. This realm shall be mine to command."
The echoes of the battle subsided, and my demonic form dissipated, leaving only the lingering darkness that now enveloped me inside my heart. The once-mortal vessel had become a conduit for the forces that could transcend the boundaries of reality. The games had indeed begun, and the cosmos itself quivered at the awakening of a malevolence reborn as true demon blood had awakened inside a human's bloodline, turning my new vessel into a True demon.
However, it seems like I can transform only when enraged or my power is strong enough to do so. Well, I might as well progress my demonification slowly until I become my true self.
My power had grown, and the darkness around me dissipated as my new body had become its original self, with short, scrawny, long blond hair like when I checked myself once again. But, this much progress in one day is quite an achievement for a powerhouse like myself.
Walking towards Bran as I helped him get up to stand while taking off my barrier that was protecting him, "Hey. Are you really the Lucas I know of?" he asked with a sighed expression.
From what I could understand, this human Bran has grown so close to Lucas, as they knew each other practically for a long time. And from my memories, Lucas was an orphan who was taken in by the Trident noble household after Bran's father, Wilson Trident, the leader of the Trident household, took a liking to Lucas after seeing his son Bran enjoying his life with a friend. It also feels like Bran was someone who wasn't allowed to go out of his house and make new comrades, as you call them, or friends or whatever.
Well, considering this Bran kid is not only my current self's friend but also my brother, as Lucas is practically renamed as Lucas Trident, the second son of the Trident house, I can't possibly kill or hate this guy. And, even with my demonic self, I'm not some stupid creature like others to betray my comrades in arms now, do I?
Clearing my throat as I reversed my black sword into a cube and sent it to my shadow dimension, which I use like spatial storage of sorts, I gave a sinister-cheerful smile with a happy face towards Bran, saying, "Well, of course, I'm Lucas, you dummy. Come on. Let's get outta here, man!"
"Ah haan. You are Lucas, alright. Your attitude didn't even change even though you have awakened some powers, man. Well, no point in arguing with that, but be sure to teach me stuff like what you did just now!" Bran said as he put his hand around my neck, giving me a compliment as we walked outside of the dungeon.
I knew Lucas had a behavior of idiocy, but just because I acted like that?
There is no way he would just have believed me just like that. And what is this about awakening powers?
Whatever it is, I should try harder to make everyone Lucas had known trust me—for I, the new Lucas Trident, the one who will become someone absolute.
"We should hurry to the Academy now, man. Our Mentor and the Profs would be getting nervous and would be on the lookout for us all.
The academy, huh.
"Yes. We must hurry and give reports on what happened here, Bran." I replied as we both kept walking in the wilderness which these humans and the other races call Beast Glades, towards a big gate.