chapter 6

As Lith looked at Celestara, the weight of her loyalty and their shared journey filled his heart. In a rare, vulnerable moment, he gently pulled her close and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. Celestara's eyes widened slightly, and then softened as she closed them, returning his affection. Their moment was brief yet profound, carrying an unspoken promise between them.

Then, Lith turned back toward the ancient stone door. With a deep breath, he reached out and pushed it open. The door creaked slowly, revealing an intense, fiery light from beyond. As he stepped through, he felt the atmosphere change dramatically, like he had crossed a boundary between worlds.

When he emerged on the other side, Lith found himself in a grim and strange place. The ground was blackened, scorched as if burned for countless ages. Ashes swirled around his feet, drifting up with each step he took. The sky above was a dark, ominous red, casting an eerie glow over the land. Shadows seemed to stretch unnaturally long in the dim light, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

Sensing the danger of this place, Lith activated his Living Armor. The dark, fluid metal enveloped him instantly, forming the intricate plates and spikes he had felt before, pulsing with power. The Heart of the Multiverse on his chest glowed faintly, almost like a living ember against the blood-red sky.

Lith began to walk forward, observing his surroundings closely. Soon, he spotted a gathering of creatures wandering in the distance. As he drew closer, he could make out their grotesque forms. Each had two large, bat-like wings jutting from their backs, their skin a sickly, charred red that seemed to pulsate with dark energy. They had human-like shapes, but their limbs were unnaturally elongated, giving them a distorted, almost spider-like appearance. Each creature bore a pair of curved horns protruding from its head, while sharp, jagged teeth jutted from their snarling mouths.

As Lith scanned the area, his gaze fell upon patches of blood-stained earth and scattered pieces of clothing. A closer inspection made him realize these clothes belonged to slave miners, people he knew. His expression darkened as anger stirred within him.

The demons seemed to notice his presence, their heads snapping up in unison. Their glowing red eyes locked onto him, and a chorus of guttural roars erupted from their throats. In a frenzy, they charged toward him, their clawed hands reaching out.

But Lith remained calm, even as the horde rushed toward him. He gave a small, cold smile, and one of the eleven gems on his helmet began to glow with a dim, otherworldly light. With a single thought, he unleashed a silent wave of energy. In an instant, every demon's head vanished, dissolved into nothingness. Their lifeless bodies crumpled to the ground in a chaotic heap.

As he surveyed the field of fallen creatures, something strange happened. Two ancient tomes floated out from behind him, hovering at his side. One was the Malediction Grimoire, and the other was the Book of Eternal Dread—each a powerful relic bound to Lith.

The Malediction Grimoire floated forward and opened, releasing a dark mist. The black vapor flowed over the corpses, wrapping around them in spirals and sinking into their flesh. Soon, the essence of each slain demon was absorbed into the book. The remaining bones and flesh shriveled to dust, leaving no trace. Once it had finished its work, the Malediction Grimoire closed and returned to Lith's side.

Then, the Book of Eternal Dread opened next, casting a shadow over the ground as it released a dark, chilling aura. It devoured the corpses whole, drawing in every last fragment of flesh, bone, and soul. Once the bodies had vanished entirely, the book returned to Lith's side, hovering alongside its counterpart.

As the tomes settled back into their places, a flood of knowledge filled Lith's mind, revealing the true extent of their powers. The Malediction Grimoire had absorbed the essence of the demons as dark entities, transforming them into powerful creatures bound within its pages. Lith could feel the imprint of their power, now amplified to unimaginable heights. When he opened the grimoire, he found a single page containing a ghastly depiction of the demons. They had transformed, now towering 100 meters tall, with their forms mutated beyond recognition.

These new demons were hulking beasts with heads resembling monstrous goats. Gone were their wings, replaced by thick, muscular bodies covered in jagged, obsidian-like armor. Thick, razor-sharp horns twisted upward from their skulls, while rows of needle-like teeth jutted from their mouths. Their eyes blazed with malevolent fire, and they radiated a terrifying aura of destruction. Each demon carried a massive, blood-stained cleaver in one hand, and their fingers ended in claws that could tear through steel.

Lith realized he could summon these evolved demons with a single flick of his wrist. By casting a page from the grimoire, the demon would emerge, fully loyal to him. If they were killed or he dismissed them, they would return to the book, ready to be summoned again.

He closed the grimoire and turned to the Book of Eternal Dread. As he opened it, a faint wisp of spectral light floated up, giving him a glimpse into the undead that the book had forged. Each of the demons he had killed had been transformed into a skeletal warrior, standing 100 meters tall, each wrapped in an armor made of pale, enchanted bones. Their wings had decayed into skeletal frames, giving them a harrowing, deathly appearance. Their eyes burned with black soul fire, and their skulls were adorned with crowns of bone, marking them as commanders of the undead.

In the Book of Eternal Dread, Lith saw these new undead creatures etched across a page, their fearsome powers imbued with the essence of death itself. They would emerge from the book as skeletal soldiers, bound to his command, each capable of turning an entire battlefield into a graveyard. He could summon them similarly to those in the grimoire, and they would return to the book's pages upon dismissal or defeat, awaiting his next call.

As he closed the books, both tomes floated back to their original positions, seemingly content to wait until they were needed again. Lith felt a surge of pride and confidence, knowing he had amassed such formidable tools. This was power beyond anything he could have imagined—an arsenal of darkness and death bound solely to his will.

He stood there for a moment, absorbing everything he had learned and feeling the weight of his new abilities. Then, with a steely resolve, he looked ahead. Whatever lay in this strange, desolate land, he would face it with the combined might of his armor, his weapons, and his two ancient tomes. This world, and every creature in it, would soon know the true reach of his power.