[Chapter 305: Now, This Place is Under My Control]
Valak's voice lost its sharp edge, turning low and viscous.
Suddenly, it spread its arms, and the black smoke that had been held back by the thunderlight burst forth like a raging flood.
This darkness no longer drifted like gas; it moved like a living sludge.
Instead of being scattered by the lightning, it crawled up the five thick pillars of thunder.
Zzz... zzz...
The crisp crackle of thunder warped into a muffled sound, like strong acid corroding metal.
Ed's eyes widened in horror. "The lightning... has turned black?"
The once-brilliant blue-violet thunderlight quickly darkened, dyed ink-black by that creeping sludge.
The light was being swallowed.
The rigid, masculine aura of the thunder was being neutralized and broken down by a deeper, older evil power.
The glow of the Five Elements Thunder Prison dimmed rapidly.
In just two or three seconds, the five thunder pillars turned into pitch-black lifeless husks, then silently disintegrated and evaporated into the air.
Darkness claimed the corridor once more.
Only Valak's yellow, glowing eyes pierced the black.
"Human spells, borrowed heavenly majesty," Valak muttered as it stepped from the ruins of the thunder prison, leaving charred footprints corroded into the floor beneath its feet.
"In my Domain, even light must submit."
Daniel ignored the mockery, refusing to glance at Valak.
His entire focus was on the Seal in his hand and the ground beneath his feet.
He took the final step.
The Paper Seal in his hand flared and burned into ash with a loud "boom."
With the seal in hand, I receive the granted mandate.
Manifest divine authority now and resolve this calamity.
By law and command, without delay.
The moment the words left his lips, the dark clouds above Enfield tore apart, revealing a massive rift.
But no light shone through; instead, an invisible yet suffocatingly heavy aura crashed down.
There was no sound, no dazzling effects, but everyone in the room -- including Valak -- felt their hearts freeze.
Boom!
Daniel's body shook violently.
The solid wood floor beneath him shattered instantly, spiderweb-like cracks bursting outward from his feet.
An unprecedented surge of power flooded his body brutally.
If summoning thunder generals before had been like pouring water into a cup, this was like dumping mercury into a vat of water.
Supported by the strength of a Supreme Anointed of Higher Ascendant Order and amplified by the sixth tier of the Rite of Divine Empowerment, the power summoned was terrifying beyond measure.
Daniel felt every muscle snap tight; his bones popped with sharp cracks.
His Celestial Thunder Body protested under the strain.
Only thanks to his Body Enhancement Technique reaching the fourth tier could he bear this overwhelming force.
But even with his enhanced body, the power felt like an immense burden.
His blood rushed tenfold faster; his heartbeat thudded like a heavy war drum.
His vision shifted.
The darkness before him faded from obstacle to clarity; the flow of all dark energy and Valak's core power stood out as clearly as lines on his palm.
He could feel the vibration of every speck of dust in the air.
A wild impulse to release, to destroy, to shatter the heavens and earth surged in his chest.
Daniel slowly lifted his head.
His eyes no longer had pupils -- instead, two vortices of violet-gold lightning swirled within.
"Your Domain?" he said.
His voice had changed, now metallic and echoing, resonating through the space.
"Now, this place is under my control."
A sharp buzzing filled the air.
As Daniel stepped forward, the golden light around him surged suddenly.
If before the golden light was a thin protective film, it had now become a tangible flame.
The golden light exploded outward violently, Daniel standing at its center.
Sizzle...
Dense crackling filled the air.
The thick darkness that had nearly pressed against Daniel's face boiled and melted away instantly, like snow hitting boiling oil, forced to retreat.
In an instant, the second-floor corridor cleared into a circle of absolute light fifteen feet across.
The brilliance was blinding and radiated scorching waves of heat.
"My God..."
Ed raised his arm to shield his eyes, feeling bursts of electrical stings on his skin from the charged air.
Lorraine leaned against the corner, eyes wide.
In her spirit vision, Daniel no longer looked human. The violet-gold thunder power within him was suffocatingly immense, like an erupting volcano or a star plummeting to the mortal realm.
Though Peggy and the children couldn't understand it, they instinctively felt the pressure of a higher existence, bending their knees in reverence.
A solemn expression finally showed on Valak's pale, rigid face.
"As expected, you still have a trump card." Valak's voice was low, tinged with annoyance. "That a human can carry such power surprises me. But... it's only this much."
It spread its arms again, tearing the dark space behind it open.
"Abyss, open!"
With a shrill scream, a deeper, more desperate darkness poured from the rift.
This darkness felt different from the previous black mist; viscous, like countless writhing insects trapped within.
Gurgle... gurgle...
It rolled like boiling asphalt, pressing against Daniel's golden Domain once more.
This time, the golden light could no longer push forward irresistibly.
The two forces clashed in the air, grinding with a teeth-gritting screech.
Edges of the golden light began to flicker, corroded bit by bit like metal dissolving in strong acid.
Daniel's brow furrowed.
He could feel that dark power constantly devouring and assimilating his mana.
The golden light Domain was shrinking under pressure.
Twelve feet...
Eight feet...
That suffocating weight pressed down again.
"Not good!"
Ed's expression turned pale; his knuckles tightened around his crucifix.
"Even Mr. Cross is being suppressed... and that's power strong enough to summon a god!"
Lorraine closed her eyes in despair.
She knew all too well what this meant.
If even Daniel -- pumped with godlike energy -- couldn't stop Valak, then people like them were like ants caught in a pouring storm, doomed with no hope of survival.
"If we had come alone..."
Ed stared at the terrifying darkness, a deep chill crawling through his heart.
Without Daniel, neither he nor Lorraine would have even whole corpses left now; their souls would have been dragged into the eternal abyss by this demon.
"Is this the limit of a mortal?" Valak sneered cruelly, eyeing the shrinking golden light. "Your body is reaching its limit, isn't it? The moment that light fades, I will personally extract your soul and make it my most perfect collectible."
*****
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