Chapter 195: The Shadow Realm

Chapter 195 – The Shadow Realm

Noah finally gathered himself and looked around—but he didn’t even need to. Because all around him, there was only one thing...

...shadows.

Only shadows.

They weren’t sentient, they weren’t alive. These shadows were mindless—beasts of instinct—and that was exactly why they clung so tightly to Noah. Because of his title. Because of what he was.

Sovereign of Shadows.

They obeyed him. They bowed to him.

And it was only now, standing here, in this strange new place, that Noah finally realized just how terrifyingly powerful that title was. Because even here, even in an entirely different realm—a realm that existed beyond normal mana, a realm where only shadow mana flowed—these shadows still came to him.

Shadow mana... a very specific type of energy, far more primordial and ancient than what existed in the middle worlds. It was raw, boundless, hungry. And yet, it wrapped around Noah like a cloak.

He exhaled deeply, then slowly tried to sit up, his movements sluggish. His body still throbbed with pain. Not the kind of pain that came from wounds or exhaustion—no. This was something else.

Because Laeh was gone.

Because the moment Laeh died, Noah had lost one of his titles—Blessed by Laeh—and as every title was a part of you, of your soul, of your existence, when you lost one...

You lost a piece of yourself.

As simple as that.

And now, to heal—

"I need to absorb this world core into my realm... then nurture it, slowly, until my realm becomes a true world."

But it wasn’t something he could just do overnight. It was a long process, one that required patience, concentration, and strength. And Noah had never done this before, which only made things more complicated. Especially now—with these injuries.

But did he have time to waste?

Well, yes. Because he wasn’t in any rush. Not anymore.

Noah knew that if he truly wanted the bloodline of those bastards to vanish from the universe, he would need personal strength—but not just that. He needed something far greater. Something heavier. Something that could shake the stars.

He needed a faction.

And that’s what he would focus on.

Here, in this dark and silent realm, where nothing but shadows reigned, Noah would begin. He would lay the first bricks—the foundation of something vast.

And while at it...

"Shadeva," he called softly, a faint smile on his face, "how does it feel to be back home?"

But Shadeva didn’t return his smile. Instead, a melancholic, almost haunted expression appeared deep in the shadow where her essence drifted. Ester noticed it too, and slowly—so softly—reached out to hold her hand.

A simple gesture.

What an adorable little shadow.

Shadeva’s heart warmed at it, and she smiled faintly before finally answering Noah’s question.

"I feel... strange. This was supposed to be home. A place I could return to and feel safe in. Happy. Peaceful. After all, I was born here—no, I was the first to be born here. But now, standing in it again..."

"...I only feel sadness."

Noah listened quietly. He didn’t pretend to understand. He didn’t offer empty comfort. He simply listened.

Then he asked, steady and firm—

"What do you want to do?"

He may have lost a small battle against those arrogant elves, but his confidence? Untouched. His resolve? Intact.

So again, he asked,

"What do you want the fate of this realm to be?"

Shadeva looked at him for a moment, then chuckled softly—there was warmth in her voice, but also amusement.

"Are you sure?" she said, the words almost teasing. "You know, back then... even my weakest sibling could’ve killed that elf who made you run—in under ten seconds."

She paused, her eyes distant.

"And now? After so many eons? I don’t even dare to guess their current realms."

Noah’s lips twitched at her jab.

He didn’t argue.

And now that he thought about it, there were other things he had to handle first.

Like checking on his women.

He had to make sure the realm was stable—especially now that so many beings existed within it. It was starting to get crowded, chaotic. He needed a better management system. A hierarchy. Structure.

And after all that...

He would finally push to SSS Rank.

This encounter with the elves had taught him something clear—painfully clear: the difference between each rank became more and more obscene the higher you climbed.

He was lucky—so fucking lucky—that Justicia was arrogant and impulsive enough to enter Laeh’s world unprepared. If not...

Klaus, on the other hand, had been careful. Too smart to step inside. He stayed outside, in the void. Watching. Waiting.

And now Noah understood.

Rank wasn’t just a number.

It was law.

And if he wanted to step to the Supreme Rank, just like Justicia had said, he’d need to obtain an Authority from the Records.

But that didn’t worry him.

What did worry him was what came after Supreme.

He needed to create a faction. One acknowledged by the Records themselves. Only then could he unlock the path to the next realm. Only then could he secure the future—for his women, for his people, for himself.

That meant step one was clear.

Integrate the world core.

"Ah, fuck," Noah muttered.

It was the first time in ages that he had felt like this.

Powerless.

And yet—

He smiled.

"I like it."

Because things were starting to get too easy.

There was no challenge. No pressure.

But now?

Now he had one.

Now he had a whole fucking bloodline to eradicate. A bloodline known across the stars. Revered. Feared.

Perfect.

After Elijah, Noah had needed something to keep him going. A goal. A drive.

And now, he had found it.

His next big tree to cut down.

"Just wait for me, you damn long-eared bastards..."

Noah was starting to hate the elves.

Truly.

...

And while all of this was unfolding—unknown to any of them—a presence watched.

A being hidden in the deepest folds of the void, where even light didn’t shine.

She had been watching for a while.

A colossal beast cloaked in sleek black scales, with millions of black tendrils flowing around her like chaotic rivers—but there was an eerie grace in that chaos, a rhythm to the madness.

She was ancient.

She was monstrous.

She was Noah’s stalker.

And she had seen everything—from the very beginning. Since the first moment she laid eyes on him. She hadn’t missed a single detail.

Right now—

’I should’ve helped him. Why didn’t I?’

Her thoughts burned with regret.

’Ah... I’m such an idiot. I lost the perfect moment to meet him.’

But she couldn’t help it.

It had been so long—eons—since she had spoken to anyone. Since she had even been seen by anyone.

She was... shy.

’But at least... I know where he is now.’

And with that simple thought, her mood lifted.

She turned her monstrous body toward the shadow realm—toward Noah.

’I can’t go there with my real body. It would scare them. I’ll create an avatar instead.’

The decision was made.

Her path was set.

She moved forward—slowly, steadily—toward him.

Toward the one being in all existence who had made her feel something again.

A deep interest.

And as she drifted through the void, her monstrous heart beat a little faster.

She felt it.

Excitement.

A sensation she hadn’t felt in... forever.

"Noah... Noah Vaelgrim," she whispered, her voice a low, husky rumble through the dark.

She rolled the name across her tongue like it was made of silk.

"What a delicious name."

—End of Chapter 195—