The shadow thorn slid out of the monster's body and vanished into nothingness.
Three corpses dropped heavily to the ground.
[Arise!]
Yami Tsukishiro had no intention of letting them go to waste.
The shadows stirred, and in moments, the three corpses stood again, now as loyal shadow soldiers.
Before everyone's eyes, he casually drew the soldiers into his shadow space, then unfurled his wings of darkness and soared into the sky.
"..."
Inside the command room, the commander stared blankly at the screen.
He had expected a drawn-out, brutal battle worth analyzing.
Yet it ended in mere moments.
There was nothing left to study.
Looking back now… what was the point of all those hours spent setting up defensive lines?
If they had contacted him earlier, if they had asked for his help outright—wouldn't they have avoided all those losses and sacrifices?
"Just… that's it?"
Kurumi blinked at the ice cream in her hand. It hadn't even started to melt.
The so-called "special effects blockbuster" had ended in seconds.
"It seems everything's fine. Can we reopen now?"
Chisato leaned back in her chair, hands resting behind her head, speaking with her usual carefree tone.
"What kind of business would still be open today?" Takina replied, shaking her head helplessly.
"With the world like this, chaos is inevitable. For now, we just wait for news. It won't be long before we're asked to make contact with Yami."
---
"He Won!"
Compared to the flat reactions of Chisato's group, Eriri and Utaha's faces lit up with genuine excitement as they finally let go of their worries.
At the same time, the news broadcast on the massive screen suddenly cut off, and the blaring city sirens stopped.
People on the streets scratched their heads in confusion.
"This movie's got insane special effects. I wonder when it's releasing?"
"Movie? Are you blind? That was the news!"
Yet despite the chaos just moments ago, the crowd dispersed almost aimlessly, as if none of it had truly sunk in. Everyone drifted back to their homes like nothing had happened.
"Alright, that's enough for today. I'll take you both home."
Through the shifting veil of shadows, Yami Tsukishiro returned to Eriri and Utaha's side.
Utaha blinked, surprised. After something so big, she assumed he would be buried in work. Instead, she offered gently, "It's fine. If it's too much trouble, we can make our way back ourselves."
"This little thing? Hardly trouble. Let's go."
"Yami-kun… are you hurt?" Eriri asked softly, eyes full of concern.
"No," he shook his head with a faint smile. "They were weak. Don't worry."
He escorted the two girls back to their homes one after the other. Each farewell came with a sweet kiss on the lips, their warmth lingering as he slipped away once more into his shadow shuttle.
For Yami Tsukishiro, killing those three monsters hadn't been just about protection—it was also about profit.
Not only had he gained three towering shadow soldiers, but also 15,000 magic stones and two monster "memes."
D-rank Meme: Speed
D-rank Meme: Corrosive Venom
And one more meme that could be used to create a monster from scratch.
Without hesitation, he opened the dungeon's phantom space and retrieved a monster embryo.
The Speed Meme, upon inspection, was compatible with three distinct types of proto-beasts.
The Corrosive Venom meme turned out to be compatible only with zombie and mummy proto-embryos.
Curious, Yami Tsukishiro attempted to stack it with other attributes—armor, physical enhancement, and speed—into a zombie prototype.
But the system immediately rejected him.
[Ding! The number of monster proto-meme fusions at this stage has been exceeded!]
"…An upper limit?"
It was the first time Yami had ever run into this restriction.
He tried removing one meme and reapplying another, but the same message appeared.
Even with the mummy prototype, the result was identical—only two memes could be embedded at most.
"At this stage, ordinary prototypes can only take two memes…" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
The wording was clear—"at this stage." Which meant, somewhere down the line, there had to be a way to raise the limit. But for now, that method remained unknown.
His thoughts shifted.
"…What about Ella?"
Would his unique creation, Ella, also be bound by this limit?
"Ella," Yami called within his heart.
Between the grand thrones of the shadow realm, the girl quietly monitoring the movements of the adventurers lifted her head.
"Yes, Master?"
"I'm going to run an experiment," Yami said calmly. "Don't worry about what happens next."
Ella's lips curved into a serene smile. "As you wish."
After receiving the notification, Yami Tsukishiro directed the fusion of the "Speed" meme into Ella.
There was no rejection, no limitation.
On the contrary, the cost in magic stones climbed higher than before.
[Ding! Confirm fusion: Spend 5,000 magic stones to embed the D-rank meme "Speed" into the Immortal Girl, Ella?]
"Yes."
The stones vanished in an instant, their power flowing directly into her.
Ella's eyes widened slightly as she felt the change ripple through her body.
"Master, I… I seem to have gained a new ability."
"I've integrated the meme of speed into you," Yami explained calmly.
"I won't refine it further just yet. Try experimenting on your own when you have time."
Ella's lips curled into a playful smile. "Mm-hmm~ I understand, Master."
Satisfied, Yami shifted his focus back to the ordinary monster embryos.
Considering battlefield roles and coordination, he planned to diversify his forces with a new batch of creations.
Hunting Zombies: Zombie prototypes fused with "Speed."
→ 20 units hatched. Cost: 2,000 magic stones.
Venom Mummies: Mummy prototypes fused with "Corrosive Venom."
→ 20 units hatched. Cost: 2,000 magic stones.
And finally, the heavyweights—
Corrosive Mummies: Mummy prototypes fused with both "Speed" and "Corrosive Venom."
→ 10 units hatched. Cost: 10,000 magic stones.
The shadow army expanded once again, growing sharper, faster, and deadlier under Yami's command.
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