As the Pontiff spoke, the storm cloud flashed with lightning and thundered with sound.
The Storm Knights, who were busy practicing their skills or doing various tasks, heard the Pontiff's voice and felt his will.
They quickly prepared themselves, and a few of them opened their grimoires and summoned their mounts!
They were flying beasts, such as griffins and pegasi. They gathered below the storm cloud, and waited for the Pontiff to lead them.
As for the others, they called for their war horses and waited for instructions.
In the meantime, the Pontiff mounted his own summoned flying beast, a giant eagle, and flew into the storm cloud. Needless to say, the Pontiff practices two or maybe even more Arcane Paths!
***
Meanwhile, Vale was oblivious to the fact that his brief burst of energy as a Shadow Celestial had caused a huge uproar among the experts around the world.
He had no clue that the Half-Immortals were on their way to the place where they had sensed his aura that surpassed the limit of the Human Realm.
At this moment, he was only focused on adapting to his new physique. Before he could do this, he needed a suitable environment to test his skills.
Vale arranged the Animus Haven Hall's Magic Circle at the castle's underground hall. This enabled him to obtain a perfect place that could prevent his energy from leaking and damaging the castle's structure.
Even though the castle was safeguarded by a Formation Art powered by a pair of Dragons, he knew that he had to be cautious.
He then began to explore his innate power as a Shadow Celestial in the underground hall.
'I don't even feel like a human anymore…'
Vale was amazed by his new abilities and potential.
Right now, even without the existence of Spell Models, he could manipulate the shadows at his will and use them as a barrier or weapon!
This was incredibly powerful and it could even pass as Darkness Manipulation Spell.
'I don't need this spell anymore… I'll probably experiment on it later and fuse it with the Druid's spells.' Vale mused as he realized that the Darkness Manipulation Spell was just taking up his limited Spell Lights.
Anyway, Vale continued with his exploration, and he realized that the Shadows he manipulated could also empower his Magic Artifacts with the shadow energy, making them more powerful and versatile.
However, it eats up a lot of force in his body, so he can only dual-cast while empowering his artifacts.
'I should probably find an Artifact suited for Shadow Energy…' Vale mused after realizing that most of his weapons weren't compatible with Shadow Energy.
Well, his Doombringer Ring could at least become more useful from now on since he no longer has to worry about its side effects when being used.
Vale experimented with his Doombringer Ring, the Magic Artifact that he obtained from the Evil Entity that he extracted before.
Previously, it was simply appraised as an item that the Necromancers sought after. The ring was supposedly capable of forcing living humans to become undead! It was comparable to the Sovereign Artifacts if it landed with the right owner.
The appraiser at that time valued this item at about 120,000 zen.
However, as he used his Shadow Energy to test its ability, he realized that the Doombringer Ring had something more to it.
It was also a ring that could store and release shadow energy, and it could also be used as a weapon or a tool, depending on how he manipulated the stored energy!
He infused his Doombringer Ring with more shadow energy, and he saw that twisting as if it was coming alive!
Vale hesitated for a moment before he tried utilizing the Shadow Energy inside.
To his surprise, the ring changed its shape and size! After a few minutes of manipulation, he realized that he could make it into a sword, a shield, or a whip. He could also make it into another accessory like a circlet, a bracelet, or a necklace.
"Isn't this a bit too good? If this is not an Arcana, it should be a Sovereign Artifact at this point!" Vale exclaimed as he had never heard of changing weapon.
It was never taught in the Academy, and he had never heard of it either!
Furthermore, he could control it with his mind and make it do whatever he wanted. He didn't need to do a tiring ritual to transform it!
"I'm glad I didn't sell it at that time." Vale muttered.
As he continued exploring this item, he was impressed by his Doombringer Ring, and he felt that it was a perfect match for him.
After he was satisfied with this, he then tried to use his shadow energy to empower his other Magic Artifacts, such as his Altering Necklace, his Devil's Face, his Enigma Amulate, and others.
He found that he could improve their functions and capacities, but as he initially discovered, they were only temporary until the Shadow Energy dispersed. Nevertheless, this was an amazing discovery.
Vale spent several more hours familiarizing himself with his Shadow Celestial physique, experimenting with his newfound abilities, and testing his spells to discern the extent of his enhancements.
As dawn broke on the following day, he emerged from the underground hall, content with his progress.
As he walked out of the castle to get some sunlight, he saw Pearl outside who was doing the same.
Pearl smiled as she saw Vale approaching. She looked at him curiously as she noticed his changes.
"I believe you're nearly prepared to confront the Abyss Realm…" She softly said.
"I'm not sure about that…" Vale replied with a gentle smile on his face.
Pearl then hugged him and kissed him gently… or that was what was supposed to happen.
However, before she could even get closer, Vale immediately felt the Shadow Essence in his body suppressing his Divinity that was leaking out.
Pearl also came to her mind as she looked at Vale with a helpless smile on her face.
"Our Divinity is too similar. It's still trying to become one…"
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