Sreas folded her arms as she watched the twenty-five Arcanists collapse onto the ground after another intense session.

Their sweat seemed to have pooled beneath them, and their Arcane Energy had almost fully drained.

"You've all gotten better. You lasted fifteen seconds longer than yesterday."

That was high praise coming from her…

All of them knew that Sreas was not a mortal or even a human like them.

They had already seen her true appearance as an Asura. Because of that, they were aware of just how strong she was compared to them. Being praised by her, even if it was a small matter, would surely improve their mood.

A few of them smiled weakly while others groaned as they tried to steady their breathing.

There was still some crimson glow from their veins, residue from the Borrowed Flesh technique. slowly faded away, returning their bodies to normal.

She dismissed the spell with a wave of her hand as the Asura markings along her arms dimmed.

"Rest. You'll do it again tomorrow, but I'll double the grafting ratio. If you can't endure it, leave now. I won't stop you."

None of them moved.

Sreas smirked. "Good."

Even though she would never admit it aloud, she was impressed.

These mortals were adapting faster than she expected.

Vale was right: the Shadow Domain drew in the kind of people who wouldn't kneel easily.

As night fell, Sreas stayed alone in the training field. The moonlight gleamed against the faint crimson aura that leaked from her skin.

Soon, her gaze drifted to the distant horizon.

"Four days…" she murmured. "And not a single movement from the Chaos Immortals. That's not hesitation… That's planning."

She knelt down and pressed her palm against the ground. A faint blood pattern bloomed under her hand, spreading like veins across the soil…

Her Asura Blood Traps extended further into the forest. She could feel the land respond, as she tried to sense any sort of anomalies…

Although Denise's androids were stationed everywhere and would report any form of irregularities, they were still imperfect and could've made a mistake.

After all, they were dealing with Immortals.

The androids may be very special, but Immortals are on a different level.

"Hmm… No changes… I'll cover the northern region next…" She said quietly. "If they come from the skies or the plains, they'll bleed before they reach the city."

Her preparations had become ritualistic… She trains the Arcanists by day, uses detection, and also fortifies the fields by night. Yet despite her confidence, she couldn't shake the unease that clawed at her instincts.

The Chaos Immortals weren't retreating. They were waiting for something.

Perhaps Vale would have already known what it was.

Sreas exhaled, dismissing the thought. "Tch. Don't start thinking like humans. Worrying solves nothing."

She rose and cracked her neck lightly before glancing at the moonlit city one last time.

At the same time, across the Shadow Domain, the other Immortals continued their silent preparations.

Haruo was busy reinforcing the defenses of the Shadow Domain, not just the Clovis City but the whole region itself.

Each morning, he could be found on the black plateau near the western border. This place would be filled with faint golden light.

His wings, now half-gold and half-shadow, would then release divine wind that could protect the region for a long time.

"Steady…" He murmured while raising his hand.

The winds trembled and then fused into a massive, invisible wall that stretched farther than before. Needless to say, this wall was one of the many Barrier Formation Arrays that had been installed in this domain for a long time.

Well, Haruo had personally created one of the Formation Arrays here, and he was confident to say that it was one of the strongest barriers in Shadow Domain…s

Haruo closed his eyes and released a breath.

Hu~

The Heaven's Shroud formation responded, and it was a beautiful sight…

He could feel the flow of energy stabilizing.

Then, a voice called from behind him.

"Sir Haruo! The western barrier node is holding at ninety percent efficiency!"

It was one of the Shadow Acolytes, panting as he carried a stack of crystal plates.

Haruo nodded. "Good. Reinforce it with two more wind seals. If it drops below that, I'll make you redo the entire circuit."

The young acolyte gulped. "Y-yes, sir!"

Just like how Sreas obtained 25 young Arcanists, he also obtained his own Arcanists that needed to train and, of course, pass down his knowledge and spells.

Haruo turned his gaze toward the horizon. Even with the Shroud active, his divine senses extended beyond the borders. But there was still nothing… No trace of enemies, no surge of chaotics energy. Just silence.

"…Four days now," he muttered under his breath. "Why haven't they moved?"

Later that day, he trained the Shadow Acolytes behind the main fortress.

"Control the flow, not the burst…" Haruo instructed as they tried to conjure sacred wind spheres. He liked to call them Shadow Acolytes since they were still serving the Shadow Immortal.

Furthermore, he decided to have a name for his own little squad after all.

He had transferred Divinity to their bodies after he blessed them and was able to endure it… However, having a different physique was not enough.

As an Angel, he could provide blessings, but there was still a limit to it. The most Divinity they could handle was about 5 or maybe 10 units.

It was obviously not enough to contend against Chaos Immortals or even Half Immortals, but they would be able to fight against Chaos Beasts or survive against weaker Immortal Spells.

"You're not throwing fireballs. You're bending divinity. Feel the weight, guide it, don't fight it."

One of the trainees groaned. "It's too heavy, sir! My energy keeps burning away-"

"Then you're forcing it," Haruo said bluntly. "Relax. Let it move with you. Moving divinity is not moving arcane energy…"

The acolyte tried again, this time forming a small, steady orb.

Haruo gave a faint nod of approval. "Better. If you can maintain that for ten minutes, you might actually survive an explosion of divinity next time."

"Ten minutes?!"

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