Chapter 665: More Than Expected

Mina stared at Clyde with a dumbfounded expression. The last traces of Pure Lightning still clung to his body, crawling across his arms and shoulders before slowly fading into the air. The forest around him still carried the sharp smell of burning and several nearby leaves had been scorched by the force of his movement.

Mina tightened her grip on her daggers. She had just spent so much time believing she had finally become strong. She had trained until her body could barely move, fought until her muscles screamed, and convinced herself that she was finally ready to stand beside Clyde.

Then she had watched him move. For a moment she could not even see him. Mina let out a quiet sigh.

"There really is still a huge difference between us."

Clyde glanced at her. "What?"

"Nothing." Mina shook her head.

There was no point explaining it. Clyde would probably not understand what she was feeling anyway.

She looked away and muttered, "I thought I was getting strong."

"You are," Clyde said.

Mina looked back at him.

Clyde had already turned his attention toward the artifact. He bent down and picked up the wooden staff.

At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a twisted piece of wood. Its surface was dark and rough, with several small branches growing from the upper section. But the moment Clyde touched it, a powerful Demonic aura spread through the surrounding air. The forest seemed to grow quieter.

Clyde examined the staff for a moment before speaking. "We’ll stay here for a while."

Mina raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I need to do something with this," Clyde said. He lifted the staff slightly.

Mina looked at it with curiosity and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Something that won’t take long." Clyde smiled at her.

That answer only made her more curious, but Mina did not press him. She already knew Clyde was different.

There were too many things about him that did not make sense. His strength, his strange abilities, and the secrets he kept behind his calm expression all told her that Clyde carried something he did not want to share.

If he wanted her to know, he would tell her. Mina accepted that.

"Then I’ll hunt some monsters while you do whatever you need to do," Mina said.

Clyde nodded. "Okay. Don’t go too far."

"I won’t."

He pointed deeper into the forest and said, "If you can’t find me when you’re finished, don’t waste time searching. Just return to the portal location."

Mina nodded. "Got it."

She turned and disappeared between the trees, twin daggers resting at her sides.

Clyde watched her leave for a moment before looking back at the wooden staff.

He walked a short distance away and sat beneath one of the enormous trees. He placed his longsword beside him and held the artifact with both hands.

Then he closed his eyes. He focused on the energy inside the staff. The Demonic power immediately reacted.

Dark energy flowed through his hands like a current, entering his body and spreading through his veins. Clyde was completely still as the power traveled deeper into him. He guided it toward his core.

The amount of energy contained inside the artifact was considerable. It was far more than he initially expected. Every breath he took drew more of it into his body, strengthening his magical foundation and reinforcing the Demonic power already residing inside him.

This was exactly what Clyde had wanted.

He had accepted the mission because the artifact contained Demonic energy, and he intended to absorb as much of it as possible. If he gathered enough, perhaps he could use that power to establish a direct connection with Asmodeus.

He had no intention of relying on the Demon King too much. But Asmodeus has the resources and knowledge Clyde needed. Especially about the Higher Realm.

Then something happened. Clyde suddenly felt another presence within the energy. He opened his eyes, looking at the staff. A faint sensation spread through his body.

It was a familiar sensation of The Ancient One.

A small amount of energy had entered him alongside the Demonic power.

Clyde frowned. That should not have happened. He had not expected to sense the Ancient One’s power within the artifact.

For several seconds, Clyde remained still, trying to understand what he was feeling.

Then he smiled faintly. "Well... I’m not going to complain."

He closed his eyes again and continued absorbing the energy.

The faint Ancient One energy flowed deeper into his body and merged with the small remnant already resting inside his soul. Instead of resisting it, Clyde guided it carefully, allowing the scattered energy to settle around the existing foundation.

The connection was weak, but it was real.

Clyde’s thoughts began racing. Perhaps he had misunderstood what happened when the Ancient One resurrected him.

The Ancient One had possessed power beyond his understanding. Bringing Clyde back from death could not have been simple. Maybe the Ancient One had used so much of his power that he could no longer maintain his complete form and so he was scattered, pieces of him had been left behind across different worlds, objects, creatures, or places.

And if that was true... Then he just have to gather it all.

The thought gave him a strange sense of certainty. The Ancient One had brought him back. But if fragments of his power were scattered throughout the worlds, then finding them could eventually lead to his resurrection as well, and so could also awaken more of the Ancient One’s power within him.

Clyde looked down at his hands. He clenched them slowly. He continued absorbing the artifact’s energy.

Hours passed.

By the time Mina returned, the forest had grown quiet again.

She emerged from between the trees with dirt and leaves covering parts of her armor. Her breathing was slightly heavier, but her expression looked satisfied.

She spotted Clyde sitting beneath the tree. He had not moved much.

Mina walked over and looked at the empty wooden staff beside him.

"So, are you finished?"

Clyde opened his eyes. "Yeah."

"Did you get what you wanted?"

Clyde stood and picked up his sword and the staff. "More than I expected."

Mina tilted her head, but she did not ask for an explanation. "Then let’s go."

Clyde nodded.

The two of them walked back through the forest together.

They retraced their path through the dense vegetation until they reached the area where the portal had opened earlier. Clyde took out the mission amulet and activated it.

Dark energy gathered in front of them, space twisted, a circular portal slowly opened, its black center shimmering.

The moment he crossed the portal, the cold air of the Ruin disappeared. The familiar atmosphere of Sivagadh Fortress returned.

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