As the sun rose in the real world, Leo remained inside his domain, standing beneath the vast spell formation that hovered above his throne like a silent guardian. He had spent most of the night there, studying the corruption in his left arm and tracing the fracture it had left within his soul. Healing it was only half the problem. The greater issue was prevention. If Paul or Briva reached the point of forming their own domains, and both of them were dangerously close, then new paths would connect to him just as Elna's had. If every new connection carved directly into his essence, then sooner or later even he would reach a limit.
There was, however, something that puzzled him.
When power flowed into him through his grand spell, the massive formation suspended above the domain, it did not burden him in the same way. The Obscurae, the divine fragments, the external authorities he had claimed, none of them had stretched his soul like the shadow path had. They had strengthened him, yes, but they had not torn into him.
His eyes slowly lifted toward the spell overhead.
Perhaps that structure was not merely gathering power. Perhaps it was filtering it.
Just as he had created layers of restriction and protection for Elna, maybe this spell had unconsciously formed similar safeguards for himself. Power that entered through it was processed, stabilized, and distributed before ever reaching his core. It was absorbed into the framework of his domain rather than injected directly into his soul.
But when one of his members' power expanded, it was different. Their connection bypassed the outer structure and linked straight to him. It was raw and direct.
That was why it hurt. In ordinary circumstances, a person could only carry two or three major paths before their soul began to destabilize. Leo had long surpassed that boundary.
His main path was illusion. He was also an enchanter and a warrior.
He had evolved into a higher form of vampire. He carried the werewolf's authority and he possessed the fragment of the God of Knowledge. He also held the power of nature.
Seven distinct paths. Seven foundations pulling his soul in different directions.
The only reason he had survived this long without collapsing was likely because of the complex spell above his domain. It acted as a stabilizing lattice, distributing pressure and preventing direct overload. In other words, power that passed through that structure did not weigh on him in the same way.
But the gathering members were another matter.
Arthur's path of light was already strongly connected to him, creating a constant resonance between them. Fortunately, Luciana's path aligned with his own vampiric evolution, which meant her growth did not introduce something foreign. Now, however, the shadow path had joined.
Briva would likely cause minimal disruption; as a druid, her nature path overlapped with the one he already carried. Paul was more uncertain. He walked the warrior path, but a domain rooted purely in physical strength was almost unheard of. Domains were manifestations of concepts, not just disciplines. Unless Paul's path evolved into something broader, battle, conquest, protection, it would be nearly impossible for him to form one through warrior strength alone.
If he wanted to remain stable under so many paths, then simply defending against them would not be enough. Defense meant resistance, and resistance alone would eventually crack. What he needed was expansion, controlled expansion.
If his domain incorporated more paths into its structure, weaving them into the great spell above it, then the pressure would distribute instead of concentrate. A domain that stood closer to the totality of paths would not be pulled violently by any single one. And if he himself stood closer to that balance, his control over incoming power would increase. Strength was not only about force, it was about stability.
He already had proof that such a thing was possible. The God of Magic had once sealed magic from the world.
And "magic" had not meant just elemental spells. It had encompassed enchantment, alchemy, pure magic, illusion, conjuration, divination, even necromancy. Entire systems of rules had fallen under that one domain. Yet the God of Magic had stood above them without being torn apart by their contradictions.
If one existence could anchor all those laws without corruption, then in theory, Leo could do something similar, on a smaller scale.
The conclusion settled into his mind like a heavy stone finding its place.
He left his domain. Back in his cabin, he opened his eyes and rose from his seat. The morning light filtered faintly through the small windows as he stepped outside and walked toward the edge of the ship. It was nearly time for Elna and Selina's training, and the platform needed to be prepared.
When he reached the deck's edge, he raised his hand. White stone gathered from nothingness, forming a smooth training platform that extended outward from the ship. The structure stabilized quickly, solid and clean.
He began lowering his hand. But it stopped.
His arm refused to move. For a brief second he thought he had misjudged the motion, but then his own hand began rising again against his will.
Before he could react, his left hand shot forward and clamped around his own neck.
His breath caught. Leo immediately grabbed his wrist with his right hand, trying to pry it away, but the grip was iron hard. His fingers dug into his skin. He attempted to summon mana, to reinforce himself, but nothing responded. It was as if his connection to magic had been cut.
His vision darted across the deck. No one was looking at him. Sailors moved normally. The wind blew as usual. No alarm and no reaction.
Then the realization struck.
This was not happening outside. It was happening inside. An illusion, born from the corruption.
Even as pain flared through his throat, Leo forced himself to close his eyes. He ignored the sensation of suffocation and turned inward, anchoring himself to the core of his domain.
Power wrapped around his consciousness. The false grip shattered.
Air rushed into his lungs as the illusion dissolved like broken glass. When he opened his eyes, he was standing normally at the edge of the ship, his arm lowered at his side. Nothing was out of place.
Slowly, his gaze fell to his left hand. The corruption was no longer silent.
He needed a solution, and quickly.
At that moment, footsteps approached. Elna and Selina stepped onto the newly formed platform, ready for their training, unaware that only seconds earlier Leo had nearly strangled himself in a battle no one else could see.
…
Like always, Elna moved to her side of the platform while Selina stood opposite of her, relaxed but ready. Elna had been waiting for this moment since early in the morning. She wanted to test her new power properly, without holding back.
Normally, an A2 could not call upon their domain without sacrificing a high mana item. The cost was simply too great. But her situation was different. Thanks to Leo, when she transformed she could connect directly to her domain and draw power from it. She did not fully understand the mechanics, only that when she reached inward, something answered immediately.
Usually, she increased her strength step by step during training. Today, she did not.
The Pendant of the Azure Well began to glow at her neck, its light reflecting faintly against her skin. Shadows spread across her body like black fire, flickering in uneven patches along her arms and neck. They did not burn or consume her; they simply existed there, alive and controlled.
She drew her two daggers. Darkness wrapped around their blades, sharpening their edges, deepening their presence.
Then she charged. Selina realized at a glance that Elna was using her full strength from the start. Without hesitation, she gripped her scythe and swung it forward in a clean arc. The curved blade met both daggers at once and halted their advance.
The impact echoed sharply across the platform.
But the force behind Elna's strike was far greater than before. Shadows surged around her body as she leaned into the clash, pushing harder. The pressure between the weapons vibrated, rising into a thin, almost shrieking sound as stone beneath their feet began to crack.
Then, from behind Selina, another Elna emerged.
This one had slightly longer hair and glowing red eyes. She moved without hesitation, daggers aimed precisely at Selina's back.
Selina reacted instantly. Shadows coiled around her scythe as she poured strength into her arms. With a powerful twist, she forced the blade forward, shattering the Elna in front of her, who dissolved into shadow, and continued the motion into a wide circular sweep that intercepted the second attacker.
The collision shook the platform. The ground fractured under Selina's boots as she braced herself against the combined pressure.
Still, even with this surge, Elna's strength remained below that of a true A5.
A smile spread across Selina's face.
With a final upward burst of force, she broke through the clash and sent Elna backward. Elna flipped lightly in the air and landed cleanly on her feet, sliding only a short distance before steadying herself, shadows still flickering around her body.
Selina was just about to move when she noticed Elna's eyes were closed. That alone made her stop. Instead of charging, she narrowed her brows slightly and waited, a spark of excitement rising in her chest. Whatever Elna was about to do, it was deliberate.
Mana began to flow outward from Elna's body in steady waves. The stone beneath her feet trembled faintly, not from impact but from pressure. The shadows covering her skin softened and turned fluid, losing their sharp edges as if melting into something more refined. The transformation did not explode into being; it unfolded slowly, almost gently, as though the power was savoring its own release.
Her skin shifted toward a pale, moonlit white, luminous against the deepening dark gathering around her. The shadows did not form armor this time. Instead, they moved with intention, sliding over her body like liquid silk. They shaped themselves into flowing layers that followed her natural lines before loosening again into drifting folds that hovered close to her form.
The darkness behaved with strange awareness, wrapping around her like a living garment. It opened along her sides and back in subtle movements, not exposing recklessly but shaping itself with precision. Where it thinned, her pale skin caught the light; where it deepened, it became sleek and elegant, like fabric woven from night itself. The effect was not chaotic, it was controlled, composed, and unmistakably hers.
Her silver hair lifted as if touched by a silent current, spilling freely down her back. From her temples, black horns curved upward, smooth and regal rather than monstrous. A deep red glow ignited behind her eyes, steady and confident, carrying no madness, only authority.
The shadows responded to her instincts without hesitation. They traced higher along her legs, settled around her waist, and tightened briefly along her torso before relaxing again, as if testing the limits of their shape. Every movement felt intentional, synchronized with her breathing.
Selina watched without interrupting. hers was no longer just an increase in strength.
The air around Elna trembled as if drawn to her presence. Even the deck beneath the platform seemed to respond, faint vibrations running through the wood and stone as her mana stabilized into something far denser than before.
At the edge of the ship, Leo watched in open surprise. She no longer looked like a young assassin experimenting with borrowed strength. She stood like an elegant demon of shadow, composed and regal. The darkness surrounding her felt disturbingly familiar, its texture, its obedience, the way it clung to her form. For a brief second, it reminded him of Lilith.
Selina, too, felt the shift. Surprise flickered across her face, but it quickly turned into excitement. This was what she had been waiting for.
The scythe in her hands split into two, the single long weapon dividing seamlessly. Both blades pulsed with shadow, their edges vibrating with compressed force. Without hesitation, she raised them and slashed forward in a crossing motion, forming a massive X shaped wave of darkness that tore across the platform. The attack was heavy and direct, strong enough to rip through the stone Leo had created, shattering it along its path as it surged toward Elna.
Elna did not move her feet. She simply raised one hand.
Her fingers, now tipped with long dark nails, held her dagger loosely. With calm precision, she traced a slow plus shape in the air before her. A glowing cross mark formed where the blade moved, small at first and almost fragile in appearance.
A heartbeat before the X shaped attack reached her, the plus sign expanded ten times its size in an instant.
When Selina's attack met it, there was no explosion.
No clash. The shadow wave passed into the plus mark as though it had fallen into a silent void.
Selina's eyes widened. Before she could process what had happened, Elna lifted her other hand and pointed forward. From the tip of her dagger, a massive beam of condensed shadow erupted outward, dense and overwhelming, racing directly toward Selina with terrifying speed.
Selina reacted on instinct, crossing both scythes in front of her to block. The beam struck with immense pressure, forcing her backward several meters across the broken platform. The stone beneath her boots cracked as she resisted, muscles tightening as she poured power into her weapons.
Finally, with a sharp shout, she pushed forward and slashed outward. The beam fractured and dispersed into fading darkness.
Silence followed.
Selina lowered her weapons and looked at Elna, who stood calmly amid drifting shadow, a confident smile on her lips.
"So you finally created your domain," Selina said. "And such terrifying power."
At the ship's edge, Leo was smiling as well. He understood what had just happened. It was not merely defense, it was observation and redirection. She had analyzed the attack, absorbed its structure, and returned it amplified.
A power that could take an enemy's strike and make it her own.
Elna was no longer A2.
She had stepped into A3, and she stood at its peak.