Chapter 70: Forging Her Own Path

From the shadow of a high, crumbling brick wall overlooking the abandoned warehouse district, Salma watched the quiet scene unfold below.

A gentle, doting expression softened her features as she gazed down at her tiny daughter.

Her dark green eyes, usually cold and sharp enough to strike terror into hardened military commanders, were filled with warmth as she watched Summer awkwardly patting the massive brute zombie on its shoulder.

A cold breeze flashed through the narrow alley behind her. In a split second, the darkness on the ground twisted, and a tall figure materialized seamlessly out of Salma’s own shadow.

Derrick stepped forward, his eyes locked onto the gathering of the zombies kneeling in the ruined courtyard below.

"Is that shadow puppets?" Derrick asked, his low voice tinged with genuine surprise. He squinted through the gloom, observing the eerie, pulse-like glow of dark energy radiating from the creatures. "No... they are not shadows. The energy structure is completely different."

Every direct descendant of the main Al Mansari bloodline possessed the shadow bloodline.

It was a terrifying, ancient power that allowed a bloodline member to rip the living shadows from other sentient beings, converting them into absolute, unyielding shadow puppets.

However, the cost of that ritual was absolute. The moment a living being’s shadow was torn away, their physical body died instantly.

Derrick himself was one of Salma’s shadow puppets, but he was vastly different from any puppet created by the rest of her family.

Years ago, when his life had been pushed to the absolute brink in the lower world, he had willingly offered his soul and shadow to Salma.

Every shadow puppet retained their original consciousness, memories, and personality. Yet, the binding nature of the shadow contract chained their minds, completely stripping away their ability to disobey or hold contrary opinions against their master.

It was a cruel, brutal procedure, and almost every Al Mansari descendant used it to build armies of mindless, enslaved thralls.

Salma was the sole exception.

She refused to tear away shadows by force. Every single shadow puppet under Salma’s command, including Derrick and the top lieutenants of the Rogues, had chosen to enter the shadow bond willingly, bound by deep loyalty and shared survival rather than forced subjugation.

"Her puppets are anchored by something else," Salma murmured softly, her arms crossed over her chest as her long hair fluttered in the night wind. "It is not pure shadow. It is something else. She is forging her own path, Derrick."

Derrick watched the small girl down in the courtyard. "She managed to retain their loyalty even after her core mutated. The brute-type zombie was genuinely terrified when her presence disappeared into that portal. I had to force it to slumber or else it would have created chaos. Look at it now. It is guarding her like a dragon hovering over its treasure."

Salma let out a soft, amused hum. "She thinks she snuck out without me noticing."

"Shall I bring her back, Young Miss?" Derrick asked respectfully.

"No," Salma said, a faint smile touching her lips. "Let her have her moment. She spent days fighting for her life in the dark. Let her feel like a commander among her own legion."

Down in the courtyard, Summer finally managed to get One to stand down.

The massive brute zombie stepped back reluctantly, taking its place beside Two and the rest of the evolved feral puppets.

Summer straightened her dark tunic, her small crimson eyes sweeping over her silent legion with absolute satisfaction.

"It is the time for your evolution..."

Summer’s small voice carried a sharp, undeniable weight through the damp night air of the courtyard.

She held out her small right hand. Dark, purple-black corruption energy flared around her fingertips, swirling into a spinning vortex before expanding into a thick, pulsing pool of liquid core essence.

Clearing the subterranean dungeon and absorbing the massive Lord-type core had left her Dual Foundation overflowing with unspent, high-grade energy.

Now that her Apprentice rank was firmly anchored, she had more than enough raw power to upgrade her force.

System, Summer commanded mentally, her crimson eyes glowing with cold focus.

Initiate mass evolution on my puppet legion. Upgrade target: Elite rank.

"[Processing request...]" the system’s smooth female voice chimed in her mind.

"[Sufficient high-grade corruption essence detected. Commencing mass evolution protocol for 45 units of the Shadow-Corruption Legion.]"

Bzzzt!

The ground beneath the ruined warehouse district vibrated with a low, heavy tremor.

Obsidian-colored corruption tendrils burst out from the cracked concrete like twisting roots, wrapping tightly around every single puppet in the courtyard.

Within seconds, dense, dark chrysalises formed around One, Two, and the forty-three feral zombies standing behind them.

Summer channeled her dual-anchored foundation directly through the soul link, driving the refined energy straight into One first.

Inside the massive brute’s cocoon, bones cracked and remolded violently. One’s already imposing frame expanded even further, his four hulking arms thickening as his outer skin hardened into a jet-black carapace that glinted like polished steel under the moonlight.

Intricate purple runic veins etched themselves across all four of his shoulders, radiating a suffocating physical pressure.

"[Unit ’One’ (Four-Armed Brute) evolved successfully!]"

"[New Rank: Elite Brute Vanguard]"

"[Traits unlocked: Obsidian Carapace, Quadrant Crush, Dark Core Resonation.]"

Next, Summer shifted her mental link to Two.

Inside his chrysalis, the two-armed speed-type puppet streamlined into a lean, lethal form. His finger bones elongated into razor-sharp obsidian talons, while wisps of dark corruption mist settled permanently around his ankles and wrists like silent thrusters.

"[Unit ’Two’ (Feral Speed-Type) evolved successfully!]"

"[New Rank: Elite Shadow Stalker]"

"[Traits unlocked: Phantom Step, Corrosive Slash, Absolute Silence.]"

One by one, the remaining forty feral zombies underwent the painful, glorious transformation. The remnants of their frail, decayed physical forms were dismantled and completely rebuilt by the Chaotic Corruption energy.

Their flesh hardened into dark, scale-like hides, their dull claws sharpened into steel-cutting blades, and their hollow eyes flared with bright crimson flames.

CRACK!

The cocoons shattered simultaneously, dissolving into dark mist.

"[Mass Evolution Complete!]"

"[45 Units successfully upgraded to Elite Rank.]"

"[Legion Synergy unlocked: Elite Corruption Field.]"

Standing in the center of the courtyard, the forty-two newly evolved Elite puppets dropped straight to their knees in perfect unison.

There was no noise, no wild snarling, only absolute, terrifying discipline and unwavering submission toward their tiny master.

Maya stepped forward from the shadows of a collapsed pillar, bowing her head. "Master, your legion is formidable."

"Maya," Summer instructed calmly, her small voice echoing across the courtyard.

"Keep One, Two, and the main force hidden within this city’s sub-tunnels. Do not attack human patrols unless they cross our boundary. Feed on stray mutants in the lower ruins to maintain energy stability."

"Understood, Master," Maya replied softly.

"Now," Summer muttered, adjusting her dark tunic. "We return before Mom starts looking for me."

She turned on her heel and slipped out of the courtyard, moving like a shadow back toward the inner settlement. Maya followed silently behind her.

Up on the high brick wall, Salma watched the tiny shadow slip back into the dark alleys, a proud, amused smile on her face.

"She evolved forty-five Elite zombies in a single breath," Derrick remarked, his voice filled with genuine awe.

"She is my daughter," Salma growled softly, her green eyes flaring with shadow mana. "And soon, the whole world will know it."