Chương 46: Chapter 46: Mastery in the Shadows

The ruins of the training ground still bore the signs of Aldric's most recent exercises. Stones had been obliterated, the air still crackling with residual energy from his gravity manipulation and the sheer, overwhelming power of his upgraded One For All quirk. The intensity of the previous night's training had even left faint cracks in the walls of the palace itself. Yet, Aldric was only beginning to understand the full magnitude of his new powers.

Standing amidst the destruction, his breathing calm, Aldric let the thrill of his abilities wash over him. The feeling was intoxicating—the raw, limitless potential that came with his upgrades was almost overwhelming. His golden eyes, tinged with red, surveyed the wreckage, and a satisfied smirk curled on his lips.

"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself.

The crushed walls, the disintegrated enemies, and the ground torn asunder had all been the result of just a fraction of his power. His upgraded One For All quirk had made him a thousand times stronger than before, amplifying his strength to godlike levels. His gravity manipulation, part of the new abilities tied to his Great Divine Eyes, allowed him to bend the world to his will, and his power to obliterate matter into nothingness made it clear that no enemy could stand against him.

Aldric glanced down at his hand. With just a flick of his fingers, he had caused entire structures to crumble under their own weight. The mere thought of what he could achieve with this power stirred something deep within him. The possibilities were endless.

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A Night of Reflection

After the devastation he had wrought on the training grounds, Aldric retired to his chambers for the night. Though he could feel the weight of his new abilities coursing through his veins, there was no need to push himself further at the moment. His mind had already begun planning the next phase of his conquest—both as Lucifer, the military mastermind, and as Shadow, the silent vigilante.

As he lay in bed, his thoughts drifted to the next step. His shadow network was growing stronger, his spy network already tracking the movements of rogue mages, warlords, and ancient threats stirring from their long slumber. Soon, the world would be ripe for him to claim. But first, he would need to understand the limits of his newfound strength.

Sleep eventually claimed him, though even in his dreams, the shadows whispered, showing him visions of the future—of cities falling and empires bowing before him.

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The Day Passes

The following day, Aldric awoke with a renewed sense of purpose. He spent the morning focused on refining his abilities, carefully testing his powers to ensure that his control matched the raw strength he now possessed. It was one thing to wield great power—it was another to master it.

In the quiet of his palace, Aldric spent the day moving between the shadow-infused training grounds and his personal study. There, he poured over ancient tomes, looking for forgotten spells and techniques that would complement his arsenal of powers. With his abilities growing so rapidly, Aldric knew that he couldn't rely solely on brute strength. Knowledge would be his greatest weapon.

He summoned his shadow clones periodically, sending them to far-off regions to gather more intelligence. The world was restless, and through his network, Aldric had begun to hear rumors of ancient entities stirring in the dark corners of the world—beings with power that might one day challenge him.

He would be ready.

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The Next Sign-In

As the sun set on the horizon, Aldric felt the familiar pulse of energy within him—the time for another Sign-In had arrived.

He closed his eyes, letting the power of the system wash over him. The surge of energy flowed through his body, a routine that had become second nature to him. He could feel his connection to the system deepening, the rewards growing in significance with each passing day.

[Sign-In Successful: You have received an upgrade to your Great Divine Eyes.]

The message echoed in Aldric's mind, and with it came a rush of power directed straight to his eyes. He blinked, allowing the upgrade to settle, feeling the energy radiating behind his pupils.

[Vision Enhancement: You can now see incredibly far distances or microscopic details.]

[Arcane Sight: You can now detect hidden spells, magical traps, and arcane forces.]

Aldric's eyes opened slowly, the golden irises with their faint red tinge gleaming with newfound power. The world around him seemed to shift, its details sharpening, becoming clearer than ever before. The walls of his chamber, the stone beneath his feet—everything seemed alive with energy.

He walked to the window of his chamber and looked out over the vast landscape beyond. He focused his eyes, willing his vision to extend beyond the physical limits of sight. In an instant, the distant forests miles away came into perfect focus. He could see individual leaves swaying in the wind, the faint glimmer of mana lines running through the trees, and even a deer moving silently through the underbrush.

But that wasn't all.

With a mere shift in focus, Aldric zoomed in on the tiny details of the world around him. He could see the texture of the wood in his chamber, down to the microscopic fibers that made up the furniture. His eyes, now attuned to even the smallest details, gave him a level of perception that was beyond anything he had ever imagined.

Then, he activated his Arcane Sight.

A new layer of reality unfolded before him. The world was no longer just a physical plane of existence—it was a web of mana, spells, and hidden arcane forces. He could see the faint glow of wards and magical protections scattered throughout his palace, each one woven into the stone by skilled mages long ago.

Aldric's gaze shifted beyond his own fortress. Far to the west, in a distant village, he could see faint glimmers of magic, hidden wards placed by traveling sorcerers. Beyond that, he detected the subtle glow of a magical trap, cleverly concealed in a merchant's wagon—likely the work of a thief trying to protect their stolen goods.

The world of magic was now laid bare before him.

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A New Dimension of Power

Aldric allowed himself a moment to appreciate the full extent of his new abilities. With his Vision Enhancement, nothing could escape his gaze. Whether it was a distant enemy or a minute flaw in an object, Aldric could see it all. And with Arcane Sight, he could detect hidden spells, magical traps, and even trace the flow of arcane energy wherever he went.

These upgrades weren't just tools—they were the keys to unlocking total dominance. There would be no hiding from him, no magical trick or trap that could outwit him. Aldric could now see through every deception, every illusion, and every arcane defense.

"Perfect," he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible in the quiet room. "No one will ever see me coming."

He turned away from the window, his mind racing with the possibilities. With these new powers, he could infiltrate even the most heavily fortified strongholds. He could identify and dismantle enemy defenses before they even knew he was there. And when the time came to strike, Aldric would move with precision, armed with the knowledge of every hidden spell, trap, and secret in the world.

But tonight, he would put his powers to the test.

---

A Test of Vision

Aldric moved through the halls of his palace, his enhanced vision allowing him to see the flow of mana in every corner, the subtle shifts in the magic that protected his fortress. He passed by several rooms, each one sealed with wards that glowed faintly in his arcane sight. Nothing could escape him now—not the smallest detail, not the faintest flicker of magic.

As he reached the palace's exit, Aldric summoned a portal of shadow, stepping through the dark void that carried him miles away in an instant.

He emerged in the middle of a dense forest, far from his palace, in an area his shadow clones had reported earlier in the day. It was a well-known site where rogue mages gathered, hidden from the prying eyes of kingdoms and authorities.

Aldric closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them, allowing his Arcane Sight to take over. Immediately, he saw it—hidden magical traps scattered throughout the forest, designed to trigger on intruders. They were cleverly disguised, woven into the natural landscape, invisible to the naked eye.

But not to Aldric.

With a mere thought, he altered the gravity around the traps, crushing them into the earth without making a sound. The area was now clear for him to proceed.

"Let's see what you're hiding," Aldric muttered as he moved forward, ready to use his new powers against whatever threat awaited him.