Transmigrated with my corruption system

Barely a few seconds after the flashes of destructive lightning struck true, hundreds upon hundreds of figures in the coalition army were killed.

They were reduced to charred ashes that scattered on the wind. A deafening silence fell, followed by screams of panic as utter chaos erupted.

***

"Wait... no! What is Lord Thunderblade doing?!"

"We’re on the same side as you!"

"You’re striking the wrong side..."

"I don’t think he’s stopping... he’s about to attack again..."

"Everybody run... Thunderblade has gone mad!"

"No... I don’t think it’s him. Something doesn’t feel right."

"Why is his lightning suddenly black like the Greyson lord’s darkness?"

"What are you leading to...?"

"You don’t think he’s been corrupted... do you?"

"It’s the only feasible option."

"But that’s impossible."

***

While the murmurs and screams interlaced, they did nothing to stop the figure in the distance.

His arm rose into the air once more. The clouds churned in the sky, stretching for thousands of meters as the lightning flashing through them thickened terrifyingly.

When it dropped, another wave of abyssal lightning crashed down in an overwhelming manner.

This time it instantly wiped out thousands of figures from the coalition army, leaving behind a horrendous sight.

The once-strong army of tens of thousands was nearly cut in half in mere seconds, invoking terror in all who witnessed it.

***

"This... I don’t understand," Aelira muttered, her eyes fluttering rapidly as she stared at the shadowy figure in the distance.

The moment she saw it, she could feel a strange connection to it. Was it linked to Ulric? Her eyes widened with every racing thought. Was that why the lightning moved as if it had a mind of its own, only laying waste to the coalition? It was all too stupendous. Her breath hitched slightly before she inhaled heavily.

The rest of the Greysons were just as dumbfounded. What they had thought would be their ruin had turned into their salvation.

And even more, they couldn’t help but gulp audibly as they sensed the catastrophic power oozing from each attack.

***

In one edge of the battlefield, a youth in a battered robe stood clutching a bow in his arms. He stared at the waves of destruction unfolding before him as a faint sigh parted from his lips.

He could see the figure in the distance was the foe Ulric had been fighting moments earlier. And yet somehow he was now fighting for them. He didn’t know how, but he knew the lord was tied to it.

The thought caused him to smile wryly, looking down at his arms lined with multiple injuries from fighting mere F-rank beings.

He could still remember the dungeon visit into the Wolf Den Dungeon, where he had first witnessed Ulric’s might on full display. In that moment, he had known his future would be laced with monstrous achievements.

Yet each day, Ulric kept exceeding his and everyone else’s expectations, accomplishing feats they hadn’t even thought possible. Now this was just another one of them. Kaeden breathed.

***

At another edge of the battlefield, an adorable girl clutching a huge battle shield stood.

A look of awe filled her eyes, mixed with a burst of realization. For a while, she had looked up to the black-robed youth and even dreamed of one day earning the spot to stand beside him.

But with every passing day, those dreams proved more and more elusive. And now this... this just pushed them beyond an impossible threshold. Looking back, her lips twitched faintly as a sigh parted from her lips.

Perhaps some people weren’t meant to stand beside others, they were only meant to be looked up to.

The thought caused her fingers to clench tightly, almost as if sealing that realization.

***

At another edge of the battlefield, Alaric’s brows furrowed. His eyes narrowed even further as he muttered beneath his breath.

"A phantom? No... that’s not it... is it a clone? ...Not that either..."

One could only form clones of themselves, not others... unless they had very advanced techniques, which were extremely rare across the Jade Kingdom, let alone Tempest City.

The more he looked, the more chaotic his thoughts became. Looking closely, the figure in the distance resembled Thunderblade to an extent... but there wasn’t a single shard of life force in him. Yet the aura exuding from it was undeniable.

A little below average for C-rank beings, but for D-ranks and everyone below, it was more than enough to deal with them.

"What did you do, you little brat?" Alaric huffed, rubbing the white stubble under his chin. What was most apparent about the figure was the waves of pure dark energy reeking from it.

Had his darkness reached a peak that allowed him to control others? The thought caused Alaric to freeze for a moment as he took in a cold breath of air. If that was truly the case, then it seemed he had underestimated the youth’s potential even after everything.

Terrifying... just too terrifying. Alaric mused, sinking deeper into his thoughts.

***

At yet another edge of the battlefield, Lyra and Amber blinked rapidly, staring at the figure in the distance as slow smiles curved across their faces.

If they had been uncertain before, the sight unfolding before them erased all doubt.

Thunderblade’s figure in the distance was just like Shadow Puff, but a vastly upgraded version. As they saw the level of destruction he unleashed in a few moves...

Barely a moment after the thought settled, they rushed forward, drawing the attention of the crowd below—including the Sisters of Death, who had been protecting them from all E-rank threats from the shadows. Their eyes widened as multiple thoughts raced through their heads.

Even though the figure in the distance seemed to be on their side, that could change at any time. They didn’t know the reason behind his actions. And if it did change and he killed both of them...

The thought alone sent shudders down their spines, imagining how they would face Ulric afterward.

It was already bad enough the last time when Amber was gravely injured. They couldn’t risk both of them getting killed.

Only it was far too late for them to react. But just as the light almost dimmed from their eyes, their brows furrowed in confusion.

Any opposing figure from the coalition army that tried to approach them was obliterated by the dark lightning. Almost as if it was continuously protecting them. Or was it? It seemed more and more like that the further they progressed.

Causing their confusion to deepen. Aelira even more so. In the brief time she had known Amber and Lyra, she hadn’t attributed any suicidal tendencies toward them, which made all the sudden events surprising.

What were they doing? She didn’t have to wonder for long as she and the crowd below watched them approaching the shadowed form.

And when they came close enough, their thoughts were fully confirmed. Thunderblade’s figure, if he could even be called that anymore was just an advanced version of Shadow Puff.

He didn’t even look human anymore, resembling more of a shadow soldier. His body was encapsulated by a film of darkness that extended to form an armor of darkness, with lightning crackling around it in a menacing display.

Where his purple eyes had once been, two orbs of darkness lit up in a resplendent manner.

"Woah," Lyra gasped, done appraising him. Just as lifelike as before. She had assumed this power only worked on beasts, but couldn’t help but be amazed at how wrong she was.

Amber was even more stunned. She could sense no flicker of life force in the figure. But the power oozing from it was undeniable.

Still, just like before, the aura it exuded had no harmful effect on them. If anything, it wrapped around them protectively.

Noting all this, a mischievous smile spread across Lyra’s face as she walked up to it. The last time, Shadow Puff had been responsive to some of their orders.

Was the figure before them the same? Itching to test it, she pointed to the distance toward a group of E-ranks who were frozen by the overwhelming aura pressing down on them.

"They were mean to us and tried to kill us." If it weren’t for the Sisters of Death’s persistent efforts, they might have succeeded.

Barely a moment after the words left her lips...

Thunderblade’s shadowy gaze tilted. He clenched his fingers. Instantly, the thunder rumbling in the sky grew far louder than ever before, then suddenly vanished.

"Huh?" Lyra and Amber mumbled simultaneously. For a moment they thought he would attack them. Did he only follow Ulric’s orders?

Before the thought could fully form, a series of explosions echoed in the distance. Tilting their gazes, their eyes widened.

They watched all the E-ranks in the group they had gestured at fall headless. Their heads mysteriously exploded into bits.

Not given a chance to stare in wonder, a guttural yell tore from the distance. Kaelgor, finally fed up, rushed forward. His figure blurred before everyone’s eyes as he moved to attack Thunderblade’s shadowy form.

But just as he closed within ten meters, his charge was easily stopped by a lightning strike, sending him flying back before he rolled across the ground.

Gravely injured in a single strike, he stared at the looming figure. He could already tell death was inevitable. Still, multiple questions raged in the back of his mind. He asked one, a glint of genuine curiosity flashing across his eyes.

"Why... why do you go against us?" They had a plan. Matter of fact, he had forced them into this. Why did he suddenly change and side with the Greysons instead?

A moment of silence passed. Before everyone watched the shadow of Thunderblade open his mouth, speaking for the first time since he arrived.

"Because... it is... the will of the... Dark Lord."

As the words echoed across the battlefield, a sea of lightning crashed down, obliterating Kaelgor into ashes.