Chapter 202: Allen Makes Erha the Dark Supreme
In truth, Allen had been pondering a question—how to obtain endless, inexhaustible magical power.
He had considered following in Doctor Strange's footsteps, falling into darkness and continually devouring magical creatures to ascend to a multiversal-level existence.
Reality, however, punched him square in the face.
He hadn't even found the Darkhold yet—how was he supposed to emulate that path?
Besides, Doctor Strange had genuine talent and a solid foundation to begin with. He was a bonafide Sorcerer Supreme, which is what enabled him to eventually rise to multiversal status.
"Multiversal Doctor Strange only exists in the comics. In this world, even a future version of Stephen at best would be Sorcerer Supreme level."
Moreover, Allen analyzed the various Doctor Stranges from the films—their power levels varied greatly, ranging somewhere between the Magic Crown level and Sorcerer Supreme. So, aside from the comic version, none of them had truly stepped into the realm of multiversal beings.
"The critical issue is that Dark Strange's devouring method ultimately caused the collapse of his own universe. I'm not some reckless idiot like Bat-Dude."
Of course, only Allen knew the storyline from the comics. He wasn't about to go shouting it to the world—savoring it in secret was way more satisfying.
Still, considering the possible consequences, Allen made a bold decision—to turn Erha into a multiversal-level horror.
"Awooo…"
As Erha yelped in terror, Allen engraved a soul-brand directly onto its spirit.
"Shut it, dumb dog."
Holding Erha's snout, Allen grinned smugly. "Training a multiversal-level Hellhound mage—just thinking about it gets my blood pumping."
Through the soul bond, Allen could channel spellcasting through Erha, effectively using it as a backup mana battery.
He then inscribed a dark summoning array.
Unlike regular summoning magic, this kind of summon didn't create a spiritual bond with the summoner.
Naturally, that meant you couldn't control the summoned creature in combat.
But that wasn't the point. It wasn't for direct combat anyway.
As the glowing symbols faded, a red-eyed black cat materialized from the shadows.
"A Shadow Cat. Low-tier magical creature. Erha, go devour it."
Under Allen's command, Erha looked toward the Shadow Cat and let out a string of soft, puppyish barks, but never actually made a move to attack.
"Mrow…"
"Awooo…"
In a flash, the Shadow Cat pounced on Erha, clawing at it furiously. It couldn't care less that it was a Hellhound—this was still just a puppy.
Erha let out wails of pain, completely incapable of fighting back.
Smack!
Allen forcefully reactivated the summoning array in reverse.
A powerful suction pulled the Shadow Cat back to its original realm.
Looking at Erha's blood-scratched forehead, Allen wore a face of bitter disappointment. "You're supposed to be the gatekeeper of Hell, and you got wrecked by a house cat? You're a disgrace to Hellhounds everywhere."
"Woof woof woof…"
Erha's personality was pure: submissive to outsiders, but full of fire at home.
"Starting now, I'm putting you through devil-style training. You will become the Sorcerer Supreme among Hellhounds—something your entire race can be proud of."
Allen asked seriously, "Do you have the guts for it?"
"Woof woof woof…"
"Good. You're already getting into the spirit."
Allen was quite satisfied with the pup's excited barking.
If you could understand Hellhound-speak, though, you'd know it was cursing him out big time.
Why didn't Allen help Erha earlier? Simply put—he was bored.
By dawn.
Outside the silent castle, puppyish barking echoed across the grounds.
Allen prodded Erha's rear with a stick to keep it running nonstop.
The sleepy-eyed women watched the man-and-dog duo's morning training with a growing sense of despair.
"How bored does he have to be? Ignoring a whole group of women just to torment a puppy? Is he even a man?"
"No kidding. I even brought out my best silk lace lingerie, and he just asked if he could borrow it. I thought, 'Finally, this idiot's getting it.' But then he says he wants to catch fish with it—as a damn net! Son of a bitch!"
"You think that's bad? I pretended to need help with a spell just to get close to him, and he pulled me into a full-blown training session. Didn't let me stop until I actually mastered it. That bastard made me train the whole night!"
"So what happened after that?"
"I fell asleep standing up. When I woke up, he was already back in bed snoring—didn't even touch me!"
"…"
The women all started airing their grievances about Allen's cold indifference.
Basically, all of them had hit a dead end—completely shut down. Interest was fading fast.
Three days later, Erha's muscles had clearly thickened.
It wasn't just physical training. Allen also concocted various potions to support Erha's rapid development.
Woof…
With a soft bark, Erha spat out a small puff of hellfire, which hit a wooden stake five meters away—though it only left a faint scorch mark on the surface.
"Erha, you've awakened your racial talent. The future looks bright," Allen praised.
"Woof!"
Erha's gaze was defiant and carried a hint of killing intent, yet still maintained a noble, almost ethereal aura.
It was also much more obedient toward Allen now, likely because of the nonstop training.
Ten-kilometer sprints every morning, upright walking drills at noon, handstand exercises at night—until total exhaustion. Otherwise, there was always the chili-soaked stick to the rear.
That wasn't something you wanted to experience twice.
Hands behind his back, Allen stood solemnly. "Now, I shall witness your progress."
He stomped his right foot—activating the summoning array.
Moments later, the Shadow Cat appeared once more.
Seeing its old enemy, Erha no longer trembled with fear—it struck first with a surprise attack.
Mrow!
Woof!
In the next moment, cat and dog were locked in battle, tumbling across the ground in a wild flurry.
Fur flew like snowflakes in a storm—neither side gaining the upper hand.
Boom!
A sneak attack—hellfire struck the Shadow Cat dead-on, leaving it sprawled on the ground, barely clinging to life.
Even the smallest hellfire wasn't something a low-tier magical creature could endure.
Awooo…
Standing atop its wounded foe, Erha howled triumphantly.
Dark light flared from its eyes, ears, mouth, and nose as the Shadow Cat let out a final cry—its body twisted and was devoured completely.
Allen had already inscribed a devouring rune in Erha's soul, allowing it to absorb other magical beings seamlessly.
Once the process ended, Erha seemed to grow just the tiniest bit larger.
"Dumb mutt, time to go home and rest."
Even if he was forcing growth, it still needed time to stabilize. Besides, with Erha's limited intelligence, no matter how many creatures it devoured, it likely had no clue how much power it had actually gained.
All Allen could do was hope that once it reached maturity, it might be able to explore its potential on its own.
…
Since Allen's disappearance, the Ancient One had returned to Kamar-Taj and thrown herself fully into cultivation.
Agatha, under pressure from her mother, was forced to return to her family.
With no one left to protect, Geralt had returned to the Wolf School fortress.
During this period, only a few veteran sorcerers remained at Kamar-Taj. The rest had gone out searching for Allen.
Unfortunately, there had been no progress.
One day, a veteran returned severely wounded. The rest of the mages followed soon after.
A heavy atmosphere settled over Kamar-Taj.
Strange and powerful mages from unknown origins started appearing, seemingly discussing something of great importance.
Until one day, a beam of white light descended from the heavens—and with it came a book, sent from a higher dimension.
It was none other than the Book of the Vishanti.