Chapter 114

Even if he limited his power, who here could dare touch even the hem of Nordion’s robe?

It was, for all intents and purposes, an impossible condition.

Yet Chris had an absurd thought.

‘…That much, I think I can manage?’

A confidence that came out of nowhere.

But strangely, he truly felt like he could do it.

Why?

Because he was a genius.

‘Rather, this is an opportunity.’

A chance to leave another strong impression in Nordion’s eyes.

And also a chance to obtain what he desired.

Chris decided to gamble.

“May I propose a change to the condition?”

[What?]

“That you use 4-star demonic energy—the same level as mine. In exchange, if I win, could you grant me one more request in addition to opening the Forbidden Ground?”

[…]

Everyone around him fell silent for a moment.

They couldn’t quite process what Christian had just said.

Then, as the meaning of his insane request sank in, Count Khazar and Merian’s faces turned pale.

Nordion let out a chilling voice.

[You’ve lost your mind.]

“……”

[Blinded by arrogance just because you possess a trifling amount of talent?]

His voice was filled with genuine fury.

But Chris had anticipated that reaction.

He calmly spoke the reply he had already prepared.

“You misunderstand. I did not make that request out of conceit.”

[Then what is it?]

“First, it was out of a desire to witness your greatness more vividly. A spar with the Family Head—regardless of victory or defeat—is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a fellow magus.”

Nordion fell silent.

Though his brow was furrowed, the sharp intensity in his eyes seemed to soften ever so slightly.

[What’s the other reason?]

“Second, it was out of a desire, as your grandson, to show you a better version of myself.”

[…]

“To be honest, whether you use 2-star or 4-star power, it’ll still be too much for me to handle. So, I thought I’d rather do my best under harsher conditions. I trust you won’t kill me in this duel.”

Chris bowed his head respectfully.

“If I’ve come across as arrogant, I apologize. I sincerely ask your forgiveness for any disrespect.”

Nordion remained silent.

His brow deeply furrowed.

Merian and Count Khazar were holding their breath, nervous that something serious was about to erupt.

Nordion felt his anger begin to subside.

‘…What an impudent brat.’

His explanation had been reckless like a thunderbolt, but somehow, it didn’t come off as entirely offensive.

This duel wasn’t a fight to the death, after all.

Even in the worst-case scenario, Nordion had no intention of killing Christian.

So how could he fault him for wanting to challenge himself to the utmost as a magus?

That aside—

‘…This is the second time now. That impudent brat calling himself my grandson.’

Before this,

When he had given the chocolate-shaped activation pellet as a gift, Christian had also referred to himself as his grandson.

Strangely, it didn’t feel unpleasant.

However—

[Grandson, you say. Are you daring to consider me—your Clan Head—as a personal relative?]

“That’s absolutely not what I meant. However—”

Christian looked straight into Nordion’s eyes and spoke firmly.

“It is still true that I carry the Clan Head’s blood. And I don’t see why I should shy away from that truth or tread carefully around it.”

[!!]

A bold declaration.

Nordion let out a dry laugh.

But even that, somehow, wasn’t unpleasant.

Honestly, he even felt a faint sense of pride.

To speak so brazenly to someone whom everyone else feared.

Shouldn’t a magus have at least that much spirit?

[You sure talk a lot. I wonder if your skills are as long as your tongue.]

“……”

[I will not change the condition. I’ll use only 2-star power. Even that will be more than you can handle.]

Nordion’s gaze sank low.

[If you so much as touch my robe, I’ll open the Forbidden Ground and grant your additional request. Not that it will ever happen.]

“!!”

And so—

A duel akin to striking a boulder with an egg.

The battle with Nordion began.

* * *

It was bound to be impossible.

And that was no exaggeration.

The 8-star “Almighty” class was also known as the Realm of Absolutes.

Because they had reached the status of an Absolute.

Just as the word “Almighty” implied, 8-star Absolutes dominate their surrounding domain as their own.

They bend even the laws of nature to their will, subjugating the opponent’s will and body beneath their feet.

Thus, those who stand against 8-star Absolutes cannot even properly manifest their power.

A completely different dimension of authority from the levels below.

‘Nordion won’t use that kind of authority against me, but still…’

Chris forced the corners of his mouth into a smile.

‘He’s definitely no pushover. This is beyond what I expected.’

Up ahead—

Nordion, in the body of a small boy, was silently watching him.

He wasn’t drawing on any authority, not even his demonic energy, yet there wasn’t a single opening in his stance.

It was obvious what would happen the moment he tried to close the distance.

He would be subdued before he could even react.

[What are you standing around for? The sun’s going to set.]

Nordion spoke indifferently.

At that moment—

[If you’re not planning to move, then I will.]

“!!”

Chris instinctively twisted his body.

Crash!

The ground where Chris had been standing crumbled away.

The problem was—he had no idea what Nordion had just done.

Nordion was still standing there with a bored expression, arms crossed.

‘Destruction black magic? No, I didn’t sense any magic activation. Was it just a burst of demonic energy?’

But he couldn’t continue the thought.

Nordion launched his next attack.

[Merian, the sword.]

“…Here it is.”

[Why the sheath?]

“If you swing a real sword, Lord Patriarch, that child will die.”

[Heh.]

Nordion said nothing more and took the sheathed sword.

Then, lifting his hand over his shoulder, he casually swung it in a horizontal slash.

There was no particular sword technique involved.

It didn’t even come close to reaching him.

And yet—

“!!”

Chris instinctively jerked his head back.

In that instant, his bangs were sliced clean off.

Incredible as it was, despite the distance, Nordion’s strike had reached him.

An incomprehensible phenomenon.

Chris realized what it was.

‘He twisted the laws.’

It was the 8-star exclusive authority—Absolute Domain.

Within that domain, one could bend the laws of reality to their will.

But Chris still looked puzzled.

‘He hasn’t even deployed his domain. How did he twist the laws?’

Nordion hadn’t invoked his authority.

As promised, he was only using demonic energy equivalent to a mere 2-star level.

And yet, he was still twisting the laws to his will.

‘Don’t tell me… he infused his attack with the mysteries of the domain?’

That’s probably what it was!

To forcibly twist the laws, deploying a domain to make the world one’s own was a prerequisite.

Nordion was clearly embedding the mysteries of his domain into each and every attack, twisting the laws that way.

‘To think such a thing is possible. As expected of Nordion—one of the strongest among the 8-star Demon Lords.’

However, there was one thing he couldn’t understand.

‘Why go out of his way to use such inefficient attacks?’

Honestly, if Nordion really intended to subdue him, he wouldn’t need to resort to such high-level techniques. Even basic means would suffice.

It was as if he were showing off the power of a higher realm, like some kind of strength demonstration.

‘There’s no way… he’s just showing off for the sake of it, right?’

In that moment, a sudden realization struck Chris.

‘Could it be… he’s trying to teach me something? Using this sparring match as a pretense for instruction?’

It was possible!

After all, Nordion had always wanted to pass down teachings to him.

‘Lord Patriarch wants me to gain insight. He’s showing me the techniques of a higher realm for that purpose.’

Chris readjusted his stance.

He recalled the time Nordion had passed on his dark demonic arts.

It had been an unrelenting series of overwhelming trials, yet when he looked closely, there was always deep intent behind them.

‘This must be the same. There has to be something he’s trying to show me. I need to find the answer.’

Most likely, that answer wasn’t far off.

‘The principle of embedding domain mysteries into every strike. I have to uncover the logic behind it.’

To go straight to the point—it was a ridiculous misunderstanding.

Nordion had never once thought about any of that.

He was simply using high-level authority to crush Christian’s arrogance and remind him of his place, but Chris had come to that conclusion on his own.

‘…Look at this brat.’

Nordion furrowed his brows.

‘Is he analyzing my attacks?’

He thought it might be a mistake—but no, it wasn’t.

Chris was barely dodging while observing his attacks as if studying them.

It was absurd to the extreme.

What was even more ridiculous was that his movements were actually improving, little by little.

More precisely—his dodges were becoming more accurate.

‘…Is he reading my attacks?’

Nordion felt a tinge of bewilderment.

Considering the “type” of power he was currently unleashing, that should have been impossible.

Eventually, Nordion lowered his hand and asked,

[How are you doing that?]

“Huh?”

[You’re reading my attacks, aren’t you?]

Christian scratched his head.

“I didn’t read them. I just… felt it.”

[Felt it?]

“Yes. You’re manifesting your will to produce the effects of a domain, twisting the laws and creating the influence of domain control, aren’t you? So I detected the manifestation of your will, estimated the distortion in reality, and evaded based on that.”

[…]

Nordion fell silent.

What the hell is that brat talking about?

To go straight to the point—Chris was exactly right.

But how in the world had he figured that out?

And Christian’s insane explanation didn’t end there.

“I understand that Lord Patriarch intentionally chose this method. You were likely trying to show me the various manifestations of will, hoping to guide me toward enlightenment. But I’m still lacking. At most, I could only vaguely sense that your will was interfering directly with the material world.”

[…Be precise.]

“Well, then…”

Chris hesitated for a moment.

Using will as a form of dominion—technically, it was an impossible method.

It was only possible because Nordion had reached such a transcendent realm.

And since it wasn’t a concept that should even be feasible, defining it clearly was difficult.

“Did you perhaps embed the ‘rank’ of your existence into your will?”

[…]

“But will is simply the manifestation of intent. On its own, it shouldn’t be able to contain the rank of existence. So you must have elevated your will into a higher-dimensional authority, didn’t you?”

Nordion said nothing.

It was a silence born of shock.

He was right.

‘How does he know this?’

There’s no way he heard or saw this somewhere.

It was a method Nordion had developed entirely on his own.

And yet, after just seeing it a few times, Chris had grasped the principle.

‘…Insane.’

A vulgar word unbecoming of a noble Patriarch slipped through Nordion’s thoughts.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of Nordion’s inner turmoil, Christian bowed his head.

“Thank you for demonstrating such an unfathomably high realm. I believe Lord Patriarch is showing me the path I must walk.”

…It was an utterly baseless misunderstanding.

But Chris believed it with all his heart.