Chapter 120
The main estate of the Dark Demonic House.
Even within the grand mansion that flaunted the prestige of Duke Baron’s family, one room stood out as particularly large and lavish.
It was Ashid’s quarters.
“……”
A heavy silence loomed within the room.
Where once countless demonic beings had come and gone in a bustle, now not a single one came looking for Ashid.
‘Damn it, all because of that bastard Christian.’
Ashid ground his teeth.
The reason he’d ended up in such isolation was because of that trial back then.
He had shown an unsightly display and lost the favor of the demonic beings, but Ashid placed all the blame on Christian.
‘Not much time left. It’ll all be over once I cut off that bastard Christian’s head during today’s judgment duel.’
Most of the retainers who once followed him had already turned their loyalty toward Christian.
But soon, they would come to realize—
That they had made a foolish choice.
‘Christian, I’ll make sure you don’t die a clean death.’
Ashid muttered with a chilling tone.
He felt no tension whatsoever.
That bastard was 4-star.
He himself was 5-star.
He would win easily, as if toying with an insect.
Finally, the sound he had been waiting for arrived.
“Young master, it is time for the duel.”
“Alright.”
Ashid rose from his seat.
He followed the attendant down the hallway of the estate and arrived at the dueling grounds.
The arena was already packed with countless demonic beings.
A demon standing guard announced the arrival of the main participant.
“Lord Ashid has arrived!”
Swoosh—an eerie silence spread across the arena.
Ashid’s brow twitched slightly.
Normally, thunderous cheers would have followed.
But now, all he received were cold, indifferent stares.
‘You’ll all regret this.’
Ashid gave a brief nod of respect to Marquis Langham, seated high on the judgment seat, then stepped onto the dueling platform.
He then raised his sword high above his head for all to see.
A dark pillar surged upward.
As if to flaunt it, he revealed his Black Steel Aura, and the spectators stirred.
They had confirmed with their own eyes that Ashid had truly reached the Elder class.
‘He’s not just some 5-star who dabbled in Black Steel Aura—he’s the real deal, a proper Elder class.’
‘Can Lord Christian really win against that?’
The demonic beings pondered with dark expressions.
Most of those present were rooting for Christian.
During the last trial, Ashid abandoned those who had once followed him, while Christian protected even those who had been his enemies.
How could anyone not support someone so noble?
But no matter how positively they thought, the odds still looked grim.
To the point where some were even thinking this:
‘If Lord Christian ends up in a life-threatening situation, I’ll intervene, even if it means breaking the law.’
These were the ones whose lives had been saved by Christian during the trial.
Of course, interfering in a judgment duel was a serious crime.
But they had nearly died because of Ashid.
And they owed their lives to Christian—so they were willing to help him no matter what.
At that moment, a quiet voice was heard.
“Is Christian not here yet?”
Everyone jumped up in surprise.
“We greet the House Lord!”
The Elder House Lord had arrived.
Even Marquis Langham, who had been seated at the highest position, came down and knelt.
“What brings you here, House Lord?”
“Heh heh, no need to worry. This old man just came to observe.”
Nordion added a single line.
“It’s a duel involving the disciple I gained late in life—how could I not come see it?”
“!!”
Shock rippled through the arena.
The House Lord’s disciple?
Who?
For a moment, the demons looked toward Ashid.
But they quickly shook their heads.
It couldn’t be Ashid.
‘Then could it really be Lord Christian who is the House Lord’s disciple?’
‘This has never happened before!’
Many had received Nordion’s instruction.
But not a single one had ever been acknowledged as a disciple. No one had ever met Nordion’s extremely strict standards.
The demonic beings nodded, thinking Christian was more than worthy of being Nordion’s disciple.
‘Lord Christian is certainly someone who could catch the House Lord’s eye.’
‘From talent to character—he’s perfect in every way.’
Meanwhile, Ashid’s face turned red.
‘That damned bastard Christian…’
The truth was—
Ashid had once hoped, as a child, to become Nordion’s disciple.
But after just one look at Ashid’s potential, Nordion had said:
‘You’re not suited to receive my teachings.’
After that, Nordion never looked Ashid’s way again.
Perhaps it started from that moment—
The inferiority complex that had taken root in Ashid’s heart.
Ashid clenched his teeth and, in a moment of rage, said something unthinkable.
“House Lord, may I dare to make a single request?”
“What is it?”
“If I defeat Christian today, would you accept me as your disciple in his place?”
Everyone in the arena wore a look of shock.
Even for Ashid, how could he dare make such a request of the Elder House Lord?
“My child.”
“…Please speak.”
Nordion replied in a dispassionate tone—
A tone that only made his words feel even colder.
“You’re letting your ambition exceed your worth.”
“!!”
A rejection without even a moment’s hesitation.
Ashid’s face turned pale.
“More than that, I already believe the winner of this duel will be my disciple, so there’s no value in even considering your request.”
“…….”
Nordion left Ashid behind and returned to the high seat.
Ashid lowered his head in humiliation, his clenched fists trembling.
‘Damn it. Christian… I won’t let you go unpunished.’
At last, the time for the duel arrived.
But everyone wore puzzled expressions.
Christian still hadn’t appeared.
‘What is this?’
‘Why isn’t he coming?’
While such doubts spread—
“I’m late!”
Christian appeared, breathing heavily.
Everyone was startled.
Christian looked far from normal.
“My Lord? Are you all right?”
“Is that blood?”
Not a single part of his clothing was intact.
Through the torn fabric, his body was covered in gruesome wounds.
Dried blood clung to him in places.
His face was deathly pale, as if he could collapse at any moment.
It was only natural—he had just returned from battling magical beasts at the border, fought Sherad to the death, and hadn’t had a moment to rest before coming straight here.
Meanwhile, the demons who didn’t know Christian had gone to the border tilted their heads in confusion.
‘What kind of training did he go through?’
‘He does seem stronger than before…’
‘Among 4-stars… no, he's close to the high tier. He advanced again in just a month?’
Those with a keen eye realized that Christian’s level had risen another stage, and their faces turned to shock.
‘But it’s still not enough. That won’t be enough to face Ashid, who’s in the Elder class. Especially not in that exhausted state.’
Ashid, who came to a similar conclusion, gave a sly smile.
“How about it? You look exhausted. If you want, I can delay the match.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
Chris shook his head and stepped into the arena in his battered state.
“This is more than enough to deal with the likes of you.”
Ashid’s face stiffened.
“You lunatic… You’ve lost your mind and want to die.”
“You’re really noisy.”
Chris replied coldly.
“Afraid to swing your sword because you’re a fake Elder Class who got there through human sacrifice? Stop barking like those Union bastards and come at me.”
“!!”
Ashid charged toward Chris with a snarl.
A dense surge of black aura erupted.
The darkness of destruction came crashing down on Chris.
“W-What?!”
“Why isn’t he dodging?!”
The demons in the audience shouted in shock as Chris stood motionless, staring straight at the oncoming attack.
Then—
Chris raised his sword.
A black blade flared up like fire.
It was an obsidian-dark sword, so rich in demonic energy that it drew admiration for its purity.
But compared to the descending black aura above, it seemed feeble.
“Is he trying to block it? That’s reckless. He has to dodge!!”
Only another black aura could withstand a black aura.
No matter how excellent the sword, it couldn’t endure against it.
Just as everyone was expecting disaster—
Fwaaash! Kwaang!
A deafening explosion echoed through the air.
It wasn’t the sound of the black sword breaking.
It was the impact of two powerful energies colliding head-on.
The energy that didn’t dissipate spread outward in circular waves, and the audience’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“…He blocked it?”
“With a black sword… blocked a black aura?”
Chris was standing, completely unharmed.
His sword wasn’t broken, and he showed no sign of internal injury.
Ashid scowled fiercely and shouted.
“What kind of cheap trick did you pull?!”
“Cheap trick?”
“Yes! There’s no way you could’ve blocked black aura without a trick!”
Chris smirked.
“You really are blind. No wonder you only managed to crawl into Elder Class by offering up human sacrifices. No skill, no talent—just ambition.”
“!!”
Ashid, enraged, swung his sword.
As if to give Chris no time for tricks, countless strikes rained down in an instant.
A flurry of sword strikes, combining both speed and power.
It was a fierce assault worthy of someone once considered the most likely candidate for Archduke.
But once again, something unbelievable unfolded.
Chris's black sword swept away every single one of Ashid’s black aura strikes that rained down like a storm.
Without the slightest shake.
Steady and unyielding.
“Th-That’s impossible!”
“How?!”
Everyone stared in stunned disbelief at the scene.
As if they were watching an illusion that couldn’t exist in reality.
Only a few high-ranking demons realized the cause of this bizarre phenomenon.
‘The will imbued in Chris’s black sword is powerful enough to overwhelm Lord Ashid’s black aura.’
The high-ranking demons, realizing this, were even more shocked.
In the first place, you can’t infuse will into a black sword.
The fact that he’d achieved such an impossible feat was shocking enough, but to strengthen the black sword to rival a black aura?
Just how powerful a will must be embedded in that sword?
‘No… It’s not just matching it. He’s starting to overpower it!’
Ashid’s complexion was growing increasingly pale.
Each clash with Chris’s black sword was stacking internal damage within him.
A sight that defied belief, even as they witnessed it with their own eyes.
“Y-You…!!”
As Ashid grit his teeth and tried to draw out even stronger black aura—
Chris abruptly stepped in.
“Want to know why your black aura can’t overpower my black sword?”
Fwaash!
He swung his sword.
Ashid’s arm was knocked back.
He swung again, and Ashid stumbled two steps backward.
Clearly being overwhelmed.
Chris spoke with a voice full of scorn.
“Because you’re a fake Elder Class.”
“!!”
Fake.
Half true, half false.
What Ashid had achieved was real.
His black aura wasn’t fake either.
But it lacked substance.
“What kind of will did you forge, exactly?”
Chris mocked him.
If Ashid had forged a firm, resolute will—
If he had truly ascended to Elder Class properly—he wouldn’t be this pathetically overpowered.
“Or did you even establish a will at all? Besides that wretched greed of yours, what do you even have?”
Blood vessels flared in Ashid’s eyes.
“Shut your mouth!!”
Fwoooosh!!
His black aura exploded wildly.
Following that, he unleashed a secret technique of the Dark Demonic Arts.
Dark Demon Technique, Fifth Form.
Chain Black Spears.
Spear-like aura shot down from all directions toward Chris.
The sheer intensity of it made the onlookers’ eyes widen in shock.