Chapter 132
“This, this can’t be—?”
Mieck’s face turned pale as he realized what Chris was attempting.
“So you recognize it. Yeah, you’re right about what you’re thinking.”
Chris clenched his fist tightly.
At that moment, the orbs radiated a deep, dark light.
The dark energy that bloomed from the points formed a circular dome that enveloped the opponent.
It was the ultimate dark martial spell for large-scale combat—
Dark Dome.
He had learned it from Nordian before leaving.
In truth, Nordian had only passed on the incantation and told him to study it slowly, but Chris had mastered it to the point of using it in real combat in that short time.
“How can you use this technique? Isn’t this something only high-ranking Dark Demonic House members can do?”
Mieck’s face was filled with shock.
He hastily summoned his Aura Blade and tried to escape the Dark Dome—but it was too late.
Crackle.
The four points forming the dome began to flicker.
At the same time, four attacks began to manifest.
Mieck gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the onslaught.
‘That technique has a weakness.’
Although the four attacks strike simultaneously, their patterns are fixed.
That predictability exists because it’s impossible for a normal human brain to compute four separate attacks in real-time.
‘As long as I defend according to that pattern, I can hold out.’
But—
Mieck’s eyes widened.
‘It’s different?’
The dark magic being unleashed, and the method—it was nothing like what was known.
‘No way?! Is he really calculating and manifesting all four attacks in real-time?’
That was correct.
And for Chris, such a feat wasn’t even difficult.
More than anything, there was a crucial difference.
‘What’s with the power of this dark magic?’
Chris’s dark mana possessed perfect purity, making the black magic unleashed through the Dark Dome far more powerful than that of others.
‘N-No!’
An illusion obstructed Mieck’s vision. He frantically tried to dispel it, but couldn’t.
At the same time, another dark magic stormed in.
A curse.
A curse that devoured the mind, causing loss of reason, gnawed away at Mieck’s sanity as he was consumed by the illusion.
Still, he was Elder-class.
Mieck tried desperately to endure the illusion and curse, but Chris’s assault wasn’t over.
Within the dome, a burst of intense dark flame erupted.
Rather than directly aiming at Mieck, it swept through the surroundings.
Mieck’s five senses were completely paralyzed, and in that moment, like a grim reaper swinging a scythe from within the mist, the final strike descended.
Slice!
The black sword, imbued with will, severed Mieck’s leg.
“Gyaaaaaaaaah!!!”
Mieck screamed and collapsed to the ground.
It was a victory.
The arena fell into silence.
‘N-No way. A mere boy, barely in his mid-to-late teens, defeated Sir Mieck, a 5-star Elder-class?’
‘Was the Dark Demonic House's heir really this powerful?’
And it wasn’t just a victory.
It was a flawless win that seemed to mock the opponent.
Chris shrugged his shoulders and approached Mieck, who was flailing and screaming in agony.
Clang.
A cold blade was aimed at Mieck’s throat.
“S-Spare me…”
“I won’t kill you.”
In the moment a faint hope flickered in Mieck’s eyes—
Chris twisted the corner of his lips.
“You’ll suffer a far more dreadful death.”
Fwoosh!
Darkness once again rose from Chris’s hand.
A mark of darkness was engraved on Mieck’s forehead.
“W-What have you done?”
Only belatedly did the others warily question Chris’s actions.
“It’s the Mark of Binding.”
“!!”
“You all know what kind of cursed dark magic the Mark of Binding is, don’t you? From now on, this man will no longer be able to deny his crimes—he’ll speak only the truth.”
Earlier, Chris had made a condition: if he lost the duel, he would speak the truth. Mieck had agreed.
Using that promise, Chris cast dark magic to bind his actions.
“……”
The people of the Holy Nation gulped nervously.
They had finally caught the man responsible for heinous crimes, but their expressions were grim.
Was it because the method used involved the detestable magic of a dark one?
That wasn’t the only reason.
“Once he’s interrogated, the full truth behind this incident will come to light.”
The more Chris spoke, the paler some of their faces became.
“Even the names of the other vermin involved.”
“!!”
That’s right.
Could Mieck have acted alone in this matter?
Absolutely not.
Someone within the Holy Nation must have turned a blind eye, allowing this horrific slave trade to occur. There were surely accomplices who indulged in the same evil.
Some of them were likely present here.
Just by looking at the pale faces, Chris could already tell who the accomplices were.
By a strange twist of fate, the faces before him bore a striking resemblance to those who had tormented him in his childhood, and it made him laugh.
“Well then, I’d say I’ve done quite a bit to help the Holy Nation.”
Chris looked at the senior officials of the Holy Nation, cowering like insects.
“Is there still anyone here who doubts the trustworthiness of us dark beings?”
* * *
There was no longer anyone opposing Chris and his group.
More precisely, the people of the Holy Nation were too overwhelmed by the aftermath of what Chris had done to even think of objecting.
Mieck had confessed everything under the effects of the dark magic, and an astonishing number of individuals were revealed to be involved.
And it wasn’t a false confession.
When they investigated based on his testimony, it all turned out to be true.
Among those implicated were some of the highest-ranking powers in the Holy Nation, throwing the entire institution into utter chaos as if a bomb had gone off inside.
In any case, dealing with the rest was the Holy Nation’s responsibility.
Chris’s party decided to head for the region plagued by the Black Death.
Naturally, Olivia would be going with them.
As they rode on horseback down the main road leading out of the capital, the people of the Holy Nation cast their gazes upon them.
However, the atmosphere was slightly different from before.
When they first arrived, it felt like stones could come flying at any moment—but now the mood was more complicated and ambiguous.
“…Word of what you’ve done has spread.”
“Hm?”
Viscount Roy whispered.
“They say the culprits didn’t just bring in slaves from outside, but also kidnapped children from within the Holy Nation. Some of those kids were freed thanks to the truth coming to light—so to them, Young Lord, you’re a savior.”
In other words—
A dark being they once hated had ended up saving them, hence those conflicted stares.
Just then, off in the distance—
A couple was looking in their direction.
In the woman’s arms was a frail child—his face was familiar.
He was one of the children Chris had rescued not long ago.
The couple couldn’t bring themselves to step forward. They simply gazed from afar, but Chris could sense what they wanted to say.
It was gratitude.
He gave a faint smile and shook his head—and in that moment, an unexpected voice spoke from behind him.
“I’m grateful, too.”
It was Olivia.
She bowed her head.
“Thanks to you, Young Lord, we were able to expose the dark side of our Holy Nation. As the heir of the Holy Nation, I offer you my formal thanks.”
Chris looked at Olivia for a moment and then replied coldly.
“There’s no need to thank me.”
“…What?”
“The Holy Nation won’t change, anyway.”
“!!”
Olivia’s expression hardened.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Let me ask you, Princess. How many do you really think will be properly punished for this incident?”
“……”
Olivia couldn’t answer.
Chris sneered.
“A few underlings will probably be executed as an example, and that’ll be the end of it. The truly vile ones won’t be punished at all. It’ll all be swept under the rug. Am I wrong?”
“T-That’s…”
Olivia tried to argue, but in the end, she couldn’t deny it.
She knew better than anyone just how deeply rotten the Holy Nation had become.
‘Truth is, this isn’t just a problem of the Holy Nation. Gold Cross… No, the entire Crusade Union is rotten.’
It was the reason the Union crumbled so helplessly during the Great War.
‘The Crusade Union isn’t actually that weak in terms of strength.’
But the real issue was the number of damned people within it.
People more demonic than actual devils.
Those who rotted the Union from within.
‘The Crusade Union must change. Only then can destruction be prevented.’
Chris planned to become the Demon King to stop the war.
But would that alone be enough?
As long as the Crusade Union remained unstable, war would break out again, no matter what.
Only by making the Union strong enough to stand against the Magus Empire could true peace be achieved.
‘This is just the beginning.’
As he resolved the current incident, Chris also intended to cut out the rot festering inside Gold Cross.
The problem was Olivia.
In order to bring change to Gold Cross, he would inevitably have to burden her—the heir to the Holy See.
It was unfortunate, but unavoidable.
As long as Olivia was the Awakener of the Sacred Blood, her fate was inseparable from the Holy Nation.
Then, Olivia murmured softly.
“…I’ll be the one to change it.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. I promised my brother I would do well.”
Olivia gripped a faded wooden carving tightly.
Chris’s gaze dimmed.
It was something he had given her as a gift in the past.
With a voice that sounded like she had returned to a more innocent time, Olivia spoke with firm resolve.
“My brother cheered me on, told me to become a good Holy Sovereign. So I will. I’ll do it, no matter what.”
“……”
Chris started to say something, but couldn’t find the words. He closed his mouth and turned his head away.
And then—
Something happened that made his heart freeze.
In the distance—
From atop a towering spire, a figure was looking down at him.
Robes embroidered with divine splendor.
A gentle expression.
In contrast, those eyes were frozen cold.
It was a face he could never forget.
Pentagel III.
A sacred saint born of the Celestial Lineage, and the great king of the Holy Nation.
…And at the same time, his father from a previous life.
“……”
Their eyes met only for a brief moment.
The Holy King looked at Chris as if glancing at an insect, then turned his back and disappeared, while Chris exhaled deeply.
“What’s wrong?”
Jupien asked with concern.
“…It’s nothing. Not a big deal.”
Chris shook his head and gave a bitter smile.
His tightly clenched fist was soaked in sweat.
…As if it could be nothing.
It was only then that Chris realized his true feelings.
He hated his “father.”
That hatred was so deep and heavy it simply sank, like a bottomless lake.
* * *
The region where the Black Death had broken out was the Binz Province within Gold Cross.
A domain ruled by the Prince of Binz.
It was a fair distance from the Holy Nation, and since there were no warp gates nearby, they had no choice but to travel on horseback.
It was a three-day journey, so they inevitably had to camp outdoors along the way.
“Princess, are you alright? How could someone so noble sleep outdoors…!”
Count Roy flustered as he spoke, but Olivia replied bluntly.
“I’m used to sleeping outdoors. I’ve traveled to all kinds of places.”
“Ah…”
Roy made an awkward face.
Come to think of it, he was the only one in the group not used to sleeping outside.
Lying down on the bare ground made his heart ache.
‘…Ugh, I want to go home.’