Chapter 160
Beyond the ominously flickering darkness of destruction, she could see the face of the boy she had been watching just moments ago.
‘…How did he find me?’
It was because the security had been drastically reinforced.
No matter how skilled Idrinne was, she couldn’t maintain her devil’s authority throughout the entire infiltration, and during the brief moment she let her guard down, she had been exposed.
“What are you supposed to be?”
“……”
“Well, I can hear the full story after I take you down. Just so you know, we have troops stationed outside as well, so don’t even think about trying to escape.”
“Wait, I didn’t come here to fight…!”
Flash!
The black steel energy flew at her once again.
Its destructive force was unbelievable for someone who had just reached the 5-star level.
Idrinne instinctively moved to counter but held herself back.
‘I mustn’t fight.’
Even if they fought, she wouldn’t lose.
There was only one reason she had boldly infiltrated enemy territory alone.
It was because she was confident she could protect herself no matter what happened.
Her real concern was the opposite.
‘Even for me, subduing Christhian without injuring him is difficult.’
The moment they crossed paths, she understood.
Just how exceptional Christhian was.
As a Trueblood of the vampire race—one of the higher species—Idrinne’s instincts were incomparably sharper than those of humans.
As she looked into Christhian’s black-red eyes, cold and sunken, a chilling sense of danger spread through her.
She was sure of it.
Christhian wasn’t someone whose strength could be measured by mere star rank.
She didn’t have the confidence to subdue him quietly.
‘It would be impossible without killing or seriously injuring him.’
Idrinne bit her lip and lowered her hand.
Christhian’s sword stopped right in front of her.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
“I do not wish to fight you.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“I’m not your enemy. I came because I have something to tell you.”
Chris tilted his head.
“You’re a strange one. Who are you?”
“I’m a messenger from the Bloodsword Demonic House.”
“A messenger from the Bloodsword Demonic House? That’s hard to believe. Do you have any proof?”
“That is… here, look.”
Idrinne pulled back the hood that had been covering her face.
As Christhian saw her blood-red hair and violet eyes, his gaze grew colder.
‘She really is a Trueblood of the Bloodsword Demonic House.’
However, since the devil had altered Idrinne’s appearance, he couldn’t identify her true identity.
“What’s your name?”
“…Ria de Wolfman.”
Idrinne gave a different name.
It was the name of a close cousin from her bloodline.
“I’ve heard that name before. She’s known as a high-ranking Trueblood among the leadership of the Bloodsword Demonic House. So, what business brings you here?”
“I bring urgent information. It concerns the Anax faction of our Demon Emperor’s Castle.”
“The Anax faction?”
Chris recognized the name.
They were the dominant power within the Demon Emperor’s Castle.
In his previous life, the Blood-Drenched Demon King Idrinne had belonged to that faction.
‘Idrinne was originally part of the opposition but defected to the Anax faction later, if I recall.’
“What kind of information is it?”
“The Anax faction is planning to cause a horrifying incident here very soon.”
“!!”
Chris’s eyes hardened.
He instinctively sensed that this information was connected to the death of Marquis Shupen.
As expected.
“The Anax faction is sending an assassin. Their targets are Marquis Shupen and Prince Christhian—you.”
“…And why should I believe you?”
Chris asked coldly, masking his surprise.
There was always a possibility that this was disinformation meant to confuse him.
“More importantly, I don’t understand why you would even want to share such information. Your Bloodsword House is a sworn enemy of our Dark Demonic House.”
“Though we are enemies, the fall of the Dark Demonic House would not benefit the Bloodsword Demonic House either.”
Idrinne replied in a firm tone.
“Our Bloodsword Demonic House hopes that the Dark Demonic House will continue to keep the Wraiths and Curses in check from the outside.”
It was a convincing reason.
Above all, Chris did not feel as if she were lying.
Her demeanor was upright, far removed from schemes and deceit.
Deciding it was worth hearing her out, he asked:
“Aren’t you underestimating the Dark Demonic House a bit too much? Especially since His Excellency Marquis Shupen is a top-class 7-star demon. Do you truly think mere assassins could defeat him?”
“Of course, I know that Marquis Shupen, commander of the Dark Demon Army, is formidable. But the assassin sent by the Anax faction is no ordinary killer.”
“…Explain properly.”
Idrinne’s eyes sank heavily.
At last—
The identity of ‘them’ spilled from her lips.
Even in the central capital where the Demon Emperor resided, they were called “Calamities” and treated as pariahs.
“The Arcane Demonic House.”
“…What?”
Chris’s eyes stiffened.
And rightfully so.
“A monster from the Arcane Demonic House, the number one in sorcery, will descend.”
* * *
The Magus Empire is divided into the central realm ruled by the Demon Emperor, and four vassal states across the north, south, east, and west.
The ones who rule over the four vassal states are the twelve prestigious Sorcery Houses.
Each vassal state has three such noble houses.
In the South: Dark, Venomous, Destruction.
In the East: Bloodsword, Curse, Wraith.
In the West: Beasts, Ghostblade, Illusion.
In the North: Demon Forge, Obsidian, Arcane.
These twelve great Houses have competed endlessly throughout the history of the Magus Empire, constantly shifting in power.
At present, the five most powerful Houses are considered to be: Destruction, Curse, Obsidian, Wraith, and Arcane.
This ranking has always changed with time.
There was a time when the Dark House stood at the very top, and even the Wraith House, now hailed as one of the apex clans, was once considered the weakest.
But there has always been one House that never changed, no matter the era.
The Arcane House.
From the beginning of the Magus Empire to the present day, the Arcane House has never relinquished its position as the strongest.
“You may not know this, but the Arcane House is unlike the others. Even the Wraith House, counted among the apex clans, is no match for the Arcane.”
The term "apex clan" refers to Houses whose military strength is overwhelmingly superior to the rest.
In the current era, the Wraith House and the Arcane House are considered to be such.
But Chris already knew.
No, anyone with knowledge already knew.
Even the mighty Wraith House could not compare to the Arcane House.
“I’m guessing the young lord doesn’t know much about the Arcane House. It's a clan completely shrouded in mystery.”
True to its name, the Arcane House was a family of thorough recluses.
No one knew what they pursued, or even what their true identity was.
“Because of the heavy veil of secrecy, there are many who dismiss their power as just fanciful legends, but their strength is real.”
“I know.”
Chris answered in a firm tone.
“I know exactly what kind of goddamned bastards they are.”
At the venomous tone of his voice, the girl in front of him showed a puzzled expression, but he had no room in his heart to care.
Chris clenched his teeth inwardly.
‘The Arcane House… goddamn monsters I’ll grind to dust.’
Here’s a question.
Why couldn’t the Union stop the Magus Empire?
No matter how powerful the Magus Empire was, or how rotten the Union had become internally, its collapse had been far too swift and meaningless.
In fact, during the First Great War, the Union had held its ground against the Magus Empire reasonably well.
They had suffered immeasurable losses, but they had managed to hold the line.
But in the Second Great War that followed, everything was different.
There was only one reason.
The Arcane House had entered the war.
In the face of their overwhelming power, the Union crumbled completely.
‘At first, everyone doubted their eyes.’
Their strength was so unreal, it felt otherworldly.
And there was a reason for that.
A secret that, as of now, only the highest ranks of the Magus Empire are aware of.
The Arcane House was a clan of devil-worshippers.
‘More precisely, it’s closer to a religious cult than a family. One that worships devils.’
They possessed such immense power because they drew their strength from devils.
‘Especially those at the top—the Apostles and the Priests—their power is horrifying. They're practically no different from the devils of Gehenna.’
At least the regular priests or lay believers are better off. They don't make direct contracts with devils.
Ordinary priests and followers only receive a portion of demonic power through the Priests who act as conduits to Gehenna.
But the true core of the Arcane House—the Apostles, Priests, and high-ranking Clerics—were different.
Unlike other devil contractors, they didn’t offer their souls in exchange for power, but out of pure, unwavering devotion to serve the devils.
As a result, not only did they receive tremendous power, they also underwent a transformation—becoming beings like the demonkin that served the devils.
They became half-demonkin.
‘What’s worse is that those lunatic fanatics genuinely wish for the end of the world.’
In his previous life, the Arcane House had joined hands with the Blood-Drenched Demon King and triggered Ragnarok.
That was precisely why Chris had to become the strongest Demon King.
The ordinary power of a Demon King wouldn’t suffice.
Only an absolutely powerful Demon King could stand against the Arcane House.
And now, those dreadful bastards were targeting both the Marquis of Shupen and him?
‘This is troublesome.’
It wasn’t something he could run away from.
He had to find a way to confront them.
‘Against the Arcane House, the Dark Ghost Unit won’t be of much help.’
The Dark Ghost Unit was specialized for large-scale conflict.
Against enemies wielding this kind of power, they’d be nothing more than sacrificial fodder.
‘We’ll have to lay a trap and confront them with a small, elite force.’
The problem was the level of danger.
In his past life, Marquis Shupen, a 7-star-level High Demon, had been killed.
That meant the Arcane House was deploying a monstrous entity.
Simply laying a trap wouldn’t be enough.
“By any chance, do you know who from the Arcane House is the assassin?”
He didn’t expect much.
But then—
“While spying on the Anax faction, I did hear the name ‘Patera.’ However, I’m not sure if it refers to someone from the Arcane House or what the exact meaning is.”
“!!”
Chris flinched.
It was a name he knew.
‘It refers to an experimental subject offered as a sacrifice to a demon. So they’re planning to use a vessel instead of acting directly, due to their constraints.’
The Arcane House had weaknesses.
The Celestial Realm regarded them as half-aligned with Gehenna, so their freedom of movement was limited.
Especially the Apostles, Priests, and high-ranking Clerics—Arcane’s core—were heavily restricted.
‘Even in my past life, they couldn’t act directly until the boundary between the Three Realms began to collapse.’
So when they made their moves, they often relied on familiars or experimental subjects instead of acting personally.
‘Still, they can't be taken lightly. Especially this "Patera."’
It was an ancient term meaning “vessel.”
As the name suggested, it was a living tool used to channel the power of a Gehenna devil.
A disposable, one-time-use medium. Though its power couldn’t be sustained long, it could manifest a demon’s strength for a brief instant—making it all the more dangerous.
Now it made sense why Marquis Shupen had met such a sudden, brutal end in his past life.
Facing it head-on would obviously be a foolish move.
“…Yes. Thanks for sharing this valuable information.”
Chris spoke with genuine gratitude.
Had he not received this intel, he wouldn’t have been able to prepare properly.
“If it was of help, there’s something I’d like to ask in return.”