Chapter 180

“I won’t ramble on like those Alliance bastards. We of the Demonkind believe in proving ourselves through action. So I’ll say just one thing.”

Chris’s voice echoed throughout the grand hall.

It sounded casual, yet no one dared to dismiss the overwhelming pressure contained within it.

“There’s only one goal I seek as the Grand Duke—

To restore the Dark Demonic House to its former greatness.”

“!!”

“Just as it was under our founder, the ‘Demon King of Oblivion.’”

At the name Chris invoked, everyone in the hall fell silent.

It was a name no one could forget.

The Magus Empire has a long and storied history.

Throughout that history, prestigious demonic houses had risen and fallen, repeating the cycle endlessly.

In that sense, the Dark Demonic House was relatively young.

It first emerged only three hundred years ago.

And its peak came under its founder—the Demon King of Oblivion.

He brought the House of Destruction and the Venomous Demonic House to heel beneath him. Even the Tri-Alliance of the Western Magus Nations bowed their heads before the Dark Demonic House.

The Four Demon Stars? They wouldn’t have even dared to provoke him. They stayed prostrated, never even lifting their gaze.

Such was the might of the Dark Demonic House back then that all the noble houses that submitted to it were collectively known as the “Dark Alliance.”

It was an era when the Dark Demonic House, along with the Mystic Demonic House, was considered among the pinnacle forces under heaven.

And yet, ironically, the overall military strength of the Dark Demonic House back then wasn’t particularly exceptional.

How could they have formed such a powerful force, yet not be that militarily strong?

There was a reason.

That golden age existed solely because of one man—the founder, the Demon King of Oblivion.

One man had forced countless prestigious houses to kneel.

And until the day the Demon King of Oblivion left the Dark Demonic House to become the Magus Chancellor, ranked third in the Empire, all surrounding families had no choice but to cower before the shadow of the Dark Demonic House.

‘Don’t tell me… was today’s duel…?’

‘…Was it to imitate the Demon King of Oblivion?’

The crowd swallowed hard as they stared at the young heirs of the Tri-Alliance, now utterly crushed.

The Demon King of Oblivion had absorbed over ninety percent of the Dark element.

Like Chris, his specialty was wielding every form of dark magic and martial sorcery freely, without being bound to any single attribute.

—“Darkness is the force that reigns over all magic. Thus, the Dark Demonic House is the supreme house of magic.”

That was what the Demon King of Oblivion once said.

Back then, the Dark Demonic House wasn’t some mere lineage of magic swordsmen.

It was the absolute house that ruled over all forms of darkness.

In truth, the Demon King of Oblivion had subjugated each major house—whether in destructive magic, curses, or illusions—through the overwhelming force of his dark arts.

Just like what Chris had demonstrated today.

In short, through today’s duel, Chris had declared that he would become a being akin to the Demon King of Oblivion.

“Just like when the flag of the Dark Alliance once flew proudly.”

Chris grinned, looking down over the assembly, and declared,

“The entire Magus Empire will once again witness the greatness of the Dark Demonic House.”

Thus—

A moment that would one day be remembered as the beginning of the Second Dark Alliance.

A declaration worthy of being recorded in the imperial chronicles had been made.

* * *

That day, Chris’s proclamation caused a massive stir.

It had only been 200 years since the Demon King of Oblivion became the Magus Chancellor and left the Dark Demonic House.

None of the long-standing noble houses had forgotten the terror the Demon King of Oblivion once instilled in them.

“And even now, the Demon King of Oblivion is still active…”

The Magus Chancellor—none other than the Demon King of Oblivion—was the official from the Central Government who most frequently appeared in public.

Upon reaching the 9-Star Transcendence Realm, one escapes the limits of mortal lifespan.

And the Demon King of Oblivion had reached the apex of even that 9-Star Realm. That’s why he was still alive and well.

Of course, he no longer used the title “Demon King of Oblivion” and was simply called the “Magus Chancellor” now—a sign that he had officially severed all ties with the Dark Demonic House, by order of the Demon Emperor himself. In that sense, he was no longer considered to have any direct involvement with the House.

“It’s said he’s never offered any private assistance to the Dark Demonic House either.”

He was their founder, yes—but that didn’t mean they could expect anything from him.

In fact, in the worst-case scenario, he could even become an enemy. One could only hope it wouldn’t come to that.

Nevertheless, the memories of that era still lingered like trauma for many houses. So Chris’s declaration struck a deep chord.

Particularly shocking was what Chris had shown during the duel.

To toy with opponents using each of their own specialties—that alone proved he had the potential to grow into a figure like the Demon King of Oblivion.

And beyond that, there was a strength within him that couldn’t be explained by the level of Seong (Ascendance) alone.

Several noble houses had started to take a serious interest in Christian.

But that didn’t necessarily mean it was a good thing.

“You were reckless.”

Nordian scowled.

“All you’ve done is make the other houses wary of us. Our Dark Demonic House doesn’t yet have the strength to back up such bold claims.”

For the House Leader himself to admit weakness—

It was bitter, but undeniably true.

They weren’t in a place to talk about restoring the Dark Alliance. In fact, the immediate future looked unstable.

However—

“Because we’re lacking, that’s all the more reason we can’t stay idle.”

“!!”

“Our enemies are already waiting for a chance to devour the Dark Demonic House. Whether we speak or stay silent, it doesn’t change that.”

That was the truth.

It wasn’t just the Four Demon Stars.

The House of Destruction. The neighboring Venomous Demonic House.

Even the Devil King of Blue Flow, ruler of the Southern Magus Nation—

All of them were watching the Dark Demonic House like wolves stalking prey.

“The Venomous Demonic House is at least better off, since Duke Huwam, the current House Leader, is somewhat friendly toward us…”

But the real problem was this:

Duke Huwam wasn’t the one actually holding power in the Venomous Demonic House.

It was the Deputy Lord—Marquis Goras.

He was the true authority behind the Venomous Demonic House.

“The upcoming ‘Poison-Dark Conflict’ and the horrific tragedy known as the ‘Jinnok Incident’—both are caused by Marquis Goras.”

Chris stared straight at Nordian and said firmly:

“I’m fully aware that a storm of bloodshed is about to sweep through the Magus Empire.”

“……”

“If we stay curled up and passive, we’ll just be swept away and destroyed by the coming storm. If we want to survive, we have no choice but to strike first—crush the others before they crush us.”

Nordian shut his mouth tightly.

Christian was right.

Doing nothing would lead only to ruin.

He sighed inwardly.

‘How unfortunate… that I have so little time left.’

If only Nordian had more time.

If he could serve as a shield until Christian had grown strong enough—what would there be to fear?

But Nordian didn’t even have a year remaining.

And after he was gone… would that boy truly be able to withstand the violent storm on his own?

At that moment, Christian’s jet-black pupils met Nordian’s directly.

Filled with unwavering trust.

As if to say: Don’t worry.

“Grandfather, please believe in me.”

“!!”

Nordian’s eyes trembled faintly.

Then, a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

Hearing Christian’s steady, resolute voice somehow made him laugh.

‘Come to think of it… this brat has never once failed to keep his word.’

Yes.

Looking back, Chris had always fulfilled what he promised—

No matter how difficult the task.

Even this time, although the scale of what he claimed was so grand it bordered on absurd, something about it still struck true.

“You really intend to form a new Dark Alliance?”

“Yes. Absolutely. There’s no other path for the Dark Demonic House to survive.”

Chris hadn’t just made a showy threat for dramatic effect.

The restoration of the Dark Alliance was a necessity.

‘At the very least, we have to bring the House of Destruction and the Venomous Demonic House under our banner. Only then will we be able to withstand the catastrophe that’s coming.’

Nordian slowly shook his head.

“Sure, I know you’ve done things no one thought possible until now. But… forming the Dark Alliance? You’re not the Demon King of Oblivion, you know.”

The Demon King of Oblivion had been able to form the Dark Alliance because of his overwhelming, absolute power.

“Of course I’m not the founder. But that doesn’t matter. Because I have something the founder didn’t.”

“…And what would that be?”

Chris grinned widely and answered.

“Genius.”

Nordian looked dumbfounded.

But Chris meant every word.

“Unlike the Demon King of Oblivion, I plan to build the Dark Alliance in my own way. Please, believe in me and just watch. A year from now, the banner of our Dark Demonic House will be flying above the Houses of Destruction and Venom.”

Nordian let out a soft, wheezing laugh.

To think he claimed he’d stand above Destruction and Venom in just a year.

It was absurd—so far beyond belief, it was almost comical.

But as Nordian looked at Christian’s absurd level of confidence, he couldn’t help but feel—maybe… maybe he really could pull it off.

“I won’t be around a year from now.”

“……”

“You’ve probably figured it out already. I don’t have much time left. Honestly, I should’ve died long ago.”

Chris fell silent for a moment.

‘In truth, he has even less than a year left.’

Because of the events that were about to unfold in the Dark Demonic House.

More specifically—because of Marquis Langham.

Marquis Langham would gain strength surpassing even Nordian’s through terrifying means… and then kill Nordian with his own hands.

‘But I won’t let it come to that.’

Chris already had something in mind regarding Nordian.

A plan Nordian couldn’t even begin to imagine.

‘Still, it’s too early to bring it up. Even for me, there’s no certainty it’ll succeed.’

No—in fact, it was far more likely to fail.

So Chris was preparing under the assumption that Nordian would die.

But… if everything fell into place—

If he could first obtain the power he sought: the Realm of Painted Creation—

‘Then maybe… just maybe, I could perform a miracle.’

Of course, the odds were so slim that even Chris couldn’t be sure of himself. So he simply said:

“It’s alright. Like I said earlier… just believe in me.”

“……”

Nordian chuckled again under his breath.

The situation was still bleak, but for some reason, his heart felt just a bit lighter.

“All right… do you have a concrete plan in mind?”

“To start with—I’m going to make the Venomous Demonic House kneel. I’ve received some personal intelligence that they’ve been making suspicious moves recently.”

Soon, the Southern Magus Nation would be plunged into chaos.

Disasters that would shake the entire region.

Originally, the Dark Demonic House would’ve been caught up in those upheavals and suffer devastating losses.

But Christian—he would use those very events to force the other houses to submit.

‘…Though it’s going to be a hell of a ride.’

Chris fell silent for a moment, picturing the backbreaking effort that lay ahead.

If one were to reverse-engineer his plan—it meant he would have to single-handedly resolve every one of the upheavals in the Southern Magus Nation.

It was difficult to even imagine how brutal that would be.

But it had to be done.

‘…Damn it. How the hell did I end up in this mess? When it’s all over, I’m going to live like a king. I’ll be the laziest Demon King the world has ever seen. I’ll even name myself the Demon King of Sloth, just to make a point.’

Chris shook his head to cast out the useless thoughts and brought himself back to the task at hand.

‘It all begins with the upcoming Poison-Dark Conflict.’

He planned to turn the Poison-Dark Conflict into a perfect victory for the Dark Demonic House—and use that momentum to begin forcing the Venomous Demonic House into submission.

‘By now, the first reports should be coming in.’

Right on cue—there was a knock at the door.

It was the deputy butler, Sebastian.

“Lord Nordian, I have an urgent matter to report.”

“What is it?”

Nordian frowned.

Sebastian was in charge of the main estate. He had no business coming all the way to Nordian’s private quarters unless something major had happened.

And indeed—

“A mysterious plague has suddenly broken out in the western territory.”

“!!”

“We suspect foul play by the Venomous Demonic House. I request your judgment, my lord.”

And so—

The curtain rose on the Poison-Dark Conflict, the very first of many disasters that would shake the Southern Magus Nation to its core.