Chapter 206
Beasts from Gehenna were swarming toward him.
The place he stood was the forbidden borderland of the Dark Demonic House—right at the edge of Gehenna.
Christian had thrown him in there under the pretext of "training"!
And he’d even added a condition:
Survive using only basic Destruction-class black magic against the oncoming beasts of Gehenna.
‘This is insane.’
Of course, Count Berkel could guess why Christian had set this kind of challenge.
There was only one way to fend off Gehenna’s demonic beasts with just basic Destruction black magic.
To perfectly subjugate Destruction as his own, and unleash power far beyond what the basics should allow.
It was, without question, the perfect task to push Berkel forward.
But still—he couldn’t help but curse.
‘Damn that bastard of a Grand Duke’s heir.’
As he scraped by death, he gradually began to feel his grip over the element of destruction grow stronger.
And Count Berkel thought:
Christian was an unfathomable monster—
And at the same time, a damn lunatic.
* * *
Christian gave similar instruction to the other retainers as well.
And their reactions were all the same.
They marveled at Christian—
And cursed at him in the same breath.
Because his guidance was both unbelievably effective… and horrifically cruel.
Christian drove 6-star High-Rank Magi like they were fresh conscripts in a military boot camp—merciless and without pity.
‘That bastard…’
‘Dammit. At my age, I’m being put through this kind of training?’
‘Did he actually decide to kill me just because I opposed him at the start?’
But there was no real choice but to follow.
Because as they spat curses and grudgingly obeyed…
They began to feel it.
The invisible wall that had blocked their growth—slowly, unmistakably, they were rising past it.
That was how precise Christian’s teaching was.
* * *
Meanwhile, those in the Dark Demonic House who weren’t part of this inner circle training simply tilted their heads in confusion.
The ones receiving Christian’s guidance were all senior members of the house—those who stood at its very summit.
And yet, they looked like they were suffering to death from "training."
Naturally, people couldn’t understand it.
“Why are they going through such bizarre training?”
“Did you see Count Berkel when he came out of the Forbidden Grounds? He looked half-dead.”
“It’s not just the Count. What about Viscount Hanegal? He collapsed from exhaustion after sprinting around the drill yard for three days straight.”
“Wait, isn’t Viscount Hanegal a black magic specialist? Why would Christian make a black magician do physical drills until he drops?!”
To outside eyes, it looked like Christian was just forcing pointless grunt work under the guise of “training.”
‘There’s no way that kind of weird training could actually work.’
‘This isn’t like Christian at all. Maybe he’s making a mistake this time.’
Even those who usually supported Christian were beginning to doubt him.
They didn’t speak their thoughts aloud, of course. At most, they whispered in small groups or kept their doubts private.
Only a select few were openly raising their voices in criticism.
They belonged to the faction of Marquis Langham.
“As expected. That arrogant brat’s so-called ‘instruction’ is a joke.”
“Now, now, calling him a brat… He is the Grand Duke’s heir. You should be careful with your words. Though, I must admit, his qualifications as a Grand Duke are questionable at best.”
“From the start, it was a mistake to name such an ignorant child the heir to the Dark Demonic House.”
“Exactly. Just because he achieved a few things, he’s deluded himself into thinking he’s some sort of savior. Talking about ‘Dark Alliance’ this, ‘Dark Festival’ that—he’s done nothing but stir up unnecessary trouble.”
“In the end, I just feel sorry for the poor fools who agreed to be taught by him.”
“No need to pity them. They’re fools who couldn’t even recognize who the rightful next head of the Dark Demonic House should be.”
Marquis Langham’s faction went on gleefully, ridiculing Christian and everyone who had chosen to learn under him.
Then one of the retainers made a surprising suggestion.
“This might be a good opportunity to give a taste of reality to those who don’t follow you, my lord.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“We host a Ranking Duel.”
“!!”
It was a well-known tradition—not only in the Dark Demonic House, but throughout the entire Magus Empire.
As the name implied, it was a dueling event where status and rank were determined by strength alone—perfectly in line with the Empire’s reverence for power and supremacy.
And truthfully, it was about time for the Dark Demonic House to host another Ranking Duel.
“I’ve been watching those who received Christian’s so-called ‘instruction,’ and I don’t think they’re just suffering. They’ve clearly been afflicted with Heart Demon Syndrome.”
“Heart Demon Syndrome?”
“Yes. Without a doubt. You could see it in Count Berkel and Viscount Hanegal. Their previously firm and stable foundations were visibly shaken.”
“Hah, incredible. What kind of disaster has that Christian caused this time?”
“It’s obvious. That so-called genius must’ve forced them down the wrong path, claiming he’d ‘guide them to enlightenment’ or some such nonsense.”
“This was bound to happen from the moment he arrogantly declared he’d help them ‘surpass their limits.’”
“The ones who followed him are fools too. If the guidance feels off, they should’ve just ignored it. What did they expect from some half-baked Grand Duke’s heir who doesn’t even understand his own limits? Tch.”
There’s a reason why no one dares to offer advice lightly to someone who’s reached a certain realm.
Misguided instruction can lead to Heart Demon Syndrome—
Even when the problem is the same, every person requires a unique solution, and what is a breakthrough for one can become ruin for another.
Unless you can grasp someone’s condition completely and offer precise guidance with perfect timing, you have no business opening your mouth.
“And now that the neutral faction is riddled with Heart Demon Syndrome, their combat ability must have dropped significantly.”
“Exactly. It’s the perfect chance to bring those fools to their knees for failing to recognize the Marquis’s worth.”
“And we can expose Christian’s failure to everyone in the process.”
The neutral faction had always been a thorn in the side of Marquis Langham’s camp.
And now, Christian had committed a grave error—presuming to teach, and in doing so, afflicting several high-ranking members of the house with Heart Demon Syndrome.
This could become the grounds to hold him accountable.
“Well, what do you think, my lord?”
All eyes turned toward Marquis Langham.
“…It’s not a bad idea. And it is time for a Ranking Duel anyway.”
Marquis Langham gave his command.
“Announce to the entire house—we’ll be holding a Ranking Duel.”
* * *
News of the upcoming Ranking Duel stirred the entire Dark Demonic House into a frenzy.
Since preparation time was needed, the duel was scheduled for twenty days later.
“How long has it been since the last one?”
“Three years, isn’t it?”
“So who among the five 6-star Upper Rank Magi do you think will win this time?”
There was no debate about who the strongest in the Dark Demonic House was—Nordian, without question.
Next came Marquis Langham and Marquis Shupen.
However, those three weren’t participants in the Ranking Duel.
The real highlight of the Dark Demonic House’s Ranking Duel was the clash between the 6-star Magi.
Especially, among the five who had reached the 6-star Upper Rank, the burning question was who would come out on top.
“Obviously, it’ll be either Count Khazar or Count Berkel. Count Hyunkel won’t leave his post at the barrier anyway.”
Hyunkel—head of the Five Captains, and one of the 6-star Upper Rank—was often considered just a step below Count Khazar and Count Berkel in strength.
“Aren’t there two others?”
The remaining two were affiliated with Marquis Langham’s faction:
Viscount Macfield, Marquis Langham’s most trusted subordinate.
Viscount Marek, commander of the Black Wolf Knights, another elite force of the Dark Demonic House alongside the Black Lion Knights.
But most Magi shook their heads.
“Even if they’re all 6-star Upper Rank, those two are clearly a tier below the top three.”
“Right. The difference in power is obvious.”
Then someone raised a counterpoint.
“No, it might be different this time.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve heard Count Khazar and Count Berkel aren’t in good condition. There’s a rumor they’ve fallen into Heart Demon Syndrome.”
“Heart Demon Syndrome?”
Faces across the room turned pale with shock.
Two of the strongest in the Dark Demonic House… suddenly afflicted with Heart Demon Syndrome?
“They say it’s because of Grand Duke Christian’s instruction. They pushed too far during his training and fell into it.”
“That’s… unthinkable.”
“And it’s not just them. All the retainers who received guidance from Grand Duke Christian have supposedly fallen into Heart Demon Syndrome to varying degrees.”
“Hah… I can’t believe it. What kind of insane training did he put them through?”
Everyone was bewildered.
“Then this Ranking Duel won’t be easy.”
“Right. There’s no way anyone could show their full power while suffering from Heart Demon Syndrome.”
“There’s talk that Marquis Langham deliberately called for this Ranking Duel to exploit exactly that weakness.”
“Everyone who trained under Christian is going to suffer.”
The rumor spread like wildfire across the Dark Demonic House.
But as for the retainers directly involved—the ones under Christian’s tutelage—none of them reacted to the gossip.
To be precise, they didn’t have the energy to care.
Surviving each day of Christian’s brutal training regime was all they could manage.
Who had the time or strength to care about idle rumors?
‘That damned Grand Duke…’
“That guy’s a devil. A devil.”
“Ugh… to think a boy young enough to be my grandson is treating me like this…”
Christian’s reign over his subordinates was growing more and more ruthless by the day.
It was enough to make one mutter instinctively, “What kind of bastard is this…?”
And yet—not a single one of them quit.
On the contrary, they were now shirking all their official duties, fully devoting themselves to Christian’s training.
Because they could feel it—they were changing.
“The Grand Duke is completely insane.”
The retainers chuckled bitterly as they recalled Christian’s so-called “instruction.”
The rumor that they had fallen into Heart Demon Syndrome wasn’t entirely false.
Christian’s training had shaken their foundations to the core, tearing apart the vessels they had built over the years—and all of them, to varying degrees, had suffered Heart Demon Syndrome.
But even that… had been part of Christian’s plan.
Christian had masterfully guided them through their shaken states, leading them forward even while they were lost in confusion.
“How…? How is this even possible?”
It defied belief.
Yet, as they blindly followed his insane methods, they found themselves scaling walls they once believed insurmountable.
They knew it instinctively.
The barrier they had failed to overcome for so long—they were now just steps away from breaking through it.
“That man is a truly insane monster.”
“But with him… I can do it.”
Before they even realized it, the retainers had come to hold a profound trust in Christian.
* * *
Meanwhile, Christian was also swamped with other matters.
“It’s not enough for just the senior retainers to grow stronger.”
Christian let out a quiet sigh.
“I need to bolster the strength of the lower-ranking Magi too.”
The general Magi were also a vital part of the Dark Demonic House’s military might.
But it was impossible for Christian to personally instruct all of them.
So he came up with an alternative approach.
“I’ll create new training manuals for the general Magi.”
He began to revise the basic Dark Arts and Dark Magic typically taught to low-ranking Magi.
“The current materials are way too crude.”
As expected for material aimed at low-tier Magi, the techniques were too basic—and, paradoxically, also too complicated, despite having little power.
So Christian overhauled them entirely from scratch.
He made the content much simpler and easier to grasp, while also vastly increasing their potency.
“There’s no point teaching overly complicated techniques to those who can’t even wield them properly—it’ll just backfire.”
That didn’t mean the new manuals lacked depth.
They started off easy, but as the practitioner progressed, the techniques would deepen as well—eventually reaching a level where they could even rival higher-grade Dark Arts.
“I need the 4-star and 5-star Magi to grow stronger too.”
To that end, Christian created a large number of training illusion stones tailored for educational purposes.
Unlike the custom-made illusion stones he had given to Zupien and Count Khazar, these were more general.
Their purpose was to let users indirectly experience the core insights of Dark Magic shared across the house’s techniques.
“Even a glimpse of the right path can greatly help one’s cultivation.”
Later, once he had more time, Christian planned to personally train those who showed particular promise.
“But this isn’t the end.”
Christian’s responsibilities didn’t stop at making others stronger.
“I need to become stronger too.”
That was the most critical mission of all.
After completing his daily duties, Christian carved out time for his own personal training.
“Within a month, I have to reach full mastery of the 6-star rank through the level of Sacred Radiance.”
He drew his sacred sword.
Fwoosh!
With a flash, Christian’s sword—imbued with his Will, a blade meant to destroy evil—sliced through the air.
Time blurred as he trained with relentless focus.
The Ranking Duel was now just around the corner.