Chapter 244
‘Originally, the Vice-Patriarch could only form about a hundred vipers.’
This meant that Marquis Goras’s power was now incomparably greater than before.
But a question remained.
‘But compared to the increased number of vipers, the stability of his Verdure doesn’t seem much different from before. Why?’
A Dominion is, true to its name, the domination of the surrounding area according to one’s will.
Within their Dominion, the caster can exert power as if they were an absolute being.
In other words, in the case of Marquis Goras’s ‘Verdure of the Serpent’s Venom,’ the truly important part wasn’t the number of vipers, but the ‘Verdure’ that served as the foundation.
‘But the controlling power of the Verdure actually seems weaker than before?’
It was incomprehensible.
In that moment, the letter Chris had left for him flashed through Duke Huam’s mind.
-Do not be afraid of what you see on the surface.
Duke Huam frowned, then drew upon his power and unleashed his own Dominion to counter.
Fwoooosh!!
A green aura spread out, much like the Verdure of the Serpent’s Venom.
However, although it was the same color, it had a different feel.
If Marquis Goras’s green felt murky and contaminated, Duke Huam’s green held a sharpness, like the edge of a blade.
It was Duke Huam’s Dominion, the ‘Full Bloom of Poison Swords’.
“A clash of Dominions!”
“I wonder whose Dominion will gain the upper hand?”
If a battle between 5 to 6-Star wielders was a contest of will, and a battle between the 7-Star Dominant-class was a contest of laws, then a battle at the 8-Star absolute realm was a contest of Dominions.
The stronger Dominion would suppress the opponent’s and seize the advantage.
“The Patriarch’s Dominion is overwhelmingly inferior.”
“It’ll collapse in no time.”
While Marquis Goras’s Dominion overwhelmed the entire dueling grounds, Duke Huam’s merely flickered weakly around him.
Like a faint candlelight surrounded by darkness.
But as time passed, an unexpected scene began to unfold.
Duke Huam’s Dominion, which looked like it could be extinguished at any moment, slowly began to push back against Marquis Goras’s.
As if oil had suddenly been poured onto the candle’s flame.
“What is it?”
“How?”
It was extremely rare for a clash of Dominions to be overturned once superiority had been established.
“It’s useless to struggle.”
At Marquis Goras’s gesture, the vipers delved into Duke Huam’s Dominion.
But then, another anomaly occurred.
Flash.
Poison swords bloomed from within Duke Huam’s green domain and severed the vipers’ heads!
Surprise filled the eyes of all who were watching, and Duke Huam spoke in a meaningful tone.
“I had my suspicions, Vice-Patriarch, but your Dominion is not perfect.”
“!!”
An unbelievable statement.
But it was the truth.
‘What Grand Duke Christian wrote in his letter was true.’
-Focus your attacks on the flaws in his Dominion.
A Dominion brings the surrounding world under one’s feet.
The more perfect the domination, the fewer the gaps—the flaws—but Marquis Goras’s Dominion was incomprehensibly full of holes.
‘Now that I’m facing it directly, I can tell. Unlike how it looked from the outside, it feels immature.’
For a magus at the mid-8-Star level to be unskilled with their Dominion?
It was incomprehensible.
Duke Huam pressed the advantage. His green poison swords persistently stabbed, pierced, and tore through the flaws in Marquis Goras’s Dominion.
The murky green domain wavered and was pushed back.
“What?”
“How is this happening?”
The poison wielders murmured in surprised tones.
Contrary to their expectations, Duke Huam was overwhelming him!
“How can this be, Vice-Patriarch?”
Duke Huam said in a hard tone.
“Don’t tell me you really borrowed power from a Devil?”
“!!”
Gasps of shock spread through the arena.
But Duke Huam was serious.
‘Otherwise, there’s no way his Dominion would be this sloppy.’
It felt as if he were merely mimicking a Dominion with borrowed power.
“…I did not make a contract with a Devil.”
“Then what is this?”
Marquis Goras didn’t answer.
Just then, the ominous voice echoed in his ear again.
-Accept… my power.
‘Is that really the only way?’
Marquis Goras’s gaze darkened.
A long time ago.
Originally, Goras was the heir who was supposed to lead the Venomous Demonic House.
But he hit a wall, and in the end, the Patriarch’s throne went to his younger brother, Huam.
As he was spending his days in despair, a certain figure approached him.
-What a pitiful child. I shall bestow a blessing upon you.
It was the Demon King of Azure Flow.
She had arranged for him to make a contract with a ‘great being’.
-You ask what this being’s identity is? It is not a Devil. But it is a being no less powerful than one.
The Demon King of Azure Flow smiled.
-This being’s name is Jinok. It is an existence like the very root of your Venomous Demonic House.
Marquis Goras made a contract with Jinok, and after that, he grew at an exponential rate.
But it was not proper growth.
It was like using someone else’s borrowed power.
The reason why, despite reaching the mid-8-Star level, he didn’t challenge Duke Huam head-on like a true magus and instead resorted to various schemes from the shadows, was because of this flaw in his power.
But all of those schemes came to nothing. It was because of Christian.
During the recent Poison-Dark conflict, Marquis Goras suffered a huge political blow because of Christian, and his plan to drive out Duke Huam through political pressure had become virtually impossible.
-Accept more of Jinok’s power. Then you will be able to overwhelm Duke Huam with force.
He had no choice but to follow the Demon King of Azure Flow’s advice, but it wasn’t enough.
Now, he had to choose. Whether to admit defeat and withdraw, or to make the final choice.
The voice of ‘Jinok’ was heard.
-You only need to say one thing. That you will entrust your everything to me. Then, I will personally fulfill all your long-cherished desires for you.
A temptation like that of a Devil.
‘Jinok’ was not a Devil. But it was a being no different from one.
Knowing that full well, Marquis Goras had been constantly vigilant not to cross the line, even while borrowing its power.
But like all foolish people in the world, Marquis Goras could not resist the temptation.
“…Very well.”
Marquis Goras bit his lip hard.
“I will entrust my everything to you.”
-Kekeke. Good.
Marquis Goras’s eyes widened.
The form of a serpent had suddenly appeared in mid-air.
A hazy form, like mist. It was a serpent made of spiritual energy.
‘…Is this what Jinok looks like?’
It was the first time that even Marquis Goras had seen Jinok’s true form.
However, perhaps because it was a spiritual body, it seemed that only Marquis Goras, the contractor, could see Jinok’s form.
But then, Jinok did something incomprehensible. It just stared intently at Marquis Goras with its horrifying, slit green eyes.
“…What are you doing? Hurry up and give me your power.”
-Kekeke, power? Very well. But I doubt it will be in the form you desire.
“What did you say?”
The moment a horrifying, ominous feeling brushed against Marquis Goras’s spine, something terrible happened.
Jinok’s mouth opened wide, and it swallowed Marquis Goras’s head whole!
“!!”
To be precise, it had swallowed his soul.
Marquis Goras couldn’t resist at all, and his soul was extinguished just like that.
-How foolish. Still, as promised, I will fulfill your long-cherished desire.
The spiritual body of the green serpent, Jinok, entered the now-soulless body of Marquis Goras.
-If I drench the Venomous Demonic House in blood, your desire will be fulfilled as well, won’t it?
Marquis Goras’s eyes changed to a murky green.
“…What?”
“Your Lordship?”
As Marquis Goras’s aura changed abruptly, the poison wielders of the Venomous Demonic House wore puzzled expressions.
“…You’re not the Vice-Patriarch. Don’t tell me, are you a Devil?”
Duke Huam spoke in a wary tone.
[Kekeke, a Devil? How unpleasant. I am a noble being, incomparable to the likes of you.]
A green aura rose from Marquis Goras’s body.
The complexions of everyone in the arena hardened at the immense power, as if a Devil had truly descended.
Then, Marquis Goras’s body began to mutate.
Crack, crack.
His skin split as if shedding its shell, and a serpent shimmering with green energy emerged.
The serpent’s form continued to grow, until it was finally large enough to look down upon everyone in the Venomous Demonic House.
In that instant, a single word surfaced in the minds of everyone from the Venomous Demonic House.
“Don’t tell me… the Jinok Serpent?”
It was a name that no poison wielder of the Venomous Demonic House could fail to recognize.
It was the name of the legendary divine beast that adorned the very beginning of their history.
* * *
In the distant past.
Before the Venomous Demonic House was founded, there was a fallen divine beast in this area.
It was the Jinok Serpent.
The Poison Demon King, the strongest poison wielder and a 9-Star magus of his time, fought and defeated the Jinok Serpent, establishing the Venomous Demonic House on that very spot.
However, even the Poison Demon King, a powerful 9-Star magus, could not destroy the Jinok Serpent and only succeeded in sealing it away.
The reason the Poison Demon King first established the Venomous Demonic House was to manage the Jinok Serpent’s seal for generations to come.
But as long years passed, the matter of the Jinok Serpent was forgotten by all, and now it had suddenly appeared.
‘How did the Vice-Patriarch make a contract with the Jinok Serpent? No one should have been able to approach it because of the seal.’
This was no time to leisurely speculate on the reasons.
Duke Huam quickly came to his senses and shouted.
“It’s dangerous! Everyone, get back!!”
It was too late.
The Jinok Serpent opened its mouth wide.
Gwooooh.
Toxic energy gathered in the serpent’s mouth like a swirling vortex, then shot out directly at the poison wielders of the Venomous Demonic House.
“Block it!!”
“Defensive formation!!”
“Kuaaaargh!!!”
The targeted poison wielders hastily defended themselves, but the result was horrific.
They all melted into puddles of blood.
“W-what? The power of that toxic energy?”
Duke Huam’s face turned pale.
Among the poison wielders who were just hit, there were quite a few at the 4-Star and 5-Star levels.
And yet they were killed as if they were insects being crushed.
‘Just like in the legends, it might really have the power of a 9-Star Demon King.’
Duke Huam hurriedly shouted again.
“All regular disciples, retreat at once!! Hurry!!”
This time, Duke Huam shouted towards the high-ranking poison wielders.
“Disciples of the Black Poison rank and higher, join me in forming a poison formation to stop that monster!!”
This meant poison wielders of 6-Star and above.
The high-ranking poison wielders gathered around Duke Huam and formed a defensive line.
[Kekeke. How pathetic.]
The Jinok Serpent let out an amused laugh, then spewed out its toxic energy again.
Fwoooosh!!
This time, thanks to the combined power of the strong poison wielders, including Duke Huam, the defensive formation didn’t collapse.
‘But it’s only a matter of time. We won’t be able to hold out for long.’
Duke Huam thought, his face pale.
There was only one way.
He had to take advantage of an opening while the monster was off guard and, as the strongest one here, inflict a fatal wound.
“Everyone, bind that monster’s movements!”
Fwoosh!
The high-ranking poison wielders unleashed a barrier-type poison mist.
For a moment, the Jinok Serpent’s movements were sealed, and Duke Huam unleashed his 8-Star Dominion, the Full Bloom of Poison Swords, with all his might.
The Full Bloom of Poison Swords was an authority that sharpened toxic energy to bring death to an opponent.
Duke Huam concentrated the toxic energy of his poison sword on a single point, and then concentrated it further.
An immense amount of toxic energy was contained in that one point.
‘Now!!’
The poison sword shot toward the Jinok Serpent’s neck.
Thwump!
The poison sword pierced straight through its neck, melting into its body and spreading throughout the Jinok Serpent’s system.
But.
[Kekeke, it’s useless. I am a divine beast of poison. Your poisons have no effect on me.]
“!!”
The Jinok Serpent looked down at Duke Huam, completely unfazed.
“Patriarch!! Get back!!”
ROAR!!
The Jinok Serpent’s toxic energy poured down toward Duke Huam.
“Keoheok!!”
He barely withstood it, but still coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Duke Huam’s face was painted with despair.
‘It’s no use. We can’t stop it with the power of our Venomous Demonic House.’
The Jinok Serpent's power was immense, but the real problem was the bad matchup.
As a divine beast of poison, the Jinok Serpent had an absolute resistance to poison.
To defeat the Jinok Serpent with poison, the founder of the Venomous Demonic House, the Poison Demon King, would have to return from the dead.
‘Unless… we had the legendary Heavenly Poison.’
Heavenly Poison.
A legendary level of poison from the Venomous Demonic House.
It was said that no one had obtained it since the time of the Poison Demon King.
Duke Huam asked, grasping at straws, “Have you contacted the Demon King of Azure Flow?”
When a sudden disaster occurs, they are supposed to ask the Demon King for help.
But.
“We have, but she said that since it is a matter of the Venomous Demonic House, the Venomous Demonic House should resolve it.”
“!!”
Duke Huam gritted his teeth.
If the Demon King of Azure Flow wouldn’t help, there was no way to stop that monster.
‘No. At this rate, our Venomous Demonic House will fall. I have to stop it, no matter what.’
Duke Huam steeled himself with a resolute expression.
He was prepared to strike a blow against the Jinok Serpent, even at the cost of his own life.
The other poison wielders shared the same resolve.
If they didn't stop it, the Venomous Demonic House would suffer a blow tantamount to the annihilation of their clan today.
But just because they had hardened their resolve didn’t mean the situation improved.
The poisons of the Venomous Demonic House’s wielders couldn’t damage the Jinok Serpent at all, and as time passed, the shadow of defeat grew darker.
Finally, Duke Huam said.
“Since it has come to this, there’s no other choice. I will turn my body into a Venom Bomb and strike down that monster.”
“Patriarch? You mustn’t!!”
It was a technique that released all the toxic energy gathered in one’s body in a single instant.
It was a technique of incomparable power, but the caster could not avoid death.
A final, secret art.
“There is no other way.”
In fact, in Chris’s previous life, Duke Huam had made a similar choice.
Thanks to Duke Huam’s sacrifice, the Venomous Demonic House had barely managed to avoid annihilation.
“Patriarch.”
It was the moment the poison wielders of the Venomous Demonic House were making faces of grief.
Suddenly, an unexpected voice was heard.
A voice full of leisure that didn’t fit the situation.
“My, my. It seems I’m quite late.”
“!!”
It was Christian!