Chapter 259
‘No, there is one thing. A method worth trying.’
In the past. As the Age of Ruin neared its end, the Hero’s party found themselves facing Devils more and more often.
They had faced situations similar to this one many times.
At those times, there was a method that the Hero, Evan, used to use.
‘The problem is, can I do it?’
At the time, Evan had used that method by utilizing all sorts of blessings from the Constellations.
Moreover, Chris’s current level of achievement was incomparably lacking compared to Evan’s at that time.
It was a long shot, but.
‘I have to do it. There is no other way.’
Having made his decision, Chris spoke to Yulian.
“Sister, please use your spirit arts to cast ‘Mental Repose’ on Marquis Shupen and the Five Captains.”
“But?”
It was a spirit art that protected the mind with the pure energy of spirits. However, as the name implied, it caused a temporary loss of consciousness, forcing everyone to withdraw from the battle.
“It’s fine. Please do as I say.”
‘Since I have to use the power of Holy Radiance, it’s better if they’re all unconscious.’ Yulian nodded her head, then unfolded her spirit art.
Marquis Shupen and the Five Captains, who had been barely withstanding the Spiritual Pressure and the high-purity demonic aura of Gehenna, could not resist Yulian’s spirit art and fell unconscious.
Next, Chris looked at Lia.
“Can you swear that you will not reveal what I am about to do to anyone?”
Lia—no, Idrinne—had a puzzled expression for a moment, then nodded.
“I understand. I swear on my soul. Because we’re friends.”
“Thank you. Can you help me? It might be dangerous.”
“Of course! Are we not friends? True friends help each other by giving their all! Entrust any task to me!”
Seeing her go on about friendship even in a situation like this, Chris let out a smirk.
“Cover me.”
To use the method he was thinking of, Chris would become momentarily defenseless, so her role was extremely important.
‘That’s why Rania had thoroughly protected Evan.’
In other words, Chris had entrusted her with Rania’s role.
Seeing her determined face as she uttered another childish mumble of “Because we’re friends!”, vowing to protect him, he felt he could trust her.
‘Let’s do this.’
Chris took a deep breath and moved forward.
The Devil that had devoured Langham shot out a blast of dark power, but Idrinne stood in its way.
Leaving the defense to Idrinne, Chris focused his mind.
Fwoosh!
A brilliantly bright and radiant energy rose up.
It was the energy of Holy Radiance, Radiant Mana.
“No, you…?”
Idrinne’s eyes widened in surprise, and Chris made a rough excuse.
“I got bored of learning only demonic energy, so I learned the power of Holy Radiance as well. Be sure to keep it a secret.”
Idrinne nodded.
A magus who used the power of Holy Radiance. It was an unbelievable thing, but for some reason, she felt that if it was Christian, it might just be possible.
After all, the medicine he had used to treat her had contained a brilliant light.
The power Chris was bringing forth did not stop there.
The power of the Healing Arts, the Heavenly Poison of the Venomous Demonic House, the power of blood containing life and death that he had recently learned from her.
On top of that, although their mastery was still low, there was the red of destruction, the yellow of demonic beasts, the ashen of curses, and so on.
All sorts of powers surged around Chris.
And finally, the Dark Demonic Energy that embraced them all.
A magnificent scene, much like when Nordian had once embraced all types of darkness in a single sword strike.
‘This isn’t enough.’
Chris narrowed his eyes.
‘I have to manifest the Soul-Slaying Sword.’
It meant a sword that could directly strike the soul.
Of course, a Devil possessed a soul of an incomparable level to a mortal, so even with the Soul-Slaying Sword, it was not easy to inflict a blow.
‘But the story is different in this case. It’s not a complete spiritual body of a Devil, but a case where it has corroded Langham’s soul.’
In other words, if he could cut away Langham’s soul, which had been devoured by the Devil, he could also reverse-summon the Devil.
The problem was the difficulty of the Soul-Slaying Sword.
‘Even the Hero Evan was only barely able to mimic the Soul-Slaying Sword after he had reached high 7-Star, where he could freely interfere with the laws. And even that was by using all sorts of blessings from the Constellations.’
Chris could not yet interfere with the laws. And it went without saying that he had no blessings from the Constellations.
He had to use a different method from Evan.
‘Instead, I possess a weapon that Evan did not.’
Fwoosh!
Chris’s Dark Demonic Energy surged violently.
The various powers of Holy Radiance and darkness he held within also fluctuated.
Within the waves of that turbulent power, Chris felt his own soul being sharpened to a fine point.
‘Dark Demonic Energy is not simply a power that embraces all types of darkness.’
It was a fact he had come to realize more clearly after obtaining the Venom Source from the Venomous Demonic House.
‘It is a power that elevates the level of one’s soul.’
Next, he also drew upon the energy of the Venom Source.
If Dark Demonic Energy raised the level of the soul, the Venom Source was a power that tempered the soul.
Chris’s sharply honed soul became as hard as an unbending will.
‘I have to imbue my sword with the elevated level of my soul.’
Originally, it was an impossible task. But Chris had a way.
Fwoosh!
The Blooming Realm unfolded.
Within the infinite possibilities of the darkness, Chris recalled the Spiritual Pressure that the Devil had just shot out.
Spiritual Pressure was also, in a broad sense, an ability that weaponized the soul.
The elevated level of Chris’s soul settled into the sword, just like Spiritual Pressure.
[Krrrrrk!!]
Did it sense the crisis? The Devil-corroded Langham howled like a beast and poured out his power, but Idrinne gritted her teeth and defended against it, and Chris raised his sword.
“I’m sick of this, so just get lost now.”
Fwoosh!
Chris’s sword pierced Langham’s chest.
To be precise, it cut his soul.
The level of Chris’s soul, imbued in the sword, tore apart Langham’s corrupted soul.
Not stopping there, the Radiant Mana and Heavenly Poison that had settled into his Dark Demonic Energy dealt additional blows to Langham, and he thrashed about, letting out a piercing scream.
As Langham’s soul suffered a fatal wound, the Devil that had corroded it was forcibly reverse-summoned back to Gehenna.
However, the Devil did not retreat alone. It dragged Langham’s soul along with it to Gehenna.
Only then did Langham, having regained his sanity, cry out in terror before finally falling into Gehenna.
“Ah… no…! Please…!!”
It was nothing but a hollow cry.
Langham’s body met its complete death, and now his soul would suffer an eternity of pain in Gehenna.
And so, the long battle ended, and it was the moment Chris let out a soft sigh.
Completely unexpected individuals had been watching their fight.
The magi of the Mystic Demonic House.
And.
The Demon King of Azure Flow.
* * *
From a distant mountain range, the strange figures of the Mystic Demonic House were watching Chris through a dark magic scrying mirror and conversing.
[What do you think?]
[We cannot rule out the possibility that Grand Duke Christian is truly the one from the prophecy.]
The strange figure who appeared to be the superior spoke in a low voice.
[The level of his soul has already surpassed that of a half-demon. It matches the passage from the prophecy exactly.]
An astonishing revelation.
[What will you do?]
[For now, we must watch.]
The strange figure continued in a chilling voice.
[Because he has not yet properly ‘ripened’.]
An ominous statement.
[In the future, Grand Duke Christian will face countless adversities. Those adversities will temper him into the perfect vessel.]
The other strange figure nodded.
[For now, I will report this to the Altar.]
It was the moment he took out a crystal ball to send the information they had gathered to the Mystic Demonic House in the north.
[The connection?]
Suddenly, the faces of the two hardened.
An immense energy had enveloped them.
[What? This energy is?]
The strange figure who recognized the identity of the energy had a bewildered expression.
[We must flee at once!]
An astonishing sight.
To think that magi of the great Mystic Demonic House would be made to tremble in fear? Just who was the owner of this energy?
The strange figures from the Mystic Demonic House turned pale and tried to flee the scene, but.
The energy pressed down on them.
Splat!
It crushed them, as if they were being trampled by a giant.
Behind the horrifying scene, an unexpected figure revealed herself.
A beautiful elven woman whose entire body was pierced by chains.
It was the Demon King of Azure Flow.
The Demon King of Azure Flow glanced at the corpses of the strange figures from the Mystic Demonic House, then turned her gaze.
Toward Christian’s location.
[This has become too troublesome.]
A cold voice.
[The time has come to swat the fly.]
Fwoosh.
Her figure disappeared.
* * *
“!!”
He was just about to handle the aftermath of the battle.
Christian’s expression hardened.
He had faintly felt an immense energy.
‘What was that?’
Idrinne, who seemed to have felt something similar, also hardened her expression.
“It seems it’s not over yet.”
“……”
“But an energy like this? Who on earth could it be?”
Idrinne, who had faced all sorts of powerhouses from the Four Kings’ Castle, had almost never encountered such an immense energy before.
It was the same for Chris.
‘An energy of this level is only possible for someone in the 9-Star transcendent realm?’
At a single thought that suddenly occurred to him, Chris swallowed hard.
‘Don’t tell me? It can’t be…?’
In that moment.
A soft voice was heard from the empty air.
[It has been a long time.]
“!!”
Chris’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
It was the Demon King of Azure Flow!
‘Why is the Demon King of Azure Flow here?’
The moment he saw the cold, sunken eyes of the Demon King of Azure Flow, Chris instinctively realized the reason for her appearance.
‘She came to kill me.’
Up until now, Chris had thwarted all of the Demon King of Azure Flow’s schemes.
Therefore, it was clear that she had judged that she could no longer leave him be and had come to kill him.
‘But even so, to think she would come to strike at me herself?’
Even for a Demon King, it was an unreasonable move.
It must mean that’s how much she could not tolerate Chris.
“Greetings, Your Majesty, the great Demon King.”
[…….]
“Have you come to kill me?”
The Demon King of Azure Flow looked down at Christian with an even colder gaze, then answered curtly.
[Yes. This King shall take your life today.]
“!!”
It was a voice that showed her mind was already firmly made up.
‘Damn it, what do I do.’
Naturally, there was no chance of victory whatsoever.
Beside him, Lia showed her fighting spirit with an expression as if she were ready to face death, and Yulian was the same, but even if they combined their strength, there was no way they could be her opponent.
‘There’s no way out.’
Chris tried to start a conversation to buy some time, somehow.
“Is it because I interfered with Your Majesty’s attempts to take the Three Primordial Wells?”
[…….]
“Before I die, I will ask just one thing. Your Majesty, why do you desire the Three Primordial Wells?”
Surprisingly, the Demon King of Azure Flow opened her mouth.
[Because only the Three Primordial Wells can save my soul.]
“…Save your soul?”
[There is no need for you to know the details. Because you will die today.]
The Demon King of Azure Flow shook her head.
[I will be frank. I do not dislike you. To be honest, I think quite highly of you for not being stained by evil and showing the qualities of a true magus. If not for this situation, this King would have favored you greatly.]
“……”
[But I am sorry. I have my own circumstances.]
Woooong!
An irresistible energy descended upon Christian’s group.
An energy of a different dimension, incomparable to any powerful enemy he had faced until now.
It was truly a power worthy of the name Demon King.