Chapter 260
‘Damn it. I have to think of a way, somehow.’
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Chris’s mind.
He had planned to eventually defeat the Demon King of Azure Flow in order to establish the Dark Alliance.
He had a few methods to strike a blow against her, but they were all incomplete.
‘Still, I can’t go down like this.’
The moment his vision was growing dark from the tyranny of her overwhelming power.
Suddenly, a strange turn of events occurred.
“Stop it, Demon King.”
[!!]
Whoosh!
The pressure that had been crushing Christian vanished as if it had been washed away.
At the same time, a deep darkness surged in the surroundings.
It was a familiar darkness.
‘Reign of Darkness!’
It was Nordian’s Dominion!
He turned his gaze in surprise, and Nordian had appeared.
And not in his avatar, but in his own gaunt, withered body.
“Christian, stand back.”
“…Grandfather.”
“Hurry. I will handle this.”
Christian clenched his fists.
Nordian’s complexion was as pale as a corpse.
His body was trembling faintly, as if it were difficult to even stand properly, but was it because of his desire to protect Christian? The light in his eyes was incomparably brilliant.
“I don’t know what is going on here, Your Majesty the Demon King.”
[…Patriarch Nordian.]
“If my grandson has committed some great sin against you, Your Majesty, please tell me. As the Patriarch, this one will apologize on his behalf. However.”
Fwoosh.
A deep darkness erupted from Nordian’s body.
It was an intense energy that did not fall far short of the aura the Demon King of Azure Flow had just displayed.
A power befitting one who was counted among the top of the Patriarchs of the twelve great magical houses.
“If Your Majesty intends to unjustly persecute my grandson, then please understand that this one cannot simply stand by and watch.”
[!!]
A moment of silence passed.
The Demon King of Azure Flow could not take any action and just stared at Nordian.
‘Even the Demon King of Azure Flow cannot take Patriarch Nordian lightly.’
The fact that the justification was on his side was also surely a burden to the Demon King of Azure Flow.
In the end, the Demon King of Azure Flow withdrew her energy.
[Patriarch Nordian, since you’ve put it that way, I understand. I shall take my leave now.]
“……”
[However, keep this in mind.]
The Demon King of Azure Flow’s gaze turned to Christian.
[That I am always watching. The next time will not end like this.]
It was a threat.
However.
“Your Majesty the Demon King should also keep this in mind. That if there is anyone who harms my grandson, this old man will not let them be, no matter who they are.”
[!!]
Nordian’s and the Demon King of Azure Flow’s gazes crossed coldly.
The Demon King of Azure Flow turned her back in a flash, parted the space, and disappeared.
“Thank you, Patriarch.”
Chris approached Nordian, but his reaction was strange.
He stood rigidly, giving no answer.
“Kul-leok.”
He coughed up black blood!
“Grandfather!!”
“…Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine after a little rest.”
Nordian shook his head, his face pale, but he once again coughed up a gush of blood.
‘His condition is serious.’
His condition was already not good, but the backlash had come from drawing upon his power just now to drive away the Demon King of Azure Flow’s energy.
‘At this rate, he won’t last long and will meet his death.’
A few days, perhaps. It looked like he wouldn’t even last ten days at the longest.
Nordian also seemed to have sensed the shadow of death approaching him, and he suddenly grabbed Christian’s hand.
“*Keke*, still, I’m glad that you are here.”
“…Grandfather.”
“Do not forget. That you are the hope of our Dark Demonic House.”
As if his consciousness were growing heavy, the light in Nordian’s eyes began to dim.
If his consciousness were to fade like this, he would likely never wake up again.
“Still… in the end… I was happy thanks to you. I wanted to be your shield for longer, but I am sorry that I could not.”
Gradually, Nordian’s voice grew faint.
Christian bit his lip hard, then said something unexpected.
“You’re speaking too hastily.”
“…What?”
“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of letting you pass away like this, Grandfather.”
Nordian asked blankly, “What are you talking about? Even you cannot save me. It’s impossible for anyone in this world.”
“No, there is one way it’s possible.”
Christian continued.
“You just have to reach 9-Star, Grandfather.”
“!!”
Nordian’s eyes flew wide open.
That was right.
The reason Nordian was dying now was none other than the depletion of his lifespan.
Therefore, although he could not be saved by any other means, there was just one method.
It was to reach the Transcendent Realm.
‘Once you reach 9-Star, you transcend the shackles of a mortal and become no different from a semi-immortal. Naturally, you can also overcome the limits of your lifespan.’
But Nordian let out a small laugh and shook his head.
“It’s not that I haven’t thought of that myself. But it is an impossible task. The realm of 9-Star was not permitted to me.”
“No, it is possible. If I help you.”
“!!”
Christian continued with a serious gaze.
“Of course, it is not an easy task. No, to be frank, it is an event with a slim probability. More than anything, you must create the miracle yourself, Grandfather.”
“……”
A slim probability.
He was serious.
Because it was 9-Star, after all.
‘It’s completely different from simply giving a lesson.’
From beginning to end, it was something Nordian had to accomplish himself.
All Chris could give him was a small trigger.
However.
Chris suddenly grabbed Nordian’s hand.
“Still, I believe that you can do it, Grandfather.”
“Keke.”
Nordian let out a laugh.
‘Me, at 9-Star.’
Honestly, he didn’t feel at all that he could do it.
But why was that?
Looking at Christian’s firm gaze directed at him, a faint hope welled up.
‘If my grandson is going this far, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.’
More than anything.
‘I haven’t even seen that boy ascend to the Patriarch’s seat yet; I can’t die already.’
“Alright. I’ll do it.”
Nordian looked at Christian with a strong gaze.
“The time has come to show you the greatness of this old grandfather of yours.”
And so.
A reckless challenge that would shake the fate of the Dark Demonic House—no, beyond the Southern Magus Nation, the fate of the entire Magus Empire—had begun.
* * *
First, he returned to the main house of the Dark Demonic House with Nordian.
“No, Patriarch? Christian?”
Count Khazar, who was serving as the acting Patriarch, greeted them in surprise.
“We will be using the seclusion training grounds, so please do not let anyone approach until I come out.”
Count Khazar nodded firmly.
After entering the training grounds, Christian had Nordian take the True Blood Serum he had obtained from the Blood Sword Demonic House to restore his energy.
Although it was a temporary effect, his complexion had improved considerably.
“Next is the Elixir.”
“…You’ve prepared a lot.”
“Yes, after the Elixir, please take this poison.”
“!!”
Nordian frowned.
“A poison?”
“Yes, it is the miracle-level poison of the Venomous Demonic House, ‘Death of the Mind’.”
“…And you’re telling me to drink something like that?”
It was a famous miracle-level poison. A poison that, as its name suggested, shattered the mind.
One would enter a state no different from meeting a mental death.
“Of course, with my mental strength, I wouldn’t go that far.”
“No, please drink it after dismantling all your mental barriers. Your mind must be completely shattered.”
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes. You must.”
Nordian shut his mouth abruptly, but Chris did not retract his words.
‘It can’t be helped. What I’m trying to do now isn’t something that can be done through an indirect experience using an Illusion Stone.’
Realizing that Chris was serious, Nordian’s expression hardened.
“Is there a way to restore a shattered mind?”
“No, there is not. There is only one way. You have no choice but to reach 9-Star, Grandfather. Please, do your best so that I do not become an unfilial grandson.”
Nordian let out a chuckle as if finding the situation absurd.
“You insolent whelp. Fine. My life is forfeit one way or another anyway. I will show you that I can definitely succeed.”
Nordian downed the cup of poison Chris held out in one go. With his mental barriers dismantled.
Afterward, Nordian’s eyes became completely vacant.
‘His mind has been erased.’
Erased.
It was a horrifying expression.
In truth, the miracle-level poison ‘Death of the Mind’ possessed an effect that transcended the laws and annihilated the target’s mind.
To be precise, the surface ‘consciousness’ meets its death.
‘However, it’s not completely annihilated. Only the consciousness is erased; the deep subconscious remains intact.’
It was just as he had intended.
‘Thanks to the True Blood Serum and the Elixir, he still has physical reserves.’
Chris took a deep breath.
The real beginning was from now on.
‘Can he really succeed?’
A lack of confidence, unlike him. It couldn’t be helped.
Because it was truly a gamble.
‘9-Star is a realm that escapes the shackles of a mortal. Even I cannot artificially bestow that enlightenment.’
From beginning to end, Nordian had to obtain the achievement himself.
The only thing Chris could help with was one thing: a trigger.
‘I have to give him the perfect trigger.’
Chris placed his hand on Nordian’s head and made contact with his deep subconscious.
Fwoosh!
A space of deep, calm darkness. It was the world of Nordian’s subconscious.
There was no sign of movement, but Chris could feel Nordian’s subconscious watching him.
Chris opened his mouth as if to make sure Nordian could hear him.
“Watch carefully from now on. I will prepare a master to help you reach 9-Star, Grandfather.”
It was an absurd statement that, if Nordian’s consciousness had remained, would have made him say, “What is this nonsense?”
But Chris did not stop.
“The master who will help you, Grandfather… is me.”
Chris raised his hand.
“To be precise, it is the me of the future. In other words.”
Fwoosh!
Darkness unfolded from Chris.
It was the Blooming Realm.
However, it was not just any Blooming Realm.
This place was the world of the subconscious. Therefore, Chris was not limited by his own level of mastery and could truly unfold infinite possibilities.
‘So, something like this is also possible.’
Chris closed his eyes.
His deeply submerged consciousness ‘imagined’ within the thoughts of the Blooming Realm.
His own future self.
In other words.
The version of himself that had reached 7-Star, established his own microcosm, and toyed with the laws.
The version that had reached 8-Star and established his absolute authority.
He imagined it in as much detail as possible.
Even now, Chris was this powerful.
What would he really look like when he reached 7-Star and 8-Star?
And then.
When he reached 9-Star?
Flash.
Chris’s eyes opened.
From the depths of his pupils, a deep, deep darkness flickered in and out of existence.
A great and magnificent darkness that seemed to make the whole world feel fear and awe, a darkness that seemed to have subjugated even light itself.
That was right.
The existence that would become the trigger for Nordian’s enlightenment.
It was the image of Christian who had become a Demon King.
Chris’s plan was to reflect the image of his future self who had reached the transcendent realm onto Nordian’s subconscious and induce an enlightenment.
* * *
‘Because I will become a more perfect Demon King than anyone else.’
What kind of Demon King he would actually become was still unknown.
What was certain was that he would become a being closer to the ultimate ideal than any other Demon King in history, incomparable to all others.