Chapter 287
A chilling, sinister energy overflowed.
‘The Darkness of Gehenna!’
He felt as if something was watching him from beyond the darkness that had veiled the area like a curtain.
It was a dizzying presence.
The opponent’s gaze was fixed solely on Chris, and if he had not ascended to the rank of an ‘Elder’, he would not have been able to maintain his sanity the moment he received that gaze.
‘A great rank.’
Chris swallowed hard.
‘And an Archdevil of the 3rd Realm at that.’
The presence itself was different from the 4th Realm great ranks he had encountered so far.
Even though it was obscured beyond the curtain of darkness, an incomparable presence could be felt.
[That child… is a slave… of me, ‘Despair’. I will tolerate this no longer.]
The will of the great rank was transmitted directly into Chris’s soul.
Though he had merely received its intent, it felt as if his soul was being turned inside out.
It was a pressure that could break one’s very spirit, but Chris bit the inside of his mouth hard and held onto his will, which was on the verge of submitting.
‘If I hadn’t reached the rank of an Elder, I wouldn’t have been able to lift a single finger here.’
He glared with an intense gaze beyond the curtain of darkness.
“I will not obey.”
[!!]
“No matter how great a being of Gehenna you may be, you have no authority to command me.”
That was right.
There was no need to be afraid.
According to the Law of Causality, a 3rd Realm rank could not harm him directly on the mortal plane without a just ‘cause’.
Making empty threats like this was the most it could do.
[Amusing… you are… Fine. Let us… do this. Azure Flow… is my slave. I shall raise the rank of your soul with my authority.]
“!!”
The Demon King of Azure Flow’s eyes widened.
If that were to happen, she would be able to shake off his Spiritual Pressure in an instant.
But she knew that this was not an act of pure goodwill.
[But… you too must offer me a price. Even greater… pain… and… despair shall befall you.]
The Demon King of Azure Flow’s face turned white.
Chris furrowed his brow.
‘His intention is to toy with the Demon King of Azure Flow.’
The 3rd Realm rank hadn't appeared because it cared for its slave.
On the contrary.
It was to use this opportunity to plunge the Demon King of Azure Flow into an even deeper abyss.
For that is the horrific nature of devils.
[…]
The Demon King of Azure Flow’s eyes trembled.
It was a poisoned chalice that she must not drink.
But it was also a cup she could not refuse.
Just then, Chris said something unexpected.
“You’re better off just dying quietly at my hands.”
[…What?]
“You know what this sword is, don't you? If you use this sword’s authority, Devouring, you too can meet a peaceful death.”
Andril annihilates the soul of the opponent it devours.
By returning to complete nothingness, one would not have to suffer in Gehenna.
‘However, this also has a condition. To fully unleash the authority of Devouring, the opponent must be in a state where they cannot resist.’
In other words, the Demon King of Azure Flow had to willingly accept her death.
“It shouldn’t be a bad offer for you. Accept your death as a form of atonement.”
The Demon King of Azure Flow bit her lip hard.
Her expression was one of clear conflict.
However.
[…Oh, great one, I shall accept your will. Please, bestow upon me your authority.]
The choice the Demon King of Azure Flow made was the poisoned chalice.
“!!”
“Christian!! Get away!”
The three patriarchs shouted urgently.
But it was too late.
The devil’s authority descended upon her, and the Demon King of Azure Flow shook off the Spiritual Pressure of Myriad Demons' Submission.
[I will kill you at once.]
The Demon King of Azure Flow stared at Chris, her eyes filled with a chilling murderous intent.
A desperate crisis.
But Christian’s reaction was strange.
“A fool to the very end.”
[…What?]
“After being deceived by that devil for so long, do you still not understand? A devil’s every intention is filled with nothing but malice.”
It was the moment the Demon King of Azure Flow frowned and tried to draw up her power.
Her face suddenly froze.
The flow of her power had been severed, strand by strand.
As if her energy had been completely drained.
At that moment, Chris’s sword was pointed at the Demon King of Azure Flow.
Fwaaaaaat!
An intense darkness gathered magnificently around it.
He had unleashed the Slayer of Evil Souls with the power of Darkness through the Art of Conversion.
Then, the unbelievable happened.
Slice.
Chris’s sword cut deeply into the Demon King of Azure Flow.
[!!]
A fatal blow.
The Demon King of Azure Flow sprayed blood and knelt.
[H-how?]
“You… you’ve been scammed by your master.”
[!!]
“I told you. A devil’s every intention is nothing but vicious malice.”
That was right.
The devil had taken her power in exchange for raising her soul-rank.
All to plunge her into a deeper despair before she fell to Gehenna.
It was an amusement befitting a devil.
‘In my past life, I saw similar sights a few times.’
The Demon King of Azure Flow trembled all over.
[N-no… s-save me. I don’t want to die….]
The Demon King of Azure Flow looked at Chris desperately, but it was too late.
For anyone else, the wound would have been more than enough to cause instant death.
[E-even now, with the Star-Slaying Sword on my soul… pl… please….]
However.
Fwoooosh!
[Aaaaaaaaaargh!!!!]
The Darkness of Gehenna began to burn the Demon King of Azure Flow.
The 3rd Realm devil had made its move.
As if to intentionally inflict even greater pain, her screams continued on and on, and only after a long time had passed did the flames subside.
In the place where the flames had died down, only a pile of ash remained.
Now, the soul of the Demon King of Azure Flow would fall to Gehenna and suffer for eons.
‘It’s over.’
Although he had finally succeeded in eliminating the Demon King of Azure Flow, Christian’s expression did not brighten.
‘Those damned devils.’
In the end, it was because of a devil that the Demon King of Azure Flow had fallen.
It must have intentionally encouraged her to become so corrupted.
‘I must stop the Four Kings’ Castle and the Mystic Demonic House.’
If things were left to their will, the mortal plane would be horribly ravaged by the devils.
Just then, before the 3rd Realm devil disappeared, it looked at Chris.
[…Amusing… To think… you obtained the right. As expected… of… perhaps… we… were… thinking… incorrectly. I will be looking forward to what comes next.]
“!!”
Chris frowned.
It was an incomprehensible statement.
‘Come to think of it, last time too.’
This wasn't his first encounter with this 3rd Realm devil.
He had faced it once before during the incident Yulian had caused, and it had spoken words just as cryptic then.
But before he could say anything, the devil’s presence vanished, and soon, they had returned to the original space.
“Waaaaaaaaah!!!! All hail the Dark Alliance!!!”
The magi, having confirmed that the three patriarchs and Christian were safe, erupted in a roar of victory.
“We’ve won. It’s all thanks to you.”
Nordian grasped his hand.
Grand Duke Vessian and Duke Huam had the same reaction.
But Christian said something unexpected.
“It’s not over.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is still an enemy remaining, is there not?”
Chris said in a sharp voice.
“The Four Kings’ Castle.”
“!!”
Chris turned his gaze.
He could see the main forces of the Dark, Destruction, and Venomous Demonic Houses all gathered in one place.
“We must strike the Four Kings’ Castle now, as we are.”
The eyes of the three patriarchs widened.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You are already aware, are you not? That the Four Kings’ Castle is preparing for war.”
Chris continued.
“We cannot afford to simply wait. We must move first and seize the advantageous position.”
“!!”
He spoke more specifically.
“Only by immediately capturing the Basque Fortress and taking control of the ‘Corridor of Death’ will we have a chance to stand against the Four Kings’ Castle.”
‘If it comes to a direct confrontation, the forces of the Dark Alliance can never hope to defeat the Four Kings’ Castle.’
Although the three houses had joined forces, they were still no match for the Four Kings’ Castle.
This was even more true when considering the Mystic Demonic House backing them from behind.
There was only one way.
“Due to the geography of the Eastern Magus Nation where the Four Kings’ Castle is located, they must pass through the Corridor of Death where the Basque Fortress stands to advance on our side. In other words, if we take the Basque Fortress, we can block the Four Kings’ Castle’s advance.”
“…Indeed.”
The three patriarchs, including Nordian, nodded their heads.
As it happened, the Demon King's castle where they were now was not far from the Basque Fortress, which was located near the front line.
If they were to advance their army as they were, they could easily occupy it.
“But capturing the Basque Fortress isn't a fundamental solution, is it? No matter how much of a natural stronghold the Basque Fortress is, it will not be able to hold out in the end if the full might of the Four Kings’ Castle is concentrated on it.”
Duke Huam said.
It was a valid point.
Of course, there was an additional countermeasure.
“I plan to make the Karn Empire move.”
“!!”
The three patriarchs once again looked surprised.
The Karn Empire?
“Of course, I don’t mean we will be joining hands with those Alliance bastards. I simply plan to make the Karn Empire attack the Four Kings’ Castle on its own.”
Chris thought to himself.
‘It’s more than possible once the power struggle for the throne in the Karn Empire is sorted out. The reason the Karn Empire is unable to exert its power right now is because of its internal chaos.’
The problem was how.
How could he, an outsider, interfere in the Karn Empire’s succession dispute?
It wasn't a problem that could be solved by disguising himself as a non-magus.
But Chris had an unexpected thought.
‘It’s possible. Because I’m not just a simple outsider.’
Perhaps.
There was likely no one more well-versed in the affairs of the Karn Empire’s imperial family than Chris.
There was a reason for it.
‘I was in the Karn Empire’s imperial palace for quite a long time, too. There were a lot of nice things there, in the palace. The bed used by the emperors for generations was incredibly comfortable.’
He recalled a past he had forgotten.
The latter half of the Age of Ruin.
He had taken on an extremely important role in the imperial family of the Karn Empire.
If it hadn't been for Chris, the Karn Empire would have collapsed much faster.
The last emperor of the dying empire.
That was the role he had played at the time.
‘…Well, it was a job I ended up with by a twist of fate. I suffered like hell and couldn't enjoy any of the luxury.’
It was a surprising past, but when one thought about it, it was understandable.
In his previous life, Chris’s biological mother was an imperial princess of the Karn Empire, and he too was an heir to the throne.
At the time, no one wanted to become the emperor of the collapsing empire, and Chris, who was renowned in many ways, was acclaimed as the emperor.
‘I only accepted with the thought of the wealth and glory I would enjoy later. But it was for nothing.’
The empire collapsed before that could happen.
After that, as everyone knew, he hid his identity and joined the hero’s party.
In any case, although it had been a failing state, since he had once sat at the pinnacle of the imperial family, he knew all of the palace’s secrets and backroom affairs, and he could find any number of ways to interfere in the succession dispute.
‘The problem is the Tri-Alliance of the Ghost Sword, Illusion, and Magical Beast Demonic Houses.’
It would be difficult to get them on his side.
‘On the contrary, they’ll probably try to backstab me.’
Even in his previous life, the Tri-Alliance had sided with the Four Kings’ Castle.
‘I can’t just leave them be. I have to make a move beforehand.’
Just then, Count Khazar approached with a stiff expression.
“Is something wrong, Father?”
Count Khazar gave a heavy nod, then looked at the three patriarchs, including Nordian.
“Urgent news, Patriarchs. Ominous movements have been detected from the Tri-Alliance’s side.”
“!!”
“It is not yet certain, but it seems highly likely that they are aiming for the rear of our Dark Alliance.”
The faces of the three patriarchs hardened.
“Those rat-like bastards.”
“Has that decrepit old fool, the Ghost Sword King, gone mad?”
Count Khazar said worriedly.
“Christian, if the Tri-Alliance is aiming for our rear, it will be impossible to advance into the Four Kings’ Castle’s territory as we are. For now, we should fall back and….”
“It’s fine.”
“…What?”
Chris said curtly.
“I will stop the Tri-Alliance.”
“!!”
Everyone wore a look of bewilderment.
“What do you mean by that? Are you saying you will take a separate force and defend against the Tri-Alliance?”
“No. We are already stretched thin dealing with the Four Kings’ Castle; we cannot afford to divide our forces. I will stop the Tri-Alliance by myself.”
“Alone?”
Chris shrugged his shoulders, then said nonchalantly.