Chapter 324
‘I have to sever the mental connection at once!’
But it was too late.
[Stop.]
As if a giant's hand had seized her soul, Emily's mind was suddenly bound.
Simultaneously, the boy’s mental world began to change.
Fwoosh.
The endlessly vast and noble space was dyed in the color of darkness.
‘Dark Demonic Energy…!’
Only then did Emily realize the boy’s identity.
[Christian!]
[Correct.]
Within the mental world, the form of the black-haired boy, Christian, revealed itself.
[Impossible? No matter how great you are, to have a mental world like this…?]
Even she, an 8-Star, did not possess such a mental vessel.
No, in the first place, it was not a vessel a mere mortal could possibly possess.
‘Wait.’
Having thought that far, she froze stiff.
An single, impossible hypothesis had come to mind.
As if he had noticed Emily’s inner thoughts, Chris let out a smirk.
[Yes, that's right.]
Swoosh.
From within the darkness, the true form of the soul Chris possessed revealed itself.
Emily’s mind began to tremble.
Having entered the deep world of his mind, she could feel the rank of his soul even more directly.
[Th-this is…? N-no, it can't be…?]
[Now do you understand the situation you’re in?]
Chris raised the corner of his mouth in a sneer.
[I won't kill you right away. There's something I want to 'experiment' on as well.]
It was a voice that declared the arrival of a horrific disaster upon the Four Kings' Castle.
* * *
Chris erased Emily’s mind.
‘I was already close to invincible in a battle of mental vessels like this, anyway.’
If this had been an ordinary duel in a real situation, Chris wouldn't have had much of a chance of winning.
No matter how strong his mental defenses were, he could not have easily ignored the curses deployed by an 8-Star Absolute.
The problem was that Emily had connected to his deep mental world.
In this situation, it became a pure contest of mental vessels, so it was impossible for a mere Absolute to withstand Christian’s mental vessel, which was of a completely different rank.
‘Now, it begins.’
Christian immediately proceeded to the next ‘operation’.
Something astounding happened.
“We greet the Head Elder.”
“…Yes, good work. I have come out for an inspection.”
It was Emily.
The reason Emily was walking around perfectly fine, despite her mind having been erased, was simple.
Chris had turned her into a ‘puppet’!
‘Well, my puppetry isn't that high-level, but I only need to fool them for a short while, anyway.’
If one looked closely, there were awkward points to be seen, but there was no magus with the nerve to look upon the cruel Head Elder with eyes of suspicion.
“By the way, who is the boy behind you?”
“An experimental subject we captured from the Dark Demonic House. I’m taking him around as there are a few things I want to try.”
The magi of the Four Kings' Castle nodded their heads.
It was a famous story that the Head Elder, Emily, would take her test subjects and perform all sorts of incomprehensible, eccentric acts.
“I will check to see if there are any problems with the main castle's defensive lines.”
“Yes, understood! I will guide you.”
The secret magic circle, which was absolutely inaccessible to anyone but the core of the Four Kings' Castle, was easily revealed.
“There is something I need to adjust in the defensive lines, so step back.”
“Yes, but?”
“Do you dare to defy me?”
The magus in charge of the defensive lines sucked in a breath.
Currently, Emily was acting with the authority of the Castle Lord, so he had no choice but to obey.
“F-forgive me. I will step back.”
Once the magus left, Emily’s eyes became as vacant as a fool’s.
Chris let out a smirk and looked at the defensive lines.
“It’s been a while since I've seen these defenses. In my past life, I had a terrible time because of this defensive network.”
He had come to the Four Kings' Castle once in his past life.
He had infiltrated with the Hero’s party in the latter half of the Age of Ruin to try and assassinate the Blood-Drenched Demon King, but of course, the result had been a massive failure.
“Hmm. Good.”
Chris hummed as he tampered with the defensive lines.
A manipulation so minute that it was unnoticeable from the outside.
But it was one that would bring about a fatal change.
He then went around to various places in the Four Kings' Castle and continued to repeat the same work.
The magi in charge of the defensive lines tilted their heads, but they didn't hold any great suspicion.
And then.
“Bingo.”
He had succeeded in tampering with the entirety of the Four Kings' Castle’s defensive network!
Following that, Christian moved on to the next stage.
“Are you saying we are to head to the front lines right now?”
The high-ranking 7-Star magi who had remained at the main castle asked back with puzzled faces.
“Yes, it is to reinforce our strength on the front lines ahead of the pitched battle with the Dark Alliance.”
“But what about the main castle’s defense?”
The high-ranking magi asked cautiously.
Currently, there was not much strength remaining at the main castle of the Four Kings' Castle.
This was because the Tri-Alliance had joined the war as reinforcements, and the Karn Empire had also shown suspicious movements, forcing them to send additional forces.
The forces that remained were the bare minimum.
“What is the problem when I am here?”
“!!”
“I have also adjusted the defensive lines just in case of any unforeseen circumstances, so do not worry.”
The high-ranking magi nodded in understanding.
“Since the situation on the front lines is urgent, depart at once.”
“Yes, understood. Thank you!”
Since they had all secretly wanted to head to the battlefield, they departed with pleased expressions.
Having thus cleared out the high-ranking magi, Christian took the final measure through Emily.
“Gather all of the castle's security forces in the Plaza of Death.”
The magi who received the order tilted their heads.
“All of them in the plaza?”
It was the plaza located in the center of the Four Kings' Castle.
“Yes, I have an order to give.”
“Yes, understood.”
The magi of the Four Kings' Castle gathered in the plaza.
Since he had called all of the remaining magi, it was not a small number.
The large plaza was filled to the brim.
“What's going on all of a sudden?”
“Who knows? I'm not sure. This is the first time something like this has happened.”
Soon, Emily appeared and opened her mouth to the assembled forces.
“Welcome. I have something to say to you.”
Following that, a speech began.
It was a speech about their hard work up until now, urging them to strengthen their resolve to protect the main castle in the future.
Everyone wore puzzled expressions at the unremarkable content.
‘She called us just to say something like this?’
‘Could it be? There must be some other intention. Let's wait and see.’
Of course, there was another intention.
Just not what they were guessing.
As Emily continued without getting to any special point, some began to notice that something was strange.
‘But was the Head Elder's way of speaking always like that? It seems a little different...?’
‘Something is strange. Why does it feel like I'm looking at a puppet?’
In that moment, a very small number.
Those who had realized the truth, their eyes shot open.
‘Could it be?’
But it was too late.
The Tower of the Four Kings, which overlooked the plaza.
Christian had his eyes gently closed.
A giant magic circle was drawn around him.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, Your Grace the Grand Duke! Just give the word!”
“I am here as well, brother.”
Beside him, surprisingly, were Kashmir and Teren.
He had used Emily's authority to have the two of them secretly infiltrate.
Paaaaaaah!!
The magic circle around Chris emitted a deep, dark light and began to remotely connect to another location.
It was the defensive lines in various places throughout the Four Kings' Castle that he had manipulated while walking around with Emily.
Through the dominion of his Dark Demonic Energy, the defensive network connected with Chris’s magic circle as one.
“Now.”
“Understood!”
Kashmir placed his hand on Chris’s back.
The immense energy of the Flame of Ruin began to be transferred to Chris.
Normally, transferring energy in such a brutish manner was an extremely dangerous act, but this did not apply to Chris.
He used his Dark Demonic Energy to dominate the energy of destruction and transferred it to the defensive lines connected to him.
“Teren, you too.”
This time, Teren placed his hand on Chris’s back.
The pure, ash-gray energy of the one with the aptitude flowed in.
Just then, the magi in the plaza realized Emily’s true identity and began to shout roughly.
“That’s not the Head Elder. It's a fake!!”
“It's a puppet!! Who would do such a thing?!”
‘Too late.’
Chris gently closed his eyes.
The high-dimensional form of the magic circle that enveloped the entire Four Kings' Castle was mapped out in his mind.
A form closer to perfection than any defensive network Chris had seen until now.
But a weak link existed.
Using Teren's pure, ash-gray energy, he further loosened the areas he had tampered with beforehand, then pushed the destructive energy of the Flame of Ruin right into them.
As a result, the defensive network began to run rampant.
Rumble...
As if an earthquake had struck, the main castle of the Four Kings' Castle began to shake.
“What?!”
“There’s a problem with the defensive lines!”
“We have to stop it!”
The remaining high-ranking magi shouted urgently, but there was nothing they could do.
A great disaster descended upon them.
Crack-crack-crack. BOOM!!
A massive explosion occurred in the central plaza where the magi were gathered, and it began to collapse!
He had deliberately tampered with the defensive lines beforehand so that when it went rampant, the energy would surge toward the central plaza.
A storm of immense energy swept through the defenseless magi. Countless magi collapsed with horrific screams.
The high-ranking magi, with their higher levels, suffered relatively fewer casualties, but that didn't mean they were unharmed.
They floundered in the collapsed plaza, having suffered severe internal injuries.
Just then, another disaster occurred.
CRASH!!
The rampaging defensive network collapsed, and various parts of the Four Kings' Castle began to crumble.
Every one of them was an important location for the Necromancy and Curse Demonic Houses.
“The obelisks of the western and southern defenses are about to collapse!!”
“!!”
The magi’s complexions turned white.
They were the most important facilities in the Four Kings' Castle.
Facilities that gathered people's negative emotions.
The reason the Four Kings' Castle, or to be precise, the Curse and Necromancy Demonic Houses, were able to form such a powerful force was thanks to the obelisks.
They artificially gathered negative emotions and used them to augment their own power.
The reason they gathered the people in one place and ruled through horrific terror was also to easily gather these negative emotions.
“St-stop it!!”
“We absolutely cannot let them collapse!!”
The magi, their faces pale with terror, rushed toward the damaged obelisks.
Thanks to that, the inside of the Four Kings' Castle became empty.
“Now, let's go.”
“Understood, respected King Emperor Majesty Grand Duke Christian!!”
“Yes sir, respected King Emperor Majesty Brother Christian!!”
Kashmir and Teren, who shouted the same cry at the same time, shot each other a sharp glare.
“Did I not tell you? The great title for addressing our brother is permitted only to me.”
“…Is that really so, Grand Duke Christian? Is it not permitted for me?”
As Kashmir asked with the expression of a puppy about to be abandoned, Chris wore a sour expression.
It felt as if everyone around him was gradually getting weirder.
“…Call me whatever you want.”
“Thank you!! Did you hear that, Lord Teren? I am now also able to use the great title! I can now say that I am closer to him than Lord Teren, who has nothing to show for himself besides his bloodline.”
“…What did you say? Are you asking for a fight? Let’s take this opportunity to decide who is our brother’s closest aide. I will make sure you disappear from his side forever.”
‘…Both of you, shut up.’
Chris said with a weary expression.
“Cut the nonsense and let's get moving.”