Chapter 337
An astounding story.
The largest powers in the Alliance were the Gold Cross, the Holy Empire, and the Karn Empire.
But if you were to pick the sharpest swords, they would be the Round Table and the Celestial Magic Tower.
The Round Table, a coalition of seven houses possessing powerful strength.
The Magic Tower, the home of the white mages.
To think he would make them both kneel?
Furthermore, the Master of the Magic Tower, the ‘Seeker of Truth’, was a Sacred One, one of the seven 9-Star superhumans who support the Alliance.
Although he was not a perfect 9-Star, but at the level of entering 9-Star, he was not an opponent Chris could face, was he?
Just then, a voice was heard from outside.
“Christian, are you in there?”
It was Count Khazar.
“What is it?”
“A message has come from the Center. They say they will sanction the proposal you made to the Four Kings' Castle.”
Things had gone as planned.
But Count Khazar’s expression was strange.
“Is there a problem, by any chance?”
“Yes, the Center has attached a condition. They say that to sign the truce, you must come to the Imperial Capital yourself.”
“!!”
The Imperial Capital meant the capital of the Magus Empire.
Where the Demon Emperor resides.
‘Why?’
Chris wore an expression as if he couldn't understand.
Of course, since it was such a major issue, it wasn't strange to sign the agreement in the Imperial Capital.
But it didn't seem to be just for that reason.
‘The truce is an excuse. They're summoning me.’
Chris narrowed his eyes.
“Is this the will of His Excellency, the Magus Chancellor?”
“It seems so. As His Excellency the Chancellor is the one currently governing the Center.”
The Demon Emperor was in seclusion, and the Demon Empress has never once shown herself at an official occasion.
It was not even clear if the Demon Empress actually existed.
“I find it strange as well, but it doesn't seem to be a matter of great concern. Your reputation is so high, I think it's likely just a matter of them wanting to see your face once. In the past, whenever a great talent appeared in the Magus Empire, they were often summoned to the Center to be commended.”
“…I wonder.”
Count Khazar spoke as if it were nothing, but Chris trailed off.
From what he had seen of him before, the Magus Chancellor was a man with a heart full of dark intentions.
This time, too, he surely had some kind of intention.
The problem was that there was no way to refuse.
‘For now, I have no choice but to go.’
One reassuring thing was that the Magus Chancellor likely did not intend to harm him.
In the first place, if he wanted to harm him, he wouldn't have used such a troublesome method.
It seemed he would have to go and face him to find out what his scheme was and prepare a countermeasure.
‘And perhaps, this is an opportunity for me as well. To be able to get a glimpse of the Center.’
The Center.
No one knows its true nature.
Because even in his past life, during the Age of Ruin, the Center had never stepped in.
The only thing known was that even if all the other vassal states of the Magus Empire were to combine their strength, they could not stand against the Center.
‘In the end, it is highly likely that I will have to face the Center. I must see its true nature with my own eyes.’
And there was one other important matter.
‘I have to get a glimpse into the Magus Chancellor’s true intentions.’
He was trying to stop the destruction.
But in truth, Chris knew nothing about the destruction.
What the purpose of Ragnarok was in his past life.
Whether only Gehenna was involved. What the Celestial Realm and the Demon Emperor were thinking.
The Magus Chancellor was also one of the hidden protagonists of the destruction, so he had to obtain a clue, one way or another.
‘There are other things I need to ask as well.’
Having organized his thoughts, Chris spoke to Count Khazar.
“Please reply to the Center that I will follow the command.”
And so, Christian's journey to the Center was decided.
* * *
With the agreement to sign a truce, the war between the Dark Alliance and the Four Kings' Castle had effectively come to an end.
The result was the unexpected victory of the Dark Alliance.
Furthermore, if one looked at the details of the war, it was a crushing victory.
The Dark Alliance’s side had suffered no particular damage, while the Four Kings' Castle had suffered an enormous loss of strength.
It was now difficult to even say that the strength of the Four Kings' Castle was greatly superior to that of the Dark Alliance.
It would take at least several decades for the Four Kings' Castle to recover from the damage they had suffered this time.
The result of this war spread widely not only throughout the Magus Empire, but throughout the entire Alliance.
Naturally, the figures of the Alliance who had predicted a victory for the Four Kings' Castle could not help but be surprised, and one name became engraved in their minds.
“The person who caused this miracle is the Demonic Radiance?”
“A darkness that dominates even light?”
“Is this the birth of a new Great Magus?”
Great Magus.
It refers to the representative magi that come to mind when one thinks of the Magus Empire.
Excluding the Demon Kings, they are the figures who practically control the Magus Empire, and include the likes of Nordian, the Ghost Sword King, the Lord of the Four Kings' Castle, and the Obsidian King.
And in this moment, the name Christian was newly engraved upon everyone on the continent.
He had come to stand on par with the greatest figures of the Magus Empire in terms of reputation.
He was still at a young age, not yet twenty, but considering the things Christian had accomplished until now, it was not an overstatement.
On the contrary, Chris’s young age came as a source of fear to the people.
He had only just become an adult at eighteen, and yet he had already set foot into 8-Star.
‘The Demonic Radiance will surely become a new Demon King.’
A new Demon King.
Everyone fell silent at that shocking fact.
The state of a Demon King, a 9-Star superhuman, was not something that could be easily reached.
Even in the Magus Empire, where there were an incomparable number of high-ranking 8-Star magi compared to the Alliance, a 9-Star did not appear easily.
Excluding the recent Nordian, the Demon King of Lament was the only one in the last 100 years. That was how difficult it was to break through the wall of 9-Star.
However, everyone had an intuition.
That Christian was different.
That Christian would, without a doubt, and in the near future at that, become a Demon King.
The few figures who had realized this clear fact secretly gathered in a place unknown to anyone.
There were three figures.
Each and every one of them possessed a profound aura.
[Demonic Radiance. An unexpected variable, indeed.]
[He will surely become a threat to our Holy Assembly.]
[Isn't that an excessive worry? To say he threatens us Sacred Ones, no matter how great a talent that child possesses.]
An astounding story.
That these three were the Sacred Ones, the 9-Star superhumans of the Alliance!
[This is not something to be taken lightly. According to my foresight, the Demonic Radiance has a high probability of being the seed of the 'Great Darkness'.]
One figure took out a card from his hand.
It was a card with the crest of a cracked sky.
A crest that was ominous at a single glance.
[We must not stand idly by. We must make a move beforehand.]
[How so?]
[We must look for an opportunity.]
Shuffle.
The cards were shuffled again.
This time, it was the crest of a tower collapsing amidst the clouds.
The gazes of the Sacred Ones who saw the divination turned to one person.
[It seems the Demonic Radiance's next target is the Celestial Magic Tower. Will you be alright?]
The energy of the one who had received their gazes sank low.
It was the Master of the Magic Tower and one of the Sacred Ones, the 9-Star (entering) Archmage, the ‘Seeker of Truth’.
The Master of the Magic Tower spoke in a voice wounded by pride.
[…There is no need to worry about them. I will take care of the Demonic Radiance myself.]
[Then again, since you, the Seeker, are on the verge of your 'Great Accomplishment', there is no need to worry about the likes of the Demonic Radiance. We congratulate you in advance on reaching the state of a true 9-Star.]
Great Accomplishment.
It meant that the Master of the Magic Tower would soon be ascending to Lower 9-Star.
It was a story that would cause a great stir in both the Alliance and the Magus Empire.
In the Alliance, those at the level of entering 9-Star were also grouped under the name Sacred One, but Lower 9-Star was a state that was as different from entering 9-Star as heaven and earth.
From Lower 9-Star onward could be said to be the state of a superhuman who had truly cast off the fetters of humanity.
The Master of the Magic Tower was already an overwhelming existence for Christian, but if he were to become a Lower 9-Star, he would be absolutely impossible to face.
And so, a great threat was blooming without Christian’s knowledge.
That wasn't all.
In a completely unexpected place, there were others who were speaking of Christian.
“Hmm. Hmm.”
A man with a languid atmosphere, dressed in a gentleman's suit.
It was the Magus Chancellor.
He was walking down the hallway of an unrealistically grand and splendid interior.
It was the ‘Imperial Palace’ of the Center.
“May I enter?”
Arriving before a large door, polite, formal language flowed from the Magus Chancellor’s mouth.
An unexpected sight.
Who was the being inside?
Creeak, the giant door opened and a being revealed itself.
It was a figure of small stature.
She seemed to be a woman, wearing a flowing, white one-piece dress, but her face could not be seen.
Half of her face was covered by a featureless mask.
From the delicate outline that was faintly revealed below, one could guess that she was a young girl.
The Magus Chancellor knelt on one knee before the masked girl.
In a slightly exaggerated voice.
“This lowly servant of the Demon Emperor greets Her Great Majesty, the Demon Empress.”
Demon Empress.
The second-in-command of the Magus Empire, who had been shrouded in a veil, had revealed herself for the first time.
The girl, the Demon Empress, gave no particular reply.
The Magus Chancellor continued with a slight smile.
“Have you been well in the meantime?”
The girl, the Demon Empress, stared blankly at the Magus Chancellor.
He could see her pupils beyond the mask, and they looked empty.
As if she were an inanimate doll.
“I have come to give my report. As you commanded, Your Majesty, I have summoned Christian to the Center. He will be arriving soon.”
An astounding story.
It meant that the one who had summoned Christian was not the Magus Chancellor, but the Demon Empress!
“……”
The Demon Empress turned her gaze to the empty air again without any reply.
The Magus Chancellor shrugged and withdrew.
Left alone, a small sound flowed from the Demon Empress’s mouth.
“Chri…stian.”
An empty.
But a poignant, desperate voice.
* * *
As he was preparing to leave for the Center, an unexpected event occurred.
“You're not going with me?”
Marie had refused to accompany him.
[Ohoho. I am sorry. For some reason, I do not feel like it this time.]
Chris tilted his head.
It was the first time Marie had refused when he asked her to go somewhere with him.
‘Her atmosphere changed as soon as she heard we were going to the Center.’
Originally, Marie had been excited at the thought of going on an outing with Chris this time.
But then, upon hearing that the destination was the ‘Center’, she had shown this reaction.
‘…Could it be that Marie becoming a ghost is related to the Center?’
Such a guess flashed through his mind.
He spoke nonchalantly, not letting it show.
“Well, if you don't feel like it, it can't be helped. I'll buy you a gift, so you just wait here.”
He tried saying this, but Marie’s reaction was lukewarm.
[Oh my. A gift, you say? How delightful. Ohoho.]
It was a voice completely devoid of any spirit.
Normally, she would have been jumping for joy at the mention of a gift.
It was clear that she had some kind of connection to the Center.
‘Perhaps, this time, I might be able to get a clue about Marie's true identity.’
Chris’s gaze settled.
Afterward, as he was preparing to leave again, some unexpected figures came to visit.
“Are you busy?”
A doll-like face with a sullen expression.
It was the hot-blooded idiot, Jupien.
Merian and Alros were with her as well.
“Me? Can't you tell by looking? Of course, I'm busy.”
“Make some time, even if you're busy.”
“Why? What is it?”
“Make us stronger.”
At Jupien's words, Chris wore an expression of surprise.
“Aren't you all strong enough already? Especially you, Jupien.”
Currently, Jupien’s achievement was at 5-Star.
And a Mid 5-Star, at that.
It was only because Chris was a monster who transcended common sense, but considering that Jupien was only a little over twenty years old, her achievement was so tremendous that she would be counted among the best in any prestigious Magus house.
When she reached a mature age, she would be able to reach the highest level of 8-Star without much difficulty.
But Jupien shook her head.
“It's not enough. No, it's too slow.”