Chapter 348
But Chris still did not look tense at all.
“Aren't your nicknames a bit too grandiose? With skills like that, what kind of kings are you? Aren’t you ashamed?”
“!!”
“It's making my skin crawl. Hurry up and come at me.”
As he beckoned with his finger, the Fist King, his face contorted into a deep frown, charged forward.
Kwaaaang!!
It was like a rock falling.
A power that would have instantly shattered every bone in his body if he hadn't twisted to evade it.
“If you don’t want to be seriously injured, kneel at once!”
The Beast King of Taming also stepped forward.
Paaaat!
A serpent with long, white scales was summoned.
Naturally, it was no ordinary serpent.
It was a White Dragon Snake, a Half-Dragon Half-Snake with the blood of a dragon mixed in.
A 7th Demon-rank, no less.
The Fist King’s fist and the White Dragon Snake’s tail flew at him at the same time.
That wasn't all.
“I will show you the true power of Stellar Radiance!”
Paaaaaaah!!
A brilliant mana of light enveloped the Fist King and the Beast King.
It was the Radiance King of the Stellar Radiance House, who specialized in using the power of Stellar Radiance.
The power of the Fist King and the Beast King was amplified even further, and the Curse King of the Sorcery House also joined in.
“You shall wander in an endless maze!”
It was a sorcery that was said to have originated in the East.
With a unique spell system different from ordinary white magic, talismans flew in all directions, and suddenly, his surrounding vision distorted.
A formation that restricted Chris’s movements had been deployed.
‘The Sorcery House is the Alliance’s greatest expert in formations.’
Even though it had been deployed on the spot, it was an elaborate formation that could not be easily ignored.
And so, under the joint attack of the four House Heads, Chris was instantly pushed onto the defensive, and the spectating students shook their heads.
“As expected, it’s impossible.”
“No matter if he’s the Hero, facing four House Heads at once is absurd.”
“Even the Demonic Radiance of the Magus Empire wouldn't be able to do it.”
“This will be over soon.”
But it was strange.
Even though time had passed, the duel was not concluding.
The Fist King’s fierce punches.
The White Dragon Snake’s fangs.
The brilliant light of Stellar Radiance.
The eerie sorcery that broke down mind and body.
None of it could deal any damage to the Hero. They couldn't even graze the tip of his finger.
Chris, in the midst of the storm-like attacks, still had a relaxed expression.
Instead, it was the House Heads who were beginning to show signs of anxiety.
“You whelp!”
The Fist King, watching Chris’s movements, realized a certain fact and clenched his fists tightly.
“Are you humiliating us right now?!”
Chris wasn't on the defensive at all.
He was simply watching their attacks of his own free will.
With a face that seemed to say, let’s see what kind of antics you can perform.
There was proof.
Whenever the four House Heads attacked, he would evade or defend using only the secret arts of the opposing family.
Against the Fist King’s attacks, he used the footwork of the Martial Arts House, and against the White Dragon Snake’s attacks, he used the secret arts of the Divine Beast House. And so on.
It meant he was not in a predicament at all.
“Ah, it’s not humiliation. It’s because I’m pondering what kind of teachings I should give you.”
Chris continued as if he were frustrated.
“There’s not just one or two things that are a mess, so I’m a bit worried about how I should teach you. To think that beings of this level are the masters of the Round Table?”
“!!”
He was being sincere.
Chris was truly feeling at a loss.
‘How do I make these guys functional?’
Whether he liked them or not, the House Heads of the Round Table were important figures in the Alliance.
‘In the Alliance, these whelps are the ones with the highest possibility of reaching 8-Star.’
The fatal weakness of the Alliance was that it had too few masters of the highest states. Especially those at 8-Star or above.
To reduce the Alliance’s casualties in the coming tribulation, he had to raise the House Heads of the Round Table into suckers who could play their part.
The problem was, now that he was looking at them, every single one of the House Heads had too many weaknesses.
To the point that he doubted whether he could even raise them to the level he wanted.
‘No. I have to succeed. Otherwise, I'll have to throw my own body on the line to stop it!’
Having made his firm resolve, Chris began to move.
The direction of the battle changed at once.
His first target was the Fist King.
Whap!
The Fist King's face turned pale, his blood running cold at the sight of Chris’s fist grazing past his face.
‘Our family’s basic straight punch? But how?’
It was too early to be surprised.
In an instant, countless fists flew at him.
The Fist King frantically raised his hands to block and evade, then realized his mistake.
Before he knew it, his wrist was in Chris's hand.
He had fallen for Chris's feint.
‘D-damn it.’
He tried to pull it out, but it was too late.
Crack!
“Kuhk!”
It was a joint lock from the Martial Arts House.
But he was the Fist King, after all.
He hastily twisted his joint and prevented his wrist from being shattered, but his ligaments were severely damaged.
He counterattacked with his other arm, but was blocked again.
“Do you still not get it?”
Chris, having closed the distance, said in a chilling voice.
“Just how lacking you are?”
Thwack!
A fist struck his face.
He had deployed his protective aura using mana, so he didn't suffer a fatal blow, but the mental shock was great.
‘I let him land a punch on my face? I, the Fist King?’
But this was only the beginning.
Thwack!
Another fist fell.
It was in the exact same spot he had been hit before.
“You whelp!!!”
He counterattacked, his face flushed red with shame.
Wild Fist Dance.
Fists poured down with dazzling movements.
“Haah. Are you an idiot?”
With a frustrated sigh.
Thwack!!!
The straight punch Chris threw instantly neutralized the Wild Fist Dance, and after that, fists continued to rain down on the Fist King’s face.
“What is the basic doctrine of the Martial Arts House? Don’t tell me you’re under the delusion that just being strong and flashy is the best?”
Thwack!
“To subdue the opponent with the most efficient movements. You’re the House Head, so why don't you know such a basic thing? And you still call yourself the Fist King? Is your face made of steel? Have you no shame?”
But the Fist King couldn't answer a single word. Every time he tried to open his mouth, a fist flew in and planted itself on his face.
At this unbelievable sight, the spectating students swallowed hard.
“Wh-what?”
“How can he do that?”
It wasn't even a one-on-one situation. He was toying with the Fist King while evading and defending against all the attacks launched by the other House Heads.
And what's more, he was doing it using only the basic secret arts of the Martial Arts House.
‘…I’m glad I didn’t run my mouth.’
Aiden thought, his face pale as a sheet.
His blood ran cold at the thought that he could have been the one in that state.
‘Father, didn't I tell you he was a madman and you had to be careful? I will avenge your grudge today after I have become strong enough. So, in about ten years or so.’
Finally, unable to endure any longer, the Fist King collapsed, and Chris turned his gaze.
His next target was the Beast King.
“How dare you. Prepare yourself!”
The White Dragon Snake opened its mouth wide.
In the moment its Poison Breath was about to spray out.
Another unexpected event occurred.
The White Dragon Snake turned its head and, instead, sprayed its Poison Breath toward the Beast King.
“?!”
The Beast King, horrified, barely managed to evade the breath.
That wasn't all.
The White Dragon Snake bared its fangs and tried to bite the Beast King.
Chris had stolen control of the White Dragon Snake!
“Y-you bastard! How? What trick did you use?!”
“What trick? I just tamed it according to your family's secret arts.”
An unbelievable story.
Chris said something even more infuriating.
“But I have something to ask. You're the House Head, so why don't you follow your own family's teachings?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Isn't it so? It was clearly written in your family's secret arts to become friends with the divine beasts, but it seems you haven't done that at all. You just suppressed it with force.”
“!!”
“So it’s only natural that this cute friend would take a greater liking to me.”
Even if it was the same taming that dealt with magical beasts, the methods of the magi and the Alliance were completely different.
The magi ‘dominate’ the magical beasts with fear, strength, and coercion.
On the other hand, the Alliance’s side ‘charms’ the magical beasts.
But the method of the whelp before him was neither.
He had charmed it, but it wasn't perfect, so he had also subjugated it with force.
Chris had dug into that gap.
‘I do have a knack for sweet-talking and bewitching, after all.’
Thanks to the great resentment that had built up in the beast toward the Beast King, he had been able to easily dig in.
“Do you think this is all I have?!”
The Beast King gritted his teeth and summoned other magical beasts.
This time, it was three 6th Demon-rank magical beasts.
They were a powerful force, but they only made the situation worse.
“Now is the time to release your pent-up resentment. Get your revenge on that whelp who has been using you all this time.”
The newly summoned magical beasts also bared their fangs at the Beast King.
“Wh-what?! What kind of evil art are you using?!”
“…It's not an evil art. I'm the one who's bewildered. To give up control so easily.”
Chris clicked his tongue as if he were dumbfounded.
‘When I fought the Beast King of the Magical Beast House before, I couldn't even dream of stealing control like this.’
One had to either completely suppress them, or create a solid bond with strong empathy, but his method was neither, so his control was sloppy beyond belief.
While the magical beasts were cornering the Beast King, a powerful aura descended upon Chris.
It was the Radiance King.
“Be careful!!”
Whoosh!
A mace, enveloped in the pure white mana used by Stellar Radiance knights, flew at him.
Chris evaded the attack and said.
“A decent level, not bad. Your foundation is alright.”
In truth, the Radiance King’s achievement was on the lower side among the House Heads.
He was only at mid 7-Star, after all.
But it wasn't bad.
Unlike the previous House Heads, he had completed his vessel in the proper way.
He was a talent who, though he might be lagging a bit now, had the highest possibility of reaching 8-Star the fastest.
‘I suppose I should treat him with some respect.’
“I will show you. What the true power of Stellar Radiance is.”
Paaaaaaah!
A powerful energy surged up from Chris's body.
It was the power of the Hero, the mana of radiance.
“Watch closely. This is the state you will have to pursue for the rest of your life.”
The aura of Stellar Radiance rushed toward the Radiance King.
The Radiance King also raised his power to face the aura.
The two pure white auras faced off in mid-air.
“Ah… ah.”
The Radiance King’s eyes trembled.
It wasn't simply because Chris’s aura was powerful.
No, if one were to purely compare the size of their auras, there wasn't much of a difference between the Radiance King and Chris.
Chris’s main energy was demonic energy, not the mana of Stellar Radiance.
The reason the Radiance King was so shaken was because of the will contained within Chris’s aura.
A will with no impurities mixed in.
An endlessly upright and noble will.
‘How can it be so beautiful?’
The Radiance King’s heart wavered.
It was as if he had glimpsed a perfect state that he could never reach.
In that moment, the Radiance King lost all will to fight.
Thud.
He dropped his mace and knelt.
“…I have lost.”
It was a declaration of surrender.
‘…He is not an opponent I can dare to face.’
The Radiance King could finally understand.
That the Hero’s words, that he had come to help them, were the truth.
And that they should have been the ones to kneel and beg for his teachings.
It was after the three House Heads had thus knelt.
Crackle!!
A geometric pattern appeared in the air, and a powerful electric shock surged forth.
It was the Curse King's sorcery.
At the same time, the surrounding vision wavered again.
A chilling killing intent surged.
“So it's the highest-level formation of the Sorcery House, the Life and Death Annihilation Formation.”
I was wondering what he was doing so quietly; it seems he was preparing a formation.
‘A fairly excellent level.’