Chapter 373
Will-based Technique.
March of the Dead Souls.
It was as if countless dead souls had turned into swords and were rushing in.
Chris hardened his face and moved his sword in response.
He neutralized the necromancy magic with black magic and unfolded his swordsmanship to defend against Drenne’s sword.
He was barely able to block it, but the situation was not good.
Anyone could see that Chris was being pushed back.
Even worse, Drenne showed not a single opening even in a situation where she was overwhelmingly advantageous.
It seemed her intention was to slowly, little by little, accumulate damage until he could no longer hold on and collapsed.
Thanks to that, Chris’s complexion began to lose its color as time passed.
‘No! At this rate, Christian will die!’
Idrinne bit her lip hard.
No hope of a comeback could be seen.
“I suppose it is about time to end this.”
Paaaaaaaat!
The surroundings were covered in a turbid, white energy.
At last, Drenne was beginning to exert her power properly.
Domain of Dominion.
Land of the Dead.
Kuaaaaaaaah!
The screams of the dead echoed.
It was not an illusion.
Tens of thousands. An innumerable number.
They cursed at Chris and bestowed a blessing of death upon Drenne.
The energy of death that had been accumulating in Chris’s soul until now grew even more intense, and his complexion turned pale.
His limbs began to lose their warmth in the shadow of approaching death, and the vibration of his thumping heart began to lose its function and gradually fade.
On the contrary, Drenne’s entire body was overflowing with vitality.
A storm of formidable energy was flowing out from her as if it were exploding.
Looking at Chris’s dismayed face, Drenne coldly declared.
“It is time to pay the price for your arrogance.”
Domain Skill.
Sword of Death.
Kiaaaaaaaaaak!!
Tens of thousands of the dead let out ear-splitting screams.
The energy of death they spewed out was imbued in Drenne’s sword.
As long as he could not overcome that immense energy, he would not be able to escape death.
It was an impossible task for the current Chris. His complexion turned white.
“No!!”
It was the moment Idrinne was about to step forward without a second thought.
Suddenly, an incomprehensible thing happened.
Chris suddenly changed his expression and gave a wide grin.
“That should do it.”
And then.
Anduril emitted a light.
The dark demonic energy split the energy of death.
The death energy of tens of thousands of spirits scattered into pieces, and Drenne’s eyes flew open.
“What?!”
She could not understand the situation.
It was not an attack that he could have possibly withstood with his power.
‘It’s not like he was hiding his strength, either.’
That is to say.
Chris’s appearance had changed.
Suddenly, his achievement had deepened.
‘How?’
Chris said in a calm tone.
“Ah, I just had an epiphany.”
“What did you say? Stop spouting nonsense!”
“It’s true. Well, it’s a common thing, isn’t it?”
Gaining an epiphany in the middle of a fight.
It was something that happened from time to time.
But there was a limit to that as well.
Right now, he was not at a level where he had simply gained an epiphany once; his achievement had been completely transformed.
It was as if his state had risen several stages.
“Ah, it’s not that I only had one epiphany. I had… about five or more?”
“…What kind of bullshit is this.”
“Why? You helped me, didn’t you?”
Chris smiled obnoxiously.
“Thanks to your energy of death, I’ve experienced a pseudo-death several dozen times.”
In the moment of death, humans sometimes cause things to happen that cannot be explained by common sense.
The authority of the King of Combat was what had turned that into a concrete ability.
But Chris had shaken his head in the middle of learning the authority of the King of Combat.
‘I don’t like it.’
For the authority of the King of Combat to manifest, he had to actually reach the verge of death.
It did not fit his style.
‘And with my talent, it’s difficult to even reach the verge of death, no matter who the opponent is.’
Instead, Chris had improved the authority of the King of Combat to suit himself.
The Mask of Impending Death.
To vicariously experience the crisis of death in one’s mind’s eye, and obtain the same extreme effect even if it is not an actual crisis of death!
‘Though I couldn’t complete it properly.’
To maximize a small crisis in his mind’s eye and make it feel like death.
As it was a preposterous thing, it was only natural that it was difficult to complete.
But it was fine.
‘Since it can exert the best effect, limited to Drenne.’
Drenne’s authority was death.
Since an actual crisis of death was approaching, it was simple to maximize it in his mind’s eye.
Each and every one of her attacks was an opportunity for an epiphany, so he had deliberately pretended to be in a crisis to induce her attacks.
‘Not only was Drenne’s attack not solely focused on power, but it also contained a deep enlightenment, which was a help to me.’
He was vicariously experiencing death, and an attack containing a sublime enlightenment was rushing in.
It was more than enough to become the foundation for inspiration.
“Thank you. I’ve become incredibly strong thanks to you.”
“…Shut up!!”
For the first time, Drenne lost her composure and shouted in anger.
Paat!!
An attack with all her strength rushed in.
But the aspect of the battle had changed from before.
Chris was not pushed back.
Rather, it was a tense standoff.
‘Now that I’ve seen all the effects I can with the fake impending death, I should stop pretending to be pushed back.’
Chris thought to himself.
‘I have to move on to the next stage.’
Although he had become much stronger in a single breath, his goal was not just this much.
‘I need you to try harder. For my sake.’
Paat!
This time, Chris’s sword raged.
Dark demonic energy, the holy radiance of light, swordsmanship, black magic, he did not hold back.
“You bastard!”
Drenne bit her lip hard.
Drenne’s achievement was still slightly ahead of Chris’s, but it was a difference that could be overturned at any time.
As Chris pushed her with his strange and mysterious attacks, her hands and feet grew dizzy.
At this rate, she could lose.
A sense of crisis washed over her, and Drenne made her decision.
“I will put an end to this.”
Ssssssk.
Her domain of dominion began to change.
Domain Transformation.
King of the Dead.
The requiem of the spirits that had been shaking the soul disappeared.
Instead, one by one, shadows rose from the floor and transformed into human figures.
“Hmm?”
Chris twisted the corner of his mouth.
They were familiar faces.
The Vengeful Spirit.
The Sculptor.
Those who had met their deaths at Chris’s hands not long ago had appeared as Drenne’s dead souls!
And they were not ordinary dead souls, either.
‘They say they can exert nearly 90% of their power from when they were alive. Though there are some restrictions.’
The stronger the summoned undead or dead souls, the smaller the number that could be maintained for a short time.
Even so, it was a fatal danger.
Because the Sculptor and the Vengeful Spirit were each beings of immense power.
“I will kill you.”
Paaaat!
The Sculptor and the Vengeful Spirit unfolded their domains of dominion at the same time.
Domain of Dominion.
The One the World is Hostile To.
Domain of Dominion.
Encroachment of the Abyss.
The two domains of dominion merged with the domain of dominion Drenne had unfolded.
At the same time, Drenne, too, moved.
Her domain of dominion changed.
The shadows of the dead that were cast upon the world grew even more concrete.
As if it were a real, actual world.
Although it was still incomplete, it was the ‘Advent of Creation’ of a 9-Star!
“This is the end.”
An absoluteness was imbued in Drenne’s death.
Ultimate Skill.
Sentence of Death.
Chris’s breath was taken away by the perfect death that was washing over him along with the two terrible curses.
‘…This cannot be blocked.’
It was a true crisis of death.
There was only one way.
For him to become strong enough to drive all of that away.
In other words, he had to set foot into the state of 9-Star.
‘I have to do it.’
The crossroads of life and death.
All other thoughts disappeared, and in a world where time seemed to have stopped, Chris’s mind’s eye went on a mad rampage.
Everything he had experienced until now flashed past him like a revolving lantern.
This life, the previous life.
It was not just about his achievements.
Happy things, sad things.
The entire trajectory of his life shone brightly in his mind’s eye, and that trajectory was the beginning of another world.
Thump. His heart beat once.
‘…What do I want to become?’
In the moment of death, he returned to the source and asked.
He had been running around busily to save the world.
But what he had wanted from the beginning was only his own happiness.
He had to become strong.
More than anyone else.
And he could do it.
Because he was a being more vast than anyone else.
‘I will not lose to the likes of those things.’
There was nothing that could break him.
An arrogance that looked down on everything in the world.
In that moment, the nature of the domain of dominion that was shimmering around him changed.
A sublime dignity was imbued in the Ruler of a Myriad Ages.
It was as if a king had descended.
The hands of everyone in the arena began to tremble, and someone let out a sound of astonishment.
“Th-this is?”
“It is not a domain of dominion.”
Paaaaaaaat!
The scenery was completely transformed.
The curses of the Sculptor and the Vengeful Spirit were crushed and scattered by the newly appearing darkness, and Drenne’s death, too, lost its authority.
An abyss like hell itself.
A scenery as if one had become a lowly creature placed beneath a throne that soared endlessly high.
Advent of Creation.
It was the ‘Throne’.
Chris had set foot into the state of the 9-Star realm!!
It was the moment Chris finally became a Lesser Demon King.
“I-impossible?!!”
Drenne’s hands and feet trembled.
She had been overwhelmed by Chris’s Advent of Creation, the Throne.
It felt as if all her will to fight was disappearing.
“I, too, have set foot into 9-Star. I will not lose!!”
Drenne drew up her strength as if in a desperate struggle.
Paaaaaaaat!!
A turbid energy shimmered madly.
Ultimate Skill.
Claw of the Fallen Star.
Based on her 9-Star state, she had directly manifested the power of the Fallen Star!
The claw of the Fallen Star, which reaped the souls of the earth, descended upon Chris.
However.
“It is useless.”
Chris stretched out his hand.
Fwaaaaaat.
The power of darkness rushed toward the energy of the Fallen Star.
It was just that, yet the energy of the Fallen Star began to scatter into pieces and disappear.
It was the authority of the Throne, which forcibly subjugated and made disappear the power of those of a lower class than oneself.
“Ah.”
Had she sensed her approaching death?
Drenne let out a groan.
“Still, I am grateful to you. Thanks to you, I have obtained a great achievement.”
Chris twisted his lips.
“Now, rest in peace.”
Goooooooo.
A darkness that held light shimmered in Chris’s hand.
Demonic Radiance.
It was different from the one before.
Unlike before, when it had been unable to handle the power and had gone on an unstable rampage, it was now calmly stabilized.
For both darkness and light were now under Chris’s dominion.
Paaaaaaaat!
Drenne drew up her strength, but it was useless.
The Demonic Radiance split Drenne’s body, and for a moment, the surroundings were submerged in silence.
Afterward, paaaaaaaat! along with the sound of tearing through the air, Drenne’s body disappeared without even leaving a trace of its form.
It was a victory!
“It is over. Is there anyone else who would challenge me? If not, I will take it that I am to become the Vice-Lord.”
Everyone in the arena was submerged in silence.
No one could accept reality.
Drenne had been defeated, and Christian, the enemy of the Four Kings' Castle, had become the Vice-Lord.
It felt as if they were having a nightmare.
Just then, a formidable energy descended upon the arena.
Chris turned his gaze, then let out a smirk.
‘He arrived at just the right time. Not too late, not too early.’
A man with a pale impression was staring at Christian with a cold gaze.
It was the Lord of the Four Kings' Castle, Pliton!
“The newly appointed Vice-Lord, Christian, pays his respects to the Lord of the Castle.”
Did it sound like a mockery?
Pliton’s presence grew even sharper.
A presence that could not be compared to before.
He had truly reached low 9-Star!
But Chris did not seem to feel much pressure.
It might have been different in the past, but now, he, too, had set foot into 9-Star.