Chapter 390

Chris crossed his arms.

'It's certain that the Mirror Ice Palace is also fated to be destroyed soon.'

Chris did not know much about the Mirror Ice Palace.

In his past life, it was destroyed by the Mystic Demonic House right after the Age of Ruin began.

He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but looking back now, it seemed they had been abandoned by the constellations and made into a sacrifice.

"How can I trust you? What if this is a trick by the constellations?"

"I have already severed all connections with the constellations. You can check."

It was true.

The terminal that the other members of the Holy Assembly had was gone.

"If you still can't believe me, then fine. I will offer you my soul, so make me your kin! No, I beg you. Please let me become your kin!"

A voice full of desperation.

'Hmm, this is unexpected.'

There was a problem.

"Do the other High Elves of the Mirror Ice Palace share your sentiment?"

"That, of course..."

"Can you really be sure? The Valkyries, too?"

"!!"

The Fairy King shut his mouth tight.

They were the proxy warriors who represented the power of the Celestial Realm.

'The young palace mistress came to fight me as a Valkyrie before.'

They were all individuals who had made contracts with the Celestial Realm.

There was a high possibility that they would not follow the will of the Fairy King, who was trying to betray the Celestial Realm.

"On the contrary, it seems more likely that they will try to eliminate you under the orders of the Celestial Realm."

"Th-that is..."

The Fairy King could not deny it.

'Even if I accept this guy, it feels like he'll just be a troublesome burden.'

Christian clicked his tongue.

It did not seem like he would be of much help.

But then, a thought suddenly came to him.

'No, there is one thing. A way to make good use of this guy.'

"Do you want to save the people of the Mirror Ice Palace?"

"Y-yes. Most of the people of the Mirror Ice Palace are just ordinary White Elves with no connection to the Celestial Realm."

"Then go to the North Sea."

The Fairy King looked puzzled.

It was because a completely random place had been mentioned.

"You can go to the North Sea, can't you?"

"Well, of course, I can. I have the protection of the Spirit King."

The Divine Beasts and the Spirit King in the North Sea were on friendly terms.

Therefore, the Fairy King, who received the protection of the Spirit King, was the only being in this world who could set foot in the North Sea without being threatened.

"Go there and find the ones I told you about."

Hearing Chris's explanation, the Fairy King's eyes widened as if they would tear.

"W-wait. Are you being serious?"

"Of course, I'm serious. We're not close enough to be joking around, are we?"

"B-but..."

The Fairy King stammered.

He had no choice.

"You want me to find the Mad Dragons!! Are you telling me to go and die?!"

That's right.

The ones Chris was looking for in the North Sea were the Dragonkin, who had now vanished from the world.

"Don't you know why the Dragonkin left for the North Sea? Didn't the Demon Dragon King forcibly seal them in the North Sea because they all lost their reason and were left with only their destructive instincts? No matter how much I am the Fairy King who receives the protection of the Spirit King, there is no way I can be safe in front of them!"

"Well, it can't be helped if it's dangerous. The one who's going to die is you, not me."

"Wh-what?"

"Look. Does this situation feel like a joke to you? Either way, you're going to die if things continue as they are. I've just shown you a path to survival."

That's right.

It was not just the Fairy King.

If they could not stop what was to come, everyone in this world would meet a terrible end in ruin.

'Why else would I be planning a gamble with such a low chance of success against the Mystic Demonic House? I'm already prepared to die, so what are you whining about?'

"I will make you my kin, so if you succeed in encountering the Mad Dragons, contact me through the soul connection. I will descend upon you and persuade the Mad Dragons myself."

If he made him his kin, a temporary possession would be possible, so he planned to borrow his mouth to persuade them.

"...If I fail, I will die."

"Of course, you will. But it's fine. The one who's dying is you, not me, after all."

"You...!!"

"Well, if you don't want to, then don't. Still, wouldn't being torn to shreds by a Mad Dragon be a much more peaceful death than being handed over to the Mystic Demonic House and becoming a sacrifice?"

The Fairy King ground his teeth.

But he was right.

It was better to become food for the Mad Dragons than to become a sacrifice offered to demons.

"You can really persuade the Mad Dragons, right?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't know what state the Mad Dragons are in. It's a shot in the dark with nothing to lose."

"...It's not nothing to lose, it's my life... Haa. I understand. I will follow your words. How did I end up in such a situation?"

The Fairy King lamented but accepted his fate.

After making him his kin through a simple ceremony, Chris asked.

"Do you happen to know why the constellations are doing this?"

He did not ask with much expectation.

The members of the Holy Assembly were just tools that were used and thrown away, after all.

However.

"It is because of Ascension."

"...Ascension?"

Chris flinched.

It was a word he had heard before.

-Having overcome the fate of a mortal and obtained the status of a transcendent... this means you have grasped the qualification to challenge 'Ascension'...

It was something Mefina had said to Chris in passing in the past, when he had obtained all three Primal Origins and achieved the soul status of a transcendent.

"Do you know anything about Ascension?"

"No, I do not know either. I only happened to learn of it by chance while eavesdropping on the will of the constellations."

The Fairy King frowned.

"I have not trusted the constellations for a long time. So whenever I had the chance, I tried to read their true intentions. Although I have found out almost nothing... what I have learned is that both the constellations and the demons of Gehenna all desire Ascension."

It was an important piece of information.

'I don't know what Ascension means. But there is a high probability that the Demon Emperor also desires the same goal.'

He recalled another thing Mefina had said in the past.

- 'Elder' refers to those who have obtained the status of a transcendent as a mortal. You are... not the first.

She must have been referring to the Demon Emperor.

However.

- However, you are... special. Having obtained the status of a transcendent solely with your own power... you are the only one who has obtained the legitimate qualification for Ascension.

The Demon Emperor had obtained the status of a transcendent, but he did not have the qualification for Ascension.

So, could it be that he was plotting with the Celestial Realm and Gehenna to aim for Ascension together?

Though it was just a guess without any clear evidence.

"Ah, and I also overheard something like this."

"...What is it?"

The Fairy King continued, as if trying to recall a memory.

"It was a statement that since they had already failed once, they would not fail in this age of ruin. Though I do not know what it means."

Chris swallowed a groan.

He had a guess.

'He's talking about the Ragnarok of my past life.'

Last time, too, the constellations and the demons had aimed for Ascension through the destruction of the world, and it seemed they had failed for some reason.

'Then, was the turning back of time also the work of the Celestial Realm and Gehenna?'

It seemed so.

It was an impossible feat for anyone but them.

However, a single question arose here.

'Why did I alone regress with my memories?'

Although the time of the entire world had been turned back, Chris was the only 'regressor' with his memories.

It could not have been a coincidence.

The problem was who, and for what purpose, had made him a regressor.

'Simply put, there is a high probability that my regressing with my memories was also the work of the Celestial Realm and Gehenna.'

But Chris shook his head.

He could not be certain that was the case.

On the contrary.

'...There is also a possibility that my regressing with my memories was the work of the Magus Chancellor.'

He had a basis for such a suspicion.

If his meeting with Marie was not a coincidence but orchestrated by the Magus Chancellor.

Then his regression would also have been the work of the Magus Chancellor.

It was also suspicious that out of all the numerous families, he had regressed as a person from the Dark Demonic House, the family of the Magus Chancellor.

But why?

Once again, a rare question.

'What does the Magus Chancellor desire?'

If the Demon Emperor desired Ascension, then what about the Magus Chancellor?

It was a natural judgment to assume they shared the same goal.

But why?

Chris had a strong intuition that the Magus Chancellor was hiding another scheme.

'Perhaps the Magus Chancellor is the true mastermind behind all of this.'

Shaking his head, he parted ways with the Fairy King.

The Fairy King left for the North Sea, and he met with Idrinne.

"Christian!! I missed you!"

Idrinne greeted Chris with a wide smile.

'She's gotten stronger.'

Chris was impressed.

It had not been that long since they had parted, yet she had reached high 8-Star.

'No, isn't that too fast?'

In Chris's judgment, Idrinne's talent surpassed that of Evan and Ranya.

Excluding Chris, she was a talent that could be called the greatest genius on the continent.

Still, it was too fast.

"I pushed myself out of a desire to help you. We are friends, after all!"

"...Friends, my foot. If I had two friends like you, I'd bring ruin to my family... Hmph."

Duke Rubinson, the head of the Blood Sword Demonic House and Idrinne's father, who was standing next to her, grumbled under his breath, then lowered his eyes upon receiving a glare from Idrinne.

"Actually, there is a favor I need to ask of you."

"What can I do for you? Just say the word!!"

Chris hesitated for a moment.

'Would Idrinne really follow my words?'

Even if Idrinne was a fool, he was worried about whether she would accept this story.

Because it was that absurd.

'It's a matter of life and death.'

After much thought, he spoke.

"...You, become a sacrifice for the Mystic Demonic House."

Duke Rubinson, who was standing next to him, his eyes shot wide open.

"What nonsense is this?!"

"I understand. I will do so."

"Yes, this will be too much. I understand... what did you say?"

Chris asked again as if he had misheard.

Idrinne had a face as if to say, what's the problem?

"Did you hear me correctly?"

"I did. Didn't you tell me to become a sacrifice for the Mystic Demonic House?"

"And you're saying you'll do it?"

"Didn't you tell me to?"

Idrinne said with a still calm face.

"If it weren't for you, I would have been ruined long ago, so my life is as good as yours."

"......"

"Even if that weren't the case, you are my friend, are you not? I can lay down this one life for a friend at any time!!"

"...Friends, my foot."

Rubinson grumbled again from the side, but he clamped his mouth shut when Idrinne glared at him.

"...I have no intention of letting you die, of course."

"It is fine if I die. For your sake."

"No, I said I don't. I'm just asking you to be bait."

"Well, then I'll be in your care. I'll be trusting only you."

Idrinne replied with a bright smile.

He didn't know if she was really okay with dying for Chris's sake, or if she just trusted him.

'...If she comes at me like that, there's no way I can let her die.'

If his plan failed, Idrinne would die.

The problem was that the probability of success was slim.

"Even if the plan goes wrong, you won't die alone. I won't survive either."

He said it as a form of comfort, but Idrinne's expression turned serious.

"What do you mean by that? I will absolutely not tolerate you dying!"

"...Huh?"

"Promise me! That you will absolutely not die. No, I will never let you die. With the power of friendship!!"

"...Damned friendship."

"Father, you stay quiet!"

"......"

In the end, Chris promised.

That he would definitely succeed and survive.

After the commotion had settled and their conversation was over, Chris looked to the north.

It was time to leave for the Mystic Demonic House.

It was the beginning of the operation that would decide the fate of the world.