Chapter 142

The group charged straight ahead.

Slash!

Blood splattered.

“Gahh!!”

“What the hell?! Block them!”

No matter that these soldiers had gained the strength of a 3-star rank, they were still just ordinary troops at their core.

In other words, their power had simply been amplified.

Naturally, they were no match for the party.

The real problem was their numbers.

Even if their strength was the only thing enhanced, there were two hundred of them—too many to ignore.

As time went on, they would start to overwhelm us.

“I’ll break through first,” Evan stepped forward.

Flash!

A brilliant aura blade flared to life, shattering the formation of soldiers blocking the way.

The party seized the opening and surged forward, soon reaching the garden’s entrance.

“It’s a barrier. Can you break through it?”

“Of course.”

Chris placed his hand on the barrier.

Originally, this barrier was designed to isolate the garden’s interior from the outside, concentrating the power of the constellation within. Its security enchantments weren’t particularly strong.

Chris quickly dismantled the barrier’s defenses and opened a path.

“Hold them back!”

Soldiers rushed in late.

Chris glanced at Jupien.

Those soldiers were Jupien’s responsibility.

“You ready?”

“Yeah.”

Jupien’s short reply carried a determined edge.

“Here, take this. It’s a summoning stone containing a 4-star magical beast—the Shell Turtle.”

True to its name, the Shell Turtle was slow but possessed incredible physical defense.

Perfect support for Jupien.

“Marie, you’re on distraction duty—run around and make some noise.”

[Oh hoho, leave it to me.]

Marie wouldn’t join the fight directly, but as a banshee, her eerie wails alone would unnerve the soldiers.

Chris handed over something else.

“Take this too.”

It was a gem infused with a faint, wavering energy.

Jupien’s eyes widened as he recognized it.

“The Illusionary Great Magic Stone? How did you get your hands on this relic?”

It was an artifact that enhanced illusion magic.

“I found it gathering dust in the family’s treasure vault. Snuck it out.”

“…Well done. I’ll give you credit for that.”

Jupien nodded approvingly.

Illusions were less effective against highly accomplished knights or mages.

But these soldiers were just brute-strength enhanced, making them vulnerable to illusions.

With the Shell Turtle as a shield, the Illusionary Great Magic Stone, and Marie’s soul-draining banshee wails, they had a solid chance to hold out.

Jupien gripped the magic stone in one hand, his sword in the other, eyes fixed ahead.

“Go quickly. Don’t die.”

Chris smiled slyly.

“Worried about me?”

“Shut up and get moving. If you die, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Right back at you. Stay safe.”

Chris leapt into the garden.

Flash!

Inside the barrier, the scenery changed completely.

A magnificent garden, like a paradise brought to life.

Moonlight energy floated in the air, crystallized and suspended.

It was dreamlike in its beauty, yet carried a strange, ominous aura.

From a small mansion at the garden’s center, a chillingly oppressive energy radiated.

“So the Emerald Tablet must be in there.”

“Most likely.”

The Law King would be inside as well.

Thinking about facing ‘Father’ made Chris’s chest tighten.

He was the one who had dragged his childhood into ruin in his past life.

Chris hadn’t lived obsessing over revenge, but it would be a lie to say his heart didn’t tremble.

Then—

“Stop right there.”

“!!”

A group blocked their path.

Knights.

There were many—around twenty.

Their skill was high.

The weakest among them was at 3-star rank, and nearly half were 4-star or above.

Most notably, the one leading them.

A familiar face.

“I was just about to come find you, and here you are, walking right to me. How thoughtful. I’ll tear you apart.”

It was Miek, the 5-star Elder Knight who had been defeated by Chris before!

Back then, Miek’s legs had been severed, but now, thanks to the Emerald Tablet’s power, they were fully healed.

And that wasn’t all.

An overwhelming energy.

Every knight radiated a storm-like aura.

It seemed their power had been amplified several levels beyond their original rank.

Worst of all, unlike the brute soldiers outside, these knights were originally skilled mana users, so they would wield their enhanced power with far greater finesse.

Each knight exuded intense intimidation.

The most striking was Miek, originally a 5-star knight.

A chilling aura crackled from his hand.

It was a swirling force far stronger than when Chris had dueled him before.

In sheer magnitude, it rivaled a 6-star Master Class.

“The Law King’s blessing upon us. Prepare yourself. I’ll give you the most horrific death you could ever imagine.”

Miek’s eyes gleamed with cruelty.

Olivia stepped forward, gritting her teeth.

“Stop! Don’t you understand what kind of terrible power you wield?”

Miek glanced at Olivia.

“I do. But what does it matter?”

“!!”

“For the greater good, sacrifices are inevitable. The princess is just too naive.”

As Olivia clenched her teeth at his nonsense—

“No need for pointless talk. You’re all going to die anyway.”

“What?”

Chris’s words left Miek and the knights stunned.

Everyone could see that Chris was at a disadvantage.

The gap in strength was hopelessly one-sided.

Yet Chris showed no sign of fear.

“Evan, you take Miek—the mutt. No need to kill him, just tie him up. You can handle that, right?”

“I can, but what about the others?”

Even if Evan took Miek, nearly twenty knights remained.

All bristling with the terrifying energy granted by the Emerald Tablet.

“I’ll handle the rest. It won’t take long. Just hold out until then.”

Everyone looked incredulous at that insane claim.

“No more talk. Attack! But don’t kill them. I want to slowly torture them for all the trouble they’ve caused.”

Miek’s eyes shone with cruelty.

Three knights advanced on Chris with confident expressions, sure they’d overwhelm him.

At that moment, Chris spoke to Olivia.

“Princess Olivia, do what I told you.”

“…Are you sure this is the right move?”

“Yes. Trust me and do it.”

After a brief hesitation, Olivia unleashed her power.

Wings of radiant light spread from her back, flames of brilliant holy fire igniting.

One of her abilities—‘Sacred Flame.’

The flames surged toward Chris.

In an instant, his body was engulfed in the holy fire.

Everyone watched in disbelief.

“…What kind of crazy stunt is this? Did he want to commit suicide?”

Sacred Flame was similar to the Emerald Tablet’s buff, but its effect was completely different.

It amplified the target’s holy energy.

Only divine knights and holy mages could benefit from it.

‘This must be poison to a demon like him.’

Miek sneered and ordered,

“They’re not dead yet—drag them in! They’ll pay for their arrogance!”

Then—

Shing.

A chilling sound echoed.

The three knights advancing on Chris suddenly froze.

No one understood what had happened.

Then, with a spray of blood, the knights collapsed.

A radiant light emerged.

“Oh, this is a secret.”

From Chris’s broken holy sword, a pillar of light shot upward.

Far more intense than anything Miek had shown before.

It was a 5-star Middle Elder Class Aura Blade.

“I’m actually pretty good at handling light energy too.”

Chris grinned.

---

A deathly silence fell over the scene.

Everyone stared at Chris with wide eyes.

“Th-This is impossible! How can a demon wield light mana?”

And not just any mana—it shone brilliantly.

The ‘Radiant Mana’ granted only to heroes.

Even more sacred than the White Mana of divine knights.

Olivia and Evan both looked utterly stunned.

‘Well, it’s fine if they find out.’

Evan was a subordinate, Olivia bound by oath—they wouldn’t betray his secret.

“Oh, I’m a genius. I got bored just using magic, so I learned this too. Not that hard.”

He wasn’t lying.

“Th-This can’t be…!”

“Do you really have time to argue?”

Chris’s voice dropped low.

“I’m going to kill every last one of you.”

“!!”

At that moment—

Slash!

Another knight fell, blood spraying.

Miek was shocked by the speed, shouting,

“A-Attack! Everyone, attack!”

But they were no match.

Chris’s Sacred Flame mastery was a 5-star Middle level.

From Elder Class upward, the gap between upper, middle, and lower ranks was huge.

They simply weren’t on his level.

Of course, these knights had amplified their power through the Emerald Tablet, wielding strength far beyond that of ordinary knights. But Christ had also amplified his own power.

“Jo, hang in there! The Flame’s power drains your stamina fast—it can’t last long! Our situation’s different from yours!”

It was a fair point.

The Emerald Tablet’s power boost was nearly permanent, but such buff abilities usually couldn’t be sustained for long. Especially the Flame’s power—it gave an explosive surge of strength but burned out quickly.

“Ah, I’ve got that covered. Just because I wield light mana doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten I’m a mage, you know?”

This time, Christ drew his demonic sword, Devourer.

He plunged the blade into the neck of a knight writhing on the ground.

Shlick.

With a chilling sound, the sword absorbed the knight’s life force.

That life force transformed into dark mana, flowing into Christ’s outer core, and through his Vampiric Ring, he converted it back into light mana.

“With this much energy stored up from absorbing strength, there’s no way I’m going to tire out and collapse halfway through.”

The knights faltered at the terrifying sight, and Miek gritted his teeth.

“Ugh…!”

Among the knights here, only Miek—a five-star knight—was capable of standing against Christ.

As Miek stepped forward to block him, Evan intervened.

“Ugh, step aside! How dare you—!”

But Evan was no one to be trifled with.

He was the hero of the future, already considered the strongest among the next generation of the renowned swordsmanship clan.

Even though both were five-star knights, the gap in their swordsmanship was vast.

Thanks to the Emerald Tablet’s power, Miek had the upper hand in raw strength, but he couldn’t shake off Evan easily.

Meanwhile, Christ’s sword ruthlessly cut down the knights.

Fwoosh!!