Chapter 143
It was a one-sided battle.

Though Chris had received some help from Seonghwa, the fight was overwhelmingly in his favor.

It was all thanks to the Devourer.

“What an incredible magic sword.”

Chris had been using the Holy Sword Grunade to incapacitate his opponents, then finishing them off with the Devourer.

Since the Devourer absorbed the enemy’s life force, he didn’t have to worry about running out of energy. He poured every ounce of his strength into each moment.

As a result, the opposing knights were utterly overwhelmed, unable to mount any resistance.

“The Emerald Tablet synergy is especially strong.”

Normally, even the Devourer couldn’t absorb life force endlessly.

The amount it could absorb was proportional to the opponent’s energy.

Slaying ordinary soldiers only restored a small amount of stamina.

But these knights’ energy was amplified by the Emerald Tablet.

That’s why the Devourer could drain such vast amounts of life force.

In effect, the Emerald Tablet’s power was fueling Chris himself.

“Well, no need to feel guilty.”

These knights had accepted the power of the Emerald Tablet despite knowing its terrible secret.

They were not worth any sympathy.

“Mo-monster… Gyaaah!!”

After the last knight fell, Chris exhaled deeply.

He was about to finish off Miek, but an unexpected scene unfolded.

“This side’s done too.”

Miek’s eyes were wide open, his throat slit.

Evan had won!

“…That bastard Evan really is a monster.”

Chris shook his head in disbelief.

Miek’s energy was over six stars, yet Evan had defeated him using only swordsmanship.

“Now that he’s blessed by the Sword Saint, he’ll only get stronger. Honestly, I can’t guarantee I’d win against Evan with pure swordsmanship.”

Well, a slave growing stronger was a good thing for his master.

As the situation settled, Evan and Olivia regained their composure and looked at Chris in disbelief.

“That mana just now—”

“I told you. I’m a genius, so I know how to use it. Mana’s just a hobby I picked up on the side. I’m a Ma-in, after all. But it’s a secret, okay?”

“…Right.”

They nodded, still a bit dazed.

“So, we just go inside now?”

“Yeah.”

The time had come for the final showdown.

As Chris turned his gaze toward the mansion within the garden—

Whoosh.

A chilling sensation swept through his soul.

‘…What is this?’

It was faint, but unmistakable.

Again, a similar eerie feeling brushed past him.

This time, clearer.

“!!”

Olivia and Evan seemed to sense it too.

“Something unusual is happening inside.”

“We need to get in quickly. Hurry.”

But then Chris said something unexpected.

“…Both of you, fall back.”

“What?”

“Run outside, now!!”

“!!”

Chris swallowed hard.

He knew exactly what this feeling meant.

He couldn’t be mistaken.

He had experienced this exact sensation before.

During the Age of Destruction, a horrific event that claimed over a hundred thousand lives.

‘Damn it, could it really be happening again? This is insane.’

Chris gritted his teeth.

“What are you waiting for? Leave now! If you stay here, you’ll die!”

The chilling sensation grew stronger.

Even standing still made his skin crawl.

They all instinctively knew.

A terrible calamity was descending.

But Evan and Olivia refused to retreat.

“Chris-tian, what about you?”

“…I’m going to stop the Law King.”

“Stop him? Alone? What nonsense is that?”

Olivia stepped forward.

“Yes, you’re my sworn ally now. I won’t let you die alone.”

“No, I can stop him. I have a way.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

Evan lowered his voice.

“…Are you planning to sacrifice yourself?”

Olivia bit her lip hard.

Her voice grew intense, as if misunderstanding him.

“Yes! You can’t stay behind alone. Don’t act all high and mighty—let’s escape together! If you’re a Ma-in, act like one!”

Chris looked at them, utterly baffled.

‘That’s not what I’m doing at all.’

He wasn’t trying to stay behind or sacrifice himself.

“I think you’re misunderstanding.”

Chris spoke with a crooked tone.

“I told you to leave because you’d just get in the way.”

“!!”

“Didn’t I say I have a way? I will definitely resolve this. So stop worrying about nonsense.”

Yes.

Chris had a plan.

But he couldn’t predict the aftermath.

If luck wasn’t on their side, the shockwave could kill everyone nearby.

‘They’re all my valuable pawns who need to work for me in the future. I can’t let anything happen to them.’

They were his old comrades, his siblings, but even setting aside personal feelings, they were precious assets.

He needed to keep them around as long as possible.

That was why he wanted to protect them.

‘That heart of his again.’

Evan clenched his teeth.

He had the Insight ability.

He couldn’t read every thought, but he could grasp the gist.

Through his Insight, he clearly sensed that despite Chris’s gruff expression, he truly cared for and wanted to protect them.

‘Why is he always like this?’

This wasn’t the first time.

From the moment they met until now, Chris had consistently shown concern for others.

Despite being a Ma-in, he was a true saint—something even the most righteous swordsmanship families had never seen.

Olivia seemed to feel the same, clenching her fists tightly.

Just as she was about to speak—

“This is an order as your master. Leave now.”

“!!”

Evan froze.

Chris’s dark magic, based on their master-servant relationship, had taken effect.

‘It’s not strong enough to control them completely, but it can force simple commands for a short time.’

“Princess Olivia, you too. As a sworn ally, this is an order for your safety. Leave immediately.”

“!!”

Of course, Olivia and Chris weren’t in a master-servant relationship, but dark magic didn’t require that to compel someone’s actions.

He cast it under the pretense of protecting his allies.

Thud.

Their bodies began moving against their will.

“No…!!”

“Don’t!”

As they tried to resist, Chris said flatly,

“Don’t even think about it. This dark magic is linked to my soul. If you force resistance, I’ll be seriously hurt.”

Reluctantly, they stopped moving.

“Wait a moment. There’s something I need to do before you leave.”

“??”

Olivia hurried over, grabbed Chris’s hands, and pulled him close to her chest.

More precisely, toward her heart.

Chris’s eyes widened as he realized what she was about to do.

Flash!!

A brilliant light burst from Olivia’s grasp and enveloped Chris’s body.

“This is the [Blessing] power.”

Chris’s face stiffened.

It was a power that protected someone with holy energy.

“…This isn’t just any blessing. Why the [Blessing of the Heart] on me?”

A normal [Blessing] simply increased defense, but the [Blessing of the Heart] was on another level.

It granted overwhelming protection and healed any injury.

It was essentially a second life—the ultimate blessing Olivia could bestow.

However, this blessing came with a heavy cost for Olivia.

As long as the blessing held, she was fine.

But if the blessing broke under a powerful enough blow, the backlash would strike Olivia’s heart.

In the worst case, she could die alongside the protected.

That was why it was called the ‘Blessing of the Heart.’

“You said you had a way, right? You bragged about it, so I believe you won’t die. As long as you don’t die and the blessing doesn’t break, I’ll barely take any damage.”

Chris nodded.

He had no intention of dying.

Turning his back, he stepped inside, but Evan’s heavy voice stopped him.

“Don’t die.”

Chris smirked.

“Got it. Now stop whining and get out of here. As far away as possible. That’s an order.”

The dark magic forced them to obey again, and soon their presence faded.

Feeling their energy retreat alongside Jupien outside, Chris let out a long sigh.

His expression hardened as he faced the mansion.

Fear?

No.

He had already prepared a countermeasure.

His stern look was for another reason.

Creak.

The door opened.

Inside was nothing like a normal mansion.

No furniture, no rooms.

A vast, colorless, and empty space stretched out.

At the far end stood a figure.

Chris’s gaze turned ice-cold.

A man bathed in sacred light.

Law King Pentagel III.

At last, he was face to face with the father from his past life.

---

“……”

Surprisingly, anger didn’t rise.

Only a deep sinking feeling in his chest.

‘Disgusting.’

The Law King was surrounded by radiant light.

His appearance reminded Chris of the hypocritical man from the past.

At that moment, the Law King glanced back at Chris with a detached gaze.

“So, you’re the prince from the Dark Mage’s domain? I should have paid more attention beforehand. A single pest ruining the sacred ceremony.”

“…”

“But it doesn’t really matter. Maybe it’s for the best. Thanks to this, I was able to make a decisive choice.”

The Law King’s eyes gleamed with a dark, ominous light.

His irises had vanished, swallowed entirely by pitch-black darkness—a terrifying sight.

Chris realized that the ‘Descent’ had already begun.

A mysterious crystal materialized before the Law King, radiating a brilliant light, and the eerie chill Chris had felt outside crept up his spine once again.

The Law King spoke of the purpose behind his current actions.

“From this day forward, I shall be reborn as a great being. United as one with the constellation sealed within this Emerald Tablet.”

That was it.

The Emerald Tablet wasn’t merely an artifact that allowed the power of the constellation to manifest.

It was the very seal that imprisoned the constellation.

More precisely, it sealed the Fallen Celestial—once a constellation, now tainted by sin and cast down.

‘In the original history, the Law King broke the seal of the Emerald Tablet at his final moment and accepted the Fallen Celestial into his body.’

A horrific event.

The Fallen Celestial was essentially a demon in all but name.

In the end, the Law King’s soul was consumed by the Fallen Celestial, and its rampage turned the Law Kingdom into a living hell.

The death toll from that catastrophe easily surpassed one hundred thousand.

It was also the first incident that caused cracks to form between the Midrealm, Gehenna, and the Celestial Realm.

‘His soul is already completely corrupted by the Fallen Celestial’s energy.’