Chapter 157
Saenin was horrified.
Chris swung his sword again.
KWAANG! KWAAANG!!
Each time Saenin’s Black Steel Technique clashed with Chris’s, his insides churned violently.
He was pushed back uncontrollably.
Even though Saenin was using the same Black Steel Technique, Chris’s was overpowering his.
“This… this can’t be!”
“How is it that Captain Saenin’s Black Steel Technique is being pushed back?”
The Six Stars were those who had transcended the Wall of Will.
Therefore, even if the Black Steel Technique was the same, the level displayed by a Five Star and a Six Star was worlds apart.
No matter how strong a Five Star’s Black Steel Technique was, it couldn’t match that of a Six Star.
Yet, that very notion was being shattered right before Saenin’s eyes.
“What the—!”
Gritting his teeth, Saenin spread his hands.
Flash!
An illusion unfolded.
Not just a simple trick to confuse the opponent, but an illusion capable of dealing real damage.
It was the ‘True Strength’ spell—a pinnacle of dark magic among Black Mages, comparable to the Black Steel Technique.
“Saenin is a balanced type among the Dark Blades.”
The Dark Mage clan specialized in Dark Blades.
Their main types were divided:
The Martial type, which used dark magic only as support.
The Shaman type, which relied primarily on dark magic.
And the Balanced type, which handled both evenly.
Saenin was the latter, neither leaning too far one way or the other.
“But I’m a versatile type.”
Chris’s swordsmanship surpassed the Martial type, and his mastery of shamanistic dark magic exceeded that of a specialist Black Mage.
Flash!
Chris’s Black Steel Technique tore through Saenin’s illusion as if it were nothing.
Though Saenin’s dark magic was also a True Strength spell at the Five Star level, it vanished without a trace.
This was proof of just how powerful Chris’s Black Steel Technique truly was.
But in defending against the illusion, Saenin left a slight opening—and as a high-ranking Six Star, Chris didn’t miss it.
“Prepare yourself!”
In an instant, Saenin changed.
More precisely, his will infused his actions.
Will.
Another power of the Six Stars.
Through willpower, they could display transcendent physical abilities.
A sword strike faster than anything before surged toward Chris.
It was as if the moment the sword was swung, it had already reached its target.
Impossible to see and dodge.
Yet, astonishingly, Chris evaded the attack.
He had predicted Saenin’s strike path just before the Will manifested and moved preemptively.
Bloodshot, Saenin’s eyes blazed.
“Luck only favors you once!”
Flash!
Will flared again.
The sword came down like lightning, aiming to cleave Chris’s body.
Screech.
Once more, the blade narrowly grazed him, slicing a long tear in his collar.
“Stop darting around like a rat! Don’t think your luck will hold forever!”
Frustrated and enraged, Saenin unleashed Will repeatedly.
A flurry of attacks so fast they left no afterimages.
The Dark Mages watching the duel swallowed hard.
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“If he’s not careful, he’ll die.”
Blood seemed ready to spurt from Chris’s body at any moment.
But interfering in a duel between Mages was the ultimate taboo unless one side surrendered.
“Why is Prince Christian recklessly holding out?”
“He should surrender now!”
If Christian died, the Dark Mage army would be in a difficult position.
As everyone anxiously watched, some began to sense something strange.
“When will he fall?”
“He’s still dodging? How?”
Then—
KWA-AAANG!!
An explosion of dark magic erupted.
Christian’s destructive dark spell detonated right before Saenin.
A perfectly timed strike exploiting a tiny opening.
The Black Steel Technique rained down on the startled Saenin.
“!!”
Saenin barely blocked it but was forced back in a panic.
The duel momentarily stalled, and the training ground fell into a deathly silence.
“Captain Saenin is being pushed back? Even after using Will?”
Saenin clenched his fists tightly, growling.
His pride was deeply wounded.
“What kind of trick are you pulling?”
“Nothing special.”
Christian shrugged.
“What’s the point of being fast if your attacks are so obvious?”
“!!”
“And honestly, for someone using Will, you’re not even that fast. You’re weak. Are you really a proper Six Star?”
Indeed.
Saenin was surprisingly weak.
“Compared to Sherard, who was at the same level, he’s pitiful.”
Sherard was also a lower Six Star.
But Sherard was far more threatening.
It was almost unfair to compare.
“At the Six Star level, even among those who have achieved it, skill varies greatly. Could it be that he’s not a true Six Star?”
Chris tilted his head.
“But his achievement is definitely Six Star. So why?”
The answer came quickly.
“He’s trapped by his inner demon.”
A mental torment that negatively affects one’s achievements.
The higher the level, the more such inner demons influence them.
If not dealt with early, it can be fatal.
“He probably doesn’t even realize it.”
Chris smiled coldly.
“It’s only natural for a Mage to ruthlessly exploit any weakness they see.”
He could clearly see what kind of inner demon it was.
“Do you know why you can’t beat me even though you’re a Six Star?”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“Because you’re an idiot. You’re arrogant, thinking you’re great just because you’ve achieved something mediocre.”
“!!”
Chris sneered.
Lowering his voice so only Saenin could hear, he continued.
“You think you’re hot stuff just because you reached Six Star, but you’re nothing more than a dog guarding the main family.”
Saenin’s face flushed fiercely.
He had just heard the one thing he never wanted to admit.
His inner demon.
An inferiority complex as a branch family member.
“…I won’t accept it. The main family’s weak legitimate heirs are beneath me.”
“Is that so? Then prove it.”
Chris snapped his fingers.
“Prove you’re stronger than me. If you can.”
Saenin’s aura darkened.
A chilling energy spread around him.
He was about to unleash his Will Technique.
“…Don’t regret this.”
At that moment—
Flash!
The world around Chris darkened.
His vision blackened like ink spilled on paper.
The scent of swirling blades filled the air.
Saenin’s unique Will Technique: Blackened Fragmentation.
A technique that traps the opponent in an illusion and tears them apart along with it.
Once caught within range, evasion was impossible.
The only way to counter was to meet it with even greater power.
“The illusion’s combined nature means its focus of power is somewhat diluted compared to other Will Techniques.”
Still, it was far stronger than any ordinary technique.
A desperate situation.
“You want to know the difference between you and me?”
“Why bring that up now?”
“Honestly, I was in the same branch family position as you. My situation was far worse. Yet I challenged the Prince’s seat.”
The influence and prestige of the Shupen Marquis family and the Kazar Count family were incomparable.
Moreover, when Chris challenged for the Prince’s seat, he was only a Two Star.
“But I became the Prince, and now I’m on the verge of becoming the Grand Prince. Why do you think that is?”
“……”
“I’ll tell you what sets me apart.”
Chris drew another sword.
Andril.
He pulled it out because a normal sword couldn’t handle what he was about to do.
Black Steel Technique bloomed on Andril.
“…Don’t do anything reckless. No matter how great your Black Steel Technique is, you can’t handle a Will Technique.”
“Is that so? My Black Steel Technique is special.”
Chris’s eyes flashed.
“While you’ve been suffering from your pathetic inferiority complex, I’ve smashed through everything blocking my path to get here.”
“!!”
“And I won’t stop, no matter what stands in my way.”
With that declaration—
FWOOSH!!!
Chris’s will began to infuse into his Black Steel Technique.
Not just manifesting will through the vessel of the technique.
He was engraving his will directly into the Black Steel Technique.
A will to destroy everything that stood in his way.
“W-What are you doing? How can you put that kind of will into a Black Steel Technique?!”
The shocked shout echoed.
What Chris was wielding now was no ordinary Black Steel Technique.
The Black Steel Technique was merely a manifestation of will.
To add extra will like that went beyond the very concept of the technique.
It was closer to ‘Will Power’ itself.
“Not that it matters if it’s Will Power or not. That’s not important.”
Chris smiled bitterly.
This was the ‘Absolute Steel Technique’ he had gained this time.
A technique that transcended the limits of ordinary techniques.
“It’s such a powerful force that it can’t be used easily.”
Only those at the mid or even upper Five Star level could wield it steadily.
“Damn it…! You think you can beat me with just a technique like that…!!”
Saenin unleashed his Will Technique with all his might.
The blades tore through the illusions surrounding Chris.
If this continued, Chris’s body would be torn apart along with the illusions.
But—
Chris smiled coldly and swung his sword from above downward.
Light, yet heavier than any line.
A straight strike that destroyed everything blocking his path.
Just like the path Chris had shown through his life.
At the same time—
The black illusions shattered into pieces.
“Ugh!!”
Saenin dropped to his knees, coughing up blood.
The destruction of his Will Technique had struck his connected spirit.
And then—
Thud.
Chris’s sword was pressed against Saenin’s throat.
“!!”
Silence fell over the arena.
The entire Dark Mage army swallowed hard.
A miracle they couldn’t believe even with their own eyes had just occurred.
“Remember the bet we made about handing over the position of Captain Oh?”
Christian grinned slyly.
“Looking forward to a smooth transition.”
And with that, Christian proved his worth to everyone in the Dark Demon Army.
Meanwhile, atop the spire.
Marquis Shupen, having witnessed the duel’s outcome, swallowed hard.
‘I half-expected some kind of upset,’ he thought.
But he never truly believed Christian would actually defeat Saenin.
At best, he figured it would be a close fight, evenly matched. This, however, completely shattered those expectations.
‘Not only did he win—he utterly dominated Saenin.’
Of course, Saenin had just barely crossed into the lower tier of 6-star rank, and even within that bracket, he was relatively weak.
He was also suffering from a mind illness.
Saenin’s spiritual technique, “Blackened Shatter,” required intense focus, which was lacking, making it a poor match against the absurdly powerful energy Christian had just displayed.
Had Saenin been a different 6-star lower-tier demon, the result wouldn’t have been so one-sided.
Still, even if Saenin was lacking, it was only in comparison to others in the same 6-star lower tier—he was by no means weak compared to 5-star demons.
‘Unbelievable.’
Marquis Shupen shook his head.
“Impressive, indeed.”
[“Ahem. Whose disciple is he? Of course he’d be impressive.”]
“…Didn’t he learn very little from Lord Gaju? I heard he figured most of it out on his own.”
[“I taught him the basics.”]
Though they had a master-disciple relationship, aside from the initial lessons in dark magic, Gaju had rarely given him proper instruction.
[“So, what do you think?”]
Nordian asked quietly, his voice low and subtle.