Chapter 163
“Did he turn the manipulated law against me?”
The law that Marquis Shupen had tampered with was this: the angle of movement twists.
If you move straight ahead, your path becomes skewed diagonally.
Conversely, if you move in a different direction, you might actually end up moving in the original intended direction.
Of course, among countless angles, figuring out which one leads back to the true path was nearly impossible. But Christian had calculated that angle in reverse by sensing the momentary twist.
“!!”
Marquis Shupen furrowed his brow.
At this rate, he was about to get hit hard.
Flash!
A shield of darkness materialized around Shupen.
Just as those who reach the 6th star each possess their own unique spirit device, those who ascend to the 7th star wield their own distinctive dominion power.
This was Shupen’s personal dominion power: the “Shield of the Dark Soul.”
It was an ability with absolute defense that ignored laws—a manifestation of Shupen’s will to protect the Dark Mage.
‘Did I unleash too much power?’
A twinge of regret crept in.
For the record, this was the first time Shupen had ever used this power.
That alone showed how threatening Christian’s attack was.
‘He’ll back off now that he’s seen this power.’
Like hitting a rock with an egg—the egg breaks.
If Christian struck the Shield of the Dark Soul, only he would get hurt.
But Christian didn’t stop.
“Hah!”
He swung his sword down with even stronger resolve.
Ka-BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed.
“!!”
Of course, the Shield of the Dark Soul didn’t budge an inch.
Instead, Christian took the brunt of the blow.
Whether from internal injury or the force of the strike, blood trickled from his mouth.
“…Enough. This is sufficient.”
But Christian didn’t retreat.
His eyes seemed to say: I will never stop.
This is the path I must take.
Yet why was it that, seeing him like this, Shupen couldn’t help but recall what Christian had said earlier?
“If you want to protect something, sometimes you have to boldly cross the line and move forward.”
Until now, Christian had lived solely for the Dark Mage.
Shupen’s efforts to preserve his family’s identity were because he believed it was right for the Dark Mage.
But was that truly the right path?
Was simply protecting enough?
Judging by the results, no.
The Dark Mage was rotting from within.
They tried to protect it, but failed.
If he hadn’t been so withdrawn—
If he had moved forward like Christian was now—
The outcome might have been different.
At that moment, a great darkness flickered.
Christian had poured all his strength into a strike with his Black Steel Blade.
His will to break through anything in his way.
Ka-BANG!
A shockwave swept through the surroundings as if turning everything upside down.
Christian couldn’t hold on and was thrown backward.
And then…
“…”
Marquis Shupen stared at his own hand.
A faint crack had appeared.
The shockwave had pierced through the shield and dealt damage.
It was a minor wound, barely noticeable unless you looked closely—but it was unbelievable.
In the end, Christian had landed a hit.
“Haha.”
Shupen laughed.
Why?
Because it felt strangely refreshing.
“Hahaha!”
He admitted it.
Christian’s words weren’t wrong.
If you truly want to protect something,
You have to move forward.
At that moment, something inside Shupen changed.
Unconsciously, his consciousness slipped into a state of selflessness.
Countless thoughts flashed by.
The water in the vessel that had been full began to overflow.
Everything he had built up until now was redefined and reborn.
How much time passed?
Suddenly—
Shupen’s eyes snapped open.
And then—
Flash!
A dense darkness poured from his body.
This was no mere manifestation of magic energy.
The entire space was engulfed in darkness.
As if turning the surroundings into a territory ruled by shadow.
An overwhelming presence filled the air, as if he held the life and death of every being within that space in his grasp.
It didn’t last long.
The darkness quickly faded.
Shupen, now fully aware, wore a bewildered expression.
“W-What is this?”
Christian, watching from the side, spoke.
“Congratulations on stepping into the realm of the Absolute.”
Indeed.
What Shupen had just unleashed was the “Dominion Territory.”
A power of the Almighty Class at the 8th star.
‘He hasn’t fully reached the 8th star yet. More like the early stage of the 8th star.’
The manifestation of the territory was still immature.
If it were a spirit device, it was barely able to manifest it.
But it was only a matter of time.
Now that he had stepped into it, he would soon reach the full 8th star realm.
“To think I’ve stepped into the realm of the Absolute?”
Shupen’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
He had thought it impossible his entire life, yet here he was, suddenly achieving it.
“Achievements always come unexpectedly.”
“You…”
Shupen looked at Christian with a confused gaze.
“Could it be that you acted that way during our sparring to help me achieve this?”
Christian didn’t deny it.
“Well, I merely gave you a little push. Your vessel was already nearly full. If it hadn’t been, you wouldn’t have ascended so easily.”
Shupen’s face twisted in disbelief.
Christian spoke casually, but this was no small matter.
How many top-tier mages had been crushed because they couldn’t take that one step forward?
Christian had performed a miracle.
He had seen exactly what wall Shupen was hitting, what realization he needed, and naturally guided him to that insight—a feat only possible with insane skill.
“Well, as you know, I’m a genius, so helping others is something I’m good at. Anyway, I’m glad it helped.”
Shupen pursed his lips.
No matter how much of a genius, he was still confused about how this was possible.
But that didn’t matter.
He sincerely expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you. You’ve done me a great favor.”
Yes.
This was no mere help.
It was a true blessing.
“It’s nothing. Family helps family. And if you ever need help, I’m sure you’ll return the favor.”
Shupen understood Christian’s meaning.
This help wasn’t free.
Of course, Shupen had no intention of accepting this favor without reciprocation.
What Christian wanted from him was obvious.
But—
“Attacking Langham right now is impossible.”
“Hm?”
“Of course, I won’t ignore Langham’s wrongdoings going forward. But I’m not strong enough to face him yet.”
A surprising statement.
He had stepped into the 8th star realm, yet claimed he lacked strength?
“Langham’s power isn’t at the 7th star level. Though he hasn’t reached the realm, he’s enhanced his strength through terrible forbidden arts. He’s probably on par with many 8th star mages.”
Christian knew this roughly.
‘He gathered power like that in my previous life too.’
For now, Langham was holding back, but eventually, he would complete his power and kill Nordian.
‘It’s only a matter of time. Since I prevented him from getting the Twilight Amulet, I have a bit more leeway than before.’
The artifact that played a decisive role in amplifying Langham’s power was the Twilight Amulet.
Before becoming a duke, Christian had stopped Langham from acquiring it during a relic battle with the Extreme Poison Mage.
‘Still, I can’t be complacent. Langham will find other means to get the power he wants.’
Thinking this through, Christian spoke.
“You’re mistaken.”
“Hm?”
“I never asked you to fight Langham.”
“…”
“More importantly, isn’t it unrealistic? If you attack Langham, the Dark Mage will collapse into civil war.”
If Shupen attacked Langham, the Dark Mage would split into two factions—the Dark Mage Army and the main family—and wage war.
“Then?”
Christian crossed his arms.
“I will punish Langham myself.”
“!!”
“You only need to be my ally.”
An absurd statement.
But Shupen no longer dismissed Christian’s wild words as nonsense.
He had experienced Christian’s insane abilities firsthand.
Shupen shook his head.
“I haven’t pledged loyalty to you yet. I acknowledge your power, but you’re not qualified.”
He fully recognized Christian’s greatness.
But that alone wasn’t enough to earn his loyalty.
It was a matter of qualification.
Strictly speaking, Christian wasn’t yet worthy of the loyalty of Shupen, commander of the Dark Mage Army.
‘There’s only one way. Achieve a great feat that makes me worthy of his loyalty.’
Coincidentally, there was just the right opportunity.
“I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“There’s an enemy targeting your life.”
“!!”
Shupen’s eyes hardened.
Christian shared what he knew.
“Alliance between the Mystic Mage and the Four Kings? Honestly, it’s hard to believe.”
“But it didn’t seem like a lie. We must prepare.”
Shupen nodded.
The question was how to prepare.
“We can’t let the Dark Mage get dragged into this. If the Mystic Mage’s monsters truly possess the rumored power, ordinary mages will be nothing but sacrificial lambs. I and the five commanders will face them.”
That was the most sensible plan, but Chris shook his head.
‘It’s not enough.’
If the enemy were an ordinary demon, it might have sufficed.
But Chris knew exactly what Patera was—and the kind of power it could unleash.
‘Patera channels the power of a demon.’
Though it can’t last long, in that brief moment, Patera wields catastrophic strength.
There had even been a time when the hero’s party nearly got wiped out, caught in the wake of Patera’s power.
Chris understood just how terrifyingly strong that power was.
‘Back then, the Dark Chatterbox did tell us how to neutralize Patera, but no one dared to try.’
It wasn’t something a human could realistically pull off.
At the time, the hero’s party simply endured, waiting for Patera’s power to fade.
‘But we have to do it. We can do it.’
Chris looked at Marquis Shufen and spoke.
“Do you remember when you promised a reward if I managed to land a hit on Your Excellency before the official duel?”
“Of course I remember. What kind of reward are you hoping for?”
Chris hesitated for a moment.
“When we face the monster from the Mystic Maga, please follow my plan.”
“!!”
He met Marquis Shufen’s gaze steadily.
“Trust me completely. That’s the only way to defeat the Mystic Maga’s monster without any sacrifice.”