Chapter 246
Of course, the power couldn’t compare to the true Heavenly Poison.
The Peach Blossom Mirror only allowed Chris to wield the strength permitted at his current level.
This Heavenly Poison wasn’t the 9-star “Ultimate Technique,” but rather a 6-star “Willpower Technique,” so its potency had to be understood accordingly.
Yet, the divine will to punish corruption remained intact.
Chris’s eyes snapped open.
He saw the core.
The crystallized embodiment of the evil and corruption that Jin Noksa harbored.
Even if the Heavenly Poison wasn’t fully perfected, it was more than capable of punishing that tainted corruption.
“W-wait! Wh-what are you doing? Stop this right now…!”
Did Jin Noksa sense the danger?
He screamed in desperation.
“I don’t want to.”
Whoosh!
The Heavenly Poison, recreated through the Peach Blossom Mirror, surged forward and engulfed Jin Noksa’s core.
Then—
Crackling sounds!
The will of divine judgment within the poison began to destroy the corruption embedded in the core.
“Nooo!!”
Jin Noksa thrashed wildly, sensing death was near, but it was futile.
The Heavenly Poison showed no mercy and completely annihilated Jin Noksa’s core.
“Gyaaaaaaah!!!”
Jin Noksa’s ethereal body started to crumble into dust, scattering away until it vanished into nothingness.
The legendary divine beast, Jin Noksa, had met its end.
“…”
The minions of the Extreme Poison Clan stared at Christian in stunned silence.
Christian grinned.
“I told you I could do it, didn’t I?”
And so, the “Jin Noksa Incident” that had once driven the Extreme Poison Clan to ruin was resolved by Christian’s hand.
The unbelievable news sent the entire Mage Empire into an uproar.
After a long time, at the Dark Clan’s main estate—Baron Castle.
In the former family head’s office, once used by Marquis Langham, sat Count Kazar.
Now acting as the clan’s proxy head, he had risen rapidly, but his face was far from pleased.
Dark circles under his eyes betrayed the heavy stress weighing on him.
It was inevitable.
“That damn son of mine… What kind of trouble is he causing over at the Extreme Poison Clan?!”
When news of Christian first reached the Dark Clan, Kazar nearly had a heart attack.
Upon arrival, Christian had nearly killed the clan’s most promising heir, Prince Fernand.
And that wasn’t all.
“He even challenged the Marquis Goras faction to a poison duel? Alone, against dozens of them?”
The Dark Clan erupted in chaos upon hearing this.
Some demanded Christian be brought back immediately; others called for an attack on the Extreme Poison Clan.
While they worried about Christian’s safety, Kazar was overwhelmed trying to calm the clan’s minions, who were ready to raise arms.
Most troublesome was Nordian.
“How dare he scheme against my grandson and force such a duel? If even a finger of my grandson is harmed, I’ll destroy the Extreme Poison Clan.”
In truth, the entire incident was Christian’s doing, but Nordian—now a doting grandfather—and the fervent Dark Clan minions were furious.
Had Christian not warned them to stay out of it, they might have actually invaded the Extreme Poison Clan.
“Just when we barely got through the duel safely, he causes more trouble?”
The dispute between the Extreme Poison Clan and the Kalvern Kingdom was something Count Kazar had been watching closely.
If needed, he was ready to intervene.
But then—
“Grand Prince Christian went alone to the alliance to prevent war.”
When this news came from the Extreme Poison Clan, Kazar nearly fainted.
“That madman!”
There was no time to worry about his son’s safety.
This time, the Dark Clan minions clamored to invade the Kalvern Kingdom.
Again, Nordian was the biggest headache.
“I’ll just bring back the head of that cat king from Kalvern, and it’ll be settled.”
Of course, this was absurd.
But it showed how much Nordian valued Christian.
Thanks to this, Kazar spent his days trying to calm everyone—from Nordian at the top to the common minions below.
“That boy has never been without trouble since he was young.”
Kazar sighed.
From his reckless youth until now, Christian had been a constant source of worry.
“At least he’s alive.”
Alive? More than that—Christian had pulled off unbelievable miracles one after another.
Especially the rumor that spread across the Mage Empire about how he had infiltrated alone and slain the Lion King Maximus.
“I just wish he’d come back quietly now. We’re already struggling with the Destruction Clan issue.”
This was because of the “Dark Festival” Christian had proposed.
A clan battle for the position of the southern mage nation’s fallen power.
As expected, the Destruction Clan accepted the challenge, and a date was set for the clan duel.
“Though Christian suggested it, I’m not confident the Dark Clan can really defeat the Destruction Clan.”
Honestly, Kazar had no confidence.
The Destruction Clan’s strength was incomparable to theirs.
In fact, the Destruction Clan was reportedly thinking, “Is the Dark Clan crazy? What a gift! We’ll crush them properly this time.”
“So please, I just want Christian to come back quietly.”
But Kazar had a gut feeling.
His reckless son would never return quietly.
So he spent each day anxiously awaiting whatever news might come.
“Please, let it be a manageable incident. Please.”
Suddenly, the door slammed open.
“Count! Urgent news from the Extreme Poison Clan!”
“What is it?”
Kazar braced himself.
No matter what came, he wouldn’t be surprised.
But—
“The legendary divine beast Jin Noksa has appeared in the Extreme Poison Clan!”
“!!”
Kazar knew well what Jin Noksa was.
A 9-star Demon Lord-level divine beast!
His face turned ashen.
“W-what happened to Grand Prince Christian? Did he escape safely? He wouldn’t have recklessly fought it head-on, would he?”
A 9-star Demon Lord-level divine beast was no opponent to face by sheer force.
The best course was to retreat with minimal damage and discuss a coordinated extermination at the empire level.
But—
“…Grand Prince Christian fought alongside them.”
“Ah…!”
Kazar’s strength drained from his body.
“That fool. No matter how talented, he needs to know his limits.”
At that moment, the door burst open again, and an unexpected figure entered.
A young boy’s appearance.
Nordian’s external avatar.
He had come to hear news of Christian after hearing about the urgent dispatch from the Extreme Poison Clan.
“What do you mean? Christian fought Jin Noksa? He’s not dead, is he?”
Nordian’s voice trembled.
Kazar’s voice was no steadier.
“No, my son wouldn’t die so easily. He’s definitely… definitely alive.”
“If he killed my grandson, I won’t let it go. Jin Noksa or the Extreme Poison Clan—everyone will pay.”
The envoy blinked at the furious tone.
“…I think there’s been a misunderstanding. The Grand Prince is safe.”
“Really? Even if badly wounded?”
“No injuries reported. He’s truly safe.”
Kazar and Nordian both sighed in relief.
“So he escaped safely.”
“Yes. Thank goodness. I was worried that reckless thunderbolt had caused another accident.”
But the envoy glanced around nervously and spoke cautiously.
“…He didn’t escape.”
“What? Then?”
“Well… the Grand Prince defeated Jin Noksa.”
“…What?”
The envoy scratched his head, as if he himself couldn’t believe it.
“…The Grand Prince single-handedly annihilated Jin Noksa.”
“…”
A heavy silence fell.
Nordian and Kazar knew better than anyone how remarkable Christian was.
But to have defeated Jin Noksa?
A 9-star Demon Lord-level divine beast?
The envoy had even more astonishing news.
“The Extreme Poison Clan sent this message of gratitude to the Grand Prince: they wish to join the Dark Alliance.”
The moment the Extreme Poison Clan pledged allegiance under the Dark Clan’s banner.
Just as Christian had promised before he left.
Meanwhile, at that time—
The Demon King’s Castle.
A somber murmur filled the Elders’ Council.
“Have you heard the news?”
“Elder Märchen failed? Impossible.”
“Since communication was cut off, it seems he was defeated.”
A heavy silence settled.
The shock was undeniable.
Then, one elder sighed and spoke unexpectedly.
“Just when we thought we’d finally dealt with Idrinne, now this pesky fly is causing trouble.”
A startling revelation.
For context, the Demon King’s Castle was divided into two factions.
The Anax faction, centered on curses and spirits, and the Blood Sword Clan.
When Idrinne met Chris previously, she was still firmly the Grand Princess of the Blood Sword Clan, but something must have happened.
“You haven’t completely dealt with Idrinne yet, have you?”
“Since she was struck by the Blood Curse Clan’s ‘Great Law,’ it’s as good as over. She’s barely holding on, but unless the legendary healer of the Medical Clan comes, no one can cure her.”
Greed flickered across the face of the curse clan elder.
“The main family has made great contributions, so we will take Idrene as a test subject for our Curse Mage faction.”
“No, she belongs to our Sovereign. Idrene is the perfect vessel. We will make her the strongest immortal under our command.”
From a shadowed corner of the chamber, a figure cloaked in a robe spoke in a chilling voice.
[Idrene will be coming with us.]
“!!”
Everyone froze, then glanced nervously at the stranger.
Considering all present were elders of the Four Kings’ Castle—the highest-ranking mages—this was unbelievable.
But there was no choice.
That figure was from the Mystic Mage faction.
Even the Four Kings’ Castle couldn’t assert itself in front of the Mystic Mages.
“But… Idrene belongs to the Four Kings’ Castle.”
[And you intend to refuse?]
“!!”
The elders’ faces hardened at the arrogant tone, yet none dared raise their voices.
[Instead, our Mystic Mage faction will offer a gift to the Four Kings’ Castle.]
“A gift?”
[We will assist you in taking down Christian of the Dark Mage faction.]
“!!”
The Mystic Mage’s voice slithered like a serpent as he continued.
“You all know the Four Kings’ Castle is currently in a difficult position dealing with the Karn Empire and the Blood Sword Mage faction. So, we will lend a hand.”
The elders exchanged surprised looks.
He wasn’t wrong.
The Blood Sword Mage issue could be settled once Idrene was dealt with, but the Karn Empire was a bigger problem.
They had been trying to seize control of the Karn imperial family from behind the scenes, but unexpectedly, ‘Light Sword Aslan’ had appeared and complicated matters.
For reference, Light Sword Aslan was someone Chris had met at the Gold Cross. At that time, Chris had hinted at the incident the Four Kings’ Castle was about to cause within the Karn imperial family.
If the Four Kings’ Castle struck Christian directly now, they risked fighting the Southern Mage Kingdom in front and the Karn Empire behind simultaneously—a situation to avoid.
“But… isn’t it difficult for the Mystic Mage faction to intervene directly as well?”
[We don’t need to act ourselves. We have someone who will fight for us.]
The Mystic Mage’s voice dropped an unexpected name.
[We’ll use the exiled dog, Marquis Langham.]
“!!”