Chapter 259
“No, there is one way. It’s worth trying.”
In the past.
As the Age of Destruction drew to a close, the hero and his party found themselves facing demons more and more often.
They had encountered situations very similar to this one multiple times.
Back then, Evan, the hero, had a method he used.
“The question is whether I can pull it off.”
At that time, Evan relied on the blessings of the constellations to make it work.
Even now, Chris’s achievements paled in comparison.
It was a stretch, but—
“I have to do it. There’s no other way.”
Having made up his mind, Chris turned to Yulian.
“Sis, please use your spirit magic to grant ‘mental respite’ to Marquis Shupen and the five captains.”
“But—?”
It was a spirit magic technique that protected the mind with the gentle energy of the spirits.
However, as the name implied, it caused a temporary loss of consciousness, knocking everyone out of the fight.
“That’s fine. Just do as I say.”
‘Since I’ll be using the power of the Holy Radiance too, it’s better if everyone loses consciousness for now.’ Yulian nodded and cast the spell.
Marquis Shupen and the five captains, barely holding on against the spiritual pressure and the high-purity instruments of Gehenna, couldn’t resist Yulian’s spirit magic and collapsed unconscious.
Chris then looked to Lia.
“Can you swear not to tell anyone what I’m about to do?”
Lia—no, Idrinne—looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded.
“Understood. I swear it on my soul. We’re friends, after all.”
“Thank you. Will you help me? It might be dangerous.”
“Of course! Aren’t we friends? True friends give everything to help each other! Just leave it to me!”
Even in a situation like this, she was still going on about friendship, which made Chris chuckle softly.
“Cover me.”
Because the method Chris planned to use would leave him completely defenseless for a moment, her role was crucial.
‘That’s why Lanya protected Evan so thoroughly.’
In other words, Chris was entrusting her with Lanya’s role.
Seeing her determined face as she muttered that childish “We’re friends!” line, Chris felt he could trust her.
“Let’s do this.”
Chris took a deep breath and stepped forward.
The demon that had swallowed Langham unleashed a blast of dark energy, but Idrinne stepped up to block it.
Leaving defense to her, Chris focused his mind.
A brilliant, radiant energy blossomed.
The power of the Holy Radiance—mana of pure light.
“What? You—”
Idrinne’s eyes widened in surprise, but Chris quickly made up an excuse.
“I got bored just learning magic, so I also studied the power of the Holy Radiance. You have to keep it a secret.”
Idrinne nodded.
A mage wielding the power of the Holy Radiance? It was hard to believe, but somehow, with Chris, it seemed possible.
After all, the medicine he had given her had shone with radiant light.
But Chris’s power didn’t stop there.
The power of the Assassin’s Blade, the deadly poison of the Venomous Maga, the blood magic of life and death he had recently learned from her.
And though still imperfect, the destructive red magic, the yellow demonic magic, the ashen curse—all kinds of power swirled around Chris.
And even the dark magic that encompassed them all.
It was a magnificent sight, like the old Nordian who once infused all kinds of darkness into a single sword.
‘But it’s still not enough.’
Chris narrowed his eyes.
‘I have to manifest the Spirit-Slaying Sword.’
A sword that strikes directly at the soul.
Of course, demons possessed souls far beyond mortal comparison, so even a Spirit-Slaying Sword couldn’t easily wound them.
‘But this case is different. It’s not a pure demon spirit—it’s a demon that has consumed Langham’s soul.’
In other words, if he cut down Langham’s soul inside the demon, he could force the demon back to Gehenna.
The problem was the difficulty of the Spirit-Slaying Sword.
‘Even Evan, after reaching the seventh star level and freely manipulating the laws, could barely imitate the Spirit-Slaying Sword—and that only with the blessings of the constellations.’
Chris couldn’t interfere with the laws yet. Blessings from the constellations were out of the question.
He had to use a different method from Evan’s.
‘But I have a weapon Evan didn’t.’
A fierce surge of dark magic erupted from Chris.
All the various powers of the Holy Radiance and darkness within him trembled violently.
Amid the turbulent waves of power, Chris felt his soul sharpen to a razor’s edge.
‘Dark magic isn’t just about wielding all kinds of darkness.’
He had come to understand this more clearly when he obtained the venomous poison of the Maga.
‘It’s a power that elevates the rank of the soul.’
He then drew up the venom’s essence.
If dark magic raised the soul’s rank, the venom refined it.
Chris’s soul, sharpened to a fine edge, became as unbreakable as his iron will.
‘I have to infuse my sword with this elevated soul rank.’
Normally impossible.
But Chris had a way.
A brilliant, blooming aura spread out.
He recalled the spiritual pressure the demon had just fired.
Spiritual pressure was, broadly speaking, the ability to weaponize the soul.
Chris’s elevated soul rank settled into the sword like spiritual pressure itself.
[Gr-r-rk!!]
Did the demon sense the danger?
The demon-possessed Langham howled like a beast and unleashed his power, but Idrinne gritted her teeth and held the defense, while Chris raised his sword.
“I’m tired of this. Now, just disappear.”
Flash!
Chris’s sword pierced Langham’s chest.
More precisely, it cut his soul.
Chris’s soul rank, infused in the blade, tore apart the corrupted soul of Langham.
But it didn’t stop there.
The radiant mana and deadly poison embedded in the dark magic dealt additional damage to Langham, who screamed in agonizing pain and thrashed about.
As Langham’s soul suffered a fatal wound, the demon that had consumed him was forcibly banished back to Gehenna.
However, the demon didn’t retreat alone.
It dragged Langham’s soul with it.
Just before Langham was pulled into Gehenna, he found his senses and cried out in terror.
“No… no…! Please…!!”
But it was a hollow scream.
Langham’s body met complete death, and now his soul would endure eternal torment in Gehenna.
As the long battle ended and Chris let out a low sigh—
Unseen by them, others had been watching their fight.
The mages of the Mystic Maga.
And—
The Azure Flow’s Demon Lord.
Far away in the mountains, the Mystic Maga’s monstrous mages observed Chris through a black magic telescope and spoke.
[What do you make of him?]
[We can’t rule out that Duke Christian is the prophesied one.]
The higher-ranking monster spoke in a low voice.
[His soul rank has already surpassed that of a half-demon. It matches the prophecy exactly.]
An astonishing revelation.
[What will you do?]
[For now, we watch.]
The monster’s voice turned chilling.
[He’s not fully ‘matured’ yet.]
An ominous statement.
[Christian will face countless trials ahead. Those trials will forge him into the perfect vessel.]
Another monster nodded.
[We’ll report this to the altar.]
Just as they pulled out a crystal orb to send their findings north to the Mystic Maga—
[Connection?]
Suddenly, their faces hardened.
A massive energy engulfed them.
[What is this energy?]
The monster who sensed it looked panicked.
[Retreat immediately!]
An incredible sight.
To see the mighty Mystic Maga’s monsters trembling in fear—who could wield such power?
The monsters turned pale and tried to flee.
But the energy crushed them like a giant stomping down.
Crack!
Like a terrifying giant crushing them, the monsters were obliterated.
From the eerie scene emerged an unexpected figure.
A beautiful elf woman pierced through with chains.
The Azure Flow’s Demon Lord.
She glanced at the corpses of the Mystic Maga’s monsters, then turned her gaze toward Christian.
[This is no longer acceptable.]
Her voice was cold.
[It’s time to swat the flies away.]
Flash.
Her divine form vanished.
“!!”
Just as they were wrapping up the fight, Christian’s expression stiffened.
He had sensed a powerful energy.
‘What is that?’
Idrinne, sensing something similar, also tensed.
“This isn’t over yet.”
“……”
“But what kind of energy is this? Who could it be?”
Though Idrinne had faced many powerful foes in the Demon King’s Castle, she had rarely encountered such overwhelming energy.
Christian felt the same.
‘An energy of this level… only possible at the transcendent ninth star?’
A sudden thought struck him, and he swallowed hard.
‘No way… It can’t be.’
At that moment—
A quiet voice echoed from the empty air.
[It’s been a while.]
“!!”
Christian’s eyes widened as if they might tear.
The Azure Flow’s Demon Lord.
‘Why is she here?’
The moment he saw the cold, dark eyes of the Azure Flow’s Demon Lord, Christian instinctively understood why she had come.
‘She’s here to kill me.’
Until now, Christian had foiled all of the Demon Lord’s schemes.
So, it was clear—he had come to kill him because he could no longer be allowed to live.
‘But still, coming after me in person?’
Even for a Demon Lord, that was a reckless move.
It meant he absolutely could not tolerate Chris.
“Greetings, Great Demon Lord.”
[…….]
“Have you come to kill me?”
The Azure Demon Lord looked down at Christian with an even colder gaze, then answered curtly.
[Yes. Today, I will take your life.]
“!!”
His voice was resolute, unwavering.
‘Damn it, what do I do now?’
Of course, there was no chance of winning.
Ria stood beside him, her expression fierce as if ready to face death itself, and Yulian was the same—but even together, they stood no chance.
‘There’s just no way.’
Christian tried to buy time by starting a conversation.
“Is it because I interfered with Your Majesty’s pursuit of the Three Origins?”
[…….]
“Before I die, may I ask one thing? Why do you seek the Three Origins?”
Unexpectedly, the Azure Demon Lord spoke.
[Only the Three Origins can save my soul.]
“…Save your soul?”
[You don’t need to know the details. You’ll be dead soon enough.]
The Demon Lord shook his head.
[To be honest, I don’t hate you. In fact, I find it admirable that you haven’t been corrupted by evil and still show the true spirit of a demon. Were it not for these circumstances, I might have favored you greatly.]
“……”
[But I’m sorry. I have my own reasons.]
A low hum filled the air.
An overwhelming power descended upon Christian and his companions—unlike any formidable enemy they had faced before, a force on an entirely different level.
This was truly the power befitting the name Demon Lord.