Chapter 268

“Don’t you know? The Grand Prince isn’t someone you can predict with common sense.”

Yet, even the Marquis of Schupen, who said this, was just as uneasy.

He had heard the story, but it simply didn’t seem possible.

“If this looks too risky, I’ll have to intervene midway.”

Then, suddenly—

A bolt of lightning surged toward Christian.

In this desperate moment, Christian pulled out an unexpected weapon.

Andrill.

But Andrill looked different.

No longer the ordinary, worn iron sword it once was, it now gleamed with a heavy, dark sheen.

That was because Chris had dismantled part of its seal.

“Not only its integrity, but now it can wield another power.”

Indeed.

Chris’s hidden ace was a new ability of Andrill.

“Of course, even with Andrill’s power, this won’t be easy.”

Jessica sneered.

“So you were relying on the power of an artifact? How foolish. The power of an artifact can never surpass its wielder’s capability.”

A precise observation.

In truth, the power Chris was about to use wasn’t anything extraordinary.

Unlike its integrity ability, it was nothing remarkable compared to other common magic swords.

But—

“On the other hand, if the wielder’s ability is there, an artifact can sometimes produce unbelievable effects.”

Exactly.

Even the same power can yield wildly different results depending on who wields it.

Chris planned to work a miracle with his own skill.

“You’ve just been all talk until now. That will be your last foolish word—prepare yourself!”

The torrent of lightning rushed in.

Yet Christian’s reaction was baffling.

He neither raised a shield nor dodged.

Nor did he wildly swing Andrill in desperation.

Instead, he plunged Andrill into the ground and closed his eyes, defenseless, as if he had given up.

Those watching were puzzled—until something unbelievable happened.

The lightning enveloped Christian’s body.

“What? No way!”

“What is this?!”

It caused no harm at all!

He wasn’t blocking it with magic energy.

The lightning was clearly coursing through him, yet he remained unscathed.

As if he was ignoring the lightning itself.

“Chameleon’s Adaptability.”

Andrill’s second power.

As the supreme magic sword, Andrill could contain countless elemental attributes and bestow them upon its wielder.

So Chris had granted himself the attribute of lightning.

Because lightning can’t harm lightning.

“Of course, that alone wouldn’t make him immune to such a fierce storm.”

Naturally, granting an attribute didn’t mean his body actually turned into lightning.

It only gave him partial properties, increasing his resistance somewhat.

But this inexplicable effect was thanks to Chris’s insane talent.

First, he concentrated the lightning attribute not over his entire body, but in a narrow area.

Maximizing the intensity of the lightning attribute there.

And he didn’t stop there—he exerted the power of his will.

“The form of existence is ultimately influenced by will and mental imagery.”

By the power of will and mental imagery, the part of his body imbued with the lightning attribute actually took on the true nature of lightning.

Of course, even Chris could only do this to a tiny part of his body.

So he changed the attribute of the part of his body where the lightning was striking.

Lightning’s nature is different from fire, earth, or wind.

It races through the body like a blade, causing destruction.

He manipulated the part of his body where the lightning surged to have the exact properties of lightning, moment by moment.

The willpower to alter the body’s nature.

The computational ability to calculate the lightning’s direction in real time.

The sensory acuity to instantly adjust the attribute accordingly.

An extreme feat.

And it wasn’t just a momentary trick.

He had to maintain this insane technique until the attack ended.

Every split second was a life-or-death crisis, but Chris maintained unbelievable focus and pulled off a miracle.

“What nonsense is this?!”

Jessica, realizing what Chris was doing, shouted in shock.

“Do you think this will end like this?”

A tremor.

The nature of the lightning shifted.

It began to take on an even stronger attribute of ‘destruction.’

Chris hadn’t intended to kill, but his pride was wounded, and he crossed the line.

Yet Chris’s reaction was baffling once more.

“It’s over.”

“…What?”

“Did you really think I was just quietly taking lightning all this time? Now it’s my turn to attack.”

He lifted Andrill from the ground.

A dark energy flared fiercely.

“What? The amount of energy?”

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

The energy Chris had manifested far exceeded the level of a 7-star.

“That’s thanks to the Vampiric Ring.”

Just like in the previous duel with the deadly mage, the Vampiric Ring allowed him to absorb incoming energy and use it as his own.

He had been channeling Jessica’s lightning, steadily gathering energy.

“Of course, just having a lot of energy doesn’t mean he can harm a mage of absolute realm.”

But Chris had a weapon.

Andrill.

And a newly acquired miracle technique: One Point.

A faint glow.

Andrill’s radiance sank heavily.

Its integrity was activating.

Normally, Chris’s current ability made it difficult to fully control this power, but now was different.

He used the lightning he absorbed from Jessica as fuel, manifesting it through One Point.

One Point was a miracle technique modeled after a heart sword.

Andrill’s integrity clashed with Jessica’s destructive will.

“!!”

Jessica’s face paled.

It was a close match.

Strictly speaking, Jessica’s energy was still stronger.

But the fact that Chris’s destructive power was holding its own was a huge shock to her.

But the surprise wasn’t over.

Chris moved his will.

He layered One Point.

Once, twice, three times.

Using all his strength.

The result—

“Gah!!”

“Grand Prince!!”

Chris coughed up blood.

He looked seriously injured.

But compared to the miracle he had achieved, coughing up blood was nothing.

The arena fell silent.

Jessica’s lightning had faded.

“W-what?”

“He blocked an attack from an absolute realm mage?”

Strictly speaking, he hadn’t blocked it perfectly.

He was seriously wounded.

But who here could say Christian had lost?

Jessica was frozen in shock, unable to speak.

Chris wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve and bowed his head.

“Thank you for the good duel. I concede.”

“…”

“I won’t lose next time. That’s all.”

He wouldn’t lose.

A crazy declaration, but no one took it lightly.

Some even feared what kind of monster he might become by the next time they met.

At that moment, a heavy sound broke the silence.

“There’s no need to worry about next time, Vice Duke.”

“!!”

“It is you who will fall to me today.”

The Marquis of Schupen!

Originally, Jessica’s opponent was the Marquis, so he had come up to fight the scheduled duel.

“Long time no see, Marquis. But you think you can defeat me?”

“Yes.”

“You seem to have made great progress since we last met, but I doubt you’re confident enough to face me. Or have you gone mad following that absurd Grand Prince?”

Jessica shook her head.

The Marquis was still only a low 8-star.

Not enough for her.

“Marquis Schupen, I have always respected your dedication to your family. I won’t insult you greatly. Let’s finish this quickly.”

A brilliant flash.

Jessica unleashed her domain again.

Unlike before, when she had held back somewhat, this time she poured all her strength into a far more intense lightning domain.

But just as she was building momentum—

Jessica’s expression suddenly stiffened.

She sensed something was off.

“What is it?”

At that moment, the Marquis took a step forward.

A brilliant flash!

His protective domain unfolded simultaneously.

The scene looked like a crystal glass world, pushing back Jessica’s lightning domain.

“No, how?”

Everyone was baffled.

When two 8-star absolute realm mages clash, the weaker’s domain is usually suppressed by the stronger’s.

But the exact opposite was happening.

Just as Jessica tried to push down the Marquis’s domain with more power—

Blood trickled from her nose.

“!!”

Only then did Jessica realize the source of the strange feeling she’d sensed.

Something was wrong.

Not with her core or body.

But mentally.

Specifically, a subtle crack had formed in the ‘mental imagery’ she used to manifest her dark magic.

“Why?”

The manifestation of magic involves many factors.

The most basic are magic energy and the combination of incantations.

At higher levels, the mental imagery that imbues magic with true meaning becomes crucial.

The best mages have strong mental imagery, making them rarely vulnerable.

“Could it be…?”

Her eyes widened as she realized the truth.

The Marquis nodded.

“There was something wrong with what you just said.”

The enemy.

His domain grew even stronger.

“You called the Grand Prince absurd? You’re wrong. The Grand Prince I know is a madman. One who can accomplish the impossible.”

“!!”

That was why Jessica’s mental imagery had been damaged.

It was because of Christian.

“He kept striking with Andrill’s integrity.”

Destructive dark magic is the embodiment of imperfection.

That’s only natural, given its nature of ‘destruction.’

Chris withstood Jessica’s lightning strike and quietly drilled into her mental image with the full force of Andril’s power.

Subtly.

Without her noticing, like water silently dripping onto a rock.

His unique skill, Iljeom, made it possible.

Chris used Iljeom to relentlessly chip away at a part of her mental image, and eventually, like concentrated water piercing stone, he landed a decisive blow.

Fwoosh!

The dominion of Marquis Shupen surged with renewed strength.

“!!”

Jessica’s face went pale.

Of course, the damage she took wasn’t severe—just a scratch, really.

But the opponent was formidable.

Thanks to Chris’s help, Marquis Shupen had reached the lower end of the 8th rank.

Though not quite on Jessica’s level as an 8th rank mage, he was no easy foe. Even at full strength, she was expected to struggle—and now her mental image was wounded?

To make matters worse, the elemental affinity was unfavorable.

Marquis Shupen’s dominion was of the Guardian type.

An absolute defense.

Could Jessica’s injured spear possibly pierce that impenetrable shield?

“After all the effort the Grand Duke has made, if I lose, I’ll have to abandon the Dark Mage’s Castle,” Jessica bit her lip tightly.

The two absolute mages began their duel, and once again, an unexpected turn of events started to unfold.