Chapter 283
A face as beautiful as a radiant silver-haired woman.
Yet, cutting across that face was a striking scar.
It was Sherard!
He had survived the previous battle with Marquis Langham without dying.
[Who are you? A black sheep of the Dark Noble House?]
“Yes, that’s right. I’ve come to assist Your Majesty, the Demon King.”
Sherard’s crimson lips curved into a thin smile.
A smile laced with madness.
“I thought it’d be fun. Opportunities to enjoy such a bloody feast don’t come often.”
A chilling declaration.
Sherard was a madman who derived pleasure from taking lives.
He intended to wade into this conflict and bathe in bloodshed.
“If things go on like this, you’ll meet death without a chance to move.”
[How amusing. What do you take me for? Even if the three houses unite, I won’t lose.]
“Well? Even with Christian around, do you really think so?”
The Azure Demon King fell silent, standing tall.
It was a ridiculous notion.
What threat could Christian possibly pose to a Demon King like her?
Yet, the Azure Demon King couldn’t easily dismiss Sherard’s words.
“I know you’re a powerful Demon King, as does everyone. Christian knows it well, too. But do you think he came unprepared? Surely, he’s devised a way to bring you down.”
That was exactly what the Azure Demon King feared.
She was confident she wouldn’t lose even if the three houses combined their strength.
Of course, alone, no matter how strong she was, it would be difficult.
But if her elves joined forces with her, they could easily overwhelm.
The real problem was Christian.
What trick had he pulled this time?
“I will help.”
[Ha, and how do you plan to do that? You’re nothing but a trivial being.]
Though Sherard was a powerful demon, he was no match for the coming battle of absolute beings.
“Oh, you don’t know? I possess the ‘Soul-Eater’ power.”
[!!]
The Azure Demon King flinched.
With her extensive knowledge of Gehenna, she knew exactly what the ‘Soul-Eater’ power entailed.
A power so formidable it surprised even a Demon King.
Sherard lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Prepare a sacrifice to be devoured by the Soul-Eater. I’ll hold Christian back.”
“All units, advance!”
Demons of darkness, destruction, and extreme poison gathered, beginning their march toward the Demon King’s castle.
A magnificent sight as countless demons assembled.
Their fierce momentum pierced the sky.
Everyone’s morale was soaring.
Yet, some wore secret expressions of worry.
Count Kazar, in particular.
“Worried about the fight with the Demon King?” Chris asked.
For reference, Chris was currently suppressing his soul’s presence, erasing his spiritual pressure.
“Yes. I don’t know how many will die.”
Since the Azure Demon King had committed such a grave mistake, this battle was unavoidable.
But thinking of the blood to be spilled weighed heavily on his heart.
“You needn’t worry. Our side won’t suffer heavy losses.”
“What do you mean? Could it be…?”
Count Kazar’s eyes widened as he realized Christian was planning something.
But then his expression darkened again.
“Even if the fight with the Azure Demon King ends safely, I’m still worried. The situation at the Four Kings’ Castle is suspicious.”
The Dark Mage faction had also detected strange movements among the Four Kings’ Castle troops.
But with the fight against the Azure Demon King ongoing, they had no way to respond and could only watch.
Then Chris said something unexpected.
“I have plans regarding the Four Kings’ Castle as well.”
“What plans?”
“Father, why do you think I gathered so many demons?”
“Well… to fight the obsidian palace elves below, right?”
“That’s part of it, but think deeper.”
Count Kazar frowned.
“Where are we marching now?”
“Obviously, toward the Demon King’s castle.”
“And where is the Demon King’s castle located?”
“At the central border…”
As he answered, Count Kazar’s face suddenly changed.
“No way…?”
Chris only nodded.
“You’re… insane.”
A harsh reaction burst out.
It was inevitable.
If Count Kazar’s suspicion was correct, it was truly a mad plan.
“Father, our opponent is the Four Kings’ Castle. Without doing something crazy, we can’t win.”
This was no empty boast.
Even with the Dark Alliance formed, they were no match for the Four Kings’ Castle.
“Especially since we can’t predict the current lord, Pliton’s moves.”
When Chris first heard the intelligence that the Four Kings’ Castle was preparing to raise an army, he was quite surprised.
It was a major deviation from the future he knew.
“It’s two years earlier than expected.”
Originally, this was the time when Idrinne would betray the Blood Sword Mage and begin to rise.
Over the next two years, she would purge the Four Kings’ Castle with bloodshed before advancing to the southern mage nation.
But now, everything had changed.
“The problem is, we don’t know much about Pliton.”
At the start of the Age of Destruction, the lord of the Four Kings’ Castle was Idrinne.
The current lord, Pliton, killed her in battle.
“Still, he’s formidable. He pressured Idrinne for two whole years.”
Chris didn’t know the exact details of the power struggle within the Four Kings’ Castle.
He only knew that after Idrinne first betrayed the Blood Sword Mage and joined the cursed Anax faction, she rebelled against Pliton.
In any case, the fight between Idrinne and Pliton was mostly in Pliton’s favor.
It was astonishing.
At that time, Idrinne’s level was lower 9-star.
Yet Pliton, a 9-star Demon King level, overwhelmed her.
“Idrinne barely survived death several times and won by a narrow margin. So, she might not be a simple 9-star rank as commonly believed.”
He was a being to be wary of.
Especially since no one could predict how he would act next.
“This won’t be an easy fight.”
Chris sighed deeply.
The Four Kings’ Castle wasn’t the only problem.
There was the mysterious mage faction behind them and the central region beyond.
It felt endless.
“Damn it. When this is all over, I’m going to pile up the Fire Demon Pearls like a mountain and blow on them!”
But first, there was a hurdle to overcome.
“We’ve arrived.”
A sweeping sound.
The beautiful Demon King’s castle and the elves’ army came into view.
The moment of reckoning.
“They don’t look like they’ll back down easily.”
The elves’ faces were resolute.
Their spirit was willing to risk death, promising a tough battle.
But that wasn’t all.
[The moths have arrived.]
Clink.
With the grating sound of chains, the Azure Demon King appeared.
She took a long drag from her pipe and spoke in a languid voice.
[Fools. No need to waste words. I’ll kill you all right here, as you wish.]
“!!”
At the same moment—
A sweeping shadow seemed to engulf the arena.
It was the manifestation of her presence and momentum.
The atmosphere chilled instantly.
Though she only revealed her presence, it was overwhelming.
“This isn’t good.”
To turn the tide, Chris stepped forward.
“You’re acting so calm, even though you’re about to fall into Gehenna.”
[!!]
“Take good care of that pipe. Once you fall into Gehenna, you won’t even be able to smoke.”
The Azure Demon King’s expression changed sharply.
She glared at Christian with murderous intent.
‘Such a trivial provocation, yet she’s overreacting.’
Was she out of her depth?
Or was there another reason?
‘What the Azure Demon King fears is definitely “that.”’
Chris’s gaze darkened.
Then, three house heads stepped forward.
“Is there no thought of repentance, Demon King?”
They were Nordians.
The Azure Demon King chuckled softly.
[What a ridiculous question.]
“That was just a joke. Whether you repent or not, today we’ll be cutting off your head.”
Nordian raised his hand.
A chilling darkness gathered, and fierce momentum surged from the other house heads.
Just as the fight was about to begin, the Azure Demon King flicked her pipe.
[Fine. I’ll kill you three first.]
A verdant energy enveloped the three house heads, and suddenly, something unexpected happened.
Flash!
The Azure Demon King and the three house heads vanished.
“House heads!!!”
“What happened?”
Chris frowned.
‘She used Genesis Descent to move the three house heads into her domain. She plans to isolate and eliminate them first.’
A brilliant move.
The three house heads alone couldn’t defeat the Azure Demon King.
They would be killed one by one.
And once all three were gone, the rest would never be able to overcome her.
‘I have to save the house heads before that happens.’
Though isolated by Genesis Descent, it wasn’t impossible to break in.
The problem was the elves.
They had to be dealt with first before rescuing the house heads.
‘It’s a race against time.’
Can we suppress the elves before the house heads fall?
Or will the Azure Demon King wipe out the house heads first?
That would decide the battle’s outcome.
‘It’s entirely possible.’
It was a strange claim.
The elves’ army was no small force, yet Chris believed he could easily suppress them.
‘It would have been difficult before, but now, it’s definitely possible.’
Chris examined his inner self.
The ‘Power’ he gained upon reaching Elder.
With this power, he could completely change the course of the battle.
But then, an unexpected event occurred.
Flash!
A chilling energy suddenly burst from the void.
It was a blood-red aura.
‘What is this?’
It wasn’t the energy the elves had fired.
‘It feels… strangely familiar.’
The blood-red aura flew straight toward Christian.
He raised his magic shield.
‘This much, I can handle.’
But then—
‘Isn’t this an attack?’
The blood-red aura passed right through Christian’s magic shield and wrapped around his body.
And then—
Whoosh.
The world around Christian changed.
A bleak, gray space that brought to mind Gehenna.
‘A forced summoning? By whom?’
It was the ability to forcibly pull a targeted opponent into one’s own space, just like the Demon King Cheongryu had done to the three heads of the family moments ago.
Not just anyone could wield such power.
“Ah, it’s been a while.”
“!!”
That familiar, chilling voice.
Sherard smiled slowly at Christian.
“I’ve missed you.”
Radiating an aura equivalent to an 8-star rank.
Meanwhile, at that moment—
At the foot of the mountain overlooking the Demon King’s castle.
[Meow.]
A black cat yawned, but the surroundings felt off.
Not even the sound of insects chirping could be heard.
As if the environment itself was wary of the cat.
[What are you doing here?]
A young man with fiery red hair appeared, frowning at the cat.
[The Mage Chancellor, and yet still slacking off.]
An astonishing revelation.
The cat was none other than the Mage Chancellor.
The cat—smiling slyly—spoke.
[Ah, so the Red One has arrived?]
The young man replied coldly.
[My name is Jeokcheon.]
Even more astonishing.
Jeokcheon (Red River) was a title reserved for only one person.
This meant the young man was none other than Jeokcheon, the Demon King and the 4th-ranked Mage General!