Episode 284

“I came because it looked interesting. Openly rebelling against the Demon King—how long has it been since we’ve seen that? Not once in the last hundred years, right?”

The Magic Chancellor grumbled as he continued.

“Kids these days just don’t have the guts. If you’re a demon, you’ve got to try rebelling at least once. In that sense, I really like Christian. It’s boring otherwise, but he actually stirs things up with a rebellion.”

The Scarlet Demon King stared quietly at the Magic Chancellor for a moment.

“So you handed over ‘Eunseol’ to the Four Kings’ Castle because you liked Christian? To get him into even deeper trouble?”

The Magic Chancellor chuckled.

“They say you get stronger by going through trials, don’t they? This is my way of showing affection.”

“…When are you going to fix that weird personality of yours?”

“What’s wrong with my personality?”

“……”

The Scarlet Demon King gave a look that said, “Are you serious?” and the Magic Chancellor shrugged.

“Well, since we’re this far in, you should take a good look at Christian.”

He gestured with his chin.

“You’ll definitely be wide-eyed. That guy’s a total lunatic. Watching him is incredibly entertaining.”

“……”

The Scarlet Demon King frowned deeply but stood beside the Magic Chancellor, as if willing to see for himself.

The Chancellor chuckled softly and climbed onto the Demon King’s shoulder in his cat form.

“Here, watch.”

The Scarlet Demon King snorted but as the battle began, his expression slowly started to change, watching Christian’s every move.

“So? What do you think?”

The Chancellor asked.

“That guy’s a total madman, right?”

---

Sherard licked his lips.

“It’s been a while. I’ve been wanting to see you again, over and over.”

Madness flickered in his blood-red eyes.

Christian scowled and glared at Sherard.

“A forced summoning? Did you use the Soul-Eating power?”

“Ah, yeah. That’s right. Did you know? I have a special ability. It’s a blessing from a demon—I can absorb the powers of those I kill. Not 100%, just part of it.”

An astonishing revelation.

That was why Sherard had grown explosively at an unnatural pace.

Among the blessings demons bestow, this was one of the rarest powers.

“Did you use the prisoners in the Demon King’s Castle as sacrifices?”

There were several high-ranking demons imprisoned for life in the castle.

“Ah, I’m not really into feeding on those who can’t resist, though.”

Sherard’s eyes gleamed greedily.

“Christian, I couldn’t resist playing with you. You make my heart race like this.”

A fierce aura burst from Sherard’s body.

It was a mix of colors—crimson, ash-gray, scarlet, emerald, and black.

The energies of those he had absorbed.

Combined, they radiated a force that rivaled even the Absolute Realm of the 8th rank.

“You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again. Please, make this thrilling.”

But Christian’s response was unexpected.

“Yeah, I was looking forward to seeing you too.”

“Hmm?”

“Because I wanted to cut that disgusting throat of yours as soon as possible.”

Sherard’s face twisted in confusion.

Suddenly—

Slash!

Blood splattered.

From Sherard’s shoulder.

Christian’s Sacred Radiance technique, ‘Iljeom’—a strike that severs whatever the wielder wills.

“?!”

Sherard’s eyes widened in shock.

He had been defending with his will, but the blade cut through.

He scrambled backward, erecting a stronger shield of will, but it was useless.

Crash! The shield shattered, and Christian’s blade sliced through Sherard again.

Splash! Splash!

Blood sprayed once more.

“…What is this?”

Sherard, now drenched in blood, spoke in confusion.

“You said you wanted to see me, yet you don’t even know what I’ve achieved.”

A brilliant light of Sacred Radiance blossomed from Christian’s body.

It was the upper echelon of the 7th rank—a level of Sacred Radiance few reached.

But that wasn’t all.

A dark aura of the Soul’s Blade, attained upon reaching the Transcendent rank, swirled around the Sacred Radiance.

White and black light intertwined, creating a majestic spectacle.

This wasn’t just for show.

The Soul’s Blade’s dark aura amplified the power of Christian’s 7th rank upper Sacred Radiance.

The meaning was clear.

“No one can defeat me unless they reach the Absolute Realm of the 8th rank.”

No 7th rank demon could stand against Christian.

‘Sherard hasn’t fully reached the 8th rank yet.’

Judging by his current power, Sherard had surpassed the upper 7th rank but hadn’t attained true 8th rank.

So facing Christian was impossible.

“Haha… Ha! Impressive. I love it! You keep exceeding my expectations! Ah, Christian!!”

Sherard’s aura flared, engulfing the surroundings.

A domain of domination.

Though he hadn’t reached the 8th rank, Sherard could use this domain thanks to his Soul-Eating power.

It was a mere imitation, lacking true strength, but still formidable.

Christian frowned.

He felt the unpleasant aura of ravenous hunger.

‘Is this the Hungry Ghost domain?’

He had seen Sherard’s domain many times in his past life.

Its effect was simple.

Enemies entering the domain became prey, attacked relentlessly like hungry ghosts.

A straightforward domain, but combined with Sherard’s power, it became deadly.

The surrounding space began to warp.

The laws of reality twisted.

‘Three different techniques at once? No, even more.’

Physical technique.

Sword technique.

Destruction technique.

Curse technique.

Extreme poison technique.

And more.

All the techniques Sherard had absorbed unfolded within the domain.

Each technique alone was hard to defend against, but the Hungry Ghost domain amplified their ferocity.

Despite Christian’s current achievements, these attacks were overwhelming.

Yet he remained calm.

He watched the barrage of techniques, and then an unbelievable miracle happened.

The techniques suddenly lost their aim and missed Christian entirely.

“No way.”

Sherard, who never panicked, was stunned this time.

It wasn’t just a miss.

The techniques themselves twisted away, as if afraid of Christian.

An impossible phenomenon.

“What trick did you use? A technique? But no matter how much you meddle with the laws, you can’t cause this effect.”

Christian nodded.

“That’s right.”

“This isn’t an ordinary technique.”

“…What do you mean?”

“No lower being can defy a higher rank.”

Christian continued.

“This is my technique, Manma Angbok.”

Yes.

Manma Angbok wasn’t just a technique to dominate opponents.

It had various effects, including nullifying attacks like this.

‘It can’t block every attack.’

If an attack carried a will strong enough to overcome Manma Angbok, it would fail.

Sherard’s barrage was split into multiple techniques, dispersing his will and weakening Manma Angbok’s effect.

‘Since I have to manifest soul power directly into the technique, it consumes a lot of energy. I’ll need to reach a higher rank to use it more easily.’

Despite some limitations, it was an overpowered technique.

It could nullify most attacks.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Christian drew the Holy Sword Ernhelt and aimed it.

A brilliant glow of mana illuminated Ernhelt, and the dark aura of the Soul’s Blade surrounded it like a halo.

Spirit Evil Slash.

A new technique Christian gained upon reaching the upper 7th rank.

More than just taking life, it severs souls tainted by evil.

Originally meant to fight demons and fiends.

“But it’s perfect for disgusting trash like you.”

“!!”

Sherard tried to dodge backward, but it was useless.

The effect of Iljeom, cutting wherever the will aimed, was infused into Spirit Evil Slash.

Shing.

Sherard’s throat was cut, his head floating in midair.

It was a success!

But then something unexpected happened.

“Heh heh, heh. Truly impressive. I didn’t expect you to look this excited.”

Even with his head severed, Sherard laughed.

The attack had worked.

His body below the neck collapsed to the ground, growing cold.

“Was that not the real body?”

Sherard chuckled.

“Ah, yeah. I thought it’d be too easy if I came in person, so I sent a dummy instead. If I’d known you’d be this charming, I would’ve come myself.”

An astonishing revelation.

‘He mastered multi-body technique too?’

It was a technique used by some of the highest-ranking curse demons.

Similar to puppetry but different—creating extra bodies to host one’s consciousness.

‘So that’s why he survived the last time, even after being cut by Marquis Langham’s hand.’

Christian frowned.

“Well, even if it was a dummy, it hurt a lot. An attack that severs the soul. I guess I’ll have to focus on recovery for a while.”

“Shut up.”

[Ah, how irresistibly charming you are. Just thinking about missing you again after today already makes my heart ache. But longing is sweet, after all, so I’ll soothe the wounds you left behind as I remember you…]

“Shut up.”

Snap!

With a disgusted look, Chris unleashed his dark magic again, shattering Sherard’s face into two pieces.

‘I didn’t eliminate him completely, but it’s not like I gained nothing.’

Though he spoke casually, Sherard must have taken a serious hit.

Especially the wounds inflicted on his soul—they won’t heal easily.

It’ll take a long time, so I don’t have to worry about him for now.

‘Next time we meet, I’ll come in my true form. Then, I won’t let him escape.’

Chris exhaled deeply, summoned his magic, and swept the area.

The space Sherard had created began to vanish, and soon they returned to the original location.

“Attack!!”

“Break through!!”

Looking around, a fierce battle was underway.

‘No major damage yet. It hasn’t been going on long.’

The mages who recognized Christian’s arrival breathed a sigh of relief.

“Your Highness!!”

Kashmir, who happened to be nearby, approached, visibly moved.

“Are you alright?!”

“Yes, I’m fine. By the way, Prince Kashmir, this is perfect. I need your help.”

“Huh?”

“Follow me for now.”

Thud!

Chris floated into the air.

“He’s about to do something!!”

“Shoot!!”

The elves fired arrows and summoned spirits, but it was nothing.

Chris blocked it with his magic, then rose high enough to see the entire battlefield at a glance.

“Prince Kashmir, please unleash the most spectacular destructive dark magic you can muster.”