Chapter 287
A chilling wave of deception surged through the air.

“The darkness of Gehenna!”

From beyond a veil of shadow, it felt as if something was watching him.

An overwhelming presence.

The gaze was fixed solely on Chris, and if his soul hadn’t reached the Elder rank, he would have lost his sanity the moment their eyes met.

“A great rank,” Chris swallowed hard.

“And not just any—one of the Third Order’s Archdemons.”

The presence was unlike any of the Fourth Order great ranks he had encountered before.

Even though it was hidden behind the curtain of darkness, its existence was incomparable.

[That child… is my slave of ‘Despair.’ I will no longer tolerate this.]

The will of the great rank was transmitted directly into Chris’s soul.

Though it was merely a message, it felt as if his very soul was being turned inside out.

The oppressive force bent even his spirit, but Chris clenched his teeth fiercely, holding onto his will to resist.

“If I hadn’t reached the Elder rank, I wouldn’t even be able to move a finger here.”

He fixed his intense gaze beyond the dark veil.

“I will not obey.”

[!!]

“No matter how great a being of Gehenna you are, you have no right to command me.”

That was right.

There was no need to be afraid.

Without a just cause under the law of causality, a Third Order rank could not directly harm him on the surface world.

This was nothing more than an empty threat.

[Interesting… Very well. Then so be it. Cheongryu… my slave. I will raise your soul’s rank with my power.]

“!!”

The Demon Lord of Cheongryu’s eyes widened.

If that happened, she would be able to unleash her spiritual pressure in an instant.

But she knew this was no act of pure kindness.

[But… you must pay a price. Greater… pain and… despair will befall you.]

Cheongryu’s Demon Lord’s face turned pale.

Chris frowned.

“So, the intention is to toy with her.”

The appearance of the Third Order rank wasn’t out of kindness toward his slave.

On the contrary.

It was to use this opportunity to drag Cheongryu’s Demon Lord even deeper into ruin.

Because demons were inherently cruel beings.

[…….]

Cheongryu’s Demon Lord’s eyes trembled.

This was a poisoned chalice she must never drink.

Yet, it was a cup she could not refuse.

At that moment, Chris spoke unexpectedly.

“Then die willingly by my hand.”

[…What?]

“You know what this sword is, right? Using its power of Devouring, you can meet a peaceful death.”

Andril devours the souls of those it consumes.

They return to perfect nothingness, spared from suffering in Gehenna.

“But there’s a condition. To fully unleash the power of Devouring, the opponent must be unable to resist.”

In other words, Cheongryu’s Demon Lord had to accept death willingly.

“It’s not a bad offer, is it? Accept death with a repentant heart.”

Cheongryu’s Demon Lord bit her lip tightly.

Her hesitation was clear.

But then—

[…Great one, I will obey your will. Please grant me your power.]

Cheongryu’s Demon Lord chose the poisoned chalice.

“!!”

“Christian! Dodge!”

The three heads of the houses shouted urgently.

But it was too late.

The demon’s power had taken hold, and Cheongryu’s Demon Lord unleashed a spiritual pressure that filled the entire demonic fortress.

[I will kill you immediately.]

She glared fiercely at Chris.

A life-or-death crisis.

Yet Christian’s reaction was strange.

“Still foolish to the end.”

[…What?]

“After all you’ve been through with demons, you still don’t understand? Every intention of a demon is filled with nothing but malice.”

Cheongryu’s Demon Lord frowned and tried to gather her strength.

Suddenly, her expression stiffened.

The flow of her power snapped in strands.

It was as if her energy was being drained.

At that moment, Chris’s sword struck toward Cheongryu’s Demon Lord.

A brilliant flash!

A powerful darkness surged forth.

He unleashed the cunning power of the Soul Reaper through the Mirror of Ink, wielding the force of shadow.

Then, something unbelievable happened.

Shing.

Chris’s sword cut deeply into Cheongryu’s Demon Lord.

[!!]

A fatal blow.

She bled and fell to her knees.

[W-why?]

“You were deceived by your master.”

[!!]

“I told you. Every intention of a demon is nothing but cruel malice.”

Indeed.

The demon had taken her power in exchange for raising her soul’s rank.

To drag her deeper into despair and cast her into Gehenna.

A demon’s cruel mockery.

‘I’ve seen similar scenes in past lives.’

Cheongryu’s Demon Lord trembled violently.

[Ah… no… p-please… spare me. I don’t want to die…]

She looked at Chris desperately, but it was too late.

For anyone else, this wound would have been instantly fatal.

[Even now, use the Soul Reaper sword on my soul… p-please…]

But then—

Fwoosh!

[Ahhhhhhh!!!]

The darkness of Gehenna began to burn Cheongryu’s Demon Lord.

The Third Order demon had intervened.

As if to inflict even greater pain, her screams continued for a long time before the flames finally died down.

Only ashes remained where the fire had been.

Now, Cheongryu’s Demon Lord’s soul would fall into Gehenna, enduring eternal torment.

‘It’s over.’

Though he had finally succeeded in eliminating Cheongryu’s Demon Lord, Christian’s expression did not brighten.

‘Damn demons.’

In the end, it was demons who had corrupted Cheongryu.

They had deliberately pushed her into such ruin.

‘I must stop the Four Demon Kings’ Fortress and the Mysterious Mage.’

If he let them have their way, the surface world would be mercilessly ravaged by demons.

At that moment, before the Third Order demon disappeared, it fixed its gaze on Chris.

[Interesting… To think you’ve earned the qualification. As expected… or perhaps… we may have been mistaken. I will be watching you from now on.]

“!!”

Chris frowned.

He couldn’t understand what it meant.

‘Come to think of it, last time too…’

This wasn’t his first encounter with the Third Order demon.

When Yulian caused the incident, they had met once before, and the demon had said something cryptic then as well.

But before Chris could respond, the demon’s presence vanished, and it returned to its original realm.

“Woooooo! Long live the Dark Alliance!”

The three heads of the houses and Christian’s subordinates cheered upon confirming their safety.

“We won. It’s all thanks to you.”

Nordian clasped his hand.

The Grand Duke of Beth and Duke Huam shared the same sentiment.

But Christian said something unexpected.

“It’s not over.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are still enemies remaining.”

Chris’s voice sharpened.

“The Four Demon Kings’ Fortress.”

“!!”

He turned his gaze.

He saw the main forces of the Dark Mage, Destruction Mage, and Extreme Poison Mage gathered in one place.

“We must strike the Fortress now.”

The three heads of the houses’ eyes widened.

“What are you saying?”

“You know, don’t you? The Fortress is preparing for war.”

Chris continued.

“We can’t just wait. We must move first to seize the advantage.”

“!!”

He was more specific.

“If we capture the Basque Fortress immediately and take control of the ‘Corridor of Death,’ we stand a chance against the Four Demon Kings’ Fortress.”

‘If we face them head-on, the Dark Alliance’s forces will never be enough.’

Even united, the three houses were still no match for the Fortress.

Especially considering the Mysterious Mage holding the rear.

There was only one way.

“Due to the terrain of the Eastern Mage Kingdom where the Fortress is located, any advance toward us must pass through the Corridor of Death, where Basque Fortress stands. If we take Basque Fortress, we can block the Fortress’s advance.”

“…Indeed.”

Nordian and the other two heads nodded.

Fortunately, the Demon Lord’s Castle was not far from Basque Fortress, near the front lines.

If they advanced now, they could capture it easily.

“But capturing Basque Fortress alone won’t solve the problem fundamentally. No matter how impregnable it is, if the Fortress concentrates its forces, it won’t hold.”

Duke Huam spoke.

A valid point.

Of course, there was a plan.

“We will move the Karn Empire.”

“!!”

The three heads were shocked again.

The Karn Empire?

“I’m not saying we’ll ally with the Union. Rather, we’ll make the Karn Empire attack the Fortress on their own.”

Chris thought to himself.

‘Once the Karn Empire settles its imperial succession dispute, it’s entirely possible. Their current weakness is due to internal chaos.’

The problem was how.

How could an outsider like him interfere in the Karn Empire’s imperial succession?

Disguising himself as a non-demon wouldn’t solve that.

But then Chris had an unexpected thought.

‘It’s possible. I’m not just any outsider.’

Probably.

No one knew the Karn Empire’s royal affairs better than Chris.

There was a reason.

‘I spent quite some time in the Karn Empire’s royal court. They had many fine things there. The emperor’s ancestral bed was incredibly comfortable.’

He recalled a past he had long forgotten.

In the latter days of the Age of Ruin.

He had played a crucial role in the Karn Empire’s royal court.

If not for Chris, the Karn Empire would have fallen much sooner.

He had been the last emperor of the dying empire.

“…Well, it was a job I ended up with by chance. I worked my tail off but never got to enjoy any of the perks.”

It was a surprising past, but when he thought about it, it made sense.

In his previous life, Chris’s biological mother was a princess of the Karn Empire, and he himself was an heir to the throne.

Back then, no one wanted to become emperor of a dying empire, so Chris—who had quite a reputation—was crowned emperor.

“I agreed, thinking about the wealth and glory I’d enjoy later. What a joke.”

But before any of that could happen, the empire collapsed.

After that, as everyone knew, he hid his identity and joined the hero party.

Still, even though everything was falling apart, having once sat at the pinnacle of the royal family, he knew all their secrets and behind-the-scenes dealings. He could have easily found a way to get involved in the struggle for the throne.

“The problem is the Triumvirate—the alliance of the Demon Sword, Phantoms, and Beasts.”

It was hard to see them as allies.

“They’d probably stab us in the back the moment they got the chance.”

Even in his past life, the Triumvirate sided with the Demon King’s castle.

“We can’t just let that happen. We have to act first.”

Just then, Count Kazar approached with a grim expression.

“What’s the matter, Father?”

Count Kazar nodded gravely and looked toward the three clan heads, including Nordian.

“It’s urgent, clan heads. We’ve detected suspicious activity from the Triumvirate.”

“!!”

“Nothing’s confirmed yet, but it looks like they’re targeting our Dark Alliance from behind.”

The three clan heads’ faces hardened.

“Those rat bastards.”

“That old Demon Sword King must have lost his mind.”

Count Kazar spoke with concern.

“Christian, if the Triumvirate is aiming for our rear, it’s impossible to push forward into the Demon King’s territory as is. We need to fall back for now…”

“I’m fine.”

“…What?”

Chris said sharply.

“I’ll handle the Triumvirate myself.”

“!!”

Everyone looked stunned.

“What do you mean? You want to send troops separately and defend against the Triumvirate?”

“No. We’re already struggling enough against the Demon King’s castle. We can’t split our forces. I’ll take on the Triumvirate alone.”

“Alone?”

Chris shrugged and said calmly,