Chapter 291
“You’ve already lost your mark because you doubted the Constellation’s power, yet I don’t understand what you’re still hesitating about.”
Istanya’s face turned pale.
That was true.
She had lost her sacred power precisely because she began to distrust the Constellation.
Originally, she had a stronger faith in the Constellation than anyone else, but after becoming a Saint Sovereign and facing harsh realities, her heart had drifted away.
“I’m not going to make unreasonable demands just because you’ve become my subordinate. I only want to share my sacred power with you.”
Of course, that was a lie.
Chris planned to make Istanya his pawn.
‘Evan alone isn’t enough. I need to create more pawns to serve as my hands and feet within the Union.’
Evan chimed in beside him.
“Don’t worry. I swear on my sword that he wouldn’t make such an offer with any ill intent. It’s all for the good of the world. By the way, I’m also his subordinate.”
When the promising young hero from the renowned swordsmanship family vouched like that, Istanya’s eyes flickered with inner conflict.
Chris then drove the point home.
“If you don’t want it, we can forget this ever happened. But it’s a shame. For the future of the world, it would be disastrous if you lost your sacred power and were exiled. Someone like you turning to ashes on the pyre would be a loss for all.”
He emphasized the nobility of his offer while subtly reminding her that if she refused, she’d soon be condemned and burned.
In the end, Istanya nodded.
“…Very well. I will become your subordinate.”
Chris lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Accepted.”
A brilliant light flared!
Chris’s soul enveloped Istanya’s, and the mark etched into her spirit began to change.
From white wings to the shape of a black moon radiating sublime grandeur.
And so, Chris succeeded in making Istanya his subordinate.
A new pawn was born.
“Good.”
Chris exhaled in relief.
He’d wondered if he could really make Istanya his pawn, but thankfully, it worked.
‘Handling sacred power doesn’t seem to be a problem either.’
As mentioned before, the amount of sacred power she could wield had decreased.
But that was fine.
Because what truly mattered was the symbolism of having sacred power intact.
‘I also taught her how to use it efficiently, so her power should grow stronger over time.’
Though she hadn’t awakened her sacred power, Chris was more knowledgeable than anyone about how to wield it, having helped Olivia in his youth.
‘There’s even a method from the latter days of the Age of Ruin to combine the white light mana with sacred power to amplify its effect.’
Once she got used to it, she could manifest even more powerful sacred energy than before.
And by making Istanya his subordinate, Chris gained an unexpected advantage.
‘Could it be that I can actually wield sacred power now?’
A white radiance flickered in Chris’s hand.
It wasn’t the brilliance of mana.
Surprisingly, it was sacred power.
‘It’s thanks to the elevation of my soul’s rank.’
To use sacred power, one’s soul must have the qualities of a sacred soul.
But by becoming an Elder and raising his rank, Chris could now wield some sacred power despite not having a sacred soul.
Though its manifestation was still clumsy and sporadic.
‘Still, this will be an enormous help.’
He now had a trump card.
‘Sacred power can be applied in many different ways.’
The limited amount of sacred power would grow stronger as his achievements increased and his soul’s rank rose.
Anyway, now that Istanya was his pawn, it was time to pursue his real goal.
“…You really intend to challenge the Demon Sword King?”
Istanya, having learned Chris was truly human, reverted to her usual blunt tone.
“Yes. I have a plan.”
“What plan?”
Chris explained briefly, and Istanya’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
Was it a brilliant strategy?
No, quite the opposite.
It was a reckless plan.
“Isn’t that basically suicide?!”
She raised her voice.
“You want to challenge the Demon Sword King to a duel?!”
Indeed.
Chris intended to capture the Demon Sword King through a duel.
‘A surprise attack is impossible.’
There would be no opening, and if he caught the Demon Sword King that way, it would spark an all-out war between the Holy Empire and the Triangular Union.
The best course was to capture him honorably through a duel.
“Or do you think you’ve reached the ninth star transcendence level or something?”
“No, my power is still insufficient against the Demon Sword King.”
Insufficient was an understatement.
The Demon Sword King was an absolute powerhouse, once considered a match for the Nordians.
But that was okay.
“I’ll set conditions. We duel using only pure swordsmanship, his specialty. If I lose, you, as a Saint Sovereign, will bow and apologize to the Demon Sword King. He won’t refuse such terms.”
The Demon Sword King was a sword fiend obsessed with pure swordsmanship and enjoyed dueling under such conditions.
Also, his pride was immense; receiving an apology from a Saint Sovereign would be something he’d never reject.
“What? I would never agree to such terms!”
“Why not? If things go badly and you have to bow to the Demon Sword King, you’ll be excommunicated for dishonoring the Order. If worse comes to worst, you can seek asylum with the Dark Mages. They’ll accept you.”
“Are you insane?!”
For the record, Chris had already revealed his true identity to Istanya. Since she was now his subordinate, it didn’t matter if she knew.
When she found out Chris was a Ma-in (demon), her expression was priceless.
-Me? Give my soul to a demon?
She looked as if she’d been scammed into selling her soul to a devil, so Chris quickly clarified.
-I never said I wasn’t a Ma-in. Should’ve asked before the contract. You should’ve checked first.
-You damn demon bastard!!
-Your Majesty, I swear on my sword, Chris is a Ma-in, but a Ma-in who will save the world…
-Shut up, you too!!
There was quite a commotion, but it was already done.
Chris chuckled.
“Don’t worry too much. You won’t have to bow.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Because I’ll win.”
“!!”
Istanya looked stunned.
“You think you can beat the Demon Sword King with swordsmanship? Do you think you’re the head of a famous sword family or something?”
There was no hope in fighting with pure swordsmanship alone.
The Demon Sword King had another title:
“The Greatest Sword of the Demon Empire.”
He was the top among all Ma-in swordsmen in the Demon Empire.
‘Actually, the true “Greatest Sword” is the sixth-ranked Silver Snow Demon King, but aside from the Demon King class, the Demon Sword King has the best swordsmanship.’
Even for Chris, it was a tall order.
“No, it’s possible. I have a way.”
“What?”
“I plan to learn swordsmanship from someone whose skill rivals the Demon Sword King’s.”
What kind of nonsense was that?
“Unless you’re the head of a swordsmanship family, there’s no one like that…”
“There is.”
Chris turned his gaze toward Evan.
The greatest prodigy of the current swordsmanship family.
Though his sacred radiance hadn’t fully matured, his swordsmanship alone was the strongest, surpassing any knight in the Union.
Chris looked Evan squarely in the eye.
“Evan, teach me swordsmanship. So I can defeat the Demon Sword King.”
If the Demon Sword King was the finest swordsman in the Demon Empire, who was the best in the Union?
There were many candidates—the current head of the swordsmanship family, the leader of the White Tiger Squad, the greatest swordsman of Karn—but Chris believed Evan belonged in that league.
‘Evan’s swordsmanship isn’t just at the sixth star level.’
Currently, Evan had reached the pinnacle of the sixth star.
His growth was terrifyingly rapid.
This was partly thanks to the blessings of the Constellations, but there was another crucial reason.
His swordsmanship achievements far outpaced his current level.
‘His swordsmanship mastery is rapidly approaching his previous prime.’
In his past life, Evan’s growth only truly began after the Age of Ruin started.
Before that, he was just a promising rookie, but now he was completely different.
‘Even though he quickly received the Constellations’ blessings, there must have been some awakening I didn’t know about.’
There was indeed a trigger Chris was unaware of.
It was Chris himself.
In his previous life, Evan was consumed by a desire for revenge against his family and suffered from severe mental turmoil, stunting his growth.
He only overcame this turmoil after the world’s devastation forced him to abandon petty grudges.
In this life, thanks to Chris, Evan never fell into that turmoil. Inspired by Chris’s dedication to the world, he pushed himself to the limit to catch up, resulting in this miraculous growth.
Anyway, Chris planned to learn swordsmanship under Evan’s guidance.
‘Of course, I can’t master swordsmanship overnight.’
But there was a way.
“Open the ‘Land of Warriors’ for me.”
“!!”
Istanya’s face showed surprise.
It was a sacred site within the Saint Sovereign Palace, with very special properties.
‘As the name suggests, it offers tremendous training benefits.’
Its time efficiency was incredible.
What would take ten days outside could be achieved in just one day in the Land of Warriors.
A training effect ten times greater.
An absurdly powerful advantage.
There was, however, one puzzling question.
If such a sacred place truly had that kind of effect, then why weren’t the knights of the Holy Empire overwhelmingly superior in skill?
There was a reason.
Despite its incredible benefits, very few of the Order’s Holy Knights actually trained in the Warriors’ Domain.
“…You really intend to enter the Warriors’ Domain? No matter how great you are, don’t you realize it’s impossible to endure? You’ll either die or come back a wreck.”
Because enduring it was extraordinarily difficult.
‘Once you step inside, all manner of calamities will assail you.’
That alone was manageable.
But the Warriors’ Domain wasn’t just any sacred ground—it was considered a forbidden zone for another, far more deadly reason.
‘You have to withstand a distorted time flow.’
There were many reasons why training in the Warriors’ Domain was so effective.
Abnormal gravity, life-threatening disasters, an oppressive density of spiritual energy—all of these challenges had to be overcome during training, which led to great achievements.
But the most critical factor was the time flow itself.
‘On average, time moves at least five times slower inside.’
In other words, one day outside equated to five days within the Warriors’ Domain.
It wasn’t something to celebrate just because training time was extended.
‘The discrepancy in the time stream places an enormous physical, mental, and spiritual strain on the body.’
Humans are adapted to the current flow of time.
Their bodies, energy circulation, minds, even their souls—all synchronized to the present time frame.
Suddenly having that flow stretched out fivefold inevitably caused tremendous stress.
‘Enduring it is impossible.’
Occasionally, some would bravely attempt the challenge, but it always ended in reckless folly.
Especially because the burden from the distorted time flow left severe aftereffects—those who barely survived often became broken shells of themselves.
‘If you want to take down the Demon Sword King, you have to be willing to go this far.’