Episode 300
The werewolf warriors stepped forward, blocking Christian’s path.
Christian stared at them silently for a moment.
At present, he was perfectly mimicking Navid.
No, he was even more intense, exuding a deeper, more sinister aura.
His gaze was hollow, as if empty inside, causing the werewolves to flinch.
“I come from the Sawang Clan.”
“!!”
The werewolf warriors murmured among themselves, raising their weapons in hostility.
“What business does a disgusting bastard from the Sawang Clan have here?”
For context, the Sawang Clan was notorious throughout the Mage Empire for their ruthless actions. Even the Ghost Sword King had only secretly allied with them in private; officially, no alliance existed, and the common warriors below had no knowledge of it.
“I’m here to hold the Beast King accountable.”
“…What?”
“You dared to break the pact you made with the Primordial Nature and betray us.”
The werewolves looked shocked.
The Beast King was secretly colluding with the Sawang Clan?
And now, the Beast King had betrayed the Sawang Clan as well?
It was incomprehensible.
Confusion reigned.
“Look for yourself.”
With a swift motion, Christian—disguised as Navid—pulled back the cloth covering a cart beside him.
What appeared was astonishing.
A mobile prison made of iron bars, and inside was an unbelievable figure.
Jet black hair, eyes a deep crimson.
An arrogant expression.
“W-who is that? Could it be…?”
“Dark Mage Christian, the Grand Duke?!”
Of course, it wasn’t the real Christian, but Alos disguised under the constellation’s emblem.
‘You damn devil!!’
Alos glared at Christian with eyes full of resentment, a gag muffling his words.
It was baffling.
What on earth was Christian thinking, pulling off such a stunt?
‘Obviously, it’s to bait the Beast King.’
Christian addressed the werewolves.
“The Beast King made a pact with the Primordial Nature but was secretly colluding with the Dark Mage faction. This is an insult to the Primordial Nature. I’m here to hold him responsible. Bring the Beast King immediately.”
“!!”
The werewolves exchanged glances.
They didn’t understand what was going on, but they weren’t the type to accept such claims easily.
“First, we’ll have to teach you some manners.”
“I’ll let you meet the King, but only after I’ve broken every limb of yours.”
True to their warlike nature, the warriors advanced on Christian, radiating a fierce killing intent.
Christian smirked.
“Are you lowly beasts so blind you can’t even recognize your opponent?”
“…What did you say?”
“You’re the ones baring your teeth without knowing your place. Don’t blame me for what happens next.”
A soft rustling sound.
A powerful ash-gray energy spread out.
It was dark magic disguised as a smoky ash aura.
Whoosh!
The ash-colored energy surged upward like a rising flame.
“What… what kind of energy is that?”
The werewolves paled and hesitated.
Then—
“GRAAAAH!!”
“AAARGH!! Stop! Stop!!”
The werewolves charging at Christian suddenly collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
They had been hit by a wide-area curse.
‘These pathetic fools are easy now.’
The ones who had just charged were ordinary mages.
The strongest among them were five-star rank?
That might sound weak, but five-star Elders were considered high-ranking and formidable in any group.
But now, Christian had ascended far beyond such opponents.
‘Thanks to mastering the Ten Thousand Demon Arts, the power of my dark magic affecting the mind has grown exponentially.’
The Ten Thousand Demon Arts was a technique to dominate the mind.
Together, they created a powerful synergy.
‘Of course, releasing magic into the air like that was a bit reckless.’
Christian had deliberately displayed his magic openly.
There was a reason.
‘To spread the rumor that the Beast King was colluding with the Sawang Clan.’
He scattered his magic so that even the Phantom Mage faction far away could detect it.
It was a ploy to sow discord between the Phantom Mages and the Beast Mages.
‘This is just the beginning. Now, when will they arrive?’
Christian relaxed, waiting patiently for someone.
“Stop!!”
Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed like a mountain collapsing.
Something massive fell from the sky, rising to its full height.
A silver mane covered its entire body.
Its size was twice that of a normal werewolf.
An overwhelming presence that seemed to tower over everything around.
It was the Beast King.
The chaos quickly subsided.
The Beast King dragged Christian to a secret location.
“What is the meaning of this? Didn’t you say your pact with us was to remain secret? Do you want to die?”
The Beast King growled fiercely.
But Christian responded coldly.
“Didn’t I say it was because you tried to betray the Primordial Nature? Did you think you could insult the Primordial Nature and get away with it?”
“No, what nonsense is this? When did I ever…!”
“The Dark Mage Grand Duke Christian has already confessed.”
The Beast King’s gaze snapped toward Alos, disguised as Christian.
“What are you talking about? When did I ever collude with your Dark Mage faction? Speak properly before I tear you apart!”
“…”
Alos shut his mouth tight.
He was completely cowed by the Beast King’s fury, unable to utter a word.
At that moment, Christian cut in.
“Something’s strange. Are you really saying you never intended to collude with the Dark Mage faction?”
“Didn’t I say so?! How dare you question me? I am the Beast King. I don’t go back on my word.”
The Beast King glared at Alos.
“We’ll find out by torturing him. What kind of scheme is behind this nonsense?”
“The Dark Mage Grand Duke isn’t likely to break under torture. Instead, may I try something?”
Christian gestured.
“Making someone tell the truth is a specialty of our Curse Mages.”
The Beast King hesitated, then nodded.
Indeed, torture probably wouldn’t work.
The Beast Mages were vulnerable in this area due to their family’s heritage.
“Do it immediately.”
“Understood.”
Christian placed Alos’s head in his hands.
Alos shot him a resentful glare, but Christian ignored it.
‘It’s all an act. Just hold on a little longer. It won’t hurt.’
Flash!
Ash-gray magic seeped into Alos’s head, and his eyes went blank.
“Speak. Why did you lie that the Beast King was colluding with your Dark Mage faction?”
“That is…”
Alos recited the prearranged answer under Christian’s direction.
“I was following the Phantom Duke’s plan.”
“!!”
The Beast King’s expression hardened.
The Phantom Duke was his rival and the head of the Phantom Mage faction.
“The Phantom Duke reached out to our Dark Mage faction to eliminate you, Beast King, and planned to frame you.”
That was Christian’s plan.
To sow discord and provoke conflict between the two.
“The Phantom Duke did this?”
“It’s possible. The Phantom Duke is cunning enough to pull off such a scheme.”
Christian nodded.
“The reason our Sawang Clan chose you, Beast King, was because we couldn’t trust the Phantom Duke. Probably, after driving a wedge between us, they planned to use the Dark Mage’s power to strike you down.”
The Beast King’s face flushed red.
“I will never forgive this. How dare they try such a trick.”
“So, what will you do?”
Christian looked at the Beast King calmly.
“Will you strike at the Phantom Duke?”
“!!”
The Beast King flinched.
He couldn’t answer easily.
This was no ordinary matter.
A war between clans was inevitable.
“Such weakness is disappointing. The enemy has already drawn their sword, yet you hesitate.”
“You bastard.”
“Whether you want it or not, the Phantom Duke will strike you. If you don’t want a full-scale clan war, it’s better to eliminate him quickly.”
The Beast King remained silent.
It was indeed too late to back down.
“If you’re worried about escalation, our Sawang Clan will lure the Phantom Duke out.”
“!!”
“But you must come alone.”
“…Alone?”
The Beast King frowned.
“Yes. If you bring others, the cunning Phantom Duke will catch on. Or…”
Christian sneered.
“You’re not confident enough to take him down alone?”
“You bastard!!”
The Beast King roared.
“I am the Beast King. I can snap that illusionist’s neck with ease.”
“Then there’s no problem. But if I’m helping you, I’ll need something in return.”
“…Something in return?”
“Luring out the Phantom Duke is risky for our Sawang Clan as well. We can’t do it for free.”
“…What do you want?”
Christian grinned and revealed another goal of the plan.
“Share the original text of the Beast Mage’s lost grimoire, the ‘Demonic Chain Chronicle,’ with the Primordial Nature.”
“!!”
“It’s a grimoire of little practical use anyway, so it shouldn’t matter much. As far as I know, the Beast Mage’s demonic arts aren’t closely tied to the Chronicle.”
And that was true.
It used to be a secret technique that formed the foundation of the demonic beast magic arts in the past, but now it wasn’t considered an especially important original text.
They were simply keeping it because it had once been significant.
“So, what exactly do you intend to use the Maranrok for?”
“We’re trying to create puppets using demonic beasts at our base, but we lack a proper understanding of Maran magic. For now, we’re hoping to at least refer to this old, discontinued original text. Honestly, we’re tempted by the secret techniques currently used in the demonic beast magic arts, but there’s no way they’d ever allow us access to those.”
“…”
“Ah, but we’ll show our sincerity in our own way.”
“Sincerity?”
“Please accept this demonic sword.”
It was a demonic sword with an eerie, dark sheen.
They had brought it back from the Holy Empire this time.
The Berserker Blade.
No one knew about it now, but during the era of the world’s destruction in their previous life, it had been a very famous demonic sword.
“…This is impressive.”
“I thought the Beast King would recognize the value of this sword.”
The Beast King stroked the blade as if entranced.
He checked carefully to see if any tampering had been done to the sword, but found nothing.
“If you strike Hwang Gong’s neck with this sword, even our Four Kings Fortress will rejoice.”
“…Very well. I’ll hand over the Maranrok. But how can I trust you? What if you betray us?”
His face showed sudden suspicion, stirred by the recent chaos.
Chris answered casually, as if it was no big deal.
“We’ll leave a hostage until Hwang Gong is dealt with.”
“A hostage?”
“This one.”
Chris lightly touched the unconscious Alos.
“We’ll entrust the most precious hostage of our base—the Dark Magic Arts’ Grand Duke Christian—to the Beast King. With this, I believe you’ll trust the sincerity of our Four Kings Fortress.”