Chapter 324
“I have to sever the mental link—now!”

But it was too late.

[Stop.]

As if a giant hand had grasped her soul, Emily’s mind was abruptly shackled.

At the same time, the boy’s mental world began to shift.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

The vast, desolate space that had seemed endless was now stained with the hues of darkness.

“Dark Magi…!”

Only then did Emily realize the boy’s true identity.

[Christian!]

[Yes.]

Within the mental realm, the figure of a black-haired boy—Christian—appeared.

[Impossible. No matter how powerful you are, you can’t possess a mental world like this.]

Even she, an 8-star, didn’t have a vessel of mind this grand.

No, this was not a vessel meant for mortals at all.

“Wait.”

Frozen in place, a wild, absurd thought struck her.

Christian smirked knowingly, as if he had read her mind.

[That’s right.]

Slowly, the true form of the soul Christian held emerged from the darkness.

Emily’s mind began to tremble uncontrollably.

Because she had entered the deepest layers of his mental world, she could feel the pure essence of his soul’s magnitude without any filter.

“Th-this…? No way…”

“Now you understand the predicament you’re in, don’t you?”

Christian curled his lips into a cold, cruel smile.

“I won’t kill you just yet. I have some ‘experiments’ I want to try.”

His voice was a grim announcement of the terrible calamity about to befall the Demon King’s Castle.

*    *    *

Christian erased Emily’s consciousness.

“I’m practically invincible in battles that test the vessel of the mind.”

If this had been a normal duel in the real world, Christian might not have had much chance.

No matter how strong his mental defenses were, the curse cast by an 8-star Absolute Magi was not something to be taken lightly.

The key was that Emily had accessed the deepest mental realm.

In this state, the battle was purely about the capacity of the mind’s vessel.

No mere Absolute Magi could withstand the caliber of Christian’s mental vessel.

“This is just the beginning.”

Christian immediately moved on to the next phase of his plan.

Something astonishing happened.

“Greetings, Senior Elder.”

“…Yes, thank you for your efforts. I’m here on inspection.”

It was Emily.

Despite her mind being erased, Emily was still moving about as if nothing had happened.

The reason was simple: Christian had turned her into a puppet.

“Well, my puppetry isn’t that advanced, but it only needs to fool them for a short while.”

Though there were subtle oddities if you looked closely, no demon dared to cast suspicious eyes on the ruthless Senior Elder.

“And who is that boy behind you?”

“He’s a test subject captured from the Dark Magi. I’m carrying him around to try various experiments.”

The demons of the Demon King’s Castle nodded.

It was well known that Senior Elder Emily often engaged in strange, inexplicable acts with her test subjects.

“I’ll check if there are any issues with the castle’s defensive array.”

“Understood! I will guide you.”

A secret magical formation, normally inaccessible except to the castle’s core, was revealed.

“I need to adjust the defensive array. Please step back.”

“Yes, but—”

“Do you dare to defy me?”

The demon in charge of the array inhaled sharply.

Since Emily was acting with the lord’s authority, there was no choice but to obey.

“I-I’m sorry. I’ll step back.”

As the demon withdrew, Emily’s eyes went blank, vacant as a fool’s.

Christian smirked and looked at the defensive array.

“It’s been a while since I last saw this. In my previous life, this array caused me a lot of trouble.”

He had once infiltrated the Demon King’s Castle with a party of heroes during the late days of the Age of Destruction, attempting to assassinate the Bloodthirsty Demon King. Of course, it ended in utter failure.

“Hmm. Good.”

Humming a tune, Christian began to tamper with the array.

The changes were so subtle they were invisible to the naked eye.

But they were fatal alterations.

He then moved throughout the castle, repeating the same process.

The demons responsible for the arrays were puzzled but didn’t suspect anything serious.

Finally.

“Bingo.”

Christian had successfully manipulated the entire defensive array of the Demon King’s Castle.

He moved on to the next step.

“Are you saying we should head to the front lines immediately?”

The highest-ranking 7-star demons remaining in the main castle asked with puzzled expressions.

“Yes. We need to reinforce the front lines before the Dark Alliance’s rotation.”

“But what about the castle’s defenses?”

The senior demons asked cautiously.

Currently, the main castle had very little military strength left.

The Triangular Alliance had sent reinforcements, and the Karn Empire’s suspicious movements had led to additional troops being dispatched.

The remaining forces were at a minimum.

“With me here, what’s the problem?”

“!!”

“I’ve already adjusted the defensive array to prepare for any unforeseen incidents. Don’t worry.”

The senior demons nodded in understanding.

“The situation at the front is urgent. Depart immediately.”

“Yes, understood. Thank you!”

They all seemed eager to head to the battlefield, leaving with bright expressions.

After sending off the senior demons, Christian gave one final order through Emily.

“Gather all the castle’s guard forces in the Death Plaza.”

The demons receiving the order exchanged confused looks.

“All of them? In the plaza?”

The plaza was located at the center of the Demon King’s Castle.

“Yes. There’s an order to be given.”

“Understood.”

Demons from all over the castle gathered in the plaza.

Since all remaining forces were summoned, the crowd was sizable.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“No idea. This is the first time something like this has happened.”

Emily appeared and addressed the assembled troops.

“You’ve come well. I have something to say to you.”

She began a speech.

Praising their efforts so far and urging them to steel themselves to protect the castle going forward.

The content was nothing unusual, but the demons wore puzzled expressions.

“Is this all they called us for?”

“Surely there’s another motive. Let’s wait and see.”

Of course, there was another motive.

But it was nothing they could have guessed.

As Emily continued without revealing anything special, some began to sense something was off.

“Did the Senior Elder always speak like this? It feels different.”

“Something’s strange. Why does it feel like we’re looking at a puppet?”

At that moment, a very few widened their eyes, realizing the truth.

“Could it be—?”

But it was too late.

From the Demon King’s Tower overlooking the plaza, Christian closed his eyes calmly.

A massive magical circle was drawn around him.

“Ready?”

“Yes, Your Highness! Just say the word!”

“I’m here too, brother.”

To everyone’s surprise, Kashmir and Tern were there as well.

Using Emily’s authority, Christian had secretly infiltrated them.

Fwoooosh!!

The magical circle around Christian glowed with deep darkness, beginning to connect remotely to other locations.

These were the defensive arrays Christian had tampered with throughout the castle.

Through the Dark Magi’s dominion, the arrays were linked as one with Christian’s magic circle.

“Now.”

“Understood!”

Kashmir placed his hand on Christian’s back.

A massive surge of infernal energy began flowing into Christian.

Normally, such a crude transfer of power was extremely risky, but not for Christian.

He controlled the destructive energy through the Dark Magi, channeling it into the connected defensive arrays.

“Tern, you too.”

Tern placed his hand on Christian’s back.

A gentle, ashen energy of the Enemy’s nature flowed in.

At that moment, the demons gathered in the plaza began to realize Emily’s true identity and shouted in alarm.

“That’s not the Senior Elder! It’s a fake!”

“A puppet! Who’s behind this?!”

“Too late.”

Christian closed his eyes tightly.

The intricate, high-level pattern of the magical array enveloping the entire Demon King’s Castle was mapped out in his mind.

It was the most perfect formation he had ever seen.

But there was a weak link.

Using Tern’s gentle ashen energy, he further loosened the pre-prepared weak points, then pushed the destructive infernal energy through.

The defensive array began to go haywire.

Rumble rumble.

The main castle shook as if an earthquake had struck.

“What?!”

“There’s a problem with the defensive array!”

“Stop it!”

The remaining high-ranking demons shouted desperately, but there was nothing they could do.

A massive disaster engulfed them.

Crash! Boom!!

A huge explosion erupted in the central plaza where the demons had gathered, causing it to collapse!

Christian had deliberately manipulated the array so that when it went berserk, the energy would surge toward the plaza.

The overwhelming storm of energy swept through the defenseless demons, and horrific screams filled the air as countless demons fell.

The higher-ranked demons suffered fewer casualties but were still badly injured, struggling amidst the ruins.

Then, another catastrophe struck.

Crash! Boom!!

The rampaging defensive array collapsed, causing various parts of the Demon King’s Castle to crumble.

All were critical locations of the Spirit and Curse Magi.

“The obelisks on the west and south defenses are about to fall!!”

“!!”

The demons’ faces turned pale.

These were the castle’s most vital facilities.

Structures that gathered negative emotions.

The Demon King’s Castle—specifically the Curse and Spirit Magi—had become such a formidable force thanks to these obelisks.

They artificially collected negative emotions to amplify their power.

Gathering the people in one place to enforce a terrifying reign of fear was also a way to easily stir up negative emotions.

“Damn it, stop them!!”

“We can’t let them break through, no matter what!!”

The mages, pale-faced and battered, surged toward the damaged obelisk.

Thanks to that, the inner grounds of the Demon King’s Castle emptied out.

“Let’s move now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, the revered King Emperor, Grand Duke Christian!!”

“Right, Your Majesty, the revered King Emperor, Brother Christian!!”

Kashmir and Tern shouted the exact same words simultaneously, shooting sharp glares at each other.

“Didn’t I tell you? The great title of ‘Brother’ is reserved for me alone.”

“…Is that so, Grand Duke Christian? Am I not allowed to use it?”

Kashmir asked with a pitiful, almost abandoned-dog expression, and Chris gave a reluctant look.

Everyone was starting to act stranger by the minute.

“…Call me whatever you want.”

“Thank you!! Did you hear that, Sir Tern? Now I’m allowed to use the great title too! I can say I’m closer to him than you are, since all you have going for you is bloodline.”

“…What did you say? You want to settle this now? Fine. Let’s see who’s truly closest to him. I’ll make sure you disappear from his side forever.”

‘…Both of you, shut up.’

Chris said wearily.

“Enough nonsense. Let’s move quickly.”