Chapter 334

The Blood-Shedding Demon King staggered but forced himself to rise again.

He was breaking free from Mepina’s seal.

Yet, compared to before, his strength had diminished drastically.

“I can’t let this slip away now!”

Mepina’s binding would only hold him for a fleeting moment.

They had to end this within that narrow window.

Flash!

Christian’s sword surged toward the Blood-Shedding Demon King.

But the demon king wasn’t just taking hits.

He raised his hand, blocking Christian’s blade without faltering.

In fact, even while sealed, his power still overwhelmed Christian.

Biting his lip, Christian unleashed his domain.

He tried to press the Blood-Shedding Demon King with the dark magic’s dominion.

But the demon king countered with his own domain.

The two clashed, each vying for control.

Despite being sealed by Mepina, the demon king’s domain energy still overpowered Christian’s.

Yet the true strength of Christian’s domain lay in its meaning.

The concept of ‘domination’ crushed the demon king’s ‘destruction,’ and slowly, the demon king’s complexion paled.

At that moment, help arrived.

“I’ll lend you my strength!”

“Me too! You’ll witness the greatness of this genius mage, demon!”

Evan and Lanya joined in, pressing the Blood-Shedding Demon King.

We can do this.

Flash!

Christian poured all his energy into his domain, pushing the demon king back.

His insides churned from the strain, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

Little by little.

Surely.

The Blood-Shedding Demon King began to show signs of defeat.

“This ends now.”

Christian aimed his holy sword.

A radiant mana shimmered along its blade.

A miraculous weapon to annihilate evil—the Holy Executioner.

Combined with a technique that pierced the very essence of the foe, the ‘Unification Strike.’

And amplified by the Seven-Colored Sovereignty.

Boom!

An explosive force surged with all their might.

For a moment, confusion flickered across the demon king’s face.

Thud.

Christian’s sword halted.

Caught by the demon king’s fingers.

“!!”

Christian’s eyes widened in shock.

The demon king smiled a cold, bitter smile.

[That was quite entertaining. Did you enjoy yourselves? Watching you rampage without knowing your place was amusing—I played along.]

So all the struggling was just a mockery.

…I don’t feel Mepina’s energy anymore.

Suddenly, the seal had vanished, unable to withstand the demon’s power.

[It was fun, but it’s time to end this. There’s much to be done for the great cause of Gehenna.]

Snap!

The demon king clenched his fist, and Christian’s sword shattered in two.

It was a mid-tier holy sword, yet he broke it like a twig.

Grrr!

A thick, oppressive evil descended, and the three froze stiff.

Damn.

Christian’s face went pale.

It was over.

[No need to kill you so easily. Now, tell me—what kind of pain do you prefer? Speak up. I can grant you any torment you desire.]

The demon king smiled wickedly at Idrene.

A chilling grin.

[Idrene, your most precious one was Christian, wasn’t he? For you, I’ll bestow an even greater blessing. I can still hear your cries inside me—begging to be saved.]

A horrifying, sadistic tale.

It was clear the demon king’s brutal slaughter of the Blood Sword Mages in their past lives was meant to torment Idrene.

[Shall I start by cutting off your head? Don’t worry—you won’t die from decapitation. You won’t find rest unless I allow it.]

The demon king raised his sword, as if savoring a feast.

Damn it. I can’t just stand here and take this.

Christian clenched his fists tightly.

There was one last option.

But it came with a fatal flaw.

Idrene can’t be saved.

Originally, he had planned to rescue her at all costs.

If he used this method now, Idrene would fall into Gehenna.

But there was no other choice.

Damn.

Flash!

The demon king swung his sword down—aiming precisely for Christian’s neck.

Just as Christian gritted his teeth, ready to use his final move—

An unexpected event occurred.

The sword froze midair.

“??”

Everyone wore puzzled expressions.

The demon king’s face flushed crimson.

His arm holding the sword trembled violently.

As if something was gripping his hand.

[W-what? How dare you?]

Then, something even more unbelievable happened.

Pew!

The demon king plunged the sword into his own chest!

“!!”

Hot blood splattered onto Christian’s face.

What just happened…?

Christian stood dumbfounded.

The demon king coughed up blood, struggling to speak.

“C-Christian, Grand Duke…”

“!!”

It was Idrene!

She had regained control of her body!

“P-please… kill me quickly.”

“You…?”

“T-time is short. Hurry…!”

Idrene’s eyes shifted again—back to the demon king’s.

[How dare you… defy me, a mere servant…]

But she wasn’t fully in control yet, trembling and unable to move.

Then, in an instant, control returned to Idrene.

“P-please… quickly… I beg you.”

Idrene looked at Christian with desperate eyes.

Her gaze said she was okay.

Christian bit his lip hard.

He could kill the demon king easily now.

And that would be the right thing to do.

But—

Damn it.

Christian made a difficult choice.

“No. I won’t kill him.”

He decided to free Idrene.

“W-what are you saying? Don’t be foolish—just kill me! I don’t want to harm my friend with my own hands!”

Idrene shouted in desperation.

“Shut up! I’m not letting go of this lucky break that fell into my hands!”

Yes.

This wasn’t just about sympathy.

To face the coming apocalypse, I need Idrene.

Soon, the Mystic Mages would rise.

The boundaries between the three realms would collapse, engulfing the continent in chaos.

Christian alone couldn’t stop the end of the world.

He needed a wildcard like Idrene.

Of course, it was a reckless gamble.

But it was worth it.

I can do this. No—I will.

If he couldn’t pull this off, he didn’t deserve to be called a genius.

Christian’s hand covered Idrene’s head.

Flash!

He plunged into her mind.

Idrene’s mental world was suffocated by oppressive evil.

Her consciousness barely clung to form.

[W-what are you doing? Step back! If you continue, your mind will be consumed by the demon!]

Invading another’s mind meant exposing one’s own.

Christian’s mind was on a different level from mortals, but his opponent was a great entity.

He shouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Yet Christian said something incomprehensible.

“There’s no time. I’ll be brief. Swear your soul to me.”

[What did you say…?]

“Swear it now! Pledge your soul to me.”

It was absurd.

She had already pledged her soul to a great demon.

It shouldn’t be possible.

“But I’ll handle the rest. Just trust me and swear!”

[!!]

Idrene’s consciousness trembled at his confident voice.

[I swear to give you my soul.]

Flash!

Part of Idrene’s mental world was dyed in Christian’s unique darkness.

But it was only a fragment.

Her entire consciousness was still under the demon’s control.

Christian’s darkness would soon be overwhelmed again.

[Foolish move.]

The demon’s voice thundered.

[I am the ruler of the Four Realms, ‘Overwhelming Pain.’ Do you think such tricks will work on me?]

Christian shook his head calmly.

“Of course, I can’t free Idrene from your grasp with such shortcuts.”

[You know your place.]

“But I can shatter your precious Gehenna project.”

[…What?]

Unexpectedly, Christian pulled out a weapon no one anticipated.

Andril.

Thanks to its power of ‘Soul Devouring,’ which allowed him to consume souls by invading the mind, he could manifest it even here.

[You don’t mean…?]

“Yes, you know what kind of weapon this is.”

Christian smiled slyly.

“With this soul-eating magic sword, I’ll devour Idrene’s soul and erase it.”

[!!]

That was why Christian had Idrene swear her soul—to feed Andril.

Soul and body are inseparable.

If the soul is destroyed, the body cannot remain intact, ending Idrene’s role as a vessel.

[You… think you can get away with this?]

“Doesn’t matter.”

Christian’s face twisted with grim determination.

“After erasing Idrene, I’ll offer my own soul to Andril and find a way to strike back at you.”

[!!]

“Though I’m mortal, my soul transcends that. If I give it to Andril, I can deal you a serious blow.”

---

The battle had taken a turn no one expected. The fate of Idrene, Christian, and the Blood-Shedding Demon King now hung in a delicate balance—one that could change the course of the coming apocalypse.

He could feel the demon falter.

No matter how great its rank, this was a threat it couldn’t simply ignore.

Above all—

“If I do this, Gehenna will lose all its vessels.”

The mystical mage, to be precise, the two vessels Gehenna had been targeting for their ‘grand plan’ were Chris and Idrene.

But if Chris were to annihilate Idrene—and even destroy his own soul—Gehenna’s entire scheme would fall apart.

Because there simply wouldn’t be another pair of vessels like Chris and Idrene in the world.

“Of course, I don’t want to die either.”

It was a bluff.

The reason Chris wasn’t certain of success was because, depending on the demon’s choice, he could end up losing his life in vain.

Still, Chris believed his gamble would pay off.

From Gehenna’s perspective, those two were a pair they could never afford to lose.

Then the demon let out a low, mocking laugh.

His mind thundered like a storm.

[How dare you… try to insult me. Do you think I don’t know what you’re really thinking? Your bluster is useless.]

“Bluster? That’s your game, not mine.”

[!!]

“It’s not me who’s desperate right now. It’s you—Gehenna.”

There was another reason Chris believed his gamble had a chance.

“I’ve never lost a gamble before.”

Gambling wasn’t about luck or odds.

It was a battle of wills.

And Chris possessed an unparalleled talent for bending others to his will.

“Let’s see how this plays out.”

Suddenly, Chris swung Andril with a swift motion—

Straight at Idrene’s soul.

Crack!

Idrene’s soul split, her spiritual form beginning to scatter.

If left unchecked, the damage could be fatal—her soul might be completely destroyed.