Chapter 355

“…What did you say?”

In that instant, Lanya recalled a crucial fact.

Heffelman, the Lord of the Magic Tower.

Originally, he was the eldest son of a prestigious magical family.

But as a child, his talent was mediocre at best, and the heirship passed to his much younger brother, Duke Duma.

After being effectively exiled to the Magic Tower, Heffelman spent years in obscurity—until suddenly, everything changed.

His previously unimpressive abilities had been a lie; he had undergone a terrifying transformation.

The timing of Heffelman’s change coincided exactly with the death of Lanya’s parents.

“C-could it be…? Did he ‘devour’ my parents?”

One form of human sacrifice, where the victim’s entire being—energy, talent, achievements—is consumed and absorbed by the sacrificer.

“Yes. Normally, only beings of the caliber of constellations or demons can wield such power, but I was granted a special blessing that allows me to use a similar ability.”

Heffelman’s gaze fixed on Lanya, cold and predatory, like a hunter eyeing its prey.

“Your parents were truly exceptional, despite their humble origins. So much so that they drew the envy of our noble magical lineage.”

“……”

“But you, child, are a genius with talent that outshines even your parents. Today, I will devour all of you and reach a true state of transcendence.”

That was why Heffelman had taken Lanya in as his adopted daughter.

Though he had secretly abducted and sacrificed other members of the Round Table over time, none matched Lanya’s value as a ‘material.’

To reach the perfect ninth star, Heffelman needed to consume Lanya as his offering.

“Shut up!!”

Lanya shouted in fury.

A terrifying surge of energy erupted—but just as Heffelman flicked his finger—

“Gah, cough!”

Lanya spat blood.

Heffelman sneered.

“You forget that everything you have originates from me. You will never resist me, especially now that you’ve mastered that grimoire.”

Recently, Heffelman had imbued the grimoire he gave Lanya with the true essence of his forbidden power.

By embedding his authority directly into the book’s core, he enabled her to achieve unnaturally rapid progress.

Though it was a burden even for Heffelman, he didn’t mind—he could reclaim it all through devouring.

However, he had hidden a fatal flaw as a side effect, which he now exploited to easily subdue Lanya.

With a single gesture, she collapsed to her knees in defeat.

“Ugh!!”

“Stay still. I have no desire to damage such a precious ingredient for my grand undertaking.”

Heffelman stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with greed.

“I’ve waited a long time for this. The insolent fools of the Holy Assembly will no longer dare to ignore me.”

He was the lowest achiever among the Assembly.

But from today, that would change.

“This story has gone on long enough. Let us begin. Consider it an honor—to be the foundation of a great enterprise.”

Just as Heffelman’s excitement burst into a booming laugh, something unexpected happened.

“…Take your filthy hands off me.”

Lanya’s voice blazed with fierce determination.

Then—

KRAAAASH!!

A tremendous explosion echoed.

It was a spell unleashed by Lanya.

A powerful miracle magic, reaching the peak of the seventh star.

“What?”

Heffelman’s face twisted in disbelief.

Having mastered his grimoire, not even a finger should have moved against him.

“Do you think a genius like me would have taken that suspicious grimoire at face value?”

In truth, it was thanks to Christian.

Following his advice, Lanya had examined the grimoire carefully, uncovering a critical flaw—and even found the solution through his hints.

Thanks to this, she was able to remove the side effects and harness Heffelman’s power for rapid advancement.

“I’ll kill you.”

A storm of mana surged.

At the peak of the seventh star, on the verge of the eighth, the energy was terrifying.

“It’s useless. You’ll only make things a little more troublesome. Today, you become my sacrifice.”

Heffelman drew his own power.

As he said, the fight was hopeless.

But then, something else unexpected happened.

“Shut up, you fiend!”

BOOM!

With a chilling sound, the underground altar’s door collapsed.

Evan had arrived!

But he wasn’t alone.

“Lord of the Magic Tower, I never imagined you to be such a demon.”

“We will never forgive you.”

The heads of the Round Table appeared!

Their timely arrival was all thanks to Christian.

—On the day of the Sage’s Tome contest, not Mahwi, but another evil will descend.

Knowing this in advance, Christian secretly revealed this ‘revelation’ to the Round Table leaders.

Not only that, he had covertly installed a live video transmission device inside the underground altar.

Thanks to this, everything Heffelman had done was exposed without filter to those gathered for the Sage’s Tome contest.

Among the Round Table leaders, Duke Duma stepped forward, his face pale.

“To think my brother would commit such a horrific act.”

He had suspected something was off about Heffelman.

He even suspected a demon pact.

But human sacrifice? That was worse than demon worship.

An unforgivable sin.

Moreover, Heffelman had been sacrificing even members of the Round Table.

“As head of the magical family, I will see to it that my brother is punished.”

“We will not forgive you either.”

Other leaders stepped forward, their faces grim.

Heffelman scoffed.

“Pathetic. You think you can punish me? How dare you?”

His voice seemed to look down on them all.

It wasn’t arrogance.

Among the Round Table leaders, aside from the head of the magical family, none had reached the eighth star.

Though he had used forbidden methods, Heffelman had reached the ninth star—too powerful to oppose.

“Excellent. You will all become sacrifices for my great work. Soon, the Round Table will kneel before me, and I will build my kingdom.”

His own kingdom.

That was Heffelman’s ultimate goal.

It was laughable, but the Round Table leaders couldn’t mock him.

A suffocating aura began to radiate from Heffelman.

“Kneel before true power!”

A blazing light erupted!

The barren altar transformed completely.

A pure white world unfolded.

“Genesis Descent!!”

The power of the ninth star.

Beyond simply controlling the surrounding area like the eighth star, this ability manifests one’s own world into reality.

Its power was incomparable.

‘But why does this Genesis Descent look like this?’

The Round Table leaders wore confused expressions.

Everything was bathed in white.

Like the embodiment of holy light.

Yet it was filled only with discomfort.

Though light, it was a light more hideous than any evil.

Unthinkable for a white mage’s Genesis Descent.

But there was no time to ponder further.

Crackling—

Lightning erupted from Heffelman’s hands.

The Wrath of the Thunder Spirit.

Like a furious elemental had descended, the surrounding area was ravaged by lightning in tandem with the Genesis Descent.

“Everyone, be careful!”

Duke Duma stepped forward, erecting a defensive barrier.

A blazing sphere of silence.

A powerful domain that nullified everything within.

But—

“Ugh!!”

The silent space couldn’t withstand the onslaught of thunder.

It wasn’t completely ineffective, but only barely.

Duma barely held off the attack with additional spells, his face full of disbelief.

“Ninth star, and yet this level of Genesis Descent?”

The ninth star was an incomplete ninth star.

So the Genesis Descent was imperfect.

Though still immensely powerful, it was excessive to so easily overwhelm Duma’s domain, which was at the upper eighth star.

“Do you finally understand my greatness? Too late. You will all become my sacrifices and part of my grand design.”

A blazing inferno surged!

Everyone’s faces turned pale.

The fierce energy swept through.

Fire, water, wind—no element was spared.

None were high-level spells individually, but combined with the power of Genesis Descent, they became something else entirely.

If a domain amplifies power by bringing the surroundings under one’s control, Genesis Descent remakes the world itself as one’s own.

Magic transcended its usual limits, transforming into an entirely different class.

Still, Duma and the other Round Table leaders didn’t collapse immediately—they held on somehow.

But the outcome was inevitable.

“Is the hero not here yet?!”

Duma asked Evan.

Before confronting Heffelman, Christian had left a message through Evan.

—I have a way. If you can stall, I will come and subdue the Lord of the Magic Tower.

In truth, even if the hero arrived, it was doubtful they could succeed.

Heffelman’s power far exceeded all expectations.

Heffelman himself showed no concern.

“A hero will only kneel before my greatness.”

He drew his power once more.

In the murky white world, magic took shape again.

Still not high-level spells.

But this attack was far more potent, as if intending to finish things now.

“Duma, you’re first.”

Crackling.

The Wrath of the Thunder Spirit again.

Duma’s defensive spell shattered instantly.

‘No way to stop this.’

The Duke of Duma’s face turned pale.

Before such overwhelming, almost violent power, no defense held any meaning.

And then, at that moment—

“Struggling this much against such a pathetic weakling? Honestly, it’s utterly pathetic.”

That all-too-familiar, irritating voice.

At the same time, something unexpected happened.

Crash!

The bolt of lightning aimed at the Duke of Duma shattered into pieces.

Like glass breaking.

Everyone’s faces showed shock.

“Your Highness, the Hero!!”

Christian wore a look of utter disdain.

“Look at all of you—what a sorry sight. To be brought low by such a pitiful nobody. When we return to the academy, be prepared for extra training.”

The heads of the round table looked utterly baffled.

Calling a 9-star Grand Mage a “pathetic nobody”?

They couldn’t tell if it was arrogance or genuine contempt.

Hefferman let out a bitter chuckle.

“You call yourself the Hero? Just as I heard—you really have no idea where you stand. You’ll make a fine addition to my grand plan…”

“Shut up, fake.”

“…What?”

“You’re not even a real 9-star Grand Mage. Where do you get off pretending like that?”

“!!”

The sheer disrespect was incomprehensible.

The Duke of Duma offered a worried warning.

“Don’t underestimate the Tower Master. Even if he used forbidden methods, he’s transcended the 9-star realm. You could say he’s nearly reached a perfect state of super-consciousness.”

“Disappointed in you, Duke. To think you’d be so blind.”

“…What?”