Chapter 361
Among the remaining three, one—Jinhong’s pupil, Emily—had been killed by Christian during the last war. The other two, Drenne and the Death Sage, had to handle the sealing here, so they mobilized every top-tier demon available.
[This is excessive.]
“Enough talk. Follow orders. Do you want to die by my hand?”
[!!]
At Drenne’s icy warning, Archlich Rockfelt flinched.
‘Something about this feels off.’
Drenne recalled the atrocities Christian had committed on his way to the Four Kings’ Castle.
Even though it was a surprise attack, the traces were unnervingly clean.
It was definitely his doing, yet there was no way to interrogate him about it.
They had to consider the possibility that Christian’s power exceeded all expectations.
‘Still, four top-tier demons should be enough. Or is it?’
Drenne frowned.
It was clearly an overwhelming force.
But inexplicably, a nagging unease lingered.
‘Maybe I should postpone handling the seal and do it myself?’
At that moment, the seal shifted again.
The Silver Snow Demon Lord opened her eyes once more.
She looked directly at Drenne and smiled—a chilling smile that seemed to pronounce the other’s doom.
“!!”
Drenne swallowed hard.
It was certain.
The Silver Snow Demon Lord harbored murderous intent toward her.
‘…I have no choice but to prioritize fixing the seal first.’
Reluctantly, Drenne left Christian to the other three Four Kings and focused on the seal’s restoration.
Unaware that the Silver Snow Demon Lord, eyes closed, was sending a message to Christian.
[He’s scared of me! Ahem. The one who dominates with just a glance—that’s me.]
The Four Kings’ Castle was the most desolate and broken place among the four magic nations of the Magic Empire.
The curse warden who ruled it treated the people like livestock, stripping away any humanity and inflicting endless suffering.
Only because the Silver Snow Demon Lord stood alone to keep the castle from crossing certain lines did it avoid becoming a true hell on earth.
‘District 4 is especially horrific, even by the castle’s standards.’
Chris moved forward, eyes scanning the twisted maze of alleys.
Hollow-eyed people watched him—eyes filled with nothing but fear and despair.
The tyranny of the curse warden had crushed their spirits.
‘If the Four Kings’ Castle falls, maybe their lives will improve.’
Chris shook his head and pressed on.
He sensed eyes following him.
‘How many?’
He ignored the small fry.
He counted only the real threats—the number of top-tier demons at 8th rank.
‘Four. That’s impressive.’
Chris whistled.
More than half of the Four Kings’ elite 8th-rank demons had come to capture him.
It was a desperate situation, yet Chris had a ridiculous thought.
‘Good. Things are going smoothly.’
Anyone overhearing would have thought him mad.
But he was serious.
‘I’ve been provoking them on purpose to lure as many of the Four Kings as possible.’
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
After today, the Four Kings’ Castle would never let its guard down around him again.
Chris’s face tightened with tension.
It was an act.
He didn’t want them to see his confidence.
He quickened his pace, deliberately trying to look anxious.
‘They won’t attack me here.’
Too many eyes were watching.
He planned to reveal his true colors only at his destination.
Soon, a building that didn’t belong in the slums appeared.
A tower etched with magical circles, guarded by demons.
“You… who are you?”
“Don’t ask. You know who I am.”
With a flash, Chris subdued them and entered the tower.
He sealed the entrance to block outsiders, then descended into the connected underground.
A vast subterranean chamber revealed itself.
‘The control room.’
It was where the obelisks that gathered people’s negative emotions were managed.
Larger than most plazas, divided by partitions according to function.
‘The core circuit is inside. The rest is spare magical space.’
By the obelisks’ principle, there had to be room around the circuit for lingering thoughts.
Perfect for a fight.
‘Better get ready first.’
With a burst, dark mana spread from Chris’s hand, forming magical circles around the space.
He had set a barrier before entering the tower, buying himself some time.
He didn’t need elaborate preparations—this was enough.
Crack!
The barrier shattered with a loud roar.
Four figures, radiating powerful energy, descended into the underground chamber.
Just as Chris had expected.
The first to appear was an Archlich.
He had seen this one before.
[It’s been a while since the last peace talks. Arrogant fool. The day I tear you apart has finally come.]
The Silent Slayer.
A lower 8th-rank demon, a warden knight who toyed with life and death.
Next came another Archlich.
Rockfelt, Lord of Eternity.
A mid-8th-rank demon, ruler of countless wardens.
“Hehe, what a wonderful day. I’m so excited. Ah, I wonder what screams I’ll hear today.”
A beautiful woman with ash-gray hair.
Despite her appearance, her eyes and voice were mad with frenzy.
The giant scythe on her back gleamed ominously.
The Abyssal Jester.
Also mid-8th-rank, she specialized in curse knights, elevating curse magic dueling to an art form.
“Annoying.”
The last was a cold-faced handsome man.
The Sculptor of Despair.
An upper 8th-rank demon, master of tangible curse magic.
One of the five strongest in the Four Kings’ Castle.
The four radiated such overwhelming pressure that the air itself seemed to suffocate.
Yet, they soon wore puzzled expressions.
Chris’s face showed no fear.
If anything, he looked relaxed.
[Still not grasping the situation? You will die in unbearable agony. Not just your body, but your soul will suffer.]
Chris shrugged at the growl.
“Oh, how scary.”
[…This guy. Is he really insane?]
“Insane? Why would I be? I’m just not scared.”
[Ha!]
The Lord of Wardens showed anger.
The Silent Slayer gathered his energy.
But the other two—the Jester and the Sculptor—reacted differently.
“Hehe, something’s off here.”
“…This is unsettling. This might be more trouble than we thought.”
The two Archliches frowned at their reactions.
For reference, the Jester and Sculptor were slightly higher in rank than the two Archliches.
[What do you mean?]
“Do you liches lose your brains when your skulls show? Do you think his act is just bluster?”
[!!]
“He’s already certain he’ll win against us. Without a shred of doubt.”
The Archliches looked incredulous.
[Impossible. No matter how strong he is, he’s only lower 8th rank. How could he beat us?]
They were absolute 8th-rank demons.
They could gauge Chris’s power easily.
His dark mana was at best lower 8th rank.
But—
“What if he’s not relying on dark mana alone?”
[What do you mean…?]
The Sculptor stared directly at Chris.
“Isn’t that right, hero?”
[!!]
Shock spread across their faces.
“I always thought it was impossible. For a freak like you to appear in both the Alliance and the Magic Empire at once. If you’re the hero, then your calm explains everything.”
Chris looked slightly surprised.
No one had ever caught on before.
But it didn’t matter.
“Yes, that’s right. I am the hero.”
Snap.
He snapped his fingers, and the underground chamber was engulfed in a barrier.
It wasn’t a high-level barrier.
Just one to block remote viewing from outside and prevent energy leaks.
Chris’s core flared with fierce energy.
Dark mana from outside was pushed back, replaced by radiant mana flooding the space.
The oppressive aura of the four demons was instantly overwhelmed by the brilliance.
The four top-tier demons faltered, and Chris smiled coldly.
“Now you understand, don’t you? The situation you’re in.”
A pillar of light descended upon his sacred sword.
“Bow your necks to the hero.”
Upper 8th rank.
The level Chris had reached through his sacred light.
The same rank as the Sculptor before him.
But different.
‘Even within the same upper 8th rank, there are levels. Vast differences.’
Upper 8th rank was the realm of those who had established their own worldview.
Within that, two groups existed.
Those who had faced the wall—and those who had not.
The wall meant the 9th rank.
This created a tremendous gap.
Looking back at the past, comparing Nordian and the Destruction Mage, Duke Besen, made it clear.
Both were upper 8th rank, but Besen never dared challenge Nordian.
Because Nordian had faced the wall, and Besen had not.
Not just Nordian in the past.
The Sword King, the Obsidian King, the Wraith, and Drenne, the Death Paladin.
These were the formidable champions standing face-to-face with the wall of resistance.
They hadn’t yet reached the realm of the Demon King, but they had come agonizingly close.
Chris, too, had ascended to the same level through his holy aura.
So it was only natural that this scene unfolded.
Slash.
[“KRAAAAH!”]
The right arm of the Silent Assassin was severed, flying through the air.
Though an Archlich possessed flesh, its body moved like a corpse—no blood flowed.
It shouldn’t have felt pain either, yet the Silent Assassin let out a horrific scream.
It was because of the radiant power Chris had unleashed.
“To wicked lackeys like you, the hero’s sword is the ultimate remedy.”
Not a joke—this was the truth.
For the four of them, the elemental affinity was disastrously unfavorable.
Curses and wraiths drew strength from the Obelisk, feeding on people’s negative emotions.
In other words, they were evil entities no different from Gehanna’s minions.
It was only natural that the hero’s sword struck them with even greater force.
[“Shut up!”]
Snap!
From the severed stump of the Archlich’s arm, a new limb sprouted.
Flare!
The wraith’s sword, embodying the torment of restless souls, blazed like a roaring flame.
A domain of control.
The intersection of life and death.
The wraith’s sword shook the very balance of existence around it.
For most, simply stepping into its range would mean instant death.
But that wasn’t all.
“Hehe! So the magic aura was a hero after all! I’ll get to hear the screams of both the magic aura and the hero at once!”
A massive scythe gleamed in the air.