Chapter 364
The problem was that there was no immediate way to act.
The blood sword magic surrounding him was a serious obstacle, and if they attacked him without justification, not only the Demon King but also the Dark Alliance wouldn’t stand idly by.
As mentioned before, unlike before, the Four Kings Fortress was now in a position where it had to tread carefully around the Dark Alliance.
“I need to find a way to eliminate him quietly—so that neither the Dark Alliance nor the central authority can raise any objections.”
At that moment, a low, chilling voice echoed.
[Pathetic. I entrusted you with the Four Kings Fortress, and this is the best you can do?]
“!!”
Whirling around, he saw a familiar figure.
A gray robe covering the entire body.
An ominous shadow flickering like a ghost.
It was the Wraith, the head of the Cursed Magic faction.
A top-tier powerhouse who had reached the upper echelons of the 8th rank, and a sworn enemy of Drenne, the deputy head of the Soul Magic faction.
[Drenne, I never imagined you’d be this pathetic. It’s embarrassing. And you actually want to claim the deputy head position?]
Drenne clenched his teeth in anger but had no words to retort.
“…When will the fortress lord return?”
[He’s currently breaking through the great wall and will return in time for the deputy head contest. After hearing about your incompetence, I came out ahead in a hurry.]
It was astonishing news.
The fortress lord was attempting to surpass the 9th rank barrier and reach a perfect 9th rank.
If he succeeded, a new Demon King would be born in the Magic Empire.
[Of course, we need to catch that rat Christian before then.]
Drenne agreed.
Christian had to be caught before the fortress lord appeared.
“Is there a way? If he’s hiding within the blood sword magic, there’s no proper countermeasure.”
[You worry foolishly. He won’t just sit still.]
The Wraith sneered.
[Judging by his past behavior, he’ll definitely try some trick again. That’s when we strike back.]
It was a reasonable plan.
That reckless fool wouldn’t behave quietly.
[I’ll take full responsibility for capturing him. Drenne, don’t get in the way.]
Just as Drenne bristled,
“Sorry, urgent news from the blood sword magic.”
“What is it?”
“Christian sent a letter.”
The Wraith and Drenne exchanged glances.
“A letter? How dare he?”
[I’m curious what scheme he’s plotting. Let me see.]
They took the letter and fell silent for a moment.
As expected, he wouldn’t stay quiet.
But the letter contained something far crazier than they imagined.
—Application for the deputy head contest.
Christian, affiliated with the Four Kings Fortress Outer Gate.
Christian was declaring his intention to claim the deputy head position.
“What?”
“How dare he look down on our Four Kings Fortress like this?! We must never accept it!”
The elders of the fortress erupted in anger.
Drenne’s face was dark with displeasure.
“That damn bastard. There’s a limit to how much he can insult us.”
Christian had even added a provocative line in the letter:
—If you’re afraid, you don’t have to accept.
A direct challenge.
Especially aimed at Drenne and the Wraith.
Since the deputy head contest was supposed to be their exclusive domain.
But the Wraith said something unexpected.
[Clever. So that’s why he insisted on being affiliated with the Outer Gate.]
Christian’s current status was:
Deputy head of the Dark Magic faction, affiliated with the Four Kings Fortress Outer Gate.
Meaning his branch of the Dark Magic faction was under the Outer Gate’s jurisdiction.
This complicated affiliation was due to his strong insistence during the agreement.
He argued that to ensure mutual trust, each side’s members had to be under the other’s jurisdiction.
It sounded ridiculous, but this was his hidden agenda.
[Even if he’s Outer Gate affiliated, he’s still a member of the Four Kings Fortress. He has the right to challenge for the deputy head position.]
The Four Kings Fortress was a strict meritocracy.
Anyone strong enough could challenge for any position without restriction.
[He exploited a loophole in the fortress’s laws. Well, that works to our advantage.]
“What do you mean, Wraith?”
[We just need to eliminate him during the deputy head contest. Since it’s a fair duel, neither the Demon King nor the Dark Alliance can object.]
“……”
[Why? Are you afraid of him?]
“Shut up. Don’t be ridiculous. Wraith, do you want to die first? That’s not it.”
Drenne fell silent with a troubled expression.
‘Why do I feel like I’m getting dragged into his schemes?’
In truth, there was no need to worry.
‘His power is definitely below mine and the Wraith’s.’
That was the conclusion after examining the traces left from the recent fight between the Sculptor and him.
Though the traces were erased, they could still tell something.
‘He couldn’t withstand the Sculptor’s domain head-on and had to find another way to break through. He’s still lacking.’
Even among those who had reached the upper 8th rank, there were gaps in strength.
Tiny gaps, but as vast as an ocean.
For reference, there was also a difference between Drenne and the Wraith.
Reluctantly, Drenne admitted the Wraith had a slight edge.
The difference was so subtle that the true victor would only be known after a fight.
[Don’t worry about him. I’ll be the one to eliminate him during the contest.]
A blow to Drenne’s pride.
‘Damn bastard.’
Drenne clenched his teeth.
He wanted to tear apart both Christian and the Wraith, who subtly disrespected him.
In the end, under the Wraith’s proposal, Christian’s application for the deputy head contest was accepted.
“Hah. This can’t go on.”
Back in his quarters, Drenne sighed in frustration.
He felt like he was being dragged into Christian’s schemes.
A gut feeling told him he couldn’t just let things play out as Christian wanted.
Then, suddenly, a voice spoke.
“You seem troubled.”
“!!”
Drenne’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
It was Christian!
“That bastard, how dare he? Does he want to die here?”
A terrifying aura flared up.
Far more dreadful than the last fight with the Three Flames of the Four Kings Fortress, it was like facing the old Nordian himself.
In the past, Drenne wouldn’t have dared move a finger, but Christian just shrugged nonchalantly.
“I came to talk. Before you draw your sword, why not hear me out?”
Christian smiled slyly.
“Unless you want to do all the Wraith’s dirty work for him.”
“…What do you mean?”
“If you fight me, do you think you’ll even make it to the deputy head contest? Even if you win, you’ll be seriously wounded.”
“……”
“Ah, and since you have no chance of beating the Wraith anyway, maybe it’s better to forfeit honorably like that?”
Drenne glared fiercely.
“Shut your mouth before I tear you apart.”
“Why? I’m right, aren’t I? You can’t beat the Wraith. You know it too. Even at best, your chances are less than 30%.”
Drenne fell silent.
Christian’s words weren’t wrong.
“Especially since the Three Flames are all dead, the Wraith’s power has only grown stronger. Your chances are even slimmer.”
The Wraith was the head of the Cursed Magic faction.
Yet, despite losing many key members to Christian, he showed no sign of regret.
That was the nature of his power.
As his name implied, the Wraith could amplify his strength by using the grudges of the dead in his clan.
When the cursed magic users died, the Wraith’s power grew stronger.
“And do you think the Wraith will fight you fairly? He’ll definitely pull some trick to make you kneel before him, just like he did to the head of the Blood Sword Magic faction.”
The head of the Blood Sword Magic faction, Duke Robinson.
He had become little more than a slave to the Cursed Magic faction after falling victim to the Wraith’s schemes.
“…So, what exactly do you want to say?”
“I’ll take care of the Wraith for you.”
“!!”
“In exchange, you fight me for the deputy head position. The winner becomes deputy head.”
Drenne looked utterly baffled.
“What nonsense is this?”
“Why is it nonsense? It’s not bad for you, is it? Don’t tell me you’re going to pretend to be loyal to the Four Kings Fortress out of some false sense of honor.”
Christian twisted his lips.
“You guys aren’t like that. You only think of yourselves, willing to sacrifice even your parents or children for the tiniest gain.”
Harsh words, but true.
Just look at the Wraith. Though he was the head, he cursed his own bloodline so that when they died, their grudges would feed his power.
Drenne had no real love for the fortress either.
She acted only out of her desire for power—to become deputy head.
“You probably don’t have any guilt, so don’t hesitate. I’m not asking you to betray anyone. Just turn a blind eye to what I’m about to do, for a little while.”
“…What are you planning?”
“The annihilation of the Cursed Magic faction.”
“…What?”
Drenne blinked in disbelief.
Christian smiled faintly, confirming she hadn’t misheard.
“I plan to wipe out the Cursed Magic faction entirely.”
Drenne didn’t respond, only showing a reaction of disbelief.
It was simply too unrealistic to believe.
No matter how much recent damage it had suffered, the Curse Maga was still one of the Five Great Houses—the strongest noble families in the Mage Empire.
How could anyone possibly wipe out such a place?
But Chris dismissed the doubt with a single statement.
“You know as well as I do, there’s nothing I’ve ever wanted to do that I couldn’t.”
“…”
Such absurd confidence.
Yet, because it was true, it sent chills down their spine.
“…You think I’m just going to stand by and watch what you’re doing?”
“Well? If you want to interfere, you’ll have to go through the Wraith.”
“…What?”
“Whether it’s the Spirit Lord or the Curse, one side is planning to annihilate the other. I wonder if the Wraith will stay loyal to the Spirit Lord Maga.”
There was absolutely no way that would happen.
Drenne bit her lip tightly.
‘Should I call the Lord of the Four Kings? No, I can’t bother him over just this one guy.’
The Lord of the Four Kings was busy breaking through the barrier of the nine stars—no small feat.
It was unthinkable to ask for his help over a single troublemaker.
More than anything else—
‘…Whatever happens to the Curse Maga, it’s really none of my concern.’
Just as Chris had pointed out earlier, the demons of the Four Kings had no sense of community to speak of.
‘There’s no way the Curse Maga will be completely wiped out just because of this one guy.’
If the Curse Maga bled a little from this stunt, Drenne’s position as the deputy head of the Spirit Maga would only grow stronger.
“Enough talk. Don’t come back here again. I won’t hear another word from you.”
It was an unspoken agreement.