Chapter 374
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean I can actually beat him.’
Still, if it came to a fight, I was strong enough to seriously injure him—not just a scratch, but a grievous wound.
‘That’s probably why he’s been hesitant to make a move against me.’
Chris lifted the corner of his mouth into a faint smile.
It was about time to wrap things up at the Demon King’s Fortress.
“My lord, as deputy lord, I request permission to undertake a task.”
[…What is it?]
“I intend to search for the whereabouts of the missing Demon King of Silver Snow.”
[!!]
The fortress lord’s gaze hardened instantly.
Chris met that stare head-on, as if daring him.
“There’s evidence suggesting that the missing Demon King’s trail leads here, to this fortress. I will conduct an investigation under my authority as deputy lord.”
And so, the final operation at the Demon King’s Fortress began.
The fortress lord couldn’t refuse Chris’s proposal.
‘By principle, this fortress serves the Demon King of Silver Snow. There’s no valid reason to deny the request.’
But he wouldn’t just watch Chris quietly.
“…The fortress lord will have set a trap to lure you to your death, where the Demon King is sealed.”
“Probably.”
Chris nodded at Idrinne’s concern.
“It’s fine. In fact, it’s exactly what I want.”
Idrinne looked puzzled.
The fortress lord had now become a perfect Demon King.
Given his sly nature, he was bound to pull some dirty trick, so what was with this calm?
“Traps aren’t just for him to set.”
Lowering his voice, Chris shared his plan, and Idrinne’s face went pale.
“…Are you serious?”
“Of course.”
Chris’s eyes darkened.
“This fortress will soon be completely destroyed.”
After that, Chris began his search for the Demon King of Silver Snow.
Since he already knew where she was sealed, this was just a diversion.
‘I have to cause as much commotion as possible.’
Using the excuse of searching for the Demon King’s whereabouts, he stirred up the remaining influential figures in the fortress.
“What are you hiding inside the mansion?”
“Ah, nothing at all.”
“Suspicious. Search the place!”
Naturally, no clues related to the Demon King were found.
Instead, other evidence surfaced.
“They’ve been kidnapping young boys and girls for human sacrifices. This is a grave crime forbidden by the Demon Emperor.”
Chris’s gaze turned icy.
Among the fortress’s core members, few had not committed inhumane crimes.
They had always treated the people as toys, slaves, or livestock.
Human sacrifices to strengthen their power were the lesser evil. Many tortured and murdered for sheer pleasure without reason.
Chris’s resolve to destroy the fortress only hardened.
‘Even after eliminating so many in advance, there are still this many scoundrels.’
There were so many to kill that the investigation, meant as a cover, turned into a huge uproar.
“Lock all of these fiends in the dungeon! They will be executed later.”
Over twenty were dragged away.
“Execution will be difficult. The fortress lord won’t allow it.”
“I know. Doesn’t matter.”
Even amid the chaos, Chris kept within limits.
He wanted the fortress lord to silently watch his rampage.
‘The fortress lord is setting traps near the seal to kill me. He won’t recklessly attack unless absolutely necessary.’
The reason he hadn’t struck Chris yet was his cautious nature.
He planned to eliminate Chris perfectly without suffering any damage—but soon he would realize his grave mistake.
A few days passed.
Now nearly fifty had been imprisoned.
With the Curse Demon Lord’s clan all but wiped out, most were minions of the Command Demon Lord.
Though not all seven-star, most were high-ranking five- or six-star minions—an enormous force trapped behind bars.
Of course, the Command Demon Lord’s minions just scoffed.
“They don’t have the power to kill us anyway.”
“The lord will soon cut your throat.”
“Release us at once. Then perhaps the lord will show you some mercy.”
They snarled, confident in their lord and unafraid.
Chris shrugged.
“That’s not going to happen. You need to stay locked up for me to rescue the Demon King.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“You still don’t get it? Why I’m doing all this?”
As mentioned before, the chaos was a ruse.
But not the usual kind meant to distract.
“If you’re locked up like this, who will guard the fortress?”
“…What?”
The high-ranking minions flinched.
With the Curse Demon Lord’s clan destroyed, the fortress’s defenses had a huge gap.
Now that even the Command Demon Lord’s core minions were imprisoned, the defenses were practically empty.
“You… what are you planning?”
“Even after telling you this much, you still don’t get it? Well, you’re going to die anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
Chris ordered the Bloodblade Demon Lord’s minions watching over them.
“As deputy lord, I command you to kill them all.”
“!!”
The Command Demon Lord’s high minions glared.
“You’re insane! How can you do this and still claim to serve the lord?”
“This isn’t your concern.”
The Bloodblade minions swung their swords.
The prisoners wore shackles that sealed their demonic energy, so they couldn’t resist and were all slaughtered.
“You’ll regret this… the lord will have you die a miserable death…”
The last minion threatened with a trembling voice, but Chris answered calmly.
“Sorry, but this is only the beginning.”
“…What?”
At that moment, a piercing alarm blared.
[Enemy forces!]
[The Dark Alliance is invading!!!]
That was Chris’s plan.
After inflicting devastating damage from within, the fortress—now nearly empty—would be attacked again.
The Dark Alliance’s minions surged into the fortress.
Chris whistled.
‘We signed a peace treaty, but those promises are always made to be broken.’
The fortress was already battered to pieces by Chris. There was no strength left to repel the Dark Alliance’s forces.
‘The fortress lord is the real problem.’
He alone might be able to stand against the Dark Alliance’s army.
That was the power of a nine-star lower Demon King.
‘It’s fine. He won’t be able to pay attention to us Dark Alliance members anyway.’
Chris headed with Idrinne toward the underground labyrinth.
The place where the Demon King of Silver Snow was sealed.
Originally, the highest-ranking minions should have set traps to capture him, but due to the Dark Alliance’s invasion, it was eerily quiet.
The fortress lord was nowhere to be seen.
They reached the seal without interference, and inside a transparent glass tube lay a woman of noble beauty, eyes closed.
‘…Her adult form is such a contrast to her little kid avatar. I still can’t get used to it.’
Chris looked dazed.
Just then, the Demon King of Silver Snow slowly opened her eyes.
Unlike her child form, her gaze was deep and captivating.
[You’ve finally come! I thought you’d abandoned me for not coming sooner!]
“……”
[But don’t think I was scared alone! I’m a great Demon King, you know! Really!]
…Despite appearances, her petty inner thoughts were the same.
A Demon King whose looks and personality were complete opposites.
‘…Even if the seal is broken, she won’t regain her strength for a while, so she’ll keep using the kid avatar, right?’
Chris briefly thought it might suit her better if she kept acting like a brat in that form.
[Why do you look at me like that? Are you swooning over my beautiful, noble form?]
“…Absolutely not.”
[…I know, I’m just teasing. Strangely, no one ever sees me that way. No wonder I’m forever alone. Why won’t anyone like me!?]
This Demon King was really noisy!
Idrinne frowned, clearly thinking the same.
“Let’s get started quickly.”
“…Right. Your Highness, we will begin the unsealing process, so please keep quiet.”
[Why should I keep quiet while being unsealed? It doesn’t matter, does it?]
“…You’re too noisy to concentrate.”
Chris sighed and summoned his demonic energy.
The structure of the seal unfolded clearly in his mind.
‘I can dismantle it. I’m not who I was before.’
The first time he faced this seal, it took him half a month.
Now it was different.
Back then, Chris was an eight-star spirit; now he had reached the realm of a lesser Demon King.
‘A few hours will be enough.’
A brilliant dark energy began to interfere with the seal.
Crack. Crackle.
Before long, Chris could feel the seal starting to fracture.
[Amazing! I can feel the chains binding me weakening! I feel like a princess being rescued by her prince!]
“…Your Highness, Chris told you to keep quiet.”
Idrinne scolded on Chris’s behalf.
[…Do you hate me?]
“…No.”
[…Really? That hurts my feelings.]
“Both of you, be quiet. I can’t focus.”
But the good mood didn’t last.
A fierce presence surged.
[…Stop. Cease immediately.]
Footsteps approached.
A pale-faced man appeared on the other side of the maze.
It was the Lord of the Four Kings!
Chris smirked.
“An enemy has invaded, yet the lord shows up not to defend the castle but to handle personal matters? You’re unfit for the role.”
[…Shut up.]
The Lord of the Four Kings growled in anger.
Even if the Four Kings’ Castle were to fall today, the release of the Silver Snow Demon Lord had to be stopped at all costs.
The Silver Snow Demon Lord was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
[I will crush you here and now, and tear apart the vermin of the Dark Alliance.]
“Well, I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”
[You’re delusional if you think you stand a chance. You’ve barely stepped into the Nine-Star Realm.]
Ssshhh—
A murky white aura spread around the Lord of the Four Kings.
He was about to unleash the Genesis Descent.
[I will kill you in one blow.]
Fwoooosh!
Just as the aura of death was about to engulf the world—
Suddenly, something unexpected happened.
Creak!!
The white aura faltered, as if forcibly stopped by some unseen force.
It wasn’t Chris’s energy.
[…Could it be?]
Chris shrugged.
“Told you it wouldn’t be easy.”
Flames of darkness surged forth.
But this darkness was different from Chris’s.
Heavier. Darker.
Beyond the dark energy, a familiar face appeared.
A grumpy little boy scowled.
“Stay away from my grandson, you skull-faced fiend.”
Nordian had arrived.