Chapter 387

“…What? Where exactly is the erosion happening?”

When Chris heard the location, he swallowed hard.

‘Near the other gates! Not just the Glass Lake—there’s been some tampering!’

The continent didn’t have only one gate at Glass Lake.

But Chris couldn’t make sense of it.

‘There was no sign the Mystic Maga were messing with the other gates before. What’s going on?’

Most of the gates were within Chris’s watchful reach.

Whether it was the Union or the Magic Empire, most of the continent was under his influence now.

He had even asked nearby allies to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

‘Opening a gate isn’t easy, after all.’

As the recent Glass Lake incident showed, it required a massive sacrifice.

“Has there been any unusual activity at nearby ruins?”

“No, no signs of that. Only the erosion phenomenon has occurred.”

Chris frowned in confusion, when an unfamiliar voice spoke up.

“It’s the work of the Mystic Maga.”

“!!”

Everyone flinched.

Two figures cloaked in robes had entered the room.

Not one, but two.

“Who are you?”

Chris asked warily.

Even though his energy wasn’t fully restored, he had reached the level of a Demon King. Yet these intruders had slipped past his senses.

They were no ordinary people.

“We are the Dark Shadow Demon Kings, here on urgent business. Please excuse the others.”

“Identify yourselves first.”

The two exchanged glances.

Though their faces were hidden beneath their hoods, their physiques were completely different.

One was tall and slender; the other short and stocky, almost dwarf-like.

“Understood.”

They removed their robes, and Chris’s eyes widened.

‘Obsidian?’

The tall figure was a Dark Elf!

But that wasn’t all.

The short figure’s identity was just as surprising.

‘A Dwarf.’

These were rare to see.

‘Obsidian and Dwarves rarely leave their strongholds in the Northern Magic Kingdom.’

The Obsidian Maga and the Artificer Maga.

The noble houses of Dark Elves and Dwarves.

They were notoriously secretive, even within the Magic Empire.

‘And these aren’t just any Obsidian or Dwarf.’

Chris studied them carefully.

Though they suppressed their power, they couldn’t fool his eyes.

‘Both are at the 8-star level.’

Especially the tall Obsidian man’s power was astonishing.

‘Almost at 9-star level.’

In other words, they were as powerful as the Wraith and Drenna he had fought recently at the Demon King’s Castle.

Chris realized who they were.

“The Obsidian King and the Dwarf King… what business do you have with me?”

They were the heads of the Obsidian Maga and Artificer Maga!

The leaders of two mysterious noble houses in the Magic Empire had suddenly appeared.

“We have a message for the Dark Shadow Demon King.”

“You have something to say to me?”

“Yes.”

Chris sneered.

“You’re not here to pull a stunt on me, are you?”

“!!”

“I know you Obsidian and Artificer houses have long been under the Mystic Maga’s control. What kind of mischief are you trying to pull?”

A surge of energy radiated from Chris, pressing down on them.

Their faces paled.

Though both were among the Magic Empire’s strongest, they couldn’t withstand the aura of a perfected Demon King.

“I’m not here to cause trouble! We came to ask you to stop the Mystic Maga! They’re using us Obsidian as sacrifices to commit unspeakable acts!”

Chris crossed his arms.

“What exactly do you mean? Be precise.”

As the tension eased, the Obsidian King and Dwarf King sighed in relief.

“I will explain. First, allow me to introduce myself. I am the head of the Artificer Maga, inheritor of the Great Artificer lineage.”

“I know who you are. Cut the introductions and get to the point.”

Chris said coldly.

His attitude stemmed from distrust.

‘Both of them sided with the Mystic Maga during the previous life’s destruction era.’

Still, it was worth hearing them out.

“Our Artificer Maga have long been little more than slaves to the Mystic Maga.”

Chris already knew this.

All the items used in the Mystic Maga’s demonic rituals were crafted by the Artificer Maga.

‘They’re not just blacksmiths—they’re the continent’s top magical tool experts.’

For reference, most of the weapons used by the demons who ravaged the Union during the previous life’s destruction era were made by the Artificer Maga.

“Recently, however, the Mystic Maga made a new demand.”

“What is it?”

“The completion of a massive altar.”

Chris raised an eyebrow.

He had a suspicion.

“Could it be…?”

“Yes. The altar causing the erosion phenomena across the continent.”

Chris swallowed hard.

‘So they were tampering elsewhere besides the Glass Lake.’

No, it wasn’t separate tampering.

‘Once the Glass Lake gate opens, it will trigger the others across the continent.’

Thankfully, Chris had blocked the Glass Lake gate, limiting the damage.

“But to do this, the Mystic Maga would need sacrifices. Where did they get them?”

“…From us Obsidian.”

The Obsidian King bit his lip and stepped forward.

“They’re offering us Obsidian as sacrifices on the altar. Nearly 30% of our people have already been sacrificed.”

Chris was shocked.

‘Thirty percent—that’s nearly five thousand!’

The Obsidian Maga were different from other houses.

They were a coalition of Dark Elves, shunned by the continent.

Their numbers were said to be around fifteen thousand.

The Obsidian King’s voice trembled as he spoke with a grim expression.

“They’re still sacrificing us! At this rate, our people will be wiped out.”

“Our Dwarves face the same fate. The altar isn’t complete yet, so they haven’t touched us, but the Mystic Maga will surely sacrifice us next.”

“Please, save us!!”

Both dropped to their knees before Chris.

Chris remained silent.

‘Can I trust them?’

They didn’t seem to be lying.

“…What about the Dragon Demon King? Is he just watching this happen?”

The Dragon Demon King of the Northern Magic Kingdom.

Among the nine-star Demon Kings, aside from the central ones, he was one of the most powerful alongside the Silver Snow Demon King.

“We’ve petitioned him, but there’s been no response. In fact, we can’t even contact him.”

Chris crossed his arms.

‘That’s strange.’

Ashutart, the Dragon Demon King.

Unlike other Demon Kings, he had close ties to the central powers.

But that didn’t mean he was completely aligned with them.

‘In the previous life, the Dragon Demon King didn’t obediently follow the center.’

He had been largely absent during the destruction era.

Except for one time.

When the world’s end was imminent, the Dragon Demon King confronted the Bloodshed Demon King.

[If I had known this was your true goal, I would never have followed you!]

At that moment, the Dragon Demon King seemed to realize the Mystic Maga and central powers’ true intentions.

‘He saved us but was killed by the Bloodshed Demon King.’

Given that, it was odd that the Dragon Demon King was silent now, even if ordered by the center.

‘Could it be…?’

A troubling thought crossed Chris’s mind.

“You said you can’t contact the Dragon Demon King?”

“Yes. For some reason, even the guardians protecting the Dragon Lair have disappeared. We have no idea where he is.”

Chris swallowed hard.

‘Did the Mystic Maga sacrifice the Dragon Demon King?’

It was a wild guess.

But it seemed possible.

‘No matter how many thousands of Obsidian they sacrifice, this kind of catastrophe can’t happen without a sacrifice of that magnitude.’

The erosion was spreading continent-wide.

It required a sacrifice of equal scale.

‘The center once sacrificed the Silver Snow Demon King at the Demon King’s Castle. So sacrificing the Dragon Demon King to the Mystic Maga isn’t impossible.’

Chris’s expression darkened.

‘If they really sacrificed the Dragon Demon King, this erosion won’t stop here.’

It would only get worse.

‘If left unchecked, the surface world will become a living hell.’

And that wasn’t all.

‘The Mystic Maga’s Pope and High Priest must have regained their full power.’

They were the heads of the Mystic Maga’s noble houses.

Each wielded power at the upper 9-star and mid 9-star levels.

Normally, they couldn’t fully use their power until the boundaries between the three realms collapsed.

But if the Dragon Demon King was sacrificed, they must have regained their strength.

‘There’s no way I can stop them with my current power.’

And the Mystic Maga weren’t alone.

Other 9-star apostles and priests.

8-star cardinals and bishops below them.

‘Even the common demons are all demon worshippers, rivaling high-ranking demons.’

That’s why the Mystic Maga were considered a Gehenna force, not bound by the laws of causality on the surface.

‘Until now, they couldn’t fully use their power, so we managed to hold them off. But if they’re free from those restrictions, there’s no way to fight them. Damn it.’

The gap in absolute power was too great.

At that moment, the Obsidian King and Dwarf King bowed their heads again.

“Please, save us!!”

“We beg you!!”

Chris frowned.

‘The problem isn’t just whether I can trust them.’

Even though their people were being slaughtered, his past experiences made it hard to fully believe them.

“Those guys sacrificed their own people to demons in their past lives. And now they just suddenly show up like this?”

It was most likely a trap.

“They must be acting on orders from the Mystic Mage—to lure me in.”

His suspicion was steadily turning into certainty.

“Maybe I should just kill them here. They’re the kind of scum who deserve it anyway.”

But then, something made Chris hesitate.

“Wait a minute—what if it really is a trap?”

An idea popped into his mind.

If their plea for help was indeed a setup by the Mystic Mage, then maybe he could turn it around and use it against them.

“Could it work?”

No, whether it could or not, he had to try. There was no other option.

“Fine. I’ll save you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Go back to your families and wait. I’ll contact you.”

“Thank you!!”

Just like they had appeared, the two vanished again like the wind.

After a brief silence, a familiar voice broke through.

“Unbelievable fools.”

It was Evan!

He must have arrived without Chris noticing, frowning deeply.

“From what I saw with my third eye, those guys are full of wickedness. Whatever they told you was probably a trap. I’ll go capture them right now.”

“I know. It’s fine.”

“What? Right now… what did you say?”

“I said I know it’s a trap.”