Chapter 393

Thanks to the synergy created by the opposing extremes of power, Chris barely managed to push back the pressure.

[Hmm. Fascinating. Your power just now was something even the lords of Gehenna would struggle to withstand.]

A lord-class demon.

Equivalent to a marquis.

[Your strength seems insignificant, yet you possess a curious talent. An interesting little pest. Very well. I’ll hear what you have to say.]

Chris took a deep breath.

“I believe Lady Mefina has already given you a rough idea. Please enter into a false contract with me.”

[A false contract?]

“Yes. By using a false contract to deceive Shinbi Maga, we plan to set a trap and annihilate their clan. If only Shinbi Maga is destroyed, Gehenna’s grand plan will fail.”

Before him stood one of the Four Ranks—a defector who, like Mefina, opposed destruction.

However, he was hiding his true intentions to avoid conflict with the demons.

‘So there really are demons and celestial beings like this. Not everyone thinks the same.’

The demon sneered.

[Hmm. Destroy Shinbi? Doesn’t seem possible with your abilities.]

“No, it is.”

Chris lifted his gaze and stared directly into the Four Rank’s eyes.

There was no clear form—only a massive pupil shrouded in thick darkness.

Meeting those eyes, an instinctive terror surged in his soul, but he shook it off.

Forcing a smile, he lifted the corner of his mouth.

“How disappointing. Lady Mefina recognized my true worth immediately.”

[!!]

A provocation: “You can’t recognize me because your rank has fallen.”

[You bastard…]

Anger surged, but Chris held his gaze firmly.

He met the challenge head-on, as if daring him to try.

A storm of energy crashed down, but Chris stood his ground without retreating.

Then—

[Heh heh… You’re no ordinary opponent. Fine, I admit I misjudged you. You might actually be able to destroy Shinbi.]

He had passed the test!

But there was no time to relax.

Chris’s expression grew even more wary than before.

Sure enough.

[You’re tempting me. If I make you mine, ascension won’t be just a pipe dream.]

Greed flickered in the Four Rank’s dark eyes.

“Weren’t you opposed to destruction?”

[Heh heh. If there’s even a chance of ascension, there’s no reason to refuse destruction.]

From what Mefina had told him, there were two types among demons and celestial beings who opposed destruction.

First, those already in exalted positions, uninterested in ascension—like Mefina.

Second, those whose rank had fallen so low that ascension was impossible.

‘According to Mefina, this one is among the lower Four Ranks, with no hope of ascension. That’s why he opposes destruction.’

In other words, if the possibility arose, he could easily change his stance.

“Have you not already sworn to obey Lady Mefina’s orders? To not harm me?”

[True. But what does that matter?]

“Are you not afraid of the backlash of causality?”

A dark laugh echoed from the demon.

[Of course, breaking a servant’s oath will cause significant backlash, but it’s nothing compared to the gain of making you mine.]

Whoosh!

The demon’s power surged toward Chris.

Far stronger than the earlier threat.

Yet Chris reacted in a way the demon couldn’t understand.

He smiled.

“You’ve fallen for it, fool.”

At that moment—

Clang.

The Four Rank’s energy suddenly halted.

[…What?]

“Didn’t I just ask if you feared the backlash of causality?”

Chris said with a crooked smile.

“Since you broke your servant’s oath, it’s only natural you’d be bound by causality’s constraints.”

That was right.

From the start, Chris knew the demon wouldn’t truly obey Mefina.

Chris was simply too tempting a prize, and Mefina was a toothless master.

[Don’t talk nonsense. Lady Mefina’s power alone can’t cause such a backlash of causality.]

“Of course, not by herself.”

Chris snapped his fingers.

“But if this genius steps in, the story changes.”

The demon’s dark eyes flickered.

[You… don’t mean?]

“Yes. I’ve inherited the rights of causality from Mefina.”

[!!]

As the demon said, Mefina’s fallen power was insufficient to subdue him.

But if Chris wielded that power?

‘Enough.’

The demon cried out in dismay.

[How dare a mere mortal wield the great power of the Seat? Preposterous. Impossible…]

“I can.”

Crack.

As Chris clenched his fist, something shattered, and the demon’s form trembled.

He’d taken a hit.

“I’m confident with this kind of thing.”

Chris could handle any kind of power more efficiently than anyone else in the world.

Causality was no exception.

‘I’m not new to manipulating causality. I mastered it when I reached the 9th Star.’

Of course, the causality wielded by a 9th Star and that controlled by a Great Rank were worlds apart—like a stream versus an ocean.

‘But the essence is the same.’

Yes.

Whether ocean or stream, it’s still water.

If you grasp the essence, scale doesn’t matter.

[Ughhhh!!!]

The demon’s form shook violently.

He tried to raise his power to resist, but it was useless.

‘The justification for this causality backlash lies with me.’

Causality governed the laws of the world.

By breaking his servant’s oath, the demon had handed the justification over to Chris.

He was helpless.

‘He probably intended to ignore the backlash with his overwhelming power, but not while I’m here.’

Crack.

The demon’s form took another hit.

[You… how dare you!! Even borrowing Lady Mefina’s power, do you think you can erase me?]

“Well, erasing you might be a stretch, but inflicting a fatal wound? That’s easy.”

Chris smiled coldly.

“If you end up like that, the other archdemons will be thrilled. It’ll be their chance to feast on a Four Rank.”

The demons of Gehenna were not allies. They were eternal enemies, locked in endless war.

So suffering a fatal wound here was tantamount to a death sentence.

Countless archdemons who had fought this one would swarm and tear him apart.

[You…!]

“Scared? Maybe you should be a bit more polite.”

Chris sneered.

“Who knows? Seeing your pathetic state might just inspire me to show mercy.”

[!!]

“Try begging once. I might consider it.”

Flare!!

The throne manifested.

The throne—the power that governs all things.

The causality in Chris’s hand surged wildly, amplified by the throne’s blessing.

[Ah…]

The demon’s fear was palpable.

He sensed it instinctively.

At this rate, he couldn’t avoid a fatal wound.

“You don’t seem very scared. Fine. An archdemon like you wouldn’t look right bowing to a lowly creature like me. Very well, then.”

Kraaaash!!

Causality roared.

The world’s laws sharpened to punish the oathbreaker.

Just as the demon was about to be fatally struck—

[Wait…! Stop!]

“Hmm? Why? Accept your fate like a true archdemon.”

Fear tinged his voice.

An archdemon afraid?

It was strange, but knowing what awaited him if Chris landed a fatal blow made it understandable.

‘He won’t be erased peacefully.’

Who do archdemons most love to torment?

Humans?

To them, humans were mere playthings.

Their favorite toys were beings of equal rank.

Archdemons—giants of the celestial realm.

So if he fell into the hands of other archdemons, what would happen?

He’d be torn to shreds into thousands of pieces, neither dead nor alive, suffering eternal torment.

[Enough… Stop.]

“Stop what? Why should I?”

Chris mocked.

“I just want to fatally wound you and escape to the surface. You’ve caused plenty of suffering to others. How about experiencing the opposite side for once?”

[You… you…]

Flare!!

The tip of causality pierced deeper into the demon’s core.

His form trembled.

[Stop…! If you do, I’ll grant whatever you desire.]

Chris stared at him.

[It’s true. I’ll do anything I can.]

Desperation in his voice.

Chris paused, then said bluntly.

“Swear on your true name that what you just said is true.”

[That’s…]

“So it was a lie after all. What a trick. Prepare to be a plaything for other archdemons for eternity.”

Flash!!

As the causality’s tip pierced the demon’s core again, he hurriedly said,

“Fine. I swear. I’ll obey anything, as long as it’s not ‘become your slave.’”

‘Good!’

Chris silently cheered.

‘Eradicating this guy was never the goal.’

What would be gained by killing him?

Even if this one was gone, the other Four Rank demons would still swarm.

Above all, if I get rid of this bastard, Gehenna will take notice, and everything he tries to pull off in the Mystic Maga will end in failure.

“From now on, until I wipe out the Mystic Maga, you’ll follow my orders without question.”

[…What orders are you talking about?]

“First, as I said earlier, you’ll enter into a covert contract with me.”

Chris planned to use this guy as a puppet in the con he was about to orchestrate.

‘No one else among the archdemons can eavesdrop on what’s happening here anyway.’

“There’s more you’ll have to do.”

He gave additional instructions, and the demon’s reaction was one of shock.

“W-what… are you crazy? You expect me to do that?”

“Shut up. You’ll do exactly as you’re told.”

“You… how dare you.”

Though the demon bristled with disgust, Chris just sneered.

He had no choice but to use a demon, but the revulsion was unavoidable.

‘Once this is over, this bastard won’t get off unscathed.’

Chris thought coldly.

He never intended to leave the demon alive. He’d already planted a hidden dagger to deal with him once the job was done.

“And there’s one more thing. You’ll hand over a portion of your essence to me.”

[…What?]

“If I’m going to keep you alive, I should get something out of it too, right?”

He said it brazenly, even though he had no intention of sparing the demon and had already gained enough.

“You bastard…!”

“If you refuse, then the deal’s off. I’d enjoy watching you torn apart and tormented forever by the other archdemons.”

Chris snapped his fingers.

“Don’t worry, I’m not asking for much. My capacity is limited anyway. Just enough for me to handle.”