Chapter 398
A desolate wasteland lay at the heart of the Northern Magic Kingdom.

Dominating the barren expanse was a colossal altar, radiating an overwhelming presence.

This was the altar for the Great Undertaking.

‘Once the ritual concludes, the boundaries between the Three Realms will collapse.’

Chris gazed at the altar with eyes heavy and low.

This was the moment of destiny.

Countless dark elves and dwarves had gathered atop the altar, trembling in fear.

They were the sacrifices for the ritual.

‘Though they’re not the truly important offerings.’

At the very center of the altar knelt a familiar figure, bound in chains.

Idrinne.

She sat calmly, eyes closed, as if resigned to her fate—showing no sign of resistance.

‘…No matter how much she trusts me, to be so composed like that.’

Chris sighed.

Even he wasn’t certain how things would unfold.

He had done his best, but the opponent was the Mysterious Maga.

‘The Mysterious Maga must be confident too, which is why they’ve silently watched me run amok.’

The Pope was no fool.

If he wished, he could have easily thwarted Chris’s schemes—but he hadn’t.

Why?

Because the Mysterious Maga had their own hidden agenda.

‘Everything will be decided today.’

If Chris failed, the world would plunge into the abyss of destruction.

Then, a majestic voice echoed through the air.

[The ritual shall commence.]

The Pope rose from his seat.

[Offer the first sacrifices to ignite the sacred flame.]

He referred to the dark elves and dwarves.

It was said that tens of thousands of dark elves and dwarves had gathered here—and if this continued, they would all be sacrificed.

As the dark elves and dwarves trembled in fear, Chris’s voice suddenly cut through the hall.

“Wait. Stop.”

[…You. What trickery are you trying to pull?]

“Well, since we’re this far in, let’s drop the pretense. You already know, don’t you? That I intend to ruin your plans.”

Chris smirked.

“You weren’t planning to leave me be anyway, right? You want to offer me as a sacrifice.”

Exactly.

The Pope’s suspicious silence was because he intended to use Chris as the offering.

No matter what schemes Chris had, sacrificing him would render them meaningless.

[…I see you understand well. Then you must also realize the predicament you’re in.]

The Pope smiled coldly.

[Offering you as the final sacrifice was the plan, but changing the order won’t matter. Atone for your crime of defying the Great Evil through eternal torment.]

With a wave of his hand, high priests stepped forward.

All of them wielded power of at least the 8th rank, some nearing the 9th.

Even though Chris had reached the 9th rank himself, he stood no chance against such a number of high priests.

And the Pope was among them.

‘Even combined, these high priests can’t match the Pope alone.’

9th rank, upper tier.

Beyond manipulating causality, he could outright dominate it.

Those below could never hope to oppose him.

Alongside them were countless ordinary priests, comparable to demons in strength.

The situation was desperate, but Chris twisted the corner of his mouth.

“Well then, let’s see who ends up kneeling. The things I’ve prepared aren’t so simple.”

The moment Chris snapped his fingers, something strange happened at the altar.

More precisely, among the dark elves on the altar.

“Kyaaaaaa!!!”

“Everyone, rise up!!!”

Crackling and sizzling filled the air.

The dark elves had been accepting their fate so helplessly because their magic was sealed by the Mysterious Maga’s instruments.

‘Thanks to the Obsidian King selling his people to the Mysterious Maga.’

Chris had secretly worked to break their seals while preparing the altar.

Normally impossible, but thanks to treasures obtained from the former Obsidian King and the Dwarf King, it was feasible.

‘Using the Obsidian Seal, I communicated covertly with the dark elves and smuggled out a magic tool from the Tomb of the Great Master to break the seal.’

Suddenly, spirits of darkness rose.

Each dark elf was a spirit caster.

Most were low rank, and high ranks were rare, but their numbers reached into the tens of thousands.

It was enough to cause a brief hesitation.

Though, only a brief one.

The dark elves alone were still no match for the Mysterious Maga’s ordinary mid-to-low rank priests.

The high priests, including the Pope, didn’t even flinch.

[So this is your scheme? Disappointing. Is that all you have?]

“Of course this is just the beginning. You’d better prepare yourselves.”

At that moment, a roaring sound thundered from the high sky.

Gooooooosh!!!

For the first time, the high priests’ expressions shifted.

Something ominous was approaching—and not just one.

In the distance, massive forms began to appear.

[…Dragons?]

Dragons stained in a murky dark red.

They were the demon dragons said to dwell in the Northern Sea.

They had been swayed by Chris’s persuasion.

Twenty of them appeared.

Kraaaak!!!

A fierce energy gathered in the dragons’ mouths and struck downward.

Their breath attacks.

[How dare you. Even dragons cannot hope to stand against the Great Evil.]

A brilliant light flared!

The instruments blocked the dragons’ breath.

Despite nearly twenty breath attacks, not a single high priest was harmed.

The dragons’ power ranged from 7th to 8th rank, comparable to the highest demons, but they could not reach the Mysterious Maga.

[Excellent. These dragons will all be offered as sacrifices for the Great Undertaking.]

The Pope sneered, but Chris’s preparations were not yet over.

A group appeared.

“How dare you threaten my grandson? Today, I will slaughter you all.”

Nordians!

As the highest demons of the Dark Alliance revealed themselves, the Mysterious Maga’s high priests faltered.

A demon dragon legion and the Dark Alliance both present.

The Nordian at the forefront had reached a perfect 9th rank.

Including Chris, also 9th rank, the Mysterious Maga’s high priests could no longer claim total superiority.

However, there was one absolute presence here that rendered all power differences meaningless.

The Pope.

[…You’ve struggled well, but you don’t realize you’ve come to your own death. To gather so many sacrifices, the Great Ones must be pleased.]

As the Pope rose, the atmosphere shifted.

Everyone felt it.

No matter how many stood here, none could hope to defeat the Pope.

Yet Chris remained composed.

He still had his final card.

“Idrinne.”

Idrinne, silently bound in chains, suddenly opened her eyes.

As the Pope looked on in confusion, Chris enacted his plan.

“You who made contracts with me—now is the time to offer your souls for the Great Undertaking.”

[Wait…!]

“Kyaaaah!!!”

Previously, when high priests fought soul duels, Chris had tempted those on the verge of defeat.

In exchange for help, he demanded one order for the Great Undertaking.

Since it was already contracted, they could not refuse.

In an instant, many of the remaining high priests’ souls were offered to the altar.

This was more than just losing combatants—it was a far graver problem.

Suddenly, the altar began to react.

Fwoooosh!!!

Fueled by the souls of the high priests, the altar activated.

[You?]

The Pope’s expression hardened.

The principle behind the Mysterious Maga’s ritual was simple.

Gather enough sacrifices to forcibly break the boundaries of the Three Realms.

But if the altar was activated prematurely, without sufficient offerings, the ritual would fail.

[Do you think I’ll let that happen?]

The Pope raised his hand to stop the ritual, but his expression soon stiffened.

The altar still shimmered with dark light.

There was a reason.

Because of Idrinne.

“The altar is already under my control.”

From the altar’s center, Idrinne spoke with fierce determination.

She was the key to this ritual.

All the sacrifices prepared today were to be linked through her soul, which was already half-consumed by the altar.

Being half-consumed meant it was also vulnerable to infiltration from this side.

Idrinne had secretly interfered with the altar’s magic.

[How dare you…!]

The Pope’s anger flared as he tried to act, but he had to hesitate.

When he attempted to subdue Idrinne, the altar violently trembled.

“Keep your filthy hands away. If you touch me, I will detonate the altar and ruin the Great Undertaking.”

This was no bluff.

Idrinne was prepared to self-destruct with the altar if necessary.

Even the Pope could not stop that.

[…!]

Grinding his teeth, the Pope had no choice but to try another tactic.

Instead of directly subduing Idrinne, he aimed to seize control by manipulating the altar itself.

A battle for dominance over the altar began between Idrinne and the Pope.

[Foolish. Even if you are the vessel, do you think you can stand against me?]

The Pope unleashed his immense power, attempting to wrest control in one blow.

“Seems the Mysterious Maga’s Pope isn’t as formidable as I thought. Is that all you’ve got?”

[…What?]

The Pope’s energy faltered.

This was not merely a contest of strength.

It was a duel of magical technique.

Idrinne was a prodigy, second only to Chris on the continent.

Especially since she had already taken control of the altar’s ritual, even though the Pope wielded immense power, it was still possible to put up some resistance.

“Above all, there’s nothing my friendship’s power can’t overcome!”

Whoosh!

With that, Idrinne and the Pope’s energies clashed fiercely in a battle of spells.

Of course, it was a fragile balance, bound to collapse soon.

No matter how talented Idrinne was, she had her limits.

There was no way she could hold out against the Pope for long. But the real issue was what was happening around them.

The battle was raging.

And Chris wasn’t about to miss the chance while the Pope’s hands were tied, even if only briefly.

“Ugh, ugh…”

A priest fighting the Nordians groaned, chest pierced by Andril’s strike.

Chris wasn’t targeting everyone—only the priests and apostles.

‘There aren’t many priests and apostles anyway. While Idrinne keeps the Pope occupied, I can take care of them.’

Of course, if Chris had been alone, it would have been impossible to eliminate all the priests and apostles in such a short time. But he wasn’t alone.

“Ahem! At last, I have arrived!!”

The Silver Snow Demon Lord appeared just in time.

Having finally regained her power as a 9-star among the mid-tier demon lords.

Aside from the central demon lords, she was one of the strongest, and with her fighting alongside Chris, the apostles and priests were overwhelmed, bleeding and falling one by one.

Truly a formidable force, living up to her reputation.

‘…So she really did revert to her child form. She’s regained her power, but still looks like a little kid. I guess if she uses her strength, she could return to her adult saint form.’

Chris cleared his throat awkwardly.