Chapter 404
Since that day, Christian had not regained consciousness.
But the problem wasn’t just that he was unconscious.
His body’s vital functions had ceased.
In other words, his physical form was dead.
“Not just the body. His soul has left it, too.”
No one dared say it aloud, fearing that speaking the truth would make it real. But Christian was dead.
If it weren’t for his last words—
“I’ll be back soon, so wait for me.”
—they might have already held his funeral.
They clung to that promise, desperately trying to prevent his lifeless body from decaying.
But could he really come back?
Of course not. It’s impossible for the dead to return to life. Throughout history, countless transcendent nine-star beings had existed, but not a single one had ever been resurrected after death.
At that moment, Nordien spoke in a low, sinking voice.
“Don’t worry. Christian will come back—he’ll show up again with that damn annoying face of his.”
His voice trembled faintly.
It was less faith than a desperate hope.
“When he comes back, I won’t let him off easy. How dare he make this old man worry like this? This time, I’ll show him exactly what I’m made of.”
“…I feel the same.”
“I’ll unleash the Genesis Descent and give him a good thrashing.”
“I’ll lend a hand.”
“…Why you? Only I can scold my grandson.”
“…I’m Christian’s father, too…”
“So?”
“…Never mind. I’ll stay out of it.”
Count Kazaar winced at Nordien’s possessiveness.
The two of them looked up at the sky, silently praying for Christian’s swift return.
But they weren’t the only ones anxiously waiting.
Everyone shared the same feeling.
In the dark mage’s secluded estate where Christian had stayed, security was tighter than ever.
The guards were an impressive lineup.
Not only the strongest of the dark mages—like Marquis Shufen and Merian—but also influential figures from various prestigious magical families stood watch.
All of them owed Christian a debt of gratitude.
Their presence wasn’t just about protection; it was about standing vigil beside him, hearts heavy with longing.
It was natural for the sacred Kashmir of the Destruction Mage, the deadly poison master Marisa of the Extreme Poison Mage, and Tern to be there.
But beyond them, there were others who didn’t quite belong.
Evan and Lanya.
“…”
At this point, the dark mage family was the most powerful clan in the Mage Empire.
Yet, seeing these so-called heroes—members of the allied stars—firmly seated there made the mages visibly uncomfortable.
“…What are you pests doing here?”
“Shut your mouths, you worthless worms who couldn’t even protect Christian. I’m holding back the urge to behead you all right now. Cross me again, and I’ll kill every last one of you.”
Evan’s fierce retort silenced the mages instantly.
He wasn’t bluffing.
Evan looked ready to wipe everyone out on the spot.
‘Should I really just kill them all here?’
During the battle with the Mystic Mage, Evan and Lanya had fought hard against the demons, raising their ranks.
Christian had ordered them to reach the nine-star level.
They had miraculously succeeded in stepping into the nine-star realm, but what good was that now? Meanwhile, Christian had ended up like this.
Lanya’s cold, hardened expression only deepened the tension.
With two nine-star transcendent beings present, no one dared speak.
And it wasn’t just them who made the atmosphere so tense.
Suddenly, the estate’s door slammed open, and a figure appeared.
“What’s all this noise? Disturbing Christian’s rest? Do you want to be torn to shreds?”
It was Idrinne!
The atmosphere was completely different from when she was with Chris.
There wasn’t a trace of a smile; her piercing coldness made it hard to meet her gaze.
Idrinne had also reached nine stars after recent events, so no one dared to argue and all averted their eyes.
“Ugh… Idrinne, I’m so tired…”
The Silver Snow Demon King emerged from the estate, muttering while watching Idrinne’s expression.
Currently, the Silver Snow Demon King and Idrinne were responsible for maintaining Christian’s body.
Idrinne used the bloodline art of life, while the Silver Snow Demon King maintained it through the law of immortal causality.
“Shut up and go back to Christian’s side. Get to work.”
“…Ugh. I’m so tired.”
“Do you want to rest forever?”
“…Ahh, you’re scary. Don’t torment me.”
Even the Silver Snow Demon King couldn’t defy Idrinne’s fierce presence.
Of course, Evan was an exception.
“Do your job well.”
“…What did you say?”
“How dare I entrust someone like you with watching over Christian? Use whatever means necessary to do it perfectly. If anything happens to Christian, I’ll kill you myself.”
Those nearby gasped in shock.
As expected, Idrinne shot Evan a cold glare.
“You’re a barking dog who doesn’t know your place. Looks like I’ll have to teach you a lesson on Christian’s behalf.”
Idrinne had never liked Evan.
How dare he claim to be Christian’s first follower?
If it were up to her, she’d wipe out all of Christian’s other followers except herself, but she knew Christian would hate that, so it was impossible.
Instead, Evan, who acted without knowing his place, definitely needed to be crushed.
“I won’t be merciful enough to kill or maim you.”
Clang!
Idrinne drew her rapier, and Evan drew his sword in response.
Everyone was at a loss, caught in the tense standoff between the Demon King and the nine-star transcendent.
Suddenly—
“!!”
They both froze.
They sensed something was wrong.
“What is this…?”
“You feel it too?”
“What’s happening?!”
Lanya’s expression stiffened, and the Silver Snow Demon King stepped out of the estate.
Only those who had reached nine stars sensed the anomaly.
While the others looked on in confusion—
RUMBLE!
A massive roar shook the earth as if the heavens and earth were being torn apart.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“This isn’t a simple earthquake.”
“Look! Look to the north!”
Everyone’s eyes widened as if they were about to burst.
Far off in the north, a chilling pillar of violet light shot up into the sky.
“What is that?”
“That’s… near the Central Direct Territory, isn’t it?”
“At that scale, it’s the location of the Demon King’s capital.”
Something serious was happening.
Soon, grim news arrived.
“Attack! The enemy has crossed the northern border!”
Everyone wore expressions of disbelief.
The northern border was adjacent to the Central Direct Territory, where the Demon King resided.
“The Demon King’s forces are descending south, committing indiscriminate slaughter!”
“!!”
Everyone’s faces went pale.
At last, the Demon King had begun to move.
“Who’s leading the Demon King’s army?”
“The Grand General of Magic!!!”
It was the Demon King of the Red River.
A transcendent-level Demon King of nine stars, possessing the same power as the Pope they had fought recently.
And so—
In Christian’s absence, the continent faced its greatest crisis yet.
Christian was repeating a tedious task.
Flash!
Andril flared, and the distortion of nothingness—the seed of the great rank—shattered into pieces.
He reached out and absorbed the scattering source of causality.
How many times had it been?
At least thousands of repetitions.
The amount of causality absorbed each time was minuscule.
But after thousands of times, a significant accumulation of causality had built up.
‘But this alone means nothing. I have to “define” this causality as my own.’
The causality Christian was absorbing was raw and unshaped.
He had to imbue it with his own meaning.
It wasn’t easy.
It was different from simply willing meaning into it.
‘Causality is the law of the world. The causality I hold must become part of the world’s law.’
Christian’s mind settled.
‘Before defining causality, I must define my own existence.’
As the titles of the great ranks suggested, the definition that described an existence became its causality.
He had to sum up the origin of his being in a single phrase.
His thoughts drifted back through his past life and up to the present.
Memories flashed by—
A childhood filled with abuse.
Struggles for wealth and glory.
All the hardships endured to reach this point.
Countless recollections surfaced, but he shook his head.
None of that could define who he truly was.
‘What kind of being am I?’
He couldn’t find an easy answer.
After some time, a low voice suddenly spoke.
“Give up.”
Christian’s eyes snapped open.
This was the void space.
No one should exist here.
“I exist, yet I do not truly exist. I have come to you because I have something to say.”
Christian swallowed hard.
He had guessed who the voice belonged to.
‘A rank two great being.’
An unbelievable notion.
Individual entities only truly existed from rank three and above.
Rank two and above were merely conceptual beings, not real individuals.
A being of such an unfathomable rank—the embodiment of the world itself—had revealed itself.
“…Give up? What do you mean?”
Even Christian dared not show arrogance and asked politely.
“The world’s destruction is already decided. Your attempt is meaningless.”
“…A predetermined fate?”
“Yes. The coming apocalypse is not the fault of the Dark Heavens’ beings. They believe they are ushering in a new world, but they are not. The flow of creation and destruction simply leads the natural fate of the world toward ruin.”
It was a shocking revelation.
“…Why tell me this?”
“Because it pains me to see your existence wasted in futile struggle.”
-!!
“If you accept the destruction, ‘we’ will protect you directly. After that, you will become the one to lead the new world on behalf of ‘us.’”
It was an offer Chris hadn’t even considered.
“And if you regret the deaths of those close to you, we will protect them from the destruction as well.”
Chris swallowed hard.
“What should I do?”
Even if he reached the 10th rank here, it wouldn’t solve everything.
The situation was still hopeless.
Especially if the world was truly destined to be destroyed, would his struggling even matter?
Accepting the offer seemed like the wise choice.
But—
“…I refuse.”
“You refuse? You would become the greatest being in the new world.”
“Sorry, but it’s not an offer that appeals to me.”
Chris continued, incredulous.
“My goal is simply to enjoy wealth and glory. I have no interest in becoming some great leader of a new world.”
Becoming a higher being meant enduring endless hardship. He absolutely declined.
More than anything, a new world meant everything would reset to the beginning.
There was no way to enjoy wealth and glory.
Above all—
“This isn’t the answer.”
It was a gut feeling.
“I’ll stop the destruction on my own terms.”