Chapter 405
Who am I?
Chris hated the idea of giving up just because others told him to.
“Foolish. If you refuse to accept fate, then so be it. It’s a shame, but it’s best to eliminate this variable. I will erase you here.”
Rumble.
The world shook violently.
The Rank of the Second Realm was practically the world itself.
It felt as if the world itself was trying to wipe him out.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Gritting his teeth, Chris summoned all the causal forces he had accumulated to resist.
But it was no match.
The power that moves the world is causality.
Naturally, the difference between Chris and the Rank of the Second Realm was vast beyond measure.
“If you give up now, I’ll grant you a chance.”
If he refused, his soul would be shattered into dust and vanish.
But why?
He didn’t want to comply.
More precisely, he felt a confidence that he could overcome it. Absurd as it was.
“What’s this predetermined fate? I’ll block it all. I can do this. I will succeed.”
At that moment, something strange happened inside Chris.
“Causality?”
The causality he had built up began to take on meaning.
A blazing will to defy fate.
It was a will to cut through the world itself.
Flash!
Chris’s causality split apart the world’s twisting pressure that was pushing him down.
He had succeeded in defending himself!
He could feel the Rank of the Second Realm fall silent for a moment.
“…Impressive. To harbor such causality without having attained a perfect rank.”
The Rank of the Second Realm spoke with a hint of fascination.
“A being who defies fate, huh?”
Chris hesitated.
Though he had miraculously survived the last crisis, if attacked again, he had no way to hold out.
Fortunately, the Rank of the Second Realm did not press him further.
“Very well. You seem capable enough to entrust with what lies ahead.”
“…Are you testing me?”
“If you can’t resist even this temptation, how could I entrust the fate of the world to you?”
Chris frowned.
Had he made the wrong choice, he would never have survived.
“Remember this well. At the final moment, the fate of the world will be decided by your choice.”
A cryptic message.
He wanted to ask what it meant, but the presence of the Rank of the Second Realm had already vanished.
At the same time, a fierce pressure swept over him like a storm, dragging his soul forcibly out of the cradle.
He was being ejected.
“!!!”
When he came to, he was back in the Seventh Realm.
“You’ve truly stepped into the realm of the Great Rank.”
Mephina’s voice was filled with surprise.
But as the phrase “stepped into” implied, he had not yet reached a full Ten-Star Rank.
“Is this the ‘Advancement’ stage of Ten-Star?”
Though he had embraced causality, he had not fully ascended to the Great Rank.
“To fully ascend, simply embracing causality isn’t enough.”
One must possess the ‘authority’ befitting the rank.
“Archdemons and Great Stars are granted such authority by the world from birth. I must earn it myself.”
Chris shook his head.
For now, it seemed impossible to resolve.
“It’s time to return to the surface.”
As he was ejected from the cradle, he caught a glimpse of the surface—and witnessed an unbelievable sight.
“The Dark Maga is burning.”
A shocking revelation.
There was only one plausible explanation.
“The Demon Emperor has moved.”
There was no way the remaining forces could hold out.
Even the Demon King of the Red Sky was at the upper Nine-Star level.
And who knew what other powerful beings were hiding.
The Demon Emperor was secretly raising monstrous inhuman creatures.
“So… how will we regain our strength?”
All the Great Ranks of the Seventh Realm fixed their gaze on Chris.
“Simple. We’ll take down the Gatekeeper.”
They meant the Rank of the Third Realm who guarded their seal.
“If we defeat the Gatekeeper, it’s over.”
No external Great Rank could enter the Seventh Realm, the place of punishment, without restriction.
Only the Gatekeeper could exist there without being bound by causality.
“…What nonsense are you spouting? You haven’t even fully attained your rank, yet you say you’ll take down the Gatekeeper?”
“Of course, I can’t do it alone.”
Chris nodded.
“You can fill in the gaps in my power, can’t you?”
The Great Ranks flinched.
Chris smiled.
“Lend me your strength.”
They could only manifest a fraction of their power at their peak.
But conversely, that meant not all their power was sealed.
If he could accept the power of all of them, he could overwhelm even the Rank of the Third Realm.
Provided, of course, that it was even possible to accept their power.
“Impossible… there’s no way you can handle that much power.”
“Why not?”
Chris smiled and raised his hand.
Blazing!
The power of the throne unfolded.
It was different from before.
It now contained causality.
This throne itself was a world.
“I can handle all your power with ease.”
The Great Ranks exchanged glances.
“Very well. We will grant you… our power.”
Flare.
The power of the Great Ranks flowed into Chris’s throne.
With overwhelming omnipotence, Chris looked down.
A deep, bottomless abyss.
At its depths, something massive writhed.
The Gatekeeper.
Normally, it was an unfathomable being he wouldn’t dare face—but now, it was different.
He felt capable.
“Everyone, get ready.”
Chris raised his hand.
“To overturn the Dark Sky.”
It was time to return to the surface.
The Dark Maga was burning.
The shocking news struck the continent like a thunderclap.
The New Celestial Realm.
That was the status of the Dark Maga.
It held the strongest power across the entire continent, and yet, something unbelievable had happened.
One small relief was that only the main base had burned; the affiliated demons were not completely wiped out.
Thanks to Nordian.
“How is the Lord’s condition?”
“…Critical. Still clinging to life, but at this rate…”
Count Kazar’s question was met with a heavy reply from Duke Shupen.
The Demon Emperor’s army, having crossed the border, headed straight for the Dark Maga’s stronghold.
Surprisingly, the soldiers of the Demon Emperor’s army were no ordinary humans.
They were humans, but enhanced into monstrous, inhuman beings.
They possessed power akin to demons, and quickly overwhelmed the stronghold.
Just before total annihilation, Nordian intervened.
“Everyone, fall back!”
The demons of the Dark Maga tried to resist, but faltered at the next words.
“Protect Christian!”
As long as Christian lived, there was hope.
Reluctantly, they retreated, and only one remained by Nordian’s side.
“The little Nordian, I will show you my might.”
The Silver Snow Demon King.
“…Little?”
“Isn’t that right? I seem to remember you calling me ‘big sister’ and trailing behind me when you were a kid.”
“…Must be nice to be older.”
“Ah, stop it. I’m still too young to have had a romance.”
“…That’s because of your personality.”
“You… little brat!”
The Silver Snow Demon King lowered her voice cautiously.
“Hey, little Nordian. If you survive, can you introduce me to a good match?”
“Christian is absolutely off-limits.”
“Why?!”
“Because have some conscience.”
“Ugh.”
“Enough chatter. Get a grip.”
There was no time for more bickering.
The Demon King of the Red Sky approached, and so the Silver Snow Demon King and Nordian joined forces to hold back the Demon Emperor’s army.
Both avoided death that day, but their conditions were grave.
They wouldn’t last more than a few days.
“…It’s not just the two of them. If this continues, everyone will be in the same state.”
It wasn’t only the Dark Maga in trouble.
The Demon Emperor’s army launched simultaneous attacks across the continent.
The Holy Empire, the Karn Empire, and the Golden Cross were engulfed in chaos.
If Chris hadn’t been active as a hero, helping to organize the allied forces, they would have fallen instantly.
But even so, they couldn’t hold out for long.
“…They’re coming.”
“…We’re surrounded.”
Dust clouds rose from all directions—north, south, east, and west.
“…This must be the end.”
A somber expression settled on everyone’s faces.
In the distance, a man bathed in red flames appeared.
The Demon King of the Red Sky.
Despite fighting the Silver Snow Demon King and Nordian, he showed no sign of injury.
The Demon King of the Red Sky floated in the air and approached the demons of the Dark Maga.
“I won’t waste words. Hand over Christian’s corpse, and I will show you mercy.”
“Shut up.”
Evan, standing with the Dark Maga to protect Christian, stepped forward with a rough voice.
Lanya and Idline joined him.
There were three Nine-Star warriors, yet the Demon King of the Red Sky showed no caution.
“You’re fine vessels yourselves. But none can match Christian.”
“What are you plotting? Is the Demon Emperor aiming for ascension too?”
Lanya frowned and asked.
They had a rough idea of the goals of the Celestial Realm, Gehenna, and the Demon Emperor from Chris.
But the Demon King of the Red Sky gave an unexpected answer.
“That’s right. The Demon Emperor intends to ascend. But it’s all for humanity.”
“…What did you say?”
“The Demon Emperor will save humanity.”
What kind of nonsense was this?
“How long must we humans remain shackled by the Celestial Realm and Gehenna? The Demon Emperor plans to bring down both and open a new world where humans stand at the top.”
“W-What…? That’s impossible. So, does that mean he’s trying to destroy the world now?”
“A noble sacrifice for a new world. There’s no way to bring down the Celestial Realm and Gehenna by ordinary means.”
That was it.
This was the true purpose of the Demon King.
Not just ascension, but the downfall of Gehenna and the Celestial Realm.
It was madness.
“You’re just spouting nonsense. The Demon King simply wants to stand above both the Celestial Realm and Gehenna, isn’t that right?”
Evan growled, but the Demon King of the Red Sky shook his head.
“It’s no surprise you can’t grasp His Majesty the Demon King’s exalted will. By the way, Lady Maru is nowhere to be seen.”
Lady Maru.
That meant Mari.
Since the day she left Chris, her whereabouts had been unknown.
“What exactly is Lady Maru’s true identity?” Lanya asked.
Chris had shared everything with Lanya, just in case something went wrong, including the fact that Mari was Lady Maru.
‘This is crucial information. It’ll be a great help once Chris wakes up.’
Perhaps because this was the last moment, the Demon King of the Red Sky spoke briefly.
“She is an artificial soul created by His Majesty the Demon King to destroy the Great Hierarch.”
“…An artificial soul?”
“You don’t need to know the details. Lady Maru is the key to the Demon King’s plan.”
The Demon King of the Red Sky said no more.
“Now, receive this.”
Kroooooooom.
A wave of destructive flames surged forward.
Flames that shattered the very cause and effect of the world.
Evan, Idrinne, and Lanya gritted their teeth against it.