Episode 84

In truth, Simon had no obligation to save Christian.

His decision to come along this time was nothing more than a whim.

He owed loyalty only to the Nordians; he had no duty to aid anyone from the Dark Magi.

Yet—

“If Prince Christian dies like this, things will get boring,” Simon mused, licking his lips.

Since leaving the Blood Sword Magi, his life had withered into a dry, hollow existence.

Perhaps because his soul was already dead, nothing sparked his interest anymore.

Lately, the only thing that stirred any curiosity in him was Christian.

And Simon wasn’t the only one captivated by Christian.

Even Merian, who was cold to everyone in the family, and the Noga Lord himself, had been drawn in.

“Though the Noga Lord speaks coldly, he’s secretly quite concerned about Prince Christian,” Simon thought.

After some deliberation, Simon made up his mind.

“Let’s go. I just hope our Prince Christian hasn’t crossed paths with the boss on the 17th floor.”

Simon smiled wryly.

“If we face the boss of the 17th floor—the Spider Queen Tarantula—we’re all as good as dead.”

---

Meanwhile, Chris was gasping for breath, completely unaware of the reckless decisions those left behind on the lower floors had made for him.

“Damn, the devil’s spiritual pressure… the pressure is no joke.”

But his eyes shone with determination.

“Luckily, I can hold out. Just as I expected.”

It was unbelievable.

Spiritual pressure wasn’t just an ordinary intimidation—it was a force tied to the rank of one’s soul.

No mortal could escape its weight.

But Chris was different.

“I’m not an ordinary mortal.”

At that moment, the ‘devil’ acknowledged this fact.

[What a curious being. An incomplete mortal bearing the rank of a ‘half-demon.’]

Chris had absorbed pure dark essence to the fullest, elevating his soul’s rank.

That was why he could withstand the pressure from the devil’s soul.

“I have to play this right from now on.”

Chris took a deep breath inwardly.

Facing this devil with his own strength was obviously impossible.

Especially since this devil was a First Seat of the Fourth Order.

For context, devils were ranked by their order.

Great devils of the First and Second Orders were more like concepts or laws that shaped the world than actual beings.

This one, however, was the highest-ranking real devil.

Even with most of his powers sealed, he wielded strength comparable to a nine-star demon lord.

So, to get what he wanted from this devil, Chris had to use a ‘scheme.’

More precisely—

“I have to trick him into handing over the item.”

Tricking a devil!

It was absurd.

One wrong move, and his soul would shatter into pieces, vanishing in unbearable agony.

“But there’s a chance. I know his weakness.”

Chris’s expression hardened.

His heart pounded with tension, but he ignored it and spoke in a strong voice.

“Foolish. You can’t even recognize who I am.”

[…What?]

“I am the incarnation of the First Seat of Gehenna’s Fourth Order—your equal. Are you so blinded by your seals that you can’t see me?”

[!!]

The devil growled fiercely.

[How dare you expect me to believe such nonsense?]

“Then what? Do you think it’s possible for a mortal’s body to bear the rank of a half-demon without great power?”

An outrageous lie!

But Chris was certain the devil wouldn’t see through it.

“He’s completely sealed off his perception right now.”

To put it simply, the devil’s five senses, spiritual intuition, and magical awareness were all blocked.

He couldn’t pierce through Chris’s true nature.

Chris continued to confuse him further.

“You’ve fallen into the ‘Player’s’ trap, reduced to this miserable state, and lost all your insight.”

[!!]

“To think the ‘Star Slayer’ who once terrified the Three Realms has fallen so low. How tragic.”

The ‘Player.’

The ‘Star Slayer.’

Titles no devil or celestial being would know unless they were familiar with his past.

(Of course, I’m an exception.)

After the hero party defeated him, the devil had cried out in despair:

“I, the ‘Star Slayer’ who shook the Three Realms, reduced to this! You, the treacherous ‘Player’ who did this to me! One day, I will drag you down to hell!”

Chris had learned this from that outcry, but the devil had no way of knowing Chris’s true intentions.

[Impossible… No Fourth Order being would ever take on a mortal’s insignificant body!]

He denied it vehemently, but Chris noticed the devil was already somewhat swayed.

“I had no choice but to hide from the watchful eyes of the treacherous celestials. And there’s a more important reason I took this pitiful form.”

[…What reason?]

“To match your level.”

Chris smirked.

“To mock you, sealed and trapped, neither dead nor alive, this pathetic body is more than enough, isn’t it?”

[!!]

The devil’s rage flared.

The entire space trembled as if about to collapse.

Even sealed, his anger alone was enough to display such power.

Chris’s body instinctively began to tremble.

An involuntary physical reaction.

Quickly, Chris used the secret techniques of the Uiseon family to control his body and spoke to provoke the devil further.

“Bragging about such pathetic strength. How pitiful.”

[!!]

“When my true form descends, crushing your soul with a single step will be nothing. How dare you flaunt such weak power? This is your final warning—do not test my mercy.”

Was it working?

The devil withdrew his power.

Though still angry, he no longer showed it outwardly.

[If you truly are the First Seat of the Fourth Order, why have you come? Speak your purpose clearly.]

“For amusement.”

[…What?]

“After countless eons of boredom, I sought a toy to entertain myself—and your existence came to mind.”

Surprisingly, it was a convincing excuse.

Boredom was the greatest motivator for devils.

They didn’t harvest human souls or wreak havoc for any grand reason—it was simply because it was ‘fun.’

“I propose a wager. If you win against me, I will try to break your seal.”

[!!]

The devil wavered.

[What…? You’d defy the will of the Third Order of the Dark Heavens?]

Chris realized something at that moment.

The Dark Heavens.

A term encompassing both Gehenna and the Celestial Realm.

This underground garden was a joint creation of the celestials and devils—by beings of the Third Order or higher.

“That’s why I said I’d try. No promises. But I swear it on my name.”

[…Heh. You mock me. It’s impossible anyway.]

“If you don’t want to, then don’t. I have nothing to lose.”

The devil was right—it was impossible.

How could Chris possibly break the devil’s seal?

Even his guarantee was a bluff.

“My mortal ‘name’ means nothing here.”

Still, Chris was confident the devil wouldn’t reject the offer outright.

It was the first glimmer of hope in countless eons.

Even if it was a lie, the devil wouldn’t easily turn it down.

Sure enough—

[…If you win, what will you do?]

“Simple. You will destroy yourself.”

[!!]

“You’ll just revive again soon enough, won’t you? You have nothing to lose.”

Indeed.

Surprisingly, this underground garden reset its monsters over time.

Even if a visitor wiped out the bosses on each floor, they would soon reappear.

Convenient for those training here, but a living hell for the monsters trapped inside—death was no escape.

[…Why propose such a wager? You gain nothing from this.]

“Didn’t I say?”

Chris couldn’t reveal that his true goal was to clear the 27th floor and claim the first-clear reward.

Instead, he gave an answer fitting a devil.

“Because it’s fun.”

[!!]

“I want to watch you—the one who once shook the Three Realms—writhing in agony, trapped between life and death. The miserable sight of a devil like me is sweeter than any game.”

His heart pounded.

The die was cast.

Now it was up to the devil to accept or refuse.

“If he refuses and attacks, it’s over. I have to escape immediately.”

Chris had a plan.

The Scissors of Space.

As mentioned before, escaping with the Scissors of Space was usually impossible—most would become lost in the void and die.

But now, it was possible.

“I just transferred here recently, so the variables of the pocket dimension should still be calm.”

Still, the chance of success was less than 50%.

Chris hid his anxiety and waited for the devil’s decision.

[…Very well. I accept your proposal.]

“Good!” The devil’s voice was tinged with bitterness.

[Even if you’re just trying to humiliate me, I suppose I have no choice in the matter.]

Probably.

He might have sensed that Chris was lying.

Yet, despite that, he seemed to accept it as his miserable fate and resigned himself to it.

[So, what kind of wager will you make? Don’t tell me you want to pick some trivial game like those insignificant humans and have a match?]

“That’s obviously not it. Let’s keep it simple.”

Chris tilted his lips into a crooked smile.

“Tell me your true name.”

[!!]

“I’ll give you as many chances as you want. If you guess my true name, you win.”

The demon fell silent for a moment.

[An incomprehensible wager. If you really are a First Seat of the Fourth Circle, then you’re no stranger to me. And yet you want me to guess your true name?]

The Fourth Circle was among the highest ranks in Gehenna.

There weren’t many demons of that level.

If the demon named every true name he knew of the Fourth Circle, the wager would be over.

It would prove Chris was not a Fourth Circle demon, and the wager would be void.

But.

“There’s a reason I proposed this wager.”

This was the crux of Chris’s plan… no, his con.

“You’ll never guess my true name.”

[Heh heh. I don’t know what you’re up to, but fine. Let’s begin.]

One by one, the demon started naming the true names of every First Seat of the Fourth Circle he knew.

Chris shook his head each time.

Before long,

the demon had named every Fourth Circle demon’s true name he knew, and Chris shook his head one last time.