Chapter 86
Jupien and Marisa nodded firmly.
“And… Prince Kashmir, you’re crucial here. Can you pierce the spider queen’s outer shell? Once that’s done, I’ll finish her off with my willpower technique.”
Willpower.
If “energy” is the manifestation of one’s will into reality, then “willpower” is the act of channeling that will to its absolute limit, bending the laws themselves.
The problem was that Simon’s willpower technique required a trigger condition.
In this case, that meant breaking through the spider queen’s outer shell.
“Can Prince Kashmir really pull this off?”
Simon narrowed his eyes.
Honestly, it was tough.
Kashmir’s level was mid-four-star.
Not a low rank by any means, but the opponent was overwhelmingly strong.
“I know it’s difficult. But it has to be done. If you want to survive.”
“…Understood.”
Kashmir nodded stiffly.
With a sudden burst, he charged forward.
Since casting destructive dark magic from a distance was useless against the spider’s web defenses, he planned to unleash a powerful spell up close.
The baby spiders swarmed to block Kashmir, while Jupien and Marisa covered him.
Finally, Kashmir reached close range and spread his hands.
The spider queen lashed out with countless legs, but he dodged and activated his magic.
For the record, Kashmir had risen from a low-level demon, so he was no stranger to close combat.
A fierce vortex of magical energy swirled around him.
A destructive magic at the four-star level.
Shape-shifting.
The icy chill of wind spiraled within the vortex—a cursed ice that corroded everything it touched.
His most powerful piercing dark magic.
“Rusted Horn!”
Blades of wind sharp as ice surged forward.
Just as the outer shell was about to be pierced—
The spider queen roared in fury.
Shatter!
Countless spider webs bloomed over the shell.
The spear of destruction shattered uselessly, unable to advance.
“Damn.”
Thwack!
The spider queen’s leg struck Kashmir.
He twisted his body desperately, avoiding death, but suffered a serious injury.
“It’s no use.”
Simon clicked his tongue.
He had expected this, but it was impossible.
“If only it were Prince Christian, maybe it could’ve worked.”
A ridiculous thought.
Christian hadn’t even reached four-star level yet. There was no way he could harm the spider queen.
But Simon always hoped that Christian, who pulled off insane feats, might surprise them again.
Suddenly, the situation shifted.
The spider queen howled violently and stretched out her limbs.
Spider webs began filling the air.
“The spider queen’s willpower technique—Infinite Despair.”
Those threads weren’t just physical webs.
They were imbued with the spider queen’s will, endlessly expanding and crushing everything they touched.
“This is bad. Really bad. This isn’t looking good at all.”
Simon bit his wrist with his fangs.
Blood spurted like a fountain as his artery was torn.
The droplets floated in the air, bubbling and boiling before vaporizing into tiny particles that scattered everywhere.
The spider webs halted abruptly when they touched the blood particles.
“Can’t hold out much longer. It’s time to make a decision.”
Simon’s eyes darkened.
Unless Christian came—
No, even if he did, it would be impossible.
Simon’s gaze fell on the exhausted Jupien, Marisa, and Kashmir.
At least two of them would have to be sacrificed.
“I think we’ve done all we can.”
Just as Simon decided to sink his teeth into Kashmir’s neck—
An unexpected voice cut through.
“…What are you all doing right now?”
!!
Everyone’s eyes widened.
Turning to look, they saw a annoyingly handsome boy staring at them with a look of disdain.
“…Why are you all making such a fuss here?”
The words sparked a surge of anger.
“We came to save you!”
That was everyone’s thought.
But Christian was just as baffled.
“I wasn’t in any danger at all. Why are you all making such a mess without my say-so?”
Thanks to them, he was about to get dragged into trouble.
“Well, I can’t just ignore it. I have to help.”
If they heard that, they’d be furious again.
Christian walked toward them.
“Are you alright? The chief steward has been through a lot.”
Simon twitched his lips.
“I’m fine for now, but as you can see, the situation isn’t good. So, Prince, you must choose which one of these three to sacrifice.”
“Huh?”
“One of them must be offered as a sacrifice. Originally, at least two would have been needed, but since you’re here, we’ll try to manage with just one.”
A chilling statement.
To openly talk about sacrifices with the enemy listening.
But Simon never cared for ordinary morals.
“I held back until now because I thought Prince Christian would object. Now that you’re here and consenting, there’s no need to worry about grudges.”
Simon licked his lips, eager for the upcoming feeding.
Christian sighed.
“No need for that.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll handle the spider queen. Just keep holding her back like you are now.”
Simon looked taken aback.
“Prince? The spider queen is a six-star beast. No matter how great you are…”
Of course, Christian had briefly considered it.
Maybe he could pull off another insane miracle.
But there were limits.
Simon had hoped Christian would just create an opening.
But to say he’d kill the spider queen himself?
“I know it’s impossible at my level. That’s why I’m asking. Just hold her still for a few seconds.”
Christian spoke firmly.
“I’ll cut off the spider queen’s head.”
“……”
Simon was silent.
It was impossible, absurd.
But—
“I’m not bluffing.”
Christian’s dark red eyes held no doubt.
A strong, shining conviction.
Simon couldn’t help but chuckle.
“This is interesting. Truly interesting. That mad young master of ours.”
After all—
It was because of Christian’s madness that they had gone through all this trouble to save him.
“Very well. But you must succeed.”
Simon bared his fangs in a grin.
“If you fail and die, I’ll resurrect you as a low-class vampire and send you to Idline as a plaything.”
Christian remained silent.
A low-class vampire was a mindless, zombie-like creature.
‘…Even his jokes are terrifying. But knowing Simon, he’d actually do it. I have to succeed.’
As Christian took a step forward, a hand grabbed him.
“No, Prince! I’ll offer my life to that vampire instead!”
It was Kashmir.
“I’m sorry! This is all my fault… I’ll take full responsibility and die!”
Kashmir’s face was twisted with guilt.
Christian thought to himself.
‘Well, it did all start because of me.’
After all, it was Christian who first activated the key and caused the teleportation.
If left alone, Kashmir might never have triggered the key out of guilt.
Anyway—
‘This is an opportunity.’
“Prince Kashmir, lift your head.”
“Though I was trapped and felt betrayed, seeing you risk so much for me made me realize it wasn’t your intention. I forgive you.”
Pretending it was Kashmir’s fault and forgiving him!
Kashmir’s reaction was dramatic, as expected.
“Ah… ah… Prince Christian, how could you be so…”
His voice trembled with tears, his heart breaking.
“!!”
Christian smiled slyly.
“Then trust me and watch closely.”
Christian stepped forward.
But Marisa blocked him.
“Don’t be stupid. No matter how good you are, the spider queen is impossible.”
Christian glanced at Marisa.
She was battered and bruised, clearly worn out.
‘…Why did she come to save me?’
Kashmir was naturally kind, but the others’ presence was unexpected.
“Then why did you come? I never asked for help.”
“…What? You…!!”
Marisa’s face flushed bright red.
Her pent-up frustration from the start of their meeting was about to explode.
Christian said casually.
“Well, thanks anyway.”
“……”
Marisa snapped her mouth shut.
Her anger cooled, replaced by a different expression.
“D-Don’t get the wrong idea. I still… dislike you.”
“Yeah, I know. You don’t want to talk about the engagement again, so don’t worry.”
“……”
“Just cover me with poison so those baby spiders don’t get in the way.”
“…Fine.”
Marisa answered coldly, unlike before.
Finally, Jupien.
She wiped the blood dripping down her forehead and said sullenly,
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“Yeah, no thanks.”
“You’re so rude.”
“Just now you realized?”
“I’ll crush you someday.”
Jupien pulled out her sword, broken in half during the battle.
“Are you coming? Let’s go together.”
“Why?”
“I told you. The one who’s going to take you down is me. So I can’t just let you die in a place like this.”
Chris chuckled softly.
For some reason, it didn’t feel unpleasant.
“Fine by me.”
He took a step forward.
Magic surged within him.
“Though I don’t think it’ll be necessary.”
Whoosh!
Chris lunged ahead.
“Watch out!!”
Kashmir shouted in surprise.
But Chris didn’t stop.
‘This is enough. I can do this.’
The Chris from before?
There was no way he would have stepped up this confidently.
No matter how much Simon tried to halt the Spider Queen’s movements, Chris’s original strength alone couldn’t cut through her exoskeleton.
‘But now, it’s different.’
It was because of the gray ring on his finger—the Vampiric Ring.
A faint gray glow swirled within the ring’s hollow center, and Chris’s movements shifted.
In other words—
He became faster, stronger.
Spider silk flew toward him, but it didn’t come close.
‘Has Prince Christian always moved this well?’
Simon thought in surprise.
It was clearly different from the last time he saw him.
It wasn’t that his level had risen.
Rather, it was as if he’d taken some kind of temporary power boost—his stamina, strength, and magic all amplified.
‘How? No matter how gifted, it’s impossible to boost basic abilities so quickly.’
To be precise, his basic abilities hadn’t actually increased.
The Vampiric Ring’s effect wasn’t just to raise basic stats.