Chapter 465

Blood dripped steadily between Ian’s fingers.

The pain was as if his insides were being torn apart. He kept pouring out something burning and endless, yet it showed no sign of stopping. The pristine white marble floor was stained with blood, losing its pure whiteness, and Ian himself felt as if his very breath had been completely consumed.

The moment the mages—who hadn’t yet grasped the gravity of the situation—shouted out in unison was when he collapsed forward.

“I-Ian! Your blood! You’re bleeding!”

“No! Ian! Don’t—please don’t!”

But their cries couldn’t reach him. A ringing in his ears scrambled his thoughts.

Ian barely managed to gasp for air, bracing himself against the floor. The great, sacred, and absolute magic—the contract—felt like a noose tightening around his neck. It was as if the whole world was telling him that he was nothing more than a mere human, and that once a promise was made, there were no exceptions.

“Hah… hah…”

Why had the illegitimate son Ian willingly entered into a contract with Rutherford? Why had the boy handed over the thread of his life to him?

As Ian scraped the slick floor, trying to stand, Rutherford’s voice reached him.

“Ian.”

He only said his name, but as the superior party in the contract, the effect was immense. Ian collapsed completely, as if his heart was being torn to shreds.

Rutherford and the mages who had been standing back relaxed their guard once they confirmed Ian’s collapse. With every step they took, Ian’s blood splattered.

“Hah… hah…”

“Even if it hurts like death, I won’t let you die. Don’t worry. I don’t know who you are, but your body is absolutely necessary to me.”

Rutherford suddenly recalled the contract he had made with the illegitimate Ian and raised an eyebrow. Though unintentional, it was a relief that the contract was made with the body, not the soul.

Had he not considered that, just as he had possessed another’s body, the illegitimate Ian could also be possessed by someone else? Perhaps he had known this subconsciously. The body changes only after death, but the soul can change at any time.

Rutherford dusted off his crumpled clothes and stepped closer to Ian.

“Step back—!”

“That’s disrespectful to Lord Rutherford!”

Ziiing! Ziiing!

Swoosh!

The palace mages charged, but only briefly. Without Ian, they couldn’t leverage their overwhelming power. Their best option was to hold the line against Rutherford’s mages.

“Raise the shield! Request reinforcements!”

“Lower the shield! Cut off their support!”

Rutherford pressed his blood-soaked foot gently on the child’s head. It was both a check on his condition and a venting of frustration for being cornered. The palace mages’ gasps were just a bonus.

“W-what the hell! Are you crazy!?”

“Move your foot, you bastard! Unless you want to die!”

“Ian! Ian!”

Ziiing! Boom!

The clash of mages intensified again. The magic of those trying to save Ian and those trying to stop them whipped up fierce winds, enveloping both Rutherford and Ian.

Rutherford looked down at Ian’s fallen profile with an expressionless face. No matter how he looked, those eyes were unusual. The golden light had faded, but the green eyes still shimmered with an unexplainable spirit.

“I know what you’re curious about.”

Had he only recently been possessed? Was this just the beginning?

“You’re wondering why you can’t die, why you live on in another’s body, and that’s why you’re pushing me.”

It wasn’t an exact question, but it was close enough. Ian focused, trying to twitch his powerless fingertips. The internal damage was severe, but he could endure it. As long as he breathed, he could fight.

Slowly, Rutherford lowered his body and whispered into Ian’s ear.

“Congratulations on being cursed by the Abyss.”

“…?”

“A curse where you want to die but cannot, forced to continue living. A curse of hundreds, thousands of reincarnations until you forget who you originally were. A curse that dulls your human emotions by constantly feeling the terror of death. At first, there’s only confusion. But after countless eons, you’ll come to hate yourself, as if you exist only to die.”

Ian realized Rutherford was speaking about himself. He was Vandor, one who had walked willingly into the Abyss—not through forbidden magic, but by choice. His price was endless death.

Then what about himself? Emperor Ian Verosion.

“The one who used forbidden magic wasn’t me, but Naum. I’ve never been to the Abyss.”

Ian’s fingertips twitched ever so slightly. No, being possessed in the illegitimate Ian’s body was not a curse.

“I was devoured by the Rift under the orders of the Great Empire Bariel. But why did you end up like this?”

Rutherford grabbed Ian’s hair. As Ian’s head lifted, blood trickled down his jawline. Rutherford’s blue eyes swirled with an unidentifiable emotion. Anger? Pain? No, it was—

“…Despair.”

“What?”

“After being devoured by the Rift, you despaired.”

“I won’t deny it. But not anymore. Because now, I can finally end it all. Thanks to you, Ian, who’s taken up residence inside me.”

Ian lowered his gaze, gathering his thoughts.

From what he could tell, Vandor had entered the Rift and encountered the Abyss. That was why he spoke of the Abyss’s curse.

That curse meant souls that couldn’t die, slowly weathering away. And now, after a long time, Vandor had found a chance to escape through Rutherford’s body—and with that help, the illegitimate Ian was still alive.

“…I have never been to the Abyss.”

And there was a subtle hostility toward Bariel. From interfering in the civil war to every move he made, Bariel was a threat to the empire. Whether it was inevitable to escape the curse or a desperate act of a weathered soul seeking solace, no one could say.

“What?”

“I said I’ve never been to the Abyss. You’re cursed, but I’ve been given a chance.”

Rutherford’s brow furrowed deeply. He looked as if he couldn’t understand Ian’s words.

“One last question. If you answer, I’ll tell you what I know as best I can.”

“If it’s not a curse, then what is it?”

“What happened to the mages who went into the Abyss?”

Their questions overlapped.

A brief silence. Both were essential questions, but the weight each placed on them was different. For Rutherford, reincarnation was a curse and a past; for Ian, it was an opportunity tied to the future. The one with less had to yield first.

“…Not much different.”

“What?”

“Just as I have suffered endless deaths here, those who fell into the Abyss endlessly relive their deaths. Trapped in the cycle of time, they endure their miserable ends again and again.”

Ian’s eyes widened. They were trapped in a loop of time, dying over and over?

Then what about Naum? Was he trapped in that underground prison, endlessly burning at the moment he told Ian to run? Was he doomed to guard Ian Verosion forever, dying and dying again…?

Ian bit the inside of his cheek to hold back the surge of tears. If Naum still had a self, he must be resenting him. Perhaps regretting the heavy price paid for the faintly fading name of Ian Verosion.

“Now it’s your turn to answer.”

Feeling Ian’s agitation, Rutherford lightly shook his hair. It was a prompt to clear his mind and give the answer he wanted.

The faded green eyes slowly turned to look at Rutherford.

‘Naum is in the Abyss, and in the illegitimate Ian’s body, I can’t properly oppose Rutherford. In the world he desires, Bariel will surely lose his light.’

At that moment, Ian’s green eyes suddenly came alive. Was it an illusion? Rutherford looked at him curiously but realized it wasn’t just a reflection of light. It was the shining spirit of something strong within.

Sensing something strange, Rutherford tried to release Ian’s hair, but Ian gripped his wrist tightly.

“Yes. Now it’s my turn to answer.”

Tightening his grip—

“Why I awoke in Ian’s body despite it not being a curse. Honestly, I didn’t know until I met you.”

“Th-this—”

Despite having collapsed coughing up blood, Ian held Rutherford’s wrist firmly, as if drawing strength from somewhere unknown.

“Lord Rutherford! The portal has opened! The coordinates aren’t precise, but we can exit the palace! It’s best to set the direction north to get away from Bariel first!”

“The troops sent to the Second Palace haven’t returned yet.”

“Please give the order! It might be best to move Ian first. We’ll also try to thin out the mages here.”

“If the war chamber opens, King Damon isn’t really necessary. It’s better to retreat before reinforcements arrive.”

Screeeek! Boom!

Rutherford’s mages, who had been holding the portal inside the war chamber, reported simultaneously. The exit for retreat had opened. They didn’t know exactly where it led, but it was certainly safer than being stuck in the heart of the palace.

“Everyone, move the equipment. Wait briefly for the Second Palace troops.”

“Yes! Hey! Help clean them up!”

With the access route secured, everyone finally seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The mages inside the exhibition hall rolled up their sleeves, their faces visibly more at ease.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

In an instant, the palace mages found themselves surrounded from front and back. Their magical shields had long since been pierced, but the Rutherford mages had taken up the mantle, maintaining the barriers to keep them contained.

It was a ruse to isolate them while deceiving the outside. If reinforcements arrived, they wouldn’t be able to easily move the treasures still inside the hall, after all.

“Make sure you grab the seals, and that, too. These are royal treasures—no leaving them behind.”

At the Rutherford mage’s command, the palace mages leapt into the air as one. Arrogance has its limits. This wasn’t some back-alley jewelry shop—it was the grand exhibition hall of the Bariel Empire’s palace. And now, after breaking in, they dared to lay hands on the treasures?

As the palace mages gritted their teeth and prepared to strike, the Rutherford mages sprang up simultaneously.

Ziiiiiing! Pa-pow!

Long shadows stretched out as the battle unfolded. Several were pierced through the abdomen and ribs, others fell wounded, writhing on the ground.

Ian recognized those shadows as belonging to the palace mages—their headbands fluttered in the air.

“Ugh!”

“Argh…”

Familiar groans reached his ears, but Ian forced himself not to look. He was already at his limit. Seeing his comrades injured or dying now might break him completely.

Ziiing. Ziiing.

Calmly, Ian closed his eyes and gathered every ounce of his magical power. This was the last time. This truly was the last…

“Here we go again.”

Rutherford hesitated for a moment, but that was all. His subordinates stood firmly by his side, and Ian was no longer a threat. They just needed to tighten the noose around his heart again—make him bleed and bleed until his soul withered.

Besides, Ian was only pouring out magic without any noticeable change. Rutherford nodded to his mages, signaling them to tidy up the area.

“Desperate, aren’t we.”

“…We never got an answer.”

“Yeah. Let’s head back and—”

Just as he was about to say they’d hear it later, Rutherford’s gaze caught something outside the window.

The black moon rising.

It grew larger and larger, as if summoned by its master to descend upon this world.

Ian smiled faintly and nodded.

“Listen carefully. With me, from the depths.”