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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 33
The moment he stabbed with the dagger earlier—
At that moment, Chris had hidden the Restorative Pill he had procured in advance inside the palm of the hand holding the dagger.
And when he pulled out the Black Pill, he had switched them.
A sleight of hand like magic.
He had once made a name for himself as the greatest pickpocket, so a trick like this was simple for him.
‘Heh heh. If I consume this Black Pill, the shortage of demonic energy should be resolved to some extent.’
Chris had a satisfied look on his face.
Meanwhile, Alros and the other demons stared at Chris in stunned silence.
Even having seen it with their own eyes, they couldn’t believe what Chris had just done.
“You’re so moved you can’t even open your mouth, I see.”
“!!”
“Well then, Alros. Do you still think I’m unqualified to attend the Dark Baptism?”
Alros’s face turned red.
Alros had denounced Chris, calling him an unworthy scoundrel for the ceremony.
In truth, it wasn’t Alros’s own opinion, but an order from Loin de Baron, a direct descendant of the Dark Demonic House, yet he couldn’t say anything in response.
Chris raised the corner of his lips at the speechless Alros.
“Come on, now. Try calling me big brother.”
“What?”
“You promised earlier, didn’t you? If I helped, you’d serve me as your big brother.”
“What nonsense is this?!”
“Wow, making a promise and then denying it? The Count of Tyramin’s house seems light on integrity.”
“When did I ever make such a promise?! And I’m two years older than you!”
“What does age matter when it comes to big brother and little brother? The weaker one is the younger.”
As Chris shrugged his shoulders, the cavern suddenly fell silent.
Everyone clamped their mouths shut.
No one told them to.
They had suddenly sensed a murderous intent.
A chilling—
No, an eerie energy as if dragging them into an abyss began to rise within the cavern.
‘What the—?’
Chris’s eyes widened.
The direction of the killing intent was clear.
The altar.
No, the rift of Gehenna.
Beyond the seal plugging the rift, a suffocating malice was surging upward.
As if it would explode at any moment.
‘Shit.’
Chris swallowed hard.
Cold sweat formed on his tightly clenched fist without him realizing it.
He knew this phenomenon all too well.
‘Something from beyond the rift in Gehenna is trying to break through!’
It was a phenomenon he had experienced countless times during the Age of Ruins.
‘Why? There’s nothing wrong with the magic circle…’
Chris had a look of disbelief.
And then...
Boom.
A tremor, as if an earthquake had occurred, vibrated through his pupils.
Energy erupted from the rift, distorting space, and everyone's vision shook as if it were a chaotic mess.
Evil Energy
A malicious energy distinct from that of the Hellspawns.
A suffocating, viscous malevolence began to fill his pupils, and along with a smoke-like mist, a terrifying presence descended.
A towering figure.
Three pairs of horns on its forehead.
Four arms.
It was a Hellspawn, a servant of the devils.
* * *
“Insane, a Hellspawn?”
There were two types of transcendent beings in this world.
The "Constellations" of the Celestial Realm and the "Devils" of Gehenna.
Each symbolized justice and evil, respectively.
Hellspawns were the servants of the devils.
“Damn it. Why the hell did a Hellspawn appear here all of a sudden?”
Chris paled at the unexpected crisis.
And yet, weren’t Hellspawns allied with the Demons?
That was a misunderstanding.
Demons from the Magus Empire pursued the power of darkness. The values they revered were strength and the survival of the fittest. They were clearly different from evil.
Of course, there were some Demons who worshipped devils.
But just like not all humans outside worship the Constellations, not all Demons worshipped devils.
The worship of devils always led to horrific destruction, which is why most Demons also kept their distance from devils.
“What’s going on here? Did someone tamper with the magic circle?”
He didn’t know.
There was no time to leisurely figure out the cause.
The Hellspawn turned its head and looked down at them.
[You filthy humans…]
“!!”
Chris gritted his teeth.
The energy of the Hellspawn was filled with an evil that corrupted the mind, and those with weak mental fortitude couldn’t withstand it.
In fact, most of the guards couldn’t endure the energy emanating from the Hellspawn and were trembling in fear.
The only one still standing relatively unaffected was Alros, the most skilled among them.
Chris spoke firmly, trying to keep his composure.
“What’s the meaning of this presence from Gehenna? Aren’t you afraid of the pact with the Celestial Realm? Return to Gehenna at once!”
The Hellspawn's eyes briefly flickered with interest.
[Do you know the pact that was made between Gehenna and the Celestial Realm?]
“……”
Chris closed his mouth.
He knew.
The pact where the demons and the constellations agreed not to directly intervene in the mortal realm.
But Chris also knew.
How hollow that pact truly was.
The Hellspawn mentioned it.
[Then you must know. There is no problem for me to take the lives of your filthy kind.]
“!!”
[This much fun should be fine.]
The pact existed, but it wasn’t strictly adhered to.
If a Hellspawn crossed the gap and killed a few humans, it wasn’t even considered a violation of the pact.
‘Damn it. What should I do?’
Chris clenched his fist tightly.
The Hellspawn was not someone whose simple tricks would work.
[Though it’s a low-ranking Hellspawn, still, it’s not someone I can handle at my current level.]
Having seen countless Hellspawn during the Age of Ruin, Chris could gauge his opponent’s strength.
Even a low-ranking Hellspawn possessed power equivalent to at least a 5-star human level.
While considering his options, the Hellspawn spoke unexpectedly.
[But killing you all just seems like it wouldn’t be much fun.]
“What?”
[Opportunities for fun like this don’t come around often.]
The Hellspawn grinned cruelly as he spoke.
[How about making a deal with me?]
“!!”
The Hellspawn raised one of his arms and pointed at Chris.
[With your own hands, kill all the other humans and offer them as a tribute to me. Then, not only will I spare your life, but I will also grant you my blessing.]
“!!”
The demons from the Tyramin family widened their eyes in surprise.
Chris let out a bitter laugh.
‘This bastard.’
It was obvious why the Hellspawn made such a suggestion.
Because it was fun.
That’s how the Hellspawns were.
Pure embodiments of evil.
The more others suffered, the more pain they endured, the greater the joy they felt.
Chris looked at Alros and the demons of the Tyramin family.
They all wore faces full of despair, without any hope.
They thought Chris would accept the Hellspawn’s offer.
Because there was no other way to survive the Hellspawn’s grasp.
However.
‘I don’t particularly like the demons of the Tyramin family, though.’
He didn’t care if they lived or died.
But Chris spat on the ground.
“Shut up.”
[…What?]
“I said shut your filthy mouth. I’m not doing that kind of thing.”
The demons from the Tyramin family widened their eyes.
Alros shouted with great difficulty.
“What… what are you doing?! Do you think we’ll be grateful if you do that?!”
“Then should I just offer my neck to that Hellspawn?”
Alros fell silent, unable to respond.
Chris chuckled.
“It’s not really for your sake. No matter how much I value my life, I have a firm belief never to associate with the kin of Gehenna.”
It was sincere.
Chris vividly remembered how the lands had been turned into a horrific hell because of the Gehenna kin.
There was absolutely no room for compromise.
Above all.
‘There is one way.’
“Instead, let’s make a different wager.”
[Hmm?]
The Hellspawn looked intrigued.
It was the ease of someone with absolute power.
No matter what plans an ant makes, it can’t defeat a lion.
[What kind of wager are you suggesting?]
“Before that, just a moment.”
Chris reached out toward the demons.
The curse of black magic manifested.
[Curse of Slumber]
The demons, already half-conscious from the influence of the evil energy, quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Except for one. Alros was the only one who, startled, shouted.
His resistance to magic was strong enough that the curse of slumber didn’t affect him.
“W-what?”
Chris furrowed his brow.
For his plan to succeed, he needed to knock them all unconscious first.
“…If you stay awake, you’ll be negatively affected by the evil energy, so just sleep.”
“T-that’s not… possible…”
“Just sleep.”
Thud!
Chris punched Alros square in the face, causing him to faint and collapse.
Chris didn’t stop there.
He drew a dagger from his sleeve and threw it like lightning toward a certain spot.
Thwack!
A bat sitting in the corner of the room was pierced by the dagger.
Surprisingly, the bat turned into a mist of blood and disappeared.
It wasn’t an ordinary bat!
‘I knew there were watchful eyes.’
Chris had a rough idea of where the surveillance was coming from, so he intentionally left it alone.
But it couldn’t be allowed anymore.
From now on, the method Chris would use had to remain undetected by others.
[Interesting. What’s your game here?]
The Hellspawn looked at Chris as though he were a toy being played with.
“I, Christian, propose a wager with my soul on the line. Take just one of my attacks. If you manage to withstand it, I will acknowledge defeat and offer you my soul.”
[What? Hahaha. Are you out of your mind?]
The Hellspawn burst into loud laughter.
[Fine. I accept your proposal. I won’t retaliate, so go ahead and attack me.]
The Hellspawn's eyes glimmered with greed.
[However, your soul will be mine. Even after you die, you will never find peace and will become my toy, suffering for eternity.]
A chilling tale.
But that was the end for those who sold their souls to demons and Hellspawn.
It was a condition that should never have been made, even if death were preferable, yet Chris inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Bingo.’
Did the Hellspawn know?
Did it realize it had walked into a trap?
Chris had a way.
A single strike would be enough to defeat that Hellspawn.
[Whatever your game is, it’s truly foolish.]
“Well, I guess we’ll see who’s foolish after this.”
Chris pulled an item from his spatial pocket.
It was the trump card to reverse the situation.
The Hellspawn’s eyes widened.
[That...?]
It was a voice filled with confusion.
Naturally.
A rusted sword with the middle snapped off.
What Chris had taken out was the broken Holy Sword Grunade.
A weapon with an absolute affinity against evil beings.
* * *
“Damn it!”
In a forest far from the Forbidden Zone, Vampire Simon rose from his seat with a confused tone.
‘I didn’t think he could see through my concealment.’
Earlier, the bat that was pierced by the dagger Chris threw in the cave was a clone made by Simon using Blood Art.
The bat had no way of returning to the cave.
‘Damn. I was trying to stop the Hellspawn at a suitable point.’
It was Simon who had summoned the Hellspawn.
But of course, he never intended to have Chris killed.
It was just a ‘game.’
He was curious to see how Christian would react when pushed to the extreme, and he intended to step in before things escalated. But the plan had gone awry.
At this rate, Christian, along with everyone present, would die at the hands of the Hellspawn.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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