------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
Chapter 45
This was Chris’s limit.
It wasn’t a matter of talent.
Chris realized the fundamental issue.
“This isn’t a capacity allowed for humans.”
No matter how exceptional, as a human, there were limits that could not be surpassed.
To accept more than ninety percent of the Sacred Darkness meant transcending the limits of humanity.
In that case—
Chris came up with a method.
“Then I’ll just surpass the limits of a human.”
Chris’s eyes lit up.
There was an artificial way to achieve it.
“Temporarily alter the nature of the core.”
Chris thought of the race on the continent with the greatest core capacity.
The dragons.
They weren’t invincible beings like in the legends.
Dragons typically possessed around 7-star power.
But without a doubt, their vessel was the greatest among all races.
“I’ll imitate the method of the Dragon Heart.”
The Dragon Heart holds mana like an ocean.
It’s not simply because of its solid nature.
Just as an aerodynamic shape reduces wind resistance, the Dragon Heart was structured with a magical principle that alleviated mana resistance.
Chris remembered the corpse of a demonic dragon he had seen in the past.
He recalled the structure of the Dragon Heart that had protected itself.
A core is not a physical organ—it’s a conceptual one.
Through sheer will, he distorted the core’s structure to artificially mimic the principle of the Dragon Heart.
It wasn’t an easy feat. No, it was something close to impossible.
It wasn’t something he could sustain for long either.
At most, only a few minutes.
“It’s fine. I just need to hold out for a moment.”
Chris’s demonic energy, reacting to the Sacred Darkness, began to change.
It exceeded ninety percent, little by little.
The moment it passed ninety percent, a whole new world unfolded.
Flaash!
The nature of Chris’s demonic energy became incomparably stronger than before.
Demonic energy is the transformation of life force into the energy of darkness.
But the newly transformed dark demonic energy was different.
It was darkness itself.
Pure—and all the more powerful for it.
Chris used that energy to reinforce his core once again.
From here on, it was war.
The energy of the Sacred Darkness, beyond human limits, tried to shatter the core. Chris’s demonic energy desperately held back the cracking core.
It was like trying to manually block the cracks of a dam about to collapse.
Of course, it was a difficult task.
At any moment, everything could collapse completely.
Even a single misstep would be the end.
But Chris, with a near-insane level of mastery over his demonic energy, accomplished what was nearly impossible.
At last, his absorption rate of the Sacred Darkness surpassed nine and a half tenths.
Just a little more, and he could absorb it completely.
But at that very moment—
Chris suddenly stopped.
“I have to stop.”
An instinctive alarm blared within him.
He had reached his limit.
Precisely because he was exceptional, he could tell all the more clearly.
Absorbing any more of the Sacred Darkness was impossible.
If he pushed any further, he wouldn’t make it out alive.
“Is it truly impossible?”
Chris bit down hard on his lip.
His mind calculated the situation that would unfold next.
But no matter what method he considered, he couldn’t stop the core from collapsing.
In truth, trying to absorb all ten tenths might have been excessive greed.
Even the first ancestors of dark magic hadn’t absorbed all ten tenths.
And yet, those ancestors became Demon Lords, ranked third in the Magus Empire.
This much might already be enough.
“It might be wiser not to overdo it.”
However—
Chris had a gut feeling.
He absolutely must not give up.
He had to obtain the Sacred Darkness completely—no matter what it took. Otherwise, he would surely regret it.
“But I can’t go any further…”
And then—
A voice was heard.
A soft one.
A whisper, as if echoing from within a void of nothingness.
[Do you… need help?]
“!!”
Chris’s eyes widened.
Chills ran down his spine.
“A demon.”
Chris recognized the voice.
Mefina.
The demon he had encountered during the previous Black Pill Ceremony was speaking to him again!
The demon whispered sweetly.
[The power of a demon… is in accord with darkness. I shall… help you. With no price at all.]
“…No price at all?”
From beyond that void of nothingness, the demon curled her lips into a smile.
It couldn’t be seen, but it was felt.
The smile the demon directed at him.
A smile that was both alluring and ominously chilling at the same time.
[Yes… I swear upon my name. I will demand no price from you.]
“…Why?”
There was no such thing as a demon offering help without a price.
Mefina laughed aloud.
A laughter like a funeral dirge echoed ominously in the darkness.
[It is simply… on a whim. You’ve piqued my interest, so I’ll help you.]
Chris was silent for a moment.
The demon had sworn upon her own name, so even if he accepted her help, there would be no price to pay.
Perhaps this was an opportunity.
But—
There was nothing to hesitate over.
“I refuse.”
[…Are you giving up on the Sacred Darkness? Just because… you don’t want help from a devil?]
Mefina spoke in a somewhat disappointed tone.
[How… foolish. To throw away such a chance over something so petty. Disappointing.]
Chris let out a dry laugh.
When had he ever asked her to expect anything of him? Now she was disappointed all on her own?
Whether the demon was disappointed or not had nothing to do with him.
“When did I say I was giving up on the Sacred Darkness?”
Being looked down on didn’t suit his temper, so he threw back a line.
[You intend… to obtain the Sacred Darkness on your own? You know… anything beyond this isn’t allowed to a human, don’t you?]
Chris nodded.
The devil was right.
‘Humans’ could not absorb any more of the Sacred Darkness, no matter what method they used.
‘It’s not a problem with the core. No matter how strongly I reinforce the core, I can’t absorb any more. The rejection is too severe.’
This rejection was due to the limits of the human species.
Humans could become darkness, and they could become light.
Because of that, they could never become perfect darkness or perfect light. A trace of the opposing attribute would always be mixed in.
To completely accept this Sacred Darkness, one must become a being of pure darkness.
But—
‘There is a way.’
Chris’s eyes shot open.
And at that moment, the demon, seeing the change occurring in Chris, let out a startled voice—one that didn’t suit a demon.
[That’s…? Impossible…?]
The darkness surrounding Chris raged wildly, as if going mad.
And with it, an impossible miracle began to unfold.
* * *
At that time, in the annex of the Dark Demonic House.
Inside the residence of the House Head, a voice rang out.
“How much time has passed?”
“One week, House Lord.”
It was about Christian.
The Head of House, Nordion, furrowed his brow deeply.
“Still no news?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Tap, tap—he struck his cane.
“When I performed the Black Pill Ceremony, it took me four days.”
The amount of Sacred Darkness Nordion had obtained was just under eighty percent.
That meant Christian was attempting to acquire at least more than eighty percent of the Sacred Darkness.
He couldn’t possibly be alive.
Merian, who had been listening nearby, let out a soft sigh.
‘Why such reckless greed…’
Simon spoke.
“Acting Head Marquis Langham seems to be trying to seal off the passage to the Holy Ground.”
The Holy Ground existed in a negative-dimension space.
Once every two or three years, a passage opens, and until all the participants in the Black Pill Ceremony return, the path is forcibly kept open through dark magic.
They now believed Christian to be dead, and so they intended to close the passage.
“……”
The Head of House gave no reply.
His expression showed clear displeasure.
Simon smiled faintly.
“Then I will proceed and allow the passage to be sealed.”
“…You insolent brat. Are you testing this old man?”
Simon did not reply.
That was, in itself, an affirmation.
The Head of House clicked his tongue.
“You bloodstained rascal, are you saying you believe that Christian, that wild, reckless brat, is still alive?”
Simon replied nonchalantly.
“Who knows. I’m not sure. Honestly, the chances of him surviving are low. But if he is alive, I think it would be interesting.”
Simon raised the corners of his mouth.
“Isn’t he quite the fascinating young man? A joy to observe. If such an intriguing existence were lost due to a hasty decision, I think even you, Head of House, would regret it.”
If the passage to the negative dimension were closed, Christian would have no way of returning to the original world.
Even if he had miraculously survived until now, he would die trapped in the negative dimension.
“That only applies if the boy is still alive.”
“Of course, that’s true.”
“Which means, this is a pointless discussion. The boy is dead.”
“!!”
A declaration.
Simon and Merian’s faces stiffened.
“You don’t understand. What it means to accept over eighty percent of the Sacred Darkness. Even I couldn’t dare go beyond that point.”
Nordion had stopped just short of reaching eighty percent.
It simply wasn’t possible to go further.
If he had taken even one more step, his core would have undoubtedly collapsed.
If Christian was still alive until now, that meant, judging by the time passed, he would be trying to attain ninety percent of the Sacred Darkness.
“The First Ancestor, it is said, only managed to absorb the Sacred Darkness with the aid of His Majesty, the Demon Emperor. Without that help, even he wouldn’t have been able to reach ninety percent.”
The meaning behind those words was clear.
No matter how exceptional a vessel Christian possessed, accepting more than ninety percent of the Sacred Darkness was impossible.
“…I see. Then, shall we allow Marquis Langham to seal the passage?”
Forcibly keeping the passage to the negative dimension open also consumed a tremendous amount of demonic energy.
If there was no chance of survival, then closing it was the correct decision.
The Head of House, Nordion, shut his mouth firmly.
His face still full of dissatisfaction.
“…One day.”
The Head of House turned his back.
“Give it one more day.”
A cold voice descended.
“If he fails to return, then strip him of the right to receive the family’s funeral rites. That shall be the price for his foolish greed.”
* * *
[No… How is this possible?]
The startled voice of the demon, Mefina, echoed through the space of the Sacred Darkness.
A demon—an existence beyond the mortal realm—was surprised?
Of course she was.
At that moment, the essence of Chris’s soul was changing.
From a neutral being that held both light and darkness—
To one where the light was being driven out, and only darkness began to fill completely.
It was a feeling all too familiar to Mefina.
[A demon…?]
No.
It was far too insignificant to be called a demon.
The pitifully small and fragile soul was still unmistakably that of a mortal.
Above all, it lacked the inherent malice unique to demons.
But… what was this perfect darkness that now engulfed the soul?
Pure darkness alone.
How could a human soul become something like this?
Such immaculate darkness was not something a mortal should be capable of holding.
[How… is this even possible?]
“Because… I’m a genius.”
Christian answered with difficulty.
Blood surged up his throat.
‘As I thought… it’s still too much for me.’
The transformation of Christian’s soul had occurred because he used a certain forbidden technique.
Demonization.
A secret art of Divine Demonic Transmutation, where a mortal temporarily becomes demon-like.
------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
