Chapter 269

The sticky and unmistakable hostility oozing from the words made the Emperor’s face harden in an instant. It was an unnatural change in expression. For Diemonica, who could even perceive the contraction of muscles down to the fiber level like Fernandez, it was even more apparent.

The human body is nothing but a shell. In that moment, Fernandez could infer other things.

He had fully transformed into a demon, even in his inner self. It was rare for a human’s body and soul to mutate into a demon while still existing in the Material World, but it wasn’t impossible. In his later years, Tyban had proposed something similar to him.

Suppressing the surging disgust with feigned calmness, Fernandez thought. He needs the facade of a human. In other words, he has a reason to maintain the title of Emperor.

What could it be?

“Fool. Do you dare oppose me?”

“Is that all?”

A fly buzzed past with a *whirr*. From the Emperor’s body, which no longer hid its corruption, insects began to squirm and seep out.

Little by little, through small cracks in the outer shell. Cockroaches, flies, centipedes, and scorpions… All sorts of venomous creatures slithered out. *Buzz, whirr, hum*. The flapping of wings grew louder, and his voice began to rumble with an eerie resonance amidst the noise.

[How foolish and insignificant. You have already received the blessing of the ‘Great Sovereign.’ Do you not know your place? Even at this very moment, if the Sovereign wills it, your life is no more than a candle in the wind!]

The plague lurking within Fernandez’s body released toxins as it writhed. His fingertips turned black, and the decay of his limbs was vividly felt. Yellow blisters burst between the wrinkles as heat rose.

His bodily functions were down to thirty percent. No, less than twenty percent. This was a corruption beyond the curse of a demon king. The magic contained in the toxin was so lethal that even a pinch could turn an ordinary person into a bloody mess.

The reason he could endure and stand was his will, which saw pain as more than just a functional error of the body, and Diemonica’s unique divine virtue. Even that was gradually crumbling with age.

“A candle in the wind.”

Fernandez muttered as he cracked his fingers. The curse that permeated his entire body… This sticky, hellish magic. It wasn’t just the flesh; it gnawed at the soul, personality, and essence.

-*Crack, thud!*

Sparks flew. The dust and insects floating near Fernandez ignited and burned alone. Eerily cold, blue sparks crackled around him.

*Thud, crack, thud.* It grew denser.

[…How trivial.]

Bored, the Emperor waved his hand. Simultaneously, the magic that had infiltrated Fernandez’s body responded to his gesture and began to activate. It spread through his bloodstream, releasing toxins and wreaking havoc.

His heart thumped as if vomiting blood. Multiple organ failure and internal bleeding, countered by the heat generated by his regenerative abilities. And the lingering resonance of magic scattering around.

-*Crack.*

“I missed this.”

-Ah, good. Haha, hahaha! This feeling, this sensation!

The euphoria brought by hellish magic. The sticky power coursing through his veins, bringing a sense of omnipotence! The gaze of an absolute being looking down on the world. The kind of omnipotence that transcends the limits of the Material World, sending shivers down his spine!

They called it a curse that burns the soul. No, in their words, it was a blessing. The blessing bestowed directly by the Great Demon was no different from a curse.

But, in essence, this power is a ‘blessing.’ The curse of this plague, poured limitlessly into a human body. A pinch of this sticky, extreme poison could turn an ordinary person into a bloody mess!

-I’ve grasped… a fragment of my prime.

Faijashi whispered with a bitter smile. Yes, I’ve grasped it. The power from the days when there were no limits to magic, when thoughts could be realized instantly.

A power different from the bronze throne’s, which painstakingly refined natural magic and confined it within fragile circuits. The power of the Great Demon. So powerful that it inherently contained divinity, the power of the Great Demon during the Celestial War.

That curse, that magic, now swimming through his bloodstream to kill him.

-*Crack!*

His dried and twisted fingers slowly stretched forward, grasping at the air.

Got it.

Fernandez smiled calmly and twisted his clenched hand.

The curse burning his soul shattered, and the chains broke into pieces, turning into fragments of magic. The fragmented magic screamed within his body, gnawing at his flesh.

Strength drained from his melting arm. Tendons slackened, muscles disintegrated, and blood coagulated. Death was near. He stood on the precipice of life’s end, close enough to see the flashbacks—

But, the body is merely a consumable.

Diemonica’s body, which had once contained divinity, rejected the magic…

Only at the boundary of life and death could he finally grasp the true essence of magic.

‘How amusing. We must die once to finally become mages.’

-If the power was lost through death, then dying again to reclaim it is somewhat fitting.

‘Good. Appropriately self-deprecating.’

Fernandez smirked slightly. *Thump.* His heart vomited blood as if letting out its final cry. His bodily functions were now below ten percent. Medically, he was already a dead man.

[Suicide… is it?]

“There are things you only see in death.”

A shiver that resonated with his soul coursed through his body. Following that flow, the tendons on the back of his hand, grasping at the air, writhed like snakes.

You wanted to see the essence, didn’t you? If you possess the power of the Great Demon, wasting it on trivial matters is nothing but a waste. Let me show you how to use that power.

Fernandez whispered, baring his teeth.

“Faijashi’s, the grasp of the five thrones.”

* * *

“Check it now! Immediately!”

Shock erupted in all the magic academies in the capital and its vicinity. Figures equivalent to the heads of each academy were running around, their senses heightened by the massive magic unfolding above the capital.

Large-scale magic always has precursors. But this was too short. Too fast. As if it were a personal spell cast by a single individual.

No. That can’t be. In the minds of the mages, a fierce collision between reality and their knowledge was taking place.

All the magic academies in Paltennoia were…





They were keeping each other in check. To prepare for sudden magical accidents caused by certain groups, they had taken the utmost measures to counter and defend against each other’s Great Magic.

But now, this enormous magic, unfolding over the Imperial Palace as if wielded by an individual, had suddenly appeared without any warning signs, stretching from the sky toward the earth.

Its form was like a hand. Rough and violent, like the claws of a demon gripping the earth. It was a form constructed solely for destruction.

Every mage who could see magic with their naked eyes was dumbfounded by the sight, muttering to themselves.

“It’s a magic that devours phenomena.”

Despite its massive scale, the activation mechanism itself was incredibly simple. It was a spell that destroyed all phenomena within the space it passed through. The dozens of layers of defensive spells surrounding the Imperial Palace were shattered as if melting away without resistance.

“That’s a disaster. Inform the Imperial Palace. Our Magic Tower has nothing to do with this… And from today onward, seal the gates until the situation calms down! Inform the Church of the Temple of the Gods of our innocence! Hurry!”

Considering the recent power dynamics between the Church and the Empire, if such a magical disaster occurred, the Church would surely be on high alert, trying to root out the culprit. In that case, an inquisition would likely begin, and if they tried to pin the blame for the magical disaster in the heart of the capital, the Magic Tower would undoubtedly be the one to suffer.

That night, the seven large and small magical academies located in the capital, Paltennoia, simultaneously decided to seal their gates. Since they couldn’t know which of the other academies had caused this, they chose silence over exchanging information.

* * *

“A monster…!!”

The mages of the shadow academy, now called Maledika, stared blankly at the sky and whispered. Five massive pillars stretched toward the ground, crushing the Imperial Palace like a hawk seizing its prey.

Since this magic hadn’t been announced beforehand, they too didn’t fully understand the phenomenon. But there was no other possible culprit. That was ‘his’ magic. Without a doubt.

“Was I too rude back then? Huh? Tell me I wasn’t.”

The Maledika members trembled as they whispered to each other. The mere thought of opposing someone who could so casually unleash such power in the heart of the Imperial Palace was terrifying.

“Are they not even considering the aftermath?”

“Didn’t they say it was the Inquisition Officer? Given that the Vaitas Church has been hostile toward the Imperial Palace recently, they must be planning to uproot it entirely.”

“The Inquisition Officer…? Ha, that?”

They didn’t want to judge good or evil, but if they had to, that was definitely not the power of the ‘Holy Temple of the Gods.’ It was closer to that of a demon. A kind of power that only brought destruction and death.

“I’d rather believe we’re facing a grandmaster of Dark Magic.”

* * *

-CRACKKKKKK!!

The fortress screamed. The countless protective spells cast over the stronghold, layered with dozens of Great Magic spells borrowed from the power of Hell, were shattered in an instant, their fragments falling and beginning to collapse the fortress’s ceilings and spires.

The Emperor watched in bewilderment. His vision had already transcended that of a human, so he could perceive what was happening more accurately than anyone else.

[What… is this…?]

Five strands of power gripped the Imperial Palace. Literally. In that moment, the protective spells were shattered in an instant, and the remaining force caused physical damage.

With just one gesture? Impossible. It had to be impossible. This was not power granted to humans!

[What is this! How? What have you done!]

“This is what someone backed by the authority of a Great Demon can do. This is the pinnacle.”

Unlimited magic power. If an individual could wield magic power so densely concentrated that it could even contain divinity, this was the correct way to use it.

An ordinary mage would have already died from the pressure their body had to endure. An ordinary magic circuit would have burned up, unable to handle such magic power.

But if it was possible, this was the most precise way to use it. Fernandez declared as much and moved his hand.

The Emperor could only stare blankly at that gesture. At first glance, it seemed sloppy, lacking precision. But for those who knew even a fragment of magic, it was something to marvel at.

It was beyond precision; it was a feat that could be called a law in itself. A level of skill that allowed no room for even the slightest error was unfolding before their eyes.

One move. With that one move, the fortress’s spire crumbled. Another move, and the demonic power that had been embedded in the Emperor’s body was instantly stripped away.

[This… is…!!]

The demonic power was stolen. The favor of Hell, obtained through countless sacrifices, had been subdued in an instant under that person’s gesture. It wasn’t just the power that was being drained. His very existence, his spiritual presence, was melting away like sugar!

[Why aren’t you dead! How can you withstand that power! Humans can’t do that. Who are you!]

-CRACKKKKK!

The Emperor’s resistance was fierce. What Fernandez was doing now was no different from hijacking a contract. The burden of the contract with Hell was entirely on the Emperor, and Fernandez was stealing only the rewards.

How this was possible, how such a thing could be done, was beyond comprehension. There was no way to understand it just by watching.

But he couldn’t just take it lying down. The Emperor’s eyes turned blood red. Compound eyes opened within them, and sharp insect-like armor rose from beneath his robes.

-CLICK!

The Emperor’s hands transformed into pincers, his jaw split open, and fluid dripped from it. His back tore open, and wings sprouted. The form of a demon. The appearance of a blood-sucking fly.

[Father! Great Lord! Take back your blessing from that man!! Are you abandoning me!]

The Emperor screamed. His thoughts were simple. If he witnessed a human wielding power that no human should be able to wield, perhaps this was the natural course of action.

Urcasia. His power. He was helping that human. But why? Why had he been abandoned?

Of course, it wasn’t Urcasia’s intention, nor was he the one granting the power.

The magic power that had been fiercely reacting within Fernandez’s blood began to rapidly fade. The unlimited magic power that had enveloped his entire body was receding like the tide.

-He’s panicking.

Faijashi chuckled. Fernandez shrugged and looked at his hand. The signs of the plague that had been entwined around his hand disappeared in an instant, and strength began to return to his body.

His physical functions were returning. Although the magic power could no longer be activated as a side effect. And his body, ravaged by the curse, was still in tatters. But as the sense of omnipotence faded, vitality began to surge.

-SLIIIDE.

If magic power was lacking, then strength. Fernandez gripped the sword hilt upside down and slowly drew it out, thinking. Unlike his previous life, his power wasn’t just magic.

If the time of the mage had passed, what remained now was the time of the Inquisition Officer.