Chapter 8: Succession Ceremony (5)

Evelyn Agnes, the owner of Chwiseong Palace, one of the five palaces surrounding Baekseong Palace was walking around in her room, her expression looked somewhat uneasy as she paced back and forth.

“Your Highness, you need to calm down.” Dearned, a middle-aged knight whose face was scarred by a diagonal line, quietly opened his mouth as he looked at Evelyn.

“I’m calming myself down enough. No, I’ve never been anxious in the first place.” Evelyn shook her head and answered, but Dearned knew that she’s been doing this since she heard that Prince Zion headed to the Palace of Qualification, perhaps she is quite concerned about Prince Zion.

“Did Zion enter the Palace of Qualification?” Soon after, Evelyn asked a question to Dearned.

“That’s right, that’s the fifth time you’ve asked me.”

“Is that so?”

After she reply with a long exhale, Evelyn sat down in a chair to bury herself. She had experienced the succession ceremony before and knew how dangerous it could be. Evelyn could not imagine the scene where Zion, whom she knew so far, passed the succession ceremony.

Of course, I know that he has changed somewhat from before.

When she saw Zion last time, she felt it and knew there was some hidden power form within him, but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t be worried. In Evelyn’s memory, Zion was always a fragile brother who always received her help. If it weren’t for the unwritten rule that only those involved in the test could attend, she would have headed to the Palace of Qualification.

“—Did you receive any reports from the eyes you had attached?”

“Yes, there was nothing unusual since the last time I felt the demonic energy in Chimseong Palace. As usual, Prince Zion stayed in the palace until the succession ceremony.”

“If it’s a demonic energy— you mean the Black Wizard’s attack?”

“Yes.”

In fact, Evelyn was very concerned about the incident. Although all traces of the incident’s scene and the testimonies of people in the vicinity pointed to the work of the Black Wizard, she still couldn’t get rid of the feeling that there was something more hidden in the incident.

“Zion—“

The moment when Evelyn approached the window to look at the Palace of Qualification which was close to her palace as she called Zion’s name.

——-!

She could hear the sound of an explosion, it was so small that it could not be heard without listening, but it was clearly heard from the Palace of Qualification. Her complexion began to harden along with the sound of the explosion as she subtly felt the blast.

“Demonic energy—?”

She couldn’t even feel it if she didn’t concentrate as it disappeared quickly, but it was definitely demonic energy.

“Get the knights ready right now!”

“Understood!”

Dearned answered, bowing his head without questioning Evelyn’s instructions.

“I’ll go myself.”

Impatience was seen in Evelyn’s eyes as she put her coat on after she spoke.

* * *

Zion Agnes, a person of no importance at all, neither a target for surveillance nor a contact. That was the assessment made by Delikes and his demon group, but Delikes thought he had to correct the assessment. Zion Agnes’ appearance at the succession ceremony today is completely different from what he’s heard before.

He also knows our existence. How?

Has he already encountered other demons? He had never heard of any contact with Prince Zion. However, no matter if they came from the same demon realm, there was a possibility that Delikes himself did not know all the demons hiding in the Imperial Castle.

If they had made contact, what happened to that demon— Delikes’ thoughts did not continue there because the dark thread wrapped around Zion’s hand was shot at his whole body along with a creepy sound.

Kkadeudeudeuk!

Dark Spirit Trace, was originally an ability under the Astral Darkness used to track a target, but it could be sufficiently applied to attacks depending on whether it was used or not.

Hwaaaak!

The surrounding demon energy stuck together and formed an armor with Delikes’ body as he lightly clenched his fists in response.

Ttititing!

Zion’s Dark Spirit Trace bounces off the demon energy’s armor without penetrating it.

I didn’t expect him to have this much power—

Delikes, who dug into Dark Spirit Trace that bounced in all directions, pulled his right hand back.

Deudeudeuk!

Delikes’ hand transforms into a long awl shape in response.

He still can’t be my opponent.

He destroyed the Death Knight and slaughtered the supervisor, but does that matter? That much could easily have been done by Delikes himself, who had returned to his original form. If that’s all Prince Zion has shown so far, he wouldn’t even be an opponent.

Tuung!

Delikes’ right hand, transformed into an awl with the sound of condensed air exploding as it was launched toward Zion’s heart. The attack was so powerful that the surrounding atmosphere instantly heats up. The moment the attack tried to pierce Zion’s heart—

Kkiriririk!

The Dark Spirit Traces that bounced off in all directions, were aligned like nets and hit Delikes from behind. 

Was he aiming for this from the beginning?

Pupupupuk!

Unlike earlier, the dark threads penetrated Delikes’ demon energy armor all at once as it closed in on his entire body.

“Kuagh!”

Delikes stopped the attack and screamed at the impact he felt. Zion didn’t miss the gap revealed to him as he outstretched his hand toward Delikes to seize him. 

Kwadeudeudeudeuk!

The hand gesture caused the Dark Spirit Trace net to tighten further and penetrate inwards.

“Kugh! You’re a bug-like human!”

Delikes was stained with anger and pain as he let out a cry.

Puhwahahak!

Soon, in an instantaneous explosion, the thick demon energy that erupted from his entire body tore the Dark Spirit Trace net but blood flowed down from Delikes’ whole body as if he had already been seriously injured.

He’s stronger than the lower class I met last time, but— it’s far from the intermediate level described in the chronicle. Has he not yet reached the intermediate level?

With that one clash, Zion roughly guessed the opponent’s strength as he raise Astral Darkness. The foreign darkness descended, Zion had no intention of prolonging this battle. If the battle is prolonged, it will definitely be noticed from the outside.

I have to finish it before then.

It was not yet the time to inform people about the existence of demons in the Imperial Castle.

“How dare you—”

Demons who sneak into the human world are trained in the qualities they should have, but that did not change their basic tendency to despise humans. Therefore, Delikes felt great anger at the current situation, he could not tolerate that he was beaten by a human as a demon being.

Deudeudeudeu!

An incomparably dreadful demon energy flows out of Delikes and begins to fill the entire control room.

Kwajijik!

Unable to withstand its force, the screen shattered. Soon, the figure of Delikes in the middle of the demon energy disappears.

Huuk!

He appeared right in front of Zion at a speed that is reminiscent of moving through space. Delikes’ fist, which used the speed as a driving force, penetrates Zion’s head. No, it pierce through.

Sreuk

The Dark Shift, a typical movement technique under Astral Darkness was used and under this, Zion’s figure that was pierced was scattered on the spot like an illusion. Soon, the scattered Zion gathered again from behind Delikes as he reached out with one hand.

Kiiiing!

Zion’s hands were absorbing all the light around him. But—

“I already knew it would come out like that!”

Delikes, who turned 180 degrees immediately as if he had expected this, smiled fiercely and exploded the storm of demonic energy right in front of Zion. Black Demon Bomb, one of the most powerful techniques Delikes possesses, the gathered demon energy has enough destructive power to blow up at least one palace the moment it touches it and at this distance, it is impossible to avoid or react.

I will make sure that not even a corpse is left behind.

Then, with joy in Delikes’ eyes, the moment when demon energy’s storm and Zion’s hands touch each other.

“That’s the same for me.”

Zion’s eyes narrowed like a crescent moon.

Dark Hand. The most basic technique under Astral Darkness, and one of the most essential techniques of the Astral Darkness. There was no explosion, no light, no sound. As soon as it touches Zion’s blackened hand, demon energy’s storm disappears as if it had never existed in the world from the beginning.

“—!”

Zion’s hand immediately penetrated Delikes’ upper body, Delikes was astonished to even spit out a proper word in such a perplexing scene.

Kwadeudeudeuk!

From Zion’s hand that dug inside the demon while lightly ignoring his armor, flaming darkness erupted.

Bam!

With a loud explosion, he blew off half of the upper half of Delikes’ body.

“Kuaghh—“

Delikes, who was still groaning as he breathe heavily, slowly began to regenerate his body. However, the speed was significantly slower than that of Liusina that Zion had seen.

Is the target of comparison wrong?

Zion gave up on his idle thoughts for a moment and immediately began to attack Delikes. Zion had no intention of waiting for the demon in front of him to fully regenerate.

“Kughh, this fucking bastard!”

Delikes forced his body, which was not fully regenerated to attack Zion as he struggled to keep up, but the odds were already tilted.

Kwagagagagak!

The more the battle continues, the more despair dwells in the demon’s eyes. Far from winning, he couldn’t even see a way out. All of his movements are blocked, and all of his opponent’s attacks are hitting his vital points. Is he reading the future?

No, that’s not it.

Why didn’t he know this from the beginning? Finally, Delikes understood. There was a huge gap between him and the monster named Zion from the beginning.

He didn’t even show all his strength when dealing with the supervisors.

No, not only that, but it seems like he is not fully shown it even now. Perhaps even if his body was fine, the results would have been the same. He was completely deceived.

Flop.

At last, feeling his body no longer regenerated, Delikes knelt down. The figure of Zion, with darkness blooming all over his body, approaches to finish him off in the eyes of such a demon. The figure looked like a god of death.

“Damned Agnes’ blood.” A hollow voice came out of Delikes’ mouth. Soon—

Kwajik!

The darkness engulfed him.

Damned Agnes’ blood, huh—

Zion’s eyes turned black as he looked at Delikes’ body disappearing as he locates the transmission nucleus inside the body using his enhanced eyes.

It’s here—

Soon after, Zion found the transmission nucleus and destroyed it right away.

Kwadeuk!

This was a very important task because it was necessary to prevent information about him from leaking into the demon realm. After neatly finishing, Zion’s head turned toward the entrance of the control room.

Those guys—

How long had they been there? The door of the control room is already open. And beyond that door, two people, who appeared to be participants in the succession ceremony, stood looking to the side with their mouths open with shocked looks.

The whole palace system must have been paralyzed by the battle.

That’s why they could skip the test and come straight here. Looking at the inside of the completely broken control room, Zion slowly walked toward them.

Thud, thud.

Those were the same steps as when Zion first appeared in the Palace of Qualification. However, Renette’s eyes, who were looking at those steps, were shaken beyond comparison.

What just happened—

After the examination of the Palace of Qualification had stopped, she and Bale moved recklessly where the demon energy and darkness were felt. She felt that there was nothing she could do to solve the problem by staying there but the moment they went up to the examination floor and opened the door to the control room— Renette could see the bodies of every supervisor filling the control room. And—

Kwadeudeudeudeuk!

Prince Zion was in the middle of it, fighting a being that was cloaked in darkness and spouting terrifying demonic energy. No, it wasn’t a battle, it was just one-sided violence. Renette knew that the only ones that emitted such demonic energy in the world are the Demonic beings, and each of them has a strength that transcends human beings. How strong do you have to be in order to destroy such a demon?

And how could a demonic being be here—

It was such a huge incident that it was different from the undead she saw a while ago. Meanwhile—

Thud.

Zion looked at them with languid eyes. Just in front of Renette and Bale, the two could not bear the ominousness in Zion’s eyes, and bowed their heads, shaking their bodies unknowingly. Was the person in front of them really the person who was called the imprisoned prince? They couldn’t believe it. Then—

“You’re second place.”

Zion pointed his finger at Renette as he opened his mouth.

“—Pardon?”

Renette asks back with a blank expression on her face. Zion, who ignored her question, pointed to Bale who was next to her.

“You are third place. Congratulations on passing the succession ceremony.”

Zion passes by the two who are still standing in a daze despite his words. Soon after, Zion, who was walking slowly, looked back at Renette and Bale and opened his mouth as if something had come to mind.

“And what you just saw is a secret.”

His voice is low but powerful and can never be disobeyed. Zion smiled after saying that as the two nodded frantically. With those last words, Zion turned his head again and left the shattered control room as knights were approaching in the distance.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like