Chapter 139: Chapter 104: The Evil Truth, The Might of a Single Sword
「A long time ago.」
Stein had once learned some little-known ’evil truths’ about the Imperial Knights and the Divine Emperor’s Angels from the extraordinary knowledge bestowed upon him by the Ten Thousand Changes Demon Monarch.
From the perspective of the Void Demons and the Four Gods,
The process of an ordinary Imperial Citizen transforming from a Mortal into a Knight—through diligent training and participation in battle—was, in essence, no different from a Demon Ascension Ceremony.
The only difference was that the Great Demons serving the Radiant Divine Emperor called themselves Angels, while the angels serving the Four Gods were called Great Demons by humans and the Scaya Dragon Descendants.
Stein believed this wholeheartedly, accepting it as the truth.
In his eyes, seeking power from the supreme beings of the Void Realm was no different from a Knight training arduously and fighting in one dangerous battle after another to advance their Knight Military Rank.
So when Stein sensed the Knightly Aura coming from the direction of the Verne Steel Bridge Corridor, he was stunned for a moment. He never imagined Reinhardt could break through the encirclement, much less that his Knight Power would advance to the Seven-star Military Rank because of it.
The power of the Knights of Destiny Weaver was far beyond what an ordinary Five-star Imperial Knight could ever hope to match.
Even one of the Empire’s Chosen Ones would have no chance of survival if they single-handedly faced an ambush by a hundred-strong Battle Group of these powerful warriors, personally crafted by the Ten Thousand Changes Demon Monarch!
But not only had Reinhardt fought his way out of the encirclement, the intense battle had elevated his Knight Power to the Seven-star Military Rank. No... the intensity of this aura had already surpassed the Seven-star rank, reaching the absolute limit an Official Knight could achieve!
Stein was reminded of that evil truth about the Imperial Knights.
He himself had once, in his despair, repeatedly begged the Divine Emperor for power, but death and Demons were his only answer.
If he hadn’t undergone the Demon Ascension Ceremony, he might have been enraged by jealousy—to think that the elaborate trap he had set had instead become a stepping stone for his enemy’s advancement.
He was jealous of the Radiant Divine Emperor’s favor toward Reinhardt.
Jealous that that mediocre and lowly human had so effortlessly obtained such immense Extraordinary Power.
However, as the Demon Prince he now was, Stein’s heart was calm. Or rather, possessing Earth Knight Power equivalent to a Four-star Military Rank, he saw all of Reinhardt’s efforts—surprising as they were—as nothing more than the final, dying struggles of an ant.
Stein turned his head, his gaze fixed on the crimson figure that had appeared at the far end of the battlefield.
He sneered inwardly.
’As expected. Only demonic knowledge records the true nature of this world,’ he thought. ’The Pseudo-Emperor’s hypocritical double standards are on full display in an Imperial Knight like Reinhardt.’
’Only the most devout Imperial Knights receive the Pseudo-Emperor’s attention.’
’Knights like me, who served a Local Lord, had our prayers go completely unnoticed and unanswered.’
’It was a good thing I saw the light and recognized the truth so early on.’
’The Void Demons are far more generous than the Pseudo-Emperor. Void Divine Artifacts, extraordinary knowledge, Ancient Magic... As long as I’m willing to pay the price, I can obtain any power I crave from the Ten Thousand Changes Demon Monarch and increase my strength.’
Stein was already considering how he would torture Reinhardt, and how he would then hang the corpse on the Pseudo-Emperor’s statue in the Monastery to declare his victory.
Although the Demon Ascension Ceremony and the Void Divine Artifact had granted him the power of an Ancient Wizard, his Knight Power remained at the Seven-star Military Rank. Fusing the two would require more time.
’More than enough to torture a mere Official Knight, though.’
The slaughter continued in the districts surrounding Caster Monastery. Faced with the assault of the Destiny Abominations and Weaver Knights, the defensive line had long since collapsed, and large numbers of Defense Army soldiers and civilians were retreating toward the monastery.
The slaughter of civilians continued amidst the labyrinthine buildings and streets of the Upper City District.
Despair spread like wildfire.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of innocents died every second.
The Caster Battle Group’s only two New Recruit Knights—one gravely injured and on the verge of death, the other covered in blood and filth—tried to help the kneeling Raphael to his feet, only to be violently blasted away by the force of the Mind Storm.
Raphael’s face was pale, his expression a mask of pained struggle. But more than the mental torment he was enduring, he could not accept the failure of this battle, the fall of this world.
He had foreseen it all in visions of the future.
And yet, as the Void Storm blotted out the sky and this cruel future descended upon the world—upon him—his heart bled. The humiliation and agony of wanting to save everyone but being utterly powerless, able only to struggle feebly under the enemy’s Mighty Power, was excruciating.
He once naively believed that everything would be all right, that Reinhardt would save this world.
But only now, caught in the maelstrom of death that was this grand war, did he truly understand how powerless and insignificant one’s personal might was in the face of it all.
He knew reinforcements from the Imperial Legion would arrive soon, but it was already too late.
Once the Demon Prince completed the ritual and broke through the barrier between the Void Realm rift and the cosmic channel, an endless tide of Void Demons would pour through to every corner of the Ash Soil Star Zone!
But even in this desperate situation, Raphael’s faith remained unshakable. He prayed silently to the Divine Emperor.
To protect this world, the Mortal Defense Army, he, and Reinhardt had already done everything they could. They had given their all.
Just as his Mind Barrier was crumbling under Stein’s immense pressure, just as he was taking his final steps toward death, the crushing weight that would have killed him vanished in an instant!
Raphael gasped, sucking in a deep breath of air. His consciousness, which had been trapped in Stein’s Mind Storm, reconnected with the physical world.
In that instant, a deafening sonic boom ripped through the air!
He looked up to see a crimson figure streaking across the battlefield at high speed, crashing with incredible ferocity into the Demon Prince Stein. The Divine Emperor’s fury roared without a sound!
BOOM—!
At that same moment, as the boom carrying the Divine Emperor’s fury echoed over the Caster Monastery battlefield, the aftershock from the clash of Mighty Powers erupted into a howling storm that swept across the field.
Mortal Soldiers still holding the line and Weaver Knights who had betrayed humanity alike—all of them looked up toward the distance.
There, they saw a Longsword wreathed in eternal, crimson flames of fury. It ignored the Demon Prince’s magical defenses, burned through the extraordinary, twisted barrier of Demon Power, and, with the force of a thunderbolt, pierced straight through his warped and mutated body!
A moment later, Stein’s scream of horrified agony, laced with Mind Magic, echoed across the entire battlefield.
He stared in disbelief at the Divine Emperor’s Fury impaling his chest, his pupils quaking violently. It was the raw, immediate threat of death itself!
"This is impossible—! I’ve completed the Demon Ascension Ceremony! I am the Demon Prince of the Ten Thousand Changes Demon Monarch! You—"
