Chapter 24: Succession Ceremony (5)

Chimseong Palace, one of the five grand structures encircling Baeksung Palace, was the home of its lady, Evelyn Agnes. She was pacing restlessly around her room.

"Please, Princess, try to relax."

A grizzled knight with a facial scar, Dierned, attempted to soothe her, watching her with concern.

"I am relaxed. I'm not worried at all."

Evelyn insisted, her gaze downcast. But Dierned could see the truth. Ever since she heard of Prince Zion heading for the Palace of Eligibility, she had been on edge. Most likely, she was deeply concerned about him.

"Did Zion make it safely to the Palace of Eligibility?"

Evelyn suddenly asked Dierned.

"Yes, you've asked me that five times now."

"Really."

At his response, Evelyn let out a heavy sigh and collapsed into a chair, sinking into its cushion as though it would swallow her up.

She'd already witnessed one succession ceremony, and knew full well the dangers it held. The thought of her brother, the Zion she knew, having to face such an ordeal, was unbearable.

'I understand that he's not the same as before.'

The last time she saw Zion, she felt something different about him, an unfamiliar strength. Still, that didn't alleviate her worry. In her memory, Zion was the vulnerable younger brother who always needed her protection.

If it weren't for the rule that only the related could observe the trials, she would've rushed to the Palace of Eligibility already.

"Any news from the spies?"

"Yes. Besides the magical surge at the Chimseong Palace, nothing unusual has occurred. Prince Zion stayed in the palace as normal until the succession ceremony."

"Magic? Do you mean the black mage's attack?"

"Exactly."

That event had been gnawing at Evelyn. Evidence and eyewitness accounts all pointed towards the black mage. Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it.

"Zion..."

Evelyn, whispering Zion's name, moved towards the window. She found herself staring at the Palace of Eligibility, just a stone's throw away from her own palace.

Boom!

A soft explosion reached her ears. It was faint, barely noticeable unless one was paying close attention. But it was definitely originating from the Palace of Eligibility. A sense of dread washed over her.

The subtle energy that came with the explosion.

"Magic...?"

It was so faint that it was almost imperceptible, and it disappeared in an instant. But it was, without a doubt, magic.

"Get the knights ready. Now."

"Right away."

Dierned didn't question Evelyn's command. Instead, he nodded in agreement.

"I'm going myself."

A sense of urgency reflected in Evelyn's eyes as she spoke. Swiftly, she put on her cloak.

---

Raei Translations

---

Zion Agnes.

He was deemed unimportant, not a target for surveillance or contact.

This was the judgement passed by Deliques and his demon faction.

But Deliques now thought differently. He had to reassess.

Zion Agnes, present at today's succession ceremony, was drastically different from the descriptions and stories he'd heard.

'And he even knows we exist. How?'

Had Zion already encountered other demons?

No reports had mentioned contact with the prince.

But despite all originating from the same demon realm, Deliques didn't know every demon hiding in the royal capital. There was a fair chance of this.

'If he did meet another demon, what happened to that demon...'

His train of thought broke off there.

Crack!

A ribbon of darkness, coiled around Zion's hand, whizzed towards him, making an eerie noise.

Dark Soul Thread.

It was a power of the Black Star, primarily used for tracking, but it could double as an attack if needed.

Growl!

Reacting swiftly, Deliques clenched his fist, and the ambient magic gravitated towards him, forming a protective armor.

Ping!

Zion's Dark Soul Thread was repelled, unable to penetrate the magical armor.

'I didn't think he'd be this strong...'

Still, Deliques, dodging the flying Dark Soul Threads, pulled his right hand back dramatically.

Snap!

His hand morphed into the shape of a long, sharp spike.

'Even so, he's no match for me.'

Zion may have defeated the Death Knight and slaughtered the overseers. So what?

Deliques could easily do the same in his true form.

If this was all Zion had to offer, he wouldn't last long.

Boom!

With a sound like air exploding, Deliques's spike-hand thrust towards Zion's heart.

An attack so fierce it seemed to set the surrounding air on fire.

And just as his attack was about to pierce Zion's heart...

Squeak!

The Dark Soul Threads, previously scattered around, aligned into a net and struck Deliques from behind.

Had this been his plan all along?

Thud!

Unlike before, the black threads tore through Deliques's magical armor in one swift move, embedding themselves all over his body.

"Kuaak!"

Feeling the impact, Deliques stopped his attack and howled in pain.

Spotting an opening, Zion clenched his outstretched hand towards Deliques.

Crash!

With Zion's hand movement, the Dark Soul Thread's net tightened, digging deeper into Deliques.

"Kuuk! You're nothing more than an insect!"

Deliques, a mix of fury and agony coloring his face, spat out a bellow.

Roar!

Immediately, a surge of magic erupted from his body, shredding the Dark Soul Thread's net.

Yet, blood oozed from his body, hinting at the significant damage he had already sustained.

'He's tougher than the low-level demon I encountered earlier… But he's not on par with a mid-level as described in the chronicles. Is he still in the transition phase?'

Zion, gauging his opponent's strength after that initial clash, invoked the Black Star.

An unnatural darkness descended around him.

This was a battle Zion intended to end swiftly.

A drawn-out fight would inevitably attract attention.

'I need to finish this before that happens.'

It was not the time to alert the citizens of the demonic presence within the royal capital.

"How dare you...."

Although demons hiding in the human world are trained to maintain a certain decorum, their hate for humans remains.

For Deliques, this situation sparked intense rage.

A demon like him, being humiliated by a human was intolerable.

Roar!

A terrifying surge of magic, stronger than anything before, flowed from Deliques, flooding the entire control room.

Crackle!

Screens unable to withstand the force began to shatter.

In the midst of this magic, Deliques's figure seemed to vanish.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, he was right before Zion.

His speed was almost like teleportation.

Deliques's fist, fueled by that speed, lunged at Zion's head.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Swoosh-

Zion's figure, seemingly impaled, dispersed on the spot like a mirage.

This was the Black Star's signature move, Dark Flow.

Soon, Zion reappeared behind Deliques and reached out.

Screech!

His hand, absorbing all surrounding light, moved forward.

However,

"I knew you'd do that!"

As if he'd anticipated this, Deliques quickly spun around, a cruel grin on his face. He set off the magic storm he'd prepared right in front of Zion.

Black Magic Blast.

One of Deliques's most powerful techniques was a concentrated mass of magic capable of leveling a palace upon impact.

At this proximity, there was no room to dodge or react.

'I'll obliterate you, without leaving a trace.'

As the magic storm and Zion's hand met, a thrill flickered in Deliques's eyes.

"That goes for me too."

Zion's eyes, like crescent moons, gleamed.

Black Hand.

The most fundamental skill of the Black Star, and the one that best represented its essence.

There was no explosion, no light, no sound.

As soon as the magic storm made contact with Zion's hand, now pitch black, it vanished as if it had never existed.

"...!"

Too stunned to formulate a coherent response, Deliques found Zion's hand piercing his upper body.

Crash!

His hand, unbothered by the magical armor encasing the demon, plunged deeper.

And shortly after, it seemed as though dark flames would erupt from Zion's hand.

Boom!

In a tremendous explosion, half of Deliques's upper body disintegrated.

"Kuaaa...."

Despite gasping, Deliques, barely standing, started to slowly regenerate his body.

However, the speed was markedly slower than the Liushina that Zion had seen.

'Did I use the wrong benchmark?'

Casting aside an irrelevant thought, Zion immediately launched a barrage of attacks on Deliques.

Zion had no intention of allowing the demon to fully regenerate.

"Kuaaa! You damn bastard!!!"

With this, Deliques, still not fully regenerated, forcefully lunged to counter Zion's assault.

But the tables had already turned.

Crackle!

As the battle wore on, despair clouded the demon's eyes.

He couldn't see a path to victory, nor could he find an escape route.

Every move he made was preemptively blocked, and every attack from his enemy struck critical points.

Was his adversary predicting the future?

"No, that's not it."

Why hadn't he recognized it from the outset?

Only now did Deliques understand.

There had always been a vast gap between him and that monstrosity named Zion.

"He didn't even unleash his full power against the wardens."

No, it appeared he was still not displaying it entirely.

Even in peak condition, the result would likely have remained the same.

Complete domination.

Thud.

Eventually, sensing his body cease to regenerate, Deliques collapsed onto his knees.

In his gaze, he saw Zion, shrouded in darkness, advancing to deliver the final blow.

He looked like the Grim Reaper.

"Cursed Agnes bloodline."

A vacant voice escaped Deliques's lips.

Immediately after,

Crack!

Darkness consumed his head.

"Cursed Agnes bloodline…"

For a moment, Zion, staring at Deliques's dissipating corpse, his eyes inky black.

He used his clear gaze to locate the transport core within the body.

'It's here.'

Upon locating the core, Zion promptly destroyed it.

Crack!

Preventing the leak of information about him to the devil was a critical task.

Zion, having resolved the matter neatly, turned his gaze towards the control room's entrance.

'When did they arrive...'

The control room door stood open.

Beyond that, two individuals, looking like successors, stood in stunned silence, their eyes wide in shock, staring at him.

'It seems the palace's entire system was paralyzed due to our battle here.'

That's why they were able to come straight here, bypassing the test.

Surveying the utterly devastated interior of the control room, Zion began to move towards them.

Thud, thud.

His stride echoed just as when he first appeared in the Palace of Qualifications.

Yet, Renet's eyes, watching his approach, held a far greater degree of fear than before.

'What in the world was that...'

When the test in the Palace of Qualifications was suspended, she'd blindly headed towards the cluster of magic and darkness with Veil.

She saw no point in staying idle.

The moment she opened the control room door, finally located after ascending the levels of the test,

Renet bore witness.

A room filled with overseers' corpses.

And,

Crack!

Zion, the Emperor, engaged in combat with an entity, shrouded in darkness, and radiating an intimidating aura of magic.

No, it was not a battle.

It was one-sided brutality.

Renet understood.

Only demonic entities could radiate such magic, each one boasting power far surpassing human capabilities.

To annihilate such a creature, how formidable must one be?

'And how could a demon be here...'

That was a monumental event, entirely distinct from their recent encounter with the undead.

Meanwhile,

Thud.

Zion, having approached Renet and Veil, looked at them with weary eyes.

The two, unable to bear his piercing gaze, involuntarily shrank back, casting their eyes downward.

Was the person in front of them really the person who was called the imprisoned prince?

They struggled to believe it.

Then,

"You are the second."

Zion pointed at Renet and declared.

"...I beg your pardon?"

Renet replied with a puzzled expression, unable to understand his statement.

Disregarding her question, Zion turned his attention to Veil standing beside her.

"You are the third. Congratulations on passing the succession ceremony."

Leaving the still bewildered pair behind, Zion strode past them.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Zion, at a leisurely pace, turned back to address Renet and Veil.

"And what you just witnessed is to remain confidential."

His voice, though quiet, held an irrefutable authority.

At the sight of Zion's grin, the pair nodded in agreement, despite their confusion.

With that, Zion turned away, exiting the nearly demolished control room.

Knights could be seen approaching in the distance.

***