CHAPTER 469: CHAPTER 469- THE DEVIL’S FIXATION

As the smoke thickened into a curtain over the castle, a stale silence seeped through the compound and into the throne room.

What remained was the aftermath of a relentless barrage meant to drive even a god to its knees.

Yet the Devil—the Mad King—stood undaunted. Uncanny, unyielding, its frame had withstood destruction that could rival the fury of nuclear fire. And so, when the haze began to thin and the grand hall slowly revealed itself in ruin, the creature remained rooted in place, untouched and unshaken.

Its body was a grotesque torrent of miasma woven into ancient wood, its jagged spikes clattering together with a sound that was at once melodic and venomous—too sweet for the ears, too poisonous for the mind.

Slender yet towering like an ancient tree, its sheer size dwarfed the throne room, casting a shadow that smothered what little remained among the debris.

For a time, it stood motionless, its gaze fixed on nothing. Fluctuations of darkness stirred within its abyssal eyes, while a sadist’s grin lingered—curved, yet strangely rigid.

It was clear the Devil was lost in thought, bewildered by what it had just endured. But like every devil, it was not permitted the luxury of breath or reprieve.

A figure dashed out of the cloud of smoke, her form literally phasing through the air as it restricted all noise.

Like an assassin, Kira Merlin appeared and pointed her fingers at the Creature.

In return, the Devil snapped out of his trance.

"How useless." It said as its smirk returned.

"You surprised me once, but it won’t happen again."

It cackled.

"Besides, you can not defeat me."

Kira’s gaze remained sharp and unamused.

Mana swirled from her heart to the rest of her form, onto her fingertips and a new surge of power exuded from her.

Her head was tilted upwards, while the Devil’s Shadow appeared like a mountain in her presence.

The size difference was clear as day... and should have frightened most people.

But this was Kira Merlin.

She chuckled lightly, to the displeasure of the Monarch Devil.

"Who said anything about defeating you?"

The Mad King’s eyes bulged into uneven sizes, as if arching a brow, but by the time it felt what was amiss... it was too late.

The air whipped, and so did the space.

Immediately, the Mad King felt it across its limbs, and through the air.

In that moment, a lilac spark ignited at the centre of the Throne room. At the exact point, the Devil stood and a portal surged to life.

A Vortex of swirling black and purple, and a gust of mana rushed through it.

’Shit’

The Devil thought when the tendrils of the Vortex stretched out and lashed unto it like an ant to sugar.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

The pull of a Mana Vortex was absolute.

Even to the greatest of beings, it served as an unbiased judge who came to eat everything that existed in its path.

And right now... the Mad King was in its way.

"ARRH!"

The tendrils yanked it like a feather, but the Devil’s resilience was palpable.

With sharp claws, it plunged its arms into the ground as it fell face down.

"I REFUSE!"

Its ancient voice bellowed as the smoke began to descend, and more individuals came into view.

The Head of the Great Families slowly approached.

One by one.

Then the King and the table, who watched with weary eyes.

Then the Nobles who persisted.

Those who were forced to stay because there was no other option.

All calmly approached the scene as it played out, carefully.

In everyone gathered, their expressions lingered between awe, relief or amusement.

But one... one had stood out.

A female with lilac hair and crimson eyes.

Her expression was contorted.

A quiet rage that seethed behind an elegant smile.

The Devil’s reluctance was made known through its desperate attempt to claw out, but the tendrils of the Vortex had swallowed half its limbs.

It was impossible to escape.

"FUCK!"

It screamed in rage as it glared at Kira Merlin.

Its rage burned deep like a ravaging fire, and it sprang in size on landing on that calm gaze.

But that death glare... soon broke out into a mad grin.

"You fool! You’ve forged your own death sentence!"

It laughed out loud as the Black Abyss fully consumed its limbs.

"You think it will stop at me?! No! The Black Sun will consume the rest of you! Your lives! Your generations! Everything will be consumed by the Black Sun."

Kira arched her brow as she watched the Devil’s final struggle.

But nothing seemed to pull her strings.

"Well... if that thought makes you feel better for being deceived by humans."

Then her lips curled into a devilish grin.

"... then go ahead and think that."

The Devil’s gaze narrowed into slits, but its grin never left.

"You’re bluffing."

And the Vortex began to swallow it whole, but before it had drifted fully, its fingers, dying for blood and its gaze, etched with malevolence pointed and stared at one figure who stood by the sides.

The lilac-haired, whose smile remained unfazed since the start of the Trial.

Silence.

The congregation... once united by the Heart of a Trial was now scattered around the ruins of the place meant for that trial.

What was left now was relief... and a descending realisation.

"Kira."

The Head of the Kang Lin Household spoke after much silence within the area.

His gaze, just like most, was now fixed on the Portal that began to grow.

"I’m aware," Kira muttered as she took a step forward and raised her hands in the air.

’Geez... these fools again and again, depend on us, Magic users, to fix their mess.’

The known methods of closing a Mana Vortex were nil, but side contingencies existed to counterattack an occurrence of one.

Of such, the easiest... but most taxing was what Kira was about to perform.

’Creating a Separate Space.’

In other words, a Territorial Space.

Her mana burst forth, and the very air around the growing portal fell into a heavy stillness. Lines of pure energy etched themselves into the space, streaking outward with relentless speed before locking into place.

One after another, they converged, forming a perfect hexagon that sealed itself over the portal’s surface.

At that moment, the process began.

•

•

•

Kira released a heavy sigh as she hovered in the air, arms stretched while her mana formed an orb around her.

Her fingertips reflected a white hue that matched the mana lines that had begun to amass into something grander than the form it took.

It was going to be tasking... and time-consuming, but by the time she was done, a space outside of the Castle would exist and house one of the most dangerous phenomena on earth.

So, to succeed, she focused, until–

"How long will this process take?"

Kira’s brows furrowed slightly in annoyance as she slowly glanced back.

Behind, most of the people remained, as if waiting for the go-ahead before they dispersed.

And perhaps, they were.

Her gaze landed on Derrick, whose face had neither smugness nor playfulness.

’Hah...’ She thought to herself as she looked away. ’Even clowns know when to be serious.’

"Half a day." She replied. "And it would be faster with fewer distractions."

With that, she attempted to drift off once more when–

"Half a day?!"

His voice broke through the air, and his displeasure couldn’t be any more showcased.

With a frown, she glanced at the King who approached the group of twelve.

"As if your impudence were not enough, you would burden your King with your failure to protect the Throne?"

The Heads of the Great Families watched the man in silence, unamused by his statement.

"Your Highness, this is a rather delicate matter."

Derrick began.

The Head of the Kand Lin Household groaned slightly as he nodded.

"Agreed. We should leave her." Chun said as he stroked his beard. "We have other matters to deal with as well, your Highness."

The King glared at Chun Kang Lin.

Then slowly, he pulled that gaze to the rest of them.

"We?" He repeated. "I don’t believe so, Chun. This situation occurred under your presence... The Great Families? Is that what you call yourselves, and you sat there and did nothing when a Devil appeared and tried to ceased the life of your King?!"

His discontent was evident, but none of that mattered to them.

Chun turned to the man who stood next to the King.

Nexulus Bon, the Head Butler and Chamberlain of the King.

The quiet man nodded and turned away.

Walking towards the Head of the Imperial Guards and the Commander in Chief of the Imperial Knights.

The King watched in bafflement until the Imperial Guard and Knight walked to the rest of the crowd.

"Alright, Nobles, depart from the Throne room. The Trial is over."

These people didn’t need to be told twice.

Most had already begun to leave, but with the Commander’s order, they had risen faster.

The Trial was indeed over, and their Accused... in the end had been sentenced to an inevitable end.

Demon Manifestation was what it was called, and it referred to the jumping of Devils and Demons through the gates into the Mortal Realm through Humans and Beasts alike.

But it was extremely rare and difficult to prepare.

What the Great Houses wished to discuss now were words not meant for the public of the Nobles and Aristocrats... nor the L.A.W. who ventured last. Alive and prepared for another trial if it came their way.

It was a matter of great worry, as it was etched in everyone’s mind.

Who summoned the Monarch Devil, the Mad King?

Chun and some observant others had glanced around their fellow counterparts, and they all knew one of them had acted out of line, since the start.

But before that–

"Wonderful thinking, Gloria."

Derrick turned to the Head of the Jun Household who nodded in reply.

The others glanced at them with pleased expressions.

"Indeed. I’m guessing you must have gotten the idea from the Academy’s downfall."

Gloria glanced at Paulson with a measured look.

The old Mermaid sighed as he bowed his head slightly.

"May his soul rest with the depths of the Sea."

Gloria’s gaze shone bright, but a gentle smile broke from her lips.

"Thank you, Lord Paulson."

The Old Mermaid nodded before their attention drifted to Chun, who cleared his throat.

"Now that we’ve taken care of the Devil, we should talk about its purpose for being here."

The King, who had watched from the sidelines, had grown inpatient with their conversations and attempted to cut them off, but the man’s next words caught him off guard.

"Cressida Arcanus."

The King’s gaze flinched for a second as all eyes went to the silently smiling petite lilac-haired.

The 12th family, the Arcanus Household.

A growing tension escaped into the air, as the memories of her expression... her indifference and isolation during the Devil’s invasion and sudden catastrophic actions.

Luckily, no one had died because of their quick thinking, but it could have been worse.

So much worse.

Nobles could have lost their lives.

Domains would have lost their Lords.

Children would have been orphaned and stripped of their homes.

It would have been a catastrophe.

But despite those things, only one thing mattered to the people present.

The Devil’s fixation... it was not random.

Chun’s gaze narrowed slightly as he folded his arms.

"Why... did that Devil point at you?"