Chapter 52
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Beyond Expectations
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The one silver lining was that the demonic beasts appearing in the assignment were relatively slow.
A demonic beast's rank is determined by a comprehensive assessment of its abilities. While these beasts were strong, they were sluggish compared to other 4-Ma Class beasts, making it possible to survive if one was determined to evade them.
Of course, merely dodging was the best one could hope for; a single misstep would result in a fatal wound.
'He certainly is good at dodging.'
Through the viewing orb, he could see Chris's movements.
He was deftly weaving and dodging, narrowly avoiding each attack.
[He certainly has talent. His movements are completely different from the other children.]
Nordian's voice held a hint of admiration.
[But he's far too clever. He's predicting the demonic beast's every move and evading. He needs to be pushed to his limit to truly feel the essence of dark magi.]
Nordian had one goal for this assignment.
Before beginning his formal instruction, he wanted Chris to experience the essence of dark magi firsthand in an extreme situation.
Feeling the essence of dark magi just before being initiated into the Dark Magic Arts was a priceless experience.
'Dark magi is a great power. If he could perfectly perceive and utilize its essence, he could defeat those beasts with that alone.'
Of course, that was a very advanced technique.
A sublime art that most in the Dark Magic House would never grasp in their lifetime.
Nordian had given this assignment to lay the foundation for that path to mastery.
'But at this rate... he won't even feel the essence of dark magi, let alone...'
Just as he was thinking with displeasure.
Something completely unexpected happened.
*CRASH!*
One of the Twin Head Bears collapsed.
"!!"
[?!]
Merian and Nordian's eyes widened.
It happened out of nowhere.
"My Lord, was that your doing?"
[...No.]
"Then how?"
Nordian couldn't answer.
He was staring intently at the crystal orb, unable to believe what he had just seen.
'Was that just...? No. It can't be.'
Just before the Twin Head Bear fell, Christian's hand had lightly touched its back.
It wasn't an attack or anything of the sort, just a touch.
But the Twin Head Bear collapsed.
There was only one way.
Nordian knew of a method that could produce such a phenomenon.
It was absurd.
How could a boy who hadn't even been initiated into the Dark Magic Arts pull off something like that?
But just then.
*CRASH!*
Another tremendous roar echoed.
The second Twin Head Bear had fallen.
The chamber fell silent.
This time, Merian recognized it too.
"My Lord... surely, that wasn't just...?"
[...]
Instead of the silent Nordian, Simon, who had been standing quietly beside them, spoke with a faint smile.
"It looks like that technique you often use, my Lord. 'Dark... Demise,' was it?"
"......"
No.
It's impossible.
But even to Nordian's eyes, the technique Christian had just used was indeed 'Dark Demise.'
He'd told him to feel the essence of dark magi, and now Chris had skipped dozens of steps and was using an advanced technique!
And the surprises didn't end there.
Watching what Chris did next, Merian forgot she was in the presence of the Lord and uttered a single word.
"...Crazy."
* * *
'So this is the Old Lord. He lives up to his reputation. What excellent tutelage.'
Chris was inwardly impressed.
At first, when the difficult demonic beasts appeared, he had tilted his head in confusion.
Why assign such a task?
Doesn't it just seem dangerous?
But he was wrong.
Nordian, befitting the strongest majin of the Dark Magic House, had given him the perfect assignment.
'He wants me to use dark magi to defeat these beasts!'
That wasn't the assignment at all.
But Chris had misunderstood.
It seemed possible, after all.
'The only thing I have that's superior to these beasts is my dark magi.'
If so, he had to use his dark magi as a weapon.
That must be the answer to the assignment.
...That was not it at all, but Chris, having misunderstood, found his own solution.
'The nature of dark magi is perfect darkness. And domination.'
One thing Nordian didn't know was that Chris already had a perfect grasp of the essence of dark magi.
It wasn't an intellectual understanding.
It had been instinctively imprinted on his body when he absorbed the Sacred Black at 100%.
'The nature of darkness and domination. How can I use that as a weapon?'
It didn't take long to arrive at an answer.
Demonic beasts also harbored darkness.
He had to subjugate that darkness.
'It won't be easy. But it should be possible against these beasts.'
Chris marveled at Nordian's consideration (?).
The demonic beasts that had appeared possessed immense strength and physical defense, but they were slow and had weak resistance to magi.
Originally, they were chosen to push Chris to his physical limits, but instead, they became the perfect targets for him to test his dark magi.
It didn't work well at first.
He couldn't quite get the hang of how to dominate his opponent's magi.
No one had ever taught him.
But Chris vaguely began to find clues on his own.
'I have to temporarily let go of the dark magi. Let it run wild.'
Dark magi had a natural tendency to dominate other magi.
But trying to exert that dominance artificially didn't work well.
So what then?
For a fleeting moment, he had to release control.
Allow the dark magi to run rampant on its own.
Of course, he couldn't stop there.
If the dark magi ran too wild, the opponent's magi would also mount a strong resistance, causing him to lose dominance.
The moment the dark magi asserted its dominance, he had to immediately regain control and regulate it to move the opponent's magi according to his will.
It was like a tightrope walk.
But after a few attempts, he started to get the feel for it.
'I don't need to dominate the beast's entire core. I just need to dominate and control the magi flowing through the blood veins to its vital organs.'
The heart, for instance. Or he could dominate the magi flowing to the brain and stop the organ's movement for just a moment.
That way, he could fell an opponent with only a small amount of magi.
Indeed, just as he predicted, the Twin Head Bear lost consciousness and collapsed with a crash.
'This is the best training for dark magi.'
Chris was impressed.
In truth, this was a difficult technique to use against other majin.
They wouldn't just stand there and take it like these lumbering bears.
But against demonic beasts that were physically powerful but slow and had low magi resistance, it could be a powerful move.
Above all, it was the best way to train his control over dark magi.
'As expected of the Lord. He must have given me this assignment to train my dark magi. Next up is the Rock Lizard.'
As its name suggested, it was a lizard with skin like rock.
It was nearly impossible to damage it with external physical attacks, whether by magic or weapons.
'He must want me to take this down with dark magi too. How should I do it?'
Simply dominating the magi flowing to its vitals wouldn't work.
Its organ structure was different from the Twin Head Bear's.
It had three hearts, and even those were made of stone. They wouldn't stop easily.
'In that case.'
Christian's eyes gleamed.
He approached the Rock Lizard's blind spot.
Once again, an unbelievable sight began to unfold.
* * *
"......"
[...]
Merian and Nordian were silent.
'...Am I seeing this right?'
Merian thought, her face a picture of disbelief.
Nordian wasn't saying a word, but it was obvious what he was thinking.
Something that should have been impossible was happening.
Simon shrugged, his voice laced with amusement.
"Oh? That's an applied version, isn't it? Not just temporarily stopping the function of a few organs, but disrupting the flow of magi to deal widespread damage to the entire body."
In other words.
What Christian had just done was this.
He had temporarily 'stopped' the flow of magi in the Rock Lizard's blood veins.
How?
Even with dark magi, dominating the entire flow of an opponent's magi should be impossible.
Chris had momentarily dominated intermittent points along the steadily flowing magi, 'severing' it piece by piece.
It was like a line of carriages running in a row, and he had stopped carriages in the middle of the line.
The number of stopped carriages wasn't large.
But Chris had cleverly disrupted the flow in a continuous sequence.
The disruption in the magi ahead immediately caused a disruption in the magi behind it.
In this way, the entire procession of magi was forced into a shutdown.
"...Merian, did you teach him this?"
"...No, my Lord."
"...I suppose so. This isn't something that can be taught."
Right after acquiring dark magi, it was difficult enough just to move it properly within one's own body.
That's why the Dark Magic Arts existed.
But what was this display?
'...It's as if he's controlling it like his own limbs.'
Merian swallowed hard.
What's more, Christian's insane display was evolving as time went on.
When the same types of demonic beasts appeared next, as pre-determined by Nordian, he began to fell them with gusto, as if he were practicing his control over dark magi.
With each repetition, his movements became faster and more efficient than before.
"At this rate, he doesn't even need to learn the Dark Magic Arts, does he?"
The Dark Magic Arts were meant to teach one how to handle dark magi.
Simon asked with a slight smile.
"He seems to handle dark magi much better already, doesn't he?"
"......"
A heavy silence fell.
Only the image of a thrilled Chris, felling one demonic beast after another, was visible in the orb.
After a long while.
Nordian slowly opened his mouth.
[The assignment is over.]
At the same time, Christian was summoned back to the training ground in a shroud of darkness.
Chris looked momentarily bewildered before bowing his head to Nordian.
"Thank you, my Lord, for the excellent assignment. Thanks to you, I was able to achieve a small accomplishment."
Hearing this, Nordian's expression was, for lack of a better word...
The face of someone looking at something truly bizarre.
Merian understood.
Her own face was likely similar.
She should be delighted that a scion of the family had shown such a remarkable feat, but... was it because he was *too* remarkable? The feeling of bewilderment came first.
'...I nearly died doing that assignment.'
Chris tilted his head at their reactions. Only Simon was suppressing a chuckle.
"My Lord?"
[...Yes. I saw your performance. You did... better than expected.]
"You flatter me. It was only thanks to the excellent assignment you gave me."
Nordian fell silent again.
He didn't know what to say to the grandson who, when told to experience an extreme situation, had instead toyed with the demonic beasts.
Even if Nordian himself were to go back in time, he wouldn't have been able to accomplish what Chris had.
'...Is he truly a genius?'
Nordian decided to accept it.
That this rascal of a grandson's talent far surpassed his expectations.
At that thought, Nordian's heart skipped a beat.
How long had he waited for such a bloodline?
His other children, grandchildren...
They were his flesh and blood, but they were all subpar.
He held no expectations for any of them.
But with this talent, perhaps he could truly fulfill his 'lifelong ambition.'
However.
Nordian's expression hardened.
'This is still just the first step.'