Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 032
Chapter Title: Dominance in Rasiel's Garden
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Sein's figure standing in Rasiel's garden embodied arrogance itself.
Towering over the dozens of candidates with unabashed confidence.
It was a sight no candidate had ever shown before.
“……!”
The candidates, startled by Sein's presence.
“…….”
But they quickly regained their composure and slowly gathered their energy.
Rumble.
The surging energies clashed against Sein's, engaging in a battle of wills.
The ones surprised again were the candidates.
‘He's holding up?’
The energy opposing Sein right now came from multiple candidates.
Yet Sein, all by himself, wasn't just holding his own against their combined might—he was matching it evenly.
‘What kind of mana reserves...'
Overwhelming mana capacity.
But what shocked Cisna Roberta was something else.
‘His mana control is beyond imagination.’
Most of the candidates were greenhorns who had only recently awakened their mana.
Thanks to their Demorus bloodline, along with support from Demorus, Rasiel, and their guardians, the candidates' mana quantities had grown rapidly—but not their control.
That required hands-on experience, getting used to it through the body itself.
Unless...
“...a genius, huh.”
A genius in mana control that allowed no rivals.
The gazes directed at Sein shifted a dozen times in an instant.
There was also the girl standing beside him worth noting.
The blonde girl appeared to have nothing special about her beyond her pretty face, yet Sein was protecting her while still clashing with the candidates.
"Well, I think that's enough for introductions, right?"
In that instant.
Whoosh!
The energy radiating from Sein vanished.
"...Wha—!"
"Urk!"
Just like in a palm-pushing contest, when one side suddenly drops their force after holding steady.
Those who had been pouring everything into pushing back lost their balance.
"Cough!"
Some lost control of their redirected mana and toppled over; in worse cases, they couldn't withstand the backlash and vomited blood.
"Tsk tsk."
Sein's tongue clicked through the garden.
"I thought you were top-tier trash among the trash. Never mind, scratch that."
Sein with playful eyes.
But those meeting his gaze.
"You're just trash."
Felt chills erupt across their entire bodies.
“…….”
Less than three minutes since Sein had entered the garden.
Sein.
"Still, since we're all from the same seed-spreader, isn't this a pretty lame way to say hello?"
Had overwhelmed every single candidate.
Shing.
A sword drew itself from Sein's waist.
Not Bastion, but a standard blade he'd hastily prepared.
"Show me what a proper Demorus greeting looks like."
*
*
*
An arrogant bastard.
Was provoking them.
They'd already been overwhelmed by him once, sure, pushed back.
"Never seen a crazier fucker."
This was Demorus's Rasiel.
They were the candidates carrying Demorus blood.
"You gonna show us?"
One candidate, a short-haired young man named Kindra, pulled out two daggers and spun them deftly as he spoke.
"Show us? Rings a bell."
Even with Kindra right in front of him, Sein muttered to himself.
"Ah, the one whose mom's an ogre."
"What?"
"He denied it, but his mom's definitely an ogre."
Sein declared it boldly.
"Everyone remember that. The seed-spreader we all share doesn't discriminate by gender, age, or even race—he's a real egalitarian."
Remembering the monster slave markets in Antara, Sein shuddered.
"What the hell are you..."
"Anyway."
Kindra tried to retort, but Sein cut him off without giving him an opening.
"Are you blind?"
"...What?"
Kindra's face darkened coldly at Sein's words.
"If you're not blind, how do you mix me up with that ogre-spawn?"
"Kindra. He's right."
Another one.
One of the candidates approached and spoke.
He had quite a refined appearance.
"Cis."
It was Cis.
"That Boba guy had Barbvik as his guardian. Barbvik emphasizes physical prowess, but this one's not the type."
The skill he'd shown handling mana.
That wasn't something Barbvik could teach.
To wield Barbvik's iron chains, you actually needed lower mana affinity.
"Your eyes must be fine after all."
Only then did Sein shrug as if it were obvious.
"Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Sein Demorus, from Chichiron."
Sein answered Cis's question.
"Good. Welcome, Sein."
That was Cis's chosen approach.
‘Better to keep him close and watch. No point provoking him needlessly.’
Sein acted recklessly.
Better to keep him nearby and observe slowly than to poke the bear.
But Cis didn't know.
"Sure, I welcome you too, but..."
Ignoring Cis, Sein approached Kindra.
"We weren't done talking, this fucker?"
Kindra glared sharply at Sein, though he hesitated.
"You're blind. Right?"
"What the fuck are you saying, you psycho."
"You mistook me for that lumbering brute, so yeah, you're blind."
"So what the hell are you..."
That was the moment.
Flash.
It happened in an instant.
The moment Sein's right hand moved, leaving an afterimage.
“……?”
Some candidates still hadn't realized what happened.
“…….”
Cis and a few others stared with even colder eyes.
The next instant.
"Gaaahhh!"
Kindra's agonized scream echoed.
"My eyes! My eyes!"
Kindra collapsed, clutching his eyes.
"You fucking bastard!"
Kindra, whose guardian was Jace the Lightning Flash.
Among Rasiel's candidates, he ranked mid-tier at best, but he prided himself on his top-class speed.
Yet Kindra hadn't even reacted properly before getting hit.
Most candidates only pieced it together after hearing his scream.
"You sure have good eyes."
Only a few, including Cis.
"Did you see it?"
Had caught Sein's movement.
The playful demeanor was gone, replaced by cold, ruthless eyes.
That hand slipping through the gap.
Even trying to play it cool.
Flinch.
Cis couldn't help but shrink back at the sight.
"Gaaah!"
"Alright, looks like introductions are over."
Whether Kindra screamed or not, Sein said what he had to.
"Anyone else got something to say?"
"Who the hell do you—! Die!"
The moment blind Kindra thrust his dagger toward Sein's voice.
Clang!
A sword beam flew from somewhere, knocking Kindra's dagger aside.
*
*
*
"Too bad."
Sein said.
"I was gonna kill him."
In fact, Sein's blade was already at Kindra's throat.
The sword beam had saved Kindra, not Sein.
And the one who fired it was.
"That's too much for a greeting."
A middle-aged man with a stylish mustache.
"Guildmaster!"
A few candidates fawned over the middle-aged man.
"You've arrived."
Cis bowed politely, as if he'd never been startled.
The mustached middle-aged man.
He was.
"So you're the Sein punk."
Alman, guildmaster of Rasiel, one of Demorus's three great organizations.
"I'm Alman Demorus, in charge of Rasiel."
Alman Demorus.
He was Demorus blood.
“…….”
Sein and Alman faced each other.
Even then, Sein kept his sword at Kindra's throat.
"Wouldn't it be better to sheath that sword now?"
At Alman's words, he slowly withdrew and stepped back.
"You're a monster."
Others might not see it, but Sein, facing him, knew.
If he'd pushed further here, Alman would have punished him.
This was Rasiel.
Alman's territory.
Plus, while Sein could only claim Demorus as a candidate, Alman declared:
-Alman Demorus.
Demorus himself.
"Thanks for the recognition. You're not fully ripe yet either, but..."
Heh.
Alman's smiling face.
"You're no pushover."
Sein could sense the vicious undercurrent behind that smile.
‘Monsters, huh.’
Arin had warned him.
The Demorus he'd meet from now on.
No, the real Demorus were monsters not to be underestimated.
No matter how much of a destroyer he was, in this era, that name wouldn't carry weight without proving his power.
"Alright. Let's get this sorted."
Alman's single command.
Even the rampaging Kindra stood, enduring the pain in his eyes.
The candidates moved to form ranks.
It didn't take long for them to line up properly.
Heh.
Alman's satisfied smile.
"Today, with Sein Demorus's arrival, Rasiel's garden is full."
Candidate competition.
Even reaching the three great organizations was part of it.
No one knew how many seeds the great Demorus seed-spreader had sown, but rumor had it nearly two hundred.
"The other organizations filled up long ago."
Each guild's quota was thirty.
Those who hadn't arrived yet lacked guardians, or even if they had, weren't enough.
They.
"Now we can truly begin the candidate competition..."
Would be eliminated.
"I declare."
Boom!
That was why Sein had gathered intel through Otlmeo and timed his arrival perfectly.
"We'll end the mood-setting here. You all look full of vigor—Demorus's future looks bright."
He'd just burst another candidate's eyeball, yet that's what they heard.
But Sein had to admit it too.
“…….”
This was the underworld they called it.
The world he had to conquer.
From here on.
"Disband for today. Rest up."
It was the real Dark Sanctuary's start.