Chapter 23: Session Ceremony (4)


    Five impressive pces make up the imperial city, designed to encircle the central Bai Cheng Pce.


    Aside from Bai Cheng Pce, where the emperor lives, these are the grandest residences.


    At the very top of the most vibrant, red-colored He Xing Pce, a man with untidy grey hair sat, taking a quiet tea break as he looked out the window.


    How long had it been?


    "Is the Night of Rest gone?"


    At some point, the man broke the silence, addressing the magician standing respectfully behind him.


    "Yes... It vanished in a single night."


    The magician replied, lowering his head in confirmation.


    "Apparently, no signs of people were found above the guest floors. It''s weird because there are clear signs of a fight, but no blood."


    "No blood... Could the Blood Tower be involved?"


    "We''re looking into it now."


    "Weren''t they meant to attend this session ceremony?"


    "Yes, they were."


    The man tapped on the window frame, as if bothered by something.


    "I didn''t expect to lose such a valuable piece like this."


    The Night of Rest.


    It was a pawn to be used and thrown away, but losing it now wasn''t part of the n.


    "Things involving Zion haven''t been going welltely."


    Zion Agnes.


    The man''s half-brother.


    Watching him recklessly stir up trouble was frustrating, but the guy always managed to wriggle out.


    The man didn''t appreciate when others disrupted his carefullyid ns.


    Especially those who hadn''t earned their spot.


    Moreover, if Zion were to pass the session ceremony and officially be an emperor candidate, his maternal family could introduce unexpected elements.


    "Is he just lucky? Or does he really... have something?"


    The man wondered aloud, casting another nce towards Bai Cheng Pce.


    "If he survives this session ceremony, I might need to reassess the situation."


    Still, he doubted that would happen.


    Because the session ceremony he had organized wasn''t something you could survive with luck alone.


    ---


    Raei Trantions


    ---


    Rolling.


    In the suddenly silent supervisory room, the only sound was the rolling of the magician''s severed head.


    "How did this happen..."


    Lambard''s eyes quivered.


    His gaze was fixed on Zion, standing over the magician''s lifeless body.


    The sight of someone who shouldn''t be there brought a wave of shock and fear to the other supervisors'' eyes.


    "Take him down!"


    In the heat of the moment, Lambard, quickly grasping the situation, shouted thismand at Zion.


    He couldn''t fathom how Zion had gotten this far, but their goal was clear now - they had to end Prince Zion in this session ceremony.


    The present supervisors were formidable in their own right.


    If they struck as one, they could probably overpower him.


    ''Perfect. Better himing to us than us having to hunt him down.''


    But Lambard''s train of thought...


    Craaaaack!


    Took a sharp turn in the next instant.


    Suddenly, without any warning, two supervisors standing next to Zion saw their heads burst apart.


    "Plotting to murder a royal family member and rigging the session ceremony. You should know that both are punishable by death."


    Zion stated calmly, even as the blood from the dead supervisors sprayed around him.


    Thud, thud!


    The remaining supervisors, finally recovering from their shock, rushed at Zion.


    Zion, deftly sidestepping the sword swipe of the first knight to reach him...


    Kwa-duk-duk!


    Removed the man''s heart from his chest in a swift movement.


    As fresh blood sttered everywhere.


    With bloodied steps, Zion advanced while behind him...


    Kwagwagwang!


    A fireball struck, obliterating the nearby screens.


    Using the ensuing chaos, Zion, moving at lightning speed, reached the magician who hadunched the fireball.


    "What...!"


    Taken aback by Zion''s impossible speed, the magician hastily wrapped himself in a me shield.


    It was a deadly me, capable of reducing a human to ashes on contact, but Zion didn''t falter and thrust his hand at the fiery barrier.


    In Zion''s grip, a dense darkness took form.


    And the moment Zion''s hand collided with the shield...


    Swoosh-


    There was no explosion.


    There was no sound.


    The shield simply vanished as if it had never existed.


    "Insane..."


    Craaack!


    The magician''s head, who stood there cursing in disbelief, was obliterated.


    In sync, blood and grey matter scattered in every direction.


    Zion was well aware.


    The best way to tackle multiple opponents was to strike paralyzing fear into their hearts, disrupting their coordination.


    And so, Zion was executing the supervisors in a much more brutal fashion than usual.


    "This monster!"


    The supervisors continued their attack, fuelled by trembling rage.


    But having already lost their rhythm, they were no match for Zion.


    Kwadeuk, Kwaduduk!


    Each of his movements imed a life with deadly precision.


    Not a single action was wasted.


    The people before him had the privilege to ess the royal pce, but Zion showed them no mercy.


    From his days as emperor till now, Zion never spared those who sought his life.


    No matter who they were.


    "What in the world..."


    Lambard watched the unfolding scene with stupefied eyes.


    Each of the supervisors gathered here held sufficient power to lead a small faction.


    They wouldn''t select individuals of lesser strength to oversee a session ceremony that prized power.


    And yet, they were being shredded like paper dolls by Prince Zion.


    ''Didn''t he reveal everything when dealing with the Death Knights?''


    Lambard was struggling to understand.


    The grim reality that they were all being annihted by a single man, one dubbed the disgrace of the Agnes royal family.


    Monster.


    That was the word that surfaced when considering a direct descendant born with the potent bloodline of Agnes.


    Lambard now perceived that monstrous figure in Prince Zion.


    "Pl-Please spare... Aaaack!"


    "Prince Zion, show some mercy... Gahk!"


    The conflict happening in the room...


    No, it could hardly be called a conflict anymore.


    It was a one sided ughter.


    The supervisors were pleading with Prince Zion for their lives, and Zion, without hesitation, was taking those lives.


    "How can such a thing be in..."


    Lambard crumpled to his knees in despair, observing Prince Zion, who had imed the lives of every creature in the room, sparing only him.


    He couldn''t be killed.


    It was predetermined.


    As inevitable as a river flowing to the sea.


    Slowly, ever so slowly.


    Zion, shrouded in his sinister darkness, gradually approached Lambard, his wordsced with cruel sarcasm.


    "Surely, someone else gave you your orders to act this way. Probably someone you''ve pledged your everything to, someone you fear the most."


    "Aah..."


    Zion and Lambard locked eyes.


    Lambard felt as though Zion''s gaze was tearing open his deepest emotions.


    "But you know, the one you should truly fear isn''t him."


    The unsaid was just as clear as the spoken.


    He would have grasped it even if it wasn''t articted.


    Kiiing!


    With that, the darkness swirled once more around Zion''s right hand.


    A fear beyond words gripped Lambard at the sight of the ominous darkness, and in desperation, he blurted out.


    "I''ll talk! I''ll reveal everything about the person who gave these orders! Just spare my life....."


    He had to survive, no matter what.


    That was Lambard''s sole thought.


    From the beginning, he was likely kept alive only for information extraction.


    But Zion''s following words shattered his expectations.


    "You don''t need to speak."


    "......Excuse me?"


    "I already know."


    "......!"


    With those words, Zion, sporting a sinister smile, swiftly executed Lambard.


    Kwajik!


    Lambard''s head, brimming with unanswered questions, rolled onto the floor.


    Zion, briefly considering the severed head, cast his gaze upon one of the lifeless bodies scattered around and spoke.


    "How long do you n on ying dead?"


    It was an odd scene — him addressing someone who appeared lifeless.


    Under normal circumstances, no response should''ve been expected, but Zion''s eyes held a firm certainty of an impending reply.


    And then.


    "So, you found out?"


    A voice, neither male nor female, rang out.


    At that.


    Woo-duduk!


    A magician''s corpse, its chest gaped open, abruptly rose and began to transform.


    A distinct horn protruding from its forehead, its humanoid yet disproportioned body.


    Its skin, a shade like ck, and eyes devoid of any whites.


    The thick magic emanating from it made it abundantly clear that this was a being from the demon realm.


    Demon.


    Among the creatures inhabiting the demon world, it is the closest to humans and simultaneously, the most formidable to handle.


    ''It appears to be a more superior entity than the one I encounteredst time.''


    Initially, when he stepped into the control room, Zion hadn''t noticed, but the faint magic emitted when he crushed the demon''s human heart a moment ago gave it away.


    Moreover, its clear enunciation and immacte appearance indicated that it was a higher being than the demon he had grappled with in the Sun Pce earlier.


    ''Well, it would be strange if there weren''t any here when there were some in the Sun Pce. In fact, it''s quite beneficial.''


    Seeing it as an opportunity to gauge the power of demons, Zion drew his ck Star with a nonchnt smile.


    Meanwhile, the demon, now fully transformed into its original form, began speaking while looking at Zion.


    "I didn''t anticipate things turning this way. Who would''ve guessed that the worthless prince was concealing such formidable power."


    Deliques, the demon, was genuinely taken aback.


    Even he, who had been lurking in the Imperial Pce for ages, hadn''t seen this developmenting.


    The idea that his identity would be exposed in this manner hadn''t crossed his mind.


    Furthermore.


    "......Aren''t you surprised to see a demon in the Imperial Pce?"


    Deliques'' eyes gradually hardened as he observed Zion, who remained unperturbed by his appearance, expressing surprise.


    It was a natural reaction for any creature not belonging to the magical realm to be startled or bbergasted by the sight of a magical being.


    Demons were the enemies of the entire world, humanity included.


    But such calmness could only signify one thing.


    "You were already aware."


    How much did he know?


    That he, Deliques, was a demon?


    Or could he be aware of the other entities that had infiltrated the Imperial Pce?


    A dense magic began to radiate from Deliques'' form.


    "I intended to leave... but I''ve reconsidered. I have questions to address."


    His magic was of such high purity that it dwarfed any monsters he had encountered before.


    A regr individual would have turned ashen just by being in proximity.


    "That''s not your decision to make."


    However, Zion''s gaze remained unperturbed as he quietly retorted to Deliques.


    "The decision rests with me."


    Kkiriririk!


    Immediately after, tendrils of darkness began to ooze from Zion''s hands, their eerie scraping sound echoing like nails against a ckboard.


    ---


    Raei Trantions


    ---


    The second examination floor of the qualification pce.


    "Where on earth did he disappear to?"


    A member of Hermes, one of the world''s top five exploration teams, and a descendant of Agnes''s branch bloodline, R, was searching for Prince Zion, who had inexplicably vanished from sight.


    "Staying by Prince Zion''s side is my only chance to survive this bizarre session ceremony."


    Her doubts about Prince Zion''s unexinable power were already put on the back burner.


    Surviving this ordeal was her foremost priority and any such suspicions could only be addressed afterwards.


    Staying close to Prince Zion, who had just dealt with the four Death Knights, might marginally improve her odds of survival.


    "But the issue is, I have no clue where Prince Zion has gone."


    Despite her keen tracking skills as an explorer, she could find no traces of Prince Zion, who had evaporated right before her eyes.


    "Should I abandon the search?"


    She found herself in a moment of uncertainty.


    Thud.


    The sound of footsteps echoed from around the corner of the maze in front of her.


    Shrring!


    Upon hearing the sound, R, brandishing her crescent-shaped sword, shed towards the source of the noise.


    She intended to strike first and retreat if faced with a Death Knight.


    However.


    "Shouldn''t you verify whether it''s human or monster beforeshing out?"


    Creeak!


    Her de was thwarted by a steel shield, apanied by a familiar voice.


    Emerging into R''s sight was none other than Veil of the Steel Horse.


    Veil was in a rough state.


    He had a profound gash stretching from his shoulder to his side, with blood still seeping from hastily bandaged wounds scattered across his body.


    "You''re still kicking?"


    "I was certain you''d meet your end on the first floor."


    The two exchanged casual banter.


    "Have youe across Prince Zion?"


    R then asked, while more diligently attending to Veil''s wounds.


    "Prince Zion? I haven''t seen him. I assumed he might''ve perished by now."


    "No, he''s alive. And we must locate him."


    "Why so?"


    Veil questioned.


    "You''re aware that this session ceremony is peculiar, right?"


    "Indeed."


    "We need to locate Prince Zion to endure this session ceremony."


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "Because he''s the most formidable amongst us."


    "That''s ridiculous......!"


    Just as Veil was about to erupt at R''s continued, inexplicable remarks.


    Kwaahhhh!


    An enormous explosion resonated from above, causing the Pce of Qualification to quiver.


    Simultaneously, the magic circles governing the entire pce began to dim, and the tests on each floor stopped one after another.


    "What''s happening now!"


    Caught off-guard by this unforeseen event, R blurted out a bewildered exmation.


    -------!


    R and Veil could sense it.


    The sinister magical energy seeping from above the pce, and the profound darkness that was devouring such magic.


    ***


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