Chapter 224. I Will Come Find You, No Matter What (3)

The Malevolent Emperor's body had been crushed beyond recognition.

Not just his head—his entire body. Only a mangled mass of flesh, once called the Malevolent Emperor, now lay sprawled on the floor.

The throne itself was already soaked in his blood. And yet, his voice didn't cease.

"Madness and hatred... Looking at you now, you are far more suited for the seat of a Demon King. If you desire it, I will gladly hand it over."

Whoosh.

The ceiling of the main palace shimmered, bathed in a deep, eerie violet. At its center, a single eye had opened, staring directly at Caron.

What looked like swirling violet mist was in fact the pure essence of dark mana.

The Death Knights, who had moments ago charged at Caron with murderous intent, now stood frozen in place like statues. His former subordinates, once loyal and fierce, now watched him with lifeless, unmoving eyes.

Caron let out a bitter laugh as he looked at them. If the Malevolent Emperor wasn't just an illusion, then neither were these knights. They, too, were real.

"You fools," Caron muttered. "You all should've just run away when you had the chance."

The knights who had stayed to protect the palace until the very end... their deaths hadn't been honorable. But that didn't mean their bodies deserved to be defiled.

Crash!

Caron swung Guillotine in a wide arc, summoning a crashing wave. The furious tide surged through the palace and swept away the motionless Death Knights.

Then, silence fell—a heavy, ominous quiet that settled over the main palace.

After Caron granted his fallen subordinates their eternal rest, he turned his gaze back to the violet core—the essence of dark mana.

The Malevolent Emperor's dark mana was the very same cursed mana that had devoured his entire previous life.

"How does it feel... to come face to face with the very power that toyed with your life?"

the Malevolent Emperor's voice echoed.

This was no ordinary trial. This dark mana was a force truly befitting an extraordinary test.

After all, it was the same mana that Cain Latorre had desperately tried to escape in his previous life.

"Will you claim this power? Or will you walk away? The choice is yours."

It was an overwhelming, immense surge of dark mana.

If Caron was able to absorb it all and master it, opening his eighth sea would no longer be a concern. He was closer than ever to reaching the state he'd once reached in his previous life.

"Take this power. Grow stronger and reach me. Use your sharpened swordsmanship and this overwhelming power to sever my neck."

The Malevolent Emperor's voice echoed without end, burrowing deeper into Caron's ears. He kept hiding behind the dark mana, steadily eating away at Caron's sanity.

There had been a time when Caron couldn't resist that voice. Perhaps some part of the Malevolent Emperor's brand remained carved into his soul, as the desire to reach out and take the dark mana surged violently within him.

With that power, he could easily become stronger. It was the power to take revenge. And the desire for that power kept writhing in a corner of his heart.

"...Owner, that's not something we can contain,"

Guillotine warned.

Even Guillotine, the natural enemy of dark mana, sounded shaken. The essence was too dense—far too potent.

But the Malevolent Emperor's voice only grew clearer and louder.

"Take it. Ignite your hatred. Pierce me with the blade of your fury."

Caron's mind spun. Even now, after so many years, he felt as if he had never truly escaped that day, fifty years ago.

The Malevolent Emperor's voice clawed its way into his head, merciless and unrelenting.

"Come to... your senses..."

Guillotine's voice grew faint, fading.

Step. Step.

Without realizing it, Caron began walking toward the essence. It shimmered above the throne, glowing with an intoxicating violet light.

Caron wondered if maybe—just maybe—he could absorb it now, without trouble. The powerful dark mana resistance that flowed through the blood of the Ducal Family of Leston... Perhaps it would be enough to defy his past fate.

Caron's thoughts blurred. And the more they did, the more the craving overtook him—the urge to claim that power, to take it all.

Step. Step.

At last, Caron stood before the throne. Stained crimson with the Malevolent Emperor's blood, it pulsed with a wicked glow.

"You are my greatest masterpiece. Claim that power—and, at last, become complete."

But just as Caron was about to set foot on the throne, a sharp voice cut through the haze clouding his mind.

"Hey! You crazy bastard! Get a grip, will you?!"

That piercing voice snapped Caron back to his senses.

"Are you planning to absorb that dark mana and lose your damn mind for real?"

It was Leo's voice—clear, firm, and unwavering. Even through the relentless murmurs of the Malevolent Emperor, Leo's voice struck deep into Caron's consciousness like a javelin.

"What could you possibly gain from this? If you become no different from the Demon King just to kill him—what the hell is the point?!" Leo continued.

Upon hearing that desperate shout, the madness clouding Caron's eyes began to recede. He slowly turned his head and looked at Leo.

Whoosh!

Leo held Rigor, the pure white sword in his hand, which now radiated an icy chill. He warned, "Just try reaching for that dark mana. I swear I'll freeze your whole damn body on the spot."

Whoosh!

Leo's sea spread outward in all directions—broader than it had ever been.

At that moment, Caron realized Leo had unleashed his seventh sea. He didn't know how Leo had reached the realm of 7-Star, but one thing was certain—his cousin's desperation was real.

Crack!

Frost began to spread across the surface of Leo's sea. The chilling mist he controlled now hovered just before Caron's eyes.

"There's so much I want to ask you," Leo said, his voice quivering. "How the Malevolent Emperor knows you, and what that conversation between you two meant... I don't understand any of it. So you'd better live and explain it to me yourself."

Leo raised his sword and aimed it at Caron. Then, his voice ringing with emotion, he shouted, "Don't you dare lose yourself now, you lunatic!"

Leo's voice rang out like a thunderclap—and in that instant, Caron was fully released from the Malevolent Emperor's influence.

Standing atop the throne, he looked down at his cousin and smiled. He said, "Thank you, Leo. I almost made the same mistake all over again."

His clouded mind finally returned to clarity.

"Leo," Caron said gently.

Leo gave a weary smile and nodded, then replied, "What?"

"You trust me, right?" Caron asked.

"...Of course I do. You're my cousin," Leo answered.

Caron let out a soft chuckle and nodded in return. He said, "That's right. I'm your younger cousin, and that hasn't changed."

Leo had definitely heard the conversation between Caron and the Malevolent Emperor. Perhaps he'd already caught on to the secret Caron had been hiding. Sure, he'd always acted like a fool, but he wasn't completely clueless.

Still, this was a truth Leo needed to learn eventually. But for now, Caron chose to postpone that revelation.

He exhaled deeply and turned his back. He now knew exactly how this foul trial needed to end. From the beginning, there had only ever been two options—absorb the violet essence, or destroy it.

"You really are a twisted bastard," Caron muttered.

Dragons were said to possess the power of foresight. Perhaps even this moment had been calculated by them.

With a bitter smile, Caron made his choice, saying, "The past should stay as the past."

That violet essence was nothing more than a symbol of the past. In his previous life, he would have embraced it without hesitation. But in this one, he no longer needed it.

Leo was right. He didn't need something like that to grow stronger. Dark mana that couldn't be digested was nothing but poison.

Caron quietly raised Guillotine high into the air.

Then, without hesitation, he swung it in a great arc toward the violet essence.

Crash!

A surge of dark blue mana slammed into the violet essence, and in that instant, an ear-splitting scream tore through the air.

Kyyyaaaaaa!

It wasn't a single voice. It was a cacophony—a twisted chorus of countless screams woven together. It seemed the essence had been steeped in the resentment of its countless victims.

Crack!

The massive core split in two, and from that fracture, a torrent of dark mana began to pour out.

"So, this life truly is different."

Despite his plan having been derailed, the Malevolent Emperor's voice remained calm.

"I respect your decision. However, since you have refused my power, I shall offer you something else instead. I will take something precious from you. Hatred, too, can make you strong."

The moment those words echoed through the air, Caron shouted toward Leo, "Leo! Get out of there, now—"

But he was already too late.

Crack!

A massive spear erupted from the ground and pierced straight through Leo's chest.

"Argh!"

Leo coughed up blood as the spear impaled him, pinning him in place.

"I cannot end his life, but I can shatter his mind. Consider this my other gift to you."

The violet hue began to fade. The floating, violet eye in the air rapidly dimmed and faded.

"The seeds I planted have already begun to sprout. And you are one of them. So come to me before Havoc turns its gaze upon you..."

Flash!

With that final echo, the violet essence shattered completely. The dark mana that spilled from it began to sweep across the main palace—but Caron paid it no mind. He ran straight to Leo.

"C-Caron..." Leo rasped.

Caron quickly examined him.

This place was only an illusion, so physical wounds weren't the problem. But the problem was that Leo's soul was being corrupted by the dark mana. If this continued, his soul would collapse entirely.

Caron poured every ounce of his strength into Leo's body, flooding it with his own mana.

Boom!

Boooooom!

The ceiling of the main palace began to cave in. Chunks of stone crashed down from above, and one sharp piece slammed directly into Caron's head.

But he didn't even flinch. Saving Leo's soul came first.

"...Did I fail the Coming of Age Ceremony?" Leo asked with a pained smile.

Caron clicked his tongue in frustration, then replied, "Seriously? That's what you're worried about right now?"

"It is important... If you pass... your Coming of Age Ceremony... and I don't... then I'm not your older cousin anymore..." Leo said, struggling.

"You know you're also completely insane, right?" Caron asked.

"...It's your fault... you lunatic..." Leo answered.

The collapse of the palace was accelerating.

Crack!

The dark mana grew more violent by the second, lashing out in a storm that closed in on both Caron and Leo.

Whoosh.

Caron summoned Pluto to form a protective barrier around them. Then, he turned to Leo and said, "If you're tired, maybe try taking a nap or something."

"I can't just sleep while my younger cousin is out here getting his ass kicked," Leo replied.

"You're foolish," Caron muttered.

"...Run. At least one of us should make it out," Leo said.

"There's no way I'm doing that. If I did, it'd be playing right into that Malevolent Emperor bastard's hands. I'm not about to let that bastard laugh, Leo," Caron replied.

With that, Caron raised Guillotine once more. He aimed it toward the partially collapsed ceiling overhead, where the palace had crumbled just enough to expose the open sky. Then he poured his mana into the blade.

Fwoosh!

Mana burst from the tip of Guillotine like a flare, launching into the air like a beacon.

"If any of the so-called Great Ones have even a shred of conscience, they'll help," Caron said.

"...You think they will?" Leo asked.

"They wouldn't want me dying here," Caron said, his tone firm. "If they don't help, then I'll just die here with you."

"Are you seriously insane?" Leo asked.

"Leo, there's nothing more persuasive than a life-or-death threat. Just trust me," Caron said.

Leo couldn't hold back his laughter at Caron's reckless words. It was such a Caron-like thing to say.

And, as always, Caron wasn't wrong.

Flash!

As the dark mana surged wildly around them, a glowing blue door appeared before them.

Caron gazed at it with a quiet smile and said, "I told you."

"Well, aren't you impressive," Leo said dryly.

"When you've got no options left, threatening them is your best bet," Caron said proudly.

"Wow, thank you so much for that amazing info," Leo replied sarcastically.

Drip. Drip.

Blood now dripped steadily at Caron's feet. It had pooled around his feet, trailing down from a head wound—yet he showed no sign of pain. Without hesitation, he bent down and hoisted Leo onto his back.

"Let's get out of here," Caron said. Carrying his cousin, he stepped forward toward the door.

And the moment they passed through...

"Well done, my successors. I honor your decision."

A voice—deep and unknowable—rippled through the air, echoing in their ears.

Then...

Flash!

A pure, blinding blue light consumed their vision.

"I entrust everything to you both. The pact is sealed. From here on, it falls to you."

Caron wondered whose voice it was, but didn't bother to dwell on it.

...I'm exhausted,

he thought. A crushing wave of fatigue swept over him.

The Coming of Age Ceremony was over. That was enough.

Caron allowed the warm mana that wrapped around his body to sink in without resistance.

And just like that, their Coming of Age Ceremony came to an end. Caron Leston and Leo Leston had finally become adults.