Episode 35: Gaze
Black Prince Theo’s Skill 1, Absolute Sovereignty.
It’s the only hard counter to Hertia’s abilities.
【Absolute Sovereignty】
Description: The king stands above all. Theo is immune to Slow debuffs. At the start of combat, he gains 50% additional speed based on his current speed. If he acts first, the King’s Command effect activates.
King’s Command: If Theo acts first, he designates one enemy to obey his commands for a set duration.
Hertia’s Law slows all summons except herself, but Theo’s Slow immunity makes him immune.
That much I expected.
The problem is—
‘King’s Command is an effect unlocked by enhancing Theo’s Skill 1. Why can he use it right after being summoned?’
A message popped up amid my confusion.
《You have achieved a Great Success in legacy inheritance!》
《A summon with a Great Success has its Skill 1 instantly enhanced and synchronizes to the average level of the current party.》
Are you kidding me?
Nothing ever comes easy.
But what’s done is done—I now have to fight Theo and Caligo.
“Assemble!”
I summoned the rest of my roster: Hertia, Iron, Meryl, and Iris.
Despite this unexpected twist, I came prepared for any villain!
“Hertia!”
Hertia hurled a mana orb at Theo, who dodged effortlessly.
“Is this all? Betrayal comes at a steep price, Hertia.”
He scoffed, dismissing an attack far below her prime.
But, Theo, that attack wasn’t aimed at you—it was for Caligo!
“Hertia, move Iron!”
“Yes!”
Using Hertia’s artifact, I activated Iron, positioned upfront, who charged at Caligo.
《If I’m a Knight, I’ll Do It! effect activates.》
《Liberator of Death Caligo is Stunned.》
“Meryl, now!”
Caligo’s the toughest opponent as an enemy—he had to be stunned first.
Otherwise, Meryl’s skill could backfire!
《Black Priestess Meryl uses Sacrifice of Sin.》
Sacrificing nearly all her health, Meryl forced a debuff on Theo.
《Casts Focused Taunt on Black Prince Theo.》
Theo’s eyes glowed red, locking onto Meryl.
“Insolent wretch! Release this sorcery at once!”
The fight’s as good as over.
Theo’s a summon heavily skewed toward offense and utility.
A few more attacks, and—
“Attack, Iris.”
《Verdant Shadow Iris casts Verdant Barrage.》
As Iris drew her bow, nature’s power infused her arrow, splitting it into multiple shots.
The moment she released the taut string—
Whoosh!
A green flash tore across the ground, aiming for Theo’s vitals.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
《Black Prince Theo takes critical damage.》
Seven Sins are Seven Sins for a reason.
Though aimed at his heart, Theo twisted his body, taking the hit to his shoulder to minimize damage.
Dropping his scepter and clutching his wound, Theo cursed.
“Damn it!”
“Theo, you’ll pay for defying our Master!”
Hertia stepped forward, but I stopped her.
“Hertia, that’s enough.”
Killing Theo now could have consequences—maybe I’d never summon him again.
It’s time for persuasion.
“Traitors! Bowing to a mere human—pathetic! Even if you shatter my form, you can’t touch my loyalty!”
Theo glared at me with murderous intent.
That arrogance—he thinks he’s the universe itself.
Yet, even Theo served one being with true devotion: Lucifer, the King of Ten Thousand Demons.
I took a breath and stood before him.
“Theo, do you truly not know who I am?”
“Silence, vile cur! Breathing the same air as the leader of rebels makes me sick!”
…Ouch, that stings.
But I can’t give up on persuasion just because I’m annoyed.
“How ironic, Theo. You, who despise betrayal, have become a traitor yourself.”
“…What?”
His cold, composed gaze wavered.
Born the third child of the Periad royal family, Theo’s gentle nature kept him far from the throne.
He lived a peaceful life in the palace, free from power struggles with his family.
But tragedy struck suddenly.
Leon, the kingdom’s great hero and the king’s brother, staged a coup.
Swiftly seizing the palace, Leon accused the king and queen of treason, sentencing them to death.
The crown prince and princess, too.
Theo escaped narrowly with the help of a loyal nursemaid.
But in saving his life, he lost everything.
Leon beheaded the royal family, displaying their heads outside the palace, branding them as fiends who sold the kingdom to demons.
The sight traumatized Theo, who once called Leon “uncle” with affection.
Worse, nobles and knights indebted to his father sided with Leon.
Even the people cursed the royals, welcoming the new king.
Periad was no longer Theo’s home.
Years later, Theo found a way to exact his revenge:
A forbidden relic, the Demonic Scepter.
It was imbued with the power of the demon ‘Destruk’.
The demon demanded Theo’s body in exchange for vengeance.
Having nothing left to lose, Theo agreed without hesitation.
He asked the demon if he could witness his revenge firsthand.
The demon laughed, saying, “How can the dead see tomorrow?”
At that moment, a viscous, pitch-black rage surged within Theo’s soul.
He’d lost his family, his honor, his future.
And now, even his revenge?
Was he destined to only lose?
With that fury, an unknown power sealed within Theo awakened.
Destruk, coveting Theo’s body, was consumed by Theo’s immense desire and sealed within the scepter, becoming part of his power.
This was the birth of ‘Black Prince Theo’.
His sole goal: to reign as an absolute king and punish all traitors.
“Who have I betrayed?!”
“Me. Your master. Can’t you see who stands before you?”
“My master… is only one!”
If you won’t believe me, I’ll prove it.
The secret conversation we shared, just the two of us, when you swore loyalty to me.
“Will you give up, unforgivable one, Theo? Foolish king raised by your enemy.”
“?!”
“If you’re going to abandon your duty so carelessly, you shouldn’t have taken it up.”
“That… that’s…”
I approached Theo, who had collapsed in pain, and knelt to meet his eyes.
“All your sins—pain, sorrow, resentment, rage, despair—I’ll take them all.”
“…”
“Just become mine, young king.”
As our conversation ended, Theo bowed his head, tears streaming down.
“I’m sorry, brother. I didn’t know it was you…”
***
“I know you’re worried, but leave us for now.”
“But what if that brat tries something against you, Sage?!”
“You think I’d let that happen?”
“Well… no, but…”
“I’ll give you a task instead. There might be prying eyes—keep watch.”
“…Yes!”
As the two retreated, Theo cautiously approached and bowed in apology.
“I’m sorry, brother. I really didn’t know it was you…”
This sudden shift in tone.
Right, Theo used to call Lucifer “brother.”
I’d allowed it, hoping to win over the boy who’d lost all his siblings.
“I’m really sorry, so sorry…” sniff
I handed the sobbing Theo a chocolate.
I eat these when I need to think, and luckily, I had one left today.
“Is this that snack you always ate, brother?”
“Yeah, my favorite.”
“You said you’d share one day. This is really good!”
“I’ll overlook your mistake. Don’t dwell on it—just keep showing me your loyalty.”
“Okay…”
“Now get up. If we linger, Hertia and Caligo won’t stay quiet.”
“Right!”
As Theo’s emotions settled, I stood to leave when Hertia’s message came through.
- Master, we found a suspicious guy.
“Suspicious guy?”
- Some creep’s spying on you.
‘So it wasn’t my imagination.’
***
Min Kang-hoon, a seasoned Deathside Guild adventurer specializing in stealth summons, was tasked by Guild Master Sun Sung-tae to investigate the nknown Adventurer.
Most info was blocked at a government level, so he had to tail him directly from the Tower.
The adventurer’s associates were tightly secured, but the man himself had almost no protection, making it easy.
‘Why’s this guy sneaking into a forest in Inje County at night? In the Episode 8 update zone, no less?’
His actions were suspicious.
A comet-like rookie who cleared Floor 50’s hidden boss and topped the Twilight Colosseum.
But Sun Sung-tae and Min Kang-hoon knew there’s always a mastermind behind a “comet.”
Finally, tailing him revealed something odd.
‘A purple flash, then a black smokescreen. And he starts fighting out of nowhere?’
Too far and too dark to see the summons clearly, but one felt eerily familiar.
‘Long silver hair, black dress…?’
A chill ran down Min Kang-hoon’s spine.
‘The Witch of the Apocalypse!? Here!? Is he controlling her? …No, that’s too far-fetched. Is he fighting her then?’
If only he could get closer to confirm.
He grabbed his phone, consumed by the thought.
‘Damn it, why’s the internet dead?!’
Streaming live would ruin Oh Hyun-woo instantly.
But the Episode 8 update zone had no signal.
‘Nothing’s going right!’
Min Kang-hoon decided to record video evidence instead.
Zooming in to identify the summon with Hyun-woo, he was filming when—
“Well, look here. A little rat sneaking around?”
A voice came from behind.
Turning, he saw ‘Witch of the Apocalypse Hertia’ staring down at him.
‘I’m screwed.’
Thanks for the chapter!
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