Chapter 209

Chapter 209
## Chapter 209: The Logic Behind Wilhelm’s Supremacy

—

The expression on Raiga’s face shifted in a heartbeat.

The response was something he hadn’t anticipated in the slightest.

Who was he, after all?

He held the title of the Empire’s Sword.

Raiga was the individual who had boldly proclaimed that no man under the stars could match him.

Throughout his entire existence, he had never been measured against another.

His dominance had always been so absolute that the very idea of a comparison was redundant.

And yet…

Despite that history.

With a face like carved stone, Raiga repeated his question in a low, resonant tone.

“You claim Wilhelm is superior to me?”

“I do.”

It was a repeat of the previous moment.

Isabella gave a firm nod, her resolve never wavering.

It was a display of profound certainty.

An act of faith that seemed impossible to shake.

Yet, Raiga found the logic elusive.

To him, the distinction was obvious: he was a hunter of the shards, whereas Wilhelm had been consumed by one. The disparity in their fates seemed to tell the whole story.

‘Hmph.’

Furthermore, they were at the very center of the Empire.

High-ranking officials of the Reaper Church and the entirety of the Palga Knight Order were in attendance!

Isabella’s claim was a direct strike against the professional dignity of the knight order’s commander.

Technically, Isabella was merely an entry-level knight within the Palga Knight Order.

Her words were the equivalent of a trainee leveling a blade at the throat of her superior.

“On what grounds do you make such a claim?”

There had to be a rational, undeniable foundation for such a statement.

If this was merely a feeling or a wild guess, the weight of the disrespect would rest solely on Isabella’s shoulders.

Under the intensity of Raiga’s stare, Isabella’s eyes flickered with a brief tremor.

It was a natural reaction.

Isabella had never actually met Wilhelm in person.

However, she viewed me as the spiritual heir to Wilhelm’s legacy.

She was likely stepping into the fray on my behalf, attempting to elevate my standing.

But what Isabella said next caught me completely off guard.

“Wilhelm succeeded in slaying the Demon King.”

“The Demon King persists. The Great Expedition was a disaster, and the shadows continue to advance.”

“He simply lacked the specific understanding and the ‘blessing’ required to navigate the ‘shards.’ His downfall was a matter of missing information, not a deficiency in martial prowess or spirit.”

“Even if he managed to strike down the Demon King, that is no confirmation that he stands above me.”

The arrogance remained.

Raiga was utterly convinced that the Demon King would fall by his hand as well.

However, Isabella was interpreting the events of the Great Expedition through a radically different lens.

To be honest, that specific viewpoint left me puzzled as well.

‘How are the commander and Isabella privy to the details of that era?’

The fact that Wilhelm ended the Demon King.

And that he was subsequently undone by a shard—the sole witness to that sequence was Serengeti.

Serengeti had zero motivation to broadcast those events to the public, which meant the circle of knowledge should have been limited to me, Serengeti, and the Demon King himself.

‘……No, that’s not right.’

The realization struck me—there might have been a fourth party involved.

‘The person responsible for Serengeti’s survival!’

Yes.

Someone had taken the broken Serengeti, whose body had been ravaged, placed her on a mount, and guided her back to the safety of the territory.

A mysterious benefactor who snatched Serengeti from the jaws of certain doom.

I had no inkling of who that person could be.

Only Serengeti and I had fought through the eight levels of torment to reach the throne of the Demon King.

The army of 200,000 and the 500 elite knights had all been wiped out.

Every demon and lord of the abyss had been put to the sword; it should have been a ghost town for only the three of us.

Technically, the deity ‘Pina’ had been present, but she had sacrificed her essence to protect Wilhelm’s legacy and my life.

‘We weren’t the only ones there……’

Who was it?

Why would someone remain in the shadows while specifically ensuring Serengeti’s return?

They must have possessed an incredible mastery of concealment to avoid the notice of both the Demon King and Wilhelm, yet they risked everything to save her.

It couldn’t have been a simple act of mercy.

There was a calculated reason for Serengeti to live.

And that reason was likely…

‘To ensure I crossed paths with Serengeti.’

If the goal was for me to receive the unvarnished truth of what happened in that throne room?

Without Serengeti’s testimony, I would never have confirmed that Wilhelm actually killed the Demon King, nor would I have known he was only defeated by the ‘shard,’ or that the deity ‘Pina’ had faded away.

This implied that this shadow figure knew I was the ‘Gamer’ and was certain that Wilhelm’s end would trigger my journey as the ‘Player.’

My head began to throb with the complexity of it.

I couldn’t find a single thread to pull on.

Someone was operating outside the periphery of everyone’s vision.

Who was it? Who could possibly…

“The reason the deity ‘Pina’ gave her life. Had Wilhelm been consumed by the Demon King while at his peak, a brand new ‘Destruction’ would have emerged. Pina understood that such a force would be unstoppable. It is because he is the most powerful human to walk the earth.”

Just before she surrendered her essence to the Demon King.

Pina had claimed Wilhelm’s life to preserve his soul, scattering his essence across the lands.

She realized there was no path forward if the Demon King absorbed Wilhelm’s full power.

An intervention by the goddess of the firmament, Pina, who was willing to embrace non-existence.

That sacrifice was the ultimate testament to Wilhelm’s unmatched strength.

“Isabella. I did not authorize such talk, but……”

Raiga’s features darkened further.

It was clear he was familiar with these hidden histories as well.

At that moment.

“Hold on. You’re saying the deity ‘Pina’ sacrificed herself? That she has actually vanished?”

The figure in the golden mask spoke with sudden gravity.

The members of the Reaper Church were known for their enmity toward the goddess.

One would expect them to celebrate Pina’s disappearance, but the voice behind the mask was noticeably unsteady.

Only then did the commander of the knights give a solemn nod.

“The primary topic I intended for this gathering concerns that very event. We must discuss the void left by Pina’s passing and our subsequent strategy.”

He confessed the truth openly.

“……!!!”

“……Repeat that?”

“But the Church of the Goddess hasn’t breathed a word of this……!”

Goddess Pina.

Her existence had come to a final, absolute end.

—

The remains of the deity Pina were initially located within the depths of Cramdel.

The ruler of the first hell, the Necromancer King ‘Ahram,’ had been resurrected through her divine eyes, gaining terrifying new capabilities.

If not for the Colossus of Evil-Slaying and the assembled guardians of the stars, halting Ahram’s march would have been a near-impossible task.

Yet, aside from the White King, the primary combatants, and the star guardians, the world remained in the dark.

‘The Church of the Goddess remained eerily quiet.’

Did they lack the knowledge of her death?

Or were they aware and maintaining a facade of normalcy?

Regardless, the result was that the Empire remained ignorant of Pina’s fate.

The fact that the high-ranking members of the Reaper Church were in the dark was proof that the secret was well-kept.

“…The goddess Pina is no more. However, the precise mechanics of her end remain murky. The notion that she died specifically to stop the Demon King from taking Wilhelm is merely a theory of Isabella’s. Likely.”

In the hall where the feast had occurred.

Raiga sat alongside the seven elite knights.

Facing the Reaper Church leadership—myself included—Raiga presented his perspective.

“Likely—Pina chose her own end. In doing so, she ensured the abyss and the ‘shards of ruin’ would be forced into motion.”

She opted for death.

Raiga spoke with absolute certainty.

He was partially correct, yet missing the full picture.

The true catalyst for Pina’s sacrifice was to pave the way for me to emerge as the ‘Player.’

‘He is missing the core of the mystery.’

He grasped the outline but lacked the depth of the truth.

The fact that we could look at the same event and see different things highlighted the gaps in our collective knowledge.

“She chose to die? What is the source of this information?”

The golden mask inquired.

I leaned in, listening intently.

Identifying the source of this intel would allow me to map out my next moves.

But Raiga merely shook his head.

“That is a secret. What matters is that Pina’s death has provided us with a unique window of opportunity.”

“An opportunity for what?”

“Indeed. These shards of ruin possess an inherent drive to consolidate. Now that Pina’s presence is gone, the bearers of these shards—starting with the Demon King—will begin a bloody cycle of absorption. The recent stirrings of the Four Evils are a direct result of this shift.”

“And the proposal?”

“King Frederick. We should bolster his position; he is a shard bearer and the avatar of the demon of pride.”

“Increase his power further?”

“Pride is a far better alternative than the Demon King. He possesses logic, he is willing to negotiate, and his primary motivation is nothing more than personal ‘diversion.'”

“If he grows too powerful, he will eventually turn his sights on the Empire.”

……What kind of insanity is this?

The new sovereign of the Iron Kingdom.

King Frederick is both a shard bearer and the demon of pride?

And the Empire is fully aware of this, yet they choose to support him!

‘This is madness.’

Have they lost their minds?

No rational actor would ever agree to such a pact.

I knew all too well the nature of the demons representing the Seven Deadly Sins.

And the cultists who followed in their wake.

……Though, I suppose I shouldn’t talk, being the ‘demon of greed’ myself.

“Do not be concerned. I possess the leverage needed to control ‘Pride.'”

With those words, Raiga reached into his cloak and produced an object.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

At the sight of it, the leaders of the Reaper Church couldn’t help but stare in shock.

“What on earth is that……?”

“A living heart?”

The commander of the knights nodded.

“This is the heart of pride. It was my prize from a wager I won against him. While I hold this, Pride is incapable of turning against the Empire.”

“……Very well. Since you are so certain, let us move to a vote.”

The golden mask accepted the proposal and scanned the room.

“The motion is to increase the power of the demon of pride, King Frederick. A single dissenting vote will kill the motion. All in favor, signal your consent.”

Unanimity was required for the plan to move forward.

The golden mask was the first to raise his hand.

One after another, the other leaders followed suit.

Eleven hands were in the air.

The golden mask nodded, as if the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

And then.

“I am opposed.”

……I couldn’t bring myself to go along with this.

My encounter with Shansa, the demon of envy, in the Tower of the War God had taught me a vital lesson.

Demons are not entities you bargain with.

They exist only to poison everything they touch.

Shansa had single-handedly ruined the war god Karas, corrupted the very foundation of the Tower, and made playthings of everyone within its walls.

They operate in the shadows, crafting webs that are invisible until they’ve already trapped you.

The other demons would be no different.

“……”

The room turned freezing in an instant.

The glares from the Reaper Church leadership, led by the golden mask, were sharp enough to draw blood.

Raiga and his knights wore the same expressions of disbelief.

Their eyes were frigid, silently screaming that I was either a fool or an unwelcome interloper.

‘I’ve ruined the mood.’

It was obvious that they had already come to an agreement behind the scenes.

This meeting was supposed to be a mere formality to rubber-stamp the deal.

‘A pre-arranged theater.’

A script where everyone already knew their lines and I was supposed to play my part.

But that wasn’t how I operated.

I hadn’t been briefed on this, and even if I had, there was zero incentive for me to agree.

“You say you oppose?”

The golden mask asked one more time.

There was a silent pressure in the question, a final chance to back down and correct my “mistake.”

Sure, playing along would have been the easy path.

There was no inherent need to create friction with these people.

A summit between the Reaper Church and the Palga Knight Order was a powerful alliance.

It would have been more “strategic” to exploit that alliance for my own ends.

Having considered all that, I stood my ground and repeated myself clearly.

“I am voting against this proposal.”