Chapter 55

Chapter 55
## Chapter 55: Serengeti’s Rebirth

The instant Maxim breathed his last, his entire inventory, the Golden Rule included, dissipated into nothingness, leaving only his physical remains behind.

What use could I find for this corpse?

It was a stroke of luck that he was categorized as a raid-level boss, though, despite his impressive attributes, Maxim had been little more than a glorified human shield.

As I stood there, rubbing my jaw and weighing the possibilities for his remains, a series of notifications flashed before my eyes.

《Hidden Trait Quest: ‘Iron-Blooded Lord’ has been fulfilled.》

《The hidden trait ‘Heart of the Iron-Blooded Lord’ is evolving into ‘Heart of the Eternal Lord’ through the influence of ‘Eternal Randolph.’》

…The Heart of the Iron-Blooded Lord.

It had transitioned into the Heart of the Eternal Lord.

As I scanned the details of this new evolution, a cold shiver ran down my spine.

—

Duke Saiyen tilted his head in confusion.

‘Why hasn’t Maxim reported back yet?’

There had been total silence from Maxim, who should have completed his task ages ago.

It was supposed to be a straightforward assignment: retrieve Serengeti from the custody of Marquis Wyzer.

Was he dawdling again, distracted by some passing fancy?

Or was it something else?

Had he become so infatuated with Serengeti that he had abandoned his duties entirely?

“Lord Maxim has returned!”

“At last! Send him in immediately!”

Upon hearing the announcement from the guards, Duke Saiyen called out with visible relief.

Moments later, Maxim stepped into the private study.

“Maxim! My brilliant heir. You’ve arrived just in time. But tell me, where is Serengeti?”

The issue was that Maxim had returned with nothing to show for his efforts.

“He requested that I give this to you.”

“He? To whom are you referring?”

“It will become clear once you see it.”

Maxim’s tone was bizarre. Had he sustained a head injury?

Duke Saiyen brushed it off.

Maxim had always been prone to odd behavior. He was the Duke’s chosen successor, a member of the Eight Heroes, and a pillar of loyalty.

If he couldn’t place his faith in this man, who was left to trust?

Maxim stepped closer to the Duke and reached into his tunic.

He pulled out a blade.

Duke Saiyen’s eyes stretched wide at the sight.

*Thuck!*

In a heartbeat, the steel buried itself deep within the Duke’s chest.

“Gah! You… how could you betray me…!”

The Duke let out a strangled gasp.

He stared at Maxim with a look of pure shock.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

“Ma—Maxim! You traitorous dog!”

Alerted by the Duke’s cry, the knights stationed outside burst into the room.

They decapitated Maxim within seconds, but the damage was done; Duke Saiyen was already slipping away.

…Maxim, a titan among the Eight Heroes and the designated heir to the Saiyen legacy.

The news that he had murdered Duke Saiyen rippled across the continent like wildfire.

—

### The Resurgence of Serengeti

A heavy, oppressive stillness permeated the hall.

The six figures seated around the massive circular table remained silent, offering no words to break the tension.

This was the desolate city of Lundel, located in the heart of Pangeniar.

The ‘Round Table Conference’ held in this ruin was a privilege reserved exclusively for the Eight Heroes.

And the five currently assembled were the world-renowned prodigies known as that very elite group.

『Master, the God of War.』

『Darkstar, the Thunder Emperor.』

『Black Night, the Nine-Tailed Fox.』

『Banhee, the Corpse Queen.』

『Lucifer.』

“…Is Gracia absent once again?”

After a long stretch of silence, Master finally spoke.

The Sword Saint, Gracia. He had once again neglected to attend the Round Table.

With the deaths of Maxim and Wilhelm, everyone except Gracia was accounted for.

“He’s likely playing the role of the solitary crane again, keeping to himself.”

Darkstar, his eyes hidden behind a black silk blindfold, gave a derisive snort.

Gracia’s absence was hardly a surprise. He almost never showed up, preferring to operate on his own terms.

They called him a solitary crane, but the truth was obvious: he was trying to emulate someone else.

‘The Knight King, Wilhelm.’

Wilhelm was the ultimate master of solo play, a man whose legends and myths were etched into the very soil of Pangeniar.

Gracia was desperately trying to walk that same path, even in the real world.

“Is the gossip accurate? Did Maxim truly slay Duke Saiyen?”

Black Night inquired, her nine tails twitching rhythmically.

She couldn’t wrap her head around why the official heir would execute his own benefactor.

“It is a fact,” Master replied with a grim nod.

He had personally verified the events; it wasn’t mere hearsay.

Maxim had blindsided and killed Duke Saiyen.

Consequently, the Balan Kingdom was in a state of total chaos.

Given that it involved one of the Eight Heroes, the repercussions were felt not just in Balan, but globally.

“The situation on Earth is deteriorating, and now Pangeniar is following suit. Didn’t you swear that everything was moving according to your ‘grand design,’ Master?”

A towering man, his features partially obscured by a curtain of long dark hair, let out a soft, mocking laugh.

Lucifer. He made no effort to hide his disdain for Master.

Master’s expression darkened.

As Lucifer noted, he had intended for both Earth and Pangeniar to be controlled pieces on a chessboard.

But the plan had begun to unravel.

The decline started almost immediately after Wilhelm’s passing.

‘I managed to suppress the fallout on Earth for now…’

The emergence of the first Dimensional Rift.

The entire world had looked up and seen the continent of Pangeniar shimmering in the atmosphere.

Gateways were set to open, and a monster invasion seemed inevitable—until the ‘King of Dimensional Rifts’ was suddenly slain, concluding the quest.

The individual credited with clearing that primary objective was Randolph.

The man Master was certain was actually Phantom.

And he had accomplished it entirely alone, before any forces had even crossed the threshold of the Rift.

Because of this feat, the people of Earth were starting to doubt the dire warnings.

*-The invasion was a farce. The monsters saw our strength and ran.*

*-The interdimensional threat is an absolute certainty.*

*-The warriors intercepted the vanguard before they could reach our world.*

The players were all sticking to the same narrative.

Since the general public had witnessed the ‘Pangeniar Continent’ with their own eyes, they couldn’t deny its existence entirely.

Furthermore, the players were under the strict thumb of the heroes present here, ensuring no secrets leaked.

Apart from the player base, no one was aware that Randolph was the one who took down the King of Dimensional Rifts.

As long as the players maintained the lie, the status quo was safe.

However… Pangeniar was a different story.

Master shook his head slowly.

“This can be managed. We will designate him as a ‘Sinner.'”

A Sinner.

The specific targets that the Reapers hunted with tireless aggression.

Every person at this table was a possessor—and therefore a ‘Sinner’ by the Reapers’ definition—but very few people in the world knew that the Eight Heroes fell into that category.

In fact, most inhabitants of Pangeniar had no idea what a ‘Sinner’ even was.

By labeling Maxim a Sinner, they would be forced to explain the concepts of Sinners, Reapers, and possessors to the masses.

Darkstar’s lip twitched in apprehension.

“Isn’t that a dangerous move?”

“The truth will surface eventually. It’s better if we are the ones to frame the narrative. None of us here are currently being tracked by a Reaper, are we?”

“It’s hard to say. Anyone who was would be desperate to conceal it.”

If a player is targeted by a Reaper, they hide it at all costs.

Even the Eight Heroes were no exception.

It was possible someone in the room was being hunted at this very moment.

They kept it secret because Reapers were relentless. To be near someone marked by a Reaper was to invite disaster, as the Reaper might notice other players nearby.

The Reapers were an enigma, and they required the utmost caution.

Master’s voice turned cold.

“This is also the best way to verify if the Imperial Family is the one controlling the Reapers.”

If there was one faction he distrusted, it was the Empire.

The Empire remained the only territory players hadn’t managed to infiltrate.

The Imperial Family was a total mystery.

They hadn’t even participated in the Great Expedition.

They were so isolated that they never appeared in public, and any player who tried to make contact with the Empire ended up dead.

It was a logical leap to assume the Reaper Church and the Reapers themselves were tools of the Imperial Family.

‘We can turn Maxim’s death to our advantage.’

By being the first to expose the existence of Reapers and Sinners, they could smoke the Empire out.

It would throw the continent into turmoil and divert any suspicion away from the Eight Heroes.

Controlling the narrative here would be much simpler than on Earth.

“It will also serve to contain Phantom. Once we release the information on Sinners, we’ll be flooded with reports from every corner of Pangeniar.”

“Ha…!”

Darkstar began to clap.

The strategy Master had devised was brilliant.

He was essentially announcing that they would take over the management of the Reaper Church’s domain.

The secretive Church would either have to react in frustration or reveal themselves.

And by preemptively flagging Sinners, they could finally pin down Phantom’s location.

More importantly, it would put a leash on that reckless bastard’s interference.

“It’s a solid plan.”

“Agreed.”

The others voiced their approval.

No one expected a counter-strategy this effective against Phantom’s direct approach.

Master leaned in, his words carrying weight.

“The real conflict starts now. He managed to trip us up once, but there won’t be a second time.”

In that moment, the name of Phantom—Randolph—was officially marked for elimination by the Round Table.

—

The Eight Heroes had long since abandoned any shred of integrity.

Even with Wilhelm’s legacy tied to them, they were hollow.

They paraded around with a false sense of honor; it was high time they were dragged through the mud.

《You have utilized the ‘Pardon.’》

《Your evil karma has been cleansed.》

After effectively disposing of Maxim, I used the Pardon to wipe the slate clean.

I then made my way back to the Knight’s Garden to offer a blessing to Serengeti.

“Do you think she’ll wake?”

Hudson gulped, his face pale and etched with anxiety.

He was covered in bruises.

It was a testament to the hardship he had endured since Maxim had arrived in the territory.

He had sacrificed everything to keep Serengeti safe and help her recover.

His dedication had paid off; Serengeti’s missing lower half had completely grown back.

Now, only the blessing was needed to bring her back to consciousness.

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely certain it would work.

My divine power had increased significantly since my time in Kramdel, but a Demon King’s curse was a formidable obstacle.

Especially one backed by the immense wealth of half the demon world.

《You bestow the ‘Star Blessing.’》

《Your divine power is fully depleted.》

《Divine power is insufficient to permanently break the Demon King’s curse.》

《The ‘Limit Curse’ is temporarily suspended (56 hours).》

As I suspected, I couldn’t break the curse entirely yet.

However, the window of temporary relief had grown significantly.

Once my divine power hit 100, would I finally be able to purge it for good?

“Mmm…”

“Ah…!”

Serengeti’s eyes fluttered open.

At the sight, Hudson began to shake with emotion.

Marquis Wyzer reacted with similar intensity.

Both men had done the impossible to shield her.

Had I arrived even a few minutes later, the Serengeti and this entire region would have been annihilated.

Serengeti blinked, taking in her surroundings.

“Hudson, and… My Lord.”

This was the second time she had woken.

Hearing her words, Marquis Wyzer spoke up.

“Call me Father.”

“……Excuse me?”

“If that is too difficult, you may address me as you always have.”

Marquis Wyzer was the ruler of this land.

As a high-ranking noble, he had always been stern and distant while raising her.

Since her youth, he had treated her only as a knight in training, never permitting her the intimacy of calling him ‘Father’ unless he was specifically allowing a breach of protocol.

Serengeti looked stunned.

It was clear she never expected to hear those words from him.

A life dedicated to the blade had left no room for a familial connection.

“…………Father.”

“…My daughter. How do you feel?”

“Ah…”

Daughter.

It was likely the first time she had been called that.

Serengeti’s brow furrowed as she asked a sudden question.

“Am I still lost in the dream?”

The Demon King’s curse trapped its victims in a loop of horrific nightmares.

It was designed to rot the mind from within.

If this was just another layer of the dream, she feared what the curse would subject her to next.

“This is the real world.”

“Wil… No, Successor.”

Upon seeing me, Serengeti caught herself.

She was aware of my true identity as Wilhelm, but she knew better than to reveal it out loud.

At my reassurance, the tension finally left her eyes.

Reality.

This wasn’t a nightmare; it was the world.

“……It seems much has occurred while I was asleep. Who could have…?”

Rage began to simmer within Serengeti.

She saw the marks on Hudson’s face.

She saw the radical shift in her father’s demeanor.

It was obvious that someone had brought great pain to those she cared about.

A murderous aura began to radiate from her.

The air around her vibrated, and nearby objects began to hover.

She was a genuine transcendent, one who had truly integrated a star.

Her power was on a completely different level compared to Maxim.

It was a qualitative leap above the transcendence granted by a simple Demon Heart.

Maxim had known this, which was exactly why he had waited until she was vulnerable to strike.

“Rest easy. He has paid the ultimate price for his actions.”

“……If it weren’t for the Successor, this entire land would have fallen to Maxim and Duke Saiyen.”

Marquis Wyzer added his voice.

His respect for me had undergone a total transformation.

This ordeal had changed his perspective.

Having been the only person to see me kill Maxim, he had likely decided his future path after watching me dismantle one of the Eight Heroes with such ease.

Serengeti tilted her head, confused.

“Maxim…? That pathetic coward Maxim? What did he have to do with Duke Saiyen?”

Marquis Wyzer began to explain.