FANSiA Originals and KakaoPage
I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan
[Author/Original: Yuin]
[TL: Dekor]
[PR: Spades]
Episode 46
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In the past, 'Shadow Whisperer,' a member of the hero's party, used it once.
During a desperate battle with the 8-star Blood Shadow Demon Lord, the party faced annihilation. Shadow Whisperer used Demonification to barely survive.
At the cost of their life.
Naturally, a technique Christian's current level couldn't handle.
But he adapted it.
He stripped out combat-enhancing elements like mana or physical boosts.
He ensured no malevolence tainted it.
This drastically lowered the technique's difficulty.
He substituted the required mana with the Shadow Dimension's abundant energy.
Thus, he barely succeeded.
'Now it's possible.'
Chris inhaled deeply.
Darkness doesn't clash with darkness.
Unlike before, Sacred Darkness flooded his body without resistance.
Like returning to its rightful place.
He absorbed every bit, and another miracle began.
Past 90%, to 100%.
All Sacred Darkness was absorbed, fully transforming his mana.
Pure Dark Mana Essence, untainted by any foreign element.
The Dark Mana Clan's first to achieve this.
That wasn't all.
Crack, snap.
His body changed.
'Another rebirth?'
Not quite.
His physique, perfected by two rebirths, couldn't improve further.
His shoulder blades subtly shifted, for unknown reasons.
More followed.
A black moon glyph appeared on his temple, then vanished.
His eyes burned.
Unseen, their color shifted.
From vivid crimson to a deep black-red, flickering with darkness.
[Unbelievable… this happened.]
The demon's voice echoed in the void.
"…What's wrong?"
[By fully embracing perfect darkness… your soul's rank ascended. You're… akin to a half-demon.]
Chris's face showed surprise.
Half-demon!
At the peak of 9-star, one's soul reportedly transcends human limits.
A human with a soul nearing a transcendent being.
Yet, as humans, they can't fully match demons or celestials.
Hence, 'half-demon,' half a transcendent.
'I'm such a being?'
He opened his hand.
Nothing felt different.
Only his soul's rank seemed elevated by fully absorbing Sacred Darkness.
'Doesn't seem significant.'
No.
It had to be.
He didn't know how to use it yet, but it would be a great asset.
[Heh… amusing. A new half-demon's rise…]
"…"
Chris stared sullenly into the darkness where the voice came.
A noisy demon.
The more he listened, the less her demonic aura intimidated.
'Probably intentional. Constant exposure to a demon's malice would harm even me.'
A peculiar demon.
Still, all demons were vile and loathsome.
[An unworthy mortal… with a half-demon's rank… unfitting, but…]
Her voice faded.
She was leaving.
[You… intrigue me. Keep entertaining me.]
Her presence vanished.
Chris raised his middle finger.
A demon's interest was unwelcome.
'Anyway.'
He looked up.
Light seeped from above.
Time to leave the darkness.
'How long's it been? They'll be shocked.'
Unclear, but at least seven days.
Nordian took four days, so his return would upend the clan.
'Wait.'
He smirked.
'A chance to mess with them.'
A mischievous idea.
'Returning quietly's boring. Let's play a prank.'
Target: the entire main house.
Specifically, the lofty main-line lords.
Exiting the Shadow Dimension, he cast dark magic on himself.
[Curse of Exhaustion.]
[Curse of Decay.]
And more.
His appearance became haggard.
Like he barely survived.
And crucially.
[Art of Disguise.]
A technique to mask his condition.
Originally a swordsmanship house's art, too advanced for his level, so he fused it with dark magic.
He subtly wove in illusion principles.
Not outright illusion—too easily detected.
Illusion's essence was deception. He blended its basics with the swordsmanship art discreetly.
Proper illusion required purple mana, but that was no issue now.
He could wield any dark magic as if native, stronger than native users.
Flash!
The swordsmanship art glowed faintly purple, masking his core's state as precarious.
The prank began.
---
The main house's eastern wing.
In the garden, mage sorcerers yawned.
"How long must we wait? That trash's corpse is probably gone."
"Patriarch said one more day."
"The Patriarch?"
Surprise.
Nordian, secluded, rarely cared for clan matters, yet minded this trash?
"Even trash is blood. His mercy's great. Time's nearly up, so bear it."
While badmouthing Chris, a tremor shook the passage.
"?!"
"What's that?!"
Sorcerers startled.
Then.
Pop!
A figure emerged, like an egg hatching.
"Young Master Christian?! Impossible! He's alive?!"
"He's in bad shape! Get a healer!"
Sorcerers panicked.
Trash or not, he was main-house blood.
Alive, he couldn't be ignored.
"Extreme exhaustion. Barely survived."
A healer diagnosed.
"His core?"
A gruff middle-aged man asked.
Macfield.
A 6-star mage, a key clan figure.
"Dark Mana Essence is present… but muddled. Something went wrong."
The healer looked troubled, and listeners nodded.
'As expected. No way that trash absorbed over 80%.'
'Greed caused issues. He barely survived.'
His return after over a week raised questions.
Did he absorb over 80%?
But no surprise.
"Hm."
Macfield eyed Christian's depleted core.
As the healer said, utterly muddled.
A disguise.
Christian's [Art of Disguise] was a notorious swordsmanship house technique used by the Light Faction's reapers.
Blended with illusion's finesse, it fooled even Macfield's high-rank gaze.
"Take him in for treatment. I'll report to Marquis Langham."
Macfield thought coldly.
Time to dispose of this trash from the clan.
---
The main house's top floor.
A grand office overlooking the estate.
A middle-aged man worked.
Expressionless, coldly calculating. Steel glasses amplified his chill.
7-star mage, Marquis Langham, the clan's acting patriarch.
"Your Excellency."
Macfield bowed.
"Young Master Christian of House Kazar has returned."
Langham kept reviewing documents.
No interest in Macfield's report.
Understandable.
To the clan's second-in-command, Christian was insignificant.
"No punishment?"
"…"
Langham glanced up.
"He caused chaos in the ritual."
Langham set down his papers.
He adjusted his glasses.
'Christian.'
A disgrace tarnishing the clan's honor.
That was Langham's entire view of him.
Annoying, but not worth action—until now.
'Getting bothersome.'
He recalled recent events.
His son Ashd's failed scheme against Christian brought dishonor.
Ashd's fault, but that wasn't the point.
A flaw in Ashd, the perfect heir, was.
'He stirred trouble with House Tyramine too.'
Langham had driven a wedge between Houses Kazar and Tyramine.
For the main house's benefit.
But Christian's actions reportedly mended their ties.
More.
'Roin was to be a lord, a sacrificial pawn in the plan against the Venom Mana Clan. He ruined that.'
Roin, defeated by Christian.
And his sister, Jupien.
Both main line, but not Langham's blood.
Langham planned to use them as pawns against the Venom Clan, but Roin's failure disrupted it.
Crucially.
'Father's showing interest in him.'
Nordian met Christian privately and delayed closing the Shadow Dimension passage.
Unthinkable for the usual Nordian.
'Unwelcome.'
Langham wanted an orderly clan, free of chaos.
A troublemaker like Christian was a nuisance.
He'd have watched, but too many lines were crossed.