Fate (1)
The beast demon's eyes widened in utter shock.
A human — no, a mere human — trying to assert dominance over him? The situation itself was ridiculous enough.
But more than that… this power!
This was not human strength.
Nor was it the power of an ordinary demon.
An Archdemon.
And not just any Archdemon, either.
This was high-tier. No — beyond that!
The beast demon, who had been moments away from crushing the Skull King's tiny skull with his massive hand, recoiled in alarm.
There was clear fear in his eyes — if only for a brief moment.
A human dares…!
The beast demon, now more enraged than afraid, bared his fangs. But the Skull King simply raised an eyebrow in amusement.
Ordinarily, that little display would've been enough to end things.
Maybe having actual eyeballs for once was throwing off his focus?
Hmph. If I draw on any more mana, I risk getting exposed…
Especially with priests watching. That's why he'd been keeping his power in low-power mode.
But right now — with the temple overflowing with demonic energy from this high-ranking beast demon…
A faint grin crept across the Skull King's skeletal face.
He drew out just a little more mana — only slightly more than before.
If his previous output had been the size of a grain of sand, this was about the size of a bean.
And then — it happened.
Flash!
A burst of pure, radiant light erupted from the Skull King's body — brighter than anything he'd ever manifested before.
The knights and priests who had rushed to save him were left speechless.
"E-exorcism magic…?!"
The panicked beast demon lunged, desperate to silence him before he could unleash more power — but the Skull King didn't budge.
Instead, he let out a cold, mocking laugh.
How dare you.
In that moment, his eyes gleamed as he glared at the beast demon radiating murderous intent.
Did I not tell you? Leave the mana core and scram.
-!!
Boom!
The instant the Skull King revealed just a hint of his true nature — the beast demon froze.
A terror so deep it could shred the soul.
Finally, the beast demon, utterly terrified of the Skull King, turned and fled — bolting out of the temple like a black whirlwind.
The holy knights were dumbfounded.
"The beast demon… is running away!"
"Don't chase too far! The Saint candidate takes priority!"
"Yes, sir!"
Following the Emperor's command, the holy knights bowed their heads. Only a few gave chase after the fleeing demon.
Meanwhile, the priests approached the Skull King — their faces filled with suspicion and disbelief.
"Why would a demon of that caliber run away…?"
"There's no way a Shadow Lich would flee without killing something…!"
The Imperial holy knights, who were already proclaiming the Skull King as the next Saint, practically wailed in outrage.
"Why else would it run?! Obviously, Young Master drove it away! Did you not see that light just now?!"
"That was undoubtedly exorcism magic!"
"What? Wait! Exorcism magic requires at least Fifth Rank or higher!"
"At that age — how could he possibly use such high-level holy arts…?!"
The priests, refusing to believe something so absurd, began to argue — only for the holy knights to snap back in anger.
"Then how do you explain the beast demon fleeing?!"
"It's because he's the Saint! Naturally, the gods granted him power!"
…Granted?
No — stolen, actually.
And it wasn't some sacred exorcism technique — he'd just scared the thing off.
But the reason the Skull King furrowed his brow wasn't because of their nonsense.
That bastard — I told him to leave the mana core behind, and he just ran off.
As the Skull King casually commanded death like asking someone to throw away their trash, he tilted his head in thought.
After all — the light that had burst out during his clash with the beast demon…
That was definitely holy power.
But this time, it wasn't stolen from anyone else.
And the intensity had been on a completely different level compared to when he'd siphoned energy from that fake nanny or the bishop.
Just then, as he moved to step forward, his arm fell limp.
?!
His strength had nearly drained away.
My mana… is almost gone…!
He hadn't even cast any spells.
So why the hell was his mana reservoir completely empty?!
The Skull King quickly realized the cause.
Don't tell me… this body converts mana into holy power?!
Clutching the back of his neck in disbelief, the Skull King let out a sigh.
He'd planned to investigate this body in detail later — but it seemed there was a reason this was considered the Saint's body.
Well, I guess it makes sense — it's got to be a body suited to fighting demons above all.
A Saint was the symbol of anti-demonic power.
Simply put — even the strength of their enemies could be converted into their own.
Well, that's certainly an advantage…
After all, it meant he could use holy power without sucking up to any gods — as long as he had mana.
But there was one major problem…
It's already a nightmare trying to replenish my mana compared to normal people… and now it's going to get drained into holy power too…?
When the hell was he supposed to use magic, then?!
He needed to level up his magic rank and crush those bastards as soon as possible!
The Skull King was grinding his teeth in frustration when—
"You little brat — what trickery is this?!"
?!
The bishop's furious voice echoed through the chaotic temple.
Storming over, eyes blazing with rage, the bishop grabbed the scrawny Skull King by the collar.
The priests and holy knights, pushed aside, looked on in shock.
"Bishop!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Doing what?"
The bishop's eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of catching him red-handed.
"I saw it! This little brat summoned that Shadow Lich just now!"
"What? Seriously?!"
The entire temple erupted in turmoil.
The Imperial holy knights were deeply offended.
"Young Master, summoning a demon? Preposterous! He drove the demon away!"
Even the Emperor looked incredulously at the bishop, but the bishop cried out desperately.
"Your Majesty! Please trust me! This child is undoubtedly a demon! That light from earlier was magic — and he's the one who summoned the demon from the totem! He is using demonic power!"
At that, the Skull King raised an eyebrow.
Well — it wasn't unreasonable for the bishop to suspect him.
After all, he was the only one who had taken a direct hit from that mana-charged bell.
He must've recognized the same mana from when the totem seal broke and he'd been struck.
It would've been foolish not to be suspicious.
The bishop finally seized the Skull King.
"How dare a demon crawl into the Holy Empire! And even have the audacity to pretend to be a Saint candidate!"
"Bishop."
"I'll drag out your true form and have you torn apart limb from limb!"
He meant to subject him to quartering — the brutal execution where one's limbs are ripped apart like tearing a baby to pieces.
Just as the enraged bishop yanked the Skull King's neck harshly—
Thunk! Clatter…!
"!"
Something fell to the ground in the midst of their struggle.
There was no way the keen-sensed Holy Knights would miss that sound.
"That's…!"
It was medicine.
As soon as the red, round object hit the floor, the Imperial Holy Knights moved to inspect it.
Skilled and experienced, they sniffed it, tasted it — and their expressions grew cold.
"This is… Sacred Poison!"
"!"
Sacred Poison — a lethal drug that destroys holy power and the bodies of priests. In short, poison designed specifically to kill clergy.
What did it mean for someone to possess such a thing within the Holy Empire?
The eyes of the Imperial Holy Knights toward the bishop began to change.
"Bishop Verit. Why would someone coming to meet a Saint candidate be carrying this?"
"Were you trying to harm the Saint candidate?"
The bishop let out a hollow laugh, flustered.
"Of course not! Why would I—!"
Of course, he had used it — not himself, but through an agent who tried to kill the Skull King by lacing his feeding bottle with it.
But hadn't he already used up all the Sacred Poison? There shouldn't have been any left!
Unconsciously, the bishop glanced at the spy he'd planted within the Imperial Knights — but the agent looked equally confused and alarmed.
But there was no way the Imperial Knights would let this slide.
"Bishop. Why are you looking toward the Imperial Knights?"
"I-I wasn't…"
"Are you implying His Majesty possessed this poison?"
"…No!"
Damn it!
He couldn't speak carelessly now.
Just the revelation that the Imperial Family possessed poison to kill priests would lead to war between the Holy See and the Empire — a bloody civil war!
For the bishop to survive, he would need to shift all blame onto the Imperial Family — but how could he say that right in front of the Emperor?
"Are you saying your people tried to kill a Saint with Sacred Poison?"
If he misspoke here, the consequences would drag down not only himself but the cardinals and noble houses behind him.
This was bad in every way.
No — more importantly, where had that poison come from?
"No way."
The bishop glared at the Skull King.
"Don't tell me… that kid did this too?"
And as their eyes met, the Skull King curled his lips into a smirk.
"Yeah, I made it."
The Skull King let out a low chuckle. The bishop had three totems.
One he used to resurrect the monster beasts and turn the temple into chaos — but that wasn't without a reason.
"I needed time to make the poison."
Sacred Poison required a magic core with properties extremely toxic to clergy.
While everyone's attention was focused on the rampaging monster beasts, the Skull King had quietly consumed the remaining magic core from one of the bishop's totems.
With that, he secretly crafted the Sacred Poison using the last totem — all to trap the bishop.
And from the perspective of a demon? A poison that kills priests?
"Sorry, kid — I've dealt with that stuff more times than I can count."
The rest was easy.
If the bishop grew suspicious, of course he'd come to investigate him personally.
Once the bishop approached, all the Skull King had to do was let the poison drop naturally, as if it fell by accident.
Of course — if the bishop had been such a saint that he wouldn't grab someone by the collar even after being provoked like that — well, that'd be unfortunate.
He had deliberately leaked traces of his mana, drawing the bishop's attention.
"Humans caught in a trap become simpler than you'd think."
Leaving behind hints of his mana with the bell just for the bishop to notice…
Leaving traces of the same energy on the totem…
It was all calculated.
He was never careless enough to let a fool like that sense his mana by accident.
And so, the Skeleton King stared right back at the bishop — boldly, without hiding anything.
He didn't pretend to be an innocent infant.
He didn't act weak.
He just ever so slightly curled the corner of his lips — as if to mock him.
And that alone was more than enough to set the bishop off.
The bishop's face twisted in fury at the sneering smile.
"You damned demon spawn—what have you done?!"
The bishop grabbed the Skeleton King by the collar.
The knights, flustered, rushed to restrain him.
"Your Grace! What are you doing to a child?!"
"A child? Did you just call this thing a child?"
"Daya?"
"Your Majesty! This poison—this holy poison—was created by that demon brat! Can't you see the corrupted aura on his face? He even summoned his servant earlier!"
The knights holding the bishop let out awkward, disbelieving laughs. The Emperor looked equally exasperated.
"So what you're saying, Bishop… is that this infant just resurrected a dead demon?"
"Yes!"
"Something even a Demon King couldn't do?"
"Yes!"
"And he created holy poison — instantly?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"The kind of holy poison that would take a high-ranking mage at least a month to craft… done instantly?"
"Yes! That is correct, Your Majesty!"
The gazes directed at the bishop grew increasingly cold.
Even the priests began eyeing him strangely.
Does this man even realize what he's saying?
The Emperor's expression darkened with displeasure.
"Take him away."
"Y-Your Majesty!"
"I expected flimsy excuses… but to pin it all on an infant? From someone who calls himself a bishop?"
"I-it's not an excuse! It's the truth! That child—!"
But the bishop couldn't finish his sentence.
The imperial paladins were already dragging him out.
"Negligent management of the totem. Endangering the saint candidate and the royal family. Smuggling in holy poison. The investigation will take time — though I suspect the outcome is clear."
"Looks like the heresy trial the bishop always wanted is finally happening. We'll notify the Holy See — better start selecting his replacement."
The humiliated bishop bit his lip hard.
He'd spoken without thinking, driven by panic. But now, no matter what he said, it would sound like a desperate excuse.
Still — he couldn't leave without saying this one thing.
"Don't be fooled! That's a monster! Let me use the exorcism rites just once—no, any of you! Just try it once, and that demon will reveal its true form!"
Normally, a demon disguised as a human would have its true form exposed by exorcism rites.
That must be what he was counting on…
"Yeah… won't happen."
It wasn't transformation — it was reincarnation.
The Skeleton King's angelic eyes curved like a wolf spotting a helpless piglet.
No matter how much he raved, this was a human body. Did he think an exorcism would magically turn him back into a demon?
The Skeleton King chuckled to himself, as if everything was proceeding according to plan.
With this, the annoying pest who had been after his life was finished.
"Drag me to the Pope, he says… Yeah, keep running your mouth. Didn't know a tongue could be that long."
Honestly, if the bishop hadn't tried to kill him, he wouldn't have gone this far.
But now? The man was as good as dead. Even if he tried to escape, it'd be impossible.
He was already on thin ice with the Emperor for meddling in the Crown Prince's succession.
And now the Emperor had him dead to rights.
Once suspicion set in, the existence of the bishop's spies would soon be exposed.
Especially since this whole mess happened inside the Imperial Temple.
Worst case? The bishop would be executed for trying to pin this incident on the royal family.
Even worse? The whole Holy See might get dragged down with him.
Perhaps the bishop realized this too.
"At the very least… I'll kill Eshua's child before I go!"
Eshua — the long-standing enemy of the Papal family.
If he could kill her descendant, maybe the Pope would execute him but spare his family.
As the bishop traced a sacred symbol with his finger, murderous intent flared around him.
It was an offensive holy spell.
From beneath his feet, a golden wolf shot forth.
Growl!
The golden wolf lunged straight for the Skeleton King's neck.
The Skeleton King frowned.
Seriously? Summoning an attack-type divine beast in the middle of court like this?
"Damn it… I don't even have that much mana left."
Would it kill him? Would it leave a fatal wound? Or could he withstand it?
But just then—
Whoosh!
A noble blue radiance scattered before his eyes.
Slash!
The wolf's head was cleanly severed, flying high into the air.
Simultaneously, knights clad in shimmering blue armor appeared, shielding the Skeleton King.
At their lead was a woman wearing a blue sash.
"Who dares lay a hand on a direct descendant of Eshua?!"
Her presence was overwhelming. Even the priests flinched in surprise.
"Th-the Blue Faith!"
"It's Eshua!"
The Skeleton King blinked slowly.
Looked like someone had come to pick him up from home.
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