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314 lines
7.5 KiB
Markdown
314 lines
7.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Chapter 352: All thoughts to the devil"
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slug: "ch-352"
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novel: "Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100"
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number: 352
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views: 0
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likes: 0
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wordCount: 1244
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createdAt: "2026-04-13"
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---
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Silence.
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Crushing, suffocating silence.
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Not a whisper. Not a breath.
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No one moved.
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No one could.
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Palace Master Hugh—one of the greatest experts in the Lower Domain, an Expert Rank powerhouse—was gone.
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Wiped away with a snap of the fingers.
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It wasn't just power they had witnessed.
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It was something beyond.
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Mind-boggling. Terrifying. Unreal.
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And Mark?
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He just dusted his hands, glanced around the room, and smiled.
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Like it was nothing.
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Mark's head tilted slightly as his gaze shifted toward the entrance of the shattered hall.
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"You've been hiding long enough," he said calmly, voice echoing like a whisper carried by wind. "You can come out now."
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The moment the words left his lips, footsteps echoed in the ruined silence.
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A middle-aged man stepped into view—dark red hair swept back, his robes pristine despite the chaos around him. He walked with confidence, unhurried.
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It was none other than Envoy Lucas.
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Max's eyes narrowed instantly, his expression turning pitch-black.
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Him.
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Lucas offered a faint, mocking smile as he entered the center of the hall. "I have a suggestion," he said casually, as though he hadn't just betrayed everything and everyone.
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Mark arched a brow, intrigued. "Oh? And what kind of suggestion are we talking about?"
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Lucas's smile deepened. It was twisted. Sinister.
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"You mentioned earlier that the body you're using—the 'meat suit'—is slowly dying from the inside due to your infernal energy."
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Mark nodded lightly. "I did. So?"
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Lucas turned his head, slowly, deliberately—eyes settling on Max. Then back to Mark.
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"You need a vessel," he said. "A body attuned to both mana and infernal energy."
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He let the silence sit for a second longer before adding—
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"Isn't there someone in this very hall who possesses just that kind of body?"
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The words dropped like poison into still water.
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Every person present froze.
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They weren't fools. They understood exactly what Lucas was implying.
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But no one had expected him to say it out loud.
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Not this.
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"Lucas! What the hell are you saying?!" King Magnar thundered, appearing beside Max like a flash of lightning, his voice shaking the already broken walls.
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"Have you lost your damn mind?!"
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But Lucas only sneered.
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"Humph. If I can't get my hands on the secrets inside Max's body… then no one will."
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Max's fists trembled.
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The shame. The rage. The helplessness.
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He wanted to kill Lucas right there. Right now. Rip him apart with his bare hands.
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But he couldn't.
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He was too weak.
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An Expert Rank? Max wasn't even close. Right now, he was nothing but an ant. A bystander in his own tragedy.
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And then—
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A voice.
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'Come... pick me up. I shall give you the power to kill.'
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It whispered in his mind. Cold, ancient, and hungry.
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Max's eyes widened slightly, trying to trace its source, but before he could—
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"Kid?" Blob's voice broke in, sharp and concerned. "What's happening to you? Your soul… it's fluctuating hard. Really hard."
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Max blinked.
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"I—I don't know," he said aloud in his mind. "Everything feels fine…"
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"Hmm," Blob muttered. "Maybe it's just all this tension. But don't worry. If he tries to enter your body, I'll fight him from the inside. I'll do what I can."
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Max nodded faintly.
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But his gaze had already drifted.
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To the sword lying on the ground.
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That blood-red blade.
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Still.
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Waiting.
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'Come... pick me up. I shall give you the power to kill.'
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The voice again.
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He grit his teeth. There was greed in his eyes—restrained, but there. A need. A thirst.
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---
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"You want me to take over Max?" Mark mused aloud, eyes narrowing at the Max. "Now that's… not a bad idea."
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Then he turned, gaze flicking to Lucas, a sneer spreading across his face.
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"But you don't think I already thought of that, do you?"
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Lucas lowered his head, the confidence from earlier draining fast. He said nothing.
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Mark chuckled, amused, before turning back to Max.
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"What do you say, Max? Ready to hand over that body of yours?"
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Max didn't hesitate.
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"No."
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Mark's smile didn't fade.
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"What if I insist?"
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Max's voice turned ice cold. "Still no."
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Mark's grin widened as he raised his fingers.
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Snap!
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For an instant, Max thought it was over.
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Like Palace Master Hugh—turned to dust in an instant—he thought he was next.
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But instead—
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Alice appeared in front of him.
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Eyes wide. Confused. Afraid.
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"If you don't give me your body," Mark said cheerfully, "I'm going to kill her."
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Max's blood boiled.
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His fists clenched so tight that blood dripped between his fingers.
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But before he could move—
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Mark chuckled.
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"Nah, I'm just messing with you." He shook his head. "I'm not that much of a douche. I wouldn't kill a little girl over this."
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Max blinked, stunned by the sudden shift.
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"Or am I?"
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But then—
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Snap.
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Mark's fingers moved again.
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And Alice's body—
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disintegrated.
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Turned to dust.
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No sound. No scream. Just—
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Gone.
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The ashes floated slowly to the ground, like the last remnants of a burned photograph.
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Max's eyes widened.
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His breath caught in his throat.
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His lips parted, but no words came out.
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He just stared at the spot where she had stood—where she had smiled, cried, laughed—
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And now…
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She was dust.
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Falling.
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Like snow.
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Max couldn't believe his eyes.
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He stood frozen, his mind struggling to catch up with reality.
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One moment, Alice had been there—confused, alive, real. The next… nothing. Just a drifting cloud of dust where her body had once stood.
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Gone.
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Wiped away as though she'd never existed.
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His breath caught. His chest tightened.
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He couldn't process it.
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What just happened...?
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His knees weakened, but he didn't fall. His fists trembled, but he didn't lower them. His vision blurred, but not from tears—his eyes were dry, burning.
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His soul, however, screamed.
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And then—he turned.
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Slowly.
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Stiffly.
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His gaze locked onto Mark.
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The man… the thing responsible.
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Mark was smiling. Not with mockery. Not with cruelty.
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But with something worse.
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Gentleness.
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As if he hadn't just committed a horrifying act, as if he had done Max a favor.
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"You…" Max breathed. It was barely audible. More thought than sound.
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But his rage was building. Uncontainable.
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"YOU…"
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His voice cracked into a growl.
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And that's when it happened.
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Something inside him snapped.
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Like a sealed gate flung wide open, or a chain shattered from within.
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Suddenly—
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BOOM.
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A wave of energy burst from Max's body.
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Dark. Thick. Suffocating.
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Black infernal energy.
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It poured from him in violent streams, rising like smoke from a wildfire. It coiled and churned, twisting through the air like a living shadow.
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The entire hall trembled.
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Cracks split the floor beneath his feet. The walls groaned under the pressure of the energy swirling around him.
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It wasn't just leaking out—it was erupting.
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As if a tide that had long been dammed had finally broken free, and now the flood was unstoppable.
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The black energy wrapped around him like a storm given form, rising high above his head and sinking deep into the floor like roots anchoring a dark god.
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Mark's smile faded.
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Just slightly.
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His eyes narrowed, curiosity flickering within.
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Max's body trembled, but not with fear. His rage had become something else now—alive.
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His pupils dilated. His veins darkened beneath his skin. Infernal tattoos shimmered across his right arm, crawling upward, branching across his neck and face, pulsing in sync with his fury.
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There were no words in his mouth now.
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Only intent.
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Kill.
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And then the sword on the ground reacted. |