I’m the Madman of This Family

Chapter 394. To Live is to Die (4)

A summoning circle floats in the sky.

The sticky, gloomy energy flowing from the summoning circle that had devoured all of the chaos power and ether that Rukan possessed.

No one knows what will emerge from it. But one thing is certain: a being that no one here can handle will be summoned. It must be stopped.

Keter fires an arrow. The most powerful arrow he can muster right now. He creates a new 9th form of the Celestial Infinity Technique, which previously only had 8 forms.

The 6th form, Tusk, boasts extreme piercing power, and Tachyon, which generates supersonic explosive force in an instant. A new technique created by fusing the two on the spot.

Celestial Infinity Technique, 9th Form: Flash.

The arrow shot from his palm draws a single line with a brief flash of light.

The other Transcendent Beings also unleash their fastest and most powerful techniques, but Keter’s arrow is undoubtedly the first to reach the summoning circle.

No one pays attention to the traitor, Dayal. Dayal himself remains passive, but even if he were to attack, stopping the summoning is more important now.

Thus, life-risking strikes rain down on the summoning circle, but—

Pshhhk.

A sound like a balloon deflating echoes as all the attacks are swallowed. Like throwing a stone into the ocean.

The ripples show that “while it wasn’t completely ineffective, it might as well have been.”

Dayal, who had been watching this, mutters as if reciting a prayer.

“Almighty Alkione, all has been done according to Your will.”

Hearing this, Keter realizes two things.

Dayal didn’t betray them. He had long been a pawn of Alkione. It makes sense, as Dayal’s voice was filled with sincerity.

And secondly, what is emerging from the summoning circle is not a great demon or the true form of an evil god.

Tzzzzzzzz.

Descending from the summoning circle is the frail foot of a human. Next, an old man with a hunched back like a shrimp fully reveals himself.

Though he looks like an old man on the verge of death, Keter instinctively knows.

“Grand Duke…!”

What had been summoned using Rukan as a sacrifice was none other than the Grand Duke, Alkione.

The sound of knees hitting the ground echoes from behind. It was Dayal kneeling, but no one here pays it any mind.

All eyes are fixed on the Grand Duke. Not a single blink, not a single breath, as they stare at him.

The mere presence of the Grand Duke stirs their souls. Though his appearance is that of an old man, the aura emanating from him is more overwhelming than the heavens and the earth.

“Heh, heheheh.”

The Grand Duke laughs as he looks around. Like an old man stepping outside for the first time in months. Soon, his eyes meet Keter’s, and he speaks.

“Keter.”

Calling his name.

Keter responds.

“Alkione.”

“I told you the next time we met, I’d make you an offer you couldn’t refuse. Remember?”

“I remember.”

“Submit to me. Then you and House Sephira will be spared.”

“Worth refusing.”

“Refusal is easy. But you won’t be able to bear the cost of that refusal.”

Whoosh.

The Grand Duke gestures toward the sky. A gesture without a staff, but with it, the heavens and earth tremble.

Rumbleeeee!

The sky collapses, and the earth splits apart. Even though it wasn’t a direct attack, the aftermath was immense.

Keter, assuming it was a performance to show off his power, chuckles.

“Seems like you wanted to show off your strength.”

“I just wiped out Sephira.”

“…?”

“Let me commend you. You predicted this situation and prepared well. You made the elemental god Aakir your guardian deity and had Endymion, specialized in defense, guard the main house. But they’re all dead now. Not a single ant remains. Not a single bone. I killed them all with that gesture just now.”

“……”

Keter looks into the Grand Duke’s eyes. It’s no lie. Everything the Grand Duke says is true.

Which means, in this world, House Sephira is no more. The family, servants, and even the buildings that remained there have all vanished without a trace.

The Grand Duke’s power, which annihilated House Sephira thousands of meters away with a single gesture. The House Sephira, which had struggled to protect itself, fell in an instant, and the Grand Duke’s power is beyond imagination. Truly, the Grand Duke is a “god” in every sense.

Keter’s body trembles. He doesn’t want to hide it. The anger and fear rising in his chest… he lets those emotions spill out without restraint.

“I’ll kill you.”

No further conversation is needed.

Though it seems like the battle began with anger as the fuse, it’s not. Anger merely provided the energy.

Keter charges in solely because the Grand Duke isn’t yet in his complete state. Though he crushed the vast House Sephira thousands of meters away with a single gesture, even that wasn’t done with his full power.

As evidence, the summoning circle in the sky still remains. He hasn’t fully digested Rukan, who had absorbed Lilian.

If the Grand Duke, who is already worthy of being called a “god,” becomes complete, there truly will be no answer.

As Keter begins his attack, the other Transcendent Beings also join in. This is no time to worry about pride or anything else.

Running away isn’t an option. Turning your back means instant death. Fighting doesn’t guarantee victory, but it’s better than dying while fleeing.

“Heh heh heh.”

The Grand Duke does nothing. He straightens his hunched back and watches as if enjoying his grandson’s antics.

Rukan’s Ether Shield was nearly invincible, but the Grand Duke’s Ether Shield is simply invincible.

No attack works. It’s like punching a fog with no substance. Divine power, Ain Soph… all attacks are futile.

Faced with the overwhelming gap, the Transcendent Beings’ expressions darken.

Then.

Swoosh!

Keter’s back is slashed open. Dayal, who had been observing, launches a sneak attack. Even dealing with just the Grand Duke alone was hopeless, and now the 8-star Irregular, Dayal, joins the Grand Duke.

“Damn it all.”

Baiga of House Mejai, who is on the verge of tears, shows clear signs of wanting to flee.

As Dayal, who had sneak-attacked Keter, prepares to strike Jairo with his sword—

“You’re overstepping.”

The Grand Duke extends his hand.

The target is Dayal.

Sssssssss.

Before Dayal can even react, he turns into gray dust and is absorbed into the Grand Duke’s hand.

Those who witness this aren’t relieved that a troublesome enemy is gone; instead, they are horrified.

‘He erased Dayal with a single gesture?’

Which means the Grand Duke is toying with them, even though he could kill them at any moment.

As the morale of the allies visibly plummets, Keter shouts.

“Idiots, Dayal was borrowing the Grand Duke’s power. He just took it back; it’s not like he killed a Transcendent Being in one hit!”

Despite Keter’s logical words, the allies’ expressions don’t improve. It means the Grand Duke has absorbed Dayal’s power.

Clap, clap, clap.

The Grand Duke claps. Just that, and everyone flinches, on guard. But it was truly just an innocent clap.

“Your calmness in observing the situation even in this moment. That was always your greatest strength, Keter.”

“Praising me right before killing me. What a nasty habit.”

“I admit it. And since you returned alive from Ruquer, you must know it all by now. That you and I aren’t so different.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hmm, that expression. You truly don’t know. Well, good for you. You’ll die without knowing.”

The Grand Duke, who had been still, finally extends his hand. Though he doesn’t even need to. For him, “action” is meaningless. Rukan attacked with just his will, so why couldn’t the Grand Duke?

But the Grand Duke, perhaps placing a “restriction” on himself, deliberately takes action, allowing Keter to predict and dodge.

Fwoooooosh!

A beam of light shoots from the Grand Duke’s wrinkled palm. Even fully extended, his palm is less than 10 centimeters, but the beam that emerges has a radius of 5 meters—a Death Ray.

Keter had already moved his body before the attack, and it seemed like he wasn’t even grazed by the beam.

But Keter’s upper body, upon landing, is charred to a crisp. A state where even a slight touch would cause it to crumble.

Crackle.

The charred body crumbles in the wind. But this isn’t the body breaking apart. New flesh is growing from within.

Just before the beam hit. Keter, despite physically dodging, had preemptively over-regenerated his body, thinking he couldn’t avoid it.

This was a tremendous gamble. If Keter’s prediction had been wrong, he would have self-destructed from over-regeneration.

But Keter’s prediction was correct. Even though the beam missed by a wide margin, just the “influence” alone was enough to burn his upper body.

Those who witness this gulp. Keter survived thanks to his abnormal regenerative abilities, but they don’t have such divine power.

Meaning, if the Grand Duke’s beam hits, or even grazes, it’s instant death.

“Your versatility was also quite charming.”

The Grand Duke praises Keter again, as if speaking to a well-raised son.

Keter brushes off the fragments clinging to his body and twitches his finger.

“Gods aren’t so special. You’re hittable.”

“I wonder if the others feel the same.”

The Grand Duke fires another beam, this time in the opposite direction. He wasn’t aiming at anyone in particular.

There was no need to aim. Simply including someone in the beam’s “area” was enough.

“Fck!”

“Uwaaaaaah!”

The Transcendent Beings curse and shout. There’s no other way to withstand the Grand Duke’s Death Ray.

Those without the confidence to revive like Keter choose to block rather than dodge. Dodging a beam with an unpredictable attack range is impossible.

For the Grand Duke, it’s just a gesture, but the Transcendent Beings gather all their power to resist the beam.

Kwaaaaang!

Jairo, wielding the giant sword, steps forward and plunges his sword into the ground. His giant sword isn’t just a massive blade. It’s the Demon Sword Obelisk. And with its true name released, its full power is unleashed.

But—

Crack.

The artifact, said to be indestructible, cracks. The Grand Duke’s beam is blocked by the giant sword, scattering in all directions.

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