Chapter 123: Too Long. What the Hell Are You Babbling About?

At last, Nolan had said it out loud, and a strange sense of relief washed over him. His identity had always been his greatest secret, something he could never share with anyone. Now, taking advantage of this moment, he had finally poured everything out in one breath.

The madness flickering in Qroshu’s eyes darkened noticeably at the latter half of Nolan’s words.

Royal Pioneer Knight. Lord of Demont Province.

To Qroshu, those worldly titles were meaningless, no more significant than dust proclaiming its own existence. But the phrases that followed were entirely incomprehensible.

Player. Loser. Lucky survivor.

Strung together, the words made no sense at all, like the delirious mutterings of a madman in the throes of insanity. Qroshu’s brows slowly drew together as the amused smile faded from his handsome face.

“You dare mock me?” His voice turned cold. “Mock a Demon Overlord?”

“I’m not a demon. I don’t enjoy pointless cruelty, and I certainly don’t need to entertain myself by teasing you.” Nolan shrugged casually. “I just figured this was a rare opportunity, so I shared a little secret of mine.”

He paused, then flashed a bright smile.

“Think of it as end-of-life care.”

Boom.

An indescribable fury erupted from Qroshu.

Had this been the real world, it might have looked like nothing more than an overwhelming surge of power. But this was his mental domain, where emotion ruled all things.

The shattered cathedral trembled violently beneath his rage. Beyond the broken holes in the ceiling, black storm clouds churned wildly while violet lightning danced soundlessly across the sky, throwing the entire world into flickering light and shadow.

“Do you even understand who you’re speaking to?”

Qroshu’s once elegant voice twisted into something hoarse and violent, overflowing with murderous intent.

He had always been the one standing above others, manipulating hearts and minds as if intelligent life were toys in the palm of his hand. Yet this human, who had appeared from nowhere, had provoked him into genuine fury with only a few sentences.

The insult itself was one thing. Worse still was the realization creeping into his mind: in the very field he ruled above all others—mental corruption and the battle of wills—he might actually be losing to this human.

“You think a few clever words and some nonsense are enough to provoke a Demon Overlord?!”

The instant the final word left his mouth, the four mismatched wings behind him spread wide.

Crash!

The ground beneath his feet exploded apart as Qroshu launched forward like a black shadow too fast for the eye to follow. Everything behind him shattered under the recoil of his acceleration.

At some point, a dagger crackling with cyan lightning had appeared in his left hand, its blade aimed directly at Nolan’s throat.

But in Nolan’s perception, it was not a dagger rushing toward him.

It was an entire mountain.

An enormous peak bore down upon him with terrifying force, the pressure crushing his T-shirt and pants tightly against his body until even breathing became difficult.

And yet Nolan merely watched in silence.

He did not dodge. He did not even blink.

Qroshu’s dagger stopped precisely before his throat. The sharpened tip had already pressed a shallow mark into his skin, but it could advance no farther.

Nolan calmly raised his right hand and used the backs of two fingers to push the blade aside.

“I don’t like having weapons pointed at me.”

His tone was as casual as if he were asking a friend not to joke around.

Only then did the destruction behind him become fully visible.

Centered along Qroshu’s attack path, the entire rear half of the cathedral had been annihilated. Pillars, walls, shattered statues, everything had been reduced to the finest dust. A massive trench stretched from beneath Qroshu’s feet through the spot where Nolan stood, extending endlessly into the darkness at the edge of the world.

And Nolan, standing at the center of the devastation, remained completely unharmed.

Qroshu narrowed his eyes.

That strike had contained no restraint whatsoever. He had attacked with the full intent of crushing this insolent insect into fragments along with his consciousness.

Then he remembered.

This was a mental world.

Both of them existed here only as pure consciousness. Physical attacks and bodily strength meant nothing. Everything in this place was merely the manifestation of will.

The reason his attack had produced such terrifying destruction was because, in his memory and imagination, his full-force strike should possess that level of power.

And by the same logic, no matter what Nolan saw or felt, as long as he fundamentally believed that he could not be harmed, then he truly would not be harmed.

The fury in Qroshu’s eyes faded, replaced by a deep, icy calm. The trembling cathedral stilled. Even the lightning in the heavens quieted.

So that was why he dared come here.

Standing face-to-face with Nolan, Qroshu stared directly into his eyes.

There was no fear in them. No hesitation. Only a terrifyingly unwavering resolve.

This damned human. What monstrous willpower.

No wonder he had dared invade a Demon Overlord’s mental world alone.

The humiliation burning within Qroshu abruptly transformed into greedy desire. He looked at Nolan as though gazing upon the perfect work of art, the finest possible nourishment.

He was the Demon Overlord of Betrayal.

To shatter a will this strong, to watch such a steadfast soul collapse into corruption and despair… the violent spiritual eruption created in that moment would be unimaginably delicious. Enough to replenish the power he had exhausted over ten thousand years.

“So this is the dignity of a Demon Overlord?” Nolan broke the silence, his voice openly mocking now. “Two sentences and you’re already trying to kill someone. Even the street thugs in Rosenberg would throw out a few more threats first. Honestly, it’s no wonder the Seven Serpent Thrones never came to rescue you after all this time. Even they probably never considered a traitor like you one of their own.”

Qroshu’s expression did not change in the slightest. He withdrew the dagger and smoothly returned to his refined, courteous demeanor.

“My apologies,” he said with a smile, as though the enraged monster from moments ago had never existed. “It has simply been far too long since I’ve met someone capable of conversation. I became a little overexcited.”

Even Nolan had to admire how quickly he changed faces.

“What remarkable willpower. Remarkable indeed, young Nolan of Shire.”

Qroshu stepped forward and spread his arms wide, his posture almost reverent.

“Your past is hidden beneath a fog of mystery. I cannot see through it. How rare.” His gaze sharpened. “But I can see your determination. You want to save that decaying kingdom, don’t you? I can feel the obsession burning inside you. But do you truly believe you alone can oppose those entrenched nobles and those hypocritical temples?”

His voice carried a strange, irresistible allure, every word striking directly at the weaknesses buried deep within human nature.

“Look at your companions. Weak. Useless. Dependent. They follow you only to steal the fruits of your victories. Parasites, nothing more. Abandon them. Let them sink back into mediocrity where they belong. Your glory should belong to you alone. And that pathetic kingdom of yours? The fools ruling it are merely beneficiaries clinging to power, while you are nothing but the blade they swing against the innocent. Why not overthrow that rotten nation and seize your own destiny?”

The four wings behind him slowly unfurled, stirring currents of air that felt both holy and wicked.

“Release my chains, and I will grant you the power to overturn everything. You will found a new order, a new faith with me as its god. And you, Nolan, will stand above all others as the eternal chosen one, the supreme pontiff of a new age. Isn’t the revival of the kingdom what you truly desire? Those self-righteous temple hounds, those arrogant nobles, all of them will kneel before you.”

Qroshu’s voice rose higher and higher, growing increasingly impassioned.

“Think about it, Nolan. Why burden yourself with the expectations of the weak? Why bind yourself with ridiculous morality? Betray them. Join us. In the world of demons, power is supreme. Chaos rewards all who embrace destruction and truth. You will gain everything you have ever desired. Destruction is not the end. It is rebirth!”

Throughout the speech, Nolan kept his head lowered, allowing Qroshu to continue his fervent sermon uninterrupted.

Just as the Demon Overlord reached the peak of his performance and prepared to offer even greater temptations, Nolan suddenly cut him off.

“Too long.”

He lifted his head with a look of complete annoyance.

“What the hell are you even babbling about, Qroshu#368742KS?”

“…”

Every expression on Qroshu’s face, every movement, every emotion, froze instantly in place.