Chapter 125: The Child of Malice
Jack Blazespout, the top-ranked student of Slatemark Academy, was already a figure of distinction. As the heir to Duke Blazespout, one of the world's most formidable Immortal-rankers, he carried an impressive legacy.
Yet, the true nature of his heritage, known only to a select few, made him even more extraordinary.
The Heavenly Demon, an apostle of the Demon Overlord, had been a figure of immense power, reaching the pinnacle of Radiant-rank and founding the Heavenly Demon sect nearly two centuries ago. His reign brought about a devastating war in Murim, culminating in the deaths of both the Heavenly Demon and Liam Kagu.
In his final moments, the Heavenly Demon chose to compress his entire being and his Gift into a Legendary-grade artifact known as the Orb of Avarice. This artifact was meant to devour any who were greedy enough to seek its power.
But the Heavenly Demon's plan was flawed.
The Orb's legendary status made it exceptionally selective about its bearer. As a result, it languished in the treasury of a minor sect in Murim, its power untapped.
A series of conflicts between sects in Murim and the Blazespout family led to the destruction of the minor sect that had guarded the Orb of Avarice. Duke Blazespout, recognizing the artifact's power, seized it despite being unable to bond with it himself.
Yet, the duke was unaware of the Orb's true nature.
To him, the Orb was simply a purple-red sphere, pulsating with an energy that seemed to promise the fulfillment of his deepest ambitions—his dreams of ascending to the throne of the Slatemark Empire and breaking through the barrier between Immortal and Radiant ranks.
He took the Orb home, and to everyone's astonishment, it chose to bond with his two-year-old son.
In an unprecedented twist, the young Jack Blazespout, though still a child and far from achieving Immortal rank, was deemed worthy of such a powerful artifact. He became the rare exception—a prodigy who could bond with a Legendary-grade artifact at such a tender age.
Remarkably, instead of the Orb consuming Jack's soul to use his body as a vessel, it became akin to a bonded beast. The Heavenly Demon's ambitions were thwarted; while it could whisper into Jack's mind, it could not control him as a puppet. This bond allowed Jack to access the artifact's power, but the Orb's influence remained limited.
And thus began the greatest tragedy in human history, one that would overshadow even the devastating legacy of the Heavenly Demon.
'Jack will set the South ablaze with his flames once he reaches Radiant rank,' I thought.
Jack's bond with the Orb allowed him to tap into the Heavenly Demon's memories, propelling him to Radiant-rank even before Lucifer Windward. In his rise, he devastated the Viserion family of the South, a cataclysmic event that shook the world.
The novel had it that Tiamat's claws pierced his heart, but whether he truly perished remained shrouded in mystery.
Now, before me stood this same figure—arguably the most gifted fire mage in the world. Jack was destined to challenge Lucifer repeatedly over their lifetimes and eventually become the one to end Ian's father.
Even now, he was pretending to be the perfect noble, masking his true malice behind a polite façade.
Jack had black hair and eyes like Jin, but he looked noticeably different from him. His hair was messy, not neat like Jin's, giving him a more untamed look. And there was a distinct aura of danger that surrounded him.
It wasn't a danger born purely of strength—it was the kind of aura that commanded respect, a warning to others not to mess with him. There was an unspoken authority in the way he carried himself, a confidence that set him apart.
It was the kind of confidence that came from having the Heavenly Demon whispering in his ear, much like Luna did for me. Except, in my case, Luna's influence was far more positive.
Jack approached us, his gaze sweeping over our group, and he greeted us with a light bow. "It's an honor to see Your Highnesses gathered here," he said smoothly, his tone courteous but carrying that undercurrent of challenge. His entourage followed, each offering their bows.
"Good to see you as well, Jack," Cecilia replied, her voice composed, giving him a polite nod. She turned to greet the others from Slatemark Academy, her smile warm but reserved.
Jack straightened, his dark eyes meeting mine briefly before shifting to Lucifer. The tension between them was almost palpable. They had been destined to challenge each other, and it seemed like even now, there was an unspoken rivalry simmering beneath the surface.
Lucifer gave Jack a nod, his expression unreadable. "Jack," he said simply, his tone neutral.
"Lucifer," Jack replied, his lips curling slightly, almost as if he found the whole situation amusing. He then looked at me, and I met his gaze without flinching.
"Arthur Nightingale," he said, a hint of intrigue in his voice. "It seems fate has brought us all together tonight."
"Seems so," I replied, keeping my tone even. "Congratulations on leading the Slatemark Academy group. I heard impressive things about all of you."
Naomi Draven stepped forward, her eyes narrowing slightly, though a smile lingered on her lips. "Impressive? Flattery from a Mythos Academy student. I must say, I didn't expect that."
"It's not flattery if it's true," I replied with a small smile. "You've earned your reputation."
Jack's expression didn't change, but I caught the slight arch of his brow. He seemed almost amused, as though he found the exchange entertaining.
Before the tension could escalate further, Cecilia intervened, her voice gentle yet firm. "Tonight is about celebrating, not competing. Let's put aside our differences and enjoy the festivities."
Jack's gaze lingered on Cecilia for a moment before he nodded, a polite smile returning to his face. "Of course, Your Highness. We're all here to celebrate, after all."
'Just who the hell is he?' Luna's voice echoed in my mind, her tone filled with disbelief. 'How... how is this possible? How can someone harbor so much malice?'
It wasn't often that Luna, a qilin who had reached the pinnacle of power and lived for thousands of years, was left bewildered. But Jack was different. Even she, with her timeless wisdom, struggled to comprehend the sheer depth of malice that emanated from him.
With her vision, Luna could see the threads of fate, and perhaps, in that instant, she glimpsed the devastation Jack would bring. All of it born from pure malice.
Jack Blazespout was an incarnation of evil, and he wielded the power of another—a being whose very name had become synonymous with destruction: the Heavenly Demon.
It was an absurd combination by any standard. An unimaginable force of darkness residing within someone already predisposed to malevolence. And the worst part was, Jack had the power to see those dark ambitions through.
He was one of only two beings in this world capable of wielding both mana and black mana. The other was Rin Ashbluff.
Simply put, Jack was a character without redemption.
His fate was already set—the only end for him was death.
Of course, I couldn't kill him now, and not just because of his personal strength. He was the heir to Duke Blazespout, with significant influence and power backing him. Any attempt to kill him would be suicide for me.
And if I died, then everything I was working for would be meaningless. I wasn't saving the world out of some selfless desire—I was doing it to protect myself. If I couldn't live to see it, then what was the point?
Jack, too, was restricted in his power. He couldn't yet wield the full extent of his abilities, particularly his second Gift—Abyssal Flames, a black mana Gift once used by the Heavenly Demon. If he revealed it now, it would lead to his execution.
But even with just Nirvana Flames, Jack was in a league of his own.
Lucifer and I were close, but we hadn't reached Jack's level yet. If we faced him now, there was no doubt—we would lose.
I turned my gaze away from Jack and looked past him, to the group of Slatemark Academy's geniuses who stood behind him. As a whole, they were on par with Mythos Academy's Class A, save for me, Ren, and Lucifer.
My eyes swept over Liora Arundel, Tobias Grimfeld, and Naomi Draven before finally resting on the one who caught my interest the most.
Elara Astoria—the innocent daughter of Archduke Leopold Astoria, and the very reason why the Slatemark Empire would be torn apart by civil war in the future.
She was my favorite female character in the novel, a symbol of purity caught in a storm of power struggles and betrayals.
And she was the one whose fate had always left me wanting to change the course of the story.
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