The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 333

The world trembled, as if it were screaming.

Through the heart that the radiant darkness had willingly offered, a power too great for the world to contain surged forth, threatening to swallow everything whole.

But she did not allow it.

Watching her final moments from closest by, the hero Hindel finally realized.

That he had turned away from so much—just because he was tired.

That he had committed an unforgivable sin.

And then—

“Ah...”

A memory he had once known but long forgotten came flooding back.

His first encounter with Helena when they were young—she had been picking flowers at the edge of the village.

How he had tried awkwardly to strike up a conversation with her.

And how he had stubbornly ignored the truth: that she had never been the Demon King.

Emotions overwhelmed him.

Realizing what he had done—

The once-radiant hero turned to dust and vanished.

There, in that place where everything was lost—

Helena tried to say the things she had never had the chance to tell her children.

But—

“If you cry like that, you won’t even be able to hear what I have to say.”

Even as she was dying, Helena spoke in her usual slightly blunt tone.

But it wasn’t because she didn’t understand them.

Turning to her most dependable and eldest disciple, she said,

“I was wrong. Will you set things right for me?”

That was all she said.

Then—

“Also, take good care of our adorable little heir standing beside you.”

With a soft smile, Helena’s words made the Black Star continue to weep tears of blood.

But he answered willingly.

“Of course.”

In the same loyal tone as always—

Helena closed her eyes in peace.

The immense power, too great for even the world to endure, vanished completely.

Leaving not a single trace behind.

That ever-radiant, noble darkness faded away—forever.

“Ah... aaah...”

Will, having witnessed it all,

Also shed tears of blood as he closed his eyes, watching Helena’s final moments.

Seong and Barbaros stood there, overwhelmed, as a new system message appeared before them:

[You have witnessed the full tale of 『Death Lord Will Baghdad』.]

[You have glimpsed a Fragment of a Myth.]

[You will now receive your reward.]

Only now did they truly feel the weight of the game’s world.

Both of them shared the same thought.

“...That was a truly cruel story.”

At Barbaros’s words, Seong could only nod in agreement.

The hero, crushed by exhaustion.

The Demon King, who sacrificed herself for that hero.

Both had lived agonizing, harrowing lives.

But their ends couldn’t have been more different.

Hindel, born in radiant light, flailed in despair until he lost all shine.

Helena, born in darkness, had always shone nobly to the end.

There was more footage beyond that ending—

But as Barbaros had said, the rest was simply too cruel.

It was nothing but Will’s despair and grief.

Eventually, giving up even his own body—

The story of Will Baghdad came to its close.

4.

They exited the book.

Yet Barbaros remained silent for a while.

Even though Seong had fulfilled all the conditions for inheriting the Death Lord and needed to return to Cerule Spire, he too said nothing.

The lingering emotion of the moment held them both in place.

Eventually, Seong was the first to come back to himself.

“I’ll be going ahead.”

“Ah... I’ve held you up too long, heh heh.”

Barbaros laughed awkwardly, still visibly dazed.

Looking at him, Seong said,

“Let’s meet again sometime.”

“I’d love that! If you ever need anything from the library, just call me! Oh! And if there’s a skill you want as a reward, let me know anytime! I’ll craft one for you!”

And so, after spending a long journey together, the two finally parted ways.

As Seong left the library, having bid farewell to Barbaros, his expression had turned grim and cold—like a wrathful ghost.

Because the one who had led Hindel to corruption—the one who still sought to control the hero even now—was still out there.

He knew why Helena had left them alone.

“It’s my job to take care of them.”

She had left them for her successor—for Seong.

All his subordinates echoed his fury, pledging their support.

Amid that solemn atmosphere, Seong summoned Helena.

Not because he needed her help.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Helena awkwardly cleared her throat, clearly embarrassed after having witnessed her ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) own past.

She looked regretful before the children who had once followed her.

Watching her, Seong couldn’t help but mutter,

“Don’t ever do that again, Helena.”

“Uh, what?”

“That’s an order.”

At those sudden words—

—Yes! Please give her a proper scolding!

—Y-Yeah! S-she needs to be punished!

—Ahem. My lord, I agree wholeheartedly.

—I feel the same, Lord.

Surprisingly, even Noctrynium, Fiora, Leonic, and Valtar joined in with firm support.

Helena, flustered by their united front, awkwardly turned her head this way and that, clearly ashamed.

Seong, staring at her sternly, repeated,

“Understood?”

“...Of course...”

She mumbled softly.

Suspicious, Seong narrowed his eyes at her.

Then—

“Okay, okay! I get it!”

“Even if you have a new homunculus body now, you’re not allowed to do it again.”

“...Right.”

Only after getting a clear answer did Seong leave, satisfied.

As he walked ahead, Helena stared at his back with a curious expression.

She was supposed to be his teacher.

So why did she feel so powerless before him?

Really now.

Still, it was true she’d made mistakes.

So Helena quietly followed after Seong.

Because now, Seong was her master.

Their next destination was clear.

Time to obtain the Death Lord.

Though he was full of anger and determination—

Seong was calm, focused, and cold in his rage.

He headed straight for Septem Arcana, where the Cerule Magic Tower stood.

No one stopped him, and he ascended the tower swiftly.

There, he was warmly greeted by a familiar face he hadn’t seen in a while.

Unchanged, just like before—

“Welcome. I’ve been expecting you.”

Will Baghdad.

No—his homunculus body.

Seong greeted him the same way.

“It’s been a while.”

He had spoken formally before.

But now?

Maybe it was the things they had gone through.

Maybe it felt too awkward to speak that way anymore.

Normally, Helena would’ve teased him at that.

But with the mood being what it was, she quietly stood behind him.

Seeing Seong speak so comfortably,

Will smiled with satisfaction.

“You’ve fulfilled all the conditions.”

“Yeah, I have.”

“Then I’ll proceed with the succession.”

The succession didn’t mean Will would disappear.

So Seong wasn’t particularly worried.

Will then drew forth the power of the Death Lord from his body—an immense force that had been eating away at his vessel.

It appeared as an orb, like a mass of gray death spirits, gathered into his palm.

Normally, someone would hesitate in fear of such an ominous object.

But not Seong.

He grabbed the orb immediately without flinching.

And then—

KuoOOOOOOOO—!!!

Hundreds, thousands—no, tens of thousands of death spirits erupted out,

Only to be absorbed into Seong’s body.

He didn’t feel anything strange.

But within him, he could sense the same black pillar of energy Will had once shown.

As Seong opened his eyes—

A new message appeared:

[You have acquired the Almighty-grade skill: 『Death Lord』.]

It was a short message.

Seong didn’t bother reading the skill description.

He already knew better than anyone how the Death Lord worked—he had seen the whole legend of Will Baghdad.

Will clapped softly and congratulated him.

“Congratulations.”

Seong smiled at him and said,

“Now it’s time you got a new name.”

“...Me?”

Will’s voice sounded stunned.

Then—

“Homunculi should all have their own names.”

Seong, who knew all about homunculi, said with certainty.

Will chuckled quietly.

True.

He had finally laid down the burden of being the Death Lord.

Even if he shared Will’s appearance—

His soul had formed independently.

And then—

“I’ll name you myself.”

“......”

At those words, Will felt something stir within him.

He had lived a long time.

But it had been a long time since he’d felt something like this.

To have someone give him a name—

It was strange, but... pleasant.

And so—

“Very well. I have already pledged loyalty to you, Seong-nim. As a member of Overpalace, receiving a name from you would be the highest honor.”

Kneeling on one knee, bowing his head, Will awaited his name.

Seong spoke.

“Weasel Baghdad.”

It was a slightly altered name.

Taking Will’s surname, Seong had named him.

Will—no, Weasel—smiled gently and said,

“Weasel Baghdad will serve Seong-nim for eternity.”

And thus, he received his new name.

Now that Seong had acquired the Death Lord title—

Just as he was preparing to move forward,

Weasel, catching on to his intent, asked,

“Do you require any information?”

“Yeah, I want updates on the Sword Saint’s movements and the city of Badia.”

“I’ll find them right away.”

With that, Weasel immediately activated the Magic Tower’s intelligence network.

From now on, assisting Seong would keep him extremely busy.

He moved quickly, working the tower’s resources to their fullest.

Yet despite the work—

A wide, satisfied smile lingered on Weasel’s face.

5.

In the capital of the Kingdom of Rieskan, a royal court meeting was underway.

It was normal for such meetings to be filled with heated debate.

Different ideologies, perspectives, and plans were necessary for national governance.

Arguments were inevitable.

But today was different.

Because the Sword Saint—the highest-ranking official in the Kingdom of Rieskan—was present.

And because of that, the entire court had gone cold and silent.

Only the Sword Saint spoke, looking across the room.

“We need to bring the war with the Balian Empire and Wiron Territory to a close.”

His voice was cold, decisive.

No one dared to refute him.

There were countless reasons to object.

The conflict with Badia and Wiron had always been a routine war.

In modern terms, it was like WWE.

But what the Sword Saint proposed—

Was turning it into UFC.

The consequences would be devastating.

As long as it remained a small-scale conflict, it could be carried out as usual.

But ending it?

That meant full-scale war with the Balian Empire.

What had been mere territorial skirmishes could now spiral into a national war.

But no one could stop him.

‘W-What’s going on all of a sudden...?’

‘Does the Sword Saint really want war?’

‘But if we go to war with a demon-ruled empire...’

Anyone could see that Rieskan might not win.

But the Sword Saint showed no sign of backing down.

“A war that’s dragged on for centuries... it’s time to end it.”

He said this with a smile, then stood up from his seat.

As if there was nothing more to discuss.

He turned and exited the chamber.

Then, reaching his quarters, he sealed the room completely with his aura—preventing any intrusion.

Facing the mirror, he opened his mouth.

“Let’s talk, Grand Lord.”