The Mad Dog of the Duke's Estate-Chapter 361. The Difference (2)

Until that moment, Caron had thought the violet figure before him was simply a version of himself from the future. But the instant the talk of previous lives came up, he realized—this thing wasn't him at all. It was something fundamentally different.

"Do you know who Cain Latorre is?" Caron asked.

The violet Caron frowned deeply, his expression twisting with confusion as he asked, "Who the hell is that supposed to be?"

Caron wondered if it was an act or if the violet Caron truly didn't know. But he came to a conclusion that there was no way he was pretending. The look in his eyes when he glanced at Halo made that clear enough.

Caron would never look at Halo with unease, not with that subtle fear.

"If I'd known things would turn out like this," the violet Caron said dryly, "I would've treated my grandfather with a little less formality."

The tone was teasing, but his face carried a faint trace of melancholy. Even after embracing malice itself, some fragment of humanity still lingered in him.

"How many times have you been reincarnated?" Caron asked quietly.

The violet Caron narrowed his eyes and answere, "That's a strange question. Haven't you regained your past memories by now?"

"Answer me," Caron pressed.

"The reincarnation of Rael Leston," the other replied smoothly. "That's what we are."

"And what about Cain Latorre?" Caron asked.

The violet Caron's face twisted in irritation, then he snapped, "Why do you keep spouting that name as if it means something? I've never—wait."

He froze, eyes widening as the realization struck him. He asked in disbelief, "...Don't tell me. You reincarnated again?"

"I never said it was just once," Caron said.

"Once or a hundred times—it doesn't matter. That's impossible. Our fate was already fulfilled through reincarnation. Rael Leston made a deal with the Demon King of Void!" the violet Caron explained.

That was the first time Caron had ever heard such a thing, that Rael Leston had made a deal with the Demon King of Void.

Seeing Caron's puzzled expression, the violet Caron let out a hollow laugh and continued, "You mean you didn't even know? You absorbed the Demon King of Havoc, didn't you? You should have inherited his knowledge—wait."

Whoosh!

The air froze around them.

Then the violet Caron's eyes gleamed as though he had just solved a riddle. He added, "Of course... In your world, the Demon King of Havoc is still alive. Cardan Karien... You haven't inherited his memories yet, have you?"

Caron's mind flashed back to what the World Tree had once told him, that the life of Cain Latorre was one that should never have existed.

This thing standing before him—of course it had no memory of being Cain Latorre.

"Yeah," the violet Caron muttered. "That bastard Cardan. It must've been him. He's the one who stole your soul."

"You keep having a one-sided conversation," Caron said.

"But why?" the violet Caron went on, ignoring him. "Why would Cardan do that? His only purpose was to pass down the ancient memories. Why follow me all the way to the Core of Sin?"

Caron wondered if the Demon King of Havoc had twisted fate itself. The World Tree had said that the power of Havoc had corrupted Cain Latorre's life.

"What an interesting timeline," the violet Caron said, smirking. "Anviolet Caron Leston with yet another past life. But a soul warped by fate will only ever live a miserable life—no matter how many times it's reborn."

"You think you're a god or something?" Caron shot back. "Don't talk as if you know everything. My life was actually pretty fine."

The difference between them was now unmistakable. This creature had no memory of living as Cain Latorre—because it never had.

And that difference... would change everything.

Caron gripped Guillotine tightly and glared across at his violet counterpart.

One thing was certain.

"You and I aren't the same," Caron said coldly.

That thing wasn't him. It was a completely separate soul. It was a monster devoured by malice, a being that sought to destroy all worlds. Nothing more, nothing less.

The future that thing showed him was filled with nothing but screams and death. The radiant Glory gleaming below was merely a grotesque amusement born of its wickedness.

A world destroyed, the survivors handpicked and kept alive for its pleasure... That wasn't a sanctuary. It was a slaughterhouse.

"You didn't devour malice," Caron said. "Malice devoured you."

"But at least I completed my revenge," the violet Caron replied smoothly. "You won't even get that far. You'll die a failure."

Caron snorted and said, "You're insane. If you're gonna lose your mind, at least do it with some class."

Whoosh!

He gathered his mana with everything he had. The sea around them rippled as Halo poured his own mana into Caron's ocean. A tide of dark blue and deep azure light spread as the two forces mingled.

Halo's gaze sharpened as he glared at the violet Caron. He said quietly, "You're right, Caron."

"What about?" Caron asked.

"You're not like him," Halo answered.

Gram, Halo's sword, blazed with black light. Blue flame bloomed beneath his feet, and radiant waves shimmered across the ocean's surface, scattering the darkness.

The ocean caught the sunlight.

"Even if you succeeded in your revenge," Halo said evenly, "What would it matter if no one was left beside you?"

He then rested a steady hand on Caron's shoulder and added, "You're not a monster like that thing."

"I know," Caron replied simply.

"You annoying bastard," Halo said, exhaling in exasperation. "You really know how to ruin a heartfelt moment. When your grandfather says something touching, you're supposed to just accept it."

"Sure, sure," Caron said with a small grin.

Perhaps it was their easy camaraderie—or maybe just the sight of it—but something about their closeness seemed to irritate the violet Caron deeply.

Boom!

The violet Caron standing at the front swung his sword. A dark blue wave split the once-calm surface of the ocean clean in two.

Boooom!

Craaaaash!

Caron and Halo stepped forward together, crossing blades as they blocked the incoming wave. Countless shards of shattered mana shot backward, but Sabina, the elders, and the former Imperial Guards deflected them with ease.

Seeing this, the violet Caron gave a casual shrug, as if he was disappointed. He said, "Fine. I'll admit it—you're not like me. Guess it's about time I got serious, huh? Hey, Dragon Lord."

At his call, the Dragon Lord turned his back toward the violet Caron.

Shrrrk.

The violet Caron's shadowy clone melted away into the darkness. He leaped onto the Dragon Lord's back and said with a smirk, "There's an annoying little gnat that's been getting on my nerves. I'll take care of that first. You can take your time catching up. I'm leaving you a present, so enjoy the show with your friends, alright?"

With those words, he vanished.

Fwhoosh!

A golden dragon shot into the sky, streaking away from the battlefield. The darkness that had covered the land began to fade, and the red moonlight returned, blanketing the ground once more.

Only then did Caron let out a deep breath. "Phew... That one was close."

The violet Caron hadn't shown his full strength, but even standing against him had made it clear—this was no ordinary foe. He was nothing like any enemy Caron had faced before.

Caron thought the Demon Kings felt cute after comparing them to this violet Caron. He stared toward the golden light vanishing in the distance and asked Halo quietly, "Do you think we can win against that thing?"

Halo replied with a blunt, humorless tone, "I wouldn't bet on it."

Caron smirked and said, "You sound scared."

"Realistic," Halo said flatly. "With you and me together, maybe we'd have a slight chance. Maybe one in ten?"

"You're underestimating us," Caron said, half-joking.

"I'm being objective. If anything, I'm softening the numbers. Realistically, if we fought ten times, there's a high chance we'd lose all ten."

Caron wanted to argue, but he couldn't. He didn't need to cross swords to know Halo was right. He asked quietly, "...You're saying he's reached godhood?"

Halo gave a humorless chuckle, then replied, "That is a fitting word. To kill a god like that... I can't even begin to imagine the price."

The worst kind of enemy had taken the worst possible form—and it was waiting in Glory. Caron wondered if everything would finally end if they killed that monster.

He frowned and muttered, "That damned Demon King of Havoc. I can't tell what he's thinking anymore."

The short conversation they'd shared earlier had already been enough to shake him.

The Demon King of Havoc had twisted fate itself. And the result of that distortion... was him.

Caron pondered why the Demon King of Havoc had warped fate in the first place.

While Caron thought, Seria and the others were approaching.

"Warrior, your injuries—" Seria began as she folded her wings and stepped closer, but froze mid-step. Her gaze locked onto something behind him.

It was her own corpse.

She stared for a long, silent moment at her dead self—her black wings spread wide, her face serene even in death. Shock flickered briefly across her face, then vanished.

Fwoosh!

White flames blossomed in her hands, consuming the corpse until nothing but ash remained.

Caron said softly, "I should've dealt with it beforehand. I'm sorry you had to see that."

Seria exhaled slowly and shook her head, then replied, "That wasn't me, so it doesn't matter."

The memory of their first meeting crossed Caron's mind. Recalling the wretched feeling he'd had back then, Caron asked, "Seria, if you were in her place back there, would you have resented me?"

Seria answered without hesitation, "Never."

"Why not?" Caron asked.

"Because there must've been a reason you had to do it," Seria replied.

Her voice carried nothing but trust. For a moment, Caron couldn't speak.

He turned away, scanning the fallen bodies scattered across the field. They were of his comrades and his family. He wondered what kind of monster one had to become to kill such people without hesitation.

That violet Caron, consumed by malice, has given up on being human.

"Caron," Seria said gently, with the softest tone she'd ever used. "None of us ever doubted you. You're nothing like that monster."

Caron chuckled faintly and said, "Hearing that from you feels strange. You've spent the past few weeks calling me names."

Seria smiled faintly and said, "You're still my Warrior."

The sincerity in her tone made something inside Caron ease. Amid the chaos, her words were a small, steady light.

Caron glanced at her, then turned to the others and snapped, "Didn't I tell everyone to stay back? What are you doing coming all the way here—trying to get into heaven early, or just jealous of the view?"

The words were rough, but the warmth behind them was unmistakable.

After all, it was water that was already spilled. Instead of wasting time scolding them for having come, it was more important to move forward, even a little, toward victory.

"Alright," Caron said, drawing in a breath. "Let's regroup. We need a plan."

A horrific disaster had revealed itself, and the strategy had to be adjusted accordingly. And at his command, the rest of his comrades began gathering around Caron, one by one.

A colossal evil writhed within the city.

***

Booom!

The Demon King of Havoc stood above the burning city, exhaling softly as the flames howled around him.

The air itself trembled with the stench of smoke and blood. Screams of agony echoed through the streets, rising from every shattered home and smoldering ruin. His army tore through the innocent without mercy.

Long ago, perhaps he would have felt a flicker of guilt for the slaughter—but such weakness had long since burned away.

That was what the position of Demon King was meant to be. Demon Kings ruled over despair—their thrones built upon the cries of others.

And in that sense...

Booooooom!

"So you're the one who's been playing your little games."

The man who appeared, radiating the power of Void, was the perfect embodiment of a Demon King.

The Demon King of Havoc rose from his seat with a smile and said, "I've been waving my arms like a child begging for attention, and only now you show your face? You're late... Demon King of Void."

"I'd appreciate it if you got the title right," the man replied with a smirk. "I'm the Demon King of Liberation. The Demon King of Void is right here, inside me."

He tapped his abdomen with one gloved finger before adding, "It was your doing, wasn't it?"

Shrrk.

The man drew a dark blue sword from its sheath. It was identical to Caron Leston's blade, yet the aura it exuded was vastly different—thicker, fouler, drenched in the blood of countless souls.

It was a sword that had slaughtered millions, both demons and innocents alike.

"Cardan," Void said, his tone almost nostalgic. "What are you scheming?"

Havoc's smirk deepened as he said, "It's been a while since anyone called me by my true name."

"Why did you steal Caron Leston's soul?" Void asked coldly.

"The answer is simple," Cardan said. "Because Caron Leston needed to become stronger."

Void threw back his head and laughed—a deep, cruel sound that rang through the night. Wiping a tear from his eye, he said, "That's the funniest thing I've heard in ages. Of all the Cardans I've killed, you might be the most entertaining."

Cardan only smiled faintly and replied, "You wouldn't understand, not as you are now. That's the difference between you and Caron."

"You sure talk a lot for someone begging to die," Void sneered. "I was planning to end you quickly, but now I'm curious. The Caron Leston who made it this far... He's the first since me."

There was no reason to answer him. The Demon King of Havoc simply kept smiling, his silence more infuriating than words.

The violet Caron's expression twisted with irritation. He said, "If you won't answer, fine. I'll just kill you and take the memories myself. Better that than letting them rot in a failed experiment."

The Demon King of Havoc laughed—loudly, freely, as though he had remembered how for the first time in centuries. He didn't even know what was so funny, only that he had to laugh.

Whoosh.

From the darkness around him, he forged a massive black blade, its edge rippling like liquid night.

And with a voice calm enough to chill the air, Havoc said, "The failure... is you."

Something in those words struck deep.

The violet Caron's face twisted in fury and snapped, "Don't give me that crap!"

A colossal wave of force erupted, swallowing Havoc whole.