My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

A hallway in the Roselia Temple's guest quarters.

Gnash—

A quiet grinding sound echoed through the corridor.

The members of the Azerion Empire's delegation, standing silently, froze, and a wave of unease washed over them.

Dozens of people stood motionless in the middle of the hallway, nervously awaiting someone’s reaction.

‘Did someone make a mistake?’

‘This is suffocating…’

There had been no problems until they arrived here, after passing through the temple gate and greeting the Church officials.

The sudden change occurred right after.

Their leader, Crown Princess Riley, had abruptly stopped.

She had been frowning, a troubled expression on her face, and now a chilling aura, laced with anger, emanated from her.

“······.”

A royal knight, unable to bear the silence any longer, cautiously spoke to Riley, but she ignored him, her gaze fixed on the empty air before her, her face an impassive mask.

Silently seething with rage.

‘So, this is how they’re going to play it.’

If things had gone according to their plan, she wouldn't have known about it until everything was over… but thanks to “Chains of the Oath”, she had received real-time updates on the situation and was already certain of who was behind Hesperon’s ambush.

‘Duke Hermanheart.’

The former Crown Prince’s maternal family and supporter, the current Empress’s family and the Emperor’s in-laws.

There was no one else in the Empire with the audacity to orchestrate such a blatant attack.

‘I was going to be merciful.’

Of course, that ‘mercy’ was based on her subjective standards.

Even the compromise she had offered, which she considered a significant concession, had been seen as an unacceptable humiliation by them.

They were about to lose their honor, their titles, their lands, and even their wealth… so naturally, the Hermanheart ducal family, who considered themselves the Empire’s premier nobles, wouldn’t go down without a fight. ℟ᴀΝò𐌱ЕＳ

This ambush was part of their scheme to gain leverage in the negotiations.

‘They underestimated me.’

But she didn’t care about their reasons.

She had been holding back her anger for the sake of minimizing the Empire’s internal conflict, but now… they had given her the perfect excuse!

“Count Filteim.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Archmage, who had been quietly following behind her, bowed respectfully as Riley’s cold voice echoed through the silent hallway.

Despite her youthful appearance, the aura she emanated was heavy, making the air around them stifling.

“Send a message to Marquis Lawrence. Immediately.”

There were two master-level individuals in the delegation, but she couldn't use them for personal matters. It would damage the Empire’s reputation.

But there were plenty of others willing to do her bidding now that she had secured her position.

‘If they choose defiance over obedience…’

A single ‘request’ from her was enough to mobilize them.

Even those known as superhumans.

‘I’ll break their stubborn necks myself, if I have to.’

Riley’s eyes flashed coldly in the suffocating air.

______________________

Frustration.

That was Staub’s overriding emotion as he lost Hesperon again.

“You slippery rat…!”

Gnash—

He swung his sword, wreathed in dark energy, deflecting the barrage of black threads that suddenly emerged from the air.

The attacks weren't particularly dangerous, but their sudden appearance, materializing from thin air, was incredibly annoying.

Goooo—

With each beat of his heart, dark magic power surged through his body.

It was an unfamiliar sensation, different from the aura he used to wield.

But it was a sensation he had to get used to.

It was his only lifeline now, having lost his aura heart and everything he had built.

His only reason for living was revenge against those who had put him in this state.

‘That bastard… What is he? It hasn’t even been that long…!’

But his revenge had hit an unexpected snag.

Having gained the ability to wield dark magic power, Staub could now clearly sense the reason.

‘His magic and martial arts are impressive, but that’s not the problem. It’s those strange magic tools and his right arm. The magic tools I’ve seen before are one thing, but…’

When those who had freed him from his prison offered him revenge, he had readily accepted, embracing the dark magic power.

And after regaining some of his strength as a dark knight, he had confidently embarked on this mission.

Kidnapping the Crown Princess’s lover shouldn't have been a problem, even with her reinforced security.

Of course, that bastard had ruined everything, leading to his current predicament… but he had simply been careless. He could be more thorough this time.

He had experienced firsthand that the brat's level was insignificant.

He had been so sure…

“Damn it! What is that?! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

He had prepared meticulously for this, investing time and resources to create a spatial confinement barrier that even an Archmage would struggle to break through.

All that remained was to subdue the brat, sever his limbs, and disappear with him.

Swish—

Slash!

Another masked figure collapsed, dissolving into a puddle of blood.

They weren’t weak, but Hesperon’s materialized curses were incredibly lethal.

A one-hit kill under certain conditions.

Fortunately, its cooldown was quite long, and the mages among them had begun to erect magical defenses, slowing him down.

Otherwise, he might have lost everyone except for himself, and the brat would have escaped.

‘But it ends here!’

As Hesperon’s attack concluded, Staub’s eyes flashed, a dark light gleaming within.

And the dark magic power emanating from his body surged, igniting the surrounding air.

Kaboom—!

He launched himself forward, his speed incredible.

Staub and the masked figures were all seasoned veterans.

They had already analyzed Hesperon’s abilities.

The strange three-dimensional movement required the curses he scattered around him, and the powerful attack consumed a large amount of that energy. Burning the surrounding air with dark magic power could disrupt the curse’s spread.

‘I have to capture him here! Even if I have to kill him!’

So, now that he was forced to land, this was their chance.

To eliminate him before he grew any stronger.

‘If he escapes now, who knows how powerful he’ll become! I can’t let that happen!’

He had to go all out.

He had reluctantly accepted the dark magic power, but he was still wary of its dangers.

He had been suppressing it…

‘But just for a moment…’

He would make the brat regret his arrogance.

Thump—

His heart pounded, dark magic power surging through his veins.

The destructive energy permeated every cell of his body, shattering his physical limits and going on a rampage.

Thump—

It was a different sensation from wielding aura.

Aura reinforced and stabilized the body, allowing it to contain greater power… but dark magic power was purely destructive, disregarding the user’s safety.

It sought only greater, more devastating power.

Thump—

The rampaging energy finally reached its peak.

He managed to maintain his sanity, preventing himself from being completely consumed… but a part of his mind was still tainted.

Violence, bloodlust, a desire to show off his power, an obsession with his target.

But Staub didn’t care.

He tore through the air, his speed surpassing even sound—.

“Hrrragh—!”

“Gah?!”

…And appeared before Hesperon in an instant.

Kaboom—!

One strike, shattering the web of black threads that surrounded him.

Two strikes, breaking through the protective barrier.

Three strikes, their swords clashing, a deafening clang echoing through the air.

“Kuh—! That brat… He’s stronger than I thought!”

Hesperon was thrown back, blood trickling from his lips, desperately waving his right arm.

Dozens of black threads shot out, entangling Staub’s legs and halting his advance… but it didn’t last long.

The threads quickly disintegrated, consumed by Staub’s dark magic power.

‘But I bought some time!’

Hesperon used his “Hand-to-Hand Combat” skill to regain his balance and calmly prepared for the next attack.

He used every means at his disposal, magic, magic tools, martial arts, curses… desperately holding on against the relentless onslaught.

Five, six, seven…

But as Staub’s ninth attack landed,

‘This is bad.’

…He knew he was reaching his limit.

He had endured for a surprisingly long time, but he couldn’t withstand a tenth attack.

He had already revealed all his tricks.

The master-level dark knight pressed his attack, giving him no time to breathe.

The assassins among the masked figures were closing in, blocking his escape routes, and the mages were preparing something in the back.

‘This is it.’

He prepared to dismiss himself.

‘…Well, at least I gained some valuable experience.’

Disappearing for a day and a half wasn’t that big of a deal.

He would have to inform Riley, though…

As he was about to send her a message,

‘What?’

He suddenly sensed something and leaped back.

“Kuh—! What’s this?!”

And Staub, sensing the same thing, also reacted instinctively.

A chilling premonition, sharper than ever before.

He abruptly stopped his attack, throwing himself back and unleashing a wave of dark magic power.

And the next moment.

Kaboom—!

A massive pillar of fire erupted from where he had been standing.

Not just ordinary flames, but an inferno of pure magical energy, incinerating everything in its path.

“Damn it! What the…!”

And that unexpected attack wasn’t limited to him.

Whoosh—

Staub and the masked figures were engulfed in flames, and except for a few lucky ones who managed to dodge, they were all incinerated in an instant, their screams swallowed by the flames.

“Such audacity. To cause such chaos in Jeron.”

As everyone’s vigilance heightened, a voice, imbued with a powerful magical energy, echoed through the air.

An overwhelming presence.

Staub gritted his teeth and looked up.

“Marquis Lawrence…! How did you…!”

Hovering in mid-air was Marquis Lawrence, the Archmage and Head of the Imperial Magic Tower, who should have been safely tucked away in the imperial palace.

He had torn through the meticulously prepared spatial confinement barrier.

‘He said he wouldn’t be able to detect us from this distance, even with his power as an Archmage!’

Staub cursed inwardly, recalling the briefing he had received from the mastermind behind this operation.

Nothing ever went right when he was involved.

“Ha! Is that really Sir Staub? What happened to you…?”

The elderly Marquis Lawrence, clad in an ornate robe and holding an ancient staff, frowned as he looked down at Staub.

He seemed to have grasped the situation, judging by Staub’s mangled appearance, and nodded slowly.

“…I see. So, that’s how it is. And dark magic power, you say.”

But his momentary sympathy quickly vanished.

He raised his staff, a look of displeasure on his face.

“I only came because I couldn't refuse her request… but now, I can’t just ignore this.”

Dark magic power, an unholy and forbidden force.

And those who wielded it, dark mages and dark knights.

They were taboo, condemned by society, and in these times of war against the Immortal King, they were considered enemies of humanity, to be eliminated on sight.

And they had infiltrated the imperial capital, plotting something in the shadows?

And one of them was a former Captain of the Imperial Guard, a noble of the Empire?

‘They almost made a fool of me again.’

He should be thanking the Crown Princess, not just fulfilling her request.

They had almost breached the defenses of the Imperial Magic Tower, which was responsible for a part of the capital’s security.

And it also meant that there were still collaborators within the tower, influenced by outside forces.

Just like during the previous assassination attempt.

“I haven’t forgotten what you did to me. You’ll pay for it.”

Marquis Lawrence’s voice was laced with anger, and the air crackled with energy as magic power surged.

Magic circles appeared, intertwining and manifesting their power.

Wooong—

He hadn’t personally suffered any significant losses, but the Imperial Magic Tower’s reputation and influence had been damaged, which was a problem.

He had also had to work hard to repair his relationship with Crown Princess Riley.

“…Wow, that was close.”

And as the tension escalated,

Hesperon, having discreetly retreated, wiped the blood from his lips and muttered nonchalantly.

Staub, weakened and injured, facing Marquis Lawrence, who was already considered stronger than him.

And the battle mages from the Imperial Magic Tower, arriving and surrounding them.

The situation was practically over.

-Heron, are you alright? I told them to hurry, but are you injured?

Riley’s voice, filled with concern, reached him through their link.

It was barely a whisper, as if she was worried about distracting him at a crucial moment.

-I’m fine.

And as if on cue, a system message appeared before him.

《The individual meets the conditions and grows. “Craving Right Arm”, satisfied by devouring resentment, has grown stronger.》

《The individual gains enlightenment through repeated battles. The skills “Introduction to Magic” and “Hand-to-Hand Combat” have merged and evolved into “Magic Combat”.》

-Really?

He was now even further from being a proper mage, but he had never been one to begin with, so it didn't matter.

…And more importantly, Hesperon’s greatest asset was…

Koooong—!

“Kuh—! Law…rence…!”

Thump—

…His connections.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!