Amid the cheers from House Nobility, Darc Dimon stepped down from the stage.
Though his smile had stiffened noticeably, he still raised a hand to acknowledge the applause. As a high-born pureblood noble, he had to maintain impeccable etiquette. Anything less would look improper.
Even though he was now seriously questioning just how "pure" that blood really was.
— What kind of pureblood noble lineage carries a Demon God bloodline?!
He took his seat at the House Nobility table and turned to face the stage.
The moment he did, the smile he had been forcing onto his face collapsed completely.
"Demon God bloodline has entered the awakening phase!"
That message shocked him far more than the system activation itself.
What triggered the early awakening? In the game, this didn't happen until very late, and for unknown reasons at that.
Why now? Why the moment I regained my memories?
Could that be the cause?
No. This is not the time to obsess over that.
If I don't want Headmistress Arthe to blast me off the stage with a Spirit Cannon, I need to think of something fast…
Thankfully, according to the system, the bloodline had only just entered the awakening phase. It wasn't fully awakened yet.
There was still hope.
Darc's eyes flickered as he tried calling the system in his mind.
[Greetings, Host! The Demon God Assistance System is at your service!]
Damn this Demon God Assistance System!
Darc gritted his teeth.
This trash system existed purely to help him become a Demon God.
But the war between humans and demons had ended more than ten years ago. The result: total annihilation of the demon race and the complete sealing of the Demon King.
Humanity had since entered the St. Marian Era—an age without demons.
In this era, where demons were extinct and the Demon King lay sealed in eternal slumber, how could any heretic possibly survive?
Wasn't it obvious what happened in the original story? Even after the Demon King broke free, he still got beaten senseless.
Worse, he was split into seven parts and repeatedly "executed" one piece at a time!
This so-called Demon God might rank above the Demon King, but what could a lone commander do?
If exposed, it would still end in death!
Honestly, even the Demon King had it better—he had seven lives!
"Can you tell me how the Demon God bloodline fully awakens?"
[Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Lust—these are the Seven Deadly Sins required for the Demon God's awakening!]
[If any one of these indicators surpasses its critical threshold, the seven sins will resonate, gradually awakening the host's Demon God bloodline and triggering an irreversible transformation into the Great Demon God!]
[Current awakening progress: 0%]
[Please work hard to complete the indicators!]
"Show me the indicators."
[Yes.]
Moments later, seven values appeared in Darc's vision:
Pride: 92Envy: 39Wrath: 93Sloth: 71Greed: 72Gluttony: 52Lust: 84
Darc's vision went dark.
Out of all seven, only Envy and Gluttony were somewhat low. The rest were all above 70!
Wrath, in particular, was at a horrifying 93, glowing red like a warning siren.
"So I'm this lazy, arrogant, greedy, pleasure-seeking, and extremely short-tempered piece of trash?!"
"This isn't scientific. The upper limit must be 1000!"
[Friendly reminder from the Demon God Assistance System: under normal circumstances, the maximum value of a sin indicator is 120.]
[Since the Demon God bloodline has entered the awakening phase, the host will find it easier to fall into corruption. Please keep up the good work. Breaking through Pride and Wrath's critical values will allow full awakening and restore the glory of the demon race!]
"Keep up the good work my ass!"
"No. No. I can't get angry. Absolutely cannot get angry."
In the blink of an eye—
[Wrath +1]
Darc immediately held his breath and steadied his mind.
Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, Prajñā Buddhas, Prajñā Paramita Void!
[Wrath +1]
"…Damn it!"
…
A few minutes later, Darc realized the seven indicators were not fixed values.
The one that fluctuated most easily was clearly Wrath.
When he forced himself to calm down, Wrath slowly dropped back to 93.
But sins tied to fundamental personality traits—like Pride and Envy—were far harder to reduce.
It's easy to change a kingdom, hard to change one's nature.
Even regaining his memories from his past life had only lowered Pride from 92 to 91.
After all, he had truly spent over a decade in this life as a spoiled noble young master.
That deep-rooted arrogance couldn't be erased overnight.
Even with clear self-awareness, it would take long-term self-cultivation to chip away at it.
He had to bring all seven indicators below the safety line.
Otherwise, a single emotional outburst could push one over the threshold!
Extreme emotions spiked rapidly—and were very hard to lower afterward.
…
Only by cultivating his mind, restraining arrogance, anger, greed, lust, envy, and sloth, could he suppress the Demon God bloodline and carve out a path to survival!
Darc had an epiphany.
From today onward, he was a new man!
[Please strive to fall further into corruption for the sake of becoming a Demon God!]
"Get lost!"
[Wrath +1]
…
As Darc reached enlightenment, the Sorting Ceremony on stage continued.
One student after another was assigned to their houses. House Nobility gained new members.
But due to the tangled relationships among nobles, no one dared sit beside the duke's son.
His mother, the Valkyrie Alvette St. Dimon, had swept battlefields with overwhelming might. She hated evil, slaughtered countless demons, and assisted the Hero in sealing the Undying Demon King. Together they were known as the "Twin Swords of the Kingdom."
After the Hero sacrificed himself to seal the Demon King, Alvette became the kingdom's peak combat power.
Only a handful of people could rival her: the Headmistress of St. Marian Academy, the Pope of the Holy Church, and the Headmaster of the Church's Secret Ritual Academy.
If not for this Demon God bloodline, Darc could have lived a life of luxury and power under the Valkyrie's protection, eventually inheriting the ducal title.
"Damn this Demon God bloodline!"
[Wrath +1]
…
"Calm down. Stay calm."
Darc closed his eyes again and emptied his thoughts.
[Wrath −1]
"Hello, may I sit here?"
Darc kept his eyes closed.
"I'll just sit then!"
"Up we go!"
"You're acting so strange. Didn't sleep well last night? I have a 'Requiem Charm' here, you can borrow it!"
Darc finally opened his eyes and replied in the flattest tone possible, "Isn't the Requiem Charm a curse-type magic card? You use it to help with sleep?"
"Huh? Is it really?" Diana Greybair said in surprise.
Her slightly parted lips and innocent expression were genuinely heart-melting.
Darc felt something primal stirring inside him.
[Lust +1]
"…Damn it."
[Wrath +1]
"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form… sensation, perception, mental formation, consciousness… all are thus…"
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