While the trinity practiced in secret, Duke Valerius was not idle. His network of spies, though thwarted in finding Haruto's base, reported enough. He knew the Shadow Hero and the demon traitor Vorlak had allied. He knew they had Kaito. He could piece together their goal.
Instead of fear, he felt a thrilling anticipation. "They seek to play the role of saviors," he mused to his court mages, standing on his balcony overlooking the capital.
"They will come to the Sepulcher to 'contain' the Core. Excellent. It saves me the trouble of hunting them down." His plan evolved. The public "Purification Ritual" was moved up.
It was now a grand spectacle, a holy war declared not just on demons, but on the "Shadow Traitor and his Abyssal Master." The capital was transformed into a fortress.
Anti-shadow wards, developed at great cost, were etched into the streets. Magical artillery, designed to fire blasts of pure light, was positioned on every wall.
The populace was whipped into a religious fervor, ready to die for their Regent-God. But Valerius's true preparations were in the Sepulcher itself. He didn't just plan to use Kaito's light as a catalyst; he planned to use the entire trinity. His mages devised a perverted version of the binding ritual.
When Haruto, Kaito, and Vorlak began their sequence, he would use the immense energy they generated to hijack the process. Their harmony would become his power source.
He would drain their magics, their very life forces, and use that stolen strength to force his will upon the Core. "He believes he is walking into a trap," Valerius whispered to himself, a manic gleam in his eye as he reviewed the arcane schematics.
"But he is merely delivering the final ingredients for my apotheosis." The chapter depicted the kingdom mobilizing for a war on two fronts: the physical one against a perceived invasion, and the mystical one happening beneath their feet.
It showcased Valerius's brilliance and utter ruthlessness, turning his enemies' only hope into the centerpiece of his own ascension. The stage was set not for a battle, but for a ritualistic sacrifice on a planetary scale.