Chapter 161: The Truth of Everything
According to what Nott had just said, his current strength came from those stolen souls. Whether he could become stronger by continuing to absorb more was still unknown. But if he could, then he would undoubtedly become a catastrophic threat to the world.
Nott's next move gave Phineas the answer.
He appeared in front of Sakaski in a flash and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him into the air.
The pressure on his throat caused Sakaski to awaken from his unconscious state. Upon seeing the demonic figure before him, panic spread across his face.
"Master, master, I'm your loyal servant..."
Nott smiled coldly.
"If you're so loyal, then it should be no problem for you to pay a small price to make me stronger, right?"
With that, he tightened his grip. Sakaski struggled to speak, but the force made it impossible. His face turned grey; he was on the brink of death.
Just as his life was about to be snuffed out, Nott's expression changed. Blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth. His arm loosened, and Sakaski collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
"How... how is this possible?"
Nott looked at Richie in disbelief.
Sakaski gave a crooked smile.
"You said we should've stuck to the plan and just killed Black. But you got greedy and tried to use me too. If you wanted strength, Black was clearly the better target. But you just had to kill me as well."
Nott stood frozen. A gaping wound had opened in his chest, blood gushing freely. A dagger-like weapon had pierced him. He could feel his life slipping away and was powerless to stop it. There was nothing he could say, nothing he could do—only endure the pain of dying.
Sakaski looked down at Nott's trembling form and tossed the bloody dagger aside.
"I really wonder whether you're even a true descendant of the Nott family. You believed that idiotic legend about becoming a god. If your family's records were genuine, don't you ever wonder why they were left behind for you at all?"
Nott opened his mouth, but instead of words, only blood poured out.
Richie sneered.
"What? Still want to argue? Maybe you're thinking of the clues I gave you? That I claimed to find the Nott family's so-called divine lineage elsewhere and then pledged myself to you? And you actually believed it? I only needed you to perform the ceremony. The end result was never going to be godhood—it was always going to be a demon. How pathetic."
He slowly crouched and, meeting Nott's terrified gaze, thrust his right hand into the open wound on Nott's chest.
A scream of unbearable agony echoed through the air, then silence. Nott was dead.
And so, the Nott family—once one of the twenty-eight sacred families of Britain, the family that had once boasted of divine descent and a bloodline theory upheld by the Pureblood council—lost its last direct heir.
It was ironic. Despite their high standing, the Nott family had never left behind a single powerful elder to protect their legacy. Despite their connections, they hadn't even secured a place at Skuller, the elite private wizarding academy.
Rumors had long circulated within the Council that the Nott family was cursed to die young, never becoming elders even with outside support. As a result, they had been excluded from the ranks of the truly influential families.
Now, it seemed the truth was even more disturbing. Perhaps their strongest members had once pursued godhood—and failed, becoming demons instead.
Sakaski pulled his bloodied hand from Nott's chest. In it, he held a heart, still dripping and warm.
He examined the organ with satisfaction before turning to Phineas, who lay weakened on the ground.
"You look curious. Well, we've got some time. Even Dumbledore can't reach the site of a demon's death while its body is protected. Let me explain it to you."
"The Nott family really did descend from divine blood. Our Richie family confirmed that after generations of research. Their god-making ritual was probably real too. But there's already a Dagr—there can't be another god."
"This means the ceremony is destined to fail. And when it fails, it creates a demon instead. Can you believe it? The only difference between a god and a demon is success or failure."
"Once we learned this, we found something else—the heart of a demon can grant power, longevity, and even status to a wizard."
Phineas felt a chill at that last word.
Sakaski noticed and smiled.
"Yes, exactly what you're thinking. The demon's heart contains the seed of divinity. It can grow over time and, with enough of them, a wizard can become a new god—one that doesn't exist in any known records. And the demon's heart accelerates this process."
"Which means the entire Nott family is nothing more than fertilizer for the rise of our Richie family. That's why we kept their failures secret. That's why we let generation after generation attempt the ritual."
"There's a small window after a demon's death where its heart is protected. If no one is nearby when it dies, the heart loses its divine potential. It can still grant magical power, but no longer spawns a god-seed."
"This Nott was especially foolish. He actually believed me when I said their god-making ritual would succeed. He agreed to help me. I planned for him to kill you, the last true heir of the Black family, and then I'd kill him."
"But sadly, he turned on me. I had no choice but to kill him first."
Sakaski stood, still holding the heart, his eyes burning.
"And now, it's your turn. You should be honored. Few in this age will have the privilege of being slain by the only one who still has a chance to become a god."