Chapter 346

(346)

The long-haired member of the royal family collapsed limply into my arms.

The scent of perfume mixed with gunpowder tickled my nose.

I smiled faintly as I looked at the last remaining member of the royal family in this cave.

“Lord Litchenion. Even though I let you call me brother, you still insist on this, do you not?”

“Valenciaunos! Shut up!”

While his four siblings were falling, he finished his preparations to take me down.

Truly a worthy choice befitting Solletarass.

Pajj, Pajjijjik!

A faint purple glow ran over his turquoise hair and golden eyes, characteristic of destruction magic.

Uuuuung!

The purple glow also shot from above his shoulder, as if he had reinforced his energy field thoroughly, and from the white gleam inside his sleeves, it seemed he had hidden his last resort water amulet too.

“Aa, this will be tough.”

The moment I smirked and muttered these words, twelve translucent purple ‘Spear of Power’ levitated behind his back and shot toward me with slicing the wind.

Ttaeak! Ttaeak! Ttaeak!

They were several times faster than when the short-haired royal summoned the ‘Spear of Water,’ leaving me no time to release a mental shockwave.

Taa!

I swung my flame-and-wind-blazing sword and ran zigzag.

Poof! Poof!

One spear fell to the ground, kicking up sand and dust, while another landed in front of my foot, making my body levitate.

Ttaeak!

Another spear of power flew straight toward my forehead.

I violently tilted my head to dodge it, but the purple mass grazed past my ear, cutting a few strands of my hair.

Shuuuuuk-!

Instead of falling to the ground, the spear flew back into the cave sky, drew a large circle, and shot towards me again.

“Guided spell pattern?”

I clicked my tongue as I swung the fiery typhoon to block the spear of power.

Tteung!

“Kraaagh!”

No matter how fierce the wind gushed out, an intangible wind blade was not a very good weapon for defense.

I managed to push it away somehow, but my right wrist felt terribly sore.

At that moment, my movement was momentarily constrained, and three spears of power consecutively hit my body.

Tteung! Tteung! Tteung!

“Kkuekk!”

I flew away like a kicked pillow.

Though I managed to withstand the first spear, I slipped a few steps from the second one, and when the third one hit, I was briefly lifted into the air.

“Prince Valencia!”

Lady Trentia shot a Mana Blast toward Litchenion.

Kwaahaaa!

A red crescent moon surged like a tidal wave and enveloped him.

“Though you lack an aura, how is it possible to perform a blast? What kind of skill is that?”

He twisted his face in apparent confusion but did not let himself be hit.

Uuuuung!

Litchenion, enveloped in a purple glow, floated upwards into the air to dodge the Mana Blast, then cast binding incantations toward Lady Trentia.

“O light of silence, descend!”

The purple glow shot toward Lady Trentia.

Saasaasa-!

Lady Trentia swung her sword violently, cutting the glow five times in succession, but the Silence Light reconnected and bound her.

“What is this-!”

Her body seemed encased in a slime-like cluster of light.

Though she could tear her limbs free, the light strands would spread and engulf her limbs again.

Since it was extremely difficult to directly bind a knight with great magic resistance and magical armor, this was a spell that confined the knight within their own light strands that clung to one another.

It didn’t perfectly stop her movement but made her unable to participate in the fight, and since there was nothing wrong with her body, any potions or holy water would not work.

Litchenion floated in the air and looked down at me.

His eyebrows furrowed momentarily.

“I didn’t expect you to still be able to stand after taking three hits. What are you? The Spear of Power can even pierce through a granite wall.”

He also shot silence light toward me.

Saaaaah!

The purple glow spread like a net, but I laughed and ignited flames.

Hwarrrrlek!

The glow, engulfed in flames, withered and dissipated in the air like a drying vine.

“It doesn’t work on me, does it?”

Litchenion narrowed his eyes.

“So, physical attacks are the only way against you. I heard you underwent the Dragon’s Breath ritual.”

I pointed my middle finger at him.

“I don’t know when that story is from. Come down.”

“And what will you do if I don’t?”

Litchenion floated even higher.

I smiled as if I’d been waiting for this moment.

“Then I should be grateful-!”

Hwarlek, Hwarlleek! Hwarrrrr!

Behind me, fire spirits surged forth and took the form of a stout boy with thick horns.

“!”

More than twenty spirits spread their arms and flew upward toward my half-brother.

Kkhaahahah!

A loud, brash, and cruel laughter echoed as Litchenion summoned the spears of power again to intercept the spirits.

Poof!

Inside the Merfolk’s shrine, two members of the royal family engaged in an artillery battle.

Poof!

The purple glow and flames illuminated our retinas.

* * *

The explosive sound echoed over a hundred times.

!

! !

Thick smoke, flames, and glow filled the cave.

As the acrid smoke settled throughout, Litchenion descended at full speed toward me.

Ssaak-!

His turquoise hair flowed and his determined expression became visible.

I smirked foolishly, like a bandit.

“Yes. I knew you would do this.”

Given that he had devoted himself to refining the incantations even after pledging loyalty to Jeilliris, he must have had considerable competitiveness.

An artillery battle would not satisfy him.

Saerlek.

I reined in the flames from the typhoon, leaving only the wind blades.

At the same time, I lowered my stance and fixed my gaze on him.

“…!”

With a Chiing sound, Litchenion’s left arm was wrapped in a purple glow, and in front of him, a translucent blue force field flickered.

In his right hand, a sword shimmered with a mana blade, and I caught a glimpse of a white light inside his sleeve.

“…”

I ignored it and shot a resonant flame.

Uuuuung!

The left hand wrapped in scales cracked like a cracked pot, and within it, the fire that met Az’s crystal infinitely amplified, shooting out as a fierce heat ray.

Hwarrrrrrrlek-!

The heat ray clashed with the force field, turning the blue force field orange.

Ccjjerjeojik!

Thick and thin cracks raced across the force field in an instant, but it seemed it would hold until Litchenion reached me.

That was what I had hoped for.

“Kin-slayer!”

As he roared, he lunged with his sword.

The turquoise mana blade blazed with the flames of anger.

It had enough power to cleave through my scales in one stroke and cut off my head.

“Prince Valencia!”

Lady Trentia, who had just shaken off the Silence Light, let out an astonished scream.

As the sword was about to reach me, I kicked off the ground toward Litchenion instead.

Ccjjerjec-!

The mana blade, blazing with one-handed sword and anger, shattered my scales and pierced my left shoulder shallowly.

Puuuk!

The mature royal’s mana blade was powerful, even if it was a trick.

But this sword would not penetrate deeper into my body.

“!”

Even as he had impaled his sword into my body, Litchenion’s expression twisted in confusion and defeat.

“Urk!”

He had already let go of the sword handle and was trying to draw out the hidden ‘Spear of Wrath’ from his right sleeve.

The sword was a trick.

If I had stiffened into a defensive stance or used magic to block the sword, he would have immediately finished me off with that magic.

But I had seen Jeilliris using the Spear of Wrath countless times and didn’t miss its unique aura.

I could clearly see his lips trembling.

“… You read this?”

I smirked, savoring the sharp pain.

“Ho, hahaha!”

The golden irises in his eyes lost their focus, and I glared at him as I swung the typhoon.

Now he didn’t have his sword, and I held the fatal magic-sword from the east.

Sseuggeul-!

I swung the typhoon and cut across his right elbow.

Thuuk.

The arm of Litchenion, his sleeve, and the hidden Spear of Wrath fell onto the sandground.

Hwaaak-!

The mass of white light, shaped like a spear, shimmered with a faint rainbow glow, a magnificent representation of the highest level of destruction magic.

In the very last moment, I let go of the typhoon.

I directly extended my hand, grabbed Litchenion’s collar, and hurled him onto the fallen Spear of Wrath.

!

! !

White light filled my vision.

* * *

The sand settled a little.

“Cough, cough!”

Valenccius coughed as he got up.

His splendid uniform was torn to shreds, and his sleek skin covering his solid muscles was filled with wounds.

Even though he had partially mutated his left shoulder into a red crystal, the large wound couldn’t be completely covered, and blood dripped down.

TssTssTssTss-.

However, the royal emperor’s accessory was diligently absorbing mana and restoring itself and its owner.

The frayed threads and weaves regrew, buttons and golden adornments reattached themselves as if by magic.

Even the deep wound on his shoulder healed up as if sewing a garment.

When the coughing subsided, Valenccius was wearing his smart uniform again.

He looked at Litchenion who was lying on the floor.

“Did you really think you could challenge His Majesty with that level of strength?”

Litchenion’s lower body had completely disappeared.

If it weren’t for the vital essence of the Dragon Bloodline royalty and his honed superhuman will, he would’ve perished long ago.

Even as death loomed close, he looked at Valenccius with a sharp gaze.

“…If I had been just a little stronger.”

Uuuuung!

A delicate aura of gold incantation arose from his remaining torso.

TssTssTssTss.

Five golden rings rotated, and flesh and blood scattered around gathered as if reversing time.

The attitude of not giving up until the very end made Valenccius acknowledge that he was indeed a worthy royal.

“Yes. Even if you had, I would’ve blocked your path. For the stable empire that my emperor governs.”

Saaaaah-.

He also summoned the power of the incantation but did not use it to deliver the final blow.

Litchenion looked at his half-brother with a puzzled expression.

“…”

The Emperor’s twin was dressed in a dashing uniform with all sorts of accessories and emblems representing authority.

Valenccius was no longer the powerless youth at the bottom of the royal family.

He had subdued the major western nations of Doroysen and Lanzo, kept the Eastern Continent in check, and earned a fierce reputation across the continent.

Fassseuss.

As Litchenion settled the incantation’s energy and muttered,

“Hail Solletarass Empire.”

Valenccius retracted the typhoon and drew the Black Tear.

“Yes. Hail Solletarass Empire.”

Sseggeul!

A single head rolled across the floor.

“Hmm.”

Valenccius exhaled deeply and closed his eyes momentarily.

In the thousand-year history of Solletarass, all rebellions occurred before loyalty oaths.

The high nobles who refused to recognize the emperor’s ascension rejected the extension of the phoenix contract.

Although recorded as rebellions due to the royal family’s victory, they were, in fact, legitimate exercises of rights.

In other words, the high nobility rarely broke their oaths and rebelled unless under extraordinary circumstances.

This was why Valenccius had striven with all his might to secure the loyalty oaths.

His red lips trembled, he repeatedly opened and closed his golden eyes that concealed various emotions, and he performed a couple of dry washes.

His cheeks stiffened, his hands convulsed, and his breath became coarse.

“Haa.”

Soon after, the pale-cheeked young man used his bloodied hand to brush back his silvery hair, and his usual self-confident expression returned.

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

The Bandit Duke walked toward the Mermaid Princess.

Tentia naturally followed behind as he ascended the low dais and extended his hand toward Schub Ardelra enclosed in a shell.

“I am Crown Prince Valenccius.”

“My name is Schub Ardelra…”

Schub Ardelra, exhausted after Valenccius’ victory and relieved of tension, displayed a more relaxed demeanor.

She also sensed the uncomfortable uncertainty of not knowing when the incantations encircling her body might strangle her.

Still, she extended her hand toward Valenccius to shake.

The moment their hands touched, the Bandit Duke soothed the incantations that tightly bound her body like a net.

“Ah.”

Saasaah-.

The incantation energy that had dwelled within her for a thousand years and that Valenccius had sent merged and flowed into her body.

“…”

As much as the increase in power entering her body might not have been pleasant to Schub Ardelra, he seemed to be on her side, and most importantly, the day was drawing to an end.

Chik, Chjejeok!

Schub Ardelra gradually felt the thousand-year-old bonds loosening.

Once the moon rose, the process would be truly over.

She put on a smile, alluring to sailors, innocent yet passionate.

“Thank you, Sir Duke.”

The Bandit Duke shook his head.

“No, there’s no need for gratitude.”

“Though it seems you already know everything, I have waited for this day for a thousand years.”

He declared coldly with his red lips.

“Yes. There’ll be no need to wait anymore. Because you’ll never be free again.”

Schub Ardelra felt her heart stop.

“… Pardon?”

As Valenccius summoned the aura of the incantation and pronounced each syllable clearly:

“For all eternity, you shall serve us. Schub Ardelra.”