The cheering time typical of light novels is finally over, right?
Do I get to fight William now?
Just as I’m thinking that…
Olivia steps closer.
Smooch.
A soft touch brushes against my cheek.
It’s Olivia’s lips.
Didn’t see this coming. I’m flustered.
Wait, what the…?
What on earth is this lady doing in front of the whole world live stream?
My face is burning. My heart races against my will.
Ridiculously so.
Olivia pulls her lips away from my cheek and looks down.
“…Since I’ve received a lady’s kiss, I must, must must win! Got it? Protect me!! If you lose, I’ll never forgive you for life!! You fool! Idiot! Sea cucumber! Sea squirt! Anemone! The worst guy in the universe!!! Kim Deok-Sung!!!!”
Olivia shouts with her eyes tightly shut.
[Partner. At times like this, just say you understand.]
The voice of the Black Prince echoes in my head.
Honestly, it’s not just the two of us; everyone’s watching.
As the Black Prince said, responding appropriately would help in gaining public support.
Thinking that, I reply to Olivia.
“Alright. I’ll definitely win.”
“Great! That’s a promise?! If you break it, I’ll never forgive you!! A guy like you! I won’t ever see you again! Hmph.”
Finishing with a tsundere-style snarky remark, Olivia exits.
“Master’s master. You must win.”
With Bella’s support as the last thing I hear, everyone leaves.
Now, only William remains.
He’s looking at me with a contemptuous expression.
“Did you enjoy your last farewell in life, little punk from the Far East?”
To wait all this time for that, what unnecessary patience for a light novel villain.
Not that I have any obligation to answer his question.
I keep silent.
Interpreting my silence however he wishes, William continues.
“…Looks like you enjoyed yourself. Fine. I’ll allow the first move. I am William Stewart, the second prince of the benevolent United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Consider it an honor, commoner from the Far East.”
William smirks at me.
[Allowing the first move, just as we expected, partner.]
The Black Prince’s voice rings out.
The Prince of the Dragon Slayer, William Stewart.
All information about him is already stored in my head.
I will not lose.
I must win.
I grip Durandal.
Woosh.
The blade trembles.
[Let’s go, partner!]
With the Black Prince’s voice, I kick off the ground and leap.
You’re finished now.
You annoying parasite.
With one blow, straight to heaven.
Thump.
My heart races. The Magic Core and Black Stone resonate and heat up.
The black magic surged and raced through the magic circuit.
I grasped the handle of Durandal.
The blade turned black.
[Synchronization]
Using my ability.
The Black Prince’s experiences and memories imprinted in my mind.
[Use the Gift to enhance the blade, partner.]
The Black Prince’s advice echoed in my head.
Just as he said, I used the Gift. The pitch-black darkness completely enveloped the blade.
[My Black Radiant Sword Technique boasts the best synergy with my Gift of Darkness. Attacking with darkness carried on the blade doubles the power. Partner.]
The Black Prince spoke in my mind.
So that’s why the power oddly increased every time I used the Gift.
This wasn’t mentioned in the original work or the setting book.
Well, whatever.
If I could just take care of that parasite William, I’d use any means necessary.
I could see William’s arrogant face.
The Ascalon in his hand glimmered with a golden hue.
I sheathed Durandal again.
A question mark appeared in William’s eyes.
[Black Radiant Sword Technique]
[Fourth Form]
[Darkness Slash]
Flashing.
The blade accelerated, shooting out darkness straight at William.
Darkness Slash.
The fourth form of the Black Radiant Sword Technique.
The essential skill of Japanese subculture, the drawing technique, struck William directly.
Boom!
Black magic and darkness exploded together. A tremendous noise erupted.
Cracks formed on the chapel floor as the vibrations spread.
[Did I defeat him?]
The Black Prince recited a spell.
At that moment.
Pssshhh.
The sound of steam escaping and that unique villainous laugh of a light novel character struck my ears.
“Guh, kuhuhuhuhuh, KAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
William, transformed into a shiny golden statue, strutted out from the epicenter.
“Is this all you’ve got? Commoner. Not even ticklish. Worse than a mosquito.”
Tap tap.
William, now like a golden statue, dusted off his shoulders as if brushing away dirt, chuckling.
A scene replicating the classic Japanese animation cliché of shouting “Did I defeat him?” only to be revived.
[How can he be fine after being hit directly with Darkness Slash…? That was the strongest sword technique among the regular techniques…!]
The Black Prince exclaimed loudly, shocked.
I knew it would turn out like this.
If that’s the case, why even shout “Did I defeat him”? Anyway, it’s no help.
Honestly, it wasn’t surprising.
William was the core villain of Volume 6 of the original work.
Naturally, his Gift and skills were all detailed there, so I had already anticipated this outcome.
Because his Gift is.
“My Gift is Golden Metamorphosis. Using the power of this Golden Metamorphosis, I can overlay a sparkling golden physical shield over my entire body. It’s so robust that your pathetic attacks won’t even scratch me.”
Here he is, explaining himself.
It’s absurd.
I’ve kind of gotten used to shouting skill names by now.
But explaining his abilities in his own words?
Is this the light novel world?
“On top of that, the ability of this Ascalon, Energy Drain, lets me absorb and store the energy of my opponents, which I can release or use at my convenience, synergizing perfectly with my Gift. Kuhuhuhuhuh. Commoner. You could die and come back, and you would never pierce through my ‘Golden Metamorphosis’ absolute defense with Ascalon!”
Slurp.
William licked the blade of Ascalon like a pervert while delivering his lengthy explanation.
Even his sparkling golden statue form was nauseating, but witnessing that eye terror right in front of me made me want to throw up, let alone get angry.
I’m feeling a bit faint from the craziness of it all.
Of course, William was that type of pointless explanation-spewing villain even in the original work.
But seeing it in real life? It’s surreal.
“Seriously… Who spills all their abilities like that? Is he crazy?”
It’s almost an existential question.
Why on earth would anyone reveal all their abilities?
Is it because we’re in a friendly light novel world?
Isn’t it usually better to keep things under wraps?
What is going on? Am I misunderstanding something?
“Huh, heh heh heh, HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!”
William, hearing my words, slaps his forehead and leans back with a disgusting laugh.
“That’s a foolish question, you simpleton. Do you really think knowing my gifts and abilities could let a peon like you defeat me? My ‘Golden Metamorphosis’ combined with energy drain makes me truly invincible! It’s like an impenetrable shield! No matter how hard you try, you can’t break through my defenses!”
Whoa.
The Dragon Slayer sword, Ascalon, ignites in a golden glow, fueled by his mana.
And that’s it?
This is absurd.
At this point, excessive self-awareness is practically a disease.
[The idea that there’s no way to break through? I feel a bit irritated being viewed as that weakling, Partner?]
The excited voice of the Black Prince echoes in my head.
Well, it is annoying, but William’s words are mostly true.
In fact, combining Golden Metamorphosis with energy drain is tough to counter.
Thanks to that solid defense and mana replenishment through energy drain, Yuji had quite a struggle in the original.
Of course, he ultimately managed to unleash an overwhelming amount of mana, exceeding the energy drain’s limits to land some effective hits.
“You can’t maintain your gift once the 10 minutes are up because you’re a drug user. The effects will wear off.”
That setting was in the original too.
William was reeling from the surprise when he let Yuji land some effective hits.
The moment that 10-minute time limit ends, the fiancé battle concludes with Yuji’s victory.
So far, that’s how the fiancé battle scene with William and Yuji was depicted in Volume 6.
“You little…!! If you let your mouth run wild, you’ll end up regretting it!!”
Before I even finish my sentence, William snaps and tosses out a childish provocation.
Suddenly, he starts chuckling and shaking his shoulders.
“Well, fine. You think you can hold out against me for 10 minutes?”
Clank.
William points his Dragon Slayer sword, Ascalon, at me.
“Do you really think you’re capable of enduring against me, the Dragon Slayer Prince William? Rose Sword Technique, First Form: Thorn Piercing!!”
With a booming voice, William charges at me.
Boom, bang, boom, bang.
The ground shakes as he quickly closes the distance.
True to the name “Rose Piercing,” a golden flash aims directly for my chest.
I hurry to raise Durandal to block the attack.
Clang!
The blades clash, sending mana sparks flying. The rebound force from the blade slams into my grip.
“Energy drain.”
As if that’s not enough, William uses energy drain on top of that.
My mana is sucked into his sword through the contact.
Energy drain is an ability that activates upon contact.
Pulling the blade away immediately, I call out to the Black Prince.
‘Black Prince.’
[Why are you calling me, Partner?]
‘You have that technique that hits the insides while ignoring the surface, right?’
[You mean Gyeoksantau?]
Gyeoksantau is a technique akin to a vital strike from martial arts novels, with an effect similar to my middle-tier technique.
In simple terms, it’s the only way I can send the current William straight to heaven with a single blow.
The only way to send William straight to heaven in one hit.
“Oh right, that. But why does the Crown Prince of France only use Chinese names for his techniques?”
Honestly, I was curious about this.
Why on earth?
I figured it must be because it’s a light novel, but we’re in reality now, so there has to be a reason, right?
That was what I wanted to know.
[I really like kung fu movies. Hong Kong films are fun, right?]
Is that the reason?
Absurd.
“Anyway, let’s use that Kyokusan-Tau.”
Ten minutes of holding out.
If I really put my mind to it, I could do it.
But I don’t have the luxury of dragging this out for ten minutes.
If I keep dawdling, Gares will escape.
Every second counts in this situation.
It needs to end quickly.
I also want to smash that obnoxious golden statue’s head.
[But Kyokusan-Tau is a technique I’ve never used before, so how do you know about it, my partner?]
The Black Prince said.
“Let’s just say I have my ways. Can you help me use Kyokusan-Tau?”
I can’t just say I read it in the setting book.
Although my skill with the Blacklight Sword Technique has improved significantly from daily hellish training with Aris, I’m still not ready to use Kyokusan-Tau.
I need the Black Prince’s help.
Ah, if only I had that damn Status Window, I wouldn’t have to deal with this mess.
Damn it.
[Sure, Kyokusan-Tau can break through his defenses. But Kyokusan-Tau is the closest technique to the ultimate move of the Blacklight Sword Technique, partner. If you use it with your current skill level, you might hurt yourself.]
Clang!
I deflected William’s attack again.
It feels nauseating as my mana drains.
“Still, I don’t care.”
Crack!
My teeth are grinding.
William.
I can’t forgive that guy.
It’s not just because he’s a pain or feels like a typical light novel villain; there’s an anger boiling in my chest that I can’t explain.
How dare he even think about laying a hand on my ultimate waifu, Olivia?
He deserves to be executed.
“I just want to crush him right now. With my own hands. Right this second.”
[Alright. Partner. Now that’s the man I recognize!]
The Black Prince laughed cheerfully.
[Use layered synchronization, partner.]
Clang!
Blocking William’s attack with Durandal, I activate my ability.
[Synchronization]
Zing.
Using synchronization in succession gives me a headache.
Drip.
Blood spurts from my nose.
I bite my lip.
I can taste the metallic tang of blood.
[I’ve definitely received your anger, your feelings, partner. As a spirit of the sword and Olivia’s brother, I will help you!]
The Black Prince’s voice echoes in my head.
Woooo! Wooooo!
The blade of Durandal vibrates in response.
Hissssss.
The darkness that dwells within Durandal rises and thickens.
“What’s this, commoner? Your last-ditch effort?”
William’s eyebrows twitch.
“Cough, hehehehe, ha ha ha ha, it won’t matter! There’s no way you’ll break through my Golden Metamorphosis! I am invincible, the strongest!!”
William strikes his usual pose with his forehead.
Spending precious seconds on useless conversation in this fierce battle.
Thanks to that, I’ve gained a little more breathing room.
Of course, William wasn’t completely stupid.
“With this attack, I’ll finish you off. Rose Sword Technique──!”
Wooooo!
As he shouts the skill name, Ascalon’s blade shines golden and vibrates.
