I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

258 - Attack on the Imperial Palace (5)

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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Denial Domain.

One of Black Star Force's highest techniques that covered an entire area with the authority of denial.

Originally this technique required reaching eight stars, but Zion had deliberately reduced its power and range to lower the requirements.

Even so, its power was far beyond what the Evil Hand army or Witch of the Abyss Swamp could withstand.

--- -!

Darkness swallowed everything - nearby Liushina, and even the monsters beyond.

The beings consumed by darkness were denied from the world without leaving a trace.

How long had the world remained submerged in that darkness?

Swish-

As darkness slowly lifted, light filled its place.

The scene revealed in their restored vision was beyond imagination.

As if a god had personally cleansed the world.

The space consumed by the Denial Domain was empty to an eerie degree.

WHOOSH!

The surrounding air and mana rushed into the vacuum, creating fierce winds.

"How is this possible..."

Rubrious, the only survivor within, muttered blankly while watching the scene.

Yes, he too had known.

How powerful his brother Zion, now emperor, had become.

He had proven that power before Rubrious many times.

But this was his first time witnessing such transcendent might up close.

It felt like watching authority wielded by a being beyond mortality.

'Is he truly the Eternal Emperor reborn?'

As Rubrious stood slack-jawed, forgetting even to finish recovering- Crunch, CRUNCH!

Liushina began regenerating using parts of her body she had buried deep underground beyond the darkness's reach.

But unlike usual, her regeneration was extremely slow.

Moreover, the regeneration itself seemed very difficult.

It seemed to be an after-effect of touching Zion's Denial Domain earlier.

"Hah! Hah!"

The witch collapsed to the ground panting heavily after painfully regenerating her body.

The purple madness that had filled her eyes moments ago was completely gone, replaced by exhaustion.

How long did she lie there catching her breath and recovering?

After a moment of silence, Liushina spoke quietly to Zion without raising her head.

"Master... I'm sorry."

When Zion had asked about this before, she had confidently answered that she wouldn't be consumed by madness.

Not only had she broken that promise, but she had even acted disgracefully toward Zion, leaving her unable to face him.

"Don't think an apology will be enough."

Zion smiled slightly, too faintly for Liushina to notice as she resembled a drenched puppy, then slowly continued:

"I'll make sure you take proper responsibility after we finish this."

With those words, Zion turned away.

He had completely ended the Great Demon's life and restored Liushina's mind, so there was no need to remain here.

"Where are you going?"

At that moment, Rubrious who had regained his senses asked Zion.

"One spectre from the past remains, so I should finish that too."

"Then I'll help."

"No."

Zion shook his head at Rubrious who tried to stand.

"Rest. You too, Liushina."

Before either could respond to his words-

Swish-

Zion's form vanished.

Unlike the current Four Great Demons who were classified by emotions they symbolized like Wrath, Madness, Jealousy, and Pride, the Four Great Demons of the First Great War were named after their power's characteristics. Ȑ₳ΝȰ????Ëŝ@@@@

Therefore-

PUHWAHAHA!

Orogirichi, the eight-headed dragon wreathed in dark blue flames facing the hero's party, bore the title Strange Dragon of Hell's Flames.

-Could you perhaps be this era's hero?

The eight-headed dragon who had scattered his hell flames everywhere asked Claire who was charging toward him.

FLASH!

Without answering, the hero swung Gram vertically, the sword radiating bright light.

A crescent-shaped blade of light following the sword's trajectory shot toward Orogirichi, cutting through the wall of hell flames blocking its path.

CRUNCH!

One of the dragon's heads bit and shattered Claire's blade of light in response.

The remaining seven heads opened their mouths simultaneously.

ROAR!

Dark red breath erupted forth, engulfing the charging Claire.

Flames that burned away air, mana, and even the space containing them.

At that moment-

Slash!

-Therefore, die.

Eight mouths simultaneously released their breath.

This breath was completely different from before.

As if refusing to give any time to dodge-

--- -!

The breath transformed into light shot forth as beams.

Moreover, the world's rules were reestablished around the breath, granting effects of 'acceleration' and 'certain hit'.

The beams reached right before Claire in less than an instant, no, even shorter than that.

Unable to properly react, Claire's time began slowing infinitely as she faced the breath.

No, time hadn't actually slowed.

Like when she received Wolbyeokcheon's attack in the Beast Sea before.

The life-saving authority activated when facing death had dramatically increased her thought processing and perception.

But like last time, Claire couldn't move her body.

She could only watch the slowly approaching breath with despairing eyes.

'...Am I going to die now?'

Yes, perhaps dying here wouldn't be so bad.

As the Great Demon had just said, Claire herself was nothing more than half-measures.

Despite gaining regression, an ability close to cheating, she couldn't even surpass the previous hero.

Moreover, even now with only the final war remaining, she still hadn't properly mastered her granted life-saving authority.

Incompetent.

A being who could do nothing without Emperor Zion.

That was who Claire was.

Her heart that she had barely steadied before battle began crumbling again.

Her eyes gradually died as time returned to normal.

As Claire was about to give up everything-

'...Huh?'

Her eyes caught sight of Tirian and Elysis.

Though they could have easily escaped the range, they were approaching while casting spells to protect Claire herself.

As if their own lives didn't matter.

Their forms slowly overlapped with her companions from before the regression.

Yes, it had always been this way.

No matter the situation, her companions had always protected Claire.

Even when facing death.

'I can't die.'

Despair lifted from Claire's eyes.

What replaced it was an unbreakable will.

'No, I must not die.'

The lives of all companions who had died for her before the regression rested on her shoulders.

She absolutely could not die before saving the world, if only to not waste their lives.

SCREECH!

Holy sword Gram receiving Claire's will shone more brilliantly than ever before.

In a world nearly frozen by infinitely accelerated thought and perception, Claire's form alone began moving.

She lightly avoided the approaching breath, charged toward Orogirichi, leaped up and cut off all eight heads at once.

TAP!

The moment Claire's feet touched the ground again-

PUHWAHAHAHA!

As time returned to normal, a terrifying amount of blood gushed from Orogirichi's severed necks.

Along with the eight heads falling to the ground, a single line was drawn from where Claire had originally stood to where she now stood.

Following that line, a tremendous shockwave that had burst out belatedly shattered everything in the surroundings.

Super-lightspeed.

That was the speed realm Claire had just reached.

-How...

The former Great Demon collapsed unable to even finish his last words, his core shattered by that transcendent strike.

"...I did it."

After confirming Orogirichi's end, Claire too collapsed in place with a thud.

The bones throughout her body had shattered from the incredible strain of that single strike.

But a faint smile played across her lips.

Just then-

'To think they defeated Orogirichi.'

Zion who had arrived at the battlefield looked at Claire and the other party members with surprised eyes.

Honestly, Zion had thought the hero's party would struggle against Orogirichi alone.

Until the last time he had checked, they still hadn't completed their final awakening.

'Did they awaken on their own in that time? As expected of the hero.'

CRUNCH!

With that thought, Zion completely finished off Orogirichi's remnants that were still squirming to survive, then-

'Only that remains?'

He raised his head to look at the massive hole still pouring out monsters.

No, what Zion was looking at wasn't the abyssal hole itself.

It was a single being sitting on a throne beyond that hole, watching him.

'Well met.'

Zion smiled as if greeting that being.