I Became the First Prince

Chapter 284: Chapter 284

The Meaning of Dawn (4)

The Crown Prince died and survived death. It wasn’t long ago that he couldn’t even move properly, having to seek help from others. After constantly wandering around the kingdom, battling both in the Empire and in Dotrin, the Crown Prince suddenly became stuck in the palace.

Everyone knew, yet wondered, how did it feel for a knight who couldn’t hold a sword again? Could he even be called a knight?

Rather than becoming charred wood that could no longer be burned, the dwarves were a race who wanted to burn out hot in an instant and then collapse without leaving any ashes. The Crown Prince fell into the same class of being. His past deeds had proven that he is willing to burn his life away for the sake of victory. And now, a man who used to be strong has forever lost the opportunity to live like a flame. The knight who used to stand at the top of the kingdom had lost everything overnight. And he was only twenty-two years old. Yet despite that young age, he had lived far more days than are recorded. Maybe his insides felt rotten and constricted.

Nevertheless, the prince was more cheerful than before. There came a lot of laughter from him, and his face had brightened. He seemed to forcefully tell himself that it was okay, and by force, he seemed to hide his pain. The hearts of those watching him burned with loyalty.

The prince was also nervous, knowing what was at stake. He didn’t want people to be happy merely because his body had been restored.

The rubble from the Crown Prince’s palace was scattered everywhere, but no one even paid proper notice to this. Rather, the blood on the prince’s face and clothes was what caught their eye. Is he going to faint again? Is there anything wrong with his body?

There existed far more concern than joy, but this quickly changed. This was probably the reason why those who would not normally have allowed the prince to enter a duel allowed him to do so. The palace knights were all of one heart. Who the victor and the defeated of the duel would turn out to be did not even cross their minds. It didn’t matter if the Crown Prince couldn’t replicate the feats of the past. They just wanted to see the healthy existence of Prince Adrian with their own eyes. It was enough for them to see him swing his sword again, to see him alive and not half-dead.

Everyone held their breaths as they watched the duel. It began, and the prince’s temperament changed terribly quickly. The face of an innocent young man no longer existed. He raised his chin and looked down at his opponent. There was sharp anticipation in his eyes and his mouth was stubbornly set. The moment he bared that arrogant posture at his foe, Prince Adrian gathered a dim beam to the edge of his sword.

‘Thump, thump!’

Knights’ hearts started thudding like crazy. They only then realized it—the Crown Prince has finally risen again.

‘Go-oh-oh-oh!’

Fierce energy then arose in Bale Balahard’s body. Compared to the imperial knights who had attacked the royal palace, Bale’s energy was immeasurably stronger. Shortly thereafter, when this energy became a tangible substance, the knights were in awe. Those had who warred against the greenskins and experienced orcish fervor were astonished beyond amazement. At the same time, they were relieved.

The Crown Prince wasn’t overwhelmed by Bale Balahard, even if Bale had gained a power that could scarcely be imagined. Rather than stepping back or circling around, the prince charged forward. He drew his beloved sword in a clear trajectory from bottom to top. Bale Balahard’s sword met it in a downward strike.

‘Klang!’

At this, a tremendous clanging of iron rang out.

‘Qaw ahhh!’

A frenzy of energy broke out as shock waves erupted in all directions.

“Ha!” the palace knight commander exclaimed as he secured the king’s front.

‘Pot!’

Arwen Kirgayen and Adelia Bavaria each roused energy to dissipate the shock waves before they spread out. The palace knights hastily moved as they prepared for another blast. Yet, the Crown Prince and Bale Balahard seemed unconcerned about the turmoil around them.

“Hey now, I just woke up from bed. I’m still getting used to the new state of my body.”

“Let’s see—I can barely see with borrowed eyes. I have only one arm. My feet are limp. But, my body is still good enough.”

They just smiled fiercely and pointed their swords at each other.

‘Qaw ahhh!’

Bale’s momentum soared like a tsunami.

‘Wow!’

The prince’s sword cried, keening with a clear sound. Both of them seemed unaware that ending the battle now would be appropriate considering their physical condition and honor. The faces of those watching the duel changed and a common question arose in their minds. Was it their own illusion, or did they put great significance on the prince’s capabilities? Was this a friendly duel, or one of those battles between masters that they had heard of?

Still, until then, everyone was merely concerned; they never thought that the warriors would go ahead and try it. Their bodies were not in good condition, and they had only just reunited after seven years. Everyone thought they would not be seeing blood. They thought so; they believed it. Not everyone played along, though.

“Nothing has changed in the past or now. Neither father nor your Highness.”

Vincent Balahard promptly frowned as he placed his hand on the sword hanging from his waist.

“Well.” Arwen touched the pommel of her sword as she approached the two dueling men.

‘Shh.’

Adelia began to mutter something as she summoned a golden aura to the edge of her blade. Carls Ulrich was busy sending hand signals, ordering the palace knights to do something. All of the knights were those who served the Crown Prince in close proximity, and they personally knew the prince better than anyone else in the vicinity. All of them had trembling bodies as if they were about to intrude between the duelists at any moment. Some knights found this attitude unusual, with one of them asking, “Still, if they’re sick, why not stop before first blood?”

“If either one of those two had been flexible enough, neither one of them would have been in this position.”

Vincent laughed.

“His Highness never sheathes his sword first, unless his opponent asks him to. And I think that there’s no way that Bale Balahard will ever surrender,” Carls elaborated on the matter with a firm face.

“Sah,” Arwen Kirgayen merely sighed. Adelia looked at the two duelists, so she had no idea of what words entered her ears. Only then did others realize the seriousness of the situation, stiffening their expressions.

One of them asked Vincent if it wouldn’t be better to end the battle right away.

“If you say something to them, it won’t even enter their ears.”

“You have to do something-”

“It’s too late. We should have tried it before they started. Damn it, it’s been going on too long, so I’m alert.” Vincent then swore, adding, “I bet that if someone intervened right now, there would remain nothing of their body.”

Vincent said that interrupting two warriors who had raised their energy this high was suicide. His statement was by no means an exaggeration.

‘Qaw ahhh!.’

A frenzy erupted between the prince and Bale Balahard, who pointed their swords at each other. Their swords weren’t being used, yet sparks splattered through the air. It was obvious that if you jumped into the middle of it, you would not be able to escape the horror. There was something more terrible—as time passed, both of the mens’ energy was becoming greater. Between them, the Crown Prince’s energy increased at an explosive rate.

‘Wow Wow!’

The prince’s sword, constantly keening, had been transformed into a sword of light for some time now, and this blade of light had grown to a size to match Bale’s huge sword.

‘Wow!’

At every moment, the blade of light continued to grow. Without losing his will, Bale also raised his energy as he let his Aura Blade blaze on his giant sword. It was a fight of energy, with not one combatant taking a single step back. The balance between the two broke when the prince’s sword grew close to three meters in length. Bale Balahard’s energy and sword aura had stopped growing at some point.

‘Wow Wow’

Prince Adrian’s energy was growing endlessly.

“What the hell now…”

The energy fight began in earnest, and for the first time, Bale spoke. He gave his nephew a stern look.

“Haha,” the prince laughed, revealing his teeth. His laughter was fierce as if he was facing an enemy. At that moment-

‘Woosh!’

Prince Adrian’s body was engulfed by flames. The time it took for the flames to rise from the prince’s chest, surround him completely, and cover his blade was a mere millisecond.

“…!”

The watching knights could only widen their eyes as their mouths hung slack. The prince’s expression, engulfed in blue flames, changed every moment. He frowned, then grinned. There was no sign of pain to be seen anywhere on his face. Without seeming conscious about the flames surrounding him, Prince Adrian looked thoughtful. Suddenly, an unknown hesitation came to his face.

The surrounding area was already ruined, but the prince seemed able to afford further destruction.

‘Bkra Bkra!’

Where the prince stepped, the floor began to crack. The world around him started shaking. A haze filled the air, one that could only be seen on sunny summer days, especially if it was very hot.

‘Kureung.!’

Weakened by the collapse of the main building, the corners of the crown palace, which had barely been standing, collapsed at once. The people watching the duel retreated from the rising dust. Their faces were pale as they raised their energy. The palace knight commander had done a cursory evacuation, getting all the young champions out—all except two. The exceptions were Adelia and Arwen, who were not backing down and were standing firmly in place. It was remarkable that they could still be standing with stern faces. They were being exposed to an overwhelming power that none had ever seen or heard of. Everyone resisted it desperately, but theirs was a meaningless resistance, it was a useless struggle.

The energy was irresistible, a natural disaster. Then-

‘Woo Woo!’

A clear sound echoed through the ruin. It was a sound familiar to Ring Knights; it was the peculiar noise of mana rings colliding with each other as they resonated. At the same time, the prince’s crushing energy faded slightly. The knights turned their heads as they followed the sound, and their eyes all focused on Bale Balahard. Blue light flowed from his body and gathered over his forehead. The gathering lights tangled together and bound themselves into a small ring. Another ring appeared next to it. One more was added, then another. Then all the rings stretched together, becoming five.

‘Qaw ahhh!’

The energy of the old knight, which had stopped growing, flared up at once.

“This is the true power of penta-chain.”

His heavy voice resounded clearly, even amidst the fierce wind.

“You were right. The Nightmare Knights weren’t worth much.”

A soft, admiring voice spoke up.

“I haven’t seen the five rings come to the forehead.”

It was the Crown Prince.

“It’s a good thing.”

At this, the prince smiled brightly.

“Actually, I was hesitant.”

It seemed as if there existed no more hesitation on the prince’s smiling face.

“I wondered if you could withstand this power, uncle.”

The knights who were vaguely watching the exchange were unsure why sudden hesitation again flared up on the prince’s face.

“At least it’s not going to kill you.”

And at that moment, even the last whisper of doubt disappeared. Even the collapse of the palace seemed an irrelevancy. If the Crown Prince wielded his sword right now, a disaster would unfold. Maybe half of the Leobergers’ palace would disappear without a trace. The knights had to try something—whatever happened, they had to stop it.

“I hope…”

But Prince Adrian didn’t give them a chance.

“That this will hurt a little.”

The Crown Prince lifted his sword, Twilight, high.

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