I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

218 - Archdemon of Pride (5)

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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In the vast outer region of the demon realm border.

Countless beings clashed weapons and tested their abilities against each other there.

"I'll tear out all your fucking throats, you human scum!"

A high-ranking demon covered in blood shouted while decapitating nearby soldiers with foot-long claws.

SLASH!

"GURK!"

As the demon coughed up dark blood with a shocked expression, they saw a knight wearing armor engraved with the Gray Lion Corps' lion symbol.

THUD.

The knight wiped blood from their sword while watching the lifeless demon collapse with cold eyes.

Just as the knight's eyes turned to search for their next opponent-

WHOOSH!

Hearing the sudden sound of wind being cut above, the knight looked up.

What they saw were translucent arrows filling their entire field of vision as they fell.

"...Damn it."

As this low curse left the knight's lips- BOOM!

The arrows struck the ground, erasing all life above including the knight.

SCREECH!

Having instantly erased countless lives, the spectral archers immediately designated their next target and drew their bowstrings again.

But they couldn't release those arrows.

ROAR!

Numerous large monsters like one-horned ogres and twin-headed trolls dropped from even higher in the sky with help from flying monsters.

The scene resembled an air raid.

CRASH!

These monsters leaped into the middle of the spectral archers' formation and began rampaging madly.

"Kyahahahaha!"

The witch and Evil Hand army rushed in right behind them as if competing.

But as if refusing to allow this advance-

-For the King.

BOOM!

The spectral knights charged in spear formation, driving into the Evil Hand army's flank.

A true scene of carnage.

"Ugh...!"

In the middle of this battlefield, Celphia barely blocked the monsters' attacks using "Magic Consumption."

Since following Prince Zion, she had been deployed whenever there were battles with monsters, and this time was no different.

CRACK!

Perhaps because she had awakened her power only recently?

Feeling strength already leaving her hands, Celphia quickly dealt with the monsters before her and withdrew to one side.

"Hah..."

After catching her breath, she watched the still intense battlefield with weary eyes.

She still couldn't believe that she, who had been studying magic at school until recently, was now fighting monsters here.

'I heard I'd be used a lot but...'

She hadn't expected this level, nor imagined being deployed in such a massive war.

A war on a scale reminiscent of the great wars from hundreds of years ago.

'And the problem is that even this massive war isn't the main battle.'

With this thought, Celphia looked up toward the sky.

Her eyes beheld a mythical sight:

CRASH!

Just two beings.

The aftermath created by just two transcendent beings clashing exceeded the total power of the war being waged on the ground.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say most of the warriors cared more about that clash than their immediate opponents.

Truly the battle that would determine this fight's fate.

"Your Highness Zion..."

As Celphia clenched her fist while calling the name of one of those two, the only one who had extended a hand to her-

'Seems he's even more persistent than Liushina.'

The owner of that name, Zion, thought this while-

BOOM!

Mercilessly shattering Pride's head before him.

Perhaps because one of Ogrit's qualities was "collective"?

Though Zion kept inflicting near-annihilating damage, the Archdemon endlessly regenerated using his people's souls as sacrifices.

"Why... WHY ME!!!!"

While his mouth spat words denying this situation.

It was natural, since his trump card had been easily countered by Zion's newly appeared armies.

He had merely wasted part of his authority for nothing.

And truthfully, even if he hadn't wasted his authority, the result was already decided.

ROAR!

The Black Star Force that had reached eight stars and the authority of denial manifesting from it was something even divine beings, not just demigods, feared.

A single gesture made the world shrink, naturally arising will crushed even the root of existence.

The true status of the Emperor who had once devoured the entire world.

However-

'Something feels off.'

Zion's brows were furrowed as he relentlessly drove Pride back.

His power regained through "Chronos's Questions."

That power wasn't manifesting properly to the degree he expected.

At first, he thought it was simply because "Chronos's Questions" couldn't fully handle his power.

But the more he used it, the more he couldn't shake the feeling there was another reason.

As if something was forcibly blocking it.

As if the world itself was limiting the use of power beyond a certain level.

Yes, a wall.

That was the right way to describe this feeling.

'I don't think this happened last time in Lezero.'

What had happened in the meantime?

'I need to end this situation quickly.'

As Zion thought this, recognizing the Question's time was running out-

"Oh, Master! Have you finally found your power?"

Liushina laughed brightly as she spoke while watching from below while slaughtering demons.

Unlike others, she knew this was Zion's original power.

She had already experienced it once in his mental world before.

"Ha, even seeing it again truly..."

With these words, Liushina suppressed the chills running through her entire body.

Recently, she had been thinking that as she rapidly grew stronger, she might be able to win if she faced Zion again someday.

But seeing this form, those thoughts instantly vanished.

A form that seemed to look down on the world itself from beneath his feet.

She couldn't believe such a being existed in this world.

"Well, whether he's fully regained his power or it's temporary..."

One thing was certain.

She had chosen well in picking her master.

Though it had been almost forced, of course.

As the witch smiled slightly with this thought-

"Wait! What do you mean found his power?"

Claire, who happened to hear this muttering nearby, approached Liushina and asked.

Her eyes still wavered with confusion she hadn't escaped.

"Huh? You didn't know? Actually, Master is..."

Just as Liushina was about to speak with playful eyes-

"HOW!!!!"

A thunderous shout that could be heard across the entire battlefield burst from above.

Its owner was Archdemon of Pride Ogrit.

CRASH!

Though he was still being mercilessly pushed back by Zion, his wide eyes now held shock with a different meaning than before.

His gaze was fixed on the unfathomable darkness endlessly spreading from Zion's entire body.

He hadn't recognized it at first, but now he could tell.

That this darkness was the Eternal Emperor's power.

"How can you possess that power!"

Though he had never seen it directly, it had felt familiar because he had heard countless stories about this power.

The despairing power that had terrified the entire demon realm in hidden history.

There was no possibility of mistake or it being different power.

The characteristics were too clear for that.

It was strange he hadn't recognized it until now.

"I thought the Eternal Emperor's power couldn't be passed down... how was it inherited?"

As he spoke these words, the shock in Pride's eyes began turning to confusion and question.

But he couldn't think further about those questions.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Zion's attacks grew increasingly powerful, threatening even his root.

Death.

A single word arose in Pride's mind.

A word he had never felt before and also the word he feared most in the world.

"I cannot die."

Death was void.

Therefore he could no longer reign as king.

Could no longer possess anything.

That was equivalent to denying Pride's very existence and qualities, and therefore-

"I absolutely cannot die!"

As this declaration-like shout burst from Ogrit's mouth-

WHOOSH!

The spectral armies fiercely battling Zion's forces instantly transformed into soul form and gathered back toward him.

Simultaneously, the remaining souls within Pride also completely flowed out, merging with the other souls to form a massive shape around him.

RUMBLE!

It was a giant.

A giant with transcendent enormity - each foot covering the entire battlefield, its height piercing the clouds to reach the sky's end.

As every being on the battlefield stopped fighting and gaped at this overwhelming sight-

'Before any more power is consumed, I'll end everything with this strike containing all.'

Following Pride's will, the giant began raising an enormous greatsword high above its head.

Though this strike would permanently lose most of his power, there was no hesitation in Ogrit's eyes.

He had no room for reserve before the Eternal Emperor's descendant.

RUMBLE!

As the spectral giant raised its greatsword, the surrounding world began not just distorting but breaking apart.

Along with this, terrifying pressure began pressing down on the entire battlefield as if trying to fix its target.

"KUGH!"

As suppressed screams flowed from people's mouths as they were driven into the ground, unable to even raise their heads- -Take this, descendant of eternity.

With the Archdemon's final words, the giant's greatsword raised to the sky's end finally fell.

World-Breaking Sword.

Pride's ultimate technique derived from the myth of the primordial giant cutting the world - a quasi-transcendent technique that imperfectly imitated techniques only divine beings could use while containing all his qualities of "pride" and "collective."

What would a strike containing everything from a being who had escaped fate and reincarnation's bonds be like?

Space itself warped from its mere mass, while fundamental elements constituting the world scattered to dust along the greatsword's path.

RUMBLE!

Pressure that continued increasing along with the falling greatsword as if refusing to allow even watching.

Feeling his feet being driven into the ground below from this pressure, Zion smiled slightly.

'It's been a while since I've seen power of this level.'

Different.

Pride's approaching strike was on a completely different dimension from any attack Zion had seen since entering the chronicle.

Truly power worthy of the name immortal.

However-

SWOOSH-

As Zion gripped the air to summon Eclaxia, no tension or anxiety existed in his eyes.

If the opponent contained transcendent status in one strike-

He would simply crush it with even greater power.

As if responding to Zion's will-

SCREECH!

Eclaxia began vibrating its blade and bursting with loud resonance.

This wasn't a scream.

This was joy.

Joy at greeting its master who had regained his original power.

And...

Joy at being able to unleash that technique once more!

SWOOSH-

Gently gripping such an Eclaxia, Zion slowly.

Very slowly began drawing his sword from left to right.

As if cutting something invisible, no, something non-existent.

Deeper than ever before.

More carefully than ever before.

No darkness existed, no power existed.

Just an infinitely pure horizontal cut.

This world is empty.

The burning flames, flowing water, blowing wind, even the sand forming the earth.

Everything constituting the world is empty, and this is an absolutely unchanging truth.

The Emperor who had glimpsed that truth in the past wondered:

The void signifying existence itself.

What would happen if one denied such void?

Path of Void.

One of the transcendent techniques the world-devouring Emperor could unleash despite not reaching divine status, and his strongest technique.

And finally, as the Emperor's sword completed its stroke-

Slice-

With a sound of something being cut-

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The light of everything vanished.