Chapter 101: The True Prince

The Sword of Heavenly Slaughter.
The Sword of Cotton Bloom.
The Sword of Desire.

Famous swords renowned across the world were shattered one after another.
Each time, Ergo’s face hardened even further.
It was only natural.
With such expensive masterpieces being utterly destroyed, it was impossible for his expression not to stiffen.
The shattered swords alone were worth enough to buy a mansion.
Even for Ergo, this was a serious blow.

Clang!
Yet another famed sword was broken and cast to the ground in fragments.
Stepping over the shattered remains, I lunged at Ergo without hesitation.
With each sword that broke, the distance between us shrank.

Ergo grit his teeth.
He, too, was constantly expending energy, wielding his Skyborne Swordsmanship without pause.

“You wretched fiend.”

Once more, swords filled my vision.
My outstretched hand cut through them without end.
A relentless curtain of blades wove itself before me.
It was as if I had become trapped in a storm of swords.

Yet even if the rain drenched me, I could not stop moving.
The forest rang with the deafening clash of steel against hand.

But I broke through once more.
The moment I pierced through the rain of blades—
Dozens of swords converged before my eyes, merging into one massive blade as they came hurtling toward me.
Like a school of small fish forming the shape of a giant predator.

My fist clenched.
At the same time, my body twisted sharply, using my waist’s momentum with my right hand as the pivot.
It was a punch I had thrown countless times in the past.
A motion engraved into my body—executed with flawless precision, carrying the full weight of my body behind it.

My back foot pivoted, the other firmly planted.
At that moment, the magical engraving on my elbow ignited—
BOOOOOOM!

A fist forged upon a body of steel obliterated the oncoming swords in an instant.
Through the storm of shattered blades, my eyes locked onto Ergo’s.
His crimson pupils narrowed into thin slits as he lowered his stance.

Power surged into my foot as I stomped down with all my strength.
Thud—
The ground cracked beneath me as my body launched forward like a cannonball.

The distance Ergo had declared between us was rapidly shrinking.
I could see him hastily gathering his swords to block my approach.
A barrier of blades rose before me once again.

If it blocks me, I will simply break it.

The magic engraving on my clenched fist glowed.
My outstretched fist shattered the shield of swords once more.

And then—

Through the gaps of the destroyed sword barrier, a single blade came flying toward me.
A sword no different from the other famed ones.

Yet the moment I faced it, my instincts screamed of danger.

This one—

Will cut me.

In an instant, I abandoned my attack and wrenched my neck to the side.

Slash!

A crimson line split across my face as blood spattered through the air.
And with it—
I saw the golden aura enveloping the blade.

‘So, you finally imbued your blade with aura.’

To cut through a body of steel, aura-infused sword energy was required.
Only a select few in the world could wield such power.
Even at Zeryon Academy, aside from Van and Iris, only Hania could use it to some extent.

But the opponent was a Six-Star.
And not just any Six-Star—this was Ergo, the prodigy of Skyborne Swordsmanship.
Even if he fell short of Van or Iris, he still knew how to wield aura-infused sword energy.

“I told you.”

Two more swords floated around Ergo.
Both of them gleamed with the same golden aura.

Right now, Ergo could control a total of three aura-infused swords.
Any more than that was beyond his limit.
But those three alone were enough to deliver a fatal blow to me.

“There is an insurmountable gap between you and me.”

The difference between having sword energy and not having it was like heaven and earth.
I was fully aware of this fact.

And Ergo had more than just his sword energy.

Rumble—

From high above, beyond sight,
I felt an overwhelming presence descending toward this place.

The Colossal Sword.

‘So, you’ve made your final move.’

Three swords imbued with aura.
And the Colossal Sword—something even I could not withstand.
Ergo had chosen to end this battle before all his swords were destroyed.

Would I be pierced first by the Colossal Sword and the aura-infused blades?
Or would I reach Ergo first?

However, there was one thing—
Something Ergo had failed to consider.

I raised my right hand high above my head.

The moment Ergo looked at me in confusion—

Boom—

Dark clouds gathered over the Colossal Sword descending from the sky.

“Ergo Parazon, Your Highness. There is one thing that must be corrected.”

Crackle—

A blue bolt of lightning sparked from the ring on my index finger for some reason.

“From the very beginning until now—”

Rumble—

The thunderclouds roared even louder, their deafening growl filling the heavens.

“I have been the one attacking. And you, Ergo Parazon, have been the one defending.”

“What?”

Before Ergo could even ask again—

A blinding maw opened between the thunderclouds.

Amidst the clearing left by a previous lightning strike, I declared once more.

Come.

Lightning Magnet.

—– —– –!

A storm of pure voltage crashed down, swallowing even sound itself.

The incandescent light reached both me and Ergo before the Colossal Sword could even land.

Ergo let out a silent scream under the overwhelming force of the lightning’s output.
But he was no ordinary Six-Star warrior.

He immediately roused his aura from within, forcing his body into a state of protection.

However, channeling aura into the body instead of a sword came at a heavy cost.

However, that alone was enough to keep me from losing consciousness under the lightning strike.

Ergo’s eyes locked onto me as if staring at a madman.
His face said it all—he hadn’t expected me to use the lightning for a suicide attack.

So I decided to remind him once more.

This is not a suicide attack.

Crackle—

Electricity surged within my outstretched hand, reaching toward the sky.
The current that had seeped into my steel-forged body converged around my right hand.
From it, a spear of pure blue lightning took shape.

Magic Inscription • Lightning Catcher

I grasped the blue lightning of the goddess in my hand.

Ergo’s eyes widened in shock.
He now fully understood the meaning of the weapon I held.

I could feel the alarm bells ringing in his mind.

Ergo—the sole prince.
The genius born of Parazon.

And before that very genius,
A mere third-rate villain made his declaration.

“Block this.”

I grinned wide, baring my teeth.

As I drove my strength into my waist, I activated the magic inscription.
The explosion from my elbow’s engraving propelled my arm forward with full force.

A blue flash tore through the air, surging forward like an unstoppable force.

Just before my vision was swallowed by the light—

RUMBLE—!

The Colossal Sword had finally pierced through the incandescent storm and arrived.

The Colossal Sword and the Goddess’s Spear clashed.

CRAAAAAAAAAACK!

A thunderous roar powerful enough to shatter eardrums erupted.

Even the overwhelming weight of the Colossal Sword—
Could not withstand the force imbued within the Goddess’s Spear and was pushed back.

Ergo, coughing up blood, gathered every last remaining sword at his disposal.
Countless blades formed a wall behind the Colossal Sword.

If he failed to stop it, the Goddess’s Spear would pierce through and end everything.

Knowing this, he put every ounce of his strength into blocking it.

Sssssss—

A thick, white mist rose where the Colossal Sword clashed against the spear.

Skyborne Swordsmanship required an immense amount of mental focus and physical stamina.

Drip—

Perhaps because of that, Ergo had reached his limit.
Exhaustion overtook him, and blood trickled from his nose.

He gasped for air, his chest rising and falling erratically.

But in the end, he had blocked it.

Believing in his victory, he lifted his head.

And then—Ergo’s eyes widened in horror.

I was already there.

The very moment I had hurled the Goddess’s Spear, I had already begun sprinting through the storm of lightning.

Because from the very beginning, I never believed that would be enough to take him down.

In his dimming gaze, my red eyes flashed.

My body was in shambles from the lightning’s wrath.

But unlike him, I had been struck by lightning twice before.

Lightning resistance.

The resilience forged within my steel-forged body allowed me to move even amidst the Goddess’s storm.

“You bastard.”

Ergo exhaled a cloud of white smoke, muttering a curse under his breath.
The distance he had once declared insurmountable between us had ultimately shrunk to zero.

My outstretched fist landed squarely on his jaw.

With a powerful impact, his head twisted violently, and his body was sent flying.

Crash!

Ergo tumbled helplessly across the ground.
After rolling for quite some time, he remained motionless, sprawled where he had fallen.

I caught my breath as I looked down at the fallen Ergo.

“The royal family’s promise… I trust… it will be kept.”

Apologize to Seron.

With those final words, my body gave out, and I collapsed backward.

Thud—

Just before I hit the ground, I felt something soft behind me and instinctively lifted my head.

Iris was there.

“…Feels good.”

I nodded weakly.

In response, Iris tossed Parazon’s sword toward Ergo.
The blade spun through the air before embedding itself into the ground right next to him.

Then, still holding me, she strode forward and pulled out the White Nightmare Sword, which had been lodged behind the Colossal Sword.

“This should be a historic moment—my cousin defeating one of the Six Stars. What a shame.”

The battle between Ergo and me could never be made public.

As Iris clicked her tongue, I let out a wry smile.

“If word got out that I beat the Prince of Parazon, I’d be in trouble.”

“Of course. This will stay between you, me, and Hanon.”

And Ergo as well.

A man as proud as him… He wouldn’t go around talking about this.

“But there was one more move you could’ve used, wasn’t there?”

Iris asked sharply.

She knew.

As she said, I did have another trump card.
But I had no intention of using it against Ergo.

“A trump card… should be saved.”

Meanwhile, my eyelids grew heavier.

“Get some sleep.”

Iris held me close as she spoke.

“…Sorry. Just for a bit.”

Surrendering myself to her warmth, I let my eyes slowly close.

* * *

Seron Parmia.

She had just gotten out of bed and finally discharged herself from the hospital.

Thanks to the lunchbox Hanon had given her, she felt full and in an incredibly good mood.

‘The prince’s sweet potatoes filled me up nicely.’

With that thought in mind, she walked along the path—until she noticed someone approaching from the other side.

She recognized that figure and tilted her head, trying to place it.

And then her face stiffened.

It was a blond man covered in bandages and plasters.

His name was Ergo Parazon.

One of the Six Stars, and the opponent she had faced in the preliminaries.

Ergo hadn’t sustained any injuries during that match.

So why was he in such a battered state now?

A sense of unease crept up Seron’s spine.

“You’re Seron Parmia, right?”

At the sound of her name, her body tensed.

At that moment, Ergo lowered his head.

“I apologize for what I’ve done.”

“…Huh?”

Seron’s reaction was one of utter bewilderment.
She had never expected him to apologize.

Then, she noticed the pendant around his neck.
It was the very same pendant that Hanon had worn for quite some time.

At that moment, a certain phrase flashed through her mind—
Something Hanon had said back in the hospital room.

「I’ll make sure he does nothing more than apologize.」

Seron’s eyes slowly widened.

Meanwhile, Ergo let out a deep breath.
The oppressive aura that had always surrounded him seemed to dissipate.

“To think there was someone in this world who would stand against me… for their lover.”

Ergo had lived his entire life as the prince of Parazon, revered and untouchable.
For someone like him, Hanon’s actions were completely unprecedented.

And because of that, Ergo felt as though his perspective had expanded.
Not everyone in this world existed to worship him.

That realization alone brought about a great change within him.

“You were right. That guy… He’s a real prince.”

To fight so fiercely for the sake of a loved one—
That alone was enough to be worthy of such a title.

Of course, in reality, Seron and Hanon weren’t lovers.
But looking at Seron’s expression now, Ergo couldn’t help but be certain that they were.

“He’s a good man. Treat him well.”

As if he had finished his duty, Ergo turned and walked away.

Once he was gone, Seron remained frozen in place, standing there blankly.

At some point, her hand had risen to her chest.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Her heart ached.
It was pounding violently.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Her face burned red as her lips parted slightly.
Her hair stood on end as a single realization struck her.

She had completely, hopelessly fallen for him.

Ah… this…
There would be no cure for this.

The love she had once clung to, trapped in childhood memories—
Today, it had finally blossomed in full.

And it was a flower that would never wither.

“…That idiot.”

But that was fine.
Even if there was no cure, this overwhelming joy was the most beautiful thing in her life.

“I’m seriously going to kiss him.”

And in that moment, Seron’s smile was just as breathtaking.