Chapter 350

*Whoosh*

Her sword danced like a spring breeze, gentle and graceful.

If it weren’t for the blood splattering everywhere, it would have looked like a beautiful doll playing with a toy.

*Thwack!*

But every time her sword drew a line in the air, it reaped a life.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

How many had she killed?

It was pointless to count.

No matter how many she killed, more enemies kept coming.

In the end,

This wouldn’t end until she killed the one responsible for all this.

The leader of the enemy, the self-proclaimed Crown Prince.

Her treacherous brother, who had started this bloody civil war.

“Phew.”

Princess Oscar took a short breath.

The smell of blood filled her nostrils.

It was a scent she always enjoyed.

It invigorated her.

But today, it felt different.

A sticky, unpleasant feeling, born of frustration, weighed down her body.

‘He must be confident of victory. I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. How dare he?’

She couldn’t accept it.

She would never let her brother win.

Even if it meant she had to be slaughtered or die a gruesome death, she would make sure her treacherous brother died with her.

*Exhale*

She took another short breath and quickly assessed her condition.

*Thump-thump.*

Her heart was racing with an unpleasant excitement.

But its beat was weak.

It had always been weak.

Her heart was weak and underdeveloped from birth.

Even the slightest exertion would send her heart into overdrive.

As if it was about to burst and stop beating forever.

But she had never shown it.

She knew it would be a weakness.

She had chosen a light and fluid swordsmanship style that didn’t require much exertion.

Fortunately, her heart had gotten a little stronger as she grew older.

But it was still no match for a normal heart.

It was a physical limitation she was born with.

Because of that limitation, she had poor stamina.

She could have a heart attack at any moment if she pushed herself too hard.

But she had hidden it so well that she thought no one knew about it.

But it seemed like she was wrong.

Her brother, the culprit, seemed to have noticed something, even if he didn’t know the exact details.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be sending his soldiers to their deaths like this.

Then,

‘I have to go, don’t I?’

It was time.

She had to kill her brother, even if it meant pushing herself beyond her limits.

She couldn’t just die quietly.

She made up her mind and prepared to unleash her full power.

And then, she said, “Brother, why don’t you stop this? It would be better for both of us if we ended this peacefully.”

“Hahaha, you’re joking, right? You know as well as I do that there’s only one way this ends.”

The Crown Prince laughed, his laughter laced with mockery.

He was trembling with excitement, unable to contain his joy at having the upper hand.

“You might regret this, you know?”

“Pfft, you’re spouting nonsense now that you’re about to die. What do I have to regret? You’re the one who’ll regret it. You’ll regret your decision to defy me.”

He smiled confidently.

He had no doubt that he had won.

At that moment,

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The princess’s sword moved again.

It sounded the same as before.

But the soldiers who were close to her saw it.

They saw the space around her sword ripple strangely, as if it were an illusion.

The Crown Prince and the Imperial Knights couldn’t see it because the soldiers were blocking their view.

But they could sense something strange.

*Screech!*

A grating sound, like something tearing.

Vinchel’s face hardened. He recognized that sound.

“Hmm?”

The Crown Prince also sensed something was wrong.

But it was too late.

The soldiers’ bodies started to twist unnaturally, as if they had been cut in half.

And then,

*Spurt!*

They were sliced in half, their blood spraying everywhere.

*Thud! Thud!*

Their bodies collapsed, creating an opening.

The princess dashed through the opening.

*Thud!*

She shot towards the Crown Prince like a bolt of lightning.

“Your Highness!”

Vinchel jumped in front of her.

*Shing! Shing!*

Ten swords flew out of their sheaths.

They shot towards the princess.

The Sword Saint’s signature technique, Sword Control.

But the princess didn’t panic. She countered with a gentle swing of her sword.

*Screech!*

Space tore again.

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The flying swords were deflected.

It wasn’t the first time he had experienced this.

“She’s cutting through space, Your Highness!”

Vinchel shouted a warning.

It was a dangerous technique.

The Crown Prince frowned.

But then he realized something and smiled faintly.

“Hmph, it seems like you’re desperate.”

“Who’s desperate?”

The princess retorted calmly.

The Crown Prince chuckled.

“Don’t bluff. You know you can’t keep this up for long.”

His words struck a nerve.

“Hehe.”

The princess just laughed.

“Five minutes is enough.”

It was an insane thing to say.

Only a madman would say such a thing in front of the Sword Saint, the Silver Flash, and the Crown Prince, the empire’s greatest prodigy.

But surprisingly, she was serious.

She was planning to burn through all her energy, even if it meant her cursed heart would give out.

“Kuku, I can’t let you do that. You have to go out with a bang, not a whimper. It would break my heart.”

The Crown Prince clicked his tongue and chuckled.

Vinchel and Saya also thought she was just spouting nonsense.

But,

She continued, “You know what? Humans have two arms.”

“You’re truly insane.”

“But unfortunately, humans can’t use both arms properly. Because they only have one mind.”

“You’re pathetic. I’ll just kill you.”

The Crown Prince shook his head and raised his sword.

“Then why don’t I split my mind in two?”

“Kill her.”

At the Crown Prince’s command, Vinchel’s flying swords moved again.

They swarmed towards the princess like a storm.

It was a dangerous moment.

But the princess calmly picked up something that had fallen to the ground.

A spear.

“Ah, this is nice.”

She grabbed the spear with her left hand.

A sword in her right hand, and a spear in her left hand.

A sword and a spear.

It was an awkward and unorthodox stance.

Even a novice who had never fought a real battle wouldn’t do such a thing.

The flying swords were closing in on her.

“Is this how you use it?”

She clumsily thrust the spear.

But at that moment,

An incredible force erupted from the tip of the spear.

It was a powerful and fierce attack, completely different from her previous gentle movements.

*BOOOOOM!*

A deafening roar shook the air.

The ground trembled.

The Crown Prince, Vinchel, and Saya’s faces hardened simultaneously.

They felt an ominous chill from that attack.

It wasn’t just because of its incredible power.

Gentleness and strength.

They were two completely different qualities.

They were two different paths to mastery.

And yet,

“…She’s mastered both?”

Saya muttered in disbelief.

“How much of a genius is she?”

“The bigger problem is that she can use both at the same time.”

Vinchel said, his face grim.

“Your Highness, please be careful.”

“Ugh, I know!”

The Crown Prince snapped, his face dark.

The fact that his sister, who he thought was his equal, was actually more talented than him was unacceptable.

It was a blow to his pride.

He would kill her.

He would definitely kill her.

He would kill her here and now.

‘No, this is actually better. The joy of killing my talented sister with my own hands will be even sweeter.’

He smiled, his smile twisted.

“Taste the despair of being killed by someone inferior to you!”

* * *

*Thud!*

“Ugh!”

Saya collapsed, a spear piercing her leg.

Her face was filled with despair.

Strength.

It was a strength she had never experienced before.

Two completely different qualities, both mastered.

And she was wielding them with two weapons of vastly different lengths.

At the same time.

It was too much for her to handle.

“No!”

Vinchel shouted and tried to rescue her.

He used his swordsmanship and Sword Control.

But the princess,

*Clang!*

*BOOOOOM!*

Deflected his flying swords with a powerful thrust of her spear.

And then,

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Entangled his sword with her gentle but precise movements.

“Ugh.”

His sword was trapped, as if it were caught in a spiderweb.

*Slide*

Her sword slid along his blade and aimed for his throat.

*Shing!*

He barely managed to dodge, turning his head at the last moment.

Flesh and blood splattered from his neck, where her sword had grazed him.

But the danger wasn’t over.

*Whoosh!*

Her spear thrust towards him before he could even recover.

“Damn it, get away!”

The Crown Prince intervened, attacking her from behind with his sword.

If he hadn’t, Vinchel would have been killed.

The princess dodged.

But it was clear that she had the upper hand.

“I-I can’t believe she’s this strong…”

“M-Me neither…”

Ethan and Emily were speechless.

They had failed to reach the princess, blocked by a wall of soldiers, but now they wondered if she even needed their help.

They were secretly relieved.

But they didn’t know.

That time wasn’t on the princess’s side.

* * *

298, 299, 300…

She counted to 300 in her head.

Five minutes had passed.

Fortunately, half of it was over.

And at that moment,

*Thud!*

“G-Gah…”

Vinchel’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Her spear was embedded deep in his abdomen.

It was a fatal wound.

But he didn’t let go of his sword.

His hand trembled.

*Slash!*

The sound of flesh tearing.

His sword pierced her side.

It was a deep wound. If he moved his sword even slightly, it would rip through her internal organs.

But,

He didn’t have the strength.

*Clang!*

His sword fell to the ground.

*Thud!*

His body followed.

“Hehe, you were a little short.”

The princess smiled and turned to look at the Crown Prince.

Blood dripped from her wounds, but she didn’t even flinch.

“You’re all alone now, brother.”

Saya was already dead, her eyes wide with resentment.

The Crown Prince trembled.

Fear, despair, frustration, anger, resentment… A whirlwind of emotions seemed to be overwhelming him.

“T-This can’t be happening! This isn’t fair! Why? Why were you born with so much talent?!”

“Who knows?”

The princess gave a short reply.

She felt a sharp pain in her chest.

She had reached her limit.

There were no exceptions or loopholes when it came to the consequences of overexertion.

She tried to hide her pain as she walked towards the Crown Prince.

She wanted to dash towards him with all her might, but she couldn’t.

The stabbing pain in her chest intensified.

“Just die.”

She raised her sword.

The Crown Prince’s neck.

That was all she could see.

All she had to do was pierce his neck.

She was almost there.

The Crown Prince seemed to have given up, his body slumped on the ground.

“S-Stop it! I-I’m the Crown Prince! The Crown Prince! I’m destined to rule this empire! Y-You can’t touch me!”

“Yes, yes.”

She ignored him and aimed for his neck.

But at that moment,

*Thump!*

Her heart finally gave out.

“Ugh!”

She cried out in pain, clutching her chest.

It was an excruciating pain she hadn’t felt in a long time.

The world spun around her.

She couldn’t move. Her body was weak.

Her sword and spear fell to the ground.

“Y-Your Highness?!”

“W-What’s happening?!”

Ethan and Emily, who had been watching from afar, were startled by the sudden turn of events.

But for someone, it was a golden opportunity.

“H-Hehehe.”

The Crown Prince chuckled, realizing what had happened.

“A-As expected, the heavens are on my side! They’ve chosen me!”

He raised his sword with all his might.

“Die!”

“Y-Your Highness!”

“N-Noooooooo!”

*Thud!*

“Huh?”

The Crown Prince blinked in confusion.

His sword,

It was embedded in someone else’s back.

“…Live. Please live. It’s all over if you die. You’re not supposed to die here. Do you understand?”

A calm voice, despite the pain.

The voice was strangely clear to the princess’s ears.

Everything was clear.

M-Max… Senior…

It wasn’t an illusion caused by the pain.

Max’s face was right before her eyes.

He was shielding her with his body.

W-Why…? What… is this…?

“You damn peasant! You’re still alive?!”

The Crown Prince’s rage intensified when he realized that it was Max who had intervened. He tried to finish Max off.

But,

*Thud!*

“Stop.”

A blade pierced his back, stopping him in his tracks.

“G-Gah…?!”

He groaned in disbelief.

“I can’t forgive you.”

*Thwack!*

Regina’s sword flashed upwards.

The Crown Prince’s body was sliced in half.

It was over.