Chapter 49: Bout of the Four Princes!

A full day has passed, and the long-awaited duel was here.

Location, the Realm of the Seven Knights.

A massive coliseum with seven gigantic knight statues, each holding a sword, surrounding it. It’s built into the base of Mount Azapita, the sacred mountain that divides Gilishon from the rest of Falsbane.

The arena was constructed three centuries ago by the First King as a proving ground for royal successors... a place where the worthy could be separated from the unworthy through trial by combat.

The seven knights represented the seven original heroes that once protected the realm.

King Aldrius sat in the royal box with his consorts.

Dukes, earls, viscounts, and barons from across Falsbane filled the lower balconies. This was the largest gathering of nobility in a decade. Old grudges were set aside, for now, as everyone watched to see which prince would emerge as the frontrunner for the throne.

Special attention was paid to Duke Soron and his family, who’ve arrived despite the awkwardness of Mariella’s broken engagement.

Prussia was also with them, but she was quiet.

The Duke watched Adonis with cold eyes.

"So that’s the one that took your virginity?"

"F-, Father! Don’t say it like that!" Mariella blushed.

"I don’t like him."

"He’s a good man, father. Accept my decision."

"I’ve accepted it, I just don’t respect it."

The stern-faced duke narrowed his eyes at Adonis.

Someone who couldn’t even impress a spineless coward like Aldrius didn’t deserve his daughter. In reality, he didn’t even want Aldrius’ genes to soil his family tree at all.

"You should’ve gone with the Leander boy."

"Father, I LOVE ADONIS!"

"... Humph, that’s the unfortunate part."

A handsome, young man with silver hair and purple eyes sighed at the bickering father and child. He’s Lidas Soron, second son of Duke Soron and the youngest in the family.

"Mariella... I’m not impressed by him either..." he said.

"Then it’s a good thing your opinion doesn’t matter."

Lidas coldly ignored his barking older sister and slouched in his majestic chair as he stared at Adonis. As much as he tried, there was no interest in his eyes. As one of the top mage talents in the continent, nothing a disowned, miscreant prince could do could impress him.

"He’s going to be embarrassed... that will bring shame upon the Soron family. If it comes to that, I won’t hesitate to kill him."

... Mariella wanted to say something, but she was too scared to test Lidas’ patience.

’Adonis... please be safe.’

The silent prayer of a lover.

Speaking of prayers, the pope sent his blessings but declined to attend in person. It wasn’t unusual. Succession duels haven’t been attended by high church officials in ages due to the friction between the church and the royal family.

Cecilia and the rest of the [Blue Dew Lions] were also there to watch Cecilia cheer on this mystery prince.

The coliseum was packed.

Fifty thousand spectators filled the stands and roared like intense animals.

Commoners packed the stone benches below, shoulder to shoulder, shouting bets at each other. Everyone had come to see the same thing: four princes in one arena, and only one allowed to walk out standing.

They say a fight is decided before the first blade is drawn.

Adonis agreed with that.

It was the only reason he wasn’t nervous.

The herald’s voice rolled across the sand.

"The last prince standing shall be ranked second in the line of succession! Yielding, collapse, or death ends a prince’s duel! The healers will not enter until the winner is declared!"

... Death. He said it so casually.

’I’m a coward... but there’s no coward in the world that wouldn’t give their all to live another day.’

As an Extra, as a nobody, the goal is to survive!

Adonis looked at the other three.

Godfrey stood at the east gate, hands folded over the hilt of a sword that wasn’t in them yet.

Bradley waited at the west gate with a blue rodent on his shoulder and a hawk circling lazily overhead.

Leander stood at the south gate with a new blade at his hip.

The sword was a red-tinted longsword with ember-colored veins glowing under the steel.

Gold-class Sword, Dragon Sword Gram.

It wasn’t the weapon his legendary class deserved, everyone knew that. But for a gold-class sword, it was a very good one.

Adonis stood at the north end of the sand in all black.

The [Magic Saint Armor] hugged his torso and limbs, trimmed with gold, the hooded cloak flowed behind him. Tiamat rested against his shoulder as its silver claws gleamed in the sun.

Mergen was still in his bag. He didn’t plan to touch it. A sword that copies magic only works if the magic touches it first, and Adonis was not volunteering.

’I don’t have Dragon Enchantment today either.’

He sighed quietly.

If he could use it, he’d have coated the armor in dragon runes and ran circles around these idiots. But Alpis was sitting in the stands with half the continent’s nobility around her. One slip and the world would see what she really was.

’It’s fine. I planned for this.’

The horn blew.

BWOOOOOOOH!

Adonis rolled his shoulder as he prepared, and hoped for whatever came first.

Nothing came.

... Hm?

Leander was walking. So was Bradley.

It wasn’t toward him, both of them crossed the sand and stopped in front of Godfrey, who watched them approach with calm blue eyes, yet an oddly guilty expression.

Leander smiled. "Brother, remember our proposal"

"I... I do." He stared at the ground, mumbling.

"We cut out the weakest link first. All three of us. Then we settle it between ourselves like gentlemen."

"It’s the efficient option..." Bradley added.

Adonis blinked, then he cupped a hand around his mouth.

"Hey! I can hear you!"

"We know!" Bradley shouted back.

"Then why are you whispering?!"

"We’re not whispering!"

"Exactly! So you’re saying it right to my face!"

The crowd of commoners began to laugh, which obviously irritated both of them. Adonis spread his arms and walked casually forward like a man strolling toward a tavern.

"Tsk, tsk, weakest link. Wow. I’m touched. Three princes, and the first thing you do is huddle up and cry about me. You didn’t even wait for the second round."

"Shut your mouth!" Leander shouted furiously.

"I’m just saying, I’m not that good."

Bradley’s eye twitched as he raised a hand.

"Scorcher."

The majestic fire hawk folded its wings and fell from the sky like a thrown spear.

FWOOOSH!

It spat a bolt of flame the size of a barrel. Adonis was already moving. The leg armor’s mana-springs fired beneath his boots with a clean shunk! and he slid sideways so quickly his cloak snapped behind him. The fire carved a black trench into the sand where his legs had been.

’Hot. That’s hot.’

His next second, he’d already aimed.

Tiamat’s silver-colored claws spun.

"Eat this."

BOOOOM!

A single hyper-compressed water bullet tore across the arena in a straight white line. It was loud enough to make the front rows flinch. It would punch through armor plate like wet paper. It would have gone through all three of them if they stood still. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Like any practicioner of the Red Dragon Style, Leander didn’t wait for it. He dashed forward and swung once.

SHHK.

The bullet split in two.

Both halves peeled to either side of him and slammed into the arena wall, leaving two deep gouges. Leander stood there with the sword raised, steam curling off the blade, and not a single scratch on his body.

In the stands, Mariella shot out of her seat.

"That’s not possible!"

"It’s not." Prussia agreed.

"Then how did he... he just...?"

"I can’t say. I’m gold-class, and even I couldn’t cut that. Not without losing the sword."

Prussia folded her arms and lowered her head, she’d spent enough time with Mariella to know she was about to lose it.

"The bullet isn’t a blade, it’s a spinning mass! The compression is built so the water has no weak point. If something touches it the rotation should shred the edge or throw the whole weapon aside. You don’t CUT it. You SURVIVE it!"

Mariella gripped the railing.

"He sliced it like a fruit... he shouldn’t be able to do that."

Prussia narrowed her eyes at the red blade.

"Something’s off."

Neither of them could name it yet.