Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 149

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Of the 13 provinces of the Hamel Empire, three border the Lionel Kingdom: Jeokheung Province, Eunhwa Province, and Byeongram Province.

Naturally, the kingdom historically had frequent conflicts with these three regions. Among them, Jeokheung Province was where the Riha War began in the ‘future.’

The governors of the Hamel Empire hold a unique position, somewhere between a Count and a Grand Duke. For the residents living in those provinces, they are effectively kings.

Levens Hainan, son of the governor of Jeokheung Province, is a legitimate son and a 7-star knight. He is virtually guaranteed to be the next governor. It’s fair to say his value is higher than the crown prince of a minor kingdom.

He probably thinks so himself.

However…

“I heard rumors that you shattered the mental domain of the 19th Prince. Use that sorcery you employed back then, one more time.”

Even so, isn’t that a bit too arrogant?

I knew he was arrogant from the start, but he wasn’t this bad in the ‘future.’

Well, my encounter with Levens is more than five years earlier this time around. It’s not strange if he’s a little different from the guy I remember.

Five years is enough time for the ghost prince of Emerald Palace to become the king of the Lionel Kingdom.

Well, whatever.

“Are you conceding the first move?”

“I will personally shatter whatever sorcery you use.”

The attitude of an arrogant and utterly conceited bastard.

I simply smiled and gripped the handle of [Varisada]. All I had to do was make him pay the price for his arrogance. There was no need to overthink it.

Swish—

I whispered softly as I drew [Varisada].

“I’ll borrow your power for a bit, after a long time.”

「Please refrain from getting blood on it as much as possible.」

“Don’t worry.”

Simultaneously with my reply, an immense amount of mana surged from [Varisada], beginning to ravage my core.

Demon Descent.

Each time I use it, it feels like my lifespan is being chipped away; this sensation, which probably *is* actually happening, is now familiar.

It wasn’t like skipping two steps as when facing Jo Bayleena Charle.

I was already halfway into the realm of a 7-star knight. Perhaps that’s why the burden on my body felt bearable.

The expected aftereffects would be about a week of recuperation after the knighting ceremony.

Gooooo-

The mana around me began to fluctuate.

Levens’ expression, who had been leisurely without even drawing his greatsword, hardened. He hurriedly drew the greatsword he had been carrying on his back.

*Try your best to decipher it.*

The sorcery I wield.

Evan-style Lionel Imperial Swordsmanship Secret Technique.

Heavenly Severance (開天) [A technique that cleaves the heavens].

***

The Hamel Empire, overflowing with extraordinary individuals, meant there was no way there wouldn’t be magic swordsmen. Levens had crossed swords with them several times.

Half-baked.

That word couldn’t have been more fitting.

They appeared flashy on the surface.

They wielded swords engulfed in flames and defended with shields of ice. However, only the exterior was impressive; the essence was neither swordsmanship nor magic.

However…

Crack, crackle— KWA-GA-GA-GA-!

Evan’s slash, tearing through space and engulfing him, was different. A true magic swordsmanship that maximized destructive power by fusing swordsmanship and magic.

“Shit!”

Levens involuntarily cursed.

*That’s dangerous.*

He wondered just how amazing this sorcery was.

Just a few dozen seconds ago, he regretted conceding the first move. He clenched the hand gripping his greatsword so hard that his teeth ground together.

Wooong- Wooong-

Levens’ greatsword, wrapped in a red aura reminiscent of flames, vibrated intensely.

*I can block it with that.*

The Flame Incantation Sword, passed down only to the direct line of the Hainan family, the lords of Jeokheung Province.

Flame Dragon, the secret technique of the Flame Incantation Sword.

He had never truly succeeded before.

He had only grasped a vague sense of it.

But, he had to do it. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly be torn to shreds along with space by Evan’s slash.

“I am! Levens of Jeokheung!”

Levens steeled himself and swung his greatsword towards Evan’s slash.

Whoosh- Whirr!

The aura lingering on the greatsword burst into flames in an instant, and the form of a fire dragon emerged.

A fire dragon with its eyes closed.

Levens had never once managed to open the fire dragon’s eyes.

However…

Was it because he glimpsed death in Evan’s slash? He felt like he could open the fire dragon’s eyes this time.

His thought was not wrong.

The moment when a knight’s skill improves the most dramatically is when they stand on the boundary between life and death.

Ironically, at this very moment.

Levens took another step forward from the realm he had been standing in.

The fire dragon opened its eyes.

KWA-AAAAAAA!

The roaring fire dragon rushed fiercely towards Evan’s slash, which was tearing through space.

A smile spread across Levens’ lips.

*Soon, the fire dragon would devour that slash and swallow him whole.* Thinking so, he looked at Evan.

He flinched.

*He’s smiling?*

Evan’s expression was as if he were watching a child playing. A cold sweat ran down Levens’ spine as he felt a chill.

KWA-AAAAAAAANG!!!

Evan’s slash and the fire dragon collided.

At the same time, Levens’ expression twisted grotesquely. Evan’s slash tore the fire dragon apart without even giving it a chance to scream.

KWA-GA-GA-GA-!

The slash engulfed Levens.

“I-Impossible-”

He couldn’t finish his exclamation before being torn apart along with space.

Clang.

Only Levens’ greatsword, with just a bit of the handle remaining, rolled across the floor, proving that he had once existed.

From the start, Heavenly Severance was a secret technique that Evan had created to face 8-star monsters who could deploy mental domains.

Taking just one step forward was not enough.

He had to take dozens more steps, cross the wall, and build his own mental image to survive.

“As promised, I didn’t get a single drop of blood on it.”

Evan, speaking softly to Varisada, raised his head and looked at the imperial army.

If the agitation he felt when he proposed the knighting ceremony was a ripple, what he felt now was a massive storm that could swallow even ironclad ships.

Ugh.

Evan swallowed the blood that was pushing up his throat and smiled.

His physical condition was much better than expected.

He wanted to participate in the battle as is…

Stagger, the muscles in his legs gave way on their own.

*I guess not.*

Evan naturally plunged [Varisada] into the ground, using it as a cane. Thanks to this, he was able to avoid revealing to the imperial army that he was no longer able to participate in the battle.

After catching his breath for a moment, Evan raised his sword high. There was one last thing he had to do before returning to the kingdom army’s camp.

“I am! Evan Lionel, the king of the Lionel Kingdom! Let’s go! Warriors of the Lionel Kingdom! Let’s sweep away the imperial army’s rabble!”

Uwaaaaaaaa!!!

A massive roar echoed from the kingdom army’s camp, reverberating across the battlefield.

***

The knighting ceremony was over, but the war was not yet over.

“The 7th Division archer regiment has seized Hill 14-11.”

“The 1st Division 1st Regiment has made contact with the enemy’s cavalry unit.”

“The 2nd Division 3rd Regiment is being pushed back.”

Reports from the staff officers came from all directions.

After the victory in the knighting ceremony, the morale of our troops soared, while the morale of the enemy plummeted.

It was inevitable.

I appear to be perfectly fine on the surface.

The existence of me, who had obliterated Levens with a single strike, leaving no corpse to be found, and who had demonstrated a magic swordsmanship that they couldn’t understand, would make them think that I could join the battle at any time.

In fact, Levens’ contribution was quite significant.

A byproduct of his arrogance.

The secret technique, Heavenly Severance, is different in nature from the existing 12 Forms of Lionel Imperial Swordsmanship. It is a magic swordsmanship that fuses spatial magic, which is considered the most difficult among magic.

Therefore, it shares some of the weaknesses that high-level mages have when facing knights. The biggest one is that it takes a bit of time to unleash the technique.

If Levens hadn’t been careless and had seriously engaged in the knighting ceremony from the start, I would have had to maintain Demon Descent for longer to buy time to use Heavenly Severance.

“Relay to the 2nd Division 1st Regiment to support the 3rd Regiment.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Having cleanly decorated the knighting ceremony with victory and returned, I was immediately working with the staff officers as the final decision-maker.

Due to the aftereffects of Demon Descent, my legs would occasionally tremble on their own, but during Jo Bayle’s time, I had been in a worse state than this and still managed to hold his head and run through the navy’s ranks.

“The 1st Division 1st Regiment is overwhelming the imperial cavalry unit!”

“The 2nd Division 1st Regiment has begun moving towards the 3rd Regiment!”

The battlefield was being dominated by the kingdom army, which had gained momentum and was pushing back the enemy. Anyone could see that the imperial army’s front line was gradually being pushed back.

In addition to the rise in morale due to the victory in the knighting ceremony, there were several other factors.

When we recaptured Ironforge, some people grumbled that the only advantage we could gain was to seize the hill.

I understand.

Having been to Berington Fortress, which was protected by sturdy walls and where the natural canyon forced the enemy’s movement path, they were bound to feel that way.

However, if they saw the staff officers, who were stationed on the high hill, immediately grasping the situation on the battlefield and deploying troops to appropriate locations, they would want to take back the foolish words they had said in the past.

Ah! Of course, this was only possible because we didn’t lose the airship battle before the all-out war.

What if we had lost the airship battle?

We would have to start by devising countermeasures to stop the enemy’s airships, which would occupy the space above the staff officers’ heads and pour down magic cannons.

*I wonder what Nurugal is up to?*

Thinking about the airships made me curious about the situation of the Khan tribe. Byeongram Province, which they had invaded, would definitely be operating airships, so I wondered if they were coping well.

Although they didn’t have airships, the Khan tribe had nearly twice the number of 6-star or higher powerhouses, so I figured they were doing well enough.

There was also Nurugal, an 8-star powerhouse who wasn’t in Byeongram Province.

“The Azure Lion Knight Order is charging towards the knight order led by Ernan!”

“The units led by Derek and Bert will also make contact with their targets soon.”

Urgent report.

I hastily erased my thoughts about the Khan tribe.

“Derek and Bert have also found their targets and are charging!”

This was the most important moment of the war.

The battle between the kingdom’s 7-star knights and the empire’s 7-star knights.

I clenched my fist without realizing it.

I had already done everything I could do. Now it was their turn to show me.

***

“For the Lionel Kingdom!”

“Get out of our land! You bastards!”

“Die! Die! Die!”

The Lionel Kingdom army was full of vigor.

On the other hand, the imperial army was glancing at their officers and superiors, looking behind them.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it! That idiot Levens.”

Ernan blamed Levens for the situation, as he had been miserably defeated in the knighting ceremony against Evan, leaving no corpse to be found.

In his heart, he knew. Even if it had been him, the result wouldn’t have been much different. The old knight who had warned him that he had a bad feeling had saved him.

“Sir Ernan! We must retreat!”

That old knight warned him again.

Ernan had been saved by him countless times since he first went to the battlefield.

But, not this time.

The governor of Eunhwa Province, who had a generous impression and a gentle smile that naturally disarmed people, was a monster with a completely different interior than exterior.

If he returned without achieving any merit, he, who was only a son-in-law, would undoubtedly be pushed out of the center of power forever.

Ernan’s mind was so complicated.

Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo.

He discovered a group of cavalry charging towards him.

“You must be Ernan! Here comes a grim reaper to cut off your head!”

Gallard Lyon.

Ernan quickly recalled information about him.

The commander of the Azure Lion Knight Order.

A seasoned 7-star knight. In other words, washed up.

He may have been a big shot in the small kingdom of Lionel, but the Hamel Empire had dozens of knights more talented than Gallard.

Ernan himself had become a 7-star knight at a much earlier age than him.

*Evan is an enigma, but…*

*If it’s that man, the story is different.*

He raised the corners of his lips.

He would defeat Gallard and help the commander of the Eunhwa Province knight order who came with him to jointly attack the Lionel Kingdom’s 7-star knight.

Then the landscape of the battlefield would change again.

Ernan, he could become the leading contributor to leading the war to victory.