What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 352

#352

Flame Against Water Lily (2)

Sneider Duchy, Statia Plains.

The sun was setting, night drawing closer.

-Kwagwagwagwa…!

“Haaack!”

“They’re coming again! Reorganize the ranks!”

“Prepare the defensive magic formations! Don’t forget! You are the shield of the Empire!”

The grueling battle seemed endless. Red stains dotted the vast green field, and not just from the sunset.

Undisturbed land cracked, dirt soared from the depths, and the trampled grass remained flattened.

The Imperial and Divine nations fought for three or four hours, retreated to their respective camps, and then returned to the fray.

It was a standard strategy, short of a total war where all strength was poured in at once, but the Crown Prince and the Riester commanders understood Venetian’s intent.

-Paaat! Whirr-up!

“Aaaagh! Aaaagh!”

“It’s hot! Hot, hot, Kkeuaaaack!”

The enemy soldiers, engulfed in flames, screamed in agony as they ran.

Cedric didn’t dwell on them, constantly wielding the Hyegeom [a legendary sword]. He cut the opponent’s sword, snatched a spear and threw it, and split the flying arrows into three pieces.

‘Puh-uhk!’, ‘Keuhaack!’ Charlemagne, clad in armor, kicked the enemy with his hind legs.

‘Jiiiiiing!’, ‘Wooowoong, Paaaaaa—!’ The sounds of magic formations activating and mana explosions erupted from all directions.

The Crown Prince silently observed the battle while fighting. The feeling of murder becoming easier was unsettling.

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in his ear.

‘Are, are you alright?’

The Marquis had asked that before leaving the front lines. What?

‘You haven’t killed anyone before this war, have you, Your Highness?’

His tone was cautious, his brown eyebrows drooped.

‘Not just physically, but mentally, you must be very tired… Wouldn’t you need spiritual healing? Like at the Bacari Islands [known for their healing properties]?’

‘…….’

‘Help is nearby. You can always feel free to seek it.’

It was almost laughable.

He casually suggested opening his soul to a healing priest and receiving spiritual comfort.

He had started treatment for external wounds some time ago, but he didn’t even want to imagine the rest.

Exposing his inner self to a priest who wasn’t his godmother or consort was unthinkable.

War is inherently like this. He had learned it in books, and now he was learning it firsthand.

His mother, who had allowed him to go to war, was well aware of this.

If he was dissatisfied, that person could come here himself.

“Your Highness! The Cardinals are still not visible!”

An allied commander shouted from nearby.

Cedric frowned, dismissing the absurd thought of Juliet appearing on the front lines.

Far away, the Venetian camp was visible on the other side of the plains.

The vision was faint, but the feeling was clear. The energy was definitely there, but there was no sign of them appearing.

The Cardinal-level paladins had not shown themselves all day.

Those fighting the Imperial army here were all several levels below them.

-Poo-ook! Sseuk, sseuk!

“Keuhaaack!”

Surely, they were trying to exhaust them by stalling for time until Duke Blanquer and the Margrave arrived.

The arrogance that they could be sufficiently blocked by Archbishop-level paladins made him grit his teeth.

However, he had to endure because he couldn’t retreat the front lines.

Cedric raised his blood-splattered cheek and looked at the sky.

He was somewhat tired, but it wasn’t yet time.

A dark purple curtain was drawn across the western sky.

Soon the moon would rise and the darkness would deepen, and it would be his time.

The Imperial army will win.

“Die, Crown Prince!”

A paladin of the earth attribute aimed at the Crown Prince’s feet.

‘Jeojeojeojeok—!’ Following her fingertips, the soil cracked and the flowers turned to dust.

The Archbishop’s Aether [magical energy] was sharp and fierce.

The sensation he felt while sparring with Christel Rambouillet was merely ticklish.

‘Hihihing!’ Cedric quickly moved Charlemagne to escape the danger zone.

‘Euaaaa!’ Allies and enemies alike stumbled into the cracks in the torn earth.

The Divine Nation’s soldiers were definitely less focused compared to the Imperial army.

It wasn’t just because the battle was prolonged, but because there was clearly an external factor disrupting their minds.

Probably because of the ‘propaganda’.

‘Your Highness, listen.’

‘If I make a strategy and help Your Highness’s command—’

She begged to help like that, and she succeeded.

“You will pay the price for making the Prince Consort like that!”

The knight threatened loudly, swinging her arms wildly.

Her eyes were bloodshot, she was serious.

Cedric glared at her, fending off the soldiers trying to find an opening.

‘Hwik, hwik, hwik!’ Vines as thick as an adult’s torso rose wherever the woman reached out.

‘Kwareureu, Kureureu, Kwareureureung!’ But it was a familiar sight to the man.

Because there were three divine beasts of the earth attribute in the Empire.

“How dare you harm the noble body of the noble! Your machinations also harmed His Highness the Prince!”

“Is it just sundews and Venus flytraps?”

The Crown Prince asked, looking at the plants as tall as Juliet, as if he found it pathetic.

The knight lashed out with her wrist like a whip, her face flushed with anger.

‘Jjeo-eok—!’ The plants with gaping mouths wriggled like snakes and plunged down at lightning speed.

There was nowhere for Cedric, who was instantly surrounded, to escape.

‘Ssaeeeaeaeck!’ A fierce dirt wind blew, and his black hair scattered quickly. A pair of garnet eyes narrowed in an instant.

“It’s a pity there are no Sarracenia [North American pitcher plants].”

“What,”

-Tat!

The shadow of the man on the saddle disappeared. And a quick sound cut through the air.

-Hwik hwik! Hwik! Ssaeck!

‘Whirr, Kwaaaang!’ A roar erupted with flames redder than blood.

Where the jet-black sword light had passed, five giant carnivorous plants began to crumble into pieces.

‘Kureureureuk….’ The mouths with boiling sap collapsed like towers that had lost their foundation, and the sacred fire spread like a tide, surrounding the enemy.

The Crown Prince, who had instantly thrown off his gauntlets, frowned as if he could not understand.

No matter how blinded by absurd anger, there was no case where an earth attribute attacked a fire attribute—

“Shallow trick.”

-Ttak!

‘Whirr!’ At the same time as he flicked his right finger, a fire started at the paladin’s feet.

‘Leave the rest to me!’ Marguerite, who appeared quickly, grabbed her long sword and pounced on her.

Cedric immediately swung the Hyegeom on his left arm backward. ‘Kagagang!’ The prediction was not wrong.

While the other side was attracting attention with quantity and size, a swordsman without Aether was aiming for his back.

‘Kkigik, kkigik, kkik….’ Sparks flew between the colliding blades.

The surroundings were all a melee.

“Kut, how can a country’s Crown Prince cut off the neighboring country’s Prince Consort!”

“…….”

“His Highness the Prince has been resurrected? Aren’t you afraid of spreading such nonsense? Aren’t you ashamed of the deceased!”

‘You will be cursed by the Lord God!’ The elderly woman shouted loudly.

She was definitely a superior, as she knew how to suppress the momentum. Since Aura was not formed on the sword, she was not a Sword Master.

There was no shaking in her posture, which felt like experience, and she was fully supporting the power of the blade with her dantian [energy center].

Therefore, she was either the same 8th level as him or equivalent to it.

Since their physiques were also similar, she would not have been an easy opponent to face with a sword.

However, Cedric was the great-grandson of Romero Riester.

The bloodline of the late Emperor, who was called the ‘Demon Swordsman of Guigokseong’.

-Wooowoong!

“Keuheuk!”

“To have such a twisted belief… It’s a waste of your sword.”

‘Paaaaat!’ Crimson mana soared from the Crown Prince’s body.

At the same time, the old man’s sword began to creak and bend. ‘Kkirik, kigigik—’

The Crown Prince sensed that she was prepared for death.

He was also tired, but the opponent was also exhausted from replacing the Cardinals.

Recommending surrender would be a terrible insult to the old man. His eyes darkened.

“Eut, Keuheok….”

“Venetian might be dead here.”

“What, what,”

“But Serenite is not.”

-Kagagang!

As soon as the sword broke, the Crown Prince turned around and kicked the woman with a nimble movement.

‘Puh-uhk!’ The old man, who slid down, dropped a trail of blood and quickly pulled out a short wooden sword.

It was a knife so sharp that light shone from the tip.

Cedric swung the Hyegeom once and prepared to fight again.

Behind her, behind him, futile lives were perishing all over the place.

The screams of agony pierced his eardrums every minute.

Facing each other properly was the last and least courtesy to each other—

-Flash!

At that time,

-Ureureung, Kwagagagang!

‘A bolt from the blue’! Someone’s specialty plunged down towards the woman.

‘Chiijijik….’ Cedric frowned as he watched the enemy, who had been electrocuted in an instant.

This was a discourtesy not only to him but also to the deceased.

She was a great fighter and was in a duel with him.

An angry Charlemagne pawed the ground and snorted. ‘Pureureung!’

-Tak!

Jibril Diop, who jumped lightly from the sky, smiled slyly.

The cane with the royal ruby embedded in it swayed in the man’s grasp.

‘Chijik, Chijijik!’ His red-gold hair was shining brightly with electricity.

“It’s already night, Your Highness. Honor and pretense are good, but isn’t speed the key on the battlefield?”

“…….”

“Far from it.”

He bowed ridiculously, waved his cane, and walked away.

The sight of him waving electric waves like dancing was annoying, but—

-Kagang! Kwagwagwang!

-Pook, Puh-uhk! Pusyusyuk! Seokeong!

“Fight! The Lord God protects the sun and moon of the Empire!”

“Waaaaaaa!”

“…….”

Confucius was right. Already, the sky had become a habitat for stars.

Charlemagne quickly approached and guarded Cedric’s side.

Marguerite and other commanders thoroughly protected the two of them.

The Crown Prince tapped his beloved horse’s neck and calmly looked down at the divine sword. Indeed.

-Saaaaaa….

The blood-colored gem embedded at the end of the hilt was showing off its presence by scattering a dazzling light.

Modest Bacari’s prophecy came true exactly.

The Hyegeom occasionally spoke to its owner in a very extraordinary way. Like now.

‘My lord.’

Dugun [heartbeat sound].

‘Opportunity.’

Dugun.

‘Annihilation.’

Dugun.

Short and thick words echoed hotly and passed through the man’s head.

The low voice was also his own.

Soon, the back of his neck became hot, and the scene in front of him repeatedly turned red and subsided.

Then, a fiery and fierce impulse began to shake him.

This was not because Cedric was being dominated by or subordinate to the Hyegeom. Rather, it was the opposite.

This divine object, the most warlike in the world, was desperate to enthrone its one and only master as a war god.

It was trying to obey his orders unconditionally and was eager to reveal its divine powers.

Cedric, the owner, could not have been unaware of this. The Hyegeom was a loyal hothead.

‘Hyeonghok [Mars].’

Dugun!

The Crown Prince hurriedly raised his eyes, which were instantly turning bright red. It finally appeared.

“…….”

Next to the comfortably lying crescent moon, a planet shining redly was visible.

That was her ruby that rose to protect the Lord God’s silver plate.

The moment he saw it, his heart pounded violently and his whole body became hot.

Cedric barely controlled his excited breathing.

The black cloak and hair fluttered endlessly.

‘Mars is closest in 53 years. The next approach will be in about 47 years.’

‘There must be a reason why the Hyegeom has such a name. The Cardinals of the Vatican believe that the divine object will surely show a miracle that day.’

‘Please take care of your body and win.’

Bacari’s voice buzzed in his head.

Mars. The celestial body of fire that protects the Crown Prince.

“Waaaaaaa…!”

He suddenly came to his senses. The sound that had been humming like underwater poured into his ears all at once.

“Protect His Highness! Don’t back down!”

“Marguerite, behind!”

-Pook, Pook, Pook! Kwagagagang!

As his younger brother threw and stabbed a blade into the enemy’s body, his older brother used it as a lightning rod to strike down lightning magic.

Several catapults were moving on the distant Venetian barracks side.

It was clear that they had judged that the battle was too long.

Cedric now looked down at his throbbing left arm and agonized.

It was clear what the Hyegeom wanted.

Now, he could definitely use divine power that would surprise the entire continent.

“Tsk.”

However, there were no Cardinals here right now.

He could not recklessly wield the Hyegeom without being able to gauge the technology’s influence and Aether consumption.

He might fall down after one strike, so he had to use it when those guys were in front of him.

To do that, he had to endure. The Crown Prince reached out into the air and clenched his mouth.

It was because the Hyegeom’s prodding was getting stronger.

‘Immediately.’

“Keuheuk, moderately.”

A groan-like command burst out from between his teeth.

Cedric tried to focus on mana instead of Aether.

‘Wooowoong! Pabababak!’ He pulled out the swords stuck in the bodies of the fallen soldiers and shot them at the enemies around him, and spread a wide defensive magic formation to protect his subordinates.

But his vessel had already broken through the critical point.

‘My lord.’

Dugun, dugun, dugun!

“Shut up.”

It won’t work. It was difficult. He couldn’t use it at a time like this.

The Crown Prince leaned his staggering body against his horse and desperately endured the fierce stimulation and desire.

His throat was parched and his feverish vision blurred.

‘Paaaaaaa….’ The Hyegeom began to spark in earnest, scattering a scarlet glow.

No.

-Saaaaaa!

“Water…….”

The man whispered softly.