What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 688

Sub Male Lead Goes on Strike – Episode 688 (688/920)

#688

Lezione d’eta (1) [Italian for “Lesson of Age,” likely referring to a significant learning experience or turning point]

-KWAH-ah-ah-ahng!

At that moment.

-Kugugugung…!

“Your Highness! Prince Aurelie, you must retreat to the rear! At this rate, even the main camp will be in danger!”

“The carriage is ready! Your Highness!”

“Clear the way, everyone! Cardinal is coming through! Make way quickly!”

The main camp of the Great Liester Empire was in utter chaos.

Of course, it was a very organized chaos.

Every hand knew exactly why and where they were running, and horses and carts moved busily along designated paths. Stretchers and lines of patients streamed out of the aid station.

At the forefront of the military camp, burly soldiers stood in a long line like a wall, armed with swords, spears, and magic staffs. They were elite troops protecting the remaining personnel and wounded.

Under the early spring sunset, their faces were tinged with the red of those who had resigned themselves to death.

In the eyes of the mages and knights, the enemy ship in the sky was not far off.

-Dududududu…!

That dreadful airship.

A monster of black magic that neither stopped, nor broke, nor retreated.

-Kiiiiiiing…!

“Waaaaa…!”

“Oh, Lord! It looks like the airship is preparing for another attack!”

The ship could be seen again, holding green mana in its maw.

At the shout of a knight, even those who had only ever held quills gritted their teeth and searched for their weapons.

The desperate cries of the Imperial Army, retreating one step, sometimes ten steps, every hour, were finally reaching the military camp.

Most of those who remained here were non-combat personnel.

Research mages. Young royals who had come to the front lines for the sake of the country. Noble journalists risking their lives to cover the war. Numerous surgeons and assistants. Healing priests in training….

They had watched the confrontation between their allies and the airship for three days from here.

They also watched as that wicked and cursed object slowly approached the military camp.

-Kugugugugu…!

“How can that be? What on earth did they do to make that machine indestructible!”

“Minister! His Imperial Majesty has ordered you to retreat in case of emergency. You must evacuate to the rear immediately!”

“Nonsense. I am a mage too!”

“Commander Bakari, please board at once!”

Arguments, both big and small, were breaking out everywhere.

David, who was in charge of the imperial family’s support on the front lines, urgently raised his voice.

“What are you all standing around for? Bring the priests here at once! The spirits fear iron and blood, so they must be sent far away, so they cannot see the airship!”

“Yes, Lord David!”

“You, send word to the Erie immediately. Her Highness will be going there soon!”

“Understood!”

“No.”

Amidst everyone shouting their duties, Aurelie Boutier spoke in an utterly calm voice.

A page, who was preparing the carriage with a somewhat disheveled appearance, turned to look at her in a fluster.

His mind was blank, unable to understand what he had just heard.

However, there was not the slightest tremor in the eyes of the middle-aged man who was watching the sky.

“David, bring our priests here. Anyone who can open a sanctuary.”

“…Your Highness!”

“My young prophet advised me to prepare a strong shield.”

The Cardinal slowly turned to look at the page. David’s cheeks trembled with shock.

Camille, who had been by Aurelie’s side the whole time, also widened her eyes.

She had certainly said that.

It wasn’t as clear a revelation as before, but she had a very bad feeling.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to summon all the non-combat mages in the main camp and prepare an even stronger defense?’

‘…Bakari, did you receive a revelation?’

“Your Highness. But if our non-combat mages gather their strength…”

“As the commander of the Fleur-de-lis [Likely a military unit or order, symbolized by the fleur-de-lis], you did not tell me to prepare for retreat, but asked me to focus on defense. That means we are not retreating from here.”

“…”

“Look at that green, Bakari.”

In the midst of the chaos, only the Cardinal spoke with dreamlike calmness.

Camille suddenly looked up at the sky.

-Kigigigigik…

The airship, its body torn lengthwise and entangled in all sorts of vines, tilting towards the red sky like a fish with its entrails exposed… It seemed to be regaining its normal trajectory.

The torrent of green mana was carrying a stench all the way here whenever the wind changed direction.

It was the umpteenth resurrection.

Then, the cheers of Liester’s forces faltered like a disaster, and a golden light flashed in the distance, as if a fragment of the sun had fallen.

It must have been Princess Elysee Fenetian’s ‘Preemptive Gale’ [Likely a powerful magical attack or ability].

-Ssaeeeeeng!

-Kwakakakang…!

The Cardinal’s relentless attacks, not eating or sleeping for three days, and not stopping the barrage with the momentum to cut off the airship’s breath.

The prophet quietly swallowed hard at the overwhelming force.

The afterimage of the crown princess, like an incarnation of the god of war, was certainly a fearsome presence.

But now, the constantly regenerating airship was even more terrifying than her single-mindedness.

-Kigigigigit…!

“Our mages cannot withstand such hideous power.”

“Your Highness.”

“The higher the mana sensitivity, the harder it will be to endure. But the priests will definitely be helpful. David.”

“Your Highness, but our priests have not received military training…”

“This is an order from the Regent of the Empire and the Lord of Amitié Palace [Likely a title or position of power]. If we retreat against such a weapon, it will be difficult to recover.”

“…”

“Liester does not retreat from here.”

“…I will obey your command.”

Finally, the page bowed deeply and stepped back.

The knights, having received his instructions, rushed off in all directions to gather the priests of the military camp.

Once again, the neighing of horses and the sound of hooves stirred up a cloud of dust.

It was then.

-Kuguuuung…!

“Ah…!”

“Your Highness, be careful!”

Suddenly, the earth shook violently. It was a tremor that exploded from deep underground.

In the unexpected earthquake, workers staggered and fell everywhere.

Agate, the priest attending Aurelie, hurriedly supported her superior.

The Cardinal also held her hand tightly. Following that—

-Kigigigigit, Kakakakaka…!

From the sky in the direction of the battlefield, a noise that had never been heard before tore through the air.

Everyone shuddered. Aurelie’s monocle reflected an ominous light.

She suddenly thought of the children who had left beyond the Cheonro [Unclear reference, possibly a location or event].

…Yesuh.

-Kigigigigigigigigigigigi…!

“What is that…”

And Camille blinked, taking out her staff from her arms.

Even from a distance, it was a very strange phenomenon.

The body of the airship, which had suddenly stopped moving, was clearly going out, having lost its green power.

However, this was a common sight so far.

Because after a while, a terrible regeneration would begin.

But now….

-Gigigigigigigigigigigi…

“…Your Highness, the airship is strange. Do you see it?”

The young mage couldn’t hide the fear in her voice.

That was because the enemy ship was suddenly flashing as if it had broken down. The machine looked as if it had been struck by lightning.

A sticky green streak of light swept from the airship’s maw to its tail, and each time, the hull flashed greatly and let out a grotesque groan.

It was like a demon beast in its death throes.

The Liester main camp forgot even to breathe and looked up at the other side of the sky. Suddenly, all the barracks alleys were plunged into a terrifying silence.

-Jjeojeojeok!

“Heok…”

“Could it really be…”

“…”

‘Could that airship really be meeting its end?’

-Kwakwakwakwakkwa…!

At that moment, the center of the hull split open and a fierce violet light poured out.

‘Kiiiiiiing!’ Then, knife-like straight lines plunged into the ground in all directions, cutting through the earth and melting and burning everything that reached their tips.

‘Kugwagagang…!’ The red defensive magic circle shattered wildly above the heads of the Imperial Army.

Screams rang out, and everyone was shocked and shocked again.

From the military camp, this was no different from the last struggle of a demon beast facing annihilation.

-Kukwakwakwakwa!

“Uooooooo! It’s coming this way! The light is coming this way!”

“Oh, Lord…!”

It was the moment when any monster hunter would have to risk their life.

“Heuaaaaak!”

“Liester—!”

-Jiiiing!

Screams and shouts erupted at the same time, and all the mages remaining in the military camp deployed defensive magic circles.

The sky, already cast in the sunset, was dyed blood-red with the mages’ mana.

Finally, a wild ray tore through the wasteland and covered the rear of Liester—

-Kwagwagwagwang!

[Where do you think you’re going.]

-Paaaaaaa…!

The Cardinal’s ether [Magical energy or essence] exploded, so brilliant and magnificent that it seemed to cover the whole world.

*

-Kwagwagwagwang…!

“My God, Your Highness! Crown Princess!”

“Your Highness! Please open your eyes! What to do…!”

‘Beep—.’ A ringing kept sounding in her ears.

Her ears were muffled as if she had fallen into water, and her head and vision were dizzy as if they had been shaken.

Elysee couldn’t quickly come to her senses despite the voices of the soldiers calling out to her at the top of their lungs.

It was a clear symptom of ether depletion, so it was actually the will of the divine artifact rather than her own will that allowed her to stand unsteadily.

The crown princess stood with her spear, covered in sand and dust from head to toe.

-Gigigigigigikigigigi…

No, perhaps she was standing. She wasn’t sure because she had no sensation in her body.

“…Crown Princess! You must stop! The air…!”

-Thump, thump, thump…!

“…Has stopped working! Now…!”

No more words reached her. The shouts repeated, getting closer and then farther away.

She had been attacking with all her might for two days. No, was it about three days?

The excessively loud sound of her heartbeat was grating on her nerves.

The crown princess looked up at the empty sky with empty eyes.

The green airship, shamelessly defiling the blood-red sky, came into view.

She saw human greed that swallowed thousands of lives and knew no shame. Or rather, more precisely….

“The beam is coming again from 10 o’clock! Liester—!”

“All troops, defensive formation!”

-Kwakwakwakwakwa…!

She saw a demon that had only its last breath left and had begun to thrash wildly, not wanting to die.

The young paladins who had followed the crown princess were doing their best to block it, but it was not enough.

Elysee slowly recalled the situation just before.

The reason why she, who had been wielding her spear like crazy, as if throwing away her life, had been thrown to the ground….

-Kugugung!

“There was an earthquake…. In Cheonro.”

Her gaze groped beyond the valley.

Suddenly, the child’s violet eyes came to mind.

The voice that was so familiar that her heart sank.

‘Your Highness! I will definitely see you again!’

“…”

…Is that really so.

-Kwagwagwagwagwa…!

“…Ha! Princess Elysee! You must get out of here!”

A beam that pierced the earth and melted the rocks. A castle torn to pieces.
A shield raised high, and tears that were dried up and unable to flow.

Elysee slowly turned to look at the airship.

Her long braided blonde hair danced alone in the sky.

At the same time, her waist tilted forward, and her right leg stretched back, preparing to kick off the ground.

Her bloodied hand pointed the tip of the spear to the sky. There was no hesitation in any of this.

However, all of her movements were so slow that it created the illusion that the whole world was isolating her.

And finally—

[Exoriens [Latin for “Arising” or “Emerging”].]

-Kuuuuung!

No sooner had the Cardinal soared like lightning than a second sun rose in the celestial palace.

Her piercingly blue eyes were stealing all the heat from the universe and burning white.

The crown princess immediately threw her holy spear and pierced the sun. ‘Ssaeeeeek!’

-TuKwaaaaaang—!