What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 785

The Decisive Battle (1)

“Receive my divine power!”

-KWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG!

[Kuk!]

-Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeok······!

I clenched my teeth, bracing for a massive impact, but thankfully, Sir Johann’s wind shielded me.

Rather, it felt like his power was augmenting me, further amplifying my attack.

I breathed heavily, having planted the Staff of Growth into the barrier that rounded and protected the royal castle.

Beneath the staff, which emitted a light brighter than the moon, I could see the astonished faces of the royal castle’s inhabitants.

Though I couldn’t clearly discern their expressions, they were all frozen like statues, holding swords and spears, so I figured I was halfway to success.

Of course, the soldiers’ shouts were assaulting my eardrums from all directions, and the golden radiance of Noctiluca [a powerful artifact or divine entity] was pouring down, so I was quite disoriented myself!

“Waaaaaaaah!”

-Swaaaaaah······!

“Your Highness, there’s a crack here! The barrier is really cracking!”

“Ah, yes! I see it!”

I smiled brightly at the ground and answered loudly.

Gaein’s pink hair and arms were swinging wildly.

The night air was much colder and crisper than the air in the city.

Being so high up, I could see the entire cityscape at a glance, which was refreshing.

Even though I hadn’t anticipated Valentin or the Sneider family’s forces arriving from the south at all…

-Flap, flap flap!

“Aaaaaaah······!”

“Liester! Liester! Liester!”

When has our operation ever gone exactly as planned? This is a great start.

I flapped my six wings grandly, greeting the Liester cavalry gathering at the royal castle.

The knights at the front, raising their weapons and shouting, were a reassuring sight.

Seeing the divine lights spreading like stars into the sky, I was suddenly reminded of my memories in Aitz Village, and the corners of my mouth turned up.

“Charge!”

“Yaaaaaaaaah······!”

“Let’s go, Demi!”

-Kkihat!

I whispered to the divine beast in my arms and pulled out the Staff of Growth with all my might. Jjeo-jeo-jeok! The barrier, already cracked, was now even more deeply scarred.

The royal castle was, after all, the royal castle.

Just as it was impossible to use mana in the Liester Imperial Palace, it was impossible to use special aether [a magical energy] for all paladins in the Venetian royal castle.

In addition, there was also a dome-shaped aether barrier that perfectly protected the castle from external attacks.

This, commonly called the ‘barrier,’ was usually completely transparent and invisible, but when it received a strong impact like just now, it revealed its true form.

I heard from Pantheon that it was the will of the first king, Yuri Venetian, and a part of the power he left behind… In other words, the ancient cardinal was still protecting his descendants.

Or guarding something that must never be broken.

But it couldn’t even stop the full power of the Staff of Growth, made from the roots of the World Tree.

“Gaein! Cedric!”

-Tat!

I focused the power of my heart entirely on the staff and landed quickly.

As the crescent moon at the top of the staff emitted a bright light once more, some of the soldiers who were trying to attack the group were horrified and ran away.

While Sir Johann smiled serenely, raising the tip of his index finger and spinning it around—a quiet wind was being born above his hand—Jibril Dioph grabbed his staff that had flown in from somewhere!

“Looks like Sneider put some thought into it.”

“What’s going on?”

-Ssareureureu······!

As I took a deep breath and asked, the golden boundary temple, manifested by Noctiluca, throbbed.

The people, white as starch, were trembling all over, lying prostrate on the ground.

I tried my best to make a face that wasn’t scary.

Dioph looked back at them and answered coldly.

“He rounded up those who failed the paladin creation experiment, ‘Alchemy,’ and kept them alive in his mansion and warehouses…”

“It seems they were trying to overthrow the royal capital using the Fallen [corrupted beings]. That old man who works at the Duke’s residence must have deliberately released them. Then the royal capital would naturally fall into chaos, and at that time, the Sneider family’s private soldiers would appear and save the royal capital—is that the strategy?”

‘In short, a self-made drama to create a hero,’ Gaein said, gesturing behind her with her chin.

I took a breath and followed her gaze, then flinched.

‘Keureureung.’ Lopi’s giant fire lion was holding a knight who appeared to be from the Sneider family in its mouth.

I don’t know how it interrogated him, but it was clear that it had extracted information from him while I was in the sky.

Finally, Cedric added, checking the blade of his Hyegeom [a special sword].

“In addition, they were planning to turn the Valentin baronet family, who were chasing them, into enemies of the royal capital. Valentin is politically close to the Kamingha Grand Duke family, so if used properly, they could have created a flow that suited their tastes.”

“······They really put some thought into it.”

“I told you.”

“But we already took everything from them.”

I smiled and readjusted the Staff of Growth. Then my friends chuckled and looked back at the front gate of the royal castle.

Some of the royal castle guards, whose ranks had completely collapsed, were gnashing their teeth at us.

More than half of the soldiers who had densely surrounded the castle walls had already been deployed inside the castle.

Inside the royal castle, the sound of drums and shouts continued to ring out, and red flames and black smoke were rising.

Nevertheless, I felt a chill down my spine seeing those who remained without batting an eye.

“Indeed. They cannot be controlled by religious reverence alone.”

“They must already have devoted their faith to Sneider.”

Cedric and Sir Johann had a brief conversation.

The Crown Prince glanced at his teacher for a moment but didn’t say anything more.

The wind generated from the Cardinal’s fingertips was gradually growing, becoming a tangible force.

-Hwee-ee-eeng······!

-Kwaaaang! Kugugugung!

-Dung-dung, dung-dung, dung-dung, dung-dung······!

“······.”

I quietly stared straight ahead, holding Areum’s reins.

The bridge leading to the castle gate was now completely open, so there was no way to enter without crossing the deep blue moat.

Of course, that was only for ordinary people.

We naturally had wings and wind, and the Cardinal who dominated and navigated the ocean.

If we wanted to, forcing the castle gate open wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Your Highness, all the partisans of the Imperial Army have arrived here!”

Around that time, a knight holding the flag of the Imperial Army high, fluttering her cloak, rode her horse towards us from over there.

“The front of the royal castle is completely surrounded, and our army is also gaining an advantage in the rear, which is the north side. If you give the order, I will immediately assist you in entering!”

While she bowed politely and waited for an answer, we quickly exchanged glances.

-Hwae-ae-aeng······!

“······.”

“······.”

“······.”

However, the best way to reduce the efforts of our allies and save time is for the castle gate to open on its own.

For example…

-Ssae-ae, ssae-ae-aeng······!

Finally, Sir Johann’s wind, which had become as fierce as a typhoon, touched the white barrier towers extending from the royal castle.

The aerial garden, located at the noble summit, scattered leaves in all directions as if it were about to be uprooted.

The towering statues seemed to sway slightly in the darkness, and the blackened scars here and there resembled waves of flame.

However, the most important thing in our operation was the bell tower.

The two towers that stood symmetrically, guarding both sides of the royal castle, and rang the bell alternately every hour on the hour…

-Denggeureong, denggeureong, denggeureong······!

-Denggeurang, denggeurang, denggeurang······!

The very moment they burst into tears ‘at the same time.’

-Kwaga-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa······!

“Aaaaaaack!”

‘Kwareureureu!’ Suddenly, one side of the royal castle wall collapsed like a toy, and a huge, fiery red claw gripped the spot.

It was our Gugus, who had infiltrated the royal castle and had been waiting for Sir Johann’s signal all along.

In an instant, thirty percent of the Imperial Guards were crushed under the bricks.

The rest, who had fallen into panic, also began to collapse like a sandcastle.

The one who appeared to be the captain of the Imperial Guards was shouting something at the vanguard, but this time it didn’t work at all.

“Uwaaaaaaack······!”

The winged priests and the Temple of the Boundary may have frightened them, but they didn’t kill or threaten them.

But this time, the situation was very different.

-Taaang!

[Those who do not surrender will be cursed by the Divine Dragon!]

The moment I struck the Staff of Growth and delivered the oracle—

-Keureoreo-eong······!

-Ureureureung! Kwagagagang!

Gyu, revealing his almost perfect true form, roared loudly, and at the same time, the night sky flashed brightly, and a sharp lightning bolt struck the royal castle.

Of course, it was Jibril Dioph’s specialty!

The dragon’s scales reflected all sorts of colors, showing off a mesmerizing and terrifying figure, and Gyuh rolled his door-sized gray eyes, looking down at the humans outside the castle walls.

There was no need to use the power of any main god anymore.

The thick, long dragon whiskers wriggled as if they had found an interesting prey. ‘Keureureureung······!’

-Denggeureong!

“Ah, ah······.”

The pale-faced captain of the Imperial Guards dropped his vine-covered sword.

Apparently, he was a wind-attribute paladin.

We could clearly see his legs trembling from afar.

That was the signal flare.

“Liester, are you ready—!”

When Gaein shouted coolly and raised her right fist,

-Swaaaaaah, swaaaa, swaaaaaaah······!

-Ppadeudeuk! Ppadeudeudeut!

The water in the moat that surrounded the royal castle instantly surged, beginning to form a specific shape.

The fire-attribute paladins who could have stopped this were already kneeling on the dirt floor over there, or had fainted after meeting Gyuh’s eyes a moment ago, or were already rioting inside the royal castle.

Dozens of Imperial Guards without aether finally threw away their weapons and ran away.

I realized that the sound of the great army’s horns was already close at hand.

“Yaaaaaaaaah······!”

Shouldering the hot shouts, I turned around.

-Ppuuuuuuu! Ppuuuuuuuuu······!

“Is that the Shinguk Army [likely a specific military unit]?”

“Yes.”

Sir Johann answered lightly, as if talking about the weather today.

I floated gently into the air and met his gaze.

Then his mint-colored eyes crinkled in a familiar way. ‘Of course.’

“I can hear His Majesty the Emperor’s scolding too, though.”

That remark brought a hearty laugh. It felt like even the last bit of tension was being released.

Finally, I looked at Jibril Dioph and Lopi.

“······Please take good care of Lopi. I’ll see you again soon.”

“Don’t worry about this side and just make sure to destroy the summoning circle.”

“······.”

“Because after that, you’ll be seeing us all the time.”

It wasn’t a bad farewell. I let out a small laugh and once again aimed at the front gate of the royal castle.

The most beautiful canal bridge in the holy city, born from the assembly of perfect cuboid ice, was already waiting for us.

With the path leading to the inside of the royal castle wide open.

-Seureung!

The Hyegeom of Mars soared as if piercing the sky.

“Liester, follow me!”

The crimson cloak fluttered in the wind, and a dignified command came from Charlemagne’s saddle. ‘Cheok, cheok-cheok!’ The soldiers surrounding the royal castle matched their steps and pointed their weapons forward.

I soared into the sky from between Cedric and Gaein.

-Hwiuuuuu······

The moment a pure white feather flew beyond my vision, all the noise flickered off.

“······Let’s make an entrance!”

-Kkiyaaaa!

“Waaaaaaaaaaaa······!”

And with Christel Langbue’s shout, the world began to move again.

Spreading all six wings, I gritted my teeth and passed through the front gate of the royal castle.

*

Like melting ice, it was flowing down quickly before my eyes.

“What is this, what is this······.”

-Dag-dak, dag-dak, dag-dak······!

All of Wilhelmina Sneider’s plans.

The Duchess groped busily out the window with a haggard face.

But the state of the royal capital did not resemble any of the scenes she had expected.

There was no crowd welcoming her carriage, no one recognizing the flag of the Sneider Duchy and rushing over to deliver news.

“Since when, no······. Where did it all go wrong?”

This was a very strange and bizarre thing. Really, very…

It didn’t make sense.

-Hee-hee-heeing!

“Kuk!”

At that very moment, the carriage stopped abruptly, throwing her aged body forward mercilessly.

The Duchess groped around, slowly raising her creaking body and looking outside. And…

-Keureureureung······

“······.”

Our eyes met.

With a messenger of a certain god (lion), burning with anger and revenge.