What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 793

Finally, the sun was rising.

We watched as the eastern sky, where morning seemed an eternity away, began to glow with a mystical purple light.

In the sacred kingdom of Fenetian, blessed by the moon, the moonlight was finally fading.

“Yaaah…!

“There! Drive those bastards over there and wipe them out completely!

“Yes, Squad Leader!

“Huff!

A rough, hoarse voice screamed.

My friends and I instinctively hid behind a spire.

Come to think of it, there was no real reason for us to hide, but we did anyway.

Corpses stained with blood lay all around. Strangely, they were all blonde.

I swallowed hard, trying not to look at them.

Sir Johann, having retied his long hair, gave us a slight wink and walked out gracefully.

With every step he took, the pungent smell of blood and the subtle scent of lilies lingered like an aura.

Thwack, thud! ‘Ugh!’ Swish! Thwack! Thud, thud! ‘Agh!’ Soon, we heard the Cardinal taking down enemies with his bare hands.

Gain, Cedric, and I quickly exchanged glances.

The inside of the Fenetian royal castle, which we confirmed after escaping the basement of the main castle, was somewhat more ‘organized’ than we had expected.

The fortress itself was as vast as the imperial palace—if only considering complexity, this place was overwhelmingly superior—though I couldn’t say for sure, the population and noise seemed to have decreased significantly since the last time we saw it.

It seemed the appearance of the Boundary Temple Noctiluca [a powerful magical artifact] in the middle of the night and the human with six wings had a significant impact. Well…

‘[The desires of the Fenetian royal family will be judged right here!]’

‘[Repent!]’

…He even shouted things like that while wielding the scepter.

I ran a hand over my face, checking on the lesser pandas circling my feet.

No, strictly speaking, it wasn’t a ‘dry’ wash since sweat was starting to form on my forehead.

My dizziness was getting worse and worse due to excessive ether [magical energy] consumption.

Suddenly, the words of His Majesty Hanan echoed in my head like a revelation.

‘-For the time being, you will need spiritual cultivation and healing.’

‘-As the young vessel prepares to become a Cardinal.’

“……”

I know I’m pushing myself, but I can’t help it.

Who here isn’t pushing themselves right now?

“Your Grace, are you alright?

“Yes. Just a little… It’s not quite ether depletion, but Noctiluca is consuming more power than I thought.”

“Then you can dismiss the Sanctuary. No, really. How many hours has it been now?”

Gain said sternly.

She was always the first to notice my problems, and the battlefield was no exception. I couldn’t bring myself to smile and bit my lip, looking up at Cedric.

But the Sanctuary was necessary to protect us all.

The use of special ether was impossible inside the royal castle, so I was the only one who could act as a shield and energy source for my friends. Plus, keeping the Sanctuary open made it easier to deliver divine messages whenever we encountered an enemy.

Considering the divine beasts, our group wasn’t small…

“Rather than dismissing Noctiluca, ah. No, that wouldn’t work either.”

“Yes. Unfortunately, not right now.”

A small, cold hand tightly grasped the back of my hand.

I nodded at her words and took a deep breath.

Not far away, Gyu’s fierce roar was tearing through the dawn air, and in another direction, the cheers of those presumed to be Imperial partisans echoed.

The crimson divine lanterns floating in the sky had all flown away.

It was too late to dismiss Noctiluca here; too many people were already relying on the sacred illusion.

It was a dazzling hope for the Imperial army and a divine warning and threat to the enemies.

If it suddenly disappeared, our allies might feel uneasy.

“…Then I will dismiss only the Sanctuary. And we need to evacuate the royal castle quickly.”

“Yes, trust us. We’ll either sweep them all away or drive them out. And let’s make sure to blow up the main castle cleanly. So they can never dream of summoning the main god again.”

“Yes.”

“How can I watch Yuri Fenetian film ? We’re really going to clean it all up.”

“ isn’t a real movie, Gain.”

“Exactly.”

“Yes.”

“You worry too much.”

‘You act like someone who hasn’t seen my sword and magic,’ Cedric whispered in my ear.

By the time Gain smiled up at the Crown Prince, I was able to let out a light breath.

Around that time, Sir Johann returned, flashing his usual handsome smile.

Demi wagged his tail vigorously upon seeing him.

-Kkio!

“…It seems he’s suggesting we clear out that side first. Sunrise doesn’t know laziness, so it’s best to move quickly.”

“Yes. If possible, it would be good to find King Christaener first and get him out.”

The Cardinal tilted his head and spoke cheerfully, and we nodded in unison and took a step forward.

We shouldn’t let our guard down until the end, but it wasn’t good to worry unnecessarily.

I slowly deactivated the widely opened Sanctuary.

-Saaaaaa…

None of us knew that would be the last time.

Really, none of us.

*

Not long after, what stopped us was a very precarious and urgent warning sound.

“Good heavens! Stigmata!”

“Stigmata! Stigmata! Stigmata—!

It was impossible to know who shouted first or whether they were telling the truth.

However, the word ‘Stigmata’ had an extremely extraordinary meaning for the people of Fenetian.

Soon, the entire royal castle was filled with voices shouting ‘Stigmata,’ and it felt like my eardrums would burst.

I saw soldiers rushing down that alley and people crouching under this fountain, covering their heads.

Every face was as pale as a blank canvas, devoid of any blood. And here, too, were the ever-present blonde corpses.

There were still royal guards and royal family retainers opposing them left in the castle.

I stumbled and nearly fell but managed to stand straight with Sir Johann’s help.

He looked into my eyes and whispered.

“It’s the power of air attribute.”

“…Did someone really unleash the Stigmata?”

Since no knight could use their powers in the royal castle, this naturally referred to a Cardinal outside the castle.

The name of the man who suddenly came to mind was muttered.

“…Leopold.”

Goodness, the man who was so afraid of the battlefield…

-Kkirurururu…!

“Everyone, get down!

-Papapapapa…!

Right then, Gain’s voice faded away and then suddenly came closer.

When I came to my senses, I was already lying flat on the stone floor, using Sir Johann’s back as a shield. Swish! Something that sounded like flapping wings or aftershock tore through the sky of the royal castle in an instant and flew eastward.

To exaggerate a bit, it felt like my eardrums would burst.

I instinctively exclaimed in admiration, watching the golden light scattering like the tail feathers of a flying bird.

But the surprise didn’t stop there.

“Your Grace! His Majesty Hanan!

“Yes?!

“It seems His Majesty is coming with Mom! I can feel the energy, ah, damn it! Get lost, get lost!

“What!

Thwack! Gain’s boots, filled with anger and fatigue, slammed a knight into the wall. ‘Uwaaaagh!’ Those who surrounded her and surged like a wave were knocked down like tin cans by a kick that resembled a windmill (Gain’s signature technique).

It was truly great courage to launch an attack as soon as the Stigmata passed.

The excited divine beasts cheered and roared, supporting our friends.

The Crown Prince’s 7th-grade binding magic and metal specialty were enough to turn anyone wearing armor into his toy.

I soothed the wriggling Tete—the noise was quite loud for the baby to calm down—and quickly looked back at him.

Several complex patterns floated and redrew themselves over the dazzling blood-colored magic circle.

The man looked as beautiful as a jewel when he wielded his sword and seemed very free when he used divine power, but by far, his expression was the most colorful when he unleashed his magic power.

As soon as he made eye contact with me, he swung his Hye Geom [his sword] in the opposite direction, unleashing a fierce sword aura. Kwakwakwakwackwa…!

“Aaaaaaagh!

“Heuaaagh!

“Get out of the castle right now! This place is going to explode soon. I won’t tell you to stop fighting, so if you want to live, get out now!

‘Tell His Majesty Christaener that too!’ I shouted at the top of my lungs, pouring even more ether into Noctiluca.

Now it didn’t matter whether the opponent was an ally or an enemy.

Some of the Imperial partisans I had encountered earlier had already begun the royal castle exodus under the Crown Prince’s orders.

Papapapat—! As soon as my words were finished, a terrifying rain of arrows soared from the downhill over there.

At the same time, Cedric’s large right hand aimed at the sky.

-Wuuuung!

Stop.

The arrows, frozen in the air like ice, were slowly turning their heads in the opposite direction.

It was a magic I had seen before.

No blade in the world could leave a scratch on him.

“…Wh-what! What is that guy!

“A magician! Damn it, there’s another magician in front!

Those who appeared to be royal guards floundered in panic in the dawn twilight.

Cedric slashed down without hesitation.

-Ssaeeeeeeek!

-Pupupupupuk!

“Ugh!

“Keuheuk!

Dozens of enemies collapsed without even swinging their swords.

As soon as the situation was settled, the royal guards charged down from the north gate this time.

Fortunately, there weren’t many of them.

The king of the Divine Kingdom had taken up his sword himself, and she and the royal family must have defeated a considerable number, so perhaps it was a natural result.

The group prepared for another battle once again.

About thirty minutes had passed since then. No, maybe an hour. I don’t know.

“Fenetian—!

“Yaaaaaaa!

“Huff.”

I flinched and turned my head in the direction of the shout.

No way. Negative words kept pouring out between my ragged breaths.

An ominous premonition bit at my neck like a beast.

“Good Lord….”

No, it can’t be. Whoever it is, they can’t push their way in here….

“Sneider is trying to usurp the royal castle! Never forgive them!

“Waaaaaa…!

“Chase them down and punish them to the end! We will achieve victory here!

The voice of a leader, as brave as a hungry lion and as desperately shining as the chromosphere [outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere] of the sun, echoed loudly from the main gate.

For a moment, I felt like my heart was rolling to the right.

We didn’t even know where Christaener was yet, but it seemed impossible to evacuate the castle.

Demi made a sound similar to a clicking of the tongue.

Sir Johann swept his falling hair behind his ear, and Gain was already disheveled. Cedric swept back his hair and shook off the blood from his Hye Geom.

We clearly saw it from where we stood.

“Charge—!

“Heuaaaa! Long live Princess Wilhelmina!

“Long live! Long live! Long live…!

Following the Sneider rebels, who were pouring in like a rotten swamp, was the Star of Vengeance and War, holding a golden spear high and sprinting.

Her horse, with its golden mane fluttering, neighed loudly and raised its front hooves.

Knights following Wilhelmina Sneider and subordinates of nobles loyal to him tried to cut down the princess but were swept away instead.

The scene felt like an old masterpiece.

Even though special ether could not be used within the castle, it seemed as if a mysterious light was emanating from Elysee Fenetian’s entire body.

“Princess…”

The time, as if bewitched by magic, no, as if possessed by divine power, flowed very slowly.

Perhaps it was because her appearance was so intense.

So, even in the moment when she got off her saddle, picked up her spear, and charged, and even in the moment when she found me and paused, and even in the moment when she called out the name of her beloved family….

“…Yesuh?”

-Hwiiiiik!

-Puuuk!

Even in the moment when some scythe flew and struck her in the back,