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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 103
He gestured again.
At that moment, the halo began to spin slowly and started absorbing something from the surroundings.
It was likely absorbing the condensed power that the ancient monster, Mist, had accumulated over a long period alongside the maze.
“At first, it was difficult. I admit that. But now, it’s no longer an issue.”
His sole purpose was to massacre the imperial family and become the emperor of this empire.
“Do you know how much scorn exists even within the imperial family?”
“No idea. I understand, but I don’t care beyond that.”
A prince of a collateral line.
A position prepared as a representative of the imperial family—a person granted the name of prince without truly being one.
Even a fool could tell what he meant.
He likely bore various scornful treatments despite having the title of prince.
“In truth, I wasn’t very interested in becoming emperor. I would’ve been fine living quietly.”
He gave a bitter smile.
“But after losing many loved ones because I was a nuisance to certain individuals among the imperial family, I realized something.”
That he must slaughter them all.
“Twisting the life force of those caught up in this place to use as sacrifices—doesn’t that weigh on your conscience?”
If left unchecked, he would absorb all the energy of the miste maze and the life force of countless people trapped within it, converting it into his power.
At Luna’s question, he was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“You seem to see right through me somehow. It’s a shame. Still, let me make one final proposal.”
“There’s nothing to hear. This will never succeed anyway.”
“No, it will succeed. I’ve been planning this for a long time.”
He gave a self-deprecating smile.
“Do I seem like a demon to you?”
Luna’s lips curled into a sneer.
“You’re wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“Angels weep for the righteous, and demons punish the wicked to honor the just.”
“That’s an interesting statement.”
“It’s just an old myth by now.”
At those words, an invisible barrier materialized into a sphere that enveloped Luna.
Soon, it lost its glow and completely trapped her.
“It’s a pity we can’t work together.”
As soon as Luna disappeared, fully encased in the sphere, he turned around, facing a massive vortex.
“Once I absorb all this, it’ll be over. I can’t allow any interference.”
As he spoke, the halo began to spin rapidly, releasing power.
Strange clusters of light gathered around him.
“Huff… huff!”
With a short exhale, the clusters of light converged and transformed into armored knights.
White wings sprouted from their backs.
It was the kind of celestial force one would only read about in ancient tomes.
In truth, Dorn, the prince, didn’t know much about these beings.
They were a power he borrowed through a contract with the halo he had come across by chance in the imperial records.
He didn’t know what the halo above his head truly was or how it came to exist.
Lacking any apparent consciousness, even their helmeted eyes weren’t visible.
Without a word, they turned and exited the rift.
“Go. Kill anyone who interferes.”
At his cold command, the knights moved, and he focused again on absorbing power into the halo.
The life force of all the humans in the safe zones within the misty maze began to slowly flow into him as well.
A godlike sense of omnipotence surged into him through the halo.
No one in the imperial family knew what this ancient artifact truly was, but he was different.
The halo had chosen him, and he had simply seized the opportunity.
Then it happened.
Boom! Crash!!
The sound of something shattering and breaking struck his ears, causing him to stop absorbing and turn his head in irritation.
Clang!… Clatter!
A metallic object flew out from the darkness beyond the rift and rolled to his feet.
“…”
It was a knight’s helmet—the very guardians he had just stationed to block the surroundings.
They couldn’t have been defeated this quickly.
“I have one question for you, Prince Dorn.”
A girl’s voice echoed from the darkness.
It was a voice Dorn Lu Pascalia couldn’t fail to recognize.
“Countess Melissa Cascadia.”
“You… You really were the mastermind behind all of this.”
The girl was none other than Melissa.
With a cold gaze fixed on him, Melissa strode forward, her sword lowered.
An overwhelming aura surged from her, pressing down on everything around her.
It was the result of her training with Leon in the Heavenly Demon Sword technique, though it carried a sensation quite different from conventional aura manipulation.
“Yes. It was me.”
“I haven’t known you for long, but I thought you were a good person. You seemed so happy with Lilia. Was that all an act too?”
“I won’t deny it. To reclaim this power, I had to become deeply involved with the Count of Berner.”
Dorn responded without a trace of hesitation.
At this, Melissa lowered her gaze slightly without a word.
Her trembling eyes and tightly gripped sword made her growing fury palpable.
Taking a deep breath, Melissa steadied her emotions despite his brazen attitude.
“Fine. Now that I know what kind of person you are, that’s enough. In fact, maybe it’s for the best—I’ve stopped my friend from marrying someone like you.”
“That’s a harsh assessment. But tell me, what can you do alone?”
At his question, Melissa fixed him with a cold, unflinching stare.
“Brother.”
At that word, a sudden presence appeared behind him.
Prince Dorn flinched, spinning around in shock.
The fact that someone had approached unnoticed shook him to his core.
The intruder grabbed his shoulder—Leon Cascadia, grinning with sunglasses on, playfully tossed something in front of him.
It was an artifact.
And it was one Dorn had seen a few times before.
A flash artifact.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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But why is this here?
"Let there be light."
Ah.
Before he could even react, an enormous explosion and blinding light burst forth in an instant.
Melissa had already turned her head, as if she had known it was coming.
BOOOOM!
Dorn, whose body was nearly immune to most light and sound due to his physical capabilities, was rendered powerless by the intensity of the Flash Artifact that had just detonated.
“Ugh?!”
Stunned, he reflexively swung his arm to counterattack.
An immense shockwave filled with tremendous power burst forth, but there was no enemy within its range.
Realizing his mistake reflexively, he tried to activate the power of the Halo to protect his body.
But.
KA-BOOM!
Before he could even activate his defense, a fist twisted through the space and struck him hard.
“Gah?!”
Dorn Lu Pascalia, who had been slammed into the wall in an instant, frowned slightly.
‘What just hit me?’
He couldn’t quite understand.
The intense effect of the flash was surprising, but that was manageable.
However.
The subsequent attack from Leon had an impact that shouldn't have been that strong.
He hadn’t taken significant damage yet.
Slowly standing up, he gazed silently at Leon, who stood before him.
Yes, the greatest variable in this plan.
If he could just deal with Leon, no one would be left to interfere.
It was a mystery why Leon had been here in the first place, but it was a fact that he had been caught up in this matter.
Probably a coincidence.
If he were going to crumble here, he wouldn’t have started at all.
Crack, crack...
Dusting off the stone fragments, Dorn quietly surveyed his surroundings.
The wall of the cave that had shattered when he was thrown against it was quickly repairing itself as if nothing had happened.
This space was, after all, the hideout of the ancient berserk Mist who had created this mist maze.
This place, too, was ultimately an illusion.
“Interesting. When you lack strength, you have to rely on tools.”
With a grin, he gestured with his hand.
In an instant, an invisible force immobilized Leon in mid-air as if binding him tightly.
Was there any need for complicated words?
Leon had come to stop him, and he intended to sacrifice everyone here to gain more power.
There was no room for persuasion.
Leon, who was frozen in mid-air, twitched a fingertip.
At the same time, a massive wraith wolf leapt out from his shadow and instantly sank its teeth into Dorn’s body.
“Hah. Is that all you’ve got?”
Grrr...
Although the wolf had razor-sharp teeth and a powerful jaw, its fangs didn’t even touch Dorn’s body.
It was as if an invisible barrier was protecting him.
However, the wolf didn’t stop.
It leaped into the air with Dorn in its jaws and began violently thrashing him like a death roll.
“Foolish.”
Despite the ferocity of the attack, Dorn rose unharmed and slowly drew his sword.
Shiiing!
In an instant, dozens of sword marks were carved into the spectral wolf’s body, shredding its form.
The invisible sword energy that Dorn unleashed didn’t stop there—it flew toward Leon’s location.
Leon dodged by springing away, just as a barrage of sword marks appeared at the spot he had been standing.
“Really, how unfair.”
“Is this all you’ve got?”
Glancing at the shattered remains of the wraith wolf, Dorn asked Leon again.
“Honestly, I hate to say this, but I’m a little disappointed. I’d heard you played a key role in defeating the Kraken, so I was a bit curious.”
Leon silently stared at the Halo floating above Dorn’s head.
“So, what will you do now? Your undead has been reduced to fragments.”
At Dorn’s provocation, Leon clicked his tongue.
“Muyeong, are you just going to sit there and take that?”
At his words, black mist gathered and began forming near Leon once again.
Soon, it reshaped into the intact form of the wraith wolf, Muyeong.
Grrrr...
Muyeong growled lowly, as if displeased, while looking up at Leon.
“Yeah. For an undead, you’re pretty lively.”
Leon roughly scratched the wolf’s chin, showing no hint of urgency in his demeanor.
In terms of visible power, the gap between Leon and Prince Dorn was considerable.
Yet Leon remained perfectly calm.
It was as if he had already figured out Dorn Lu Pascalia and the power he held.
That gaze didn’t sit well with Dorn.
Instead of exchanging more words, Dorn chose to attack again.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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