The 3rd Prince of the Fallen Kingdom Returns

28. Monster (1)

Yuri was certain he had struck the unidentified monster that was creating the tunnels.

The ground rippled before completely collapsing.

Yuri could see the monster’s flesh and blood splattering amidst the dirt.

Slender, tentacle-like protrusions twitched, severed, and scattered.

This monster could no longer create tunnels for the orcs to travel through.

“Ugh…”

He staggered.

Releasing mana outward was a rarely used technique; although powerful, it consumed immense amounts of mana and stamina, making it unsustainable in prolonged fights.

Clenching his sword, Guilty, he looked around.

His chaotic leap into the midst of the orcs had ensured they would swarm him again.

It was a situation similar to before.

“Where are you, Master…?”

This time, Moyongchan didn’t appear.

Yuri looked up.

The first thing he saw was Orkbal, holding a scimitar.

Its face was contorted in rage—a welcome sight, as it was no longer acting nonchalant as before.

“Okudoku.”

Yuri raised his middle finger. The Orkbal screamed and charged.

Orcs immediately appeared from all directions, swarming toward Yuri.

He felt like prey trapped in an ant swarm.

“Wow…”

Yuri let out a hollow laugh as he raised Guilty.

His sword was ready, but his strength to fight was gone.

Could he take down one or two of them?

At that moment, someone descended from the sky.

“Your Highness.”

The person who leaped forward, mirroring Yuri’s earlier move, was entirely unexpected.

“Sir Graham.”

Graham gave Yuri a light nod and took his stance.

“You did well. From here on, I’ll protect you.”

“That’s reassuring, but aren’t there too many enemies?”

“Someone else will be joining us.”

“Even with two, it feels like too few. I can’t fight anymore.”

“You can rest.”

As soon as he finished speaking, another knight landed before Yuri.

Though he couldn’t walk through the air like Moyongchan, the sheer power of his leap was proof of his exceptional skill.

He was an Imperial knight clad in black armor.

His aura felt strangely familiar.
There was no way Yuri could forget someone who exuded such an overwhelming presence.

“Knight Commander?”

This man was the Commander of the Imperial Knights.

“I am the Commander of the Third Knight Order.”

He answered in a deep, heavy voice.

He seemed to have a straightforward personality.

Yuri grumbled,

“Does the Empire have no creativity, just numbering everything…?”

Nevertheless, he survived once again.

Yuri let out a sigh of relief.

Now, beside him stood two knights, arguably the Empire’s greatest forces within the Allied Forces.

This was a privilege that only someone like Ragna could hope to enjoy.

“I’m too exhausted now…”

With that, Yuri sat down and watched the battle.

“Wow…”

As Graham had predicted, the two of them were enough.

Their prowess left Yuri in awe.

Graham’s swordsmanship was practical and without unnecessary flourishes—his blade coated with a thin layer of mana, striking vital points with just enough force to kill.

At this rate, it seemed like he could fight all day.

Simply watching him was a lesson in itself.

Yuri then turned his gaze to the Third Knight Commander.

He was entirely different from Graham.

“It doesn’t seem like the Lion Heart Method…”

Most Imperial knights mastered the Lion Heart Method—a Mana Method specialized for war, refined over centuries to eliminate drawbacks.

Yet, the Third Knight Commander was rougher and more intense.

While Graham struck with precision, the commander crushed his opponents—each swing of his sword tearing through orcs’ bodies with merciless brutality.

The orc forces, overwhelmed by his power, didn’t dare approach and retreated.

He was, quite literally, slaughtering the orc forces single-handedly.

In his past life, Yuri had never encountered the Third Knight Order’s Commander. Had he died back then, or was he stationed on a different front?

The idea of someone this skilled becoming an enemy was far from pleasant.

“I guess I’d better get on his good side…”

He didn’t seem like the type swayed by emotions, but building rapport might leave room for negotiation if they ever faced off as adversaries.

Yuri cheered him on.

“The Third Knight Commander is strong! Awesome!”

Graham looked at Yuri incredulously, but the Third Knight Commander didn’t react.

Still, perhaps the corners of his mouth were twitching beneath his helmet.

“Third Knight Commander is the best! The man I want. The Empire’s most eligible bachelor.”

Yuri raised his voice even louder.

“The Third Knight Commander is handsome! Beneath that helmet, he’s as dashing as Yuri Briol…”

At last, the Third Knight Commander lowered his sword, fixing Yuri with a fierce gaze, even from behind his helmet.

“You’re disrupting my focus.”

“Yes, sir!”

Yuri immediately shut his mouth.

The battle was drawing to a close.

No more orcs appeared.

Thanks to Yuri killing that monster, no new tunnels were created, and the existing holes were surrounded by the Allied Forces.

Thanks to the two knights protecting him, Yuri was able to recover.

As Heart and Soul Slash soothed his strained meridians, he gradually regained his strength.

“Haah…”

Yuri took a deep breath, Guilty resting over his shoulder.

The air of the grasslands swept through his lungs, cleansing them.

Though tinged with the smell of blood, it acted as a fitting stimulant.

He moved beyond the area guarded by the two knights.

At that moment, Orkbal, the orc with the scimitar he hadn’t finished off earlier, emerged from behind and approached Yuri.

“Your Highness, it’s dangerous.”

“It’s alright.”

Yuri swung Guilty lightly.

“This one is mine.”

No matter how exhausted he felt, he couldn’t let the one who had locked eyes with him escape.

Yuri grinned at his opponent.
The Orkbal wrinkled its nose and swung its scimitar with a wide arc.

“Akuakkai! Summa kum lauku! Babeku!”

“I don’t understand orcish—why do you keep talking to me?”

“Aku bakuma uluriyaku olorometum!”

“Okudoku.”

Yuri gripped Guilty with both hands, rested it on the back of his neck, and lowered his stance.

He wasn’t in good shape and needed to finish this one quickly if he wanted to take it down himself.

The same applied to his opponent.

With the tide of the battle already turned, the orc likely wanted to kill its target and escape.

Their intentions aligned, leaving only the clash ahead.

After a brief pause, both charged forward simultaneously.

Just before the collision, they both leaned aside, causing their paths to diverge.

Yuri burst into laughter.

“You coward!”

Both had attempted to strike to the side as if to clash, but Orkbal had anticipated the move.

They closed the distance once more and sized each other up.

Surprisingly, the orc’s swordplay was refined, and its combat style was cautious—unlike a typical orc.

Meanwhile, Sir Graham and the Third Knight Commander continued to slaughter orcs.

As Briol’s representative, being held back by a single Orkbal would harm his reputation.

Yuri tightened his core and forcefully drew upon the power of Heart and Soul Slash.

Although it strained his body, Yuri didn’t care and pushed his mana to its limits.

“Haa…”

It was something he often did during his mercenary days.

With no regard for his own life, he frequently used techniques that took a toll on his body.

“What?”

However, the sensation was entirely different from what he had expected.

His mana surged through his channels, but instead of piercing through his body as usual, it flowed grandly and steadily, no longer rushed or reckless.

This phenomenon was possible because his Mana Method was Heart and Soul Slash.

Yuri raised Guilty.

Though flustered by the unexpected change, he realized it was actually better.

Sensing the change, the Orkbal charged hastily, its intent clear—it wouldn’t allow Yuri any leeway.

But it was already too late.

Yuri channeled his mana onto the blade.

The blade expanded.

It wasn’t just a thin coating of mana; the blade itself was extending.

Even Yuri struggled to believe the form of the sword reflected in his eyes—a level he had yet to achieve.

But this was clearly a Sword Aura.

Since he hadn’t achieved it consciously, he had no idea how long it would last.

Yuri faced the approaching Orkbal and struck.

There was no mana method involved.

In the instant their weapons met, the scimitar shattered in two.

Guilty continued on, slicing through Orkbal.

Orkbal pulled his body back.

But it couldn’t fully evade, and its face was cleaved in two.

“Kraaaah!”

The Orkbal’s face was drenched in blood.

A deep scar ran from its eyes down to its jaw, splitting its face.

Yuri grinned at the Orkbal, writhing in pain as it clutched its face.

“Weak.”

But his own situation wasn’t good either. After using Sword Aura, even the mana he had been forcing to its limits was rapidly depleting.

“Akuakkai! Akumma!”

Orkbal screamed in agony, his face contorted with rage.

It looked ready to charge with its bare hands.

Yuri forced himself to act nonchalant and beckoned it with his hand.

“Come at me, then.”

Just then, the ground trembled.

Already drained, Yuri felt his knees give way, and he collapsed to the ground.

It was just like before.

The ground was splitting open again.

The ground trembled as mounds of dirt shot up, revealing a hideous monster.

Its body, rising from the surface, resembled a giant earthworm, its deep-set eyes gleaming ominously.

Tentacles, radiating from its mouth, writhed and twitched.

One of the tentacles near its mouth wrapped around the Orkbal and lifted it.

The Orkbal wasn’t fazed.

It wiped the blood from its face and shouted at Yuri with all its might.

Then, the monster retracted, taking a few more orcs with it, and burrowed back into the ground.

The earth shook with a tremendous roar.

That was the true form of the monster.

“Damn it…”

Yuri spat.

He had never known that orcs could control such creatures. He hadn’t even heard rumors of it in his past life.

In any case, his job was done. The Allied Forces would deal with the remaining orcs.

Yuri collapsed to the ground.

As the tension in his body relaxed, the mana flowing through his channels rushed toward his core, contracting rapidly.

“Ah…”

An overwhelming exhaustion washed over Yuri.

He didn’t even have the strength to sit up anymore.

He slumped down completely.

He could faintly hear the sounds of Sir Graham and the Third Knight Commander still fighting.

Even if an orc stealthily approached and swung its axe, he wouldn’t be able to resist.

The best course of action in this situation was to play dead.

There was no other choice.

There was nothing he could do anyway.

Yuri closed his eyes.

* * *

Ragna frowned.

“What?”

The adjutant was crouched down, examining Yuri, who had collapsed on the ground.

He poked and prodded Yuri a few more times, then said,

“It seems like he’s asleep…”

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone sleep during a war.”

“It appears he’s completely exhausted his mana. Of course, even considering that, he has quite the nerve.”

“He’s insane.”

Ragna had been watching Yuri’s battle.

At first, Yuri killed the shaman and was surrounded, barely surviving thanks to the Stranger’s help.

Then, he rallied the knights, ran off, suddenly leaped into the sky, plunged his sword into the ground, and triggered an explosion.

Ragna thought he was insane.

He had jumped into the heart of the enemy camp and burned through all his mana.

This time, Moyongchan wasn’t there either.

So Ragna sent Sir Graham and the Third Knight Commander. The two successfully protected Yuri.

He thought the madness would end there.

But then, the boy, who should have been resting, suddenly got up feebly and started fighting the Orkbal he had faced earlier once again.

The series of events that followed were even more absurd.

The man who had drained all his mana suddenly unleashed a Sword Aura, only for a monstrous creature to appear and snatch Orkbal away. And then he collapsed right in the middle of the battlefield and promptly fell asleep.

There was nothing predictable about him

“This guy is seriously…”

Ragna let out a wry chuckle.

“But thanks to him, our losses were minimized. And we learned about the orcs’ methods.”

“What’s that monster, anyway?”

“A monster that digs tunnels… how absurd. You’re saying the orcs are using those to move around?”

“Yes. They were like a swarm of ants.”

Ragna looked at the distant horizon through his telescope.

Occasionally, orc flags fluttered.

“Once we attack their main camp, they won’t be able to pull those kinds of tricks, even if they want to.”

Slow but steady, their advance continued.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before they encountered Okuah.
“Your Majesty.”

An Imperial knight knelt before him.

“Orc troops are circling us.”

“Again?”

“What should we do?”

The orcs relentlessly harassed the Allied Forces. Even after the recent massive battle, they were back, seemingly undeterred.

Their numbers were now almost suspiciously large.

It felt like there were many times more than they had anticipated.

“At this point, it has to be one of two things: either the orcs are far more numerous than we thought, or when we finally reach the main camp, Okuah will be standing there all alone.”’

“I hope it’s the latter.”

“Eliminate them.”

He ordered their annihilation.

“This time, we’ll do it. I’m sending the Imperial Knights.”

“Does that mean…?”

“It’s time to show them what we’re truly capable of.”

“Understood.”

Ragna grinned.

“Let’s show them that we also have monsters hidden away.”