Chapter 90: [Oracle of Past] [11] [Dread]
Chapter 90: [Oracle of Past] [11] [Dread]
[Exiled Prince]...."
'Fuck...'
I cursed softly, my gaze on the dimly lit entrance as my body started to retreat towards Inës.
Step...
Step...
Was it perhaps my own fear affecting 'him' as I felt my hands trembling slightly, full of sweat, firmly gripping the katana and axe-hammer.
'...Can you handle him?'
Ignoring the sickening feeling I was having, I asked.
'No....I can't...
'He' replied, his voice filled with certainty, and I wholeheartedly agreed with him, but still, he made my body shield Inës behind my back...
'...Then what are you going to do?'
'...
Of course, 'he' didn't reply...
How could 'he'? When we both knew we couldn't do anything against him.
"...Survive."
And at last, 'he' muttered under his breath as the man entered the hall.
Unlike before when he was in disguise, now his face was the original one.
With his messy light blonde hair that looked dried up, his dull hazel eyes looking around the place...
He wore a pristine white suit, his shoulders broad, height taller than mine.
A third of his face going down to his neck was burned out, making his handsome face disfigured.
"....You really are like your mother."
He commented, snapping me out, his voice coarse as he glanced around, ".... Killing without any hesitation... without thinking of consequences."
"Azaria—."
"Inës." He interjected without looking back as she tried to speak, "...don't try to come out of the barrier and be ready."
"...Are you protecting her?" Delwyn questioned, walking closer towards us, "...Why?"
"....."
He remained silent, sharpening his senses, ignoring my body's condition, which was increasingly getting worse.
"...Do you know me?" Glancing towards Inës, he asked.
I didn't even have to look back to know how Inës would react....
"...I was a prince once."
Delwyn continued, touching his scarred face as Inës shook her head, "...With a happy family...wife... children...and then...one day I woke up...and everyone of them was dead...I wasn't so lucky."
'.....'
I felt a chill run down my spine as he slowly looked at me and asked, "...you know who did it?....who took my everything....did your mother ever tell you about this?"
"....No." 'He' replied, parting his lips slightly, "...I have no idea what you are talking about."
"...I see." Delwyn nodded his head slightly before ordering, "...Move aside."
"...No."
And instead of listening to him, 'he' lowered his body posture, ready to fight.
"...your mother isn't here to protect you," he remarked, "...Move aside."
"...I don't need her protection," 'he' replied, his voice grating with irritation.
"Why are you doing this?!" My heart sank as Inës shouted, making him focus on her. "...Why are you after me!?"
"...You don't understand your own power, princess," Delwyn replied softly, "...you can help us fight against the hypocrite Gods."
"Hypocrite?" 'Inder' forced him to look at me.
"...My kingdom devoted itself to God Elohim... keeping his sacred sword safe for thousands of years."
Delwyn's voice frail as he replied. "....but when my kingdom was dying protecting his sword...he did nothing...he let them die..."
"...And yet you choose to serve one of them," 'Inder' remarked, making anger blaze in Delwyn's eyes.
"...You won't understand 'his' vision," Delwyn rebuked, glaring at me. "...Principalities isn't against humanity...it's with them."
"....."
"....Move aside...your time hasn't come yet." He said, but my body didn't budge.
Tilting his head, he asked deeply, "...Are you eager to die?"
And as if to prove his point, he extended his hand sideways towards the dead bodies of the soldiers.
Crackle!!
A dark red crystal started to emerge from his hand, forming a flower with multiple petals, his eyes fixed on me as he clenched his fist slowly.
SWISH!!!
'.....'
And with a speed that my eyes couldn't follow, those petals launched towards the bodies, spiking them on the wall behind instantly.
"...Move asid—."
SWISH!!!
'FUCKING IDIOT'
I screamed in my mind as Inder threw the axe-hammer at his face in the middle of his sentence...
CLANG!!!
His hands blurred and a beautiful flower of red crystal emerged, blocking the axe-hammer.
CLANG!!!
Rushing forward, my body spun around with the katana in my hand aimed at him, but once again, a flower emerged, blocking the strike.
The flower trembled but remained intact.
Delwyn's hazel gaze met mine as I leaped backwards.
Letting out a deep breath, he mumbled, "....let's see how strong her son is."
He took a step forward, ripples forming in the air and...he stood in front of me, flicking his left hand nonchalantly.
I dashed sideways, barely dodging the crystal spikes that emerged below me.
Lowering my katana, I dashed at him again, the runes in my hand glowing in a silver hue.
He stood in place, a sword made of red crystal emerging in his hand.
CLANG!!!
The sound of metal clashing echoed, making him raise his brows. "Not bad."
Swish!!
Tilting my head slightly, I dodged the flower petal that he aimed at my neck with his free hand, but my assumption was wrong as I felt blood trickle down my neck the next instant.
I lowered my body, my runes glowing brightly, dodging and parrying the thin spikes of red crystal thrown at me.
My hand went numb, and it wasn't long before some spikes started to prick my body, blood trickling down my forearm and fingers.
Neplh
Using the blood on my fingertips, I conjured thin spikes of ice, throwing them towards him like projectiles.
He blocked, and I retrieved my axe-hammer, rushing at him again.
When I was inches away, I threw my axe-hammer on the ground at a weird angle while swinging my katana at his tendons.
A flower emerged, blocking the strike.
My body spun as the axe-hammer landed perfectly in my hand again, but it got blocked once more.
'Tch... he hasn't received a single scratch.'
In an instant, his hand blurred, his fist hitting me like a boulder.
For a second, I took back control of my body, but I was pushed back again, my body hitting the wall hard.
Standing up again, my vision blurry, I burst mana into my legs, leaping forward again.
His face... uninterested.
And I knew why the next instant.
As I swung my katana overhead, it collided with his crystal, only for my katana to shatter into pieces.
"...You fought well." He whispered, his hand blurred, grabbing my wrist the next instant. "...But you underestimate the disparity in our powers."
Boom!!
With my wrist firmly grabbed, he spun my body around before throwing me into the wall once again.
"Arghh!!"
I screamed in pain as my body collided with the wall, a few of my bones fractured, but due to the agony filling my entire body, I couldn't tell which ones.
"Huff... Huff..."
Controlling my shallow breathing, I rolled my body before getting on my knees and standing up again.
"ARGhh!!"
But the pain rushed again, several crystal spikes piercing my body and limbs at once.
The strength in my body wasn't enough to pull them out.
"Huff..."
But still, I stood up again, forming a crystalline ice blade at the gap of my knuckles as I looked up through my blurry eyes.
"...Your will is commendable." Delwyn remarked, walking slowly towards me. "...But it's unfortunate you don't know when to give up."
I swung my clenched fist backward at his face as soon as he was close enough, but he blocked it with a gentle wave of his hand.
"Urghh."
His hand blurred, and a punch landed low on my abdomen, making me roll my body as I got knocked off my feet into the air.
Boom!!!
But as if it wasn't enough, he grabbed me by my face before slamming me into the ground below.
My back ached in pain as I felt the ground below me crack like a spider web.
"...People love the first sight of the moon, but when they realize it's dark, they ask nothing more than the light." He forcefully grabbed my left hand, jerking me to my knees as he spoke.
"...Huff... Cough..."
Coughing, I looked up into his eyes, now holding a slight interest.
"....You know, I always believed that you are the [Exiled Prince]." He informed, looking into my eyes.
"...They called me a madman when I said this to my other leaders... They laughed, saying how could a manaless child be the one who will kill the daughters and sons of the Gods."
"Argh!!"
He tightened his grip on my arm, making me let out a muffled scream.
"...But you proved them wrong—all of us wrong." He beamed with a maddening smile on his face.
"...And now I will make sure you are the first priority of the Principalities."
My knuckles bled like crazy as I punched his body weakly, soaking his suit with my blood.
"....Right, weren't you trying desperately to protect her?" He asked, glancing at Inës.
I followed his gaze, seeing her fall to her knees, crying like a baby inside the barrier.
"...Just to be sure, I should kill her and pin the blame on you."
"...No."
Ignoring my weak protest, he extended his hand towards her.
A flower with sharp petals formed, ready to kill her in an instant....