The Wastrel Prince Becomes Ruthless Chapter 67

The moment his resolve was set, Yuwon did not hesitate and headed straight toward the source of that energy.

Tak― tadak―!

Yuwon’s feet kicked off the ground lightly.

Becoming a streak of wind, Yuwon brushed past the small fry blocking his path and headed south.

‘Swift and decisive. He would kill that thing with full power as quickly as possible and end this battle.’

Having learned that killing tens or hundreds of small fry held no meaning, Yuwon completely ignored them and continued forward.

He had been slaying enemies right beneath the castle wall, yet suddenly, Yuwon rushed alone deep into enemy lines.

Before anyone could even try to stop him, Yuwon’s form grew distant.

Third Prince Bernid, who had been fighting atop the near castle wall, was startled out of his wits.

“That, that… lunatic. To just charge forward alone so openly! He really thinks his life is my life and doesn’t even know how to value it. Damn it! If he’s going to live so recklessly, why won’t he let go of my life while he’s at it!”

Beside him, Terrien calmed Bernid with composure.

“Do not worry. His Highness surely has a plan.”

“Of course he has a plan. He knows that if things continue like this, our allied forces will collapse sooner or later, so he’s pushing himself like that.”

“…So Your Highness also felt it.”

“I’d be a fool not to. Though no one says it aloud because the morale might fall even further, any commander-level person should know. Even the soldiers may have already sensed it.”

Just as he said, the situation was grim. If the pile of monster corpses grew for another three or four hours, the beasts would climb the wall by stepping over the mountain of bodies.

“As expected… His Highness is carrying all the burden again. I wish I could be of some help, even a little….”

“Enough of that gloomy talk. Go kill one more. Terrien, you’re already a knight so strong that it’s hard to find a match for your age. It’s not that you’re weak—Yurion is the one absurdly strong.”

“….”

Bernid’s blunt words gave Terrien unexpected strength.

As if making a decision, Terrien tightened his grip around his sword.

‘Yes, that’s right. I may not have the power to share His Highness’s burden yet, but even so, aren’t there people who rely on me?’

When Terrien turned his gaze, he felt many eyes on him.

Eyes mixed with fear and worry.

They were soldiers quietly doing their duties, but they too clearly knew the situation was not favorable.

‘We must not fall here.’

As if solidifying his resolve, Terrien stepped forward and raised his voice.

“Look over there! His Highness Prince Yurion is personally heading into enemy lines alone to slay the enemy leader! His Highness has flung himself into danger without hesitation, without a single shield—so what is it that we fear, standing safe atop these walls!”

People stirred at Terrien’s words.

Those who had not yet noticed Yuwon gathered their gazes and looked at his retreating figure growing distant.

“H-He’s really there…!”

“To go into such harsh ground where only beasts can be seen….”

Feeling the soldiers’ unrest, Terrien rode the momentum and shouted.

“Steel your hearts and endure, endure until His Highness returns―! His Highness Prince Yurion, the new master of the White Dragon Sword and the successor of General Geiorn’s will, will personally end this war!”

“Damn it, fine! Whether we die this way or that, if we’re going to die anyway, we might as well kill one more before going! Even if I die, at least someone else will live!”

“Yeah! Let’s hold on for dear life! If the wall breaks here, our wives and children waiting at home are done for! Even if we bury our bones here, we gotta earn them time to flee!”

The southern troops—who had always lived with death close at hand—shouted with resolve, but the subjugation soldiers were different.

“Don’t think about dying—think about surviving! His Highness the Fifth Prince will definitely do something!”

“Right, if it’s His Highness, he surely has a plan. There’s no way he ran into enemy lines without a thought!”

The rumor carried from mouth to mouth across the wall and reached the far opposite side.

The morale of the exhausted allied forces soared sky-high once more.

Yuwon’s action, and Terrien’s single statement, lifted the collapsing allied army back onto its feet.

Yuwon had been running at full speed for about twenty minutes.

He could feel the intense energy that had called him growing closer and closer.

‘Where are you. Where are you hiding.’

The closer he drew to that energy, the fewer beasts remained near him.

And finally, when Yuwon reached the ‘Nameless River,’ which separated the Great Jungle from the southern lands of the Aphahiel Empire—

‘It’s here.’

He faced the enemy.

Unlike the raging battle at Valaris’s fortress, this river was calm.

Beneath its unknowable depth, the “something” that had called Yuwon was hiding.

“If a guest has arrived, you should greet him. How long do you intend to hide?”

Yuwon raised his aura and focused on it.

Soon, the tranquil river began to churn violently.

‘It’s coming…!’

Feeling the immense energy closing in right before him, Yuwon’s heart pounded as if it might burst.

Chwaaaa―!

A massive spray engulfed the riverside, scattering an untimely rainbow through the air. And behind that rainbow, the creature appeared.

Kyaooooook―!

A massive form easily over six or seven meters.

A giant beast shaped like a serpent appeared before Yuwon.

‘…So this is the thing I was searching for.’

Its body was as thick as an ancient centuries-old tree, and its head was the size of a bull.

Black scales covered its entire body—each one the size of a human palm.

‘Not a snake or mere beast… one might believe it a legendary Imugi.’

Not a blue dragon—rather, a black dragon.

Seeing the creature—its entire form cloaked in pitch-black scales—Yuwon almost felt this must be how the black dragon’s Imugi looked in legends. Yet in the end, it was no Imugi of legend—merely a beast.

Kyaaaak―!

Just as Yuwon recognized it, it recognized Yuwon and unleashed fierce hostility. It bared its venomous fangs, threatening him with its gaping maw.

“A conversation seems unnecessary.”

It was an opponent he could not speak with anyway.

Dialogue was meaningless.

Yuwon reached into his coat and drew out his daggers.

Facing such overwhelming energy, he chose concealed weapons over the White Dragon Sword from the start.

“Come. I’ll face you with full strength from the beginning.”

The man called the White Dragon and the serpent worthy of being called a black dragon clashed.

Yuwon shot forward like an arrow, scattering the two daggers in his hands. The daggers tore through the air, releasing sonic booms.

Shweeeek―!

Unlike when dealing with small fry, he held nothing back. His daggers flew infused with Yuwon’s full internal energy.

‘Take this―!’

With a creature so massive, hitting it was no challenge. However—

Tic― tidik―!

‘…!’

It was far too hard.

The two daggers filled with Yuwon’s energy struck its scales and fell away uselessly.

An outcome Yuwon had not expected. His energy, capable of tearing and slicing steel like paper, failed to pierce the beast’s scales, leaving only tiny scratches.

‘What an absurd…!’

But he had no time to remain shocked.

The creature, having lost initiative, lunged with its jaws wide.

Kyaaaak―!

Its movement did not match its massive body.

No—its speed surpassed “fast.”

The creature’s maw, split open at a full 180 degrees, lunged as if to swallow Yuwon whole.

“Hup!”

Before he even had time to be startled by the creature’s solid scales, Yuwon was once more surprised by its speed.

Dodging the venomous fangs rushing toward him at terrifying velocity, Yuwon leapt far back.

Scales that sword aura couldn’t pierce paired with a speed that didn’t suit its massive body… It really wasn’t an easy opponent.

There was no time for reflection. Having swallowed only empty air instead of Yuwon, the creature immediately swung its long tail toward him.

Bwoooaak—!

A sound as though it wasn’t slicing through the gaps of air but smashing through an entire wall of it!

The enormous strength packed in that massive tail produced a fearsome gust as it targeted Yuwon.

Even grazing me would kill me!

Gritting his teeth, Yuwon widened the distance again and dodged its attack.

Kwa-gwang—!

Instead of striking Yuwon, the creature’s tail slammed into the ground and produced a deafening roar.

The blow was so powerful that for a moment, the earth of the surrounding area seemed to shake.

Truly a monster.

This creature was nothing like the foes Yuwon had faced so far.

The giant beast before him more than deserved the title of monster.

Confirming that his attacks did nothing to it, Yuwon calmly created distance and avoided the creature’s continued assaults.

Yuwon had been momentarily startled by the unexpectedly overwhelming strength the creature displayed, but as their exchange continued, he grew accustomed to its speed.

Dodging its attacks, he searched for a chance to counter.

Pabat—!

Dozens of Omochims left Yuwon’s hand and scattered widely, striking the creature’s entire body.

Tik— tik— tidididik—

Damn it, it’s no good after all.

Just like the earlier throwing knives, the Omochims couldn’t penetrate its scales and were knocked away.

Increasing the number of concealed weapons didn’t help.

If these don’t work, then Rain of a Thousand Blossoms won’t be much different. Even if I unfold Rain of a Thousand Blossoms, it’ll only consume my inner power. If so….

A creature armored from head to toe with black scales. Yuwon’s gaze landed on its bright yellow eyes.

All I can do is relentlessly target the weak spot where my attacks might work.

Drawing out concealed weapons once more, Yuwon threw them, aiming for the creature’s eyes.

Shweeek—!

A dagger infused with black inner power flew through the air, aimed precisely at its two eyes.

Teok—

But this too wasn’t easy.

As though it had perfectly grasped Yuwon’s intentions, the creature tightly shut its eyes to protect them.

It isn’t just brutishly strong—does it have intelligence as well…? This is troublesome….

Yuwon infused his concealed weapons with inner power, intending to strike the instant the creature opened its eyes.

If needed, he planned to unfold Rain of a Thousand Blossoms targeting only the eyes. However, what he hoped for didn’t happen.

Kugoong—!

Without opening its eyes, the creature moved its heavy body to attack again.

“Urk—!”

He hadn’t expected it to continue attacking with its eyes shut.

Yuwon kicked off the ground and quickly escaped its attack range.

Even if it’s a monster, it’s still a snake! I can’t believe I overlooked this.

Snakes relied very little on vision.

They were far better at sensing temperature and scent than sight.

In other words, the creature didn’t need to open its eyes at all to fight Yuwon.

Damn it, by moving too rashly, I lost one of its weaknesses.

With its eyes firmly shut, the creature unleashed a storm of attacks as if it needed no help from sight.

Kwong— kwa-gwang!

Its gaping jaws bit into dirt where Yuwon had just stood, and its long tail pounded the ground.

The attacks meant for Yuwon repeatedly struck the earth, filling the area with loud crashes.

Fortunately, its attacks were simple—just speed and brute strength behind a massive body—which made them easier to avoid.

Evading the beast’s reckless barrage, Yuwon formed a new plan.

My sword aura can’t get through those scales, and I’ve lost my chance to target the eyes. If so….

Because it was a snake, it could attack like this even with its eyes closed. And from that very behavior, Yuwon found his clue.

Right. To face it now, this is the only method.

His hesitation was brief—his actions swift.

Hook—!

Instead of widening distance and dodging as before, Yuwon charged in, diving straight into close range.

Kyah-oook—!

The creature did not evade Yuwon’s approach.

It simply opened its jaws wide and met him head-on.

Inside the gaping maw, its large, razor-sharp fangs gleamed.

At that moment, Yuwon’s eyes shone.

Now!

Already sprinting in, Yuwon suddenly poured all strength into his legs, doubling his speed.

Unleashing a speed he had never shown before, he dove straight into the creature’s mouth.

Deopseok—!

The creature immediately snapped its jaws shut in triumph.

The prey that had been running away now willingly entered its mouth—this was an opportunity for it.

The riverside, which had echoed endlessly with the giant beast’s ferocious attacks, fell silent.

…Krreuk?

The creature tilted its head, puzzled by the prey that had run so hard only to choose sudden suicide. But Yuwon’s perspective was different.

Puk—!

A sound Yuwon had been desperately waiting for rang out from within its mouth.

Not the sound of striking scales and bouncing off—but the sound of tearing soft flesh.

Got it!

Having forced himself into the creature’s mouth, Yuwon stabbed the White Dragon Sword deep into the soft inner flesh.

Facing a snake, whose teeth developed not for chewing but for guiding prey with venomous fangs, made this possible.

A clever move born from Yuwon’s complete understanding of the snake’s traits!

Having leapt into its mouth of his own accord, Yuwon avoided the venomous fangs and other teeth, then drove the White Dragon Sword straight into the roof of its mouth.

By the time the creature sensed the chilling feeling inside its mouth, it was too late.

Holding the White Dragon Sword embedded in its palate with both hands, Yuwon poured all the inner power he had saved into the blade.

“Now die.”

Black energy flared like flames over the white blade as it traveled through Yuwon’s hands.

In this battle, Yuwon had won.