I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

153 - Overwhelming (1)

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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Episode 153, Chapter 42: Overwhelming (1)

There were two ways to reach the City of Light, Lezero.

One was by magic train, the other on foot.

Most people now entered Lezero using the more efficient and convenient magic train, but there were still some who preferred to walk.

On one of the less-traveled paths leading to Lezero, two humans and a giant were making their way towards the City of Light.

"Is that Lezero?" asked the giant, clad in leather clothes with unkempt hair and beard, as he looked towards the city.

The giant's name was Turzan.

He was one of the 'Seven Heavens' and known as the 'Steel Mountain', one of the strongest beings of the current era.

"Yeah. Isn't it obvious? But why the long face? You look like you don't want to go," Rain Dranir asked, noticing the giant's uneasy expression as she walked beside him.

"I don't believe in the God of Light."

"You're saying God exists, but you don't believe in him?"

"Just because something exists doesn't mean you have to believe in it."

"...What's that supposed to mean?"

As Rain's face twisted in confusion, Turzan turned to the silver-haired woman, the hero, walking ahead of them and asked, "Why are we heading to that city now?"

"There's a new companion we need to meet there."

"Companion?"

"Yes, it's almost time for her awakening."

As she answered, the woman recalled Elysis Desire, who had been in charge of support and healing in her party before the regression.

How many crises had they overcome thanks to Elysis's miraculous healing and support abilities in the past?

No matter how she thought about it, there was no one who could replace Elysis, making her an essential addition to the party.

'Well, that's true for all my companions.'

The woman intended to form her party as close to the one before her regression as possible.

She wanted to prove that she, no, they, hadn't been wrong.

If she didn't do this, it felt like all the sacrifices and deaths she'd witnessed before her regression would have been in vain.

'There are still a few things that aren't quite right, though...'

As the woman thought about Tirian Prieharden, who she hadn't been able to recruit last time, something happened.

"!!!!!!!!"

As if on cue, all three of them turned their heads towards the sky above Lezero in the distance.

A gloomy light spread from the center of the city, darkening the sky.

Their eyes filled with shock and bewilderment as they gazed at the light.

"That's..."

The power of an immense authority, so strong it could be felt even at this distance from the city.

As the woman stood frozen for a moment, sensing that power, an even greater doubt filled her eyes.

"Why now...!"

That power clearly belonged to 'that being'.

The fallen angel, Belial.

The one who had rebelled against the God of Light, Luminous, and was sealed in the city as punishment.

Why had this being, who shouldn't appear for another year, suddenly emerged now?

"Quickly, to the city!"

With those urgent words, the woman's body shot forward at a speed incomparable to before.

The other two also began to pick up their pace, following her.

* * *

It was as if time had stopped.

Everyone in the square had frozen, crushed by the pressure emanating from the angel.

Thud.

The angel with seven pairs of black wings began to walk slowly through the silent square.

'Ah...'

As people's despair-filled groans circled in their minds, unable to escape their lips,

"Heh... Hehehahahaha!"

Suddenly, a loud laugh echoed through the square.

It wasn't the angel laughing.

It was a demon leaning against the broken statue, his body in tatters.

It was Gullihur.

"How does it feel to see the sun after so long, angel? I'm the one who broke your seal."

Gullihur called out in an ecstatic voice as the angel turned its head towards him.

The plan he had been preparing for decades was finally reaching its climax.

Everything would be perfect once they destroyed this city and returned to the demon realm.

"Now, let's smash this disgusting City of Light together."

The demon couldn't even conceive of the possibility that the fallen angel might reject his proposal.

After all, they both shared an extreme hatred for the God of Light and a desire to destroy this city.

But the angel's, Belial's, next words completely overturned his expectations.

-Why should I listen to a filthy demon?

The voice was filled with such immense divinity that it could destroy the mind of an ordinary person just by hearing it.

"...What?"

As Gullihur repeated with a dumbfounded expression,

-And don't speak to me. I feel like your foul stench is sticking to my body.

With another voice filled with disgust, CRACK!

Without any warning, Gullihur's entire upper body turned to dust and scattered.

Then, CRACKLE!

The bodies of the other demons nearby began to disintegrate in the same manner as Gullihur.

It was a scene so bizarre that even those watching couldn't understand what was happening.

And this was the pathetic end of Gullihur, who had been lurking in the City of Light for decades.

-Erasing this city and everything related to light is something I alone must do. That is the very reason for my existence in this world.

With those words, Belial turned his gaze from the vanished Gullihur back to the people, including Elysis.

WHOOSH!

A rain of holy power made of light began to fall, covering the entire sky above the square.

This holy rain both dealt damage to the fallen angel and neutralized the pressure crushing the people.

Along with this,

"Stop him! We must prevent that being from harming the city at all costs!"

New forces began to enter the square.

They were far stronger and more numerous than the reinforcements Archbishop Verdio had brought earlier.

These were the elite forces that had attacked the six seal sites and additional forces sent by the Order.

Had they finally acknowledged the gravity of the situation?

Among them were the other archbishops currently in the Order, and even one of the only two apostles.

Though their eyes were filled with shock at the sight of the already freed Belial, they also held a desperate sense of duty to stop the fallen angel somehow.

"Oh! Reinforcements have arrived!"

Meanwhile, the original forces, now completely free from the residual pressure, joined the new reinforcements and began to unleash the highest-tier holy spells at the fallen angel.

BOOM!

'At this rate...!'

Elysis, who had once again spread her wings of light to support them, felt a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

The power of the fallen angel Belial was formidable.

The presence emanating from him was so overwhelming it was hard to breathe.

But the Order of Light had also poured all of the city's forces into this battle.

Moreover, from what she could see, the angel seemed somewhat incomplete.

As if the seal hadn't been fully broken.

That's why Elysis thought they had some chance of victory.

For a brief moment, at least.

"Light, grant me strength!"

One of the five special-class holy knights, whose status rivaled that of an archbishop in the Order, shot forward in a straight line towards the staggering fallen angel.

Holy light enveloped his entire body like armor, pushing back even Belial's authority that had engulfed the square.

Appearing instantly before the fallen angel as if he had traversed space, the holy knight swung his sword vertically downwards, putting all his strength into the strike from the start.

It was a monstrous blow that could easily shatter even a high-ranking demon.

But that strike never reached Belial.

Before it could, TAP-

It was blocked by a single finger of the fallen angel, raised as casually as if swatting a fly.

BOOM!

A shockwave belatedly erupted from where the sword and finger met.

"...!"

As the special-class holy knight's eyes wavered at this unprecedented sight, POP!

Just like Gullihur moments ago, his head exploded without warning.

And following that, POP POP POP!

The heads of dozens of elite holy knights who had charged in after him began to explode.

"It's the authority of rebellion! We must block that authority!"

One of the archbishops who noticed what this power was, shouted urgently.

In response, all the remaining priests deployed holy defense spells, but it was of little use.

Belial lightly pressed his finger against the air, as if dotting a point.

A single wave originating from the angel's fingertip spread out in concentric circles across the entire square.

CRASH!

All the holy spells shattered like glass the moment they touched this wave.

No, not just the spells, but everything the wave touched was being destroyed.

Even people.

Seeing the Order's forces rapidly dwindling like this, perhaps realizing this couldn't go on...

"Almighty Light! This unworthy servant borrows your authority!"

Apostle Kalemison stepped forward and unleashed the strongest holy spell he could use.

Divine Manifestation.

It was a spell that only an apostle could cast, directly manifesting a part of Luminous's divinity through their body, rather than using the indirect power of holy energy.

It was so taxing that it could cost one's life, but now was not the time to worry about such things.

WHOOSH!

Luminous's miracle, realized on this earth by Kalemison, instantly enveloped Belial's entire body.

The fallen angel lowered his head and trembled, as if it was having an effect.

The apostle and the surrounding priests clenched their fists at this sight.

-Ah, it's been so long since I felt Mother's power.

With those words, Belial slightly raised his head and smiled faintly.

At that moment, the light enveloping the fallen angel's body turned black in an instant, and SPLAT!

Kalemison's entire body burst into a mass of blood.

The apostle, one of the top three most powerful individuals in the Order.

As people's eyes shook at the apostle's utterly futile death, RUMBLE!

Once again, an immense pressure spread out from the fallen angel, who had fully spread his wings, mercilessly crushing everything around him.

"ARGH!"

Satisfaction filled Belial's face as he heard the screams erupting from people's mouths.

-Servants of my beloved and revered Mother.

An emotionless voice slowly flowed from his lips.

-Watch closely as everything you've built crumbles to dust.

The moment those words ended, WHOOSH!

A single resonance flowing out from Belial began to spread throughout the entire city in an instant.

It was a call.

A call to summon his army.

In response to that call, CRACK!

Spaces all over the city began to split open, and countless monstrous beings with a single black wing on their backs poured out.

The army of the fallen who had once followed Belial in opposing the God of Light, Luminous.

A portion of that army was now revealing itself here once again.

"W-What are these monsters... Urk!"

"KYAAAH!"

"G-God save us... ARGH!"

CRASH!

In an instant, chaos engulfed the entire city.

A man, paralyzed with fear, was torn apart by a monster.

A woman, trying to escape with her child, collapsed with her heart pierced.

A priest, resisting with holy power, had his neck ripped out.

"Ah..."

Deep helplessness filled Elysis's eyes as she watched this hellish scene, still pinned down by the pressure the angel was emitting.

A disaster.

Yes, this was a disaster.

A disaster that no mortal being could ever stand against.

There was such a vast gulf between them and this angel with seven pairs of black wings.

She couldn't think of any way to win.

No, she couldn't even think of a way to endure.

How could humans possibly face something like this?

Even if all the 'Seven Heavens' came, it wouldn't change the situation.

At that moment,

-A child of angels, I see.

Belial, who had been absorbing Luminous's holy power from the scattered corpses, suddenly turned towards Elysis with a strange expression.

-Absorbing you would help me recover my strength even faster.

The fallen angel then smiled and reached out a hand towards her.

Corrupted divinity began to gather at his fingertips.

'So in the end, I couldn't repay or protect anything...'

As deep despair appeared behind the helplessness in Elysis's eyes as she watched this,

-I'll make good use of your blood.

Just as Belial's authority was about to shoot towards her heart...

------------------!

For a moment.

Just for a brief moment, everything stopped.

As if all the time in the world had frozen.

In this frozen world...

The eyes of every being in the city, including Belial, slowly began to turn towards the sky.

It wasn't as if someone had given an order.

Nor was it a prearranged signal.

They just felt they had to look.

And there...

'He' was there.

Age, gender, appearance - all were indiscernible.

All that could be seen was a blurry silhouette and the fact that he was holding a sword.

But it was impossible to look away.

The immeasurable dignity flowing from 'him' wouldn't allow it.

"Ah..."

Before this transcendent presence that defied comprehension, all one could do was gaze up in awe and let out a dazed voice.

Then, WHOOSH-

'He' began to raise his sword above his head.

As if moving through deep water.

The sword rising very slowly.

Along with this,

'That's...'

Alarm bells began to ring madly in the fallen angel's mind as he watched this sight.

Dangerous.

Truly dangerous.

He couldn't even begin to guess what this suddenly appeared being was.

But one thing was certain - the moment that sword swung down, something unimaginably terrifying would happen.

Meanwhile, the tip of 'his' sword continued to rise towards the sky.

RUMBLE!

In response, the city - no, the world - began to twist and scream.

Friction.

Friction exists in all things in the world.

It's one of the most important concepts that make up the world, a force that allows a being to maintain its existence by sharing and combining the smallest units of its components.

What would happen if such friction disappeared?

WHOOSH!

As if taking aim at a target.

Small flames of darkness began to ignite on the bodies of all the fallen army in the city, including Belial.

-No... NO!!!

Had he finally realized what was about to happen?

FWOOSH!

With his pupils dilated to their limit, Belial let out a desperate cry and rushed madly towards 'him'.

The army of the fallen began to surge towards the sky, following the fallen angel.

But by then, it was already...

-STOP!!!

The sword of 'him' - no, the Emperor - which had been fully raised, was already swinging down.

Concept Denial.

A unique authority that only the Eternal Emperor Aurellion could use.

The ultimate power obtained by the Emperor at the peak of the Black Star, cutting through even the laws that form the foundation of the world.

Finally.

The moment the tip of the Emperor's sword fully pointed downwards, SWISH.

The friction of all the fallen army in the world vanished.

---

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