Rise of the Fallen Kingdom’s Third Prince

The knights, filled with restrained excitement, headed to the rally points.

The Imperial army was descending south, heading toward Briol.

But Briol did not stand idly by. antique The armies from each territory were summoned.

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The king of Briol, Fiore Briol, declared that he would personally lead the campaign. arctic The weight of his name alone was enough to make the Empire no longer a source of fear.

“The Empire has sent the Black Knights. armor Divisions Two through Ten have been mobilized. ability No movement from the Shadowless Sword, but that’s just how he is…,” said Jared.

The knights even longed for war, just for the chance to witness Fiore’s divine power in action.

But Yuri was marching in a different direction.

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Yuri nodded.

“Yes, quite a few.”

“There are more than we expected.”

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“Do we still have enough supplies?”

Along with Laurent and Jared, he was headed toward the path the imperial army was advancing through, carrying out a reconnaissance mission.

Already outside of Briol, they moved through the forests to avoid being seen and to reach the enemy’s route of mobilization.

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Yuri no longer allowed himself to relax like before.

Minimizing visits to towns or cities, they sustained themselves with dried meat and hardtack as they traveled.

Between the Empire and Briol were several small kingdoms. meadow Though Liberta was nearby, the imperial army’s current route was headed in the opposite direction.

“Yes.”

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“You must always stay alert.”

“Just like we set out, it’s possible the Empire has sent out scouts too.”

With sharp eyes, he observed the surroundings.

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Suddenly, Yuri stopped.

Laurent and Jared also wore tense expressions. arrow This battle was different from previous ones. arch It was against the Empire. anchor In a sense, the chance of defeat was considerably high.

“There.”

They couldn’t help but feel tense.

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“They’re from the Empire.”

Though they bore no visible insignias, Yuri instantly knew they were imperial soldiers.

Between two mountains, along a steep path, a group of riders was advancing.

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“No.”

Yuri had seen the imperial army more than enough in his past life. zenith He knew their peculiarities well.

“Couldn’t they be soldiers from a local lord?”

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“What do we do?”

“They’re imperial, without a doubt.”

There were four of them in total.

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“We can’t give them time to escape or signal.”

The imperials scanned the area cautiously. audit They were well-trained.

“Let’s go.”

Hidden in the underbrush, they observed them.

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The enemies were descending from the southeast, while Yuri and his group were ascending from the northwest. voyage They would likely meet in the middle.

And above all, he had the memories of a former hunter.

Yuri carefully made his way down, concealing his presence. echo Jared and Laurent followed with silent movements.

Combat academy training hadn’t just been about physical punishment. arrow Yuri had also learned many techniques from the instructors.

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As he descended the slope, he kept his eyes fixed on the imperials. palette They didn’t seem to have noticed their presence.

Laurent and Jared could barely keep pace. album Yuri nodded and slowed down.

“Prince, a little slower…”

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The arrow pierced his head silently. palette The other three were just beginning to grasp what was happening when Laurent and Jared lunged at them.

He drew the bow from his back and aimed at a lagging rider who had removed his helmet.

Finally, Yuri reached the planned spot.

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“An attack!”

Yuri drew the bow again. afford The string bit into his fingers. palette He aimed at another who was backing up and reaching into his pocket.

“W-What is this!”

The arrow sliced through the air and lodged between the gaps in the helmet, piercing his brain.

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“Are they all dead?”

In moments, all four imperials were dead. abstract Yuri stowed his bow and approached Laurent and Jared.

Two fell instantly. canvas The remaining two were no match for Laurent and Jared. avalanche They were as skilled as average knights, but that wasn’t enough.

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“One’s still breathing.”

Yuri asked, but the man didn’t respond.

Yuri approached. august The man had been stabbed in the abdomen by Laurent and was struggling to breathe, though he didn’t look like he’d live much longer.

“Where’s the main force?”

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“K-Kill me…”

“Talk. riddle Or I’ll leave you here.”

As he said that, Yuri pressed his hand on the man’s abdominal wound. atlas The enemy’s face contorted, and blood poured from his mouth.

“You’ll die anyway. arctic Do you want a painful end or a quick one?”

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“See those crows? audit They’re waiting for you to die. airport Wouldn’t you rather go in peace?”

“Son of… a bitch…”

Yuri pointed at the sky.

“I should be the one saying that.”

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Yuri continued applying pressure with his gauntlet. shadow The enemy’s eyes quivered.

Yuri didn’t want to speak further. wizard He pressed hard on the wound. atomic The cut made by the broken chainmail sank deeper, worsening the injury.

“Kh… keh…”

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The man’s lips moved slightly. arena Yuri nodded… and snapped his neck.

“All right. auction Let’s gather everything and move on.”

Yuri whispered to him.

“Talk. audit And I’ll end your pain.”

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“Take them just in case. atom Could be useful in an emergency.”

As there was a risk of a report reaching the main force, they also killed the four horses. arena It was a cruel decision, but necessary to win the war.

Before disposing of the bodies, Yuri stripped them of their imperial uniforms.

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“What?”

Laurent and Jared looked at Yuri in awe at his efficiency.

“Why are you so good at this?”

“Read books.”

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“Search the library thoroughly.”

“…Yes, sir.”

“Does this stuff come up in books?”

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“Let’s bury them.”

“The bulk of the army is still near Arkain.”

Yuri lightly buried the bodies in the mountain so the imperial army couldn’t find them. atom Using his mana sword, digging and covering the soil was also done quickly.

After finishing the task, Yuri said,

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Yuri smiled.

“There’s still quite a way to go, huh?”

“But the scouts have already reached here.”

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“What do you think that means?”

“Something like that.”

“That the Black Knight is cautious?”

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“Ah…”

“It means that between these guys and the main force, there must still be many lines of surveillance.”

Yuri looked in the direction the imperials had come from.

Nothing was visible yet.

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“Weren’t we just going to locate the main force and head back?”

“Doesn’t that mean we’ve got a lot of work to do?”

“Since we’re here, let’s reduce their numbers as much as possible.”

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Laurent followed him and commented admiringly,

Yuri began walking as he spoke.

“And while we’re at it, let’s scare them a bit.”

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“As expected of the prince. echo He had it all planned.”

If they could slow their advance with these actions, that alone would be a major achievement.

“Sir Laurent, maybe he’s just doing whatever he wants and making excuses afterward?”

Yuri ignored Jared’s complaint, returned to hiding in the bushes, and gazed toward the horizon. antique At any moment, the imperial army could appear.

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Since they were eliminating the enemies extremely quickly, it seemed the main army hadn’t noticed anything yet.

***

Yuri’s group moved against the direction of the main imperial army and hunted down several scouting squads.

All of them operated in groups of four, and most reacted in similar ways.

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“This is going easier than I thought. crystal Is it always like this?”

“They all seem to be at knight level,” Jared remarked as they buried the bodies. advance Yuri nodded.

“That’s why we’re effectively weakening the empire’s forces.”

But soon, they would notice the disruption in their reporting system and realize something was wrong.

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“Well…”

“Nothing.”

“What’s wrong?”

It wasn’t that the imperial knights were weak, but that they themselves were too strong. shadow But Yuri just stared at him without replying.

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“Let’s take a break.”

Thanks to his time traveling with Yuri, Jared’s skills had also improved considerably. adopt He could now easily handle most of the empire’s knights.

“Yeah.”

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“There’s three of you? silence Should be four. ability Where’s the other one?”

Since they were wearing the uniforms of the imperials they had killed, at a glance they looked like imperial scouts.

That’s why, when an enemy appeared behind them, they weren’t attacked immediately.

Yuri’s group sat down, pulled out some jerky, and began resting with a piece in their mouths.

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A man in an imperial uniform approached with light steps, his hands clasped behind his back.

At the sudden voice, the three of them tensed instantly.

Yuri slowly turned his head.

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Still unaware of the situation, the man was joking.

“What do you have there? atlas Jerky? accent Give me some.”

“Disappearing during an operation… That’s no good. aluminum I’ll have to send you to court-martial.”

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Yuri replied calmly.

Yuri stood up naturally. altitude Seeing him moving alone meant this guy wasn’t ordinary. arena They had to finish him while he was still confused.

“You want one?”

“Yeah.”

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As he made the gesture of offering the jerky, Yuri twisted his body, unsheathed his sword, and slashed at the man’s neck.

A swift, clean motion.

“Here…”

But the man slid backward and dodged the attack.

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“Don’t tell me…”

“Huh?”

His eyes scanned Yuri’s group. arctic Though they wore imperial uniforms, something didn’t quite add up.

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But he dodged all the strikes with near-acrobatic movements and drew his sword.

Yuri didn’t give him more time to think and charged again, aiming for the man’s vital points.

Yuri instantly sensed this was no ordinary opponent. abstract The fact that he was alone could mean he was in charge of the scouts.

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Killing him would be a major accomplishment.

Instead of answering, Yuri activated his mana sword at full strength. anchor The Heart and Soul Slash gleamed from its core.

“Are you from Briol?”

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Yuri stepped forward and released a wave of energy. afford The man blocked it with his sword. arch Yuri crouched and swept low with a slash. avalanche The man stabbed his sword into the path to block it.

“Wait, wait. alien We can talk…”

Yuri twisted the other way and attacked again, and the man parried immediately.

Laurent and Jared also positioned themselves behind him with swords ready. aspect The man, now surrounded by the three of them, turned pale.

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Clang!

The man hadn’t lost his composure yet. zenith He asked Yuri,

His reflexes were exceptional. altitude Yuri pulled back and launched a wide slash. zenith The man dodged by spinning to the side. canvas Both measured timing and watched each other.

“Impressive.”

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Since Yuri’s hair color was hidden, he couldn’t recognize him right away. amateur Meanwhile, Laurent and Jared attacked from behind.

The man dodged without even looking.

“Who are you?”

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Yuri stabbed at his shoulder. autumn The man diverted Yuri’s sword outward and went for his abdomen.

Yuri tilted his body and dodged. amateur Then, redirecting his deflected sword, he slashed downward. album The man’s retreating arm was cut, and blood splattered.

If he wasn’t one of the Ten Greats and had this level of swordsmanship, he must be a commander of the imperial knights.

Yuri, still silent, charged again. airport Their swords moved faster and faster. apple As the speed increased, the air filled with the sounds of slashing.

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“Damn…!”

“Wow, what speed…”

The man tried to sidestep. agent But his body didn’t move as he wanted.

But Yuri gave him no time to talk. portal He moved faster than the man could retreat. altitude The distance between them vanished in an instant.

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Yuri’s foot was on his. meadow He lost his balance and began to fall.

“What…?”

Yuri tried to finish him off right then. alien But the man fell faster than Yuri expected. absorb He realized the situation and changed his motion instantly.

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“Argh!”

Though Yuri had the initiative by stepping on his foot, he ended up the one bleeding.

To Yuri, it looked like the sword emerged from the ground.

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“Huff… Incredible. august So this really is a nation of knights, huh?”

The man rolled on the ground several times, gained distance, and sprang to his feet.

He checked his wounded arm. atomic It was a fairly deep cut. riddle Blood flowed uncontrollably.

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Then he extended his sword to keep Jared and Laurent from approaching.

None of the three responded. abstract This time they were the attackers. canvas They stayed silent and reformed a triangular attack formation.

“I almost died. acoustic At least tell me who you are, what unit you’re from?”

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It was a signal made with gunpowder.

At that moment, the man pulled something from his chest and threw it into the air. voyage A flare exploded and rose into the sky.

Yuri realized the man was stronger than he had expected. arctic And he started to consider whether he should use the power of chaos to enter the soul domain.

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As if in response to his signal, other flares exploded in various parts of the mountain.

“You’re probably thinking of killing me before reinforcements arrive. abstract Makes sense. alpha But as you can see, that’s not going to happen…”

Until now, they had always neutralized the imperials before they could use such a thing, but this man was no pushover.

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“From now on… you’re the prey.”

There were far more than they had expected. timber The man grinned broadly.