Rise of the Fallen Kingdom’s Third Prince

Cedric descended from the ceiling and landed.

His figure became clearer.

Yuri could instinctively sense that this was the real Cedric.

The energy radiating from him confirmed it beyond doubt.

The Cedric he had seen on the surface, the one constantly switching bodies, was nothing more than an illusion.

The true enemy who mastered black magic, who had opened the door to another world and brought chaos to the land, had finally appeared before Yuri.

“I wanted to show you this place.”

Cedric spread both arms wide.

“This will be the center of the new world I’m going to create.”

Yuri smirked sarcastically.

“Shutting yourself away in a damp, moldy hole?”

“I don’t like the sun. I can’t control it.”

“What?”

“I want to build a city where I can control absolutely everything. The light, the temperature, even the flow of the seasons. It will be perfect.”

“So that’s why you built a city where the sun can’t reach?”

“Exactly.”

“You’re insane.”

“From the point of view of monkeys, it’s hard to understand humans. And the reverse is true as well.”

“I’m sick of your monkey stories.”

Yuri raised Guilty.

“Just die with me, bastard.”

“Before that…”

Cedric suddenly curved the corner of his lips.

“How does it feel?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That your little friend betrayed you.”

He clutched his stomach as if unable to contain his laughter, then burst out laughing.

“You fell for it? You believed it? You thought the whole world was on your side? Hahahahahaha…”

Cedric raised his voice even louder.

“I brought you here. This is my world. I told you, here I can do whatever I want. Admit it, Yuri. You’re strong, incredibly strong, maybe as strong as me. But not here. I thought about how to lure you to this place…”

He pointed at Cory.

“All I had to do was send Cory. Now Cory is my loyal friend. How does it feel, Yuri? To be betrayed? You didn’t expect it, did you?”

Yuri stared at Cedric. The man was laughing as if he were truly enjoying himself.

“Cedric.”

“What?”

“Have you been really frustrated this whole time?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m guessing it pissed you off that I kept slipping out of your ‘brilliant predictions.’ I’d love to show you your idiotic smile in a mirror right now.”

Cedric, who had been laughing without pause, suddenly stopped.

“Yes, I knew you’d say something like that.”

“Oh, really?”

“Cory.”

Cedric called to Cory.

“Attack Yuri!”

But Cory didn’t move, only shifting his eyes.

“What’s wrong? Hurry, attack Yuri!”

“Cedric, it’s the other way around. Cory tricked you.”

Yuri grinned broadly, taunting him.

“Cory never betrayed me. He put himself under your command to sabotage you.”

“What nonsense is that?”

Cedric shook his head.

“Yuri, you’ve never really looked at that man. Because everyone loves you, you have no idea how Cory feels, being hated by everyone.”

“Oh, really?”

“Cory, you say it. Whose side are you on? Mine or Yuri’s?”

Cory stepped back without answering. Cedric slowly nodded.

“I get it now.”

He ran a hand through his hair and smiled again.

“That pathetic little thing is hesitating again. He’s afraid Yuri might win, so he doesn’t dare openly show whose side he’s on. Just like a rat scurrying back and forth.”

“I… I…”

“Cory, I saw what you feel. When you saw a friend as ruined and vile as yourself, you felt pure joy. I’ve never seen such a pure feeling. From anyone.”

Cedric nodded.

“I understand you, Cory.”

Cory opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The air around him had frozen.

He couldn’t breathe, and his face contorted.

“Cedric!”

Yuri rushed at him with Guilty.

Cedric snapped his fingers briefly. Cory, who had been frozen in place, was struck by something invisible and sent flying, crashing into the ground.

Yuri accelerated even more.

“You bastard…!”

“Yes, none of that matters anymore.”

Cedric spread both hands, and a dark wave of black energy surged toward Yuri.

He rolled across the ground to dodge it, then advanced and swung his sword.

The energy of The Cut of the soul and the heart infused the blade, shredding the black magic protecting Cedric’s body and slicing its way inside.

He hit him.

At that moment, a powerful repulsive force hurled Yuri backward.

“Kuh!”

Yuri slid across the ground for several meters before using the momentum to rise again.

Cedric was rising into the air.

“From the beginning, it’s always been about one thing, Yuri. I just had to kill you.”

“And you think you can?”

“I watched you for fun, and that was my mistake.”

From a light embedded in the ceiling of the underground city, a luminous pillar descended and wrapped around Cedric.

Suspended in the middle of the light, he spread his arms.

From his back, dark strands like tentacles emerged, stretching in all directions.

[But now that you’ve come all the way here, it’s over for you.]

Yuri, Guilty in hand, looked from Cedric to the light source.

He knew destroying it would be the only way to seal Cedric forever. But attacking it would be too difficult—too deep from the surface, too high from underground.

And Cedric was surrounded by a power that made him seem more invincible than ever.

Yuri gripped Guilty and steadied his breathing.

Then, he smiled.

It was ridiculous for him to be calculating strategies at this point.

His decision had been made a long time ago—on the day he returned to the past… no, even before that.

When he saw the royal palace of Briol burning, he had thought he would give up anything if he could change everything.

He had already prepared himself mentally back then.

And now, before him stood his mortal enemy, and in his hand was the sword to kill him.
It didn’t matter how strong Cedric was.

Yuri inhaled deeply.

And exhaled.

Breathing was the foundation of mana control. Through it, he expelled all distractions and useless thoughts.

He emptied himself of doubt and fear, leaving room for something new—pure determination to kill Cedric.

From the depths of his being, a bloodlust welled up, filling his mind and body completely.

He crushed without mercy the hesitation holding him back and advanced.

Cedric watched him from above, his dark wings fluttering like some underworld god from mythology, ruler of the subterranean world.

Yuri tapped Guilty’s hilt with his fingers. In his mind, he pictured Cedric with his wings shredded, falling and crashing into the ground, a sword through him and blood gushing out, begging for his life.

But there would be no mercy.

That image became will, and his core, responding to the bloodlust, pumped mana furiously.

Chaos.

The possibility of achieving anything. It covered Yuri’s entire body.

And then he vanished.

Even Cedric, floating high above, looked around in confusion.

In the underground city, he was practically a god. He didn’t believe Yuri could deceive his senses.

He opened his mouth and called his enemy’s name.

[Yuri?]

The reply came instantly.

“Why?”

Out of nowhere, Yuri appeared behind Cedric.

[Huh?]

As Cedric let out a sound of confusion and moved his tentacles, Yuri’s sword slashed his back.

With a metallic sound, Cedric let out a scream.

“Kraaaaaaaah…!”

His howl echoed through the underground.

From where his wings had been severed, a crimson darkness gushed in thick torrents—redder than blood and blacker than night, filling Yuri’s vision.

Even so, he didn’t close his eyes. The black magic grazed his corneas, but he didn’t look away. Even as the malignant energy invaded his nerves through the mucous membranes, he kept his fierce gaze fixed.

Without losing sight of his enemy, he swung Guilty again.

Chaotic possibilities expanded and collapsed endlessly. Yuri seized the one he desired and embedded it into both himself and his enemy—maximizing the damage Cedric would take while reducing his own to nearly nothing.

Stepping on the darkness Cedric spewed, Yuri launched himself into the air.

Every time the enemy tried to evade, Yuri was already there, waiting to pierce him.

Cedric’s body was impaled dozens, hundreds of times. His contained life energy spilled out in torrents.

Cedric screamed like it was a final death cry.

[Yuri Briol!]

In that moment, Yuri could do anything. With just a faint intent, a whirlwind of fractals tore the enemy’s body into pieces.

If he felt him far away, he pierced him from a distance with a cut that crossed space itself.

“Die.”

Yuri’s speed surged.

No matter how desperately Cedric resisted, Yuri gave him no room to breathe. His chaotic power flared in unison again.

Not even the smallest gap was left.

He drove Guilty into Cedric’s abdomen and tried to tear him apart with a whirlwind, but black magic halted the rotation.

After a moment of clashing force, Yuri used his other fist to smash Cedric’s face. Then, he grabbed the wings that had regrown.

“Cedric!”

With a voice dripping with hatred, Yuri shouted his name. Cedric also called his, unleashing his power.

White and black energy collided.

Even in the midst of that fierce clash, Yuri didn’t let go. The two of them fell together to the underground floor, and with a great crash, they were blasted apart in opposite directions.

Rolling along the ground for a good distance, Yuri stood up again.

With the vision of mental dominion, he immediately located Cedric. Without hesitation, he leapt toward him.

His battered muscles screamed in pain, but Yuri ignored them. A broken body meant nothing.

Before Cedric could rise, he stabbed Guilty into him again.

Cedric let out another groan.

“Is that all?”

Yuri pulled the sword out and stabbed again. Instead of blood, crimson darkness kept pouring endlessly.

“Only this much, Cedric?”

It was literally a slaughter. If he were an ordinary human, it would be impossible to witness.

But Cedric didn’t die. Even impaled, he smiled.

[You’re strong, Yuri. Even I don’t know the source of your power.]

“Shut up and die.”

[But, you know?]

Cedric raised his hand. Yuri cut off his wrist. The hand fell to the ground.

But immediately, another grew in its place.

[I don’t lose.]

In that instant, Yuri was pulled toward Cedric’s hand as if by a magnet. A massive force dragged him.

Cedric grabbed him by the neck. Yuri stabbed Guilty into his abdomen, but there was no reaction.

His body began to rise into the air.

[Yuri.]

“Damn it…”

[Look into my eyes.]

“Don’t say nonsense…”

But an invisible force forced his head to turn.

He looked into Cedric’s eyes.

In those black pupils, something stirred.

[Look at this.]

Yuri’s body froze. Through his optic nerve, malignant magic pushed its way in.

Unable to resist, Yuri was forced to receive the madness Cedric was conveying.

[Inside me, there’s something like this.]

Within were the scenes of pain and death that the demonic grimoire had collected during its long wanderings on the surface.

It was seething resentment in its purest form.

The demonic grimoire, by its very existence, was a curse upon humanity.

[Do you understand?]

Cedric’s pressure increased.

He didn’t heal his wounds. His body, torn apart by sword strikes, was no different from the forms of resentment reflected in his pupils.

Pouring out crimson magic like blood, Cedric smiled.

[I’ve changed my mind.]

Cedric spoke forcefully.

[I’m going to make you suffer.]

At that moment, the entire underground city trembled.

The ceiling began to open.