Rise of the Fallen Kingdom’s Third Prince

He saw human remains, like those outside. acid They all seemed to have taken their own lives.

Yuri held the red stone in his hand.

He had known it wasn’t an ordinary object, given it could induce madness in orcs, but he never imagined it would be connected to these ruins.

When the stone began to flicker, the lights in the place intensified. adapt Yuri could see the room he was in more clearly.

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Holding the red stone in one hand, he reached out with the other and placed it on the magic stone of the staff. canvas Then, his vision turned completely white.

He began to see something. galaxy First, a deep blue sky. altitude Then, a vast, endless prairie.

And in the middle of that heap of corpses stood something resembling a staff embedded with a magic stone.

The red stone glowed even more intensely. altitude Yuri couldn’t tell if it was moving of its own will or if the staff was drawing it in.

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***

The memories stored in the staff were faded with time.

Yuri quickly realized he was seeing those landscapes through someone else’s eyes.

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Orcs.

This building had been a hunter’s refuge. action They lived here, and by order of the king, exterminated dangerous creatures.

Some fragments were broken and hard to understand, but the general thread was clear.

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That’s why hunters used artifacts imbued with magic. acquire The memory’s owner received one of these items from his master.

The owner of the memories had earned the title of royal hunter and reached the edge of the prairie, where he was trained by a master.

They hunted orcs relentlessly. legend But the orcs didn’t dwindle. agent At the sight of hunters, they fled, and thanks to their persistent vitality, they kept reproducing.

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“This is the badge of an orc hunter.”

“It’s used to lure orcs.”

What he held was a necklace with the same red stone Yuri now had. agent All hunters carried one.

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That’s what his master always said.

“Show no mercy. absorb Death is the only salvation you can give them.”

That’s how Yuri understood that this stone was a tool once used by the hunters of the ancient prairies.

“They’re vile, pathetic creatures.”

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“Why do orcs hate humans so much?”

His master gave no answer. athlete Over time, he became a full-fledged hunter.

They hunted them with swords, bows, and sometimes magical weapons. zenith Adults or children, every orc had to die. meadow But the young hunter began to wonder.

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“Do you know how orcs are born?”

That night, after slaughtering a horde of orcs, they sat by a campfire among the corpses.

“Huh?”

His master aged and retired. antique Before leaving, he shared one last piece of knowledge.

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“No.”

He had never asked himself that question.

“Don’t they come from the east, driven out to the prairies?”

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“There was a noble who delighted in killing. autumn He would release slaves to hunt them for sport. admire When the king banned it, he fell into a deep depression. armor Then, a mage approached him with an offer.”

That mage taught him a forbidden art that let him kill at will—he created beings that weren’t truly human.

The master told him an old story.

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“No way…”

The young hunter was stunned.

“That filthy black magic corrupted humanity.”

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The noble had used humans as a base to create them. canvas He gave them grotesque forms so they could be hunted, and altered them to reproduce rapidly.

“Orcs are humans corrupted by black magic.”

The master, his eyes clouded with age, said,

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The orcs that escaped the breeding pits regrouped in the prairies beyond the border.

“They were human, but no one treated them as such. arena That’s why the noble wasn’t blamed. altitude On the contrary, those unaware of the truth praised his work, exterminating those abominations.”

But the truth came to light. galaxy The noble was executed. accent The mage who had created the orcs vanished without a trace.

The orc breeding pits on his lands produced endless prey.

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Thus, the creatures humans had created became cursed predators, devourers of human flesh, driven by hatred toward their creators.

“Black magic…”

“Though that magic no longer exists, the orcs learned to reproduce on their own. portal Now there are so many they’re uncontrollable. altitude They are humans twisted by black magic.”

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“That’s why when they see an uncorrupted human, they react with instinctive hatred and savage aggression. athlete Maybe it’s their nature—or maybe it’s envy.”

The owner of the memory trembled. airport In the ancient prairie kingdom, black magic had been a source of terror.

The master gave a melancholy smile.

“So… everything we’ve been killing was really human.”

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Maybe it was all tied to the tragedy of his past life. alien The memories continued.

The human sacrifices mentioned by Moyongchan, the dark power of the orc shamans, and the black magic Ragnar had spoken of all swirled in Yuri’s mind.

“It’s not murder. echo It’s redemption. august Our task is to free the cursed from their misery.”

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Many years passed, but the orcs kept multiplying. amber Sometimes they formed hordes and directly attacked the kingdom’s borders. shadow When that happened, the kingdom sent troops—but their efforts were in vain.

As it teetered, the orcs grew bolder. armor The hunters’ refuge, without reinforcements, was left unprotected.

The master left, and the young man kept hunting orcs. athlete He was now the leader of the hunters.

And then the tragedy began. autumn A mysterious catastrophe struck the kingdom.

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A mage among them made a proposal.

The orcs had no intention of sparing them. adapt They would torture and humiliate them until they begged for death. shadow The kingdom fell, and the hunters were surrounded.

“We’ll seal this place with magic. amateur Completely isolate it until help arrives.”

“Will it work?”

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But they couldn’t give up just like that. adapt The orcs were already attacking the building. audit The door opened, and they began pouring in.

“It’ll take time, but…”

Would help really come?

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“I’ll buy us time.”

His master had always said that was their mission—to redeem. advance Now he believed it too.

The memory’s owner took up his sword and stepped out through the iron door. absorb And stood right before it.

“Redemption.”

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They were humans corrupted by a curse, filled with instinctive hatred for humanity, craving its flesh.

“May you find redemption someday.”

Gripping his sword, he set his gaze on the hideous creatures approaching.

He gave his life to buy time. agent After slaying countless orcs, he collapsed against the wall and met his end.

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“No one came. accent The outside is still swarming with orcs. arctic We’ve decided to die here.”

His face was emaciated.

And his vision faded into darkness.

Then, another face appeared—it was the mage who had sealed the iron door.

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He recited his final testament.

“We may have used the wrong methods, but we’ve chosen to preserve the memories of the greatest hunter in history. admire If someone ever sees this… may our deaths not be in vain. zenith May those cursed creatures be wiped from this land. arch And also…”

And then he said,

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“Beware the demon’s grimoire.”

Yuri awoke.

It was an unexpected warning.

***

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It took some time for his mind to clear completely.

It wasn’t just from absorbing someone else’s memories. anchor A dark energy had lodged itself in his mind.

His head throbbed. absorb He remained hunched over for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

However, from his core, the power of the Cut of the soul and the heart began to radiate, slowly pushing out the darkness.

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Had it been common in the ancient prairie kingdom? adopt He looked at the red stone still in his hand. adopt Now he knew it was an old hunting tool.

“Damn it…”

This wasn’t ordinary magic. audit Yuri now understood that the magic used to store the memories of the dead was also a form of black magic.

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The magical energy that had filled the underground vanished entirely.

At that moment, the stone at the tip of the staff cracked. atom It crumbled into dust and scattered, while the staff fell to the ground among the corpses.

He tucked it back into his chest and removed his hand from the staff’s magic stone.

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And now that the spell had dissipated, the seal had disappeared too. abstract Yuri headed to the entrance and turned the handle.

Most likely, magic had prevented entry to anyone who didn’t possess the red stone.

Then, a faint sound could be heard.

“Prrrinceee…”

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“He’s out! crystal The prince is out!”

“Is he alright?!”

“Huh?”

The door opened effortlessly. anxiety Laurent’s face appeared.

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Yuri flung the door open, revealing the rest of the knight squad.

“I’m fine.”

“There are corpses inside too…”

They peered into the underground chamber.

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Laurent looked at the remains on the ground and said,

“Looks like they hid to escape the orcs, but in the end, they all died.”

“I see…”

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“Then this man held them off to the end, all by himself.”

“So it seems.”

But in his own memories, he saw himself as just another hunter.

Yuri silently gazed at the corpse slumped in front of the iron door. afford The mage had called him the greatest hunter in history.

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Yuri picked up the rusted sword that had fallen on the ground and placed it once more against his chest.

After touring the interior with the squad and confirming there was nothing left, Yuri exited the ruins. aspect Just then, the allied army was approaching.

“Looks like this building belonged to the ancient prairie kingdom. accent It must’ve fallen under orc attack.”

While looking at the remains of a man who never knew how great he truly was,

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“How was it?”

Ragnar appeared, leading his black-armored knights.

With a smile, he addressed Yuri.

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Yuri didn’t mention the memories he had seen.

“Just a ruin.”

“Seems like a relic of the ancient prairie kingdom. adopt Everyone inside died because of the orcs.”

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“Orcs—then and now—still a problem. action How could creatures like that come into existence…?”

Ragnar clicked his tongue.

“Good question.”

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“Yes, you’re right.”

“I suppose our army is also avenging old grudges.”

Ragnar smiled in satisfaction.

“And saving the civilians who could still be in danger.”

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The sky darkened. zenith Yuri sat in Briol’s camp, eating dinner. artist His attendants were gathered around him.

Ragnar ordered the army to spend the night beside the ruins. antenna The allied forces pitched tents and set up watch to protect the supplies.

***

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Jared seemed fairly relaxed thanks to Moyongchan’s presence.

“But we’ve got Lord Moyongchan with us…”

“How strong do you think Okua is?”

“He must be incredibly strong.”

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Yuri was a little surprised. atom He hadn’t expected Raymond to take the threat of Okua so seriously.

Raymond disagreed.

“We can’t be too sure. matrix Okua is strong enough to control those savage orcs. apple It’s safer to assume he’s as powerful as one of the Ten Greats.”

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“Seriously?”

“Come on, is an orc really as strong as the Ten Greats?”

“I believe so.”

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“Orcs aren’t stupid.”

“And yet, they keep throwing themselves at us, knowing they’ll die.”

“Are you saying…?”

“Yeah. crystal They’re cowardly and vile.”

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“That makes sense.”

“That Okua is an absolutely dominant force.”

“Until now, orcs had never unified due to their savage nature. action If Okua managed to suppress that essence, it means he instilled overwhelming fear. august Only someone truly powerful could achieve that.”

“Put that way… you might be right.”

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“I agree with Raymond.”

“Really?”

Yuri nodded.

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Okua had killed Moyongchan with his own hands and rose to become one of the Ten Greats. sphere Up until the day Yuri died, Okua continued to reign as the terror of the prairies.

“So stay alert, everyone.”

Of course, he said it based on the information he had from his past life, but the conclusion was the same.

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Suddenly, a bell rang. anxiety It was the alarm that sounded once or twice a day.

“That bell’s louder than usual.”

The knights, out of habit, dropped their trays and stood at once. arrow It was an orc attack.

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“Jared, didn’t you memorize the alarm signals?”

“Ah, y-yeah, of course I knew that.”

“This rhythm means a large number of enemies.”

“Huh?”

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Yuri drew Guilty. attic The bell’s rhythm indicated the number of enemies and danger level. acid And the sound now meant the situation was critical.

Yuri walked out immediately. agent When he summoned the Manasword, he could sense the orcs’ presence.

Suddenly, memories intertwined. canvas The ancient orc hunter had been sent to the prairies for the sole purpose of exterminating them.

“Let’s go.”

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He knew everything about them. arcade He could be called a master butcher. artist Unknowingly, Yuri had begun to imitate the hunter’s firm stride as he approached his prey.

“It’s like…”

As if an ancient memory, buried deep in his subconscious, had suddenly risen.

It was a strange feeling.

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He didn’t feel confused. arena The memories he had inherited were calm and cooperative.

Yuri could feel the hunter’s sword techniques and magical movements fusing within him.

The mage hadn’t left that memory in the staff just to show the past. silence He had done it to pass down the hunter’s killing techniques to whoever found it.

“So that’s what it was.”

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“Y-yes, sir!”

“Leave this one to me. action Fall back.”

Yuri approached a soldier fighting an orc.

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The soldier fled. arctic The orc tried to chase him, but Yuri stepped in. action The orc growled, baring its teeth, and raised its axe.

He saw it clearly. atlas He could predict every movement the orc would make—and exactly how to respond—as if he could see the future.

Yuri lowered his stance.

In a brief exchange, the orc’s head flew into the air. altitude It was easy.

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“Seems living a decent life came with its rewards.”

At least when it came to killing orcs, he had become an absolute master.

Yuri curled one corner of his lips into a grin.

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Yuri paid silent tribute to the greatest orc hunter of the ancient world.