I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: Rungir

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The study of the Fifth Princess, situated at the top of Cheongseong Palace, was where Diana found herself, staring at the distant Hyukseong Palace through a large window.

Bathed in faint moonlight, Hyukseong Palace radiated tranquility.

But Diana knew better.

She knew that inside those serene walls, a struggle that could drastically shift the balance of power was unfolding.

A soft sigh slipped from her lips, her eyes flickering with worry.

"Should I intervene personally?"

The strategy was foolproof, but the outcome of this clash could affect not only Zion's status but also her own. Her anxiety was inevitable.

Yet, she stayed put at Cheongseong Palace because her personal involvement could dramatically alter the implications of the battle.

'In fact, the moment I dispatched Egrasia, I essentially declared my involvement...'

There was another issue nagging at her.

'How do we deal with Enoch?'

Ideally, with Hyukseong Palace almost vacant, they could unleash the full might of the spirit army on the third prince without any hindrances.

However, there was no guarantee that unforeseen variables wouldn't come into play.

'Zion isn't ready to face Enoch alone yet.'

This was evident.

Despite Zion recently acquiring the Sword of Extinction, he was still considerably outmatched by Enoch. Enoch, one of the outliers who defied common sense, had already mastered celestial arts and magic.

'It wouldn't be too bad if Zion were to perish...'

But Enoch needed to fall tonight, at the very least.

'I'm also curious about what lies beneath.'

How long did she stare at Hyukseong Palace, her face etched with worry?

With a swish, Diana made up her mind, grabbed her cloak from the chair, and put it on.

---

---

Lloyd Flurner, a trusted associate of the Fifth Princess Diana and the leader of Egrasia's first squadron, was recognized for his icy, logical demeanor, even among the normally rational fairies.

Those who had known him for years seldom saw him frown.

Yet, now.

"These damned fools!"

His face was twisted with anger.

His words filled with rage.

"How dare they...!"

The sight that met his eyes was the underbelly of Hyukseong Palace.

The glass walls that flanked the hallway revealed a scene straight from the underworld.

Each race - humans, fairies, giants, beastmen - were all horribly distorted by magical experiments.

A fairy woman, unnaturally adorned with extra limbs, cried bloody tears.

A giant, with three heads sewn shut at the eyes and mouth, howled in pain.

A fox beastman writhed on the floor, having been horrifically fused with all sorts of creatures.

It was an unspeakable taboo.

What drove Lloyd to fury were the fairies begging for death rather than salvation.

"How can a person commit such atrocities!"

The number of fairies in the world was far fewer than the other races.

Every single fairy was treasured, and their kinship ran deep.

Witnessing these fairies subjected to inhuman experiments through dark magic, Lloyd teetered on the brink of madness.

If Diana, who cared for the fairies even more than he did, saw this scene, her fury would know no bounds.

AHHHHHHHH!

"Hold them back... they've gone too far!"

Meanwhile, the chimeras and mages who had spotted them started charging towards Lloyd and the spirit mages.

Lloyd, his eyes ablaze, stared down the oncoming foes and declared:

"Today, Egrasia will wipe out everything here, leaving no trace behind."

Immediately following his words, a harsh incantation flowed from Lloyd's mouth.

Finally, the real conflict between the two groups ignited.

And simultaneously,

Squeak-

A narrow iron door at the very end of Hyukseong Palace's basement creaked open.

---

---

What's the most significant change when Dark Star transitions from 2-star to 3-star?

It's the creation of the Dark Circuit.

This network exists within the user's body, dedicated to channeling Dark Star energy.

The 3-star Dark Star is formed by activating all these Dark Circuits.

The benefits are straightforward.

Faster speed and incredible efficiency compared to the blood vessels which were the initial conduits for Dark Star energy.

Therefore,

Techniques that were previously unusable due to the immense energy requirements, were now feasible.

Black light burst from Zion's body, transforming into hundreds of sharp blades, tearing through the incoming spells and the mages who cast them.

As if that wasn't enough, the black light extended further, mercilessly tearing apart every object nearby, including other mages.

An expansive open area was quickly formed around Zion, bringing a stop to the battlefield's noise.

'This should be sufficient.'

Amid the silence, Zion, grinning at a stunned Celia, turned and made his way towards the stairs leading up.

With just one strike, nearly a quarter of Enoch's mages had been decimated.

At this pace, the remaining 2nd and 3rd squads of the Spirit Army would be able to swiftly complete the mop-up operation.

It wasn't until some time after Zion ascended the palace floors that the sounds of battle echoed from below once again.

'Could those mages have been the last of their defenses?'

While allowing the distant noise to fill his ears, Zion cast his gaze upwards.

The Hyukseong Palace spanned a total of seven floors.

Zion was currently on the sixth, meaning Enoch's office was just one floor above.

Yet, no one obstructed his path, not even a single servant was in sight.

It was as if the entire floor had been deserted.

However,

'That can't be right.'

With this thought, Zion narrowed his eyes and raised a hand next to his face.

As his hand became engulfed in the darkness of the Dark Star,

A burst of red flames erupted in all directions with immense force.

In the midst of this, a massive blade appeared, clashing against Zion's hand.

"Oh, you managed to block that?"

The owner of the blade addressed Zion with a smirk.

A blue-skinned demoness, her arms replaced by blades.

"You've got good instincts, huh?"

With those words, the demoness deftly repelled Zion's hand touching her blade, using the recoil to propel herself backwards.

Her movements were cat-like, agile.

And just then,

Something enormous burst through the wall next to Zion, charging at him with alarming speed.

Zion's body slid sideways as if on ice, colliding with the opposite wall.

"What's this? Did you come here all by yourself?"

Soon after, the thing that had lunged at Zion unfurled its colossal form, releasing a low, guttural growl.

A towering, bald demon standing at least 2.5 meters tall, his body encased in solid black muscle.

A dreadful magic energy radiated from the muscular demon, naturally exerting its dominance over the surroundings.

"There was no need for both of us to be here."

The muscular demon spoke, his eyes on Zion embedded in the wall, disappointment clear in his gaze.

Click. Clack.

"That's what I've been saying. Has he no idea of his own strength or his position?"

The blade-wielding woman strode over to the muscular demon and retorted.

Her eyes held a mocking laughter, unlike the muscular demon's disappointment.

Their names were Kizanya and Adum.

They were like special forces, not under the command of any of the five great demon generals who oversee the demons in the human world.

"Master Diral is going overboard. Sending us just to stop one guy."

Their sole purpose for being here was singular.

Anticipating the potential for all forces within the Hyukseong Palace to be drawn out, Diral had summoned them as a safeguard for Enoch.

Although Diral's assumptions proved accurate,

Adum, who had looked forward to a proper human slaughter after so long, could not conceal his profound disappointment.

"I don't believe Master Diral expected him to foolishly come alone. But it seems to have worked out. This is the same guy causing all those pesky rumors recently. It's not bad to eliminate him when we have the chance."

Kizanya shrugged her shoulders in response to Adum.

She was well aware of the rumors about Prince Zion circulating among the demons.

The rumor that Prince Zion was systematically hunting down the monsters hidden within the empire.

She knew that all demons dispatched concerning this matter had met their end.

But there was no trace of concern in her eyes.

'They're merely beings teetering on the edge of intermediate-level, at best.'

And that was under the assumption that Prince Zion was fighting alongside the red-eyed woman, not by himself.

That meant Prince Zion's personal strength was even more mediocre.

In contrast, Kizanya herself was a respectable intermediate-level demon.

Furthermore, when paired with Adum, who was practically her best friend, they even surpassed the intermediate level.

The disparity seemed vast.

To Kizanya, the power wielded by Prince Zion was so insignificant that it wasn't even worth engaging seriously.

"The palace's basement seems to be in quite a ruckus right now. Let's finish this quickly and head down there."

Adum muttered to Kizanya, clashing his enormous fists together and started advancing towards Zion.

His eyes gleamed with a thirst for battle.

"You handle this one on your own."

"I have one question."

"....!"

Dusting himself off, Zion emerged from the wall and began to speak, looking at the two with half-closed eyes.

"How do you feel about insects scurrying along the floor?"

"....What?"

Zion appeared perfectly unscathed, despite having taken a blow from Adum without exerting his full strength.

Kizanya wore a puzzled expression, slightly surprised, at Zion's peculiar question.

Step by step,

Ignoring that, Zion slowly walked towards Kizanya and Adum, continuing his speech.

"But these insects are in your way."

The darkness fluttering around Zion transitioned into dark energy, wrapping itself in layers around his entire form.

"And they spew absurdities about not knowing their place, about intending to kill you."

"What on earth are you...."

"How do you think that would make you feel?"

The darkness eventually enveloped Zion's body entirely, obscuring him from view.

"Isn't that terribly bothersome?"

From within the darkness that fully cloaked Zion, a brilliant white light began to emanate.

"That's exactly how I feel right now."

The light in his eyes curved, as if smirking at a private joke.

"What? This insolent cur dares to...who...!"

It was only when Kizanya's face contorted with rage that she grasped the true meaning of Zion's words – the 'insects' he referred to were them.

It happened in a flash.

No, even less than a flash.

The time it took for Zion, his reactions far exceeding those of the two demons, to slam Kizanya's head into the floor.

"Kiiiiii!"

From the darkness entirely shrouding Zion's form, an eerie wailing sound began to reverberate.

One of the primary techniques of Aurelion, the Emperor who had once unified the world.

This was the moment when his mantle finally revealed its true form to the world.

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