The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 257

Thump! Boom!

“Ughurk!”

Kershart couldn’t regain his senses. The Emperor’s Mark had activated, and red tattoos crawled over his face like a web.

But even with this, he was no match for Raul’s full strength.

Whip, whip, slash!

Raul effortlessly wielded a long aura blade like a whip while airborne. Simultaneously, he also launched numerous weapons from all directions, impossible to ignore.

Most of these weapons could be deflected with armor imbued with aura, but some, already infused with aura, easily pierced through his armor.

And the constant intrusion of holy energy was more than just a nuisance. In less than three minutes, his entire body was a bloody mess.

At the moment when a golden aura streak started heading for his neck.

“Graaargh!”

Crack, thud!

A storm of black mana erupted from Kershart’s body, causing him to swell. A beast-like growl escaped his lips, and as his helmet shattered, his face no longer resembled a human.

His snout elongated like a wolf’s, with sharp fangs, blood-red eyes, and an exposed skull. Golden tattoos flickered across his body, now more akin to a beast than a man.

‘The Emperor’s Seal! I knew it would show up.’

With a knowing expression, Raul maintained his distance, observing the transformation.

The Emperor’s Seal had three stages:

Stage 1: The Emperor’s Brand.

Black tattoos increased abilities slightly, allowed berserk and self-destruction.

Stage 2: The Emperor’s Mark.

Red tattoos amplified abilities to the extent of elevating one’s rank.

Stage 3: The Emperor’s Seal.

Golden tattoos drastically enhanced abilities. Only superhumans above master-level received this seal directly from the Emperor, enabling beastly transformations.

Kershart was now in this Stage 3 form.

‘Incomplete. As expected, he’s not at the magus level.’

Only magi, the elite of the Empire, could fully assimilate the Seal. They could activate it without transforming and could optionally morph into beast forms for boosted combat power.

But Kershart, before Raul’s eyes, was just an incomplete superhuman overwhelmed by the Seal.

“Behold! That grotesque monster! Can there be any clearer evidence that Marquis McNeil has allied with the Empire?”

Raul’s amplified voice shook both sides’ ranks. The Marquis’s soldiers, though somewhat prepared, were less shaken, but the Kingdom’s Central Army was different.

“Oh my god. They really joined hands with the Empire…?”

“That’s beyond treason; it’s defying a continental taboo!”

“Could it be that the Third Prince knows about this too…?”

As their murmurs spread, Raul’s voice penetrated their ears once more.

“Marquis McNeil has conspired with the Empire to sell out the Ruben Kingdom—a traitor to the throne! And the Third Prince, blinded by ambition, cannot escape this guilt! Those who realize their error, surrender now!”

“Graaargh!”

Boom!

Kershart, having completed his transformation, leaped like a beast and lunged at Raul. His speed and power were incomparable to a moment ago.

‘… Ugh! He’s really something.’

Though Raul quickly countered, he felt a slight ache in his wrist, prompting him to swing his sword swiftly.

Boom! Boom! Bang!

Despite Kershart’s golden tattoos deflecting the aura attacks with his bare body, he seemed unphased.

The black mana emanating from his body was so foul that the grass withered and died instantly wherever he stepped.

With that powerful physique and insane physical strength, he relentlessly pushed Raul back.

‘In terms of physical abilities alone, he rivals the Sword Saint.’

Abilities on par with a top-tier master!

The Emperor’s power, which instantly raised his abilities by two levels, was truly terrifying. But that was all.

His attack patterns and techniques had devolved to simple brute force, making it easy enough to react and counter. Though Kershart was relentlessly assaulting Raul, none of his strikes hit.

‘He made a mistake using dark mana against me.’

Raul slightly curled his lips into a smile and infused his power armor with aura.

‘Regnator, awaken!’

Flash!

Raul’s golden power armor, Regnator, emitted an unbelievably bright light. Simultaneously, an enormous energy began coursing through Raul’s mana circuits.

Roar!

A fierce whirlwind of light spun around Raul’s body. The dark currents surrounding Kershart vanished as if erased by an eraser.

“Graaaargh…!”

Kershart shielded his face with his arms, screaming in agony.

“You should never have harnessed that corrupt power, beast of the Empire.”

Raul pointed at Kershart with his palm, causing his body to lift into the air as if gripped by an unseen force.

“Grrrk, wh-what is this…?”

Smoke billowed from Kershart’s body as if it were on fire. His swollen form began to shrink while he seemed to regain his sanity. But it was already too late.

Raul clenched his outstretched palm.

Crunch, snap!

“Aaaargh!”

Kershart’s contorted, shrunken body fell limply to the ground.

Whssh.

Raul retracted his legion of weapons and gracefully descended to the ground. He pointed his sword towards the enemy’s main camp, where the Marquis was positioned, and shouted.

“We do not fear the Empire! Marquis McNeil! No matter how much you rely on the Empire’s power to defeat us, we will never kneel!”

Raul turned his head slightly and locked eyes with the Sword Saint. Seeing the Sword Saint’s deeply satisfied nod, Raul shouted again.

“Proud sons of the Ruben Kingdom! Let us vanquish the traitorous forces allied with the Empire and take back our kingdom! Full-scale charge!”

Waaaah!

The combined forces, filled with high morale, began their advance towards the enemy camp. Leading the charge were the alliance’s masters, their swords blazing with aura!

The soldiers of the Third Prince’s army were nearly in a state of panic, faltering in confusion, and the lower-ranking officers were hesitating, unsure of what to do.

“This is insane! Just how many masters do they have?”

“W-we’re the traitors? I was just following orders.”

“Damn it. My grandfather died fighting the Empire, and now they’re saying we’re allied with them? I can’t fight for the Empire.”

“Lieutenant, raise the white flag! We are withdrawing from the battle.”

Some of the regional and central troops outright deserted the camp or raised white flags, abandoning their weapons.

In some units, there were even clashes between those who wanted to surrender and those who wanted to continue fighting.

“Do not be swayed! This is a trick by the enemies!”

“We are the legitimate successors to the kingdom! Don’t fall for their deceptions!”

The Marquis’s commanders tried to calm their soldiers, but it wasn’t easy to convince those who had seen the truth with their own eyes.

“Wouldn’t it be wise to retreat?”

An officer who sensed the tide had turned advised the Marquis, but McNeil sneered.

“Ha, retreat? To where? To the capital for a siege?”

The officer fell silent, like a mute who had eaten honey.

“The battle hasn’t even started. The road to victory is ahead! Charge! Knights, follow me!”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

“Charge! Crush the enemies!”

The entire knight division and command staff remaining in the main camp followed the Marquis and charged towards the front lines.

Just as the Marquis said, retreating wasn’t an option. Breaking the enemy’s spearhead as quickly as possible was the urgent priority.

‘We have no choice but to rely on their prowess now.’

Clenching his teeth, the Marquis set his sights beyond the enemy’s main camp.

*

Waaaah.

Boom! Boom!

Even from a distance, the thunderous cheers and the ground-shaking explosions were felt. The fact that such sounds and tremors could be felt from here, far from the battlefield, was proof of the intensity of the battle.

“Brother, will everything be alright? We can win, right?”

Eighth Prince Aenbard, looking dejected and anxious, asked timidly.

“Of course. The kingdom’s noble families have united. Even if the Marquis has allied with the Empire, they can’t stand against us. Isn’t that right, sir Mondor?”

“Indeed, Prince Gerard. With the Duke himself on the battlefield, our forces cannot be defeated. Please rest assured and wait.”

In a simple yet elegant tent, the two princes and their guard, sir Mondor, the master’s first retainer from the Duke’s household, were stationed.

This location, slightly behind the main camp, was far enough to be out of the direct line of battle but close enough for allied forces to provide protection if necessary.

Given the methods the Empire employed in the past, leaving the two princes unattended, despite being in the Duke’s castle, wasn’t an option.

In fact, the battlefield, heavily guarded by masters, was deemed safer, hence the princes joined the campaign.

Moreover, sir Mondor, having protected the Duke’s household for decades, was more than capable of guarding the princes.

‘It’s only natural for the battlefield to be left to the younger generation.’

For Sir Mondor, who was already over sixty, being entrusted with the princes’ safety was not a burden.

Rustle.

‘…What?’

Sir Mondor sensed a strange presence outside the tent, causing his nerves to bristle.

“Hey! What’s happening outside?”

“Uh? Nothing unusual, sir…”

The guards around the tent were not ordinary soldiers but knights. Unless an enemy superhuman appeared, intrusions would not be easily tolerated.

However…

“Get down!”

Sir Mondor shouted and with his large frame, he threw himself and the two princes to the ground.

Slashing! Shatter!

Like opening a lid, the upper half of the tent flew away, and the knights guarding outside were similarly decapitated at the waist.

‘What is this!’

Sweating coldly from the ambush that caught him entirely off guard, sir Mondor grabbed his cherished bastard sword and shield, and shielded the princes.

“Who goes there?”

Clang!

Sir Mondor hastily lifted one foot and blocked below with his sword.

‘The ground?’

Sss.

Like sand forming into a human shape, someone rose from the ground.

“Hah!”

Thump!

Instinctively turning and thrusting his shield, an invisible force struck it.

‘So, this was it?’

The attack that leveled the tent and eliminated the knights. It was certainly magic.

“Oh, you’re quick to react.”

On the other side of the sand figure, a figure cloaked in black hood and mantle emerged from the air. Underneath the hood was a cold, ferocious-looking silver mask.

“Kehkehkeh. Leaving just an old man behind. The kingdom’s folks are truly full of fools, kehahah.”

Standing at the tent entrance, covered in blood, was a knight in black armor, also wearing a silver mask.

‘Imperial Hounds!’

Sir Mondor instantly recognized them. The problem was their exceptional level.

‘Two masters and a 7th-circle high mage? The Empire even has superhumans in their intelligence department!’

He marveled once again at the Empire’s depth. But that didn’t mean he could go down without a fight. Igniting his blue aura blade, sir Mondor shouted.

“As long as I am here, you won’t lay a finger on the princes!”

Boom!

“Grrr.”

The masked knight swung his black aura and spoke.

“Ah, well, we’ll just deal with you first. We were going to take all three heads anyway, kehkehkeh.”

Swoosh!

As the wave of sand surged towards the princes, sir Mondor hurriedly pushed back the masked knight and struck the sand wave with his shield.

Bang!

But the resulting gap left him vulnerable to the magic. Though he endured with his power armor and aura, the impact wasn’t entirely mitigated.

‘… This is dangerous.’

“Why are you getting distracted!”

The masked knight charged again, and the sand figure transformed sand into daggers and threw them. With the mage’s wind magic raining down, sir Mondor found himself increasingly overwhelmed.

“No!”

A few sand daggers Sir Mondor couldn’t block flew towards the Sixth Prince.

Boom.

“… Huh?”

Clang.

The power armor activated in front of the Sixth Prince, deflecting the sand daggers.

Crash! Tinkle.

Flasks shattered in mid-air, surrounding the Sixth Prince and Eighth Prince with a steel dome.

Buzz.

A knight in armor, emitting blue aura from his sword, spoke.

“I have a debt to settle with you.”

Thud.

“I have some unfinished business with you Empire scum too.”

A robed female mage descended from the air, pulling back her hood and speaking.

Raul’s master, Caldenas, and the 7th-circle alchemy mage Nakia stood facing the Imperial Hounds.

(To be continued)