The second chance of the uncrowned king - (Isekai)

Black and powerful constructions keep trying to pierce through me from multiple directions. I intercept some with my own, dodge others, and try to aim at least two or three at the man in front of me. His attacks aren't just meant to kill me — he's trying to keep me away or buy time to help his companions.

"Who are you? Why are you here? Who sent you?" I shout multiple questions without expecting any answer. The masked man stays completely silent, focused on recharging that spherical object in his hand. I keep talking, hoping to throw him off balance.

Things are getting more complicated. He's using more mana now; his attacks are more desperate and wild, forcing me to respond in kind. In a few seconds, we're both burning through ridiculous amounts of mana just to contain each other. He knows how precarious his position is — Brendu will be here soon with the guards.

I manage to get closer after dodging a couple of spears, pushing myself forward with all the strength I can muster until he's within range of my swords — finally. His black spear almost takes my eye in a quick counter, but I manage to move my sword at the last second. The impact forces me half a step back, my hand slightly numb.

More spear strikes target vital points. I dodge most, blocking two to my stomach and one to my heart. I manage to hold my ground for a moment; from this stable position, I can swing my swords and press forward. His spear has greater piercing power, reach, and speed, but in close quarters I have the advantage — he struggles to balance and loses mobility. He's forced to stay on the defensive, retreating while trying to parry and counter.

A black spear is summoned from my shadow; I duck instantly to avoid being impaled. The man in front of me catches that same spear with his free hand and throws it at me with all his strength. I block by crossing my swords. The impact makes my blades tremble and cracks my armor on my hands and chest — if I hadn't blocked, it would've pierced straight through me. He uses that moment to retreat closer to his companions.

I move as fast as my body allows to close in on him again. The object is glowing faintly violet — I don't like that. The masked man turns, clear rage in his eyes, swinging his spear wildly to buy time as he backs away.

I parry a few strikes, and instead of slowing down, I let one hit my left arm so I can keep my momentum. The attack shatters my armor easily and my arm begins bleeding unnaturally — too much blood flows from the wound. Is it some ability of his? The spear's? Or his Law? Maybe all three.

My Law of Death clashes with his, gradually gaining ground and stopping the bleeding. I don't heal the wound — I don't want to reveal my regenerative ability yet. It's one of my hidden cards.

He takes one more step back, about two meters from his allies, and releases dark mana from his feet toward mine. I counter with my Electrifying Fierce River. My skill loses in raw power but delays his long enough. My Personal World feels his spear descending vertically toward my head.

My right sword swings upward diagonally, aiming for his waist. The masked man reacts, shifting slightly. His attack still heads for my head, but mine now aims for his arm. With a burst of Gravity energy, I move my body at the last instant. Both our attacks land almost simultaneously.

I feel my arm being separated from my body — and his own arm flies off to the side. Neither of us stops despite losing a limb. I parry his spear with my remaining arm while purging the remnants of his dark mana from my wound. I hate seeing that much blood pouring out.

For a brief moment, I catch his eyes — there's desperation and impatience in them. He's been on the defensive for a while; all my constructs have been aimed at the wounded ones on the ground. I don't intend to kill them — I want answers. But he doesn't know that, so he keeps protecting them at all costs.

"You die with them or abandon them. Those are your only options." My words seem to strike something in him — his eyes flare with hatred.

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He glances at his comrades for an instant. "If you take your eyes off me, you'll lose more than an arm." My taunt makes him flinch slightly; I break through his defense and position myself perfectly.

He blocks my attacks with difficulty — that alone proves his experience. He adapted quickly to the shift in the fight. I push my body with every ability I have, ready to land a killing blow. I'm done trying to keep all three alive; keeping just one breathing will be enough.

I stop when something feels wrong — the fool drives his spear into the ground with force, and it releases a ridiculous amount of mana. My skin prickles. This isn't good.

The spear unleashes dozens of fragments like sharp spikes. The attack's range makes it impossible to dodge without teleportation — but I'm not wearing my bracelets.

I stop trying to kill his allies and start constructing several layers of shields around me, reinforcing my defense by swinging my swords. Even giving everything I have, I still get hit; several spikes pierce through my armor but lose enough force not to go all the way through. Blood flows naturally from six wounds left by that last strike. The bastard has already moved back to his comrades and places the object on the ground. When the sphere touches it, I'm already charging toward them — a small protective shield is forming around them.

I manage to create a Joyeuse near them and launch it at one of the two sapphire ranks on the ground. My attack catches the ruby rank off guard — he screams, "NOOOOO!" He tries to shield them, but too late; that last attack must've drained much of his mana.

My Joyeuse pierces through his companion's chest, straight through the heart. The shield completes itself just as I reach them. No matter how many times I strike it with my Thundersnow Fang in that fraction of a second, I can't break it. A violet light envelops them — and they vanish from sight.

"Damn it, they escaped." I drop to the ground, exhausted. They're gone, leaving only the corpse behind — apparently that skill only works on the living, which explains why he fought so hard to protect them.

A thousand questions pierce my mind. Who were they? From another noble house? Mercenaries for hire? Some group with a grudge against the royal family? So many questions, and my weakness leaves them unanswered.

I could've killed him if the fight had gone longer, but capturing him alive would've been impossible. I'm still not strong enough to restrain a ruby rank quickly — maybe I'd have the advantage in a battle of endurance, given my mana reserves.

I stop channeling mana into my abilities and pull the spikes from my body from his last attack. When they hit the ground, I feel a faint thread of mana linking them to the spear — I immediately move away. The little spikes float back toward it, reforming the weapon. I exhale in relief; at least I didn't come out empty-handed — Susan can analyze the body and the weapon.

Finally, two people appear within my Personal World's range — one is Brendu, and the other a familiar figure. Seconds later, both are behind me. They assess the scene at a glance and stop at my back. I stand to meet them.

"Maki, are you alright?" Brendu looks at me with clear distress. Professor Johnny places a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"Relax, Brendu. It looks like it's over, and Maki needs to get to the infirmary right away." He glances at my wounds and the spot where my arm should be with visible pity.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." I smile at Brendu. My colleague starts to speak but stops when he sees my raised hand. "I don't need the infirmary. I'll stay here until it arrives." My wounds close quickly, and my arm begins to regrow with the help of my Life affinity. I see the surprise in their eyes shift to relief once they see me whole.

Brendu runs to hug me the moment she sees I'm fully healed. I let her hide her face against my chest for a while.

"Maki, what do you mean by 'until it arrives'? Is someone coming?" Johnny looks around to check if there's anyone else nearby.

"Right on time." Brendu and Johnny both look at me; I purse my lips in a mock kiss gesture toward the space behind my colleague. They turn — Susan is standing there, watching everything.

I guessed she'd show up; she'd told me before that if anyone used a teleportation ability inside the school, she'd notice immediately. Her expression is terrifyingly serious; when I wink at her, she relaxes a little and smiles faintly.

"What happened? I sensed strange space mana a moment ago." She looks me in the eyes.

"It seems they tried to kidnap the princess… I couldn't capture them, but this is one of their weapons, and one of them died." I give her a brief rundown of the situation.

"Brendu and Maki, come with me. Professor Johnny, can you handle summoning the cleanup and search teams? You know what to do." The corpse and spear vanish as she finishes speaking.

"Yes, Director. I'll take care of everything." My colleague nods and leaves.

A strange sensation twists the space around us — and we reappear in a luxurious place. Through the window, I can see the middle of the coliseum. We're apparently in Susan's VIP suite.

"Explain everything from the start, Maki." We all sit down, and I sigh before beginning. Why does something weird have to happen every single week?