The Useless Prince Is A Gangster

Lucian stepped forward while still holding Velmera's unconscious body.

"We're hitting him together again, big brother?" he asked, even with fear of Velmera gnawing at him.

Leo raised a hand as his crimson eyes fixed on Draven's monstrous form. "No," he said. "He's mine. This bastard crossed a line by touching Rin, and I don't forgive that." His heart raced with anger and protectiveness.

The broken stone crunched under his boots as he stepped forward.

"Soul resonance," he whispered.

[Soul Resonance Level 3 activated!]

Twin short swords formed in his hands, their blades glowing like liquid blood. The power raced up his arms, and the corner of his mouth curved.

"Time to end this, Draven," he mocked while hiding the dread twisting in his stomach. "Let's see if you can keep up for fucking things you did."

Draven's twisted arm trembled, and with a deep roar that shook the chamber, he lunged, blade-arm sweeping down in a blur.

The screech of the wind sent a chill through Leo, but it didn't stop him. He'd been training for this moment for months. He's not farming mana shards for fun, but out of fear.

A fear of facing a stronger monster that Leo knew he was outmatched by. He used all of his temporary boosting by system to fight now.

"Let's end this," he said, his voice steady despite the adrenaline rushing through him.

Draven's huge sword was inches from Leo's face, swinging down with crushing force. Leo just raised one glowing red sword, blocking the strike with a loud *clang* that sent sparks flying.

The impact shook his bones, but he used the moment and slammed his boot into Draven's scaled chest with a hard kick. The force sent Draven sliding back across the stone, his claws scraping deep marks into the floor.

Leo didn't give him a chance to recover as he was already on him, swords cutting arcs that left red fire trails in the air. Draven tried to block, but one blade sheared through his warped limb in a wet crunch.

Blood splattered the ground as the severed arm twitched on the ground.

Draven screamed with a mix of rage and—maybe—fear. "You'll pay for that!" he bellowed, his voice cracking as his flesh bubbled and reformed the arm in seconds, now even uglier by being spiked with bone.

He swung the new arm at Leo's face, but it stopped inches away, caught in a shimmering ripple of energy. Of course it's bear defense.

Leo's grin sharpened. "Nice, but I've seen better near deaths," he taunted.

"Now let's see how many times you can grow that back."

He attacked again with his swords flashing faster than sight. Each hit tore meat and splintered bone, chunks flinging across the chamber only to regenerate in uglier shapes.

His roars turned harsh and uneven, frustration breaking through his rage. "You think you can kill me?" he snarled with wild eyes. "I'm immortal! I lived for hundreds of years!"

Leo narrowed his eyes. Sweat stung them, and his muscles burned from the effort, but he didn't slow down. His blades clashed against Draven's with every hit.

"Fuck immortal!" he shouted back, his voice rough but bold. "Then you've been waiting centuries to die in my hands."

He pressed forward harder, the sound of steel clashing—clang, clang, clang—echoing through the chamber. The heat from their fight made the whole space feel like it was closing in. Leo was already tired from all the chaos today, but he could not stop. Not after finding Chloe again. Not after fighting for hope, for a future with her.

Draven had threatened that future. He had taken Vivien and came back again for Rin. For that, there was no mercy left in Leo.

His voice dropped to a low growl, and his swords flashed with new fury. "I don't care how many times you come back, Draven. I'm taking your head, and I'm ending this."

Lucian and Rin stood frozen as their eyes widened while looking at Leo's pure rage and handling that monster. Lucian held Velmera tighter as his gray eyes shone with awe and disbelief. "Since when did Big Brother get this strong?" he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.

Rin's gaze flickered, her pink eyes reflecting the glow of Leo's power. "He's… terrifying," she admitted, her voice soft but honest.

Erin watched with calm confidence. "That's Leo for you," she said, her tone steady and sure. "Nothing lights a fire in him like someone messing with what's his, and he just poured fuel on it."

"You think that little show scares me?" Draven snarled as his twisted arm started spinning like a saw. With a roar, he lunged, swinging the huge blade at Leo with enough force to split stone.

Leo met the attack head-on, both swords snapping up to block, with *clung* sparks flying as the blades crashed, the sound shaking the chamber. Draven pushed down with his strength. "I'll make you suffer, just like you made Sylo suffer!"

Leo's teeth clenched with annoyance flashing in his eyes. "For the last damn time, I didn't kill her!" he roared. "How many times do I have to spell it out for you idiots?"

The red light along his blades deepened, heat rolling off them in waves. He shoved Draven back hard enough to make the floor tremble, dust raining from above.

And he wasn't holding back anymore.

He moved like a predator, his twin swords flashing through the air in arcs of red light. Every strike was fast, sharp, and aimed to kill. The blades ripped into Draven's flesh with wet, tearing sounds, cutting through scales and muscle without mercy.

Draven roared in anger, but the pain twisted his voice into desperate, broken cries as his body struggled to heal.

A slash to the leg dropped him onto one knee with blood pooling at his feet. Another cut ripped across his back, spraying dark blood over the floor. His flesh bubbled as it tried to regrow—but Leo didn't give him a chance.

Leo lunged forward and drove both swords deep into Draven's chest with a sickening crunch. Leaning close, his voice was low and full of hate.

"Remember Valtharion? The demon you sent to kill me?" Leo said with sadistic excitement while twisting the blades, earning a choked scream from Draven. "This is how I finished him."

Power surged down the blades, burning through Draven from the inside. The cult leader's scream rattled the chamber as his body convulsed under the corrosive energy.

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Beyond the glowing barrier of the dome, Vivien clung to her mother Maria's hand. The nobles around them argued loudly, debating plans and risks. Maria held Vivien tighter as her heart ached with fear for her son trapped inside.

Vivien, usually bright and strong, felt a stab of worry for her brothers. But then her eyes narrowed, catching something in the dome's distorted light. Her breath caught, and she tugged at Maria's gown urgently. "Mother, look!" she cried, pointing with wide eyes.

Maria looked at her daughter, her gaze following Vivien's finger, and her heart jumped.

From within the dome, a blue explosion flared, lighting the forest in ghostly fire.