I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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In the magical marketplace at the center of the floating city, a young girl walked down the bustling street humming to herself, even at this late hour when magicians still crowded the area.

She appeared barely into her early teens. Her attire stood out starkly against her surroundings - an elaborate dress with flowing lace in an intricate mix of black and red. Her skin was extraordinarily pale, and her lips were stained a deep purple, giving her an almost doll-like appearance.

Her eyes were filled with curiosity as she looked around, as if taking in the sights for the first time.

"Hey little girl, are you here by yourself?" Two magicians responsible for the marketplace's security approached her.

"There are dangerous magical items here. It's not safe for you to wander alone. Where are your parents?"

The girl stopped walking and turned to face them with a bright smile. "Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"It's late - your parents must be worried. Where do you live? We'll take you home."

"I don't have parents, so it's fine. Really, don't worry about me." The girl turned to continue walking.

"What? What do you mean you don't have parents...?" One puzzled magician reached out to place his hand on her shoulder.

"I said don't worry about it." The girl's voice carried a subtly different tone than before.

Then - CRUNCH!

The magician's upper body simply vanished. His remaining lower half bore savage teeth marks, as if bitten off by some massive invisible beast.

SPLASH!

Blood erupted from the wound!

"You...!" Just as the other magician's eyes widened in incomprehension at the impossible scene - CRUNCH!

His entire body disappeared with the sound of being chewed and swallowed.

The girl continued walking down the marketplace street as if nothing had happened. Strangely, despite the murders occurring in the middle of the crowded street, no one else seemed to notice.

"Hmm hmm~ Now where could it be?" The girl hummed and muttered to herself.

Then suddenly - she stopped.

Not because someone had stopped her this time.

"Found it."

She had finally spotted her target.

"I'll just watch without causing trouble," she murmured, gazing at something beyond the marketplace before vanishing without a trace.

* * *

The contract Zion had made with Light Dragon Obergia when he was emperor long ago stated that whenever and wherever Zion needed it, Obergia would lend his power just once, even at the cost of his life.

Though the current Obergia could barely move, making normal contracted assistance impossible, this was no ordinary contract. It was a world-class contract that Obergia had formed by consuming both his lifespan and authority.

A world-class contract, once made, had to be fulfilled somehow unless the world itself was destroyed. Thus - WHOOSH!

The contract was being fulfilled by temporarily transferring all of Obergia's authority to Zion.

"...Obergia?"

Stigma's eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment as he instantly recognized the light radiating from Zion as the Light Dragon's authority.

How could Obergia's power, which had been lying dormant deep within the city awaiting death, now flow from Zion Agnes?

Unease began creeping into the dragon's mind.

'I feel uncertain about fighting this form... without even engaging?'

That couldn't be right.

No, it was impossible.

Though he hadn't broken free from the cycle of reincarnation, he had undoubtedly reached the pinnacle of mortal power.

As if shaking off this unease, Stigma raised a finger toward Zion's heart.

RUMBLE!

Shadows of absolute authority gathered at the Shadow King's fingertip.

"Now for your heart..."

Just as the concentrated shadow was about to be unleashed along with dragon speech that could interfere with the world's laws itself-

FLASH!

With a small flicker of light-

THUD!

The dragon's raised arm simply vanished.

The shadow dispersed, losing its focal point, as Stigma's eyes went blank.

A beat later, Zion appeared before the Shadow Dragon, his golden pupils curving into a smile. CRASH!

A tremendous impact distorted Stigma's vision.

The dragon's form was sent flying at incomprehensible speed, flipping upside down.

Before Stigma's body could even reach the cavern wall-

WHOOSH!

Zion appeared in the opposite direction, the Light-Extinguishing Sword pressed against his side.

FLASH!

The sword, despite its name, blazed brilliantly as it absorbed all surrounding light. The perfectly timed strike-

SLASH!

An enormous explosion of light erupted as Stigma's form shot out diagonally, crashing into the cavern floor.

"WHAT?!"

Perhaps befitting his status as a great dragon worthy of the title "king," Stigma managed to prevent his body from being split in half, quickly regaining his posture and regenerating his right arm.

Simultaneously, dozens of dragon speeches poured from his mouth.

These words, created solely for his opponent's death, carried enough power to obliterate an entire city as they shot toward Zion.

But Stigma's "words" never reached him.

SWISH!

Moving faster than the eye could follow, Zion's sword began inscribing strange golden characters into space itself.

These were dragon words.

Unable to vocalize dragon speech as a non-dragon, this was the method Zion had created as a substitute.

This mystical display - which should perhaps be called dragon script (龍文) rather than dragon speech - completely shattered Stigma's incoming dragon speech.

"!!!!!"

The Shadow King's eyes filled with shock at the sight.

The dragon speech he had just unleashed was fundamentally more powerful than before, on an entirely different level.

Yet even with Obergia's power, how could it be blocked so easily?

But Stigma couldn't dwell on his shock for long.

FLASH!

Through the scattered fragments of shattered dragon speech, Zion descended upon him, wrapped in brilliant light.

SCREECH!

The sword, already having absorbed maximum light, vibrated madly.

As Zion finally reached the Shadow Dragon and brought down Eclaxia-

The light, condensed by the Light Dragon's authority, turned the entire Shadow Nest incandescent white.

Vision turned completely white.

"!!!!!"

At its center, Stigma, half his upper body gone, contorted his face in a silent scream.

Not satisfied even with this, Zion crouched slightly as he landed.

The light that had turned the nest incandescent all gathered toward him, then - BOOM!

Shot in a straight line toward the Shadow King.

Stigma was sent flying pathetically, unable to properly react.

Zion pursued, launching into a series of continuous attacks.

SLASH!

'Not bad.'

With each swing of Eclaxia, the light of authority burst forth, erasing the very essence of Stigma's shadows.

Watching this light, Zion smiled slightly.

Since executing the contract earlier, Zion had been exclusively using the Light Dragon's authority.

The Black Star Force and Obergia's power didn't naturally complement each other well.

There was a reason Zion had specifically chosen to use Obergia's authority between these two powers.

Just as stronger light makes shadows fade, the Light Dragon's power held a natural advantage over Stigma's shadows.

This was why Obergia had been ranked first in the floating city despite the two dragons being similar in power.

Furthermore-

FLASH!

As if part of the contract's fulfillment, knowledge and methods of using light authority had been pouring into Zion's mind.

This allowed him to adapt even faster as he pressed his advantage against the Shadow King.

"Hmph..."

A bemused sigh escaped Obergia as he watched the battle through his Celestial Dragon Vision from the Light Watchers' headquarters.

Not because Prince Zion had stolen all his power.

What amazed the Light Dragon was how Prince Zion was using the light authority.

"Though it's clearly my authority..."

It was completely different.

Like most dragons, Obergia had primarily incorporated his authority into magic.

Yet Prince Zion was concentrating all that power into a single sword.

Though the foundation was the same, it was practically a different power altogether.

"To adapt it so thoroughly to himself to this degree..."

Even for the Eternal Emperor.

Even knowing how to use the power.

To be able to do this immediately after receiving it was beyond amazing - it was miraculous.

"Perhaps... this man's ability to devour the entire world wasn't due to the Black Star Force after all..."

As these quiet words left Obergia's mouth-

"ARRRRGH!"

A desperate scream erupted from Stigma.

The dragon's body was already mangled beyond recovery by Zion.

His eyes were a mess of complex emotions - bewilderment, fear, and rage.

'Why...!'

Yes, honestly, he could somewhat accept being pushed back earlier.

After all, his opponent wielded the Black Star's power, however diminished it might be.

But now, having unleashed his full original power-

CRASH!

To be crushed even more overwhelmingly than before - this situation was completely incomprehensible.

One word surfaced in the Shadow King's mind:

Defeat.

'I'm... losing? Again?'

The scene of his first humiliating defeat slowly reflected in Stigma's wavering pupils.

"NO!!!!"

A desperate cry burst from the dragon's mouth, as if trying to shake off those memories.

He couldn't accept it.

No, he refused to accept it.

Accepting it would mean the hundreds of years he'd spent trying to surpass the Eternal Emperor had been meaningless.

"I cannot lose. No, I must not lose."

RUMBLE!

With these words like an oath, the surrounding world began to distort and change strangely.

The light illuminating the cavern dimmed as horrifically ominous shadows gathered around the dragon.

This concentration extended beyond the cavern and nest to encompass the entire city.

"Therefore, the one who dies here..."

The concentrated shadows shot upward, filling the entire sky.

"Must be you."

Finally, the sky itself became shadow and began falling with the dragon's final words.

Shadow Sky.

A miraculous authority technique created by the Shadow King who had endlessly knocked on divinity's door, sacrificing everything he had left.

Having sacrificed even his lifespan to create this strike, its power easily transcended the limits that had held the dragon back until now.

The sky Stigma created began falling, distorting even the existing world's laws.

Space itself tore apart like paper, unable to withstand this calamitous existence.

"Ah..."

"How could such a thing..."

Deep despair filled the watching magicians' eyes.

Had the time of destruction arrived?

The pitch-black sky was collapsing.

Light and hope faded before it.

They could neither escape nor block it.

All they could do was watch silently, waiting for that sky to devour them.

RUMBLE!

The cavern floor shook.

In the middle of that floor, Zion quietly watched the falling shadow sky.

What little light remained had vanished, making Zion appear precarious, as if about to be swallowed by shadow.

As the great dragon's eyes filled with endless superiority watching this sight - slowly, very slowly.

Eclaxia, having lost its light, began extending toward the falling sky.

What was needed to pierce the sky?

Overwhelmingly transcendent power?

A level beyond mortality?

No, that wasn't the answer.

A single point of advantage.

All Zion needed to pierce the sky was just one point of advantage.

This was Zion and the Light Dragon's first and final agreement (合意) to secure that single point of advantage.

Path of Single Light.

Finally, as the dragon's created destruction descended upon the earth.

As Eclaxia extended perfectly toward that destruction, the Shadow King and all present could see.

A single ray of light that shot up from Zion's sword tip.

The sight of that light shattering the shadow sky in an instant and dyeing the entire world golden.

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