I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

Chapter 18: The Black Forest (9)

The world's brightness seemed to fade.

As if black ink had been spilled on a bright painting.

When Zion's last word was spoken, the world of the obliteration array, painted red with wicked energy, turned dark.

That was how Liushina saw it.

"A test? You're testing me?" she laughed, thinking it was a silly joke.

It made sense given the vast power difference between herself and Zion.

Two hundred years ago, she had already touched the brink of the 'sky', and her power had grown since then.

Compared to her, this man named Zion Harness might be unusually skilled for his age, but his power was enough to take down a bug, and nothing more.

To her, he seemed like a helpless, squirming bug.

"I had plans not to kill you for a bit because your power is unique... But if you're trying to provoke me, then you've done well."

The truth was, once Zion had entered the obliteration array, Liushina intended to kill him.

She still felt the annoying remnants of the obliteration array, even though the seal was long gone.

To get rid of this lingering trace, she thought she had to return to the array and destroy the caster, so she had dismissed the Evil Spirit Mystery.

That's also why she stayed in the forest.

Zion, frozen as if he were scared, did not answer her.

Liushina, looking down at him, gave a cold, cruel smile.

"How many lives do you have?"

One of her powerful spells, Sangria Requiem, allowed her to absorb the life energy from the blood of her victims and make it her own.

She used this energy to measure the worth of her opponent's life.

With a slight pull of her hand, hundreds of surrounding beast heads formed a giant hand.

Just the energy from this hand made the air ripple and twist.

Suddenly.

A deafening roar echoed across the world as the wolf's head with red eyes shot towards Zion from the giant hand.

The space the hand passed through broke down, unable to handle its power.

Zion just watched the hand coming his way, unconcerned.

Finally.

The hand, now close enough, opened its massive jaws to swallow Zion.

That's when Liushina's eyes narrowed with anticipation.

It was just a moment.

No, it was even less than a moment.

The head of the hand, its jaws wide open for Zion.

Liushina's right arm that transformed into the hand.

The space that held all of these.

And the moment it all disappeared.

"What…!"

Liushina's eyes filled with confusion, facing something completely unexpected.

What had just happened?

It wasn't sliced, devoured, or torn away.

Her right arm, now a hand, had simply vanished.

Without any warning.

Then.

"If you try to eat me, you'll explode."

Zion said, a sly grin on his face.

His smile was more intimidating than anything Liushina had shown.

Black Star River.

The most mysterious and powerful energy in the world and Zion's source.

Zion felt the Black Star River fill him as soon as he entered the obliteration array, stretching out to every corner of this world.

His senses became sharper and wider.

In his mind, he managed the flood of information from it, forming hundreds of ideal plans to beat the enemy in front of him every second.

The power of the Black Star Empire, once a ruler of the world.

That power now fully returned to Zion's body.

At this moment, Zion already knew.

Whatever his opponent did, it couldn't beat him anymore.

"...What did you do?"

Liushina, swiftly restoring her right arm, stared at Zion and asked.

The smile had faded from her eyes.

Losing her right arm wasn't a big issue.

The problem was that Liushina couldn't detect its disappearance.

"Can't you tell?"

"How dare you..."

Almost instantly, Liushina's face twisted in anger.

Did she feel insulted to be attacked by something she saw as an insect?

Suddenly, tens of thousands of red eyes in the sky focused on Zion, ready to release a horrifying wave.

The Evil God's Gaze.

One of Liushina's major spells she used in her past fight with the hero of Dranir.

She knew he had a trick up his sleeve, but the basic fact was that she was superior.

Or so Liushina believed.

A red wave filled the world inside the obliteration array, aimed only at Zion, descending on him.

Zion, watching the wave come at him with calm eyes, stretched out one hand.

Right after, as Zion's hand clenched tightly.

The red wave that had burst out, and the tens of thousands of red eyes that shot the wave, all disappeared from the world.

As if a god erased a part of the world with a stroke.

"What on earth..."

Liushina's mouth dropped open at the overpowering and baffling sight.

This was already the second time.

Yet, even as she witnessed it, she was at a loss to understand what had transpired.

Neither magic nor martial arts.

Not shamanism, nor spirit magic either.

Even her eyes, seasoned by centuries, couldn't discern the origin of this power.

Then.

"Do you still not understand?"

A soft voice echoed in Liushina's ears.

As she turned, she found Zion standing close, a mischievous grin on his face.

Kvooooom!

The moment she registered this, the claws that sprouted all over her body lunged to tear Zion apart.

But.

Phwoooom!

Her head vanished before they could reach him.

Zion's hand, now smeared with the blood from where Liushina's head had been.

Liushina's decapitated body stumbled for a few moments.

Kvooooom!

As though rewinding time, the scattered flesh began to collect and rebuild her head.

"This damn…"

Halfway through the reconstruction of her head, a curse escaped her lips. Freshly formed red eyes all over her body aimed at Zion.

Kvack!

This time, not just her head, but her entire upper body disappeared.

Kvack! Kvack! Kvooooom!

What followed was a relentless assault.

No, as soon as she regenerated, Zion shattered her body, not allowing a proper fight to happen.

'What on earth...!'

She couldn't regain her composure.

Her attacks were obliterated before they could fully form, and she couldn't even understand how the opponent's attacks were being executed.

No matter how far she distanced herself, or even if she shifted through space to regenerate, Zion's attacks followed her without break.

'How, how...'

Dread, fear, despair.

Words all too familiar to Liushina.

Usually, these were emotions she invoked in her adversaries.

But.

Kvzzzzk!

Now, the tables were turned.

The mounting sense of helplessness and terror.

Blood magic, challenging to even begin without exceptional talent.

She was experiencing these feelings for the first time since reaching the pinnacle of such potent blood magic.

And in that moment.

Finally, the millennium witch realized.

When she had sensed a slight darkening of the world earlier.

This place had already become that man's realm.

Kvooom!

As she regenerated, her eyes locked with Zion's once again.

In the gaze of that monster, the witch saw an endless whirl of black stars.

"Stop..."

She might die.

No, she would die.

Fear welled up, and a scream-like cry escaped Liushina's lips.

Kvack! Kvooom!

But Zion's hand didn't stop.

"Stop!"

"What do you mean stop? You have a multitude of lives anyway."

Zion responded to the desperate plea with a smirk.

Sangria Requiem.

A unique spell mastered by the millennium witch, a secret technique enabling her to convert a portion of a slain opponent's life into her own.

That witch still possessed thousands of lives.

"How did you..."

Liushina's eyes widened in shock at Zion.

Kvzzzk!

Her eyes were shattered once again by Zion.

It's generally understood that vows or contracts etched into the soul cannot be broken.

Direct manipulation of the soul was a challenge, yet it became possible within the confines of this Obliteration Array.

After all, this space was a realm where souls were the only existing entities from the beginning.

Subjugation.

One of the many purposes of the Obliteration Array, alongside annihilation and sealing.

Zion aimed to instill absolute obedience into Liushina here.

Alongside perfect fear.

"Let's just take away half for now."

The darkness billowing like a flame from Zion's hand began to intensify.

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Raei Translations

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Slowly, dawn was breaking.

Zion opened his eyes and examined his body and surroundings.

'Fortunately, nothing seems to have happened.'

The vanished evil energy allowed sunlight to penetrate the forest, revealing Rain Dranir, still unconscious, lying on the ground.

And beside her.

"Heuk, heuk!"

Liushina, gasping for breath and rising, came into view.

'It would have been beneficial to have a bit more time.'

With that, a hint of regret flitted through Zion's eyes.

He did manage to instill obedience in Liushina, but it wasn't perfect.

Because the Obliteration Array's world couldn't withstand Zion's black star and collapsed before it.

'But this isn't bad.'

In reality, this strategy was more of a gamble for Zion.

He wasn't entirely certain if his power would return within the Obliteration Array.

Yet, it was a risk worth taking to acquire the allegiance of a millennium witch.

Liushina was among the mightiest of the beings in this world.

Should she awaken as the 'Witch of the End', she would become potent enough to confront all the warriors alone. However, that scenario would not play out, thanks to Zion's intervention.

"I lost. I was utterly defeated."

In the meantime, Liushina, who had regained her breath, looked at Zion and spoke in a hollow tone.

Externally, nothing seemed to have changed, yet she could sense the mark of obedience vividly etched deep into her soul.

Even though it was a deeply humiliating experience, Liushina felt more relief about emerging from the Obliteration Array than anything else.

That was the extent of the terror Zion inspired within it.

"You're not too bad for your level."

A formidable individual to the extent that even she, who once brought the continent to its knees as the enemy of humankind, couldn't properly evaluate.

Where on earth did such a person come from?

"But do keep your wits about you. One day, I'll shatter this mark and reach for your throat."

"Whenever you're ready."

Zion retorted, his eyes sparkling as though he relished the challenge.

A measure of tension like this could stimulate one's vitality.

"And from now on, address me as 'Master'."

"…Very well, Master. And I have one final question."

Zion glanced at Liushina as if inviting her to ask.

"You see, I... I have a penchant for killing."

This wasn't merely a simple desire.

It was her destiny, her purpose for living.

The more victims she could claim, the more potent they were, the greater the thrill the witch experienced.

"How many beings will I have the pleasure of killing if I follow you?"

To this question,

"More than you can possibly handle."

Zion responded with a mischievous grin.

***

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