Side Story Chapter 191
The group of dullahans in front of Selim creaked from time to time. As these dullahans were high-class undead, they responded to the unprecedented mix of demonic and divine powers spreading across the sky.
“What in the world...?” Selim murmured.
“It’s His Majesty.”
Selim's eyes widened.
Duke Tremblin approached Selim with a gentle smile. “Other people would think that the woman over there is the Silver-Eyed Ghost Sword, but we know that it’s my master and your father, Your Highness.” The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))
The first emotions that Selim felt were shock and ecstasy. These sickeningly annoying undead were the main cause of this battle that refused to end no matter how many times Selim swung his spear. However, the Emperor of Avalon had dominated these undead with his divine and demonic power alone—as could be seen from the dullahans going down on their knees. The skeletons and ghouls, undead inferior to the dullahans, had prostrated themselves on the ground long ago.
The entire battlefield, excepting a few humans, kneeled or bowed to a single person who stood majestically above the chaos. Powerful demons, each one a lethal threat to Avalon’s forces, shouted futilely at the top of their lungs in their human forms.
“It seems the intermediate and lesser demons have been incapacitated by His Majesty’s power, so we only have to deal with the remaining demons and death knights,” Tremblin noted.
Selim slowly took a look around. There were around fifty demons still standing and three hundred death knights. Those undead knights were so rare in the Human Realm that they had been consigned to legend. A man could scour the entire continent his entire life and never catch the barest glimpse of one, yet hundreds of those beings were gathered at the gates of Avalon right now. Astonishingly, that number wasn’t high, considering all of the monsters in the Demon Realm that had escaped to the Human Realm after their realm’s fall.
“Let’s go. It pricks this old man’s conscience to let His Majesty do all the work,” Tremblin quietly said.
“...Yes, Duke Tremblin.”
Selim and Tremblin made their way toward the center of the battlefield through the path that cleared up when the undead split into two sides, but they ran into another pair of men halfway there.
“Kireua...”
“You’re safe, Valmont.”
The moment Selim saw Kireua coming toward him from the opposite side, he regained some of his composure. Kireua was stronger and his energy was vastly more stable than before. The changes in his brother were enough to affect Selim emotionally.
“Selim,” Kireua said. “I’m going to be His Majesty’s heir no matter what it takes.”
Valmont and Tremblin's eyes widened. Their eyes turned to Selim as they swallowed nervously, wondering how Selim, Kireua’s competitor.
“...I’ve also changed my mind. I’m never going to let you have the throne without a fight,” Selim responded.
Valmont and Tremblin shivered. Until now, the princes had maintained that they didn’t mind who became the next emperor of Avalon.
“This war... must have changed the princes a lot,” Valmont whispered.
Tremblin nodded. “It’s great that they changed in a good way.”
“Is this... a good change?”
“Competition drives growth.”
“Perhaps you’re right—when a competition is done in good faith. Otherwise, Avalon will have to repeat history,” Valmont said with a frown.
“Did you look at them before you started worrying about that?”
Valmont flinched and looked back and forth between Kireua and Selim. There wasn’t a single trace of malice to be seen in their eyes right now, only a healthy fighting spirit.
“How about this, then?” he proposed.
“Pardon?”
“Whoever wins this competition will have your support, Duke Tremblin. The recognition of the Sword Emperor.” Selim smiled faintly.
Tremblin’s eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. Maybe he would have reacted differently if Kireua had been the one to suggest it. Tremblin was surprised that the suggestion had come from Selim after Tremblin had already declared his support for the elder prince.
‘He doesn’t want loyalty for free... His Highness Selim is quite the fighter,’ Tremblin thought.
Tremblin could feel the three piercing gazes on him, so he only gave himself a moment to sort out his thoughts.
“Although I’m rooting for both of you...” The duke smiled. “Indeed, there is only one throne, so I’ll have to choose one of you in the end for the sake of Avalon’s future. Indecision would only make everyone nervous.”
Kireua and Selim nodded in agreement.
“Let’s do that. This competition won’t be enough for me to make a decision, but I promise you that its outcome is going to play a major factor on the day I must choose one of you.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for your decision, Duke Trembiln.”
Selim and Kireua bowed at Tremblin.
A long spear appeared in Selim’s hand, sparking angrily.
“Hey! Using Longin is cheating!” Kireua protested.
“Cheating? I do believe you also received His Majesty’s power.”
Kireua flinched because he immediately realized that Selim was referring to Greed.
‘But Greed is...’
“You’re awfully relaxed when the competition has already begun.”
Kireua couldn’t keep worrying about it anymore.
Already, the Emperor of Avalon had lightly swung his arm, sending explosions ripping through the air not so far away. Any concerns the four had about the Emperor’s atypical choice of weapon vanished because he had cut two of the death knights in half with a single motion.
“Oh... You’ve gotta be kidding me. I ran around all day and went through hell but only managed to take care of five of them, and he can kill two of them with one swing? He isn’t even using a spear,” Valmont grumbled, echoing the thoughts of the other three with him.
“Hahahaha!” Tremblin burst into laughter. “That’s why he’s called Martial God.”
The two princes exchanged glances before sprinting toward their father.
“I won’t lose to you!”
“It’ll be better with an extra little wager, yes? The loser will be the younger brother for a year and call the winner big brother every time they talk,” Selim suggested.
“That is an excellent idea.”
