Novel Bin Chapter 22: Succession Ceremony (3)
Chapter 22: Succession Ceremony (3)
"Ha, huff!"
Deep within the vast maze on the third floor of the Palace of Qualification, Renet was racing through the twisted passages, her breath ragged.
Confusion flooded her gaze.
Renet kept glancing back as if she was trying to outrun something.
"Something's not right."
She felt it from the moment she set foot on the first test level.
Once she entered, swarms of meat-eating bugs charged at her.
This level of challenge wasn't what you'd expect in an inheritance ceremony.
Without her 'Camouflage' skill that hid her presence, she wouldn't have survived, not even leaving a trace behind.
Her suspicion solidified as soon as she stepped onto the next level.
-Roar!
A Death Knight launched itself at her, letting out a terrifying roar.
An undead creature in the heart of the Royal Palace was shocking enough, but its formidable power exceeded her wildest fears.
Given the aura of death shrouding its body, it must have been an extraordinarily skilled knight in life. Renet didn't hesitate; she chose to flee.
"Aaaargh!"
"Too powerful... Ahhh!"
"What on earth is this... Ugh!"
From beyond the maze's walls, the screams of other participants filled the air.
'Were previous inheritance ceremonies this brutal?'
No, they couldn't have been.
It was like someone intended to eliminate all the contestants.
This was no ordinary inheritance ceremony.
After what seemed like forever, running from the relentless Death Knight, she cursed in disbelief, "Damn it!"
A vast open space unfolded before her.
Four massive Death Knights stood in the space.
Well, to be accurate, they weren't just standing.
'What, they're in a battle?'
The Death Knights, each more than she could handle alone, were locked in combat with a single individual.
And that person was...
"Zion... The Prince?"
It was Zion.
There stood Prince Zion, draped in foreboding shadows, holding his ground against the Death Knights.
Prince Zion wasn't just standing his ground.
'No, he's not just defending. He's actually pushing them back. But how...'
Her gaze lingered on Zion, who was engaged in battle with the Death Knight.
Clang! Ringing metallic sounds filled the air!
His movements weren't flashy, but they were precise.
And oddly graceful.
Every action, every signal, even the slight wiggle of his toes, all served a purpose.
The darkness swirling around Zion was like a choreographed performance.
Snap, crack!
Each time the darkness moved, potent strikes would land unerringly on the Death Knights.
His actions were so fluid, they were downright graceful.
'I can't follow his movements at all.'
It wasn't that she couldn't see his actions.
Even though she saw them, she couldn't grasp the logic behind them.
Like a creature of the earth failing to understand a star, even while gazing at it.
"He's been hiding his real power this whole time."
No other explanation made sense.
Such fighting skill and battle-hardened wisdom couldn't be acquired overnight.
He had fooled everyone, even the royal court.
The ice-cold resolve of a man who endured severe criticism and humiliation without revealing his strength, all for a specific goal, was spine-chilling.
'What has he been working towards this whole time...'
While Renet was lost in such confusion and misunderstanding, watching the fight,
'Undead don't die from regular hits. I need to obliterate them.'
Zion was steadily readying himself to end the battle.
Stormy Night, a technique from the Black Star, a flawless strike that eliminates an enemy's enhancements.
The whirlwind of darkness that had originated from Zion's toes was precisely that. The storm had entirely dispersed the death aura that had shrouded the Death Knights.
Following this, the tide was turning in his favor. But Zion had no desire to waste any more time here.
-You're... strong.
Looking at the Death Knights slowly regaining their composure and expressing words, Zion tightened his right fist.
Thud!
With that, the Black Star energy was focused into Zion's clenched fist.
Feeling the powerful energy radiating from him, the Death Knights swung their weapons at Zion from all sides.
But Zion, who had been observing these movements from the start, was unfazed and quickly reacted.
Whoosh!
Zion took a large stride forward, ducking his head, as a halberd from one of the Death Knights swept right over him.
But Zion didn't stop there; he charged directly at the Death Knight who had swung the halberd.
Boom!
Behind Zion, the attacks from the other Death Knights just missed him, smashing into the ground.
One Death Knight, with an air of a seasoned warrior, dropped its halberd and pulled a dagger from its belt, swiping at the charging Zion.
Zing!
The Death Knight's dagger gathered the energy of death, forming a secondary blade.
Even as the dagger sliced through the air, Zion charged forward with even more momentum.
Just as the Death Knight's dagger neared Zion's neck.
Thwoomp!
Zion's punch, rising from below, struck the blade of the dagger.
The dagger, its path skewed by the collision, barely nicked Zion's neck as it passed.
Meanwhile, Zion's other fist, brimming with Black Star energy, was clenched tight.
Thud!
It penetrated the Death Knight's armor and chest in a single thrust.
The Black Star energy, bursting from Zion's fist and lodging in the chest, began to consume all the magic inside the Death Knight.
Even though it was undead, resurrected from the grave, it was ultimately a creature born of necromantic magic.
Therefore, if its source of magic was erased, its demise was certain.
Thump!
Like a lamp unplugged, the Death Knight's eyes dimmed as it collapsed to the ground.
Just then,
-Grant me... a glorious... death!
From behind Zion, a Death Knight lunged, brandishing its greatsword with a speed that far surpassed its previous actions.
An attack so potent it could easily demolish an ordinary building.
"I'll take it."
Could he be overconfident?
Until now, he would have evaded or deflected such a strike, but this time, Zion did not.
With a slight grin on his face, the master of the Black Star extended his hand towards the oncoming greatsword.
"It's, it's dangerous...!"
A colossal greatsword wrapped in the tangible energy of death versus a bare hand devoid of visible energy.
The scene appeared so precarious for Zion that Renet, who had been observing from her hiding place, couldn't help but cry out in alarm.
Eventually, Zion's hand clashed with the greatsword.
However, the outcome was entirely contrary to Renet's anticipation.
Crack!
Zion's hand effortlessly shattered the greatsword and even obliterated the Death Knight's head.
In Zion's hand, the Black Star energy, a force that negates everything, had morphed into a spike.
Having instantaneously obliterated two Death Knights, Zion immediately charged towards the one wielding a spear.
A long trail of darkness chased Zion.
His silhouette was eerily similar to that of the Grim Reaper.
Thwoomp! Crack!
The third Death Knight was no exception. Zion effortlessly deflected the spearhead, altering the trajectory of the attack and finished it off with a single strike.
It wasn't that the Death Knights fell for the same trick because they were feeble.
Rather, it was because Zion, who flawlessly executed the pattern, was exceedingly exceptional.
Boom!
"Huff..."
After swiftly dismantling the last remaining Death Knight, Zion took a moment to catch his breath and glanced towards Renet, hidden in the distance.
"Unfortunate."
All the contenders, including that woman, participating in this succession ceremony were simply unfortunate.
Because all the unthinkable events unfolding within the palace were all designed for Zion's demise.
They were merely collateral damage.
However, that didn't mean he planned to assist them.
After all, their participation in the succession ceremony was a choice they made.
Moreover.
'I need to settle matters here first.'
With that thought, Zion lifted his gaze skyward.
'They', who would be observing all this from somewhere, desired Zion's death during this palace test.
Therefore, Zion had no intention of playing into their hands.
And ultimately.
"Crushing the head should suffice."
The moment these soft words escaped from Zion's mouth.
Whoosh-
Zion's figure vanished from sight without a trace.
---
Raei Translations
---
"What in the world is this...!"
In the Palace of Qualification on the 9th floor, a control room existed with the capability to manage the entire test along with it.
The exact location of Lambard, the chief supervisor of the current succession ceremony, was this very control room.
Numerous screens filled the control room's wall.
These screens provided a comprehensive view of the entire Palace of Qualification.
However, Lambard, who was observing the screens, was confused.
The most critical figure was not being accurately displayed on the screen.
No, the signal was detected.
But that signal...
4th floor, 5th floor, 6th floor...
It was shooting upwards, breezing through the floors at a horrifying pace.
A speed beyond belief.
Could there be something wrong with his own sight?
Zion Agnes.
The focus of this succession ceremony, the person who must be eliminated by any means necessary.
"Things are becoming complicated."
Lambard had been sensing this since the moment Prince Zion, the central figure, stepped into the first test floor.
In reality, all the supervisors, including Lambard, believed.
That Prince Zion would perish without even clearing the first test.
After all, Prince Zion was a person whose abilities were inferior to a commoner, let alone a lesser knight.
Even if by some miracle, truly, a miracle, he survived through sheer luck, he should have met his end on the second floor.
The trap they had meticulously prepared was initially designed considering the vulnerability of the current royal family during the succession ceremony.
But Prince Zion shattered all their expectations.
'I've never seen or heard of such power.'
The darkness that incinerates all the waves of parasitic worms.
The sight of Prince Zion calmly walking, dispersing such darkness, was overwhelmingly terrifying, even when viewed through the screen.
And the climax of such shock from the supervisors was the second test floor.
The Death Knights, reanimated from the corpses of knights so formidable that a one-on-one victory could not be possible.
Prince Zion confronted all four of these formidable Death Knights at once and achieved a perfect victory.
None of this was like the Zion Agnes of the past.
No, not just the discarded prince, but Lambard had never witnessed a prince or princess in any succession ceremony leaving such an incredible impact.
"What in the world transpired? Has the bloodline of Agnes finally stirred? Or was he concealing his power? If so, since when...."
Lambard held his head in confusion, his hands clenched.
Every premeditated move was spiraling out of control.
If they were to fail by any chance, all the supervisors, including him, would lose 'his' favor.
If that were to happen, there was only one inevitable consequence.
"We must devise a strategy somehow. If not, we must intervene directly!"
Lambard, who quickly composed his thoughts, questioned the wizard controlling the control room screen.
"How far has Prince Zion's signal travelled?"
But there was no response from the wizard.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experience
"Kardo, didn't I ask about his whereabouts! Why isn't there a response...."
That's when Lambard, growing frustrated, called out the wizard's name again.
"Do you mean him?"
A voice that was peculiar yet familiar.
A voice that should not be heard here at this moment.
Lambard, who fell silent, slowly turned his gaze towards the source of the voice.
Shortly thereafter.
Thud, roll.
His eyes were drawn to the sight of the wizard's head rolling across the floor, and next to it,
stood Zion, grinning at him devilishly.
***
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