Chapter 135

Milh took the amplification crystal, about the size of a fist, but it felt as heavy as a thousand catties in his hand.

He closed his eyes and contemplated for a moment.

Turning back with the crystal in hand, Milh faced the arena and the audience stands, speaking directly before the nobles of various nations.

Amid the glint of blades and the cold flashes of steel, his voice echoed throughout the venue.

“I am Milh Aurus, Second Prince of the Kingdom of Aurus.”

“I regret to inform you all that the current King of Aurus, my father, Celt Aurus, is weak and incompetent. Not only has he predetermined the Demon Clan Princess to become the champion of the tournament, but even the Demon King who just departed could come and go as he pleased on our land without invitation or hindrance.”

“This cannot continue... The era where our kingdom is trampled upon must come to an end!”

Yes... just like that.

Nobles of the Demon Clan and Human race—go on and quarrel... argue with all your might.

The appearance of harmony does not suit you.

Don’t forget—you are mortal enemies... don’t let some so-called ‘Peace Ambassador’ blind you with false ‘hope’.

What Livra proposed...

Simply does not exist.

“I am willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility in times of crisis. Upon my ascension as the Fourteenth King of Aurus, I shall join forces with the Holy Theocracy of Coreia to launch a decisive counterattack against the Demon Domain! A single nation has limited power, but two united will usher in a new era for humankind!”

“We shall seek the support of the higher races. The Demon Clan has acted arrogantly for far too long... It’s time they paid the price!”

As he finished, Milh cast a sidelong glance behind him.

To his former father—and to his siblings.

“Before that... to sever all ties with the weakness of the past, I ask everyone to witness the passing of the old age, and to celebrate the arrival of a new era!”

As Milh’s echo faded.

The center of the arena’s ground began to split apart on both sides.

This anomaly made the combatants on the field instinctively sense danger; all of them leapt away from the center and continued their battle outside the split zone.

Everyone in the audience rose to their feet, gazing toward the fissure in the arena floor.

Because it seemed... something was rising from within.

When the full shape of that object was finally revealed—

Everyone present gasped in shock.

Its surface gleamed with the luster of magic crystal.

Its base was inscribed with swirling magical runes.

It stood several meters tall.

Hidden beneath the arena... was actually a magitech-level, strategic-class magic crystal cannon!

This was a magical weapon developed by humankind during wartime, powered by magic stones, with a destructive force capable of rivaling a Four Wings in the Sky Demon.

That referred to an ordinary magic crystal cannon.

But a magic crystal cannon of this size... even the gathered nobles of the human realm were seeing such a thing for the first time.

And the direction the magic crystal cannon was aimed at—was precisely the royal platform where the King stood.

With a casual wave of his hand, Firex cast a barrier that enveloped the royal family.

Even if they hurled themselves at it, they could not escape from within.

“Your Majesty, it seems we might have to say our farewells? This magic crystal cannon... was buried underground by me, as a grand funeral tribute for you. Isn’t it rather dignified?”

“The arena’s defensive barrier is still active... the cannon can’t reach this side.”

“Haha... Hahahahaha! Whether it can reach or not, you’ll know the moment you see the flash!”

Your Majesty, this isn’t just any ordinary magic crystal cannon...

This is a fusion of the kingdom’s magitech and the theocracy’s magic formations.

—It could absorb portions of magical energy that had appeared nearby over a certain period of time.

The arena matches had been going on for so long.

One generation of powerful combatants after another had released terrifying spells upon this field.

The magic crystal cannon had been continually nourished...

Especially just now, when that Fire Dragon Clan's magic directly boosted the cannon’s power to its critical threshold.

Ah, it’s just a pity that the Demon Clan Princess hadn’t yet unleashed her full strength—otherwise the cannon could’ve been even stronger.

But that no longer mattered.

At its current strength, the cannon might very well pierce through the heavens...

A mere defensive barrier was nothing before it.

This wasn't merely to obliterate the Aurus royal family.

This attack was also meant to etch the newfound power of humanity into the skies forever, as a warning.

Even if a Six-Winged Demon descended in the future... they’d have to think twice about whether they could withstand such a blast.

His Holiness the Pope had truly calculated well—this was a brilliant two-birds-one-stone scheme, with remarkable foresight.

Firex grabbed Milh by the collar and leapt down from the platform, while instructing him to give the order.

“Prince Milh, begin! Ignite the blaze that shall mark your coronation!”

---

47. Dark Feather

In truth, from the very beginning—

There had never been any 【Explosive】 magic on the platform.

Explosive magic did not exist, but the false-tooth mechanism in Firex’s mouth certainly did.

While he soared through the air after leaping from the platform with Milh—

Firex bit down hard on the device hidden between his false teeth.

That mechanism was connected to the fuse of the magic crystal cannon.

And since he bit it—this meant the fuse had been activated.

“Hahahahaha...! Royal family of Aurus, it’s time we said goodbye! Good luck to you all!”

The direction of the wind seemed to shift.

The ground began to tremble, shaking the footing of everyone present.

Eclight raised his greatsword in shock, while the two Tenth-Rank elders he was locked in combat with also froze in surprise.

All three of their gazes turned simultaneously toward the center of the field—where the colossal magic crystal cannon was gathering rainbow-colored magic energy.

“A fusion of magical energies... huh... to think it could actually be realized. This old man has indeed broadened his horizons today.”

“This magic density... it may very well surpass a full-power strike from a Tenth-Rank. Truly an astonishing miracle.”

The two elders still had the leisure to chat and comment.

But when Eclight saw clearly the direction the magic crystal cannon was aimed at, his expression immediately twisted in fury. The surge of magical waves radiating from his body forced both elders to raise their staves and activate defensive barriers in vigilance.

“Your Majesty...!! Get out of my way!! Don’t block me!”

Even though this single slash nearly tore through space itself with clean precision, shredding the fortified double Tenth-Rank barriers like paper—

It was already too late.

Unlike the vibrant rainbow hues, a light representing pure destruction had already gathered, forming conduits of magical wave paths mid-air.

Destruction was about to descend.

Boom——————!!

Thunder on flat ground, silence in time and space.

The human spectators squinted as a blinding white light erupted.

In their hearts, they all shared the same thought—The King was doomed, the royal family was finished, and Aurus was done for.

But when the light gradually faded and they managed to open their eyes—

They were all dumbfounded.

It wasn’t just the audience—Firex, the mastermind behind everything, was just as stunned.

Looking back, the royal family atop the platform remained safe and sound, untouched.

From the front view, the magic crystal cannon’s location was still engulfed in smoke and dust.

Did the cannon blast fail...?

Was it not powerful enough?

That wasn’t the reason...

It was because the cannon strike that should have annihilated the royal family—never even fired to begin with!

“The magic crystal cannon self-destructed...?”

“Firex! What the hell happened?!” Milh was now truly panicking. He had already made his declaration moments ago, and now this? “You swore up and down that the cannon strike would absolutely go through! How do you explain this?! This is a complete failure! Do you understand the consequences of failure?!”

“So damn noisy...”

Firex muttered under his breath.

Then, as he turned to explain, his expression also grew grim.

“The magic crystal cannon might’ve overloaded on such immense magical power and triggered a self-detonation...? No... that’s impossible. The cannon’s feasibility was approved by His Holiness the Pope, with divine guidance... it was absolutely flawless.”

“Just say where the problem is already!”

“It must’ve been interference... tch, just as I feared.”

As the smoke cleared, and amidst the lingering white mist, the shattered remains of the cannon slowly came into view.

Standing proudly atop it—was a silver-haired Six-Winged girl.

Her gaze held disdain for all, looking down at the cannon beneath her feet as if it were trash.

The very cannon that was meant to be used as a deterrent against the Demon Clan—was now crushed beneath the foot of the Demon Clan Princess. The irony of this scene was nothing short of piercing.

After a brief moment of stunned silence—

The audience stands finally erupted into a complete uproar.

The Demon Clan nobles cheered at the princess’s overwhelming power. The Human race’s new weapon had been brought out, only to fall in failure—this greatly boosted their morale!

Even though the Human nobles wouldn’t go so far as to thank Sheffy, they all exhaled in relief—thanks to her, the royal family’s lives were spared.

Without the royal family… who knew what chaos the nation would descend into? And if chaos did break out, it would be the nobles who got replaced.

Firex stared fixedly at the wreckage of the magic crystal cannon.

That look in his eyes seemed to say—How did you do it?

The cannon blast had clearly been initiated… how could it possibly have failed?

Sheffy simply took a seat atop the ruins, but since the not-yet-cooled cannon was a little too hot for her rear, she elegantly stood up again without so much as a twitch, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Hmm~ How should one put it? Truthfully, she hadn’t expected such a massive device to be buried underground.

Being able to respond in time—was all thanks to the “signal” Livra had sent her.

..............................

Back when Sheffy had finished her first match and entered the waiting area where she met Livra, the two had exchanged this conversation:

【Livra, I may have no obligation to protect you, but since we’re at least in a cooperative relationship right now, your safety will be under constant threat throughout this tournament. There’s no shortage of people who want your life.】

【Ahahaha... You’re right... Actually, since I was little, there’ve been tons of people who wanted to kill me... including some of my own royal siblings... Ah, but let’s not talk about that. Thank you for the warning, Princess Sheffy! I’ll definitely be extra careful!】

【Just being careful won’t be enough to keep you alive. Listen up—pay attention to three fingers.】

【Three fingers?】

【Yes. If there's an emergency, signal me by holding up your fingers. One finger means you spotted an assassination attempt. Two fingers means there’s poison gas or you’ve been poisoned. Three fingers means there's an explosive or a large-scale destructive magic incoming.】

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