Regulux smiled with an expression of victory.
He activated a magical attack from the game, Star Shower. That attack was level 11.
It was very weak in the game, but in reality, it was a very strong attack.
The dust cloud continued to rise.
It didn't move at all.
"Even if my Orion's whip didn't hit you, you're idiot enough to fall for such a weak attack."
"Lambert can dodge it without problems. He trained a lot with me. He's my right hand for a reason. Anyway, the easiest victory in the world."
Regulux turned to leave, but at that moment, a small pellet covered in electricity flew straight to his cheek.
Blood came out.
Turning around, he watched as a shadow appeared.
It was Razel.
He had a little dust and blood, but his steed was intact.
In fact, that was the strange thing.
The attack was too fast; even if he activated his Eagle Eye, at least one or two hits should have hit the Pegasus.
But it was intact.
Razel took out another pellet and started playing baseball with the prince.
"Eat this!"
The electrical attack imbued in the pellet made it more lethal.
The prince used a magic shield, and it was destroyed instantly.
He activated his attack again, feeling threatened by those small metal pellets.
"Light magic: star deluge!"
This time it wasn't one magic circle; there were several.
At least two dozen golden magic circles manifested in the air.
Regulux laughed in a way that an ally of justice shouldn't.
"Hahaha, you won't be able to escape this!"
"Diiiiiiiiiiie!"
The intense light shone; the attack would begin at any moment.
Razel grabbed the steed's handlebars and turned around to flee.
But it was too late.
The attack began.
It was impossible for him to dodge that attack, which was faster than a blink or the heartbeat of a dog.
Regulux's victory was certain.
But at that moment, something strange happened.
(I won't allow it.)
The thought of a consciousness resounded.
No one heard it.
(I won't allow it to touch you.)
At the moment the first light swords approached Razel's back, his steed, Schwarz, made a U-turn.
Razel didn't understand, but he was heading straight for the prince.
The light swords came at the same time.
Once again, a voice spoke without anyone hearing it.
(This time, I won't let my master fall before me.)
That voice... came from Schwarz.
Razel couldn't change direction; he thought his end had come.
What he saw made him stop thinking.
Schwarz was steering itself.
The light swords seemed like sharp knives fired by a mini-gun.
The jet-black steed flew with the elegance of a butterfly.
It dodged the attacks with great precision so that none damaged its body or its master.
Up, down, left, or right.
Schwarz went everywhere, dodging the attacks.
The prince's victorious smile faded as he watched a simple machine perform miracles of maneuvering.
Anyone would think that something like this was part of the driver's skill.
But in truth, it was the steed's skill.
This is the story of the one once known as the Black Lightning.
◇◇◇
A long, long time ago.
When technology wasn't so advanced.
There was a boy who yearned for a toy.
It wasn't your typical children's toy.
It was a toy that only rich children could buy.
It was known as a Pegasus, and it was mostly used in sports.
The boy watched from his father's workshop as the children of the rich had fun.
He went to his father, who was working hard, to ask him.
"Father, could you buy me a Pegasus?"
The father stopped hammering and turned to his son, annoyed.
"We don't have money for that."
"I know, I just wanted to confirm. Don't worry."
The boy left with a dejected face.
His father turned his face, very annoyed.
It wasn't because of what his son asked; it was because he couldn't afford one.
He was a master craftsman in the creation of Pegasus.
Orders with parts arrived daily.
They could live well thanks to that.
The problem was that living well and having surplus are opposite words.
Due to taxes, they only had enough to eat and clothe themselves.
His father had also had that dream once.
He understood what his child felt.
It pained him not to be able to give him a toy.
But then, one day, an order arrived.
That order was normal.
Build a Pegasus for a child.
The man almost had it finished, until the client came painfully to tell him.
"Do you want to customize it?"
"Yes. My little one found out his little friends were also doing it. So, my son also wants a customized one."
"B-But, dear client, I already have everything ready beforehand for what you ordered."
"Forget about it. I came to tell you that and to bring you new parts."
Some men in suits entered with new parts for the customization.
The craftsman said.
"I understand. But what should I do with these parts?"
He pointed to the large pile of spare parts for the original steed he was supposed to build.
The noble touched his mustache disinterestedly while saying.
"Throw them away or keep them. I don't care."
With those words, the noble and his subordinates left.
His father was annoyed; he had to start over.
Just as he took out his pencil to draw, he once again saw his son watching through the window.
Then, he looked at the drawing plan on the table. Then, an idea came to him.
◇◇◇
The next day, he put up a sign that said.
Customizations for mechanical steeds performed.
Orders came in like hotcakes.
Months passed, and then years.
One day, the man hit his head.
"Damn it!"
In front of him was an object covered in sheets.
"I can't make it work!"
"I worked so hard that I got sick and lost feeling in my fingers to buy a magic stone! But even with that... It won't start!"
Before leaving his workshop, the man turned off the light.
As he closed the door, he said, "Not everything can come true."
In that dark room, a small object slowly began to glow.
In this world, they were known as mythological beings. They were called fairies.
These fairies lived hidden from humans.
A long time ago, fairies were hunted for their beautiful transparent wings or sold as pets.
The fear of humans was so great that they hid forever.
The little fairy had no form. It had been living in this workshop since the generation of the man's great-grandfather who had just left.
Every day, hidden, it watched them work hard.
Fairies have a lifespan.
In this world, there is nothing that can live forever.
The fairy, using its last strength to fly.
Approached the tools.
It could "hear" their voices.
(I want to work.)
(I don't want to give up.)
(Please, work. Or else, our existence will be useless.)
In Razel's previous life, there was a story about a puppeteer who wanted a son.
He built a puppet, and it came to life.
The developers thought it was an absurd idea and it was discarded.
Or so they thought.
The little fairy heard the pleas of the tools.
(Please, work.)
(I don't want the master to feel bad.)
(The young master wishes to be happy. I want him to be happy.)
Then, with its last strength, the fairy approached the steed's engine.
It gave it a kiss and disappeared.
But at that moment, the steed's eyes shone with an intense red color.
◇◇◇
The next morning, the man couldn't believe what he saw.
He had built a steed. That Pegasus was painted black because it was the only thing left over from the scraps the nobles discarded.
It was working.
When he went down the stairs to enter his workshop, he found the engine running.
It was purring just like a motorcycle.
The man called his son.
The boy, still sleepy, asked.
"What's wrong—?"
The child's mouth and eyes opened wide like plates when he saw his gift.
"Congratulations, son. Your gift."
The boy ran to hug his dad and asked him a million questions. The most important one was.
"What's its name?"
The man didn't know what to answer.
But, seeing the black color of the Pegasus, he said.
"Schwarz. Like its jet-black color. That will be its name."
The boy was truly happy.
◇◇◇
The years passed.
And both the boy and the steed...
"This is impossible!"
We're making history.
"Can this be?"
"It must be a lie?!"
The boy, now a full-grown man, had just a few seconds ago won a national competition.
No one could believe that a commoner was capable of doing that.
His father, who was in the stands, cried, staining his gray mustache.
His son also cried, mounted on the steed that was built by his own father.
◇◇◇
The years passed.
Year after year after year.
That jet-black steed became a legend.
Its name was known as the Black Lightning.
It was so fast that only a black blur was visible.
The family of that master craftsman became important nobles.
They entered the world of jousting and sports as champions.
Using only the same model.
They said it was blessed by the goddess.
All Pegasus models were manufactured based on that legend.
Everyone wanted to have one like it.
One normal day like any other.
Victory would come to that family.
Until that happened.
"Noooooooo!"
The descendant of that master craftsman was competing in a race. The race was being won; Schwarz was in the lead as always.
But its pilot was a very impatient man.
He accelerated to the point that, if he tried to brake, he would crash anyway.
That's what happened.
Unfortunately for everyone, that incident took the lives of spectators. Including his firstborn son and wife.
The family was branded as cheats, among other things.
The steed was even detained for investigation.
Of course, many of them were people envious of their fame.
The steed had nothing strange about it.
The man faced a multi-million-dollar lawsuit.
He lost everything; he discarded the steed that had brought them fame, never to see it again.
The steed's eye watched its owner leave as it was thrown into the trash.
As it was raining, it seemed the steed was crying as it watched its owner go.
◇◇◇
(How much time has passed?)
Schwarz wondered.
After much time coexisting with those who loved it, it gained consciousness.
That consciousness now wondered various things.
Among them, whether it was its fault for not slowing down.
(My master was driving very fast.)
(If... I had just reduced speed a little, that wouldn't have happened.)
(It was my fault.)
(I am completely useless.)
(Yes. I am granted a second chance. This time, I promise that this time I will protect him.)
(No matter who the next one is. I will protect my master from any danger.)
Then, Schwarz heard voices approaching.
"Hey, Cid. Are you sure there's a Pegasus here that I can use?"
"The janitor said he saw one years ago. That no one has entered here besides him."
"But this place is enormous, with a capital E."
Schwarz thought as the voices approached.
(C-Could this be the chance the heavens gave me?!)
(If so, I promise I will never lose again.)
(I just wish to run by my master's side.)
(I promise I will never put him in danger because of me again.)
"Oh, I found it."
"Seriously, Cid?"
"Yes."
(Please, grant me a chance, that's all I ask.)
(I will never betray you or let something like that happen again.)
(By my name, I won't let anything bad happen to you.)
Schwarz thought all of this during its fight against the capture targets.
Every time Razel did something crazy, it was Schwarz who helped its master create that miracle.
Right now, that master was in imminent danger.
Defeat was clear.
But Schwarz swore to the heavens never to lose with its master again.
The light swords danced alongside the black body.
The spectators in the stands couldn't believe it.
For them, something strange was happening.
"... It's fascinating."
Not a single attack touched that great black body.
They even became smaller, but even so, the light swords didn't touch that steed that danced like lightning.
"How beautiful."
Said Lily, supported by Elize.
"Indeed. For a black figure, it dances in the sky like a bird."
(For everyone, there should be a magical metallic object flying wildly.)
(But what they saw was something else.)
(They saw...)
(For my master!)
(A beautiful, true black Pegasus galloping in the sky.)
(Its beautiful black wings, dark as night, reflected the light.)
(Its great black body shone, marking every part of its form.)
(No matter how fast the light swords flew, they would never reach that celestial, jet-black body.)
(That was Schwarz. The black steed that soars through the skies like a dark lightning bolt in the day.)
(I will never loseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!)
The great jet-black body galloped fiercely through that burst of light.
Its head headed straight for the white steed.
Then, Regulux got scared.
He drew his sword, while Razel came to his senses.
He didn't understand what was happening, but the prince was in front of him.
Using his bat as a weapon.
At the moment Schwarz collided with Weiss, the weapons of both combatants sparked.
"Uwoooooooooooooooo!"
Shouted Razel. While his companion.
(Go, master! Hit him with everything you've got!)
From the bottom of its metallic heart, it supported its master. It generated such great speed that Regulux's steed couldn't withstand it.
Little by little, the head sank, and the wings fell off one by one.
That steed was of the highest quality.
The materials were expensive and foreign.
But even so, it was crumbling while its opponent remained intact.
"This is your end, prince!"
Razel shouted face to face with Regulux.
His handsome face was showing desperation.
The stands watched as they rapidly approached.
Everyone shouted.
Some supporting the prince.
Others supporting Razel.
But only the voices of the participants resonated most in the environment.
Regulux freed his hand and manifested a large magic circle behind him.
Several meters remained before impact.
"Light magic: radiance of the cosmos!"
From the magic circle, missiles made of light shot out.
They rapidly approached them.
Regulux used all his strength while trying to pull away from Razel.
Razel, however, did not allow it.
When the missiles approached, he momentarily released the prince.
He hit each and every missile directly towards the mountain.
A huge explosion occurred, but he didn't care.
His bat, imbued with electricity.
He struck the steed's head and then lifted it against him.
Now Regulux was immobilized, and defeat was evident.
But the prince's smile formed a crescent moon.
Before Razel brought down his bat, he felt something lightly hit his cheek.
That lightness became very hard seconds later.
Then, the sky was upside down.
He didn't understand what was happening until he saw it.
Regulux used his free hand to create a small light whip.
The blow was strong enough to make him fall.
But at that instant, Schwarz, by itself, descended to catch him before he fell.
Not even 10 seconds passed since Razel fell.
The prince used a magic circle to keep his steed in the air.
But victory was evident. The winner undoubtedly is...
"It's my victory, nobody!"
The prince, just like in the game.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Shouted Razel. "I haven't lost! Besides, you can't continue anymore."
"Boo~boo~" The prince made that sound in denial.
"I am in the air. You fell. It's my victory."
Razel emanated a murderous aura.
"Don't fuck with me! If you talk like that, then I won before!"
"Ahahaha, what a sore loser. Accept it, I won. I'm still in the air, and you fell."
"It was momentary, and now I'm in the air! I never touched the ground!"
"That doesn't matter!" said the prince, standing up and pointing at the referee.
"The referee already declared the winner while you were falling!"
"What do you mean?"
Razel looked at the referee, who made a complicated face.
He shouted at Razel.
"T-The winner is Prince Regulux! Therefore, he wins the bet!"
When he heard those words, he immediately turned towards the direction of the girls. He used his Eagle Eye to see them.
Lily was consoling Elize, who was crying as if she had learned of the death of a loved one.
Then he looked at Cid. He showed nothing but a face of horror at this result. On the other hand, Lambert showed a face that said, "It's normal."
Just like in the game, the prince won, and the villainess's end was next.
"Shit! Shit! Something like this... no, it can't be..."
Razel's mind wandered for the first time because he didn't know what to do.
He looked at the prince; the thought he had was horrifying.
(If you plan to make Eli suffer! Then I, here and now, will kill you!)
Before Razel could move forward to hurt Regulux.
The ground trembled.
At the same time, a scream was heard.
"Roooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
It sounded like the cry of a horrifying creature.
Everyone's gaze focused on a large accumulation of dust.
Razel turned around to see something unimaginable.
"D- Don't fuck with me!"
The great white mountain was rising.
"Why?"
The earth and trees flew out.
"Why is that here?"
A great body emerged from underground, manifesting a monstrous appearance.
"Why? ... Is the strongest pet of the last demon king here!?"
A monster resembling a pangolin. A creature that could be said to be a distant cousin of the armadillo. Had appeared.
Its great mouth opened.
"Rooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Everyone present was terrified.
Only Razel knew who this creature was.
It is the only one of its kind in the world.
It was Xerxes, the City Devourer.
An enemy that, to defeat, you had to sacrifice a city in the game.