đźź Chapter 69:
🟧 Ryo's POV:
"Father, what is that creature?"
"That is called a Dragon Elnar. His name is Ryo."
"Where did he come from?"
"He originates from the dragon lands neighboring our kingdom…"
I don't know how long it has been since that conversation between Prince Elnar and the King. I was just a young dragon back then. Even though I didn't understand my origins at first, I eventually learned where I came from.
I owe my life to the King of this nation—he raised me when I had no one. And as long as I breathe, I'll never allow anyone to harm his children.
Now one of the Numbers stands before us—the one who should be the second-strongest if their numbers reflect their power… Number Two.
He hovered above us on a flying bird. Even though we were hiding specifically from him, he managed to track us down again. He stared at us with clear contempt, as if we were nothing.
I told the prince to continue without me:
"Your Highness, go on ahead. I'll handle him myself."
But the prince refused.
"Impossible, Ryo. You can't defeat him alone."
He was right. In this condition, I wouldn't be able to win. And the prince was injured—badly.
Yet he smiled at Number Two and said:
"You may have won the first battle, but don't think that will happen again."
Number Two pulled out a spear from his back—the same one he used against us before, the one that caused the prince's injuries. He leapt off his mount with cold, steady steps.
"Are you in your right mind, prince? You couldn't beat me at your peak. How would you do it now?"
"You'll see… just watch."
Prince Elnar split into five identical copies—the same skill he used to expose Orfin's betrayal. I charged in alongside him.
Number Two wiped out all the clones easily. But they were nothing more than a distraction. The real prince came at him from the right with his sword, while I attacked from the left with my claws.
Just as we were about to strike him, he vanished—reappearing above me. He kicked me in the head, slamming me to the ground. He then thrust his spear toward my throat, but the prince deflected it just in time.
I got up quickly to assist the prince. While Number Two was focused on him, I wrapped my tail around him and hurled him into a building.
But before even a full second passed, his spear pierced straight through my eye.
The pain was unbearable.
"Aaaaaaah!"
He jumped toward me through the dust of the impact, smirking aggressively. He yanked the spear from my already-burst eye. He was fast—too fast for me to stop him from aiming for my other eye.
He wanted to make me completely blind.
But at the last moment, both he and I heard a voice:
"Flame Layers."
Suddenly, five rings of fire formed around us, creating a blazing zone. Number Two's legs trembled as he collapsed to the ground. Oddly enough, even though I stood within the flames, I felt nothing.
I looked toward the prince—and understood everything.
He glanced at me, worried:
"Ryo, your other eye—did it get hurt?"
"No… Your Highness, what is this? Since when do you have such a skill?"
"I call it Flame Layers. It's a zone made of four rings and a central point of fire, each more painful than the last. But… I haven't mastered it yet."
"And what about us? Won't it hurt you—or me?"
"The skill doesn't affect its user. And I can choose to keep allies safe from it."
Amazing… I never knew he had something like this. Even if he hadn't mastered it, it would help us tremendously.
We both turned toward Number Two, who stood hunched over, head lowered. A faint laugh escaped him—despite supposedly being the only one suffering from the flames.
"You're a fool, prince. Why didn't you use this skill in our first fight, even if you haven't mastered it?"
"I have a bad habit of not showing all my cards in a first encounter. But since this is our second… I must."
"Too bad. It's useless. I have a shock-absorption skill. Your flames won't affect me."
"Then once you step into the third layer, your skill will fail."
"I don't know what difference that makes, but it's not like I'll walk into it."
"Try escaping then."
The prince said that with full confidence. Number Two didn't understand what he meant—until he tried moving.
He couldn't.
"Why can't I move? Is this your skill?"
"Actually, you are moving—just not in the direction you want. This zone has a radius of twenty meters. You're being pulled slowly toward the center."
Incredible… His skill prevents the opponent from escaping.
The prince drew his sword and nodded at me with determined eyes.
"Come on, Ryo. While he's restricted, we can defeat him."
"Yes, Your Highness."
We rushed at Number Two again. He gripped his spear, and I realized I needed to disarm him. I aimed my claws toward the hand holding the spear.
Suddenly, red beams shot from his fingertips and struck my arm.
"Red."
The prince also failed to land a strike. Number Two moved with insane agility.
That was until the prince managed to slash below his knees—cutting off what appeared to be his legs entirely.
But…
"AAAH! My long boots! You ruined them!"
He hadn't cut his legs—just his extremely long boots.
Number Two… was short.
His face twisted in pure rage.
"You little brat! How dare you ruin my boots?! I am NOT short!"
"Dude, nobody cares about your height."
Number Two now entered the second layer of flames. Even though I couldn't feel the heat, it was clearly much more intense than the first layer.
Thanks to his ability, he was still somehow standing. But once he reached the third layer, things would change—just as the prince had said.
Red beams shot toward us again, but we dodged them. The prince summoned ten illusionary clones, surrounding Number Two, blocking his vision entirely. The prince then hid among them to strike unseen.
Smart… but the difference in physical ability ruined the plan.
When the illusions vanished, Number Two was holding the prince's sword.
He had snatched it right out of his hand. Though blood dripped from his palm, he healed it instantly. Now he had both the spear and the prince's sword—while we were unarmed.
I attacked him again, smashing the ground beneath me and hurling the debris at him. He sliced through it using the prince's sword.
Then he stumbled into the third layer.
And immediately started screaming.
"GAAAAH! This hurts! It hurts!"
I didn't understand how he could feel pain despite absorbing shock. But the prince explained:
"In this layer, even the victim's mana becomes unstable. That means he can't use his skill properly. And once he's helpless… he'll be dragged straight into the fourth layer."
Number Two collapsed, writhing in agony. His skin began to melt. He kept trying to use his healing technique, but it weakened as his mana fluctuated.
He entered the fourth layer—and his body finally began burning for real. The spear and sword melted instantly. His body was falling apart. Only seconds remained before his death.
Prince Elnar spoke calmly:
"Once he reaches the center, his body will explode completely. That will finish him."
He was still crawling within the fourth layer—barely alive—until finally, he reached the center.
"Noooooo! I don't want to die like this!!"
The moment he touched the center, everything exploded.
It was over.
I turned to the prince to praise him, but his expression was frozen in shock, staring into the explosion's fading smoke.
"Impossible…"
"Your Highness, what's wrong?"
"The explosion… it was supposed to be much stronger. How…?"
Stronger?
That small explosion was already terrifying…
Then a voice echoed from within the smoke:
"What a deadly skill. Good thing you didn't master it yet, prince."
Number Two's voice.
He wasn't dead.
The prince couldn't believe it.
"Impossible! How did you survive?! You were almost dead!"
"Almost… but not dead. Once I reached the center, my mana stabilized. I used my ability to absorb as much of the explosion as I could—then healed myself at the same time."
The prince must have failed to maintain the center properly, allowing Number Two to regain control.
Number Two added with a sly tone:
"And now… let's end this. Once and for all, prince."