I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

Chapter 57: Imperial Magic Tower (5)

TL/Editor: Rungir

Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun

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'Perfect.'

Hiduk, a top-tier demon cleverly masked as Professor Proud, smirked quietly, pleased with the trap he had prepared.

He had purposely used magic to selectively slay noble offspring, causing the magic to latch onto those nearby.

From the start, the trap was crafted solely for Tirian Friharden.

Now, Tirian Friharden faced two options.

Either escape and face life as an Empire outcast, or get caught and face punishment.

'He'll likely choose the first.'

He could've called Tirian alone and killed him sooner, but his superiors didn't want that.

The exact reasoning was unclear.

All Hiduk knew was that his superiors viewed Tirian Friharden as crucial to a future hero, careful not to distort destiny's flow any further.

Regardless, things were going according to plan.

'Except for him.'

Hiduk considered this, watching a man approaching him.

Zion Agnes.

The single unpredictable factor.

The purpose of his visit to the Magic Tower remained a mystery, and every action he had taken was beyond Hiduk's anticipation.

How had he managed to reveal himself just in time, at this exact location?

Was it chance?

'I was warned.'

He recalled a warning from his superiors.

The message was a caution; Zion Agnes seemed to be hunting for the evil lurking in the human world.

But to Hiduk, it didn't matter.

After all, Zion Agnes could never figure out he was a demon.

Hiduk had concealed his true form and refrained from using magic for decades after blending into the human world.

Except this time.

He had been meticulous in hiding his identity, extremely careful.

'Actually, it worked out well.'

So, Hiduk willingly accepted the unexpected appearance of Prince Zion.

If Prince Zion was truly hunting monsters and demons, trapping Tirian Friharden would become easier.

From Tirian's right hand, Hiduk's magic still blazed fiercely.

Magic was the most straightforward and conclusive proof differentiating ordinary beings from demonic ones.

Even Prince Zion would inevitably view Tirian Friharden as a demon or something similar.

'If things go well, I won't have to do anything.'

A faint smile barely noticeable to others spread across Hiduk's lips.

He enjoyed playing puppet master, using others to create situations, rather than using his own power.

The thrill of seeing others dance to his tunes was a joy he treasured.

"Prince Zion, it's dangerous! Stay back until the villain is taken care of!"

Hiduk raised a hand towards Zion, spouting words he didn't mean.

As expected, Zion continued his steady approach.

One step at a time.

His eyes locked on Tirian, amidst the magically-charged corpses, Zion advanced without faltering.

Was he planning to punish the direct murderer?

'Right now…!'

Maybe Tirian, interpreting Zion's approach, felt he couldn't delay any longer and tried to trigger a pre-prepared spell,

That's when Hiduk's pleasure, watching all of this, reached its peak.

Stop.

Zion, about to bypass Hiduk, stopped.

"Yes, we need to take care of the villain."

Along with that, Zion's calm voice filled the room.

"...?"

As Hiduk's eyes filled with confusion,

Crack!

Unexpectedly, Zion's hand lashed out, knocking his head off.

The room fell silent, shocked by the sudden, incredible scene.

Thud, roll-

To the onlookers, eyes wide with confusion, the severed head of Professor Proud rolled across the floor.

In the hush, Zion extended his right hand, gripping thin air.

As if anticipated, Eclaxia materialized in Zion's hand.

"Pr-Prince Zion… what is happening…"

Finally, one of the observing professors broke the silence, his voice trembling. But Zion, without hesitation, materialized Eclaxia's blade and drove it into the chest of the headless Hiduk.

In the original timeline, Tirian, ensnared by Hiduk's trap, chose to flee and was pursued by the Empire.

This considerably delayed the meeting with the hero.

Zion planned to alter the future by dealing with Hiduk here.

'Sneaky.'

Even with his neck severed and his heart impaled by Eclaxia, Hiduk's body didn't budge. Zion watched the scene with icy eyes.

Hiduk was a high-ranking demon.

A creature far different from the monsters Zion had previously confronted.

That's why he was so resilient, not falling just yet.

The only reason he didn't regenerate right away was to avoid revealing his true form to the crowd, while shifting the blame onto Zion for killing an innocent professor.

'In that case...'

He simply had to force him to reveal his true form.

Absorbing the surrounding light and spewing out utter darkness, Zion started to etch something onto Hiduk's body with Eclaxia's tip.

He was inscribing a magic circle.

A magic circle that emitted an eerie red light, reminiscent of blood.

"Prince Zion! What are you doing?!"

The moment a baffled voice burst from the mouths of the professors, spectators to the macabre sight of Zion etching a magic circle onto a lifeless body.

"Unmasking the culprit."

Zion's voice was frosty.

With that,

"Aaaaaaaargh!"

The decapitated head of Professor Proud, or rather, Hiduk, that had been discarded on the floor, began to emit an unnerving scream.

Coupled with the horrifying sound, Hiduk's body twisted and contorted, taking on a shape wholly unhuman.

The head reattached itself, horns erupted from the forehead, bat-like wings from his back, and ebony spikes covered the entire form.

'He responded well to the drug.'

Watching Hiduk revert to his true form, Zion brandished the Black Star.

Surveillance Formation.

This was the magic circle Zion had etched into Hiduk's flesh.

The original Surveillance Formation was only capable of unmasking low-ranking demons, but this time was different.

The magic circle, etched directly onto the body in its weakened state, headless and heart-pierced, in combination with the Black Star, made for an exceptional case.

Even a high-ranking demon couldn't withstand a Surveillance Formation operating from within.

-"Aaaah! You damned Agnes spawn!"

Hiduk, fully reverted to his demonic form, glared at Zion with eyes ablaze with fury and roared as if grinding his teeth.

With that, an immense wave of magical energy erupted from his body, wreaking havoc on the surroundings.

An intensity incomparable to any other demon encountered before.

Merely revealing its presence caused the air to tremble and space to ripple.

An entity capable of obliterating hundreds of elite knights single-handedly.

This was a high-ranking demon.

"What... what is that...!"

Paralyzed professors stuttered out their shock as they beheld Hiduk's transformation.

From the discovery of the murder scene to now, the situation had spiraled too rapidly.

Why did Prince Zion abruptly execute Professor Proud, and how did the departed Professor Proud morph into a demon?

Moreover, the power radiating from the demon was so vast, they knew they'd stand no chance even if they launched a collective assault.

-Since it's come to this, I'll eradicate you all!

Possibly because his scheme was utterly thwarted and his identity revealed.

Crunch!

An unhinged Hiduk let out a bellow and started to conjure a storm of magical energy in his outstretched hand.

"Flee!"

Faced with the tremendous power surging from Hiduk, power that even in his current state seemed challenging to quell, Tirian, who had forgotten to escape while spectating the unfolding events, cried out in urgency. He was on the verge of unleashing all the magic he'd prepared.

But a split second faster,

Screech!

With a sound reminiscent of a rusted door creaking open, Hiduk's form was hurled back at an untraceable speed, crashing into the classroom wall.

Kwa-aaaaaang!

Immediately following, Zion materialized where Hiduk had stood, armed with the fully formed Extinguishing Sword. An unfamiliar, more otherworldly darkness quietly enveloped him.

Lunar Eclipse.

The most potent amplifier and inverter at Zion's disposal.

Sensing Hiduk's power in his true form, Zion instantly activated the Lunar Eclipse.

Without it, he wouldn't stand a chance.

Then,

-You cur!

Hiduk, cursing as he extricated himself from the wall, stomped his foot on the ground.

In a blink, he vanished, reappearing right in front of Zion.

His fist, encrusted in spikes, was launched towards Zion's head with enough force to level the classroom.

Zion sidestepped, hoisting his sword diagonally to parry Hiduk's attack.

The magic energy erupting from Hiduk's deflected fist obliterated several floors of the innocent Magic Tower's ceiling in an instant.

Meanwhile, Zion, seizing the opening, naturally swung the vertically held Eclaxia upwards.

Was it an instinctual sense of danger?

Hiduk, failing to parry Zion's sword attack, shifted his weight to evade.

At that instant,

Everything in the path of Eclaxia began to split, getting sucked into the black void that manifested.

At the peculiar sight, Hiduk narrowed his eyes, immediately twisted his waist, and launched a counterpunch with his other hand.

A colossal concentration of magical energy amassed in his fist.

Zion, watching Hiduk's fist fracture the surrounding space, calmly raised the tip of his previously lowered sword and aimed it at the punch.

A bundle of black energy gathered within his blade.

The most fundamental and crucial technique of the Black Star.

Finally, the moment Zion's sword tip and Hiduk's fist collided,

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