The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 101



Compatibility

The Fake Prince.

The moment I returned the words I had heard from Seron.

Ergo’s face twisted more than ever.

“Huh.”

A gasp of disbelief escaped his lips, just like with Seron.

At the same time, anger boiled in Ergo’s eyes.

“I was willing to overlook your rudeness because you are the cousin of the 3rd Princess.”

The boiling anger spread around him.

He wasn’t called a promising talent of the Six Stars for nothing.

The golden killing intent emanating from him tightened around me.

“You’ve crossed the line.”

But I was already used to killing intent.

Starting from Isabel, who once looked at me with eyes full of anger.

I had faced Nikita’s killing intent, swallowed by the remnants of the ancient dragon, head-on.

Now, Ergo’s killing intent was laughable to me.

So I smiled even in front of his killing intent.

“Why, are you scared?”

Provocation after provocation.

“You want this, don’t you?”

I showed him the Parazon’s sword.

Ergo’s eyes naturally followed the sword.

It was the Parazon’s sword I had obtained after much hardship during the summer vacation.

Originally, I intended to exchange it with Ergo for the White Dream’s sword.

But knowing the value of the Parazon’s sword, I decided to use it for another bonus.

“Do you think I will just let today’s rudeness slide?”

“I do not take Ergo Parazon lightly. Especially, I know you are very talented in politics.”

I handed the Parazon’s sword to Iris.

Iris, noticing my intention, accepted the sword.

“I have just handed over the Sword of Parazon to Lady Iris.”

Ergo’s eyebrows twitched.

“So, the parties to this transaction are now Prince Ergo Parazon and Lady Iris.”

The Sword of Parazon, with its historical preservation value.

The third princess of the Empire came to find it and handed it over to Prince Ergo.

This transaction will be written in the annals of history.

It signifies the good relationship between the Hyserion Empire and the Kingdom of Parazon.

As the prince who reclaimed the Sword of Parazon, it is an opportunity to firmly establish his position with the people.

Would Ergo want any noise to enter such a historic moment?

I can assert.

He absolutely does not want that.

Of course, today’s rudeness will not be written anywhere in history and will be kept silent.

As much as it must be kept silent in history, there was no special punishment for me either.

Moreover, due to today’s transaction, Seron’s rude remark of ‘fake prince’ will also be buried in the news.

He made a remark calling the prince who would inherit the throne of a country a fake.

This remark is something that could be an issue in Parazon.

Ergo, though emotionally driven and rough in action, is not a fool.

He realized that Seron’s remark was also intended to be buried in the story.

“……Do I look that ridiculous to you?”

But separate from that, Ergo’s anger flared up fiercely.

“Did you say a duel? I’ll do it as much as you want. But.”

Ergo ground his teeth.

“If you don’t mind what happens to your life in that duel, I’ll do it.”

“Fine.”

At the cheerful answer, Ergo was momentarily stunned.

“In return, Prince Ergo Parazon must apologize to the girl he fought today.”

He looked at me with a dumbfounded face.

“……Just to be sure, are you doing all this just to get an apology for that girl, even putting the Sword of Parazon on the line?”

A situation that is incomprehensible by common sense.

That’s why Ergo directly asked his question.

I smiled again.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Ergo stared at me with a blank face.

As if he had never seen such a madman before.

“For Ergo Parazon, it’s a simple matter.

You just need to duel with me, exchange the Sword of White Dream with the Sword of Parazon, and return to your homeland.

Oh, of course, I have no intention of harming Ergo Parazon’s life.”

How about it?

Still scared?

Ergo stared at me in silence.

Then, a faint smile began to form on his lips.

“Fine.”

Ergo’s inherent traits are [self-esteem] and [sadism].

These two traits ignited a fire in his heart.

A fire that meant he must crush me.

“After you die, tell the god of the underworld that it was I, Ergo Parazon, who killed you.”

The duel with Ergo was arranged.

＊＊＊

There was no need to measure it for long.

Ergo wanted to crush me immediately, and I felt the same way.

So we moved to a clearing in the nearby forest, away from the eyes of the professors.

“Hanlon.”

As I followed Ergo, Iris called out to me.

From Iris’s perspective, it was a sudden involvement.

So, just when I thought she might be worried about me.

“If Prince Ergo seems to be in danger, I’ll intervene.”

So, she’s telling me to beat him up as much as I want.

Iris didn’t assume for a moment that I would lose to Ergo.

Well, Iris knows that I even fought Nikita, who possesses the remnants of the ancient dragon.

Among the six-star members, except for Eve, no one can face Nikita.

Nikita, who wielded the magic of the ancient dragon, was that powerful.

I defeated such a Nikita and rescued Iris.

Therefore, my evaluation of Iris was extremely high.

“Yes, I will trust only you, Lady Iris. I might have to beat him up quite a bit.”

“Leave it to me.”

After finishing my conversation with Iris, Ergo came to a sudden halt.

A clearing surrounded by trees, obscuring the view.

It seemed to be a vacant lot recently created by a wildfire caused by lightning.

It was perfect for a fight.

“I repeat.”

Ergo raised his hand slightly.

At that moment, swords emerged from his waist and filled the air.

The belt around his waist was a special treasure called the ‘Space Island.’

It could store an infinite number of swords, and all the famous swords were stored there.

“I will fight with the intention of killing you.”

I said it directly with my own mouth.

I had no words to say even if I died to Ergo today.

“Take responsibility for those words yourself.”

Ergo looked towards Iris.

Iris, who had taken on the role of referee for this duel, raised her hand above her head.

“Begin.”

The moment her hand came down.

Ergo’s Sky Swordsmanship unfolded.

The swords decorated the sky and rushed towards me all at once.

Each sword flew fiercely, reminiscent of the teeth of a beast.

I stood still, doing nothing as I watched this.

As if accepting death.

Ergo looked at this scene with a face that couldn’t understand.

But he didn’t stop his Sky Swordsmanship.

If I had given up, he would just finish me off.

If there’s a way, it’s a frontal breakthrough.

Swords flew from all directions to pierce my body.

It was truly like a rain of swords pouring down.

But I didn’t blink an eye in the face of it.

Kagagagagagagang!

Soon after, Ergo widened his eyes at the sight that unfolded.

All the swords he had launched were touching me.

From the side, it looked as if I was a hedgehog with its quills raised.

But among those swords.

Not a single one.

Was embedded in me.

Mystery

Body of steel

Bladed attacks like swords cannot harm me.

My clothes may be a bit torn, but there’s not a single wound.

Ergo’s eyes widened.

Ergo must have realized by now.

He and I are the worst possible match.

“Ergo Parazon, Your Highness.”

I casually pushed away the swords surrounding me with my hand.

“Didn’t you say you would kill me?”

A smile full of provocation spread across my lips.

Sorry, but you can never kill me.

As soon as my feet hit the ground, my body lunged forward.

Seeing this, Ergo retrieved his sword.

Swords chasing closely behind me and flying towards me from the front.

Facing them, I swung my hand.

Kaang! Kang!

The swords clashed with my hand and were all deflected.

Seeing me not even using a sword, Ergo frowned.

This kind of battle was a first for him.

Charging in without a weapon, just bare-handed.

Normally, it would be akin to a suicide mission.

But with each step closer, deflecting the sword, Ergo’s face hardened.

I am an unstoppable tank.

This exerted pressure on Ergo’s entire body.

If I reach him, can Ergo stop me?

Pure killing intent emanating from a human body.

That intent continuously raised questions in his mind, one after another.

I have no intention of giving him time to reach a conclusion.

I move my steps more precisely.

I strengthen my lower body.

I raise my guard even more precisely.

Closing the distance is my specialty.

In the past, during my active duty, this bewildered many.

I press him to narrow his range of thoughts.

The killing intent emanating from my entire body constricts Ergo.

Kaang! Kang! Kang!

The number of deflected swords increases.

The closer I get to Ergo, the more intense the Sky Swordsmanship becomes.

Yet, he still couldn’t leave a single scratch on me.

The moment Ergo’s face completely hardened.

Finally, I reached Ergo.

An opening.

A line connecting Ergo’s head and hand.

Following that line, my hand blade surged through the air.

Kagagagagagang!

Right in front of Ergo’s nose.

The hand blade stopped abruptly.

Swords gathered around it in an instant, crossing and forcibly blocking it.

They looked like black flowers gathered in a circle.

The force was so strong that my arm couldn’t move an inch.

As expected of the world-renowned sword, each one exuded an extraordinary aura.

Between the gaps of the sword blades, Ergo and my eyes met.

“Remember.”

At that moment, Ergo’s mouth opened through the shadow of the sword.

“This is the gap that can never be bridged between you and me.”

At that moment, I felt the weight from the sword wrapped around my wrist.

With the sudden increase in weight, my arm bent down sharply.

Thud!

My body was dragged to the ground along with it.

Then, like wolves tearing into a bowed prey, the swords lunged at me all at once.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The swords deeply embedded into the ground, binding my joints and body.

In an instant, I couldn’t move an inch.

“It seems you’ve wrapped yourself in some special power that can’t be cut by swords.”

At that moment, Ergo swung the greatsword fiercely.

The blade flew towards my face.

“If it can’t cut you, I’ll just beat you until you lose consciousness.”

Just before the heavy blade of the greatsword hit my face.

A light flashed from my arm bound by the sword.

Boom!

With the activation of the magic engraving, an explosion occurred, pulling out the sword that was binding me.

The blade was right in front of me.

I spread my right hand and swung it at the blade.

Crack!

I heard a sound like something crushing the greatsword.

Ergo froze in place at the sight.

Because my fingers had pierced through the blade of the greatsword he had swung.

Of course, the owner of those fingers was me.

“You said it’s an irreconcilable difference.”

I clenched my fingers tightly.

Creak-

At that moment, the blade of the greatsword was crushed.

Between the crushed blade.

Red eyes flashed.

“Let’s see if you can still say that when all your swords end up like this.”

Clang!

Sword Breaker.

It was the moment Ergo’s greatsword was shattered.