Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Chapter 458 - 431: The Prince Arrives Again

As a Magic Master who had once fought above his rank, Mephisto had captured a Ninth Level Undead creature long ago.

However, the power limitations of his normal form prevented him from summoning the Bone Bear.

This time, if an insufficient number of "sacrifices" had been killed, he wouldn’t have been forced to devour the Witch Soul Pearl to protect himself.

He had originally thought that after leveling up, he could rely on the Bone Bear to pummel Ronin and kick Ridder aside. He never imagined that the Undead creature would be destroyed the moment it appeared, before it could even finish its signature pose.

Mephisto fell into a state of deep self-doubt. ’Is this really a Ninth Level creature?’

Ronin slowly descended back to the ground, stepping on the withered bones of the Bone Bear as his Attribute Panel appeared before his eyes.

He now had 10,009 Attribute Points and 20,000 Energy Essence!

The last time he had been this wealthy was after completing the final objective with Bellora and gaining a massive fortune.

He no longer hesitated, investing 4,749 Attribute Points into his Magic Master progress.

In an instant, Ronin broke through the Knight’s Cognition Wheel and the Mage’s Qi Wheel. His Spirit and stamina increased at a staggering rate.

At the same time, a faint blessing from the will of the world settled upon him.

"This is...!"

Mephisto was visibly shaken. He could feel a faint yet unfathomable fluctuation coming from Ronin. This was the sign of becoming a Proud Sun Knight and a Great Mage!

’This young man actually leveled up in the middle of a battle?’

’How is this possible!’

Ridder also sensed this change and was deeply envious.

This blessing from the will of the world was a small, additional enhancement on top of the breakthrough itself.

He figured that because he was merely regaining his former life’s strength, the will of the world hadn’t descended for him when he broke through a while ago.

The same went for Mephisto when he leveled up just now.

Ronin sensed the changes after his level-up.

He felt that not only had his strength soared, but after being enhanced by the will of the world, he had become more integrated with the world itself.

He closed his eyes. Besides sensing Elemental Power, he could also see what seemed to be a vast ocean of purer, more powerful energy above it.

Although no one told him what this ocean of energy was, he already had an epiphany—this was Extreme Elemental Power.

Furthermore, he could now sense the condition of all living beings within a radius of about a mile using only his Spiritual Power, without even needing to use the Wind of Inquiry.

He could release his Spiritual Power before, and even use it to control objects, but nothing like this had ever happened before.

’How miraculous.’

Ronin’s mind returned to the present. He glanced at the 5,260 Attribute Points remaining on his Attribute Panel. Considering the new uses of his Spiritual Power and his recent research on Magic with Sophia, he chose to allocate his points with a bias towards the Mage path.

[Level]: 9 - Proud Sun Knight (2,260/20,000); 9 - Great Mage (3,000/30,000)

He opened his eyes, a satisfied smile on his lips.

Finally, he stood at the pinnacle of power on the Orland Continent.

He wasn’t sure if the Tricia Kingdom had any Ninth Level Transcendants, but in the Oduin Kingdom, at least, it seemed that besides himself and Ridder, there was only Bellora Silva.

’Oh, I miscounted. There’s also Mephisto right in front of me. But he’ll be gone soon enough.’

"You..."

Mephisto took a step back, his already pale skin now a ghastly white.

"What do you want?"

’Everything I can summon has been shattered. In this situation, facing two Proud Sun Knights by myself—one of whom is also a Great Mage—I have no chance of winning.’

Mephisto was now filled with regret. ’I should have just left when they were attacking the city. I really never thought they’d find me, even though I hid so far away.’

A flicker of amusement appeared in Ronin’s eyes. ’To think he’d ask such a pointless question at a time like this.’

FWOOSH—

The Flowing Flame Sword lit up once more. Ronin prepared to end the man’s life.

But just then, a piercing cry echoed from the distant sky. Several Griffins paused briefly high in the air, then swooped rapidly toward the mountain peak where Ronin stood.

Ronin narrowed his eyes. He had seen the golden Griffin in the lead before; it was the mount of Crown Prince Garrett, who had visited Shore City not long ago.

’I thought the Royal Family would send Broel. I didn’t expect Garrett to come himself.’

The expression on Mephisto’s face relaxed slightly. ’It seems Jesus’s call for help worked. The Crown Prince, who was on the Kingdom’s border, has rushed over.’

’But... why did only five people come?’

The Griffins circled down, their immense wind pressure kicking up clouds of dust and obscuring the mountaintop.

Ronin instantly cast a Clear Wind Skill, and his vision immediately cleared.

With a grim face, Garrett leaped from the Griffin’s back. He surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sweeping over Mephisto. Without asking, he knew the identity of the Black Robe Mage.

At that moment, Jesus, who had been hiding in the distance, saw his grand-nephew arrive and came scrambling over.

"Garrett, you’ve come at the perfect time! Wushan Territory has betrayed us! Ronin and Lurans, they’ve betrayed the Oduin Kingdom!"

Jesus clamored, "Quick, have your father issue an order to encircle and annihilate them! Destroy the Wushan Clan!"

Garrett’s icy gaze met Ronin’s calm eyes. Suppressing the rage in his heart, he demanded, "I warned you last time in Shore City. I didn’t think you would not only ignore me but become even more audacious! Ronin, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"What am I trying to do?"

Ronin pointed to the war in the distance, which was nearing its end, and then to Jesus and Mephisto.

"Naturally, I’m doing this to uphold the prestige of the Royal Family, for the peace of the Kingdom, and to eliminate these members of the Alien Race who have become minions of a Demon God!"

Garrett was in a very bad mood. To him, whether they were an Alien Race or not was no longer important. What was important was that Ronin had not given him, the future King, the respect he was due.

"Faslei Mage has already verified whether or not Jesus is one of the so-called Witch Soul Race you speak of."

"Enough, Garrett. You know the truth better than I do. I don’t want to waste my breath on you..."

Ronin glanced at the few people beside Garrett. They felt considerably stronger than the ones from last time.

’But no matter how strong they are, at best, they’re probably only at the Meteor Level.’

"State your purpose for coming here, Garrett."

A vicious glint flashed in Garrett’s eyes. ’From my childhood until now, who hasn’t been humble and respectful towards me? No one has ever spoken to me as rudely and disrespectfully as Ronin.’

He suppressed his fury and said through clenched teeth, "Hand Jesus and him over to me. Wushan Territory is to no longer involve itself in the affairs of Moonlight Valley. Now, take all your men and retreat to Shore City and await the orders of His Majesty the King!"

"Oh?" Ronin asked curiously, "Is that your order, or His Majesty the King’s?"

"It is my order, of course."

Garrett did not shy away from it. "However, my order is the King’s order!"

Ronin gave a contemptuous smile.

’Bruno is in the prime of his life. Although the Crown Prince’s position is secure and unshakable, a Crown Prince is still just a Crown Prince. He has no authority to make decisions directly on Bruno’s behalf.’

’For Garrett to want to exercise the King’s authority now... in an ancient feudal dynasty, this would be an extremely dangerous act. Nine times out of ten, he’d lose his position as crown prince.’

’As for how Bruno will decide, I’m sure Albert has already passed the information to him. If the King wanted to interfere with Wushan Castle’s operation, Griffins from Golden Feather City would have arrived to stop us before the siege began.’

’Now that Moonlight City is about to fall, and there’s still no sign of Broel or anyone else, it means Bruno has, at the very least, tacitly approved of this operation.’

’Of course, regardless of Bruno’s attitude or whatever demands Garrett makes, Mephisto has to die here today.’

’Letting him go would only lead to endless trouble in the future.’

He took a deep breath, his aura flaring. "And what if I refuse all of your proposals?"

Garrett’s gaze suddenly became incredibly sharp. "Then accept my challenge! Whoever loses, leaves!"