(I guess that wasn't enough to finish him after all...)
As he exchanged spells with the Third Prince, Rodel, Rest let out a silent internal sigh.
Rest had unleashed Amaterasu on the rebels charging toward the main camp, but it hadn't been the decisive blow he’d hoped for. Rodel had conjured stone walls to shield himself; while the soldiers trailing behind him had taken a hit, they were still standing.
Amaterasu was a devastating spell, but it had a fatal flaw: it couldn't reach its full potential without a sufficient "charge." To wipe out an entire army, he needed at least a minute to concentrate enough sunlight.
(There was no time, and I couldn't exactly turn the battlefield pitch black in this situation. The sunlight I gathered was so meager that it only produced the power of a high-tier spell at best.)
This was the primary weakness of Amaterasu—something he would definitely have to improve on in the future.
"Fire Cannon!" Rodel roared.
"Water Wall," Rest countered.
Rodel fired, and Rest defended. It had become a duel, a one-on-one clash amidst the chaos. Although Kingdom soldiers were nearby, none of them dared to interfere. To the nobility and royalty of this world, a duel was sacred ground. Unless Rest specifically called for aid, they would remain mere spectators.
"Fireball, Amplification, Compression, Accelerator!"
"Super Accelerator!"
Rest unleashed a Quartet of spells, but Rodel evaded the barrage with ease, his movements blurred by massive physical enhancement. He circled around to Rest’s rear, attempting to take his head, but Rest activated his own Super Accelerator and danced out of reach.
"You're strong..." Rodel panted, eyes narrowing. "Who the hell are you?"
"That’s my line," Rest replied, taking a moment to catch his breath. "Honestly, I underestimated you. I thought you were just another Cedric."
Rest sighed as he put some distance between them. In truth, Rodel's skill was considerable and worthy of genuine praise. He had assumed the prince was just an arrogant, selfish fool like his brother, but fighting him directly proved otherwise—the boy was legitimately strong. At the Academy, he had been stuck in Class D, but if he had only applied himself to his studies, he surely would have ranked among the top of the year.
(His mana capacity is massive, and his raw output is even higher than mine. He’s firing off high-tier magic like it’s nothing. If this guy’s personality wasn't so warped, he could have been a legendary hero.)
"I’m surprised," Rodel said, his voice dropping an octave. "You weren't just all talk. You’re the real deal."
"You too," Rest admitted. "You’re strong for a mere Viscount. Just how much mana do you have? That light magic from before... even after using enough power to mow down an army, you show no signs of running out. It’s frustrating, but in terms of mana capacity, you're the superior one."
"It seems you’ve actually matured enough to admit that," Rest said with a dry smile. "It’s a shame you didn't become a decent human being sooner."
"..."
Rest intended the comment as a provocation, but Rodel merely gave a self-deprecating chuckle. He didn't take the bait.
"Super Accelerator!"
"Super Accelerator!"
Both men enhanced their physical limits simultaneously, kicking off the churned earth and clashing in the center of the field. In terms of combat sense and technique, Rest held the edge. In terms of raw magical output, Rodel was stronger. The result was a stalemate of blinding speed.
"Hmph! Haah! Yah!"
Rest aimed a low kick, which Rodel evaded by ducking, immediately throwing a counter-punch. Rest caught the prince's arm, intending to throw him, but Rodel retracted his limb at the last possible second and leaped back to reset.
(He really is strong...)
Despite the repeated use of high-tier magic, Rodel showed no sign of exhaustion. Even though Rest was technically the better fighter, he couldn't find a clean opening. Rodel possessed incredible natural motor skills and sharp reflexes; if he had been trained properly, he would have achieved greatness not just as a mage, but as a warrior.
(What a massive waste of talent. Truly, a tragedy.)
If he hadn't chosen the path of a traitor, Rodel likely would have flourished alongside Rest as a pillar of the next generation. It was a genuine shame that such potential would be snuffed out here.
"First Cedric, then that Seroric guy... Why do you all destroy your own futures? You could have made so many better choices."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Rodel screamed, lunging at Rest in a frenzy. Punches, kicks, and tackles—all accelerated by magic—rained down. Rest parried them by a hair’s breadth, waiting for the exact moment to trigger his trap.
"Thunderstorm."
"What—!?"
Rest detonated a wide-range spell with himself at the epicenter. Lightning rained down like a torrential storm, lashing both combatants with equal, indiscriminate fury.
"A mutual strike? You're insane!" Rodel yelled through the crackle of electricity.
"I suppose it would seem that way to you," Rest gritted his teeth, enduring the agonizing heat and shock. He was holding himself together through pure physical enhancement magic, but it still hurt like hell. Even so, he knew this was the right move.
(I'll give you credit, Rodel Aiwood. You are strong.)
He was so strong that winning without taking damage had become an impossibility.
(But you’re overwhelmingly lacking in experience!)
In terms of raw talent, Rodel might have been superior to Rest. But Rest had been fighting monsters since he was a child and had been brutalized in training by Dieble and the Marchioness. Rodel, a pampered prince, would never have even considered a gritty, self-sacrificing tactic like this.
(If we had fought five or ten years from now, the result might have been different... but you don't have a future anymore.)
"Guh!"
Even while being lashed by lightning, Rodel managed to instinctively retreat, using a burst of speed to move out of the spell’s range. It was a swift, impressive feat of desperation.
"Amaterasu."
Rest wouldn't let his prey escape. He summoned a microscopic Dark Star, creating a split-second vortex that pulled in every stray photon in the vicinity. A needle-thin laser lanced through the air, piercing Rodel's abdomen.
No matter how much Rodel accelerated, he couldn't outrun the speed of light. Without a full charge, Amaterasu couldn't incinerate him, but when focused to its limit, it could still punch a hole through a man's body.
"Kaha...!?"
His liver accurately pierced, Rodel spat a spray of crimson. He hurriedly tried to activate healing magic, but his casting was clumsy and slow.
"Hah!"
Rest closed the distance in a heartbeat. For the first time, he drew the sword at his waist and delivered a diagonal slash that tore through Rodel’s chest and up toward his neck.
"A-ga...!?"
"It seems you aren't used to healing yourself," Rest noted coldly. "Compared to your offensive magic, your healing is pathetic."
Rodel's healing lacked any of the brilliance of his previous spells. If he had mastered the art of recovery, he might have been able to drag this out.
"It’s over, Rodel Aiwood."
Rest brought his blade down one final time. Carving an X-shaped wound into the prince's chest, Rest watched as Rodel collapsed into the dirt, blood pooling around him.
"The enemy commander has been slain," Rest declared. It felt like the right thing to say to mark the end of it.
Cheers erupted from the surrounding ranks. The Kingdom soldiers, who had been watching with bated breath, raised their voices in a roar of victory.
Before Rest had even realized it, the fighting had ceased across most of the field. The rebellion had been suppressed. While the Kingdom had faced unexpected resistance, the war had reached its conclusion.
The final tally was stark. The Kingdom Army suffered 400 dead and 850 injured. The Rebel Army suffered 12,500 dead and over 30,000 injured, with countless more deserting into the wilds. Despite the desperate final stand of the Third Prince, the Kingdom had secured an overwhelming victory in a mere half a day.