I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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"Ta-da! This is where Your Majesty will enter!"

Zion gazed at the "passage" before him as Veila, the homunculus vault keeper of the Dream of Stars created by Void Dragon Ereshkigal, announced dramatically.

The passage looked as if space itself had been forcibly torn apart and barely held together with magical support beams. It appeared highly unstable - so much so that no ordinary person would dare enter.

'That's to be expected.'

Though three ancient dragons of the highest caliber had worked together, time had been extremely tight. Modifying the Demon Core - the key to maintaining demonic energy and imbued with the authority of the ancient deity Chronos - in just a week would have been incredibly difficult even for them.

Just then, space rippled beside Zion as the Void Dragon emerged in his human form.

"I built it based on your instructions... but even we don't know what lies beyond this passage," Ereshkigal said while watching the unstable tunnel shimmer as if it might vanish at any moment.

"We don't know what dangers await either. This is our first time manipulating time-based authorities. I'd strongly prefer you didn't enter."

"No," Zion shook his head. "I must go in."

He could instinctively sense that what he sought lay beyond that unstable passage.

After responding to Ereshkigal, Zion turned to address the empire's highest military authorities who had gathered beside him.

"As you've heard, I'm about to enter this passage," he said in a low voice. "I don't expect to be gone long, but I can't say exactly when I'll return. Until then, I'm counting on you to handle things out here."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zion smiled slightly at his subordinates as they bowed with a resounding response despite their obvious confusion. He turned back toward the passage and stepped inside.

Instantly, his vision inverted.

No - "inverted" wasn't nearly adequate to describe what happened.

Light and darkness endlessly flickered. Up, down, left and right constantly reversed. The world around him repeatedly expanded and contracted. Time itself twisted chaotically, tearing apart and reforming at incredible speed. ŗἁƝƟ฿È𝙨

Chaos.

The word perfectly described this imperfect space. Though even one of the "Seven Heavens" would be disoriented upon entering, it wasn't enough to disturb Zion's composure.

'It's working properly.'

While using Black Star Force to protect himself, Zion observed the phenomena occurring around him.

He could feel time flowing hundreds of times faster here than outside. Though his subjective experience of time remained the same, making training impossible, that was enough. The total amount of Black Star Force that had been growing incrementally was now surging wildly.

The threshold of 8 stars rapidly approached.

But perhaps the dangers Ereshkigal mentioned weren't over?

Space-time continued accelerating until it finally tore apart. Through the rift emerged something bizarre - a monster covered in hundreds of mechanical clock gears.

The monster shrieked and charged at the intruder Zion, ripping through time as it moved.

'A minion of Chronos dwelling in temporal rifts? Or perhaps a guardian?'

As Zion pondered the nature of this never-before-seen creature, he extended his hand. Eclaxia materialized perfectly in his grip just as the monster's arms clashed against his blade with a devastating shockwave that rippled through space.

Though the mysterious monster's arm instantly vanished where it met Zion's sword, the clockwork gears on its body began turning. Time reversed, regenerating the lost limb.

The monster attacked again with its regenerated arm plus two others, but Zion simply took a step forward, negating the distance between them.

He leaped over the swinging arms to appear directly before the monster and swung Eclaxia without hesitation.

Though the monster tried manipulating time using its gears to slow Zion's blade, Black Star Force suddenly exploded outward. Zion's sword accelerated to double its previous speed, cleaving the monster cleanly in half from crown to groin.

The overwhelming power of denial prevented regeneration this time, causing the monster to dissolve completely.

'Was that the only one?'

Just as Zion began to lower Eclaxia, space-time fractured again - dozens of times larger than before. Countless temporal monsters poured through the rifts.

'Excellent.'

A delighted smile curved Zion's lips as he watched the wave of monsters charging toward him.

'At least I won't be bored.'

---

At the imperial army's temporary base before the Abyss in the demon realm...

"I still can't believe it," Evelyn murmured while staring at the passage Zion had entered.

Three days had passed since then, but she still couldn't fully accept the truth she'd learned. It was simply too shocking.

"Zion being the Eternal Emperor's reincarnation..."

Though everything made perfect sense if it were true, it remained difficult to accept.

'If that's true... did I really tell the empire's founder to give up his throne?'@@novelbin@@

Her ears turned bright red as she recalled her past words to Zion at Sinking Star Palace. How absurd it must have seemed - a mere descendant speaking such nonsense to her ancestor.

"Hero... did you already know?" Evelyn asked Claire beside her, remembering how the hero hadn't seemed surprised by Zion's revelation.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Then... do you truly believe it?"

Claire gave Evelyn a surprised look. She'd known the Second Princess since before her regression but had never seen her so shaken.

"Yes. Though I understand it's hard to believe, it's undoubtedly true."

"Why are you so certain?"

"Because the Temple of Fate said so."

"...!"

"I learned it directly from the Priestess of Fate herself."

"I see..."

Evelyn nodded in understanding. Though there was only one Priestess of Fate in this world, her status and authority far exceeded that of any other priest. If she had confirmed it, it was almost certainly true.

"But does it really matter that much?" Liushina approached carrying cups of a new mint-based drink she'd made.

"Whether he's the Eternal Emperor or not, we'd all follow him anyway, right?"

"..."

"He achieved everything without revealing he was the Eternal Emperor. Hasn't he already proven his abilities? I don't think it matters much now. Though I personally believe him."

The witch's words were unusually serious.

"I'm saying there's no need to dwell on it too deeply. Though of course, I believe what Master says."

"Perhaps you're right."

Evelyn smiled and nodded. The witch seemed to be thinking more clearly about this than she was.

Liushina grinned and offered Evelyn one of her cups.

"Mint drink?"

"No thanks."

An immediate rejection without hesitation.

'How strange,' Claire thought as she watched the exchange between the gloomy Liushina and Evelyn.

This was a scene she'd never witnessed before her regression and never expected to see after it either.

If she had been in Emperor Zion's position, could she have won both of them to her side? Perhaps Evelyn, but Liushina would have been impossible.

'No, I wouldn't have even considered it.'

She probably would have only thought about how to kill Liushina more easily.

That wouldn't have changed even knowing the future.

'That's what makes him so remarkable.'

Claire's thoughts turned to Zion, currently beyond the passage.

One person.

A single person had changed so many futures. Heroes who had died miserable deaths before her regression were still alive and lending their strength. Former threats had become reliable allies.

And now they were on the verge of conquering the demon realm - something she'd thought impossible even with regression.

It was almost unbelievable that one person could change so much.

Though she already knew Zion was the Eternal Emperor's reincarnation, her admiration and reverence grew daily.

'If all this war ends...'

Just as that thought crossed her mind-

"...!"

She, Evelyn, and Liushina simultaneously looked upward.

Their eyes darkened.

"Could this be..."

As Claire's grim words trailed off-

Countless fractures, large and small, began appearing across the sky above the imperial army's temporary base.

"Attack... we're under attack!"

As Evelyn shouted with cold eyes-

The fractured sky shattered completely as countless monsters began pouring down.

"Did they realize His Majesty is absent?!"

Evelyn swung her sword horizontally as she shouted. Seven stars appeared around her blade as it released a blast of pure white sword energy.

The energy wave obliterated the monsters it touched without leaving a trace, but there were far too many to stop them all.

As monsters landed with growls and shrieks-

"We're under attack! All forces, eliminate the monsters!"

A battle suddenly erupted.

"We need to end this quickly!" Claire shouted urgently beside Evelyn as she eliminated dozens of monsters with a single strike.

Her eyes were filled with deep confusion, but not from the demon realm's sudden attack.

'These monsters... they're different somehow.'

Though they appeared to be the same monsters as before, they felt fundamentally different from any she'd previously encountered.

It wasn't their appearance or abilities that differed.

There was something more fundamental - as if they didn't belong to this world at all.

The longer the battle continued, the stronger that sensation became.

'What is this?'

Regardless of Claire's thoughts, the battle raged on.

Then-

The falling monsters' movements began to change strangely.

"These creatures! They're targeting His Majesty!"

Evelyn shouted as she realized the monsters were heading for the passage Zion had entered.

"We must stop them! Don't let them destroy the passage!"

If the passage was destroyed, Zion would be unable to return.

Knowing this, the imperial forces' movements became even more desperate.

"Kyahaha! I'll handle this side!"

Unlike the others, Liushina seemed to be enjoying the situation as she slaughtered monsters with loud laughter.

But despite her demeanor, her magic was incredibly precise.

A dense net of blood-red lines instantly erased all monsters approaching the passage from the left.

Thanks to her efforts along with the other two women and the recently arrived military leadership, an impenetrable defensive formation began taking shape around the passage.

'This side is secure now, what remains is...'

Just as Evelyn felt slight relief and began considering how to minimize casualties while eliminating the remaining falling monsters-

The space directly above the passage split apart in an instant.

"Kihihihi! Humans of this world are truly stupid! To leave this area completely unguarded!"

A humanoid monster that seemed fundamentally different from the others dropped down toward the passage, speaking perfect human language.

Perhaps they hadn't expected the space there to split since they'd already deployed all their barrier formations.

"Damn it, we have to stop it!"

Evelyn and the others belatedly noticed and rushed toward the passage.

But they were too far to reach it in time.

The monster had already reached the passage entrance.

"The game is already over."

The monster grinned as its hand shot toward the core maintaining the passage.

"No, don't!"

As Claire's desperate cry rang out-

A pure white hand burst from inside the passage and seized the monster's throat.

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