The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 196

Beyond the fortress walls, flames surged skyward, and thick black smoke blanketed the heavens. Blood Cloud Fortress, drenched in blood, seemed to groan in agony.

The closer one got, the clearer the sounds of battle became. The clash of metal, the sharp crack of splintering wood, and the anguished screams echoing from every direction pierced the air.

The fortress walls bore the scars of battle—cracked and crumbling in places. Soldiers fought desperately atop the broken battlements, barely managing to keep the enemy at bay.

Enemy siege ladders kept rising, reaching for the walls like the grasping claws of death.

“If they breach the walls, we’re all dead! Hold them back!”

A commanding voice rang out—a desperate cry from an officer. His urgency was unmistakable, and the soldiers on the walls fought with equal desperation.

They struggled to push back the enemy, their bodies weary from relentless combat, but the endless tide of foes continued to overwhelm their defenses.

The fiercest battle raged around the fortress gates.

The enemy had already attempted to break them down twice. Portions of the massive gates had splintered under the assault, with shattered wood and twisted iron strewn across the ground.

“Defend the gates! Hold the line to the last man!”

Blood Cloud Fortress’ soldiers braced their shields, forming a desperate barricade at the gates. They stood firm against the relentless volley of arrows, their bodies serving as living shields.

Their defenses were battered—shields thick with embedded arrows, gaps opening where enemy spears thrust through.

But the battle wasn’t confined to the fortress walls.

The fighting had become a near-constant ordeal in recent months, and the toll was evident.

Much of this suffering stemmed from the arrival of Prince Jaean, the second prince, who had brought a contingent of the Central Army and his own private forces from the capital.

Reinforcements from the royal capital should have been a welcome relief.

But no one was pleased that the prince leading them had never seen real combat.

At first, morale had soared.

The prince himself had vowed to fight alongside them—an honor too great to refuse. The fortress lord’s family and the soldiers alike had been moved by his resolve.

But once the enemy general, Yoo Geum-san of the Huawei Kingdom, heard the news, he declared that he would personally present the prince’s severed head to his emperor.

From that moment on, no one in Blood Cloud Fortress saw Prince Jaean’s presence as a blessing.

“Damn it…”

Atop the fortress walls, Lord Baek Heon of Blood Cloud clenched his teeth as he surveyed the battlefield. The bloodshot veins in his eyes had already burst, leaving his gaze raw and red.

And in the heart of the battlefield, beneath the fortress walls, his son, Baek Yu, was surrounded by dozens of enemy soldiers.

His sword, dulled and stained with blood, had seen countless clashes. His armor, battered and torn, bore the scars of battle.

His breath was ragged, but his eyes still burned with defiance.

As the lord’s eldest son, he would fight to the end.

But determination alone could not turn the tide of battle.

Baek Yu knew this might be where he died. He couldn’t allow more of his comrades to fall trying to save him.

His mind was set.

If he was doomed, he would at least draw the enemy away from the fortress walls.

Gripping his reins tightly, he drove his horse further from the stronghold.

But the enemy soldiers encircling him sneered as if mocking his resolve.

Like predators toying with their prey, they allowed him a brief escape, only to close in the moment he thought he had a chance.

Whenever a flicker of hope appeared—whenever he thought he might break through—they pounced with their spears, cutting off his path.

The spearheads gleamed menacingly as they thrust toward him.

Baek Yu deflected them with his blade, barely maintaining a sliver of distance. But his space to maneuver was shrinking rapidly.

The enemy was closing in, step by step.

Then, from the rear of his pursuers, a heavily armored warrior emerged.

Unlike the others, this soldier wore thick plate armor and wielded an enormous iron mace.

Baek Yu instinctively glanced over his shoulder.

And then he saw it—that massive weapon.

The mace-wielding soldier raised a hand, signaling to the others.

At his command, the enemy forces tightened their formation.

The space between them narrowed until an outstretched arm could nearly reach across.

A death trap.

Baek Yu was now prey, fully ensnared.

Despair threatened to consume him.

But he refused to die without a fight.

He lunged forward without hesitation, striking at the nearest soldier.

His blade grazed the enemy’s neck—blood sprayed as the man let out a strangled scream, staggering before collapsing off his horse.

The sickening crack of his neck snapping echoed through the battlefield.

But the rest of the enemy did not falter.

If anything, they closed in even faster.

Baek Yu gritted his teeth.

“I won’t die alone!”

Baek Yu shouted at the top of his lungs, but the only response from the enemy was mocking laughter. A soldier thrust his spear toward Baek Yu’s side.

Instinctively, Baek Yu drew the sword at his waist, deflecting the spear with a swift strike. The spear’s tip glanced off, grazing his cheek and leaving behind a thin red line across his cheekbone. Yet before he could regain his footing, another spear lashed out from the opposite direction, tearing through his armor and slicing into his arm.

His pauldron flew off, clattering onto the ground, only to be crushed under the hoof of an approaching enemy warhorse. A wave of searing pain shot through his shoulder, but Baek Yu gritted his teeth, stepping back to stabilize his stance.

The encirclement tightened. Then, as if waiting for the moment, the enemy warrior wielding a massive iron mace stepped forward, grinning.

The sheer force emanating from him was suffocating. His size and aura alone were enough to make Baek Yu’s survival seem impossible. But even so, he refused to back down.

If he was going to die, he would not close his eyes in fear.

He only wished that his final moments would serve even the slightest benefit to Blood Cloud Fortress.

“So, you’re the son of the fortress lord?”

The mace-wielding soldier sneered at him. Effortlessly lifting his weapon with one hand, he aimed it at Baek Yu.

“I can’t stand weaklings like you acting as if they matter.”

The iron mace came crashing down with terrifying force. Baek Yu had only one choice. He abandoned his horse and twisted his body away.

He was thrown to the ground, but he had survived. A sharp groan escaped his lips as he hit the dirt.

At the same moment, a hot splash of blood rained onto his face.

Then, an overwhelming wave of humiliation, shame, and guilt washed over him.

Perhaps sensing Baek Yu’s turmoil, the enemy soldiers laughed cruelly, their mockery ringing through the battlefield.

Above him, the shadows of mounted warriors loomed.

‘This is it. I’m going to die here.’

Baek Yu resigned himself to his fate, but his body still had strength left.

“Just surrender. I’ll grant you a merciful death.”

The mace-wielding soldier jeered at him. Pain shot through Baek Yu’s leg—was it broken from the fall? Even staying still was agonizing. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, washing away some of the blood splattered on his face.

And yet, he could not let go of his sword.

A familiar voice echoed in his mind—the words of his father, drilled into him since childhood.

A warrior of the Baek family must never die lying on the ground.

Summoning the last of his strength, Baek Yu’s eyes flashed as he swung his sword.

But exhaustion and injury had taken their toll. His strike was pitiful, sluggish and ineffective.

Amid the mocking laughter of the enemy, Baek Yu knew—this was the end.

Then, in the next instant, a blinding white flash filled his vision.

A heartbeat later, the mace-wielding soldier’s head flew from his shoulders.

For a brief moment, it hung in the air before landing with a sickening thud, sinking into the blood-soaked dirt.

“A… ah…”

Baek Yu had been certain of his death, yet suddenly, the battlefield had changed. His mind reeled, unable to process what had just happened.

His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. But somehow, he forced himself back up.

His trembling gaze landed on a single man, ruthlessly cutting down enemy soldiers.

Baek Yu sat in stunned silence, unable to look away from his unexpected savior.

“Wh-Who are you…?”

In the blink of an eye, dozens of enemy soldiers had fallen. The ground was drenched in blood and strewn with dismembered limbs.

It was a horrific sight.

Yet Baek Yu saw none of it.

All of his attention was consumed by the mysterious warrior before him.

The man offered no reply to the trembling enemy soldiers.

It was as if the only answer he could give was death.

“D-Damn it…!”

Some enemy soldiers tried to flee while the warrior was busy slaughtering their comrades.

But none succeeded.

Mounting a horse that once belonged to his fallen foes, the warrior charged forward, cutting down every last one of them with effortless precision.

Baek Yu had witnessed it all—yet he still couldn’t believe what he had seen.

Shakily, he lifted a trembling hand to check his own pulse.

His heartbeat pounded wildly. He was still alive.

Yet even knowing that, the entire situation felt unreal.

Then—

Footsteps approached.

Still dazed, Baek Yu stared at the ground, watching a shadow draw closer.

The shadow stretched toward him, growing until it engulfed him completely.

Baek Yu slowly raised his head.

“…How can I ever repay this debt?”

No matter the stranger’s identity, he was Baek Yu’s savior.

Despite the pain wracking his body, Baek Yu tried to kneel in gratitude.

But before he could, the man pressed a firm hand against his shoulder, stopping him.

Unable to express his thanks, Baek Yu could only stare up at his savior in silence.

Yet something was strange.

The man who had saved him wore an unreadable expression, his gaze wandering aimlessly, unable to settle on anything.

Puzzled by the warrior’s hesitation, Baek Yu cautiously spoke.

“…I am Baek Yu, eldest son of Blood Cloud Fortress. May I ask my savior’s name?”

The man opened his mouth as if to answer.

But no words came.

Instead, he closed his mouth, took a few steps back, and turned his back on Baek Yu.

Just then, beyond the man’s shoulder, a new sight entered Baek Yu’s vision—

A cavalry unit bearing the banners of Blood Cloud Fortress was rapidly approaching.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]