Chapter 1273 Declaration of War (2)
Prince Alaric felt a cold sweat break out as he sensed the air around Rex shift minaciously, it changed into a dark one after his remark. A sudden change that made him question whether bringing up the Silverstar Pack was a grave mistake.
Delta, hissed and growled, her hackles raised in warning behind Rex.
On the other hand—Rex himself, rose to his feet once again, his movements deliberate—and controlled, a storm gathering behind his eyes. Expecting that he would do something, Prince Alaric took in Rex's appearance, his unease deepened.
Rex wore the fitting sleeveless garb of a black warrior, yet none designed for battle.
His only items that could be considered battle equipment were the gold, regal finger guards.
A sign of royalty of an emperor, equipped on his right index and middle fingers.
In stark contrast, Prince Alaric was encased, in protective armor—a barbaric warrior's shield against the world, 'I know that he's strong, but not wearing armor for this hostile move, is he really that confident? Nevertheless, I need to stop whatever he was trying to do'
Just the disparity between them was unsettling.
For Rex stood there with nothing but his unadorned power, and that alone explained enough.
Prince Alaric's focus snapped back to the present when he sensed something.
Looking back at the Royal Black Prince—Prince Alaric sensed the moonlight energy Rex was emanating begin to surge—in an incredible display of lunar blue. It gathered at the center of Rex's torso, a bottomless pit of raw power that seemed to swallow the air around them.
Ignoring the disturbances, Rex exhaled lightly, a calm before the storm.
He then shifted into his battle stance—one foot forward, both hands raised to eye level.
Poised perfectly for a deadly move.
In the next instant, Rex's form exploded with devastating moonlight energy.
Under the immense concentration of his unimaginable amount of moonlight energy, the earth trembled and cracked beneath him, and the sheer force of his power sent a stab of fear deep into Prince Alaric's heart.
Such a sight was surreal, like witnessing a natural disaster personified.
'How can one achieve this much moonlight energy...?'
'I know that we are stronger with the Honey Moon above, but this? He's not in our realm...'
Prince Alaric had never underestimated Rex from the very start, he knew Rex was incredibly strong, the strongest, among the current era of royal Werewolves, but to see him wield such overwhelming power was beyond belief.
Especially knowing that Rex hadn't reached the tenth-rank realm yet.
Before Prince Alaric could fully process what was happening, Rex launched himself skyward, moving faster than Prince Alaric's eyes could track. Instinctively—Prince Alaric reacted albeit later than he would've wanted.
He cast two of his moon abilities consecutively in a heartbeat.
"Moon Ability, Web of the Underworld!"
"Moon Ability, Dark Imprisonment!"
Suddenly, a wide crimson web spread above Rex, blocking his way of ascending to the sky.
It was akin to a barrier of gossamer threads.
Upon colliding with it, the web quivered and stretched, clinging to him like elastic rubber.
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As he pushed ahead, the web resisted, its tendrils pulling against his momentum, slowing his progress and making every inch gain a struggle. On top of that—chains wrapped themselves around him, adding another layer to the obstacles he needed to go through.
Doing so was an immense effort.
Prince Alaric felt a vicious pull as he tried to stop Rex, and blood burst from his nose.
It was taking almost everything he had just to slow Rex down.
Glaring upwards, Prince Alaric gritted his bloodied teeth with sheer determination.
"Don't do this, Royal Black Prince! Fight us, man-to-man, don't attack our holy grounds!"
Despite his shout, he received no answer.
Just then, his eyes, sensitive to moonlight energy, widened in shock as he saw the moonlight energy enveloping Rex was beginning to receive help by a stronger force, kingly energy. If he was able to stop Rex earlier with great struggle, this time, there was no chance.
Rex's power had reached a level that defied comprehension.
He had gotten stronger than when he fought the Fifthborn.
Even then, Prince Alaric wasn't giving up, he roared and pulled, causing his King Mark on his forehead to shimmer, with a violent light, put into work to the absolute limit. But his grip—on Rex shattered when a shockwave exploded.
Boom!
Prince Alaric was thrown back as his abilities were shattered by that shockwave.
All of his abilities were destroyed as if they were mere paper.
Not even deterred by his attempts, Rex pierced through the air, unrelenting and in a powerful maneuver, he turned mid-flight. He felt the fresh air of the night brushing against his skin and the soothing Honey Moon's embrace warming his soul.
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he charged his right arm with blood moon kingly energy.
Rex was preparing to unleash an unrestrained attack.
One that would decimate this entire place, the entire Bloodstone Crater.
Seeing Rex above—charging for an attack, Prince Alaric panicked as he didn't know what to do, 'Can I stop his attack...? Can I?! If I don't, he will destroy the entire place. But I can feel it—I know that the chances are very low. I should secure the Great Luna first!'
Gritting his teeth, he cast his gaze away from Rex and looked ahead.
He searched for the Great Luna's remains, but he couldn't find them, there was nothing.
Snapping his eyes to the side, he squinted to see if Delta, who was sprinting out of the place right now brought the Great Luna's remains with her, but she didn't, 'Where is it?! It was right there earlier!'
Prince Alaric couldn't find the Great Luna's remains, they were gone.
More importantly, he has no time to hesitate right now.
Fearing that the Great Luna's remains were still around as well as his devotion to protect this sacred place, Prince Alaric flapped his wings, and went above the castle, deciding to take on the attack even if it would cost him his life.
As Rex descended from the sky, his fist tightened, channeling the lethal power of his skill.
The Brutal Impulse skill.
Boom! Enjoy new stories from empire
Rex punched the void above the castle with immense strength.
Crimson energy flared around his hand, spiraling outward with violent intensity.
Eerie ancient symbols ignited the air, glowing blood-red, as they etched themselves, into reality, distorting the space around him. It spreads far and wide like a dome, covering the entirety of the Bloodstone Crater.
Prince Alaric could only watch as the ancient symbols imprisoned the entire place.
Like countless spread of meteorites falling from the sky.
Fear gnawed him from the inside—the amount of kingly energy that Rex exerted was two or perhaps three times greater, than his entire reserve. His confidence was shrinking rapidly at this moment, sensing that the situation was helpless.
Just as he lost his hope, his ears picked up something.
Amidst the chaos of the incoming strike, Prince Aalric's ears caught a faint, heart-wrenching sound beneath the din. His gaze fell upon the shattered castle below, and his eyes, widened as he recognized the source—someone was weeping.
It came from the crater within the ruined structure, and realization struck him like lightning.
He was hearing the Great Luna.
At that realization, a switch inside him was turned.
Under the weight of the Great Luna's sorrow, his fear, doubt, and despair were extinguished.
All that remained was rage.
Burning from the renewed resolve, Prince Alaric lifted his gaze to the heavens.
His aura surges with a fierce, rising power.
"I am Prince Alaric, the Avatar of the Demon Moon—and a devoted servant to the Origin, and the Lunricih Gods. The Great Luna, is the mother of all Werewolves, and I will not let her pure legacy be destroyed, especially by the hand of a false Werewolf!' He roared in berserk. "Even if it costs me more than my life, I will pay it... I will stop you, Royal Black Prince!"
Drawing strength from the legacy of the Great Luna, Prince Alaric stood resolute.
He bared his fangs to the sky.
As the crimson inferno descended, intent on obliterating him and everything in its path, he spread his arms wide, embracing the imminent danger. His King Mark, a horned full moon, vibrated and glowed with fierce intensity. Channeling the full power of the Demon Moon's avatar, he felt an unexpected surge—the magical lake responded, overcharging him with a strength that surpassed his limits.
Soon enough, Rex's downward strike unleashed a torrential devastating beam.
It shot forth like a red spear, spiraling with sound waves that cut through the air.
Such a powerful attack surpassed the realm of the ninth-rank realm.
A touch to the untapped tenth-rank realm of the new era.
Swearing to not let Rex destroy this sacred place—Prince Alaric unleashed his ultimate moon ability—Devil's Wrath. His horns lengthened, his demonic traits amplified, and his black claws shimmered with dark energy.
He poured everything he had into a single, powerful slash.
Swoosh!
Charging everything he had into his claws, he made a vertical strike, tearing through the very fabric of reality with a roar that echoed through the heavens. Dark arcs—shaped like massive claws, shot ahead to meet Rex's attack.
KABOOM!
Upon the two attacks clashing, the world trembled, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
It was a catastrophic cataclysm, causing the ground to quake and the air to vibrate.
For a brief, harrowing moment—it felt as if the very heart of the world was beating the same rhythm as the clash. Everything slowed down in the eyes of Rex and Prince Alaric, but soon, a devastating circle-shaped explosion erupted.
A swirl of destruction that destroyed everything before it stretched skyward.
Akin to a nuclear blast, the explosion peels the ground.
Not stopping at the vicinity of the Bloodstone Crater, the aftershock reverberated far.
It drew the attention of everyone, even those at the distant duel grounds.
Both the Dancing Stripe Pack and the Silverstar Pac were not spared from the spectacle, all of them, got struck by the vicious force of the aftermath. Under the barrage of the powerful energy, Kyran, Flunra, and Adhara regrouped while protecting themselves.
Creating a three-layer barrier, the force from the aftermath lessened a bit.
"Rex's scent! This is Rex's energy!" Kyran exclaimed while covering his face with his arm.
Upon hearing this, Flunra nodded, "I thought he wasn't going to interfere"
On the other hand—Adhara gazed at the source of this cataclysmic explosion, that rend the earth for miles, her eyes were flickering with clarity. Then, Adhara's eyes widened, hearing a voice inside her head.
Listening to the voice, she nodded and turned to the others.
Before she could say anything, Kyran looked around and realized that Gistella was not there.
It was only then that a heart-wrenching pain stabbed their hearts.
One of their connections was severed, and this caused Kyran and Flunra to exchange looks.
Realizing what had happened—Kyran's breaths instantly became heavy, his feral wrath was making its appearance, in full display. Flunra was also in a similar situation, he realized what this connection severance meant.
Gistella died.
"Don't! Don't turn right now!" Adhara shouted, reminding them of what she said earlier.
Upon hearing this, however, Kyran glared at her, "This is your fucking fault! Gistella died!"
"Just trust me. If you don't trust me enough, then trust Rex!" Adhara added assuringly.
Meanwhile, somewhere nearby.
In a similar situation, Prince Leif who was standing atop of the cliff still was surprised to see a violent and spectacular explosion happening in the distance. He stood rooted on his spot, unbothered by the gushing force but had a deep-rooted frown on his face.
"Isn't this...?" He muttered, eyes widening at the realization that it was Rex's energy.
Only then did he lower his crossed arms and turn to the explosion's direction.
As he did that, Princess Selene came landing near him, the same frown on Prince Leif's face was also etched on her face, "Leif, it's coming from our territory, and this was Prince Alaric's energy mixed with another's. He's fighting someone"
Princess Selene stopped at the sight of Prince Leif's pale expression.
He was looking at the distance in a daze.
Seeing him reacting like this, Princess Selene pursed her lips, "It's the Royal Black Prince..."
Just when Prince Leif turned and was about to say something, he stopped and reached for his face—feeling something drizzling down his cheeks. Looking at the trace of water on his fingertips, he looked at Princess Selene in shock.
Out of nowhere, tears fell down from his face.
And it didn't take long before Princess Selene experienced the same exact thing.
"N- No... T- This can't be happening. The Bloodstone Crater... is it destroyed?"