The World Is Mine For The Taking

"What?!" Julius exclaimed, clearly taken aback and confused. My ability to absorb such a high amount of mana must have shocked him.

Johanne looked equally puzzled, as did Princess Myrcella. Even Hertrude, who knew I wasn't ordinary, was stunned.

"T-There's no way you just did... That's a huge, powerful fireball, you know? There's no way someone, much less someone without skills, can do something like that." -verified

"But I did," I insisted. "You saw it, didn't you?"

"But there's... There's no way!"

Indeed, what I had accomplished was virtually impossible. Even if it were achievable, it would likely require less than just a handful of people. My feat was incredibly rare, if not unprecedented.

Actually, what I did was pretty simple. If you grasp the flow of mana and master its control, you could achieve numerous feats with it. You could focus it to enhance your mana blade's power, concentrate it into a fireball equivalent to a nuke, or absorb someone else's mana. Mana was the essence of everything in this world—it held limitless power.

The reason why most people remained unaware of mana's true potential was their lack of understanding of science. Mana operated on principles similar to the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. For instance, you convert mana into a spell, then shape it into something like a rock or fireball.

And if mana can be turned into a rock, then vice versa, a rock can be transformed back into mana.

The products of Leonamon, like the Leonamon's smartphone, were all created using mana. Mana could generate energy and light, even power the gas for the cars we were planning to produce. Many seemingly impossible things became achievable with mana.

If people bothered to understand it, they could transform this world into an innovative one. Unfortunately, most researchers didn't bother. If only they did, countless possibilities would open up, just like what I had accomplished.

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"Damn it! What the hell are you, really?!" Julius demanded, his fury evident.

"I'm just an ordinary guy. Nothing more, nothing less," I replied.

I glanced at Princess Myrcella, sensing a pleading look in her eyes. It was as if she was silently begging me not to harm Julius. I hadn't planned on killing him, but I did intend to rough him up a bit, just for old times' sake.

Concentrating even harder, I formed my mana blade, drawing in as much energy from the atmosphere as I could muster. Meanwhile, Julius conjured another fireball in his hand. This time, it wasn't as explosive or powerful, but it was still enough to incinerate a person alive. Plus, smaller fireballs traveled much faster, making it likely that he intended to hit me before I could absorb it.

As Julius hurled the smaller, faster fireball at me, I reacted quickly, dodging to the side just in the nick of time. The scorching heat grazed my shoulder, leaving behind a searing sensation.

Without skipping a beat, Julius conjured yet another fireball and aimed it at me.

Acting without hesitation, I countered with a swift slash of my sword, slicing through the air and cleaving the fireball in half. Sparks flew as the flames scattered, extinguished by the force of my blade.

Julius summoned yet another fireball, this one much larger than the previous ones. But I was prepared. With a swift maneuver, I spun away, closing the distance between us in a blur of movement.

My mana blade crackled with power as I surged forward, aiming a decisive strike at Julius. He barely managed to conjure a weak barrier in defense, but it shattered upon impact, leaving him vulnerable to my attack.

With a swift and decisive motion, I brought down my blade, targeting his shoulder. But just as the edge of my sword was about to connect, Julius dashed away, narrowly evading my blow.

For a prince, he sure had impressive reflexes.

"Grrr...!" Julius growled, shooting me a furious glare. He was clearly livid. "I'm fucking this close to getting what I want, and then some douchebag swoops in and messes everything up!"

"Yeah, life can be a real bitch sometimes," I replied nonchalantly, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

Julius clenched his fists, his anger palpable. "You think you're so clever, don't you? Ruining everything just for kicks."

I shrugged, unfazed by his hostility. "Hey, I'm just playing the hand I was dealt. Can't blame me for being good at it."

His eyes narrowed as he took a step closer, his voice lowering to a dangerous growl. "You won't get away with this. I'll make sure of it."

At that, he unleashed another fireball. I sliced it in half with my mana blade. Another fireball came, and I cleaved it. Another, and then another, each met with the same fate.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Why?! Why can't I hit you?! Just drop dead already!" he growled, hurling a barrage of fireballs at me. But I deflected them all.

"Julius! Just give up already!" Princess Myrcella shouted. "This isn't how a true king behaves! You know the qualities of a true king, don't you?! You're better than this!"

"Shut your fucking mouth, you worthless sister of mine!" Julius's voice echoed through the island, filled with rage and frustration. "You don't get it. You don't understand the weight of being a true king. You've always had everything handed to you on a silver platter! But me? I'm at the bottom of the pile, clawing my way to the top just to catch father's eye.

I have to resort to this madness just to get a moment of recognition! You don't know the struggle because you've never faced it!"

"But what about Charlotte? Have you even managed to win her affection?" the Princess retorted, her voice laced with concern. "Even if you continue down this dark path, it'll lead to nothing but ruin! You need to let go of this madness!"

"I said shut your fucking mouth! I don't want to hear another word from you!" Julius bellowed, his patience wearing thin with his sister's interference.

"You should listen to your sister," I urged earnestly. "She's the only one who can truly help you."

Julius and I shared a similar fate. We both knew the sting of betrayal from a childhood friend who chose someone else over us, leading us down a path of self-destruction. I had spiraled out of control until my behavior bordered on destructive, but it was my sister who pulled me back from the brink. Without her, I might have become irredeemable, beyond even divine forgiveness.

Julius was headed down the same dark path, but unlike me, he seemed unwilling to heed his sister's advice. I didn't want him to suffer the same fate as I had. I'd walked in his shoes, and I knew the darkness that awaited him if he continued on this path.

"How about you mind your fucking business, you worthless, skillless fuck!" Julius spat, his anger boiling over. "You don't know us, especially not me!"

He unleashed another barrage of fireballs, but no matter how many he hurled at me, they were either slashed in half or reduced to nothing. His skill was overwhelming, yet futile against me. The only thing that could stop him might be something akin to Irene's Atlantis, but when his Inferno clashed with its opposite, he was powerless.

That's why he remained stuck in the silver class of the second year. It's also why he was deemed the worthless prince.

Realizing his fireballs were useless against me, Julius sank to his knees and punched the ground in frustration.

"Damn it... Damn it! Why is nothing going my way?! Why?! Why am I always a failure?!" Julius raged, his fists pounding the ground in frustration.

Suddenly, someone appeared behind him and swiftly pinned him down.

"Julius!" Princess Myrcella cried out in alarm.

"Don't worry, Your Highness," a voice reassured from above. We all looked up to see who it was. "We don't intend to harm Prince Julius. We just need to restrain him and bring him to your father."

"You're..." Princess Myrcella began, recognizing the figure.

"That's right. The Commander of the Magic Knights. The one and only," the woman confirmed, carried by another woman who flew through the air. The dark-skinned woman gently lowered her companion to the ground. "No need to be alarmed, Princess. Our only task is to bring your brother to the King."

"Will Father... the King... do anything to him?" Princess Myrcella inquired anxiously.

"I don't think he'll take severe action, considering he's his son, but it's best to prepare for the worst," Commander Lilia replied. "Now, let's get you up, Your Highness. You're now cuffed with power dampeners, so you can't use your skills anymore. Don't struggle. Veronica, carry him back to the boat, and then we'll proceed to the palace."

"Yes," Veronica confirmed who, after cuffing the Prince, hoisted him up in a princess carry. Veronica met my gaze before turning away, carrying the Prince with her. We watched as they disappeared from view, taking the Prince with them. And just like that, he was officially out of the game.