A splendid room adorned with decorations like elephant ivory,
In that space, a muscular man with black hair tied in a ponytail was confidently seated, shirtless.
He was none other than ‘Lethers Ra Dragonheart,’ the second prince of the Kingdom of Ra.
“Your Highness, you look very happy.”
“Haha! How can I not be happy! I just met Yuren, the wizard rumored to be a legendary champion who created the Legend Fighter. It’s nothing but joy!”
The royals of the Kingdom of Ra are descendants of a dragon-human hybrid born from a hero who saved the world in ancient times.
Perhaps due to that influence, the royals of Ra are infamous for their combative nature, and among them, the second prince Lethers stood out the most.
Since childhood, he had a keen interest in martial arts and combat,
actively trained and challenged the surrounding guards, giving the royal family a headache.
Thanks to the incident known as the [Border Conflict Match], where he restored the pride of the royal family, everyone now recognized him.
For him, the game “Legend Fighter” was nothing less than a festival.
A game that gathers famous martial arts from around the world for battles—what a delightful concept!
Lethers even forced his own guards to join in, getting completely absorbed in the game for weeks.
Then, news reached him.
The mage from the Irene School who created Legend Fighter was renowned as a master in the real martial art Yudra.
Upon hearing this, Lethers felt his Dragon Heart pounding wildly.
Not only had he wanted to meet the creator of the Legend Fighter, but he was also a master of real martial arts?
This meeting was a must!
With that determination, Lethers requested a meeting and duel with Yuren in the Zers Empire, utilizing all his authority to make it happen.
“Ryumin, is his skill for real?”
“Yes, Your Highness, although I haven’t personally experienced it, observing his ability to subdue Blancia, the champion who defeated me, it’s clear he’s no ordinary fighter.”
“Right! That’s what makes it exciting!”
He even sent his subordinate, Ryumin, to confirm the rumors about Yuren meticulously, preparing for any eventualities.
Contrary to the foolish perception around him, Lethers, the second prince of the Kingdom of Ra, was a shrewd mastermind like a fox, yet fierce as a tiger.
“Haha! Meeting a strong opponent always stirs my blood! I sincerely hope for a joyful time, Yuren.”
Lethers raised his glass to the moon.
Though he didn’t know Yuren’s face yet, he felt a bond akin to a long-standing friendship, and he toasted, wishing for a delightful experience.
*
At the very moment Lethers raised his glass to the moon, anticipating the meeting with Yuren,
Yuren was hard at work training in the Zers Empire’s military training room.
“Still too weak, rookie! Zergas’ Lightning Spear is stronger than this!”
Yuren was being pushed hard by Malek, a legendary elf soldier known for his long service in the imperial army.
His age was said to be over 500 years. He was teaching Yuren the secret technique of Zergas’ ultimate move.
But Yuren was at a loss.
“No way, if I use this lethal technique against a prince, there’ll be trouble!”
“He won’t die! The royal brat I fought 200 years ago survived!”
Zergas’ ultimate skill known as the Lightning Spear was a deceptively simple technique.
First, you gather a ton of lightning in your fist.
Second, you charge towards your enemy, moving at lightning speed, swinging that fist towards their chest.
Third, their chest is either punctured or fried by the lightning, leading to a heart stoppage.
And finally, RIP.
The idea of using such a move on a neighboring prince was both absurd and a sign of insanity for the royal family of Ra or even this old elf.
As Yuren was somewhat reluctantly undergoing this brutal training, Lord Herness appeared.
“Mineva, is Yuren’s training going well?”
Heness came to check on the training, standing next to Mineva.
“Yes, Lord, Yuren’s training is proceeding smoothly. But with limited time, there may be some constraints.”
“That’s unfortunate. Had I known, I would have started training him from the time of the request.”
Lord Herness casually mentioned words that would terrify Yuren if he heard them.
Mineva thought that Herness had high expectations for Yuren and had some good news.
“Still, as a first-rate magician, I believe we can have some expectations.”
“That’s a relief.”
Mineva was also a bodyguard for Lord Herness.
Of course, she had undergone combat training, allowing her to assess Yuren fairly.
He was strong.
In fact, he was among the top tier of imperial warriors she had seen.
It was strange that the imperial army hadn’t recruited Yuren yet.
Lost in such thoughts, Mineva and Herness noticed others entering through the training room door.
A woman adorned in splendid attire with platinum white hair accompanied her maidens…
Only one person could wear such clothing in the royal capital of Zephia.
“We greet Her Majesty the Empress.”
“We greet Her Majesty the Empress.”
The magnificent Olivia Aurelia, the peak of imperial power, had descended upon the sweaty training room.
Everyone in the training room stood in reverence, and she spoke.
“Everyone, please stand. I am just here to observe today.”
With Olivia’s command, everyone stood.
As Yuren and the elf soldier anxiously continued their duties, she turned to Herness and asked,
“Is this the wizard behind the rumors?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. This is Yuren, the creator of Game Magic.”
Queen Olivia had a general understanding of Yuren from what Herness told her, but seeing him in person was a first.
“You’re younger than I expected for a wizard. I assumed you were an older magician.”
“They say he’s a genius according to the world.”
“That’s excellent. Having many geniuses in the empire is a positive thing.”
Standing next to Olivia, Herness and Mineva were sweating bullets from the tension.
Then, she inquired,
“I heard that the second prince from the Kingdom of Ra requested something interesting?”
“Indeed, he requested to meet and duel with Wizard Yuren.”
“That sounds entertaining. Herness, I’d like to witness that as well. Is that okay?”
“Y-Your Majesty, referring to your presence?”
The duel between the two would be a private event held in this training room, with a select few witnesses.
A mistake could lead to chaos in front of too many eyes.
But now, the ultimate heavyweight was about to attend.
Heness felt his world darkening.
“I want to see the moment the empire’s pride is revived.”
She conveyed her overwhelming wish with a single condensed statement.
Victory must be ensured.
Mineva, next to her, felt the same sense of dread.
“Of course, that can be arranged. I will make provisions.”
“Then I shall look forward to it, Lord Herness.”
With that, Queen Olivia left the training room with her maidens.
The two left behind felt like their heads were about to burst from stress.
Should they search for some forbidden elixir to give to Yuren?
At that moment, Herness even pondered such thoughts.
“This is too big of a deal. Lord…”
“Indeed. Do you happen to have any disguise potions left, Mineva?”
“I do.”
“Thank you.”
As Herness felt an unbearable pain, he downed the disguise potion Mineva handed him.
After some time, Yuren would screech in panic, realizing he also had to drink the same potion.
*
“Let me summarize—so the wizard is going to fight the prince of the Kingdom of Ra in front of the queen?”
“Yeah… I came to my senses, and that seems to be the case.”
Evening arrived.
Yuren was supposed to rest at the imperial army’s quarters prepared by Sylvia, but due to limitations by his guards, he was stuck communicating with his master and fellow students.
They discussed the current situation.
“Are you alright, my disciple? You look like a ghost.”
“I’m fine, Master… but now that I think about it, this is far from fine.”
Though trying to reassure his master, it wasn’t that easy.
Even light sparring had him on edge, and now he was expected to duel for the pride of the nation?
He wanted to question what they were thinking, bringing a game developer into such a situation.
“…If I lose, aren’t we all going to lose our heads?”
Jiren suddenly spoke with a haunting realization.
But it really felt like his head could be on the chopping block.
“Isn’t it just a matter of Yuren winning, though?”
Karen nonchalantly stated that wouldn’t be a problem.
While it was nice to have a high level of trust in him, the circumstances were anything but easy.
“This isn’t as simple as that, Karen. The info I’ve gathered suggests that Prince Lethers is genuinely strong.”
After the duel was confirmed, Yuren had read the information on Lethers from the Minister’s Office.
His conclusion was that this guy was truly formidable.
Contrary to the rumors that the border soldiers were weak, the commander who fought Lethers was indeed a strong fighter.
Lethers merely had to surpass that strength.
With the power of a dragon bestowed upon the Ra royal family, combined with the martial arts he’d strictly trained since childhood,
plus the practical experiences he acquired from his escapades on the borders, the Minister’s Office concluded that he could single-handedly defeat even a top-tier combat wizard.
For them to demand he fight with martial arts against such an individual was sheer madness, wasn’t it?
How could he be expected to win when even a full assault of magic might not suffice?
This mission was too hardcore!!
Yuren felt a strong urge to sue the entire Minister’s Office if he had a lawyer.
“Then, Yuren, are we doomed?”
Noirin asked in anxiety after hearing my voice.
Ah… of course, things looked grim, and it wasn’t easy.
But did that mean I should give up? No.
Through numerous desperate situations I’ve faced, I learned something important.
Unless it’s an immediate escape that pops into your mind, there’s always a way to find a solution.
And it was true even now.
Up to this point, I’ve learned martial arts countless times and run countless tests to create Legend Fighter, and that gave me a glimmer of hope.
So, I…
“I’ll win.”
Declaring victory made it impossible for me to retreat.
Now, I genuinely had no choice but to fight.
*
Time flew by like lightning.
Seven days felt like a mere moment, and finally, the day arrived.
“Lethers Ra Dragonheart, the second prince of the Kingdom of Ra, greets Her Majesty Olivia Aurelia of the Zers Empire.”
“On behalf of the Zers Empire, I welcome your visit for the sake of peace.”
They had arrived in the empire.
