Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince-Chapter 137 — The Battle (3)

Once the seal was broken, the battlefield growing more intense by the second, Cynthia turned her focus to the demons still standing.

Her hands raised as she summoned her power, her mana flowing out in a brilliant surge of energy, just as Edric instructed her.

Slowly, the demons, whose true forms were mere shadows twisted into monstrous figures, began to writhe and scream as the purifying light engulfed them.

"Disappear!" Cynthia shouted, her voice sharp and commanding.

The knights, encouraged by her presence, advanced with their swords, slicing the monsters as their shadows dissolved into dark mist.

The humans, who had been mere vessels for the demons, crumpled to the ground, their bodies no longer controlled by the dark forces.

Arlot moved in front of Cynthia and Lucian, casting a shield around them to protect them from any immediate danger.

The rest of the soldiers followed suit, engaging in combat with the demons that still lingered.

The purifying light from Cynthia’s power was swiftly clearing the battlefield but it wasn’t enough. There were still countless people left.

"Bring me the mana stones!" she ordered, and instantly, a girl brought her a few stones in the palms of her hands.

Clasping the stones in one hand, Cynthia closed her eyes, letting her mana recharge while making sure the purification didn’t stop.

"It could injure them—"

As if her words were the fate of some, knights began groaning in pain, unable to fight against the demons’ true forms.

Meanwhile, Lucian stood at Cynthia’s side, his sword shielding her, sweeping through the demons as their bodies rolled across the ground like lifeless dolls. His gaze remained locked on her, unable to help but be in awe of her capabilities.

He had known of her powers, but seeing them in action at such a critical moment—watching her heal the wounded, watching her expel the demons from their human hosts—was beyond his imagination.

Her strength was unimaginable, and for a fleeting moment, he wondered how he had once doubted her.

"AH!"

Lucian groaned, his knees felt weak, causing him to crumble to the ground.

His distraction gave a demon the opportunity to stab him in the right leg.

But the monster didn’t stop there. It rushed through the others, and jumped on Lucian, its attack seemingly unavoidable.

Just then, a golden light flashed, and the demon was reduced to ashes.

Lucian and Cynthia exchanged a glance, both confused.

What was that light?

"What is this?" Lucian murmured, tapping his finger on the diamond-shaped gem that slowly moved down to face him.

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed.

[Lyon?..]

Lucian froze, his heart racing as the name he hadn’t heard in years, and the voice he could never forget filled his ears.

"M-Mother?! Y-You... How?"

The question tumbled from his lips, despite the whirlwind of thoughts racing through his mind. Tears welled in his eyes, though he fought to hold them back.

A faint, flickering image surrounded the gem. Dishevelled short silver hair, a loose and torn dark dress wrapping her body, and trembling golden irises.

[My child... To meet you again is a blessing. But I don’t have much time. Queen Isabella has used most of my manacore’s power to unlock the portals.]

"What do you mean? And... Why is your hair white like that? Weren’t they black? How are you alive?! Weren’t you killed during the war?!"

Rosalina took a deep breath, her voice soft as a dry laugh escaped her.

[At a time like this, you worry about my hair colour? You haven’t grown much, have you?]

"Our hair was what made us mother and son..." Lucian grumbled, his voice low yet loud enough for Cynthia to hear, although she had to keep using her magic to keep the monsters from heading her way.

Arlot’s shield wasn’t strong enough to protect her from more than one attack.

"You didn’t answer. How are you alive?"

[Alive? No, dear. I no longer have a body. But when a saintess’ manacore is preserved, death cannot claim them until it’s destroyed or its magic is transferred to someone else. I was captured and imprisoned by the Queen and my own blood brother, Jihan Ramsel shortly after you left for the palace. They...] She paused, her voice faltering. [My manacore.]

"W-What?" Lucian and Cynthia stammered in unison, exchanging a stunned look.

"She is..."

"Cynthia’s..."

"My..."

"Aunt," they finished together, their gazes fixed on the glowing mana core, both of their hearts beating rapidly in disbelief.

[I searched for you in Selvarys as soon as I managed to escape Queen Isabella’s clutches but when I couldn’t find you... I realized you might have come here, to your homeland.]

"Why did you need me? What can I do for you? I’ll do anything!" His voice trembled, his mind almost blank. He couldn’t think of anything else but how to save his mother.

The battlefield filled with monsters seemed foreign to him despite standing among the horrors of his comrades losing their lives, one by one.

[I infused some of my mana into you when you left for the palace. It was meant to protect you from dark magic, which also means your body can handle my mana. I want to give you the rest of my power so that you can destroy these monsters, my child.]

"But..." Lucian hesitated, torn.

Accepting her power meant his mother would disappear once more, forever. He had faced her death once.

But another time? Would his heart be able to handle this much pain?

The joy he felt upon seeing her soon dropped, his heart sinking into the depths of the abyss.

[Time is pressing!]

"I... I can’t lose you again," with a cracking voice, he turned his face. Seeing her only opened the pain he buried beneath himself for years.

[There’s no way for us to ever meet again. Even if you don’t do this... I will not be able to stay with you for a long time. Please do what is right. Won’t you listen to me?] Rosalina smiled bitterly, closing her eyes as she guided her manacore toward Lucian.

[Not happening!] Isla noticed the unusual light and pointed her fingers toward Lucian and Cynthia, thunder flickering from them.

Without care for who it struck, she shot it at the couple, determined to stop this from happening.

Even if Saintess Rosalina’s powers were weakening, they were still far stronger than Cynthia’s, and it could ruin her plan to seize the human world.

"Careful!" Valen stepped forward, shielding Lucian from the blow as it hit him squarely in his chest forcing him to the ground as if hit with a gigantic sledgehammer.

"Crown prince!" Lucian shouted, the manacore shattering against his chest as golden energy surrounded him.

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