The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 382: A Clash Between The Ro’an Princess The Mederian Prince (II)

Chapter 382: A Clash Between The Ro’an Princess The Mederian Prince (II)

Kiev’s eyes widened in astonishment. How was this possible? How had she managed to summon Ramios?

Simultaneously, a thunderous crash resounded from the smithy. The emperor’s sword hurtled out from the shattered wall of the building, flying directly towards Anna. All of them who saw the scene were indeed taken aback.

For a moment, the Mederian Prince stood speechless. Wasn’t the emperor’s sword supposed to have returned to the palace after his duel with King Kyden? Why was it here?

Kiev quickly refocused, setting aside his bewilderment. Now was not the time to dwell on this mystery, though his curiosity lingered. A more pressing matter demanded his attention.

Swiftly, he invoked Angel’s binding spell, the incantation encircling his arm. It slithered down to his right hand, materialising into a gleaming golden sword. He leapt, directing his weapon towards the airborne sword to deflect it, but Anna proved quicker.

The princess twirled, raising her hand, and Ramios altered its course to follow her command, eluding the Mederian Prince’s strike. In a heartbeat, the emperor’s sword was now firmly in Anna’s grasp.

Kiev cursed internally. Throughout history, he understood the immense power of the emperor’s sword, so he was unsure if he could effectively subdue it. Moreover, the princess had gained her power.

The outcome of the confrontation between the two formidable forces was uncertain, as the clash between Angel’s binding spell, fueled by Kiev’s abundant mana and Anna with her true Ro’an force, alongside Ramios, the legendary emperor’s sword, was unprecedented. It was a daunting task to predict the victor.

Witnessing the princess wielding the lengthy emperor’s sword with just one hand left the spectators astounded. It was only yesterday that she struggled to balance a wooden training blade.

"This... this doesn’t make sense!" Eli exclaimed, unable to trust his own eyes.

His anxiety was palpable.

"The dark spirit poses a true threat! What if His Highness Prince Kiev fails to contain it?" Garin voiced his alarm.

"We must have faith in him," Eric, though visibly concerned, reassured his knights. "He promised me, and he will uphold it."

"Yes! My brother never lied! If he has spoken so, he shall achieve it! He will not disappoint us!" Callis interjected.

"But... that’s Ramios, the emperor’s sword! And the fact that our lady can wield it against Prince Kiev..." Damon trailed off.

Confusion still marked his features as he pondered how Anna had managed to summon the magical blade to her.

"We have no choice but to trust in His Highness’s abilities," Noah interjected.

Sylvia, now gathered with them, turned to Drystan at her side, her hands trembling and tears welling in her eyes.

"Drystan, I’m scared!" she confessed.

The knight swiftly took her hand to reassure her.

"Don’t worry. His Highness Prince Kiev is a resilient knight. I’ve seen how he fought before. He will rescue Lady Raychard," he comforted her.

Sylvia nodded reluctantly.

"What is our next move, Sir Navin?" Noah inquired. "Should we simply remain here and observe?"

The other knights also turned to the second-in-command knight, awaiting his next order. Eric sighed.

"For now, we are left with no other options. We cannot return to the mansion either. The alarm has been hoisted, and it’s likely sealed from within. We must endure until this crisis passes. Be prepared for whatever may come," he stated concernedly.

"In that case, everyone, stay close! I will raise my barrier once more to shield us!" Callis declared.

"You are injured. Are you certain you’ll be all right?" Luke inquired.

The Mederian Princess nodded.

"This is the least I can do for now. My brother wouldn’t want any of you to be harmed," she asserted.

Callis urged them to stand behind her again, and as they did, she lifted her hand, casting a protective shield for the group—a magical sphere-like barrier formed around them, offering protection.

From a distance, Kiev, observing his sister’s raised shield, nodded in acknowledgement of her actions. He stomped his right foot, and another, more enormous barrier instantly enveloped the training ground.

"Hah! Your foolish barrier won’t hold me!" Anna hissed.

Kiev infused his mana into the golden sword in his grip. The energy pulsating through the magical blade throbbed like a heartbeat while its light shimmered like gold.

Anna gazed at the sword in the Mederian Prince’s hand. She had paid little attention to his weapon before, but scrutinising it now, she realised the sword originated from the golden cord that once bound her.

Sensing the potent energy flowing from Kiev’s blade, she cursed under her breath, acknowledging its formidable power.

"Today, you will meet your end, arrogant prince! Anna never liked you! Her heart yearned solely for that dark-haired grand duke!" the spirit proclaimed.

"Oh, you mean Kyren?" Kiev retorted.

At that instant, Anna’s black eyes abruptly reverted to their normal state. Her green irises were again visible, and her scleras returned to their natural white hue.

"Kyren..." A soft murmur escaped the princess’s lips.

Her countenance appeared frail and pallid, her gaze fixed ahead. The malevolent force that once ensnared her seemed to dissipate from her mind.

"Kyren..." she whispered her husband’s name once more.

Kiev was taken aback by this sudden change.

"Princess Anna?" he addressed her cautiously, studying her figure.

In a fleeting moment, the dark aura fought back, coursing through her veins, and her eyes darkened again.

"Don’t you dare speak his name!" she snapped at him, now with her satanic voice.

Kiev gripped his sword attentively, surprised by this revelation. Anna’s love for Kyren was evidently so deep that it could disrupt the invading spirit, if only briefly.

Seizing the moment, the Mederian prince taunted it.

"I will say his name as many times as I please! Kyren... Kyren... Kyren..." Kiev challenged.

Anna screamed, her eyes flickering momentarily from black to their normal state.

Enraged, the spirit forcefully slammed Ramios to the ground, causing it to tremble. The interruption to Anna ceased, and the spirit regained complete control over the princess’s body and soul.

"D*mn you, prince!" she shouted at Kiev, lunging towards him and thrusting the emperor’s sword.

’Clang!!’

Kiev deftly evaded the attack with his golden blade. The clash of the two formidable weapons ignited fiery sparks, accompanied by a resounding buzz.

The ground quaked as a fierce one-on-one battle unfolded between the two opponents.

From their vantage point, the knights, Sylvia and Callis could sense the clash’s reverberations. Though consumed with anxiety, they could only watch and hope that Kiev would soon subdue the dark spirit.

"Hiargh!!"Anna charged forward, striking Ramios to Kiev.

The Mederian Prince deftly dodged and countered with a strike. Anna staggered back, then swiftly brought her sword over her head, bringing it down towards Kiev.

The Mederian Prince raised his sword, positioning it sideways with the handle high above and to the left of his face while the blade sloped down to the right, forming a shielding movement over himself. Despite his defence, Anna unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.

The clash of steel reverberated with loud bangs each time their weapons met. The sound waves vibrated through the training ground, yet the protective barrier held firm, shielding the two combatants in a fierce battle.

For hours, they traded strikes, crashes, and collisions with their weapons, neither showing any sign of yielding. The intense fight showed no sign of a conclusion.

"Can’t His Highness use his magic against the dark spirit? He hasn’t attempted that at all except for forming his sword," Noah impatiently inquired to Callis as his eyes observed the fight.

The Mederian Princess hesitated before responding. How could she explain that Kiev could not use his magic due to the Mederian clan’s oath to protect the Ro’an Emperor’s descendant?

"That would endanger our lady," Garin speculated. "Her actions make no sense. She has suddenly gained incredible combat skills, mimicking Sir Navin’s and your moves. She even now wields Ramios, the emperor’s sword! Who knows what might happen if His Highness were to attack her with his magic!"

Garin’s response to Noah relieved Callis. At least someone among them had a rational perspective that could allay the knight’s suspicions.

"This is crazy!"

Eli shook his head as he observed Anna’s agile movements, thrusting against and attacking Kiev on the training ground.

"If His Highness the Grand Duke were to find out about this... ouff, what would we tell him?" he said.

"We can worry about that later. What concerns me now is how this dark spirit arrived here. Black magic has long been extinct. Has anything unusual occurred today?" Luke questioned.

Callis reflected on the knight’s query. Nothing had been extraordinary about the day... except for the appearance of the disabled man who insisted on gifting her the rose.

The Mederian Princess’s eyes widened as she made a startling realisation.

"The rose!" she exclaimed.

"What rose?" Damon inquired.

"The one that Anna is wearing in her hair! Someone tried to give it to me, but I declined and gave it to her!" Callis clarified.

"Who gave it to you?" Eric inquired, now fully engaged in the discussion.

"A man named Beau approached us during the break. He claimed it was a gift from his father, a symbol of prosperity," the Mederian Princess recounted.

"Ah! I remember now! Mrs Bane’s daughter, Arissa, delivered the flower! I thought it was for Anna!" Sylvia interjected.

"No! Beau came and explained that it was originally meant for me since his father admired me," Callis interjected.

"Who is this Beau? And what is his relation with Mrs Bane?" Noah raised a brow.

"He’s a worker for her and delivers fish on her behalf. He mentioned that he recently came to this city and got hired," Callis added.

"Delivers fish? Wait..." Eli hummed in thought, his forehead creased. Suddenly, his eyes widened as a thought struck him.

"This Mrs Bane must be the fishwife appointed by Mr Foster to supply the fish! Remember when we discussed the training plan in the meeting room, and I cautioned about the menus for Lady Raychard?" Eli reminded them.

Then, turning to Luke, he continued, "You suggested preparing a fish dish for her!"

"That’s right! I thought it would provide her with sufficient energy for training, considering her dietary restrictions," the knight concurred, recalling the discussion.

Eric turned to Callis, questioning, "Are you suggesting that the rose is the catalyst for the dark magic?"

"I’m afraid so. The flower is peculiarly beautiful and the only foreign object we’ve received. Moreover... something was unsettling about the man," Callis explained.

"Unsettling in what way?" Garin probed.

"He’s disabled, but I sensed a strength in him based on his robust physique. He carries himself like a warrior," Callis described.

"Disabled? Does he have only one arm on the left?" Eric asked.

"How did you know?" the Mederian Princess inquired, surprised since she hadn’t shared Beau’s disability with the second-in-command knight.

"I encountered them yesterday while pursuing Sir Brooks. I bumped into his father in a corner of the hallway. He seemed injured, so I allowed them to rest within the mansion area before they left," Eric recounted. "Honestly, I had the same impression when I patted his back."

The second-in-command knight rubbed his bearded chin, brooding.

"It seems like he was targeting you initially, but Anna got ensnared in the end. Why would someone like him do this? We’ve never wronged him! The only tale I know of dark magic involves the evil Lord Emir of the South during the Ro’an Empire’s reign. The Southerners had practised it, but none of them was here. How did the dark magic come to this mansion?" Sylvia said to Callis.

"Wait a minute..."

Eric’s eyes narrowed, his mind racing. In a flash, everything clicked into place.

"That’s it! We’ve been deceived!!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency.

"What is it, Sir Navin?" Garin inquired, sensing the gravity of Eric’s discovery. "What did you figure out?"

"Those two... the disabled man and his father... they are Brone and his mage, Derek! They are still alive!" the second-in-command knight declared.

"Oh, my God!" Damon gasped, his black eyes wide with shock and alarm.

A piercing shout erupted from the training ground before the other knights could react to this revelation.

"Die, you b*stard! Die!" Anna’s voice, filled with rage, cut through the air like a mad person.

Turning their heads, they witnessed the Princess relentlessly striking Ramios against Kiev’s sword.

The Mederian Prince, now lying on the ground, was struggling to hold back the force of Anna’s assault—his hands, one at the hilt while the other at the tip of his magical blade. The princess had gained the upper hand, her strength and fury palpable.

"Oh, no!" Callis gasped in fear.