The Useless Prince Is A Gangster
Chapter 65. Pride vs Desperate

Chapter 65: 65. Pride vs Desperate

BOOM!

The clash made a sonic shockwave, a deafening roar that shredded the glade, hurling jagged debris into the air. Crimson flames spiraled around Leo like a living inferno, clashing with Valtharion’s shadows, which churned like a black maelstrom.

Leo spun mid-air, the recoil launching him backward, sliding on one foot across broken ground, boots scraping as he skidded to a stop.

He clenched his teeth, eyes glinting with savage defiance, blood trickling from a cut on his brow.

Valtharion surged forward, his greatsword slamming down with destructive force. Leo sidestepped at the last second, dragging his flaming katana along the demon’s blade, red and blue sparks flying, the metal screaming loud.

Leo twisted, slashing upward with a fiery arc, his blade cutting into Valtharion’s shoulder. The armor cracked—a thin, spiderweb fracture.

"Too slow, child!" Valtharion growled, voice deep and angry, his metal hand swinging hard.

The blow caught Leo’s chest, launching him backward, his body skidding through dirt and ash, ribs screaming, breath stolen. He coughed blood, wiping it off with a trembling hand, and flashed a wild, unhinged grin.

"Still prettier than your sorry face," he spat, charging again, flames trailing his katana like a comet’s tail.

Valtharion’s purple eyes burned, his patience gone. He swung his greatsword in a brutal overhead arc, the blade howling. Leo dove aside, the strike splitting the earth, a geyser of dirt and rock exploding outward, pelting his face.

He rolled, springing up, and thrust his katana, unleashing a spear of fire, blazing, molten—that aimed toward Valtharion’s helm. The demon tilted his head, dodging with unnatural precision, he countered with a gauntleted backhand.

Leo ducked, the fist roaring past, obliterating a tree into a cloud of splinters, the shockwave stinging his skin.

"Gotta move faster, big guy!" Leo taunted, he boosted speed.

He blurred left, then right, striking in a relentless storm—each strike a fiery comet, hacking at Valtharion’s legs, arms, sides, the glade ablaze with crimson light.

The demon’s greatsword was a fortress, parrying most, but one slash grazed his pauldron, searing a blackened scar into the armor. Valtharion’s growl shook the ground, deep and murderous.

The demon stomped, shadows exploding from the ground, sharp tendrils whipping out. Leo dodged over one, cut another with a fiery slash, but a third cut his thigh, tearing his pants, blood spilling. He gritted his teeth, pushing more fire mana, and shot a big wave of flames—a hot, red wall that lit the glade bright.

Valtharion raised a hand, shadows boiling from his armor, swallowing the fire in a void of pure black. "Pathetic, child," the demon rumbled, voice thick with arrogant disdain.

Valtharion charged, greatsword slashing diagonally, runes blazing like a dying star. Leo parried, his katana quaking under the demon’s raw power.

The shattered rattled his bones, sparks blinding him.

"Shit!" he gasped, shoving back with a desperate burst of fire mana, the explosion breaking the lock, scorching the ground. He spun, aiming a blazing slash at Valtharion’s side, but the demon sidestepped, fluid and impossibly fast, his boot kidked into Leo’s chest.

The kick was a thunderbolt, hurling Leo through a charred stump, wood exploding, his ribs cracking as he slammed into the dirt.

Leo fought to stay awake, his katana lying yards away. He clenched his right fist, the voltsteel knuckle glove sparking as lightning mana surging through it like a storm trapped in his veins.

[Skill: ManaSurge Activated!]

Valtharion’s eyes narrowed, his own fist tightening, dark mana coiling around his gauntlet like a black flame. Leo flashed by in lightning speed, blue sparks streaming behind.

He clenched his fist, aiming at Valtharion’s chest. The demon brought up his fist, radiating black energy.

Their fists met—BOOM! A blast ripped through the glade, the earth shaking, a shockwave of lightning and shadow tearing outward.

Leo roared, "AHHH!" pouring every shred of lightning mana into the strike, blue bolts arcing wildly. Valtharion’s dark mana surged, a void of black power pushing back, swallowing light itself. The clash shattered Leo’s arm, bones crushing, pain like a white-hot blade.

The blast threw him back, smashing into a big rock, cracking it like a web. He fell, blood pouring from his mouth, arm twisted, body wrecked.

Valtharion stood, purple eyes on Leo’s broken body. A loud crack—metal breaking—made him look down. His right gauntlet shattered, pieces falling, showing his hand—crushed, black blood dripping.

In the forest, the students ran, hearts pounding, breaths ragged. Kareth clutched Lucian’s limp, blood-soaked body,

A dark shape darted between the trunks, its purple eyes locked on Velmira’s radiant mana, tracking the group like a predator.

The shadow Valtharion, clone of the demon, moving fast, leaping from tree to tree, its shadowy greatsword raised.

It surged forward, lunging at Velmira, its blade aimed for her heart. She spun, eyes widening in terror, the sword inches from her face. She stiffened, eyes closed, preparing to die.

Clang!

The sword halted, hitting a glowing mana barrier.

Velmira opened her eyes, panting, to see Rin standing upright, staff raised, the barrier shining brightly. Rin’s pink eyes blazed with fear and determination, her body shaking.

Rin thrust her staff forward, point-blank at the shadow’s helm, and shouted, "Flammenzorn!" A cone of pure fire erupted, a short-range burst of combustion so fierce it ignited the air itself. The blast slammed into the shadow, exploding in a roar of flames, throwing it back through the trees.

The shadow slid to a stop. Its wounds knit together, dark mist reforming, undamaged. Rin flinched, fear flashing across her face, but she stood her ground, staff shaking in her hands.

"All of you, run now!" she yelled, voice cracking.

Vakras, eyes wide, shouted, "You’re gonna fight that thing alone?"

Velmira grabbed Rin’s arm. "Are you crazy? You can’t!"

Rin’s laugh was shaky, full of fear, her body trembling as she faced the shadow. "I’m scared, okay? Terrified." Her pink eyes locked on the shadow Valtharion, its sword rising again. It’s not as strong as the real one, but it’s enough to kill us all.

She gripped her staff tighter, voice dropping to a whisper. "I get it now... why I’m here. I won’t let any of you die."

The students hesitated, but Rin’s glare pushed them. "Go!" she screamed. Kareth nodded, clutching Lucian, and they ran, Velmira’s sobs fading into the trees. Rin stood alone, facing the shadow, her staff glowing, heart racing, ready to fight for their lives.

Back in the Glade.

Valtharion’s looked at his shattered gauntlet, black blood pooling beneath it. He turned, helm tilting, to see Leo standing—impossibly—his body whole, no trace of the blood, broken arm, or torn flesh from moments ago.

[Initiated Healing Protocol (2/3)]

Valtharion’s voice was low, wary. "Who... are you, truly?"

Leo’s smile was sharp, as a spear materialized in his hand, crackling with electric sparks, its form shimmering with power.

[Skill: Copy Resonance Activated]

"Just a guy desperate to see someone again," he said, spinning the spear with deadly grace.