The Author's POV

Boom—!

My entire being writhed in agony as my back collided with the ground. I previously thought that falling into the sand wouldn't hurt, but I was dead wrong on that assumption.

It hurt like hell.

'That's right; how come I only realized it now?'

I came to a sudden realization.

VOOOM—! While keeping an eye on the approaching punch, I twisted my body to the side and just managed to avoid getting hit by it. It was just by a hair's breadth, but I was still able to avoid the incoming attack.

I was lucky enough to react on time.

BOOOM—!

My eardrums shattered as a result of the impact between the Prince's fist and the sand next to me. With no sound reaching my ears, all I could hear was a constant ringing noise.

If that wasn't bad enough, the aftermath of his fist sent me flying in the opposite direction.

With that said, I understood the reasoning behind the Prince's sudden increase in strength.

'…This is the Pillar of Wrath. It only makes sense that he becomes stronger the angrier he is.'

Swoosh—!

As I twisted my body in the air, a fist materialized in the area I was previously in, and my eyes landed on a long, muscular red arm.

I tried to cut it with my sword, but it disappeared before I could even move my sword, and a powerful force hit me from above.

Boom—!

"Ukh."

I once again crashed against the ground and let out a soft groan. By now, my whole body ached, and the ring in my head only grew louder.

I tried to pull myself up by pressing my hand against the sand, but just as I moved, something grabbed the back of my head and pushed me down against the sand.

BANG—!

"Ukh."

From the moment the Prince changed, the fight had been one sided.

I tried fighting back, but no matter what I did, he was already before me. He was relentless. He kept attacking me before I even had the chance to breathe or properly distance myself.

As if that weren't bad enough, he grew more powerful with each attack, and the injuries in my body started to accumulate.

Inevitably, the mana within my body drained at astounding rates, and my body began to lose color.

Boom—!

hands against the sand from above my head and pushed my

kicked toward the back of his

Pak—!

as my kick was about to connect with his neck, he raised his

the sand around us shattered, and pressurized wind waves spread outward from the point of contact. My hair fluttered, and in that split second, our eyes

that I had

was now red, and a tangible, dark red hue of demonic

shone with a menacing hue that spread out from them,

by the time I reacted, it was

Swoosh—!

his arm down, I felt his hand grasp

pulled my body toward his direction, and I saw an elbow quickly

with [Eyes of Chronos], I was helpless by the speed at which his elbow was coming, and the only thing I could do was bring my

Boom—!

My arms disappeared.

was the best way I could describe what I saw. It all happened so fast that the moment that I brought my hands forward to defend against his

through my body. It was

could do was clench my teeth and remind myself

and that it was just in

'I've been through worse.'

not have worked, but I didn't have much time to contemplate this as his elbow

"Nope."

moments earlier, reappeared. In that instant, nearly half of

forward, I held onto his elbow with both hands and exerted as much strength as

in one quick motion, I cut off my right leg, which

"Ukh."

kept

it was all just

Swoosh!

depleting a lot of my mana, my leg returned, and I heavily

"Haaa…"

have much time to think as the Prince was once again on me. Thrusting his

Swoosh!

I felt the laws bind me all over as golden runes and words

"Shatter."

over the laws was far inferior to mine, and

the Prince already knew this beforehand. It was clear from the get-go that his actions were merely

as I shattered the laws, his fist was already

"Stop."

laws into my voice. The space around the fist distorted as golden runes appeared in front of me, and a small fissure appeared before the fist. That wasn't the only fissure that appeared; another

fist, which was previously headed my way, warped and reappeared from the fissure that had appeared behind him, crashing

shot away from where I

"Haa… Haaa…"

side of my face at that moment as

"Shit."