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—!

his fist and rolling to the side, I pressed my hands against the sand from

my body, I kicked toward the back of

Pak—!

kick was about to connect with his neck,

moment my leg connected, the sand around us shattered, and pressurized wind waves spread outward from the point of contact. My hair fluttered, and in that split

first time that I had

entire body was now red, and a tangible, dark red hue of demonic energy circulated around him. It was denser and

hue that spread out from

events transpired so rapidly that by the time I reacted, it

Swoosh—!

his arm down, I felt

through the air shortly after that as he pulled my body toward his direction, and I

speed at which his elbow was coming, and the only thing I could do was bring my arms forward and

Boom—!

My arms disappeared.

all happened so fast that the moment that I brought my hands forward to defend against his elbow, my arms, which were covering my head,

elbow stopped, but an unbearable pain coursed through my body. It was so painful that I was unable

could do was clench my teeth and remind myself that the current pain was nothing compared to what

and that it was just in my

'I've been through worse.'

have worked, but I didn't have much time to contemplate this

"Nope."

nearly half of my mana vanished, and my

onto his elbow with both hands and

I cut off

"Ukh."

I felt a sudden wave of pain, but I kept reminding myself that this wasn't the worst I

was all

Swoosh!

lot of my mana, my

"Haaa…"

Thrusting his fist forward, his figure appeared behind me, and I could only duck down, barely dodging his

Swoosh!

laws bind me all over as golden runes and words emerged from

"Shatter."

inferior to mine, and I was easily able to

already knew this beforehand. It was clear from the get-go that his actions were merely an attempt to slow me

shattered the laws, his

"Stop."

the 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 also appeared behind

reappeared from the fissure that had appeared behind

body shot away from where I was, and finally,

"Haa… Haaa…"

at that

"Shit."