Chapter 2

Magnus

The audience cheered because of my sudden appearance. They were moved to see me fight. I will now prove to them the extraordinary natural strength that Prince Magnus, the prince they always look down on, has. I'm sick of being underestimated. A handsome man like me who will be appointed king has no time to be affected by what they say.

I waved to the audience and winked at the women. They giggled loudly in response. I grinned, knowing well that my charm never fails with women. After all, I am Prince Maruem.

I looked up at the ascending figure of my father heading towards the noble section. There was Prince Simone, the prince whose arm I cut yesterday. Beside him was Princess Nitara whom I winked at. The weak prince seemed fine again. It seems the sorcerers intervened in what happened to him. He should be thankful that the sorcerers assigned to our kingdom are skilled; otherwise, he would be called the prince of Halycon with a severed arm. He should also be thankful that's all I did to him. I'm fed up with their unstoppable mouths. They are arrogant, their heads filled only with air.

"These are our brave contestants for the contest! And the last man to win, he will be appointed king of the Verdania Kingdom! Which of our contestants will win!?" shouted the speaker loudly.

Is that still being asked? I will win. I will fight anyone. Thomas won't give up either because he knows how to make me angry and fight back. I will not hesitate to crush him.

"Now the names of the contestants will be read out. Who will be the first lucky one to fight!?" shouted the speaker.

The audience cheered once more. I found myself bored with his latest announcement. Why won't he start already? I yearn for this to be over. There are still countless matters to plan and alter within the Verdania Kingdom once I assume the throne. It seems many fail to recognize the flaws in Father's conduct. He's been too preoccupied with his role as emperor to notice. It's quite the feat that he managed to govern both the Verdania Kingdom and the Primrose Imperia simultaneously. "The first to fight will be Prince Thomas Raine Walker and Spade Compton! The first to fight will take their place! And for those who are not going to fight yet, please sit down," the speaker shouted loudly.

I was deafened by the loudness of his voice. Microphone volume is too high. Don't they get irritated? I'm just going to cut that animal's throat.

I sat in the empty seat. A civilian was right next to me when I scared him with my crimson eyes. It was terrified and ran to the other end.

The empty seats were mine so I could freely throw my arms around them. Two on the right, four on the left. I just grinned. They make sure this match is going to be good and I'm going to enjoy it. The moment I lose the appetite to watch I will finish all the contestants sitting here.

My brother Thomas was just standing in front in the middle. He is still playing his PSP and wearing big headphones. He doesn't care about his opponent.

"Let the battle begin!" shouted the judge.

The big bell was rung to signal the start of the match. My brother didn't even care. I smirked secretly, this boy knows how to brag. His ability is no joke either.

"Hey, can't you be serious!? Even if you're a prince, I won't regret beating you up!" shouted Thomas's opponent.

My brother glanced upwards, his eyes transforming into a fiery red hue as black smoke billowed from his body. This was the manifestation of my brother's formidable power—the smoke of nightmares.

Thomas possessed the ability to unleash dense black smoke. Once it enveloped its target, the outcome became uncertain. None could foresee what fate awaited the victim trapped within its shroud. Only when Thomas's smoke dissipated did the true horror unfold, leaving his adversaries writhing in agony and driven to madness. The excruciating torment inflicted by his power was only fully comprehended by those unfortunate enough to experience it firsthand. Thomas's opponent was about to attack him but the smoke quickly swirled around his body. It looked like he was upset when he couldn't leave. He seems to know his fate.

A few minutes passed when Thomas's smoke disappeared in the middle. It still continues to play and doesn't care about the surroundings. When he heard the cry of his opponent, he then walked away.

Thomas was about to leave when he thought he was seating the contestants who were done. He scratched his head and, in an instant, he was next to me.

"Hi brother," he greeted me.

"Stay away from me, this is my place. Stay far away," I ordered him.

"I don't like it, they stink. I'm not going to tease you. I'm just ranking here in my game," my brother made an excuse so I just sneered. I let him sit next to me. The man who fought against Thomas went insane. He was captured by witches and imprisoned in a glass chamber. He screams. If I were just a normal vampire, I might have been frightened by Thomas. But no, I am Maruem. Thomas is the one afraid of me even though I don't have any special abilities or powers. But there's one vampire we can't overpower, and that's Lilith. Our sister who is brutal. But if they disrespect me, I won't allow it. I'm still the eldest, I won't let my siblings be disrespectful especially if their decisions or actions are wrong.

Despite her formidable nature, I refused to tolerate disrespect, especially from my younger siblings. As the eldest, it was my duty to ensure they understood the importance of making sound decisions and displaying proper behavior. I almost forgot about Pearl again, my brother who is always absent. I thought Lilith and Thomas were my only siblings once. Because Pearl can't control his bloodlust even at her young age. Especially her power, she can control water. He can blow up a vampire because there is water in the blood.

Three more pairs followed. I'm fed up and hungry since I called. If I haven't been called here, I'll really be on the scene. I pay little mind to seeking attention, as it naturally gravitates towards me anyway. However, if I'm not lauded for my striking appearance, taller vampires often regard me with disdain, as if they deem me a worthless prince. Yet, today marks the end of such demeaning monikers. They attempt to label me with nicknames that fail to resonate with me, and I find myself increasingly indifferent to their attempts at humor. While I typically brush off such jests, there are moments when their taunts become intolerable, and I refuse to let them slide without consequence.

"For the next pair! It's Prince Magnus Lewis Walker and General Rido Campton!" shouted the speaker.

I sighed and then stood up. I was finally called. I thought I had to volunteer.

I went to the center and faced my opponent. I even fixed a collar in front of him.

Its body is large and brown. The speaker called him a general earlier, this guy looks like he's in the military. Maybe that's why he waved arrogantly at the audience.

"Prince Magnus, give up if you don't want to be embarrassed. Everyone knows that you don't have any special abilities. I also know that your father has favored you again because you will make a commotion. Aren't you ashamed that you are just a big embarrassment?" I heard him whisper.

My eyes turned red. What I don't like is that everyone underestimates me. I will not bring this animal back to life. I will make sure he screams in pain and begs me not to kill him.

"Let the battle begin!"

When I heard the signal I immediately sharpened my nails and strengthened my bones like metal. General Matthias rushed towards me so quickly that I grinned. He made a mistake when he planned to rush.

With my right hand I looked at his body. When it was in front of me, I stuck my hand like a knife in his chest. There he stopped and vomited blood.

I grinned and straightened up from my mess earlier. I lifted his body in the air like a cup of tea. I'm holding his heart and just one more than it, he's dead.

"I strictly forbid killing! Anyone who kills will be eliminated from the tournament!" my father shouted loudly to stop me.

I shrugged and threw this general's body far away. I shook my bloodied right hand as I returned to my seat earlier.

When I sat next to Thomas, he quickly moved to the next seat. It dodged my bloody hand. He didn't want his clothes to get dirty.

"Don't rub that on me," he said.

"It's like you don't drink blood," I said, shaking my head.

The remaining five pairs concluded their matches swiftly, with many opting out upon witnessing the formidable strength of Thomas and myself. They wisely chose to avoid the risk of succumbing to madness from my brother's power or facing the consequences of challenging me. Their decisions were prudent.

Now, only the victors from the initial pair of battles remained. They would face off once more in the second stage, with the final confrontation looming as the ultimate test of strength. In this last stage, all participants would engage in a battle to the death. The first to be called were two civilian vampires I didn't know. I tried to watch how they fought. How ordinary vampires defend themselves.

The announcer introduced the two men who would fight as Chantrell and Aidan. Chantrell is wearing a cloak so I can't see his face. Aidan, on the other hand, looks like he is also part of the military.

The two began to fight. This Chantrell turned Aidan. Its fighting style is amazing. It was like dancing around Aidan. His opponent also becomes anxious.

Chantrell's movement suddenly sped up. Within a second, he stabbed Aidan in the stomach. Chantrell returned to dancing again. It looks like a woman when it moves.

Chantrell was about to stab Aidan again when Aidan grabbed Chantrell's cloak and was removed. The audience gasped when we saw Chantrell's long hair. It's a woman, a beautiful woman. I can also smell her sweet blood.

I grinned, if Aidan hadn't been able to stun this Chantrell, he would have lost. Chantrell is strong if that's really his name.

We both stared at each other. It's beautiful and her eyes are different colors that are fascinating. The left is blue and the right is green. If it was only a princess, I might have strangled her neck to taste her sweet blood.

The woman who introduced herself as Chantrell was promptly removed from the competition, and Aidan was declared the victor. I can't help but wonder why they fail to recognize women as equals in such matters. If Lilith were to enter this contest, I would undoubtedly channel all my energy into facing her. Despite my strength, I anticipate that she would pose a formidable challenge. However, the underlying reasons for excluding women from these contests of succession remain unclear to me. It reflects a troubling inequality in perception and treatment. All of us siblings are strong, especially Lilith and I, the two oldest. But I'm the strongest of us when it comes to physicality, even though I don't have any special abilities yet.

Lilith can control the weather. She can also lighten the sky. And all the climates that appear are red. The sky will turn red, red rainwater, red clouds, and red lightning. Thomas is his smoke and Pearl is her ability to control water. All vampires can't control their bloodlust especially when the ability is just released. My father couldn't control Pearl even more because it had the ability to explode the blood inside a creature's body.

After losing the commotion, they once again chose the next fighter. And when Thomas called us, that's when I looked at my father. It looks bad to give a warning. He knows we can kill each other. When we all fought when we were kids the whole castle was almost destroyed.

Thomas and I stood up and went to the center. He left his headphones and PSP on the seat because it looked like our fight was going to be serious. I thought it wouldn't work for me.

We stared intently as brothers. Just because Thomas is only fifteen years old doesn't make him look like a toddler. A vampire's face and body rejuvenate quickly when it reaches the age of thirteen. A vampire's face will stop aging when it reaches the age of twenty-five. In Thomas's case he looks eighteen years old. But his brain is just right for his age.

"Are you sure you will fight me, BrotherMagnus?" Thomas asked, making me smirk.

"If you want I really won't stop myself from killing you, Thomas. You just say one thing and I'll give it to you," I whispered, making us both grins.