Will of a Prince

Chapter 208: Enough is Enough.

Jacob froze upon reading the last line. His mouth opened wide, yet no words escaped. He could feel his heartbeat pumping blood into his brain with every thought. He slowly rolled his eye back to its normal position and looked at Maria with a deadpan expression.

"Corrupted... destiny. And there’s nothing I can do to change it."

He grabbed his head and fell to his knees. Maria ran over to catch him, but he held his hand up.

"Don’t. Please."

Maria backed away slowly, afraid that her gesture upset him in some way.

Jacob laughed under his breath.

"So... that’s what’s so funny, huh cultists? And as long as I have this... curse on me, there’s nothing saving them?"

He slowly stood up and turned his back towards her. Jacob pulled out some extra scales that he had pocketed from slaying the dragon earlier. He threw one into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

Suddenly, a strange reaction occurred through his body. His wings grew denser, his skin glowed lightly, and his special eye shimmered lightly. He looked over at Maria, finally meeting her gaze since discovering the truth.

"Maria."

"Jacob. It’s going to be okay. We’ll find a way to break-"

"Maria!"

Maria flinched hearing his raised voice. Jacob cleared his throat and sighed deeply.

"Go back to Lidia. Protect all of our friends with your life."

Responding to his words, Maria’s body turned on its own and began walking back east. Maria struggled against herself, but it was useless. She couldn’t disobey a direct command from Jacob, even he wasn’t using his powers on her. She was his commander.

"Jacob! Don’t do this to me! Please! We can work together! Jacob!!"

The baby dragon began to panic seeing the strange state that Maria was put into. It tried to push its small head against her to bring her back, but nothing worked. It was as if an invisible force was making it impossible for her to turn around.

Jacob refused to watch Maria walk away. He stayed still until the sounds of her screams died along with the melodies of the fields around him. After three moments, he finally continued his march westward. However, upon taking a single step, his foot was met with minor opposition. He looked down at his feet.

Sitting down with its fully healed scales was the baby dragon. For a reason that Jacob could not begin to comprehend, it decided to stay by his side instead of going with Maria.

"You have to go too. It’s not going to be safe on this journey."

Jacob’s command flowed over the dragon. However, it didn’t listen. Instead, it spit its tongue out at Jacob as if mocking him. Jacob sighed and rubbed his face.

"Of course you’re somehow immune to it."

He bent over and picked up the dragon.

"I hope you understand that there’s nothing good going to come from staying by my side. Are you still willing to come with me."

"As if answering his question, the dragon began to pee in his hands.

"Argh! What the-?! Why are you making this trip harder than it needs to be! I’m going to leave you behind if you do that again! You hear me?!"

Even though the gesture could be seen as a pure accident, it was clear that the dragon was upset at losing Maria’s company. It pouted as it rested in Jacob’s arms, trying to rest itself more before another creature could attack them. And with little time at all, there was already one waiting for them just beyond the golden fields they walked through.

However, this creature didn’t look normal. It was very tall, its limbs were slender like whips, its torso looked as thin as paper, and yet its presence felt ominous. Jacob clicked his teeth together and sat the dragon down.

"Sit this one out. This is either a spirit or a monster deity. I can’t tell which."

Jacob reached for his blade in his waist only to realize it wasn’t there. He still needed to find something else. Suddenly, he remembered why he grabbed the extra dragon scales in the first place. he quickly brought them out and began forging a rough-shaped axe that he combined using his strengthened hands and enhanced strength.

He lifted its handle to test the balance.

"Good enough."

He stared the creature down who still refused to move a muscle. It was clear that it had seen Jacob, but there was something strangely wrong with the way it stood. Its face had no eyes, no mouth, and no nose of any sorts. It was simply a blank, white slate staring directly at him.

Jacob lifted his axe with both hands and looked at the monster with fury. He leaned his knee forward before zipping towards it as fast as he could. Using the momentum of his blitz, he swung the axe directly into its torso. A loud ring exploded outwards upon impact. The handle vibrated in his hands, almost causing him to drop the weapon. However, the creature remained standing still. It turned its head downward toward Jacob.

Suddenly, a mouth that appeared to be hiding in the white face grinned widely. Jacob’s eyes widdened. An arm suddenly snapped against his side, and he was sent flying hundreds of feet backward, ripping up the ground as he went.

Jacob was left staring at the sky in a daze, trying to understand what just hit him.

The white creature was already above him holding another arm above its head, ready to slice Jacob in two. It came down with devastating force. Jacob didn’t have time to roll out of the way, so he held his new axe up to block the attack. It felt like someone had just dropped a building on him. Jacob was pushed further into the dirt. A crater began to surround them from the force.

In a desperate gamble, Jacob situated his feet at the creature’s torso and kicked as hard as he could, but before he did, he attempted to shout a command.

"Become weak!"

Jacob’s feet sunk into the creature’s chest, causing a shockwave to shatter through the air. However, to Jacob’s horror, the creature didn’t so much as move. Whatever it was, this thing was too powerful for him to damage.

Using his wings, Jacob flung himself backward. He looked at his curse mark regretfully.

’Damn it. I hate to rely on this thing.’

Another attack was already being sent his way before he could reorient himself. Holding up his axe again, he parried the blow and swung its tip right into the creature’s thigh. For the first time, Jacob small a small cut appears where his axe had landed.

But it was useless.

Jacob’s axe, which he had just forged, shattered into pieces upon reeling back from the counterattack. Jacob looked at the creature with desperation in his eyes.

"FREE-"

A direct hit landed right in the center of his face. Jacob was sent hurling through dirt, multiple rocks, and even some trees every now and then. Blood shot from his broken nose like a geyser. He coughed blood into his hands and wiped his mouth before standing up groggily.

"I’m not-"

The creature had already closed the distance. A kick was thrown into his ribs, crushing through the dragon-scaled armor with ease and leaving Jacob helpless in the air. Jacob tried to push oxygen in his lungs, but his lungs refused cooperate. After flying for a short while, he began plummeting back towards the earth in a bloody mess.

Something deep inside of Jacob began clawing its way out.

Bum Bum

’No... I won’t lose control! I refuse!’

Before he could fly into the ground, Jacob flapped his wings as hard as a could. A torrent of air crashed its way through the field of wheat from the force.

Just when he thought he finally gained some distance, the thin monster had effortlessly ran up to him and slice its arm through Jacob’s chest. Jacob dangled from its attack like a puppet.

Bum Bum

Jacob spit up mounds up blood that began flooding his lungs. He stared down at the arm in horror. He had one final thing he wanted to try. He threw his face forward, put his jaws around the arm, and chomped down as hard as he could.

Strangely, his teeth were met with little resistance as it chewed through the creature’s flesh.

For the first time, the creature showed a slight reaction. The arm Jacob bit out of began to thrash until he was thrown off of it.

’What ability did I get? Super speed? Good durability?’

However, the only thing Jacob could potential copy was its shape. And in this battle, that would provide him no strategic advantage. There, he decided to strengthen his current attributes.

Jacob sent his energy through his body. Slowly, his wings grew larger and sharper, his nails had officially turned into dark claws, and his skins texture became rougher any rock.

However, it didn’t matter.

The creature shot towards Jacob with its damaged hand and pierced him through his heart. He laid still slowly feeling his lifeforce fade into nothing.

Bum... Bum

Darkness began to shroud his body