I Killed The Main Characters

Noah lay on the cold, uneven ground.

His breath ragged and shallow.

Blood seeped from the deep wound on his leg where the skeletal soldier's chain had struck him.

The metallic tang of his own blood mingled with the stench of demonic energy in the air.

Making his stomach churn violently.

His entire body was trembling.

Not just from pain but from sheer exhaustion.

The cold numbness spreading through his fingers reminded him of his earlier attempts at ice magic.

A bitter realization that if he pushed his mana channels any further, they would shatter.

The skeletal soldier with the chain loomed closer.

Its glowing red eyes locking onto him as if it could smell his vulnerability.

With a horrifying sound, the soldier yanked the chain.

Dragging Noah closer across the dirt.

His fingers clawed at the ground, trying to resist.

But the sharp pain in his leg was unbearable.

He knew he was out of options.

Ice magic was off the table.

His body couldn't handle it anymore.

The system had warned him of the consequences.

And the freezing numbness in his mana channels was proof enough

But even as despair threatened to consume him, Noah's mind raced.

There was one element left.

One he had never perfected.

Lightning.

He had barely trained with it.

And his grasp on its destructive power was tenuous at best.

It was an element of speed, ferocity, and chaos—qualities he had never associated with himself.

But now? It was his only chance.

Gritting his teeth, Noah reached deep within his mana pool.

He could feel how little remained, a faint flicker of energy barely enough to sustain him.

But he didn't need finesse or control.

He needed speed.

He needed power.

"Speed Blitz..."

He whispered under his breath.

The moment he channeled the lightning element, his body convulsed as raw energy surged through him.

Every nerve screamed in pain as electricity crackled along his skin.

Illuminating the dark cemetery with arcs of purple and yellow light.

For a brief second, he thought his body might tear itself apart from the inside out.

And then, everything slowed.

The world around him seemed to freeze in time.

The skeletal soldiers' lumbering movements became sluggish.

Their glowing eyes like faint lanterns in the fog of his heightened senses.

Even the chain that had been pulling him closer now seemed to crawl toward him in slow motion.

Noah pushed himself up, ignoring the stabbing pain in his leg.

The electricity coursing through him numbed the agony.

Filling him with an unnatural strength.

He gripped a broken shard of bone nearby—crude but sharp enough—and propelled himself forward.

He moved like lightning itself, a blur of energy and motion.

His first target was the skeletal soldier dragging the chain.

With a burst of speed, he darted behind it, slashing upward with the bone shard.

Sparks flew as the strike severed the chain and sent the soldier staggering.

Noah didn't stop.

The other skeletal soldiers had already turned toward him.

Their weapons raised, but they were too slow.

He zigzagged between them, his movements erratic and unpredictable.

Each strike was precise, aimed at joints and weak points to shatter their bony forms.

Yet, as he destroyed one soldier after another, something horrifying happened.

The shattered bones began to move again, reforming with that ominous black and red smoke.

Noah's heart sank as he realized why—they weren't being defeated.

He caught sight of it then.

A faint, pulsing black glow emanating from the chest cavity of one of the reassembling soldiers.

The heart.

A dark, corrupted core that seemed to anchor the demonic energy binding them together.

"That's it..."

He muttered, his voice strained.

"The heart....

I have to destroy the heart."

But his body was already reaching its limit.

The strain of Speed Blitz was taking its toll.

His breaths came in short, ragged gasps, and the lightning coursing through him felt like it was burning him alive.

His vision blurred, and the numbness in his injured leg began to creep upward.

He didn't have much time.

Noah gritted his teeth, focusing every ounce of remaining mana into one final burst.

"I understand it now... "

He surged forward, targeting the soldier with the glowing black heart.

Time seemed to stretch as he raised his makeshift weapon.

The shard crackling with residual lightning energy.

With a roar, he drove the shard straight into the heart.

The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the cemetery.

The black heart cracked, and then shattered into a thousand pieces.

The demonic aura around the soldier dissipated, its bones collapsing into an inert pile.

But Noah wasn't done.

He staggered toward the next soldier, his body barely responding.

Each step was agony, his injured leg dragging behind him, but he forced himself onward.

Another glowing heart.

Another target.

The skeletal soldier swung its massive axe at him.

But Noah ducked under the slow-motion arc.

Driving his lightning-charged shard into its chest.

Another shockwave.

Another soldier down.

The remaining soldiers seemed to falter, their glowing eyes flickering as if sensing their impending doom.

But Noah could barely stand.

His body was on the verge of collapse, and his mana pool was nearly empty.

He braced himself for one final push, summoning every last bit of lightning he could muster.

Sparks danced along his trembling fingers as he launched himself at the remaining soldiers.

One strike.

Two strikes.

Each blow shattered a black heart, sending the undead crumbling into lifeless heaps.

By the time the last soldier fell, Noah collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.

The lightning around him fizzled out, leaving him in the cold, dark silence of the cemetery.

His body ached, his mana channels screamed in protest.

And his injured leg throbbed with unbearable pain.

"ACKKK!---"

***

Leo adjusted his cloak as the cold wind of the imperial courtyard brushed against him.

The function was one he had been required to attend—

Not because he desired to, but because his title demanded it.

The royal family had been invited to a formal presentation of peace bonds with a neighboring duchy.

Normally, this would fall under his father's or elder siblings's jurisdiction.

Bbut the King had been preoccupied with military affairs.

And his elder siblings were similarly unavailable.

Thus, it had fallen to him, the third prince, to represent the royal family.

It wasn't the grandest of affairs, just a ceremonial gathering to mark the alliance between the empire and the Duchy of Levanhart.

But Leo couldn't shake the feeling that his presence here, while necessary for diplomacy, was ill-timed.

His studies at the academy had already consumed most of his focus.

And now this was yet another distraction.

He sat stiffly in the grand hall, surrounded by nobles and dignitaries.

Their conversations buzzed around him, words laced with feigned interest and subtle political maneuvering.

Leo responded politely when spoken to, but his mind was elsewhere.

The ceremony was nearing its conclusion when a royal messenger entered, his hurried steps drawing the attention of the room.

He approached Leo, bowing deeply before presenting a sealed letter.

The prince's brow furrowed as he broke the wax seal and unfolded the parchment.

The contents of the letter made his blood run cold. Stay tuned for updates on empire

"Prince Leo..."

The message began, written in the swift, efficient script of the castle's steward.

"We regret to inform you that Princess Elara has gone missing.

Despite extensive searches, her whereabouts remain unknown.

Given the urgency of the situation, your immediate return to the academy is imperative."

Leo's heart clenched.

His sister, Elara, was not just a sibling but one of the people he held dearest in the world.

Even if he gave her a hard time.

Her sharp wit and unwavering loyalty had been his anchor in the often chaotic world of court politics.

The thought of her being in danger was unbearable.

Without a word, Leo folded the letter and stood.

His chair scraping loudly against the marble floor.

The hall fell silent as all eyes turned to him.

"I must take my leave."

He announced, his tone calm but laced with authority.

"There is a matter of great urgency that requires my attention."

The Duke of Levanhart, seated at the head of the table, rose to protest.

"Your Highness, the ceremony is not yet complete—"

Leo's sharp gaze cut him off.

"I trust the alliance will not falter because of my early departure.

My apologies, Duke Levanhart, but family matters take precedence."

With that, he swept out of the hall, his cape billowing behind him.

The knights assigned to him scrambled to follow as he strode toward the waiting carriages.

Once inside, Leo slammed the door shut and leaned back against the cushioned seat.

The carriage lurched forward, the sound of hooves and wheels echoing in the silence.

His thoughts raced as he gripped the letter tightly in his hand.

Elara, missing?

How could this have happened again?

She was always cautious, never one to wander recklessly.

Despite the questions swirling in his mind, one name kept surfacing.

Caelan Draemyr.