The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne

”We’ve reached the imperial capital, Mal’Zareth,” Rei muttered, eyes locked on the towering city walls ahead, still on high alert.

In most stories, Mal’Zareth was known as the Demon Empire’s strongest fortress. No human army had ever managed to break through it.

And now, they had finally reached it. Rei knew the battle ahead would be fierce. It wasn’t impossible that half the army would die.

He took a deep breath, then raised his sword high.

”Everyone…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a black speck suddenly fell from the sky.

Boom!

The figure hit the ground with a heavy thud. He slowly straightened up, revealing a two-meter-tall demon with a bull’s head.

He lifted his axe and slammed it into the ground.

”Hahaha! Welcome, everyone,” Jaggermonth said with a wide grin. ”I’ve been waiting for you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you all.”

He even dipped his head slightly, like some polite nobleman giving a bow.

”Jaggermonth!” Lucas shouted coldly. ”So we finally meet, you bastard!”

”Oh?” Jaggermonth raised his head and met Lucas’s murderous glare.

A smirk spread across his face. ”Hero of Darkness! Nice to meet you. Hahaha! How are you? I didn’t expect you’d still dare to show your face in front of me after what happened in the past. I underestimated you. You’re much stronger than I thought.”

”Bastard!” Lucas could no longer contain his rage. Just as he was about to leap from his horse, Rei stopped him.

”Don’t move!”

Lucas froze for a moment, then turned a cold glare toward him.

”What do you mean, ’don’t move’?”

”He’s provoking you. If you act now, the formation will collapse. Many soldiers will end up as casualties,” Rei said in a heavy voice.

Evalyn watched the scene in confusion. She turned to Roseline and asked softly, ”What happened to the Dark Hero, Your Highness? Why is he so angry? Why does he hate that demon so much?”

Roseline’s expression darkened. She narrowed her eyes. ”A year ago, Lucas and his troops got surrounded by a demon force. Jaggermonth was their leader. Lucas was still inexperienced back then… and he got overwhelmed. He lost more than ninety percent of his soldiers.”

She paused and let out a quiet sigh. She still remembered how badly it broke Lucas at the time—and how that moment ended up shaping who he is today.

Hearing this, Evalyn felt a pang of sympathy for him. Behind his abrasive attitude lay a past like that.

”Hahaha! You coward! Is that all the courage you’ve got?” Jaggermonth sneered. ”Disappointing! You haven’t changed a bit!”

Lucas’s rage exploded like a bomb falling from the sky.

”Bastard! I’ll kill you!”

Lucas leapt from his horse and charged towards him.

”Lucas!” Rei called out in panic, but he didn’t listen.

”Damn it!”

Rei raised his sword and commanded, ”Everyone, attack!”

”Attack!”

Boom!

Suddenly, the capital’s gates swung open. Tens of thousands of demon troops poured out, ready to charge like a swarm of ants.

”Attack!” they roared.

At last, the two armies clashed, and the greatest war on the continent began.

***

Clang!

A sword and an axe clashed, producing a metallic ring that made the ears ring.

”Hahaha! What’s the matter? Is this all you’ve got?” Jaggermonth taunted.

”Shut up!”

Lucas spun around and kicked Jaggermonth in the stomach.

Jaggermonth was sent flying several meters back, but he quickly regained his balance.

”Not bad. You’re pretty strong,” he said, though it still sounded more like a taunt than praise.

Lucas’s eyes turned red with rage. Black light flared along his sword as he lunged forward and slashed at Jaggermonth.

Clang!

The massive axe easily blocked the attack. Jaggermonth then clenched his left fist and threw a punch toward Lucas’s stomach.

Lucas was caught off guard and hurriedly leapt backward to evade it.

The two glared at each other, then crouched and vanished from their positions.

Boom!

Their collision triggered a massive explosion that shook the ground around them.

Human and demon soldiers were flung in every direction.

But neither of them cared. They kept vanishing, reappearing, and vanishing again.

Each collision produced an explosion even larger than the last.

Watching the battle, Evalyn was in awe. It was the first time she had seen Lucas fight seriously.

According to Roseline, Jaggermonth was one of the strongest hidden demon generals—second only to the Demon Emperor. So it was easy to imagine just how powerful Lucas must be if he could fight him on equal terms.

”Die!”

Footsteps sounded behind her. Without turning around, Evalyn immediately swung her sword.

Slash!

A sharp, clean swish rang out. Ten demon soldiers were instantly beheaded, their faces still frozen with courage.

Evalyn spun her sword, and the bloodstains on its blade vanished instantly.

She crouched low, then charged toward the remaining demon soldiers. Today, she would offer the souls and bodies of the demons to the soldiers who had sacrificed themselves for their families.

On the other side, Rei was fighting against two powerful demon generals: Margot and Marlan.

They were opposite-sex twins, and their strength was beyond question.

Being born as twins, they naturally shared a spiritual bond. If one was injured or killed, the other could feel it.

Because of this, they possessed near-perfect combat synergy among the demons.

”Hahaha! What’s the matter, Hero of Light? Is this all the strength you have?” Margot taunted.

He struck Rei in the face, but Rei managed to block the blow. Even so, his body was still sent flying five meters.

Before he could recover, Marlan had already appeared behind him, thrusting the tip of her spear toward his back.

Rei was startled and quickly ducked out of the way. He spun around and kicked backward, throwing Marlan off balance.

Just as he was about to drive the Divine Sword Luminus into her heart, Margot suddenly dropped in from above and slammed a fist into him.

Boom!

The impact left a one-meter-deep crater in the ground.

Whoosh!

Rei reappeared three meters away, his face slightly pale.

”That was close. Thanks,” Marlan said with a wide grin.

”You’re welcome, my sister. Don’t let your guard down. The Hero of Light is known for his agility. We have to be careful,” Margot warned her.

Marlan nodded slightly. She spun her spear and aimed it back at Rei.

Margot raised both fists and assumed a fighting stance.

Rei took a deep breath and called out, ”Luminus, what are my chances of winning this fight if I use the Dragon Technique?”

”Ninety percent, Master. But you’ll be weakened afterward. Are you sure?”

”It’s fine. We need to break through the demon army’s front line so we can push into the city,” Rei said calmly. ”Help me out here.”

”Alright, leave it to me!” Luminus replied, full of energy.

Rei pulled his right leg back, lowered his stance, and closed his eyes.

His aura, which had been chaotic moments ago, suddenly settled—calm and tightly controlled.

He parted his lips and muttered, ”Dragon Technique: First Style!”