The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 678 Pursuit! (3)

"Hah… Hah… Hah… At last, we've escaped that cursed hellhole," Erkan grumbled, his face etched with grim resolve.

He vowed never to step foot in Nethravel Valley again for as long as he lived.

Nearly losing his life happened there. His troops endured heavy casualties there as well—losing half their number.

The defeat wasn't mere loss. It struck him with utter humiliation.

Regaining his composure, Erkan faced Thousand Faces and inquired, "Where are they now?"

Narrowing his gaze, Thousand Faces answered, "One kilometer ahead. Pursuing them immediately will ensure we catch up."

Erkan's grin broadened. "Good. Got it."

Lifting his right hand high, he commanded, "Soldiers! Nolan Lorian and Seira Lorian lie ahead! Resume formations and hunt them down!"

Moments earlier, the weary troops snapped to attention. Roaring in unison, they bellowed, "Yes, General!"

***

Whoosh!

At full throttle, Nolan's steed thundered forward. Zigzagging deftly, it evaded the thick forest trees with ease.

Seira gripped Nolan's waist firmly. Blasting winds whipped her face, forcing her eyes shut.

"Nolan, watch out! A tree collision means death for us both!" she cautioned urgently.

With a subtle smirk, Nolan responded lightly, "Relax, Sister. Do you doubt my riding prowess?"

Silence fell over Seira. Nolan's expert horsemanship was plain to see.

Her prior alert had burst forth on pure reflex.

While the horse raced on, thundering hoofbeats abruptly resounded from the rear.

Tension seized them both; they whipped their heads around. Erkan's forces pursued relentlessly.

Distant though they remained, sheer terror gripped Seira at their approach.

"N-Nolan! They're upon us!" she shrieked in alarm.

"Oh? Quite the twist. Grip tight then." Nolan flashed a mischievous grin. "I'll accelerate now."

Right after his words, a sharp kick sent the horse surging twice as fast.

"Damn them! They're pulling away faster!" Erkan snarled.

Glancing at Thousand Faces soaring nearby, he barked, "Blast them with magic. But take care—avoid injuring them. Clear?"

A mere smile crossed Thousand Faces' lips before he rocketed skyward.

High above, he pinpointed Nolan and Seira hurtling through the woods at alarming velocity.

"Pitiful sight—a prince and princess fleeing like common outlaws," he murmured. "Direct interference risks drawing the Great Velmora Empire's wrath."

He hesitated briefly, eyes sharpening. "Yet I'm entangled now. Retreat is impossible."

Eyes shut, he hoisted his magic staff aloft.

"Infernum Sancta," he intoned softly.

Whoosh!

From nowhere, a massive fireball materialized—almost five meters wide.

Distinct from typical fireballs, this blazed in deep crimson hues, exuding fierce thermal waves.

Keen senses would detect its infernal heat, capable of incinerating all to cinders.

Thousand Faces sneered. "Their demise wouldn't fall on me, would it?"

Relentlessly, he launched the fireball at Nolan and Seira with blinding velocity.

A peril from behind jolted Seira. Glancing back, pallor drained her features.

"Nolan, we're under attack!"

Nolan glanced upward too, offering a calm smile.

"No need to fret. Mere trifle."

His left hand rose as he murmured, "Golem Hand!"

RRRRRMMMMM!

Violent tremors rocked the ground below. Instantly, a colossal clay hand burst from the soil, intercepting the fireball.

Astonishment rippled through—not just Seira, but distant Thousand Faces and Erkan as well.

"W-What the—? Impossible!" Thousand Faces gasped in dread. "Nolan Lorian wields magic?"

Until now, he'd dismissed Nolan as a mere mortal—the notorious waste of a prince.

Shockingly, Nolan concealed his power... and mage abilities.

Shock fading, a wicked smile twisted Thousand Faces' features.

"Impressive, yet futile. Face me—Thousand Faces, Celestial Mage! Strength means nothing; you can't rival me!"

Staff flung skyward, he slammed palms together.

"Infernal Bloom!"

Whoosh!

In the heavens, a colossal fiery blossom unfurled. Its radiant inferno illuminated the shadowed woods, unleashing blistering heat.

"Hahaha! Block this if you can, Nolan Lorian!"

Petals of flame expanded, spiking temperatures anew, charring all in a hundreds-of-meters radius.

"Come!"

He flung the blazing flower straight at Nolan and Seira.

BOOM!

An enormous blast detonated, with ferocious flames swallowing the nearby woods in a flash.

Erkan and his men were compelled to halt. Awe and dread filled their eyes as they stared at the sight.

"Struck by such a strike… they have to be dead, don't they?" a soldier whispered.

The rest nodded along. Regular fire alone could char a body to cinders, much less a direct blast from that gigantic fire flower.

Even if their corpses stayed whole, that would count as a true wonder.

The blaze kept raging, gobbling up everything nearby. Being deep in the woods, it spread wildly every which way, making Erkan and his soldiers pull back at top speed.

"Thousand Faces, extinguish this blaze immediately! Or it'll consume the whole forest!" Erkan bellowed.

The last thing he needed was the royal family holding him accountable for torching the woods. Plus, hordes of fearsome beasts lurked inside.

Angering those creatures would spell doom beyond just his own forces—and he refused to risk that.

With a casual wave from Thousand Faces, the flames dispersed like a sudden breeze.

The acrid smell of charred wood hung thick in the air. Thick black fumes billowed up, shrouding the heavens, leaving only barren, burned soil and heaps of soot.

Thousand Faces dropped down to Erkan's right side, flashing a sly grin.

"So, what's your take? They're surely toast now," he boasted.

Erkan clenched his jaw and barked, "You're utterly mad! I just said to delay them, not slaughter them! How do I report this to His Majesty now?"

Thousand Faces merely shrugged. "That's your headache, not mine."

"You…" Erkan ached to deck him, yet he held back fast.

Truth be told, he and his soldiers owed their progress this far to Thousand Faces.

Erkan rubbed his temples, on the verge of replying, when a soldier's shout cut through right next to him.

"L-Look! That glow… Is that Prince Nolan Lorian and Princess Seira Lorian?"

Erkan, Thousand Faces, and everyone else whipped around to the spot he indicated.

Far away, a pale white sphere of light raced off swiftly.

Erkan's eyes bulged. "It's them, blast it!"