The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 679 Pursuit! (4)

"Go after them!" Erkan bellowed, jabbing his finger at Nolan and Seira as they pulled further ahead.

"Yes, General!" the soldiers shouted together, then whipped their mounts into a gallop.

Ten thousand troops surged forward simultaneously, forming a horrifying spectacle.

Nolan and Seira looked back occasionally, spotting the forces drawing nearer fast.

"Nolan, they're closing in!" Seira screamed in alarm.

They'd get overtaken eventually at this pace.

"Hahaha!" Nolan laughed heartily. "Calm down, Sister. With me around, you're protected!"

Then, Nolan lifted his left hand and yelled, "Sunfire!"

Buzz!

A crimson fireball materialized overhead, radiating fierce brilliance.

Night's darkness flipped to daylight in an instant. The trailing soldiers shielded their eyes hastily, throwing their ranks into disarray.

Thousand Faces creased his forehead and balled his right fist.

The fireball disappeared in a flash, restoring tranquility around them. Yet Nolan and Seira had vanished.

"Damn it!" Erkan snarled through clenched teeth, hauling back on the reins while roaring, "Don't let them get away!"

…

"How much farther?" Elina inquired tensely.

"Not far now. Roughly four kilometers ahead of you," Malverna answered. But abruptly, she stiffened in shock, which Elina caught immediately.

"What's wrong?" Elina demanded nervously. "Is my brother in trouble?"

Malverna paused briefly before responding warily, "Your brother has company. Thousands are pursuing him! They're probably troops from the Ancient Kingdom of Eron!"

Elina's eyes bulged at the revelation. Her pulse raced furiously, breath coming in gasps.

"B-Brother Nolan is in danger!? Is he alright?"

Panic loosened her hold on the reins, making her horse falter.

Luckily, Elina steadied herself right away.

"He's alright. But the chasers are gaining ground. Rush to assist him now," Malverna urged somberly.

Elina wasted no time. She spurred her horse harder without delay.

As Elina accelerated, her eight thousand soldiers trailed suit promptly.

…

Boom!

Boom!

Scores of fireballs plummeted from above, hurtling at the mount bearing Nolan and Seira.

Yet the steed proved remarkable, evading each strike with uncanny accuracy.

Nolan contributed too, of course. He infused magic into the horse, boosting its reactions threefold.

"Sister, grip me tighter!" Nolan cautioned resolutely.

Seira assented and hugged his waist more firmly.

Boom!

The onslaught intensified from the skies, growing savage. No matter the horse's speed, one of those countless fireballs was destined to strike.

Indeed, a fireball plunged directly at them.

Nolan anticipated it, though. He flicked his fingers, halting the fireball mid-flight before it burst apart pointlessly.

Thousand Faces squinted and muttered, 'That prince surpasses all my anticipations.'

His incantation, Meteor Judgment, was an advanced spell of his own invention.

From the arcane circle, it summoned hundreds of fireballs, each homing in on prey with lethal accuracy.

Still, Nolan evaded them all. He even demolished the near-miss with effortless grace.

His power operated on a superior plane altogether.

'Is he a Great Mage… or perhaps a Sage?' Thousand Faces pondered inwardly.

That seemed implausible, however. Nolan was under twenty. History's top prodigy barely hit High Mage by then.

Thousand Faces dismissed the notion. Regardless of Nolan's tier, he and his sister faced capture today.

Mission accomplished, he'd lounge in luxury ever after.

Boom!

Assaults persisted relentlessly. Soon, Nolan and Seira emerged from the thick woods into a vast, icy wasteland.

"Nolan, this is risky! We're out in the open now!" Seira cried out frantically.

The woods had hindered their foe's approach. But the desert offered zero cover from trees.

"No fears, Sister!" Nolan assured boldly. "Desert or woods, that foe can't lay a hand on us. Have faith in me!"

Seira gazed blankly at his solid, reliable back.

Strangely, his assurance evoked a distant memory from the palace woods.

Nolan had braved injury to shield her then. Now, that same assurance melted her fears away.

Shortly after Nolan and Seira fled from the forest, Erkan and his troops appeared as well.

Their gazes locked onto the siblings' distant figures, eyes blazing red with rage.

"Pursue them! We'll seize them shortly, and this task will end! Archers, draw your bows and take them down!"

Erkan's furious bellow ignited the soldiers. Archers promptly lifted their bows, fitted arrows, and unleashed them toward the heavens.

Three thousand archers fired at once. Instantly, countless arrows whistled through the sky, targeting Nolan's and Seira's backs directly.

Feeling the peril, Nolan refused to risk it. He poured his magical power into the horse, driving its energy to the extreme.

The horse's agility surged dramatically. It charged furiously, zigzagging to evade the arrow storm and the fireballs still plummeting from overhead.

Yet abruptly, roughly eighty meters in front, a colossal hand erupted from under the sand and surged upward.

This hand was gigantic—almost four meters in height.

Soon after, a matching hand burst forth, and the sand across hundreds of meters shook fiercely.

A huge sand-formed humanoid beast ascended from the earth. Towering nearly twenty meters high, it exuded a horrifying aura.

Composed entirely of sand, the creature lacked a face, its twin arms bulging with power like those of a sculpted fighter.

"M-Monster! Nolan! A monster!" Seira stuttered, jabbing her finger forward.

Nolan rolled his eyes. He itched to retort, "I know, Sister. I have eyes."

But he restrained himself, aware of Seira's fright. Being a sheltered princess, she seldom ventured beyond the palace.

Encountering such an immense monster was definitely a first for her.

"Don't worry. That monster won't harm us."

No sooner had Nolan spoken than the beast pivoted toward them.

Despite its faceless form, Seira sensed an icy dread slithering down her back.

Then, before her terrified stare, the monster hoisted its enormous right arm and smashed it their way.

Seira squeezed her eyes shut and murmured, 'Are we going to die?'

All at once, her body soared upward. In alarm, she gripped Nolan's back even harder.

Upon opening her eyes, she went rigid.

The horse had vaulted over the massive hand mere instants before it flattened them.

Her sight spun, vertigo overwhelming her. She longed to shriek, yet no voice emerged.

Mid-jump, the brilliant moon appeared overhead. It seemed so near, within arm's reach.

"So… beautiful…"