I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

Chapter 34: Shadow of Eternity (3)

Shadow of Eternity.

It's the top-notch intelligence organization listed in the chronicles. But it disappears without a trace before the battle against the forces of evil even begins.

More accurately, every member of the Shadow of Eternity loses their life.

Because of demons hiding in their shadows.

Zion had a plan to change this future.

And to take over the shadow as well.

Screeeech!

Emperor Urdios and the Shadows' leader, Thierry, believed that not even demons could breach the Shadow of Eternity.

They were mistaken from the get-go.

Although fewer in number, demons had infiltrated the Shadow of Eternity long ago.

Squawk!

With his heart in turmoil, Zion held his hand firmly in the chest of a woman who was shrieking in a strange way, while he stared at her calmly.

Black stars erupted from Zion's hand, wreaking havoc inside the woman's body.

Zion knew who the woman before him was, or more accurately, the demon disguised as her.

Dicarne.

She was such a powerful demon that in the not-too-distant future, she'd obliterate the entire Shadow of Eternity by herself.

A significant character worthy of being in the chronicles.

Even though her power was too immense for Zion to face at this point, he did not flinch.

'If I combine what I've read in the chronicles with the information about the demons I've encountered so far, they can't use their real powers when they're in human form.'

This was an opportunity.

A chance to easily take down one of the future enemies.

"What is happening...!"

The executives watching could only gasp in shock with wide eyes.

Because one of their colleagues, who they'd worked with for years, was radiating a horrifying demonic energy.

No matter how much they tried to deny it, that energy was unmistakably demonic.

As confusion painted Thierry and the executives' faces,

Thud!

The image of Dicarne, her chest pierced by Zion's hand, slowly began to transform.

She was fighting against the black star from Zion, a stubborn and miraculous life force, tearing up her insides, trying to revert to her original form.

However, that was the precise moment Zion had been waiting for.

Whoosh!

With Zion's empty left hand, he pulled in the surrounding darkness to form a half-sword.

The Sword of Extinction, Eclaxia.

The moment Eclaxia absorbed all the surrounding light and formed the other half of the blade.

Thud!

Without a moment's delay, Zion thrust the Sword of Extinction at Dicarne's heart, a weakness he'd identified beforehand.

The instant a demon reverts from its human guise to its original form.

That moment is when demons are most vulnerable, and Zion knew this fact well.

Hence, he struck with his mightiest attack, wielding Eclaxia.

Thump, thump!

Eclaxia's darkness, which defies all existence and mirrors the characteristics of the black star, starts to spiral inside Dicarne, swallowing everything in its path.

A spine-chilling scream tore from the half-transformed demon's mouth.

The demon's eyes, now reptilian, glared at Zion, bloodshot with rage.

-You, you fiend!

A cry overflowing with immense fury and confusion.

In an instant.

If given a tiny moment's respite, it could have resumed its original form and ripped all life asunder.

But the prince standing before it, his smile chilling, gave it no such chance.

'So this is how it ends...'

With that thought, Dicarne slowly reached out towards Zion.

But the demon's hand never reached him.

Crack!

Before it could, her core had already been thoroughly obliterated by the black star.

The demon's eyes, void of life.

Thump!

As Dicarne's body slowly faded away, Zion found and destroyed the transmission core.

'That was tougher than I thought.'

Zion flexed his hand a few times, reverting Eclaxia to its shadowy form.

Keeping the blade manifested for less than a minute had drained so much of his strength it felt taxing.

His fingertips were trembling slightly.

But Zion had no regrets about using the Sword of Extinction.

Without Eclaxia in the first place, killing the demon might have been impossible.

'What's left is...'

All that remained was convincing the remaining executives and leader, Thierry, to submit and follow him.

It was the moment when Zion, his thoughts sorted, turned to face Thierry.

Thud!

Thierry, who had been watching Zion, suddenly knelt.

His eyes shook, as if unable to believe what had transpired.

Behind him.

Thud, thud, thud!

One after another, the other executives also began to kneel, bowing their heads.

"......"

Zion observed this unexpected spectacle with a questioning gaze.

"...We greet the successor of Eternity."

The voice of Thierry, finally lowering his head.

---

Raei Translations

---

The Shadow of Eternity.

Just as the name suggests, this organization, created by the Eternal Emperor, had more stories related to the Eternal Emperor than any other organization, and their loyalty was equally impressive.

Following the Eternal Emperor's demise, they served many emperors, yet their undying loyalty was reserved solely for the Eternal Emperor.

And so, they waited and hoped for centuries.

For the day when the true successor of the Eternal Emperor would arise and lead them.

"...So, I am the successor of the Eternal Emperor?"

"Yes, your highness Zion. Our existence is devoted solely to you."

Inside the secretive meeting chamber of 'Shadow of Eternity,' housed within the Agnes History Museum.

Thierry lowered her head with the utmost respect in response to Zion's question, he himself occupying the room's highest seat.

"Please, do not refute it. Wasn't the sword you wielded just now Eclaxia?"

The sword that devours all surrounding light and plunges its surroundings into an abyss of darkness.

Only one weapon in this world could accomplish such a feat.

The Extinguishing Sword, Eclaxia.

Wielded by the Eternal Emperor Aurelion Khan Agnes.

The sword that denied all others since its last appearance had resurfaced.

And it was in Zion's grasp.

There was no evidence more conclusive than this.

"Everyone in the Shadows is aware that Eclaxia has only accepted the touch of the Eternal Emperor.

Any suspicion that Zion might be a demon had long since evaporated from Thierry's mind.

Initially, he couldn't question someone who'd dispatched the demon before him.

Furthermore, if Zion was the successor of Eternity, his inexplicable power also made sense.

It must be that the true power of Agnes, dormant within him, was awakened somehow.

'Looking at it that way isn't incorrect...'

Zion mused to himself, studying Thierry.

Securing the Shadow of Eternity more effortlessly than expected was fortunate, but their fervent gazes were somewhat daunting for Zion.

'But it did save me the time and effort to infiltrate...'

Having composed his thoughts, Zion addressed Thierry.

"I require a list."

"Pardon?"

"Surely, you're not assuming that the demon we witnessed earlier is the only one infiltrating the Shadows."

"......"

At this, Thierry's expression grew solemn.

The recent events were too shocking for him, who believed the Shadow of Eternity remained untouched by demonic influence.

"The list should contain the names of the demons lurking here. Your job is to memorize them and be vigilant."

Zion continued, relaying to Thierry the information stored in the chronicles in his mind.

He would need to strike swiftly when the opportunity arose because any misstep could alert the demons to their impending hunt.

Their discovery was likely inevitable since he'd already dispatched Dicarne, but for now, it seemed manageable.

By the time they realized, it would be too late.

"I understand."

Thierry's response to Zion's words was unhesitating.

"What's the current state of the Shadow?"

Zion asked.

"To begin with a general overview....."

Thierry embarked on summarizing various aspects, including the current situation, scope, and strength of the Shadow of Eternity for Zion.

And after what seemed an extensive period...

"There is one concern currently proving troublesome...."

Thierry began, his brow creasing as if something troubled her deeply.

"Let's hear it."

"Her Highness Princess Diana Agnes is in pursuit of us."

Diana Agnes had somehow stumbled upon them, and since then, she'd been doggedly delving into the Shadow of Eternity, intent on asserting control.

"One of our branches was recently exposed to her. Furthermore, we've received intelligence that she's planning to deploy forces against us."

Typically, in such circumstances, it would be sensible to forfeit a branch, like severing a tail, but Thierry found himself incapable of doing so.

"The Shadow of Eternity consists of a small, elite force. Consequently, we're constantly short-staffed. That's why we lacked any available power during our earlier... test with you, your Highness Zion, and we were forced to resort to golems. If we abandon an entire branch under the current circumstances, it would significantly impact our intelligence gathering capacity."

Each member of the Shadows was invaluable in this predicament.

"We require a brief period to eliminate traces and evacuate everyone from the branch. The issue is that Princess Diana's forces seem poised to strike before we can achieve that."

If they could only find someone to provide a distraction, buying them the necessary time to evacuate, but the Shadow of Eternity currently lacked such capability.

"So, you need a force to buy you some time?"

"That's correct."

"I'll handle that."

With those words, Zion offered a slight smile.

"I happen to know the perfect candidate for the job."

---

Raei Translations

---

Where might the empire's most formidable military group be found?

Several answers could be given to that question.

The Agnes Knights, whose service is devoted solely to the Emperor.

The Ash Lion Squad of the Lioness Princess, Evelyn Agnes.

'Babel' of the Ozlima, a prominent demon family, and so forth.

But when tasked with naming the empire's most formidable group of elementalists, there was only one answer.

The Elemental Legion, Egrasia.

Although smaller in number compared to other military groups, they were given this title due to their power equivalent to that of a legion.

Degolas, the fairy overseeing the 6th division of Egrasia, was contemplating a modest building in the distance.

The place he currently occupied was a slum district on the periphery of the empire's capital.

"This is an unofficial assignment. Hence, we are ghosts today."

"...."

At Degolas's soft-spoken words, the members of Egrasia's 6th division, assembled behind him, silently activated their eyes.

"The mission is straightforward. Apart from one individual who'll act as bait, eradicate all life within that building."

"Understood."

With that, Degolas, his face concealed, began his approach towards the building, muffling all sounds with his spirit.

His members followed suit discreetly.

'All this is for Princess Diana.'

The nature or morality of this mission didn't matter.

They pledged their allegiance for the Elf Forest and Princess Diana.

This deep, black night would shroud all their actions.

In Degolas's mind, there was no room for the possibility of failure.

Ssssss-

Above the airspace of the advancing Egrasia 6th division,

A witch with blood-red eyes and a vibrant red grin was observing them from above.

***

Thanks for reading! Check out my ko-fi for more advance chapters! Thank you to Salma for the sub!

Please give the book a rating and a review on NovelUpdates.

It helps the website and helps people find this novel!

If you'd like to make a one-time donation to support our translations or subscribe to read up to 15 chapters or more (depending on the novel) ahead, you can do so via Ko-fi.

Click here!