Different World Card Master: Change the World with Cards

221: There is no tomorrowAt this time, the sky was still dark, but a hint of light pierced through the black, allowing people to clearly see the path beneath their feet.

This was also when the guards were most lax, so the Second Prince and his forces chose this time to attack.

The Second Prince, Theodore, led an army loyal to him to the gates of the Royal Palace.

Many people, despite knowing that the Second Prince might not be the Emperor’s blood, still chose to follow him.

Often, you can’t stop when you want to; they were already firmly bound to the Second Prince, and even if they surrendered now, the First Prince would not spare them or their families.

Therefore, they could only go all the way to the end...

Everyone looked ahead, their hearts sinking, because at this moment, the First Prince, Julian, had also arrived at the Royal Palace gates with his army.

One’s goal was to attack, the other’s was to defend; neither side could yield to the other.

They said nothing, directly proving their resolve for war with their actions.

Julian and Theodore stood in identical stances, torsos upright, feet shoulder-width apart, front foot pointing forward, back foot rotated about forty-five degrees outward, knees slightly bent, forming a T-stance.

At the same time, one hand gripped the hilt of their sword while the other gripped the pommel.

This stance provided more powerful striking force, while the other hand could control the direction of the sword swing, making it more flexible and varied. This was also a basic sword-fighting move, and since they were taught by the same master, their stances were, of course, identical...

Theodore: ”Charge!”

Julian: ”Charge!”

The two launched their offensives simultaneously, and the two armies behind them also began to battle each other.

”Clang!”

A brief, crisp sound rang in the ears of the two princes, the sound of two swords colliding, their first probing attack.

The last time they competed was at the King’s 60th birthday banquet; Julian was 10 and Theodore was 7. Afterward, both learned from their respective masters, so they were not very clear about each other’s strength, which led to this probing.

At this moment, Julian and Theodore had eyes only for each other, flames burning in their gazes, wanting to strike the other down with their swords.

Today was their final battle; it would only end when one of them died.

After a brief exchange, the two did not stop, continuing to swing their swords and attack.

”Clang!”

Another heavy, prolonged scraping sound came. This time, both sides used all their strength; the two swords were not briefly touching but grinding against each other, the blades trembling, and the wielders clenching their jaws to prevent their strength from leaking.

This clash was again evenly matched.

The two stared at each other over their sword blades, and then Theodore’s eyes flickered, and he used the recoil to flip backward.

Actually, flipping at this moment was not a good choice, but there happened to be a large marble pillar behind him for leverage. Theodore kicked the pillar with his right foot, and his sword swept across the ground towards Julian.

Seeing this, Julian stepped on the ground, using the leverage to spring up, while his sword heavily chopped downwards. However, Theodore was no pushover; he pressed his sword down against the ground, his body shifted accordingly, dodging Julian’s descending sword.

Julian’s sword grazed Theodore’s armor without injuring him, and their positions were thus swapped.

However, this was not a turn-based fight; there was no time for either to rest, and they continued to attack each other relentlessly.

Five minutes later, both had expended much stamina, and their breathing gradually became heavier.

At this point, Julian pointed his sword tip to the ground, blade facing down, giving Theodore the false impression that he had relaxed for a moment. Theodore didn’t think much of it and immediately swung his sword to attack.

Seeing this, Julian’s eyes lit up. He smoothly shifted the direction of his body’s force, swung with both hands, knocking Theodore’s sword away. At the same time, he didn’t miss Theodore’s moment of dazed, leaning forward and thrusting his sword tip directly at Theodore’s throat.

”Second Prince, be careful!”

The subordinate beside Theodore urgently shouted when he saw this, but it was too late.

As the two figures intertwined, Julian’s sword pierced Theodore’s, and blood from the artery gushed out.

Red blood, witnessed by the morning glow, dripped onto the white marble ground, like plum blossoms in the snow.

A new day dawned, and the bright sky was reflected in Theodore’s gradually dimming pupils. He had no tomorrow.

After Theodore’s death, Julian cut off his head. Julian held Theodore’s head high to declare his victory.

Followers of the First Prince nearby cheered and shouted upon seeing the Second Prince fall.

”The traitor Theodore is dead! Surrender and live!”

”The traitor Theodore is dead! Surrender and live!”

”The traitor Theodore is dead! Surrender and live!”

First one person shouted, then ten, then a hundred, until finally, everyone standing was shouting this phrase.

And the rebels, hearing this, knew that the tide had turned. They silently lowered their heads and knelt, which signified their surrender...

In truth, the Second Prince was not fully prepared for this rebellion, as everything that transpired was very sudden.

On one hand, it was a matter of time; the paternity test results would be out at 8 AM this morning, so their best time to act was at dawn.

On the other hand, he could only gather the forces he controlled in Astria, and due to bloodline issues, he also had to weed out some who might betray him.

Therefore, the Second Prince had actually prepared for failure before the battle even began, which was also why he sent a small team to kill the people from the Tianlong Republic.

Although he wanted to kill the person who caused all this, he also knew his current capabilities were limited, so he wanted to kill those who helped facilitate the matter.

Actually, if Theodore had fled at this point, his success rate might have been higher, but he preferred to fight to the death rather than hide like a rat, and even less to accept his fate and await the final outcome.

At the same time, he never believed he had done anything wrong; he only felt that he was one move short...

The First Prince ordered his subordinates to clean up the aftermath, then turned and walked into the Royal Palace.

It was time to inform his father that his son had rebelled and been beheaded.

Yes, the paternity test results had not yet come out; for now, the Second Prince was still considered the King’s son. This matter, of course, had to be told to the King. As for whether the King would be happy to hear it, he didn’t care.

He was a little tired.

At this moment, he also didn’t know if doing all this for the throne was worth it.

Unconsciously, a tear slipped from Julian’s eye, but it vanished in an instant, unnoticed by anyone.