Soul of Blades - Interlude: Prince R'jdar (Patreon)

Prince R'jdar, the fourth prince of Haearthhel, was bored.

He had just entered a newly inducted middling E-ranked world and was waiting for something interesting to happen.

After promising his siblings and his father that he would conquer it within the hour to secure first rights, he had at least expected to encounter some resistance. However, nothing came his way.

Well, whatever. It's not like he had planned on actually taking over the town.

R'jdar hailed from the conquered world of Haearthhel. Their home world had been seeded with magic and the system by the martial empire many millennia ago.

Now, the demons invaded other newly inducted system worlds for resources, slaves, and to boost their technology and magic.

The young prince didn't have high hopes for this world, even though it was strangely abundant in rich and pure mana, slightly higher than what a fresh world of its rank should have. Despite this, It was still an averagely ranked world, filled with weaklings. Maybe in a few hundred years, it would be worth paying attention to.

The Demons of Haearthhel, his people, had used their infernal skills, classes, and magic to conquer many worlds on behalf of their masters, the martial empire's cultivators.

In the martial empire's home realm, cultivators possessed immense power and reshaped destinies. Low-grade worlds were entrusted to initiates who oversaw their management, while high-grade worlds were rare treasures, and the disciples' ambition was to ascend and seize their reins.

The Martial Empire was a universal power, controlling the energies and power of the universe, with unimaginable means and depths to their strength, dictating the flow of mana and magic. They were the universal arbiters, and their influence extended throughout the multiverse. Despite their dominance, the Empire faced challenges and trials in their quest for power and immortality.

R'jdar had seen imperials many times, but he had never interacted with them. To his understanding, the ones he had seen were the weakest among them, and yet they still possessed the power of gods.

Deep down, he wished to taste some of that strange power, but he knew it was impossible. He wished to break past the confines of his power, to seize worlds of his own, maybe even do the impossible and conquer an imperial, topple a god?

He chuckled, despite himself, at the idea. He was the weakest among his royal siblings and had not been blessed with the infernal gifts of his royal race, the perfected variants. It was a genetic defect of some sort.

He was only a little bit stronger than a human of his level, although none on this paltry planet could compare to him. He had been stripped of his birthright and all but abandoned until he showed them his true superiority.

Despite being weaker, he had never lost a duel, competition, challenge, or war game with any of his siblings, even though they were leagues above him in mana and strength.

Even now, his strength was further restricted, having entered a freshly inducted world protected by the system.

So he waited, for something, or someone useful.

Wasn't this planet supposed to be filled with masters of magic? Practically low-ranked gods in their own rights... Why were they all so weak? They were worse than children.

There was a reason he had arranged this incursion. Soon, he would have the strength to rival that of an imperial, and only then would he return to conquer Haearthhel.

But first, baby steps.

This farce of an invasion had almost succeeded. He had to pull back his forces, and even then, only one human had managed to break through.

The human seemed vaguely interesting, but ultimately just a primitive. But to break through so soon and alone meant the human held promise.

Yes, he would do nicely.

***

R'jdar's mind was abuzz with satisfaction as he reviewed the recent events that had unfolded before him—it had all gone according to plan, better than he could have anticipated.

Although, the local assassin he’d hired had quit before even so much as making a dent, “‘guaranteed satisfaction’ my ass’” he muttered before grinning in elation, his mood unassailable.

Things had gone exceedingly well.

Who would have thought that a mere human, fresh from the tutorial, could prove to be so resilient, so difficult to kill? He had initially intended to handle the incursion himself, using the human… what was it called... Alex? as his weapon. But he hadn't even needed to raise a claw!

A sinister cackle escaped his lips as he revelled in his good fortune, vowing to gift the first human he encountered with a weapon or skill crystal of some kind. He was in a good mood, contemplating his next move with euphoria.

R'jdar then pondered the events that had unfolded.

Mildly impressed, he marvelled at how someone on such a young planet, barely over a week old in the grand scheme of things, could endure such a formidable assault.

Even if his dim-witted siblings had been slow to take the threat seriously, that human had displayed a surprising level of strength and resilience. In a pitiful sort of way, he had accomplished the impossible.

Another burst of laughter erupted from R'jdar as he revelled in his continuous streak of good luck. Perhaps he should consider entering a system raffle?, he thought. Who knew how far his lucky streak would take him?

Jovially, R'jdar continued on his journey, his army nowhere in sight. He idly wondered how long he should wait before moving forward with his plan to assassinate his siblings.

These recent events had only further solidified his belief in his own superiority, and the demise of his foolish brethren seemed more imminent than ever. With every step he took, R'jdar's thoughts were consumed by a mixture of satisfaction, amusement, and anticipation for what lay ahead.

The time for reckoning was drawing near, and he would relish in the downfall of those who dared to challenge his dominance.