Urano and Evelin were worried.
The plan had been simple: delay Aurelio as long as possible before he could face the king, giving their side a chance to secure victory. If they could deal real damage, even better.
They were ready to surrender or flee when the time came, but now… everything had fallen apart. The assassination target was no longer the king.
It was them.
Urano couldn't understand why. In the manga, Rafael had been so strong that Urano had barely managed to face him. And yet, now he had fallen with a single blow—a clean, final cut. That shouldn't have happened.
Then, the system echoed in his mind:
🔔 Din Ding Ding.
📜 Narrative Restructuring Activated.As the natural course of the story has been altered, a penalty will be applied for irreversible changes.
Penalty Activated.📜 Aurelio, the Dark Knight:By interrupting his plans multiple times and "stealing" one of the protagonist's harem girls, Aurelio developed a resentment that never existed in the original secondary characters. When the king discovered the revolution, he dismantled Aurelio's networks, forcing him to seek help from a dark organization… gaining the power of the Black Knight.
📜 System:As part of the narrative restructuring, the system will now assist the protagonist, Aurelio, with the power of the Black Knight.Payment required: the sacrifice of Rafael.
Urano and Evelin exchanged glances. They both remembered the system's warning from hours ago. A warning they had ignored.
The jokes, the distractions… were useless now.
This wasn't a diversion anymore.It was a fight to the death.
And against Aurelio… there was no chance of victory.
Before they could come up with a new strategy, Aurelio charged with all his strength.
In a single movement, he appeared in front of Urano. His sword ignited with black flames, and a vertical slash came crashing down like thunder. Urano had no choice but to block it head-on. If he moved, Evelin—who was standing behind him—would be cut down.
The impact was deafening. Smoke exploded outward, black flames danced wildly, and Urano was driven to his knees. His sword glowed red-hot in his hands.
The ground cracked beneath him. His grip trembled. The burning metal seared his skin, and blood spilled from a deep wound. But the cursed fire sealed it even as it charred his flesh.
—"Aaaaaaah!" —a scream tore from his throat.
Urano could barely hold his weapon. He hadn't collapsed from pain only because of the adrenaline… and something darker: frustration, humiliation.
Evelin froze. Urano's left hand—if it could still be called that—was destroyed. Tears welled in her eyes as she watched him glare defiantly at Aurelio.
Then, the system spoke again:
🔔 Din Ding Ding.
📜 Author Urano has reached a 52% synchronization with his character.All of his attributes increase, absorbing both the knowledge and personality of the character.
⚠️ Warning: Beyond 50%, the author begins to lose the boundary between themselves and the character. Psychological damage becomes irreversible. If synchronization continues, the author and character will merge.
Evelin shivered.If synchronization kept increasing… what would be left of Urano?
She had to act. But activating magic took seconds she didn't have. Then she remembered the gift Urano had given her.
From beneath her skirt, she drew the Electric Stone. It still had two charges. With great effort, she had learned a few basic spells through the Staff of Reincarnation. One of them was Zap, a short-range teleportation spell—just three meters—but enough.
—"Raaaay!" —Evelin shouted.
A flash of blue-white light erupted with a thunderous crack. In the blink of an eye, she appeared beside Urano, grabbed him by the arm, and both vanished in a burst of lightning.
—"Urano! Please, tell me you're okay!" —she cried, trembling from the strain of the spell.
—"I'm fine… just a little pain," —he murmured, forcing a weak smile, ignoring the agony burning through his destroyed hand.
But when their swords had clashed, an image had surged into his mind: a child, crying alone in a training yard, swinging a blade beneath the moonlight.
That child… was it him?
He had never held a sword before coming here. Why did it feel so real?
Evelin, desperate, slapped him to snap him out of it.
—"How can you say you're fine?! Your hand is destroyed!" —she screamed, her voice trembling between fury and fear—. "You have to calm down! The system says you've passed 50% synchronization… you could lose yourself completely!"
Urano finally understood.Those memories weren't his.They belonged to the third prince: Yuri.They were bleeding into his mind, twisting his sense of self.
A cold dread swept over him.
Was he losing himself… piece by piece?
Suddenly, Nora appeared at his side. Without a word, she pulled out a bottle of glowing green liquid and poured it over what remained of his hand.
Calling it a "hand" was generous—three fingers and part of the palm were gone.
As she worked, tears streamed down her face.
Urano stared in shock. She was covered in wounds herself, from shallow cuts to deep gashes. It was a miracle she was still standing.
Behind her, a female assassin leaned weakly against a bench, clutching her stomach. Blood poured endlessly from a clearly fatal wound.
—"I… I'm sorry, Master," —Nora stammered, her voice shaking—. "I tried to protect you… but I failed. You ended up like this because of me. If you want to punish me… or take my life… I'll gladly give it to you."
For a moment, Urano was pulled into memories that weren't his.
He saw Yuri, the third prince, defending a young beast-girl mocked by other maids. Choosing her as his personal attendant. Then, lying sick in bed as the little cat-girl stayed by his side, wiping his forehead until she collapsed from exhaustion.
—"Urano! Snap out of it!" —Evelin's voice pierced the haze—. "Take what Nora is giving you!"
Another memory surged: a twelve-year-old duchess running to him with a bouquet of lilies, swearing she would marry him one day. Then the laughter of nobles, mocking the engagement as a waste.
Finally, Urano began to understand Yuri—his pain, his actions.
And for a brief moment, the sword in his hand no longer felt borrowed.It felt like it truly belonged to him.
—"Master… why won't you drink it?" —Nora whispered, trembling—. "Do you… want me to drink it instead?"
In that instant, Urano grabbed the potion from her pouch and, to her shock, pressed his lips to hers—forcing her to swallow it.
—"M-Master!? What are you doing?!" —Nora turned scarlet, though her wounds began to close. "B-but that potion was meant for you!"
—"It's fine… don't worry," —Urano said, forcing a smile. His left arm still smoked, his body covered in burns—. "Honestly… besides the blood loss and pain, it's not that bad. The fire sealed the wound."
Then, a laugh echoed—broken, cruel, and full of suffering.
Aurelio appeared before them, clad in black armor. His face was scorched with lotus-shaped burns, his right arm twisted… and yet, his presence remained terrifying.
Urano turned to Evelin, stole a quick kiss from her lips, and said:
—"Sorry… I'll explain later."
Evelin froze. Her heart pounded, her cheeks burned. They were barely friends… and he had kissed her?
And yet…Why did it feel so right?
🔔 Din Ding.📜 Evelin's Contamination: 40%.⚠️ Warning: Danger threshold reached.
Urano read the message, clenched his jaw, and stood.
He had to buy time.Just a little more…Before his brother arrived.
Steel roared like a beast.
Urano leapt back. His torn cape whipped beneath the crimson moon. Sweat dripped from his forehead, his breath came in short gasps, and the smoldering stump of his left arm still hissed—cauterized moments ago to keep him from bleeding out.
Aurelio advanced.
The Dark Knight's steps shook the ground. His sword, long and monstrous, burned with black fire. But it wasn't heat—it was a freezing whisper, as if every swing summoned the abyss itself.
—"Is that all, prince?" —Aurelio spat, venom in every word—. "You can't even hold a sword with both hands!"
Urano didn't answer.
With his one remaining hand, he held his short sword steady. His stance was low, eyes burning with fury and pain. He stepped forward, kicking up dust with force.
Aurelio charged.
The impact was brutal: sword against sword, shoulder against shoulder, muscle, magic, and will colliding in one instant. Urano was pushed back, his feet dragging across fractured earth. He rolled, sprang back up like a wounded beast, and countered with a flurry of fast strikes—diagonal slash, spin, low thrust. Moves that once felt borrowed now came naturally from within.
But Aurelio was almost as fast… and much stronger.
He blocked each blow with inhuman precision, as if he already knew Urano's every move. Then, with a downward slash, he split the earth in two. A shockwave exploded outward, chunks of stone flying through the air. Urano barely dodged it—black flames grazed his cheek.
He staggered back, pivoting on his heel. He needed distance.
Aurelio gave him none.
He reappeared in a swift dash, the black blade carving an arc that devoured all light. Urano dove to the ground, feeling the tips of his hair singe from the heat, then spun from below with a kick aimed at the knight's thigh.
The hit landed. Aurelio stumbled.
Urano rose, gripping his sword with one arm. His breath burned, blood dripped from his shoulder and a deep gash at his side. And yet, his eyes… his eyes burned with rage. With silent fury that refused to give in.
—"I don't need two hands… to defeat you," —he growled.
Aurelio snarled.
He lunged again, this time with a lateral slash meant to cut Urano in half. But the prince pivoted on his supporting leg, slipping past with the grace of a falling leaf. He countered with a rising strike aimed at the knight's helmet.
CHAAANG!
The sword clashed with dark steel, sparks flying. Aurelio stepped back. It wasn't a wound… but it was a warning.
Urano panted. His arm trembled from the effort. He had no secret techniques left, no hidden spells. Only instinct… and one final desperate trick.
And that too… was power.
Aurelio raised his black sword with both hands.
Urano clenched his teeth.
Both launched forward at once.
Aurelio's blade crackled with electricity. A magic stone embedded in the hilt unleashed bolts that tore through the air. The flames still cloaked the weapon, but now lightning joined the fury. The blast struck Urano directly, launching him across the ground. His body burned with pain as he rolled to a halt, gasping.
Aurelio approached, sword in hand, wreathed in fire and lightning.
Evelin tried to reach Urano, but her mana was depleted—she could barely stand.
Nora, though her wounds were closed, lacked the strength to move quickly enough.
—"Any last words, elder brother?" —Aurelio's voice was ice.
Urano barely lifted his gaze.
—"…Brother."
The coldness in Aurelio's eyes was harder than steel. He raised his sword to strike.
Suddenly, a blinding light exploded inside the chapel.
Aurelio was thrown into a stone wall, shattering an arch in the process.
Standing in front of Urano was a man with hair like golden dawn, eyes red as rubies, and a sword inscribed with ancient runes. Behind him, a squad of royal guards stormed in formation, accompanied by a masked elite fighter.
Reinforcements had arrived.
At the same time, a warm energy surged through Urano's body.
It was Yuri, the priestess, channeling a series of healing spells with fierce determination, shouting curses between tears. She hadn't run. She had gone to get help.
Exhausted, Urano could barely comprehend what was happening. His eyelids grew heavy. Darkness crept in.
🔔 Ding. Ding.
📜 Congratulations, authors: you have survived the story.🩸 The blades are satisfied with blood.
🎭 Genre: Fantasy – Action📉 Difficulty: C (cruel, constant, medieval)✅ Both authors have completed all objectives.
🎁 Rewards:➕ 30 Narrative Shop Points➕ 20 Skill Points🏰 Common Rest Hub Unlocked
📖 Awaiting the next story...
✨ Spectator Score (donations): 40 points✅ The story was a success.📣 The audience eagerly awaits your next adventure.