Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires-Chapter 324: Between Madness and Doubt

Rynor, Ragnar, and the Dullahan—the three made quite the sight as they walked through the streets of the capital.

When Ragnar suggested they spar, he wasn't merely looking for a fight. He wasn't trying to humiliate his brother in public or prove superiority. No, it was because if they clashed outside an arena, they risked leveling half the capital. A battle between them demanded a place built for devastation.

"Look, is that the False Prince?" a child that was out on a stroll with his mother called out.

Because the trio looked so out of place—and because of who they were—they naturally attracted attention from the few humans who still lived near the capital's heart.

Rynor was the one that stood out the most. It wasn't because he was the strongest—quite the opposite in fact—but simply because of his unique eyes.

"Shush!" his mother put a hand over his mouth. "Don't anger them! Don't you see that the Mad Prince is here as well?!" her voice was laced with worry.

While Rynor had the title of False Prince, Ragnar had the title of Mad Prince.

One rejected the role of royalty entirely, earning his name through apathy. The other? He cared only for fighting strong opponents—an obsession that led to reckless, dangerous decisions. Hence, Mad.

Finally, because the Dullahan didn't really come out, few knew of its existence even though it was far stronger than the two princes combined.

Ignoring the small crowd that had gathered to watch them, the trio finally reached one of the bigger arenas in the capital.

They were let in with no problem, and soon after, Rynor and Ragnar found themselves facing one another.

Dullahan wasn't going to intervene unless the fight broke out of control.

Ragnar calmly reached for the greatsword strapped to his back and unsheathed it.

Once he did, the arena around the two became colder.

Rynor gulped audibly. He knew how serious his brother was and how easily he could kill him if he wanted to.

"Would you stop acting like a wimp?" Ragnar's voice broke Rynor out of his silent panic attack.

"Can't you face me once without showing any kind of fear? What have you been doing all this time?! You were supposed to become stronger! Otherwise how will we complete Father's vision?!"

His voice was cold, but unlike before, there was a subtle hint of emotion. It was clear the Mad Prince was irritated.

Rynor scoffed bitterly. "How could I not be afraid? If your sword lands a single hit, death is guaranteed. Anyone who knows that would be afraid!"

He might be insane to an extent, but it wasn't enough to face Ragnar without any kind of fear.

Seeing that his brother was still the same spineless coward, Ragnar let out a sigh and dashed forward like an arrow.

His movements were swift and silent. If Rynor wasn't looking at him, he wouldn't have noticed that his brother had moved from his initial position.

Gritting his teeth, Rynor flicked his finger and dozens of mirrors began to surround him.

At the same time, he tensed the muscles in his legs trying to get out of the way, but found himself unable to.

Dark hands rose from the ground and stopped him in his tracks, immobilizing him.

Rynor's mind raced. He was immobilized and his brother was about to reach him any second now.

"It seems that I just need to have faith in my powers!" Rynor concluded as more and more mirrors began to appear.

They didn't stay in one place, however, as they began to collide with one another, forming a much larger one.

In normal combat, it wasn't a wise tactic, as having only one mirror meant his enemy could just circle around it. But Ragnar was different. He wasn't going to stand down—no, he was going to blast full speed ahead!

He raised his sword and slashed. For a fraction of a second, it seemed that the world itself lost color as it became black and white.

The only color that was in sight was the arc of Ragnar's sword that was left in the air after his slash.

Shatter.

Just like that, Rynor's mirror—the thing that was supposed to absorb and redirect any attack—failed, as it was split cleanly in two.

His eyes darkened, his heart pounding so fast like it was about to explode from worry.

Before he could form a thought, a sharp pain resonated through his being as his brother kicked him in the stomach with full force.

His instinct screamed in shock, his bones aching, as he was sent flying through the air like a ragdoll.

His mouth opened on its own as a large amount of dark blood spewed out.

'Get up! It is not over!' Rynor tried to hype himself up, managing to rise to his two shaking feet.

Once again, Ragnar was next to him, getting ready to attack.

"I am sick of you and your attacks!" Rynor proclaimed, his whole being surging with rage. He was tired of always being the weak one! He was tired of being treated like this by his own brother!

His eyes glowed as mirrors appeared all around him.

Ragnar wasn't able to pull out his punch and collided with one of the mirrors.

Sensing that he was about to be blasted full force, he raised his sword in defense, but contrary to his expectation, he wasn't attacked.

No, instead the mirror moved and fired against another. Once the mirror absorbed the attack, it let it out again, this time two times stronger, hitting another one.

In quick succession, the mirrors passed the attack to one another, increasing their power many times fold.

Only once Rynor's mana core was drained did he let out the attack toward his brother.

"Let's see what you do against this!" he declared. This was the strongest attack he had ever unleashed.

Ragnar stood proud and slashed once again. The world lost all color in the wake of his strike.

The energy that had been fired toward him split in two and went over to either of his sides, leaving him unharmed.

"What the hell is that?! How is this possible?! We are brothers, are we not?! So why is there such a distance between us?!" Rynor shouted, angry with himself.

Ragnar, taking the fight seriously, did not reply. Commanding the hands to stop his brother's movements, he appeared next to him in a flash.

Tensing his muscles, he swung with his sword, aiming to behead Rynor.

However, before the slash could connect with its target, it was stopped in its tracks.

Seeing that the battle was over, Dullahan appeared before the two brothers and stopped the attack using one of its hands.

Silence befell upon the arena. Nobody had dared to remain and watch the match, but if they had done so, the power difference would have been clear.

Ragnar could easily kill Rynor if he wanted to—and the Dullahan could easily kill Ragnar if it wanted to.

Retrieving his sword from the Dullahan's hand, Ragnar sighed. "My apologies. You have become stronger… but you still are nowhere near my level."

With that, he was out of sight, leaving his brother laying on the ground in pain.

With a pained groan, Rynor gazed at the sky. He regretted coming home at all. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have fought against his brother.

"All because I wanted to make Father happy..." he laughed bitterly. The absurdity of it all hit him like a wave. The Dullahan stood nearby, silently watching him. Wondering what it should do next.

"We really are one insane family," Rynor muttered, a bitter smile creeping onto his face.