?Archer couldn’t see his attacker due to being flung into the ground from high up. It hurt, but not as much as he thought. With a shake of his head, he jumped out of the crater and saw half a dozen figures in armor over some white robes.

He felt the light emanating from them, causing Archer to grin. ”I’m guessing you’re here to see a prince?”

”Don’t speak, you hellish being. How dare you invade our realm!” The closest figure spoke in a voice full of hate.

Archer shrugged. ”I don’t care for the grudge you’ve been holding against the previous princes, but that’s not me. I will kill each and every one of you before eating your hearts.”

After speaking, he opened a portal to the domain and called out. ”Eldric! I got some playmates for you.”

The figures under their hoods looked at him strangely, wondering who the boy was chatting to until a mountain of a man stepped through.

Suddenly, their eyes widened in surprise as they saw a lone figure stepping out of the portal and standing before them, clad in ominous black armor that seemed to absorb the light around them.

The figure stood tall and imposing, holding a massive greatsword, its blade gleaming with a dark sheen. Sensing the intimidating presence of the black knight, the robed figures instinctively took a step back,

Their previous confidence was replaced by concern and worry. The air grew tense as the silence stretched, broken only by the faint beast’s roars in the background.

Suddenly, the black knight knelt before Archer. His movements refined as he spoke in a respectful tone. ”My King. What can I do for you?”

Archer grinned and motioned for Eldric to stand up as he commented. ”I need you to kill this lot. That one there attacked the girls and me.”

He pointed at the armored figure, who looked confused. Eldric turned to them all and asked. ”My Lord. Can we test Mr. Arundel out, please? Mistress Hecate brought him to meet me, and he seems like a very loyal bodyguard, but we need to see if he’s strong enough to guard her.”

”Good idea, Eldric. Let me summon him, and both of you can fight together. The Black Dragon knight nodded before Archer sent a message to Hecate asking to borrow Jasper, who happily agreed. He opened a portal, and the enormous human walked out, looking confused.

While this was happening, the figures were stunned as they assumed Archer would be scared and plead for his life, but to act like they weren’t there and chat with his subordinates annoyed them.

But the leader was curious and waited to see what would happen, as they were confident of beating the two knights, who looked like brutes.

Archer looked at Jasper, who was looking at the figures surrounding them. The man turned to him and asked. ”White Prince. What do you need from me?”

”Jasper! You are my knight, but your main duty is to protect my lovely Hecate.”

He pointed at Eldric and introduced them. ”Eldric here is my first knight and wants to test you. We want to see if you are worthy of protecting my wife.”

The tall bald man nodded before kneeling. His blue eyes sparkled as he spoke to him. ”Of course, Your Majesty. Do you have that armor and a Warhammer?”

Archer grinned even more as he turned to the robed figure. ”Can you wait one more minute, please? I’m just going to get Jasper here some armor and a weapon. That good with you?”

The leader nodded his head in amusement as he replied. ”So be it. You amuse me, Shadow Prince. It won’t do them any good, though. They will die soon.”

When Archer heard this, he frowned. ”Well, if that’s the case, then they would be useless to me, and I’d have to kill you myself.”

The robed figure started laughing but motioned for him to continue, which made Archer smile as he turned back to Jasper. He took out some armor he got from one of the treasuries and handed it to the bald man.

Jasper took it, amazement written all over his face, and started to put it on. It fitted the large man well, causing Archer to nod in satisfaction. After that, he took out an extensive Warhammer from the Dragon Hunters years ago.

When his new knight was ready, Archer gave them the orders with a grin on his handsome face. ”Try not to kill them all. They amuse me, and I want the leader to serve me; we can test them.”

The two men nodded before preparing for battle, causing the leader of the robed figures to speak in an amused tone. ”All done, Shadow Prince? Can we dance now?”

”Oh no. I’d dance with you if you were a beautiful woman, but you sound like a grumpy middle-aged man. In that case, you can dance with my knights.”

A chuckle was heard. ”A shame. I would have loved to dance with the shadow prince.”

”Sometimes people don’t get what they want apart from me. When I beat you a lot, I will make you submit. You’ve amused me, and I will make you a knight if you fight well.”

The figure shrugged. ”So be it.”

As the tension mounted in the clearing as the afternoon sun beamed down, Archer watched with interest as Jasper and Eldric charged into the fray, their weapons gleaming in the faint light.

With a mighty swing of his Warhammer, Jasper smashed through the ranks of the robed figures while Eldric’s greatsword danced with deadly precision, cutting through the air and causing the enemy to dodge quickly.

The robed figures, caught off guard by the sudden aggression, attempted to block and dodge the relentless attacks, but Archer’s knights were too quick, their movements fluid and precise.

One by one, the figures fell before the onslaught of the two knights, their armor no match for the sheer force of their blows. But the two ensured not to deliver lethal blows because Archer wanted them alive.

Only the leader remained standing, his robes billowing around him as he faced off against the two challenging knights. With a determined glare, he raised his weapon, ready to defend himself against the relentless assault.

But before he could make a move, Archer intervened. He cast Blink and, in an instant, appeared in front of the leader, his hand closing around the robed figure’s neck with an iron grip.

The leader gasped in surprise, his eyes widening in fear as Archer’s cold violet gaze bore into his own. Despite his struggles, he found himself powerless against the Shadow Prince’s strength, his attempts to break free proving futile.

“Looks like your dance partners have abandoned you,” Archer remarked, his voice dripping with malice.

With a wicked grin, he tightened his grip on the leader’s neck, relishing in the fear that flickered in the figure’s eyes. But that’s when Archer notices something and sniffs the air to smell perfume.

Archer tore the hood away, revealing a stunning woman with auburn hair cascading around her shoulders and piercing blue eyes filled with a mix of fear and hate. Her body was that of a seasoned warrior, her muscles toned and powerful, reminiscent of Teuila and Nale.

When seeing the woman hiding behind the robes, he ordered Jasper and Eldric to take off the hoods, and most were men apart from another woman with short brown hair. Archer turned back to the trapped woman and spoke with a smirk. ”So you were a woman. Explain your scent; it confused me when you first appeared.”

”Let me go! You’re a devil!” The woman struggled against his grip.

Archer looked at her with a raised eyebrow and let her go before commenting. ”How so? You people attacked me first? I was on the way to a tournament.”

”They told us you are the Shadow Prince. The evil one who will bring destruction to our lands.” She remarked.

He looked generally confused before informing her. ”All your soldiers are dead. My girls took most of them out.”

The woman looked relieved for a second, but it vanished as she responded. ”No matter, they aren’t my people. They belonged to the empire.”

Archer chuckled. But then her earlier attitude interested him, so he asked. ”So what’s this about me being a hellish being invading the realm?”

”On Astoria, the Shadow Prince is seen as a bad omen and destroyed most of the kingdoms on our continent. He was an evil mage who brought death and destruction to my home.”

He felt sorry for her but informed the beautiful woman. ”That was nothing to do with me, though? I’m seventeen and have only visited a few continents, but Astoria certainly wasn’t one of them.”

After speaking, he introduced himself. ”I’m Archer Wyldheart. The most handsome dragon on Thrylos. What is your name?”

The woman’s blue eyes looked into his as she answered in a wary tone. ”Raven Moore.”

If there are any mistakes, point them out, and I’ll edit it. Thanks

Updated from 𝑖𝘦.𝒸𝘰𝘮