BUILDING MY OWN EMPIRE - My Journey from Nothing to Overwhelming Power-Chapter 71 – Very Close

Princess Monali’s eyes narrowed. A flicker of unease danced across her delicate features.

The others noticed it as well.

Before a hundred colossal black spears, the golden defense surrounding her seemed no sturdier than a spider’s web.

"Master," the girl Jalja whispered, "he’s using his latent power. I haven’t seen him use it in a long time. Just how much stronger has that cursed woman become?"

The Second-Rank Master raised his hand. Silence fell over the area.

The swirling wind fans vanished in an instant.

The path became completely clear before the hundred spears.

Then—

The Master clenched his raised right hand.

A hundred spears moved at once.

They advanced several meters, then surged toward the princess.

They were not fast—but they carried overwhelming force.

The sheer gravity of their massive size increased their acceleration; the closer they came, the faster they became.

The princess raised her hands and formed several light arrows.

She released them.

They arrived swiftly.

Booooom—

The arrows exploded.

The black spears continued their charge—

Without suffering any damage. Five arrows, utterly useless.

The first spear arrived.

BOOOOOOM—

The crash thundered loudly.

The second quickly followed.

BOOOOOM—

The impacts intensified.

Dust burst upward again, blocking vision.

But—

BOOOOOM—

Another spear tore through the dust.

From behind—

The princess’s body was hurled away.

The Master’s eyes tracked her—and the spears did the same.

They followed one after another.

Two spears arrived at the same moment.

BOOOOOOM—

They struck.

The princess was driven back dozens of meters—

Without regaining her footing.

She raised a light arrow and fired it toward the Master.

"I won’t allow it!" Jalja screamed.

From beneath the ground, black points began to rise—

Then formed a solid iron-black wall.

The arrow pierced the wall—but did not pass through.

The princess extended her hand to release another arrow—

BOOOOOOM—

A colossal spear struck the area.

She leapt quickly, but the shockwave caught her.

It forced her back—

She flew several meters.

At the same time—

Before she could steady herself—

Numerous spears collapsed upon her at once.

The impact was horrific.

A sharp scream pierced through the dust—heard by the Master and his companion.

Then... silence.

"Your power," the Second-Rank Master laughed, opening his drowsy eyes. "It’s at the level of a beginner Second-Rank Master... but—" he whispered, a smile stretching across his face.

"You are facing a Master on the verge of ascending to the Third Rank. Unfortunate for you."

"How did her power develop like this?" Jalja asked.

"This space," the Master replied.

"That is why several guilds cooperated to send their Masters here. An S-class space. I have never entered one before. Do not be surprised that those within it evolve this quickly."

"Let me wipe the dust and sweat from you," the girl approached him, pulling out a thin white cloth and gently wiping his face.

The Master raised his hand.

His smile vanished. He shouted—

"What the hell is this?!"

His eyes widened in shock.

"I can’t cancel them?" he muttered.

Behind the colossal black shields—

"What is that?!" the girl asked.

Red arrows—large, sharp, glowing with a faint crimson light—

Rested atop each of the hundred shields.

Every single shield bore its share of crimson arrows.

The Master raised his hand again and shouted, "Cancel!"

The shields did not disappear.

Instinctively, he turned toward the distant dust—

The place where his final strike against Monali had landed.

He raised his hand and released a gust of wind. The dust cleared, revealing the scene clearly before him.

A pure smile—

Without a single injury—

She stood, her hair flowing backward in the wind like a radiant princess—as she truly was.

There was not even the slightest tear in her black dress.

Dozens of colossal spears—

Had struck her location—

Yet she bore no harm.

Jalja’s mouth fell open uncontrollably. She did not understand what was happening.

Even the boastful Second-Rank Master—

Was shaken.

The princess moved forward several steps and stopped.

She pointed her hand toward the Master. "I," she said with a faintly mocking smile—

"With the power of a beginner Second-Rank Master? Hahahahaha—"

"I am Princess Monali—the First Deputy of Master Ali—and the strongest among the four. You compare me to a mere Second-Rank Master? How foolish."

She raised her index finger toward the shields.

"Let me show you the truth. Your defeat has already been decided. These shields struck by crimson arrows are no longer under your control. Instead, they continue draining a massive amount of your accumulation—and it won’t take long."

Her lips curved with disdain.

"Your accumulation will run dry, and you will become weaker than any insect. However—

I will not allow my victory over you to rely on that ability."

She rotated her finger in a small circle.

The crimson arrows began to vanish.

"Now your control over your weapons has returned. Go on—attack me with your strongest power," she said confidently.

"And you, Jalja—what are you doing here? Did you grow tired of courting my brother and choose this fool instead?"

The girl turned her face away.

She could not respond.

A heavy silence fell.

The Master regained control of his weapons—but—

He felt defeat surging inside him like a raging flood.

He was no simple Master. He had been a Master in this world for over ten years.

Dozens of missions and battles had brought him very close to the Third Rank.

And yet—he stood frozen.

His mind flooded with information and pressing questions; he analyzed the situation swiftly.

He had been defeated—multiple times.

First, when he believed the princess had truly been struck by the spears.

Second, when control over his strongest weapons was seized.

Third—when she led him to believe he was unquestionably superior.

"You won’t attack?" the princess asked.

{ Diiing... Diiing... Diiing }

{ +1 Development Point }

Suddenly, the Master’s expression changed.

A broad smile spread across his face.

Before entering this space, he had needed five development points to reach the Third Rank.

He had never expected to gain even one here.

But he had gained one.

"Why did that happen?" he wondered internally.

"Development points aren’t granted easily... unless—"

His eyes narrowed.

"This princess... her level is comparable to the Third Rank!"

His smile widened.

He raised his voice toward the princess.

"Then... allow me to attack you with everything I have. Let’s see if you’re right."

"Very well," the princess replied immediately. She did not fear him at all.

The Master raised his hands and once again summoned a hundred colossal spears.

He launched them.

Below—

He finally saw why his previous attack had failed.

A golden-yellow light began to surround the princess.

It was not a dome—but rather a transparent bodily shield covering her entire form.

BOOOOOOM—

The first spear struck.

The instant it collided—it shattered, turning into dust.

The Master’s eyes widened.

"How? How does she possess such properties? A weapon-restriction ability—and now a shield that breaks weapon structure... damn it."

Jalja stepped back several paces.

The Master began losing balance as he hurled more and more attacks.

Each time—he staggered, losing balance and greater amounts of accumulation.

Suddenly—

The system granted him another notification.

{ +1 Development Point }

"Heh, excellent," the Second-Rank Master whispered.

He extended his right hand—suddenly, the book in his hand vanished.

"Good," he murmured. "Thirty percent of my accumulation has returned."

He raised his spear and summoned more and more colossal spears.

He unleashed wave after wave.

"Good training for the light shield," Monali whispered.

The shield was smooth and weightless—but resembled a radiant wall that pulverized every weapon that approached.

The princess had never tested the shield against such powerful attacks before—

But she smiled.

Its ability to halt her opponent’s strongest strikes amazed her.

She remained standing, receiving the waves one after another.

Meanwhile, she watched the Master in the distance as he exerted himself in relentless assaults.

He smiled again as another notification restored his hope.

{ +1 Development Point }

"One," he whispered. "Just one more..."

He glanced at his accumulation and frowned.

"Only fourteen percent... damn it."

He raised his hand and launched another wave.

Monali blocked it.

Then another—

And another—

Then—

A wave—

"Damn it!" he snarled in anger. His accumulation was exhausted. He could no longer launch another spear.

He looked at the princess—

At his shields—

After several seconds—

He raised his hand. Suddenly—

One shield vanished.

At the same time, a spear emerged from the nearby shield.

He immediately ordered it to charge toward the princess.

It vanished upon impact.

Again—he canceled another shield and converted the next into a spear—then fired.

He continued.

Canceled two shields—launched two spears.

Canceled four—launched four.

The number of launches increased—while the shields decreased.

"The end," the Master whispered. His staggering body issued its final command.

Two shields remained. He canceled one—and launched the last.

It vanished once more.

He closed his eyes briefly and screamed.

He lifted his head and canceled the final shield.

He regained a small fraction of accumulation—just enough to move.

He grabbed his spear and ran toward the princess.

He reached her. She did not move.

She allowed him to strike the shield.

Again and again—his screams were frenzied.

Then his movements began to slow.

His accumulation ended—

He collapsed to the ground.

"Are you finished?" the princess asked, standing over him arrogantly.

He raised his head with difficulty.

And smiled.

{ +1 Development Point }