Read Novel Full Chapter 645: Settling the Score With Meliodas (2)
Chapter 645: Settling the Score With Meliodas (2)
"Run..."
Thud!
Arkash’s body collapsed to the ground, foam bubbling from his mouth.
Meliodas froze, shock rooting him in place.
"Arkash, what’s wrong with you!? Don’t mess with me!" he shouted, his voice filled with panic.
He rushed over and shook him, but Arkash didn’t respond.
When he touched his nose, horror struck him—there was no breath. Arkash was dead.
"Dead!? How is this possible? Who did this?"
"It was me. Do you like the gift?"
A calm voice came from ahead.
Meliodas instinctively looked up and saw a man approaching, expression blank.
He was strikingly handsome, with black hair and a tall, commanding build. His purple eyes glinted coldly, piercing straight through Meliodas and sending a shiver down his spine.
He scrambled to his feet, anger and disbelief burning in his chest.
"Nolan Lorian... What is the meaning of this? Did you kill Arkash!?"
He had never imagined it would be Nolan—the foolish, useless prince of the Great Velmora Empire.
What confused him even more was the reason behind it and how Nolan managed to do it.
Arkash had been one of his most loyal and powerful subordinates. There was no way Nolan could have done this... unless he had been hiding his true strength.
Nolan closed the door behind him and stepped closer. Meliodas instinctively took a step back.
"Explain yourself—what do you mean by this!? Are you trying to start a war with my kingdom!?" he demanded.
Noticing his unease, Nolan chuckled softly. He stopped two meters away and looked at him with a playful smile.
"Meliodas Lyren, aren’t you tired of pretending to be foolish and clueless?"
His words startled Meliodas. He narrowed his eyes and snapped, "What do you mean?"
"Don’t play dumb, Meliodas. I know everything. You can’t hide it from me."
Meliodas’s heart pounded hard. Panic crept into his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about! Stop changing the subject! What are you going to do about Arkash’s death? If you won’t take responsibility, don’t blame me when I stop holding back!" he spat, his voice shaking with rage.
Seeing how stubborn he was, Nolan grew bored and decided to hit him where it hurt.
"Arkash took Aldrian and my older sister, Seira, to a secluded room to execute them. Since he’s your subordinate, he must have acted on your orders. Am I right?"
A faint, cold smile curved Nolan’s lips.
Meliodas felt a surge of fear he hadn’t anticipated. He had thought he’d concealed everything.
Who would have thought Nolan could see right through him?
Now, he understood—the plan to eliminate Seira and Aldrian had utterly failed.
And the cause? Meliodas didn’t know—but the worst possibility was staring him in the face: Nolan himself.
Realizing there was no point in hiding it anymore, Meliodas dropped the act and laughed loudly.
"Hahaha!" He pressed his left palm against his face. "So what? Do you really think my father and mother will believe I’m the culprit? I’m sure they won’t believe a word you say. On the contrary, I’ll pin everything on you, Nolan Lorian."
A thin smile crept across his lips as he folded his hands behind his back.
"Just imagine it. ’A prince from another empire came here only to cause chaos...’ Doesn’t that sound believable? Easy for everyone to accept. What do you think?"
He wasn’t worried about being exposed, especially not by Nolan. To him, Nolan was nothing more than an outsider.
What’s more, Nolan’s reputation as a worthless, good-for-nothing prince only made him look down on him even further.
And he was absolutely certain his parents would trust him over Nolan’s accusations.
Yet Nolan didn’t look afraid at all. His face remained calm, as if the threat meant nothing.
"You’re quite clever. I’ll admit it—Gulvar Lyren doesn’t have any foolish sons. What a shame he chose Aldrian as crown prince instead. That must hurt, doesn’t it?" Nolan mocked.
Meliodas’s smile froze. Rage surged through him, and he pointed at Nolan with hatred.
"There’s no point in provoking me! Worry about your own fate, Nolan Lorian! You’ll face severe punishment, and you won’t be allowed to leave this kingdom. Prepare yourself!"
In truth, none of this had been part of his plan. At first, he was sure everything would go smoothly. Unfortunately, it failed. And now that Nolan had appeared before him, it was the perfect chance to make him the scapegoat.
Nolan let out a quiet sigh and said calmly, "Are you so scared you’ve gone stupid? I walked right up to you without carrying any weapons, and I even told you the assassination failed. At this point, do you still not understand?"
Meliodas’s laughter stopped mid-sound. He frowned, and suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
His smile widened as he sneered, "Don’t tell me you came here to kill me? Hehehe... That’s even more ridiculous, Nolan Lorian. Who do you think you are? You’re just a worthless prince who can’t even hold a weapon. And me? I’m a prince who has mastered countless combat techniques and weapons. In front of me, you’re nothing but an ant!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Nolan gave a thin smile—then vanished from where he stood.
In the next instant, he appeared right in front of Meliodas.
With terrifying speed, he seized Meliodas by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
Meliodas’s eyes widened in shock. He slammed both hands against Nolan’s grip with all his strength, but it didn’t budge. It felt like an iron claw.
"I-Impossible! H-How can you have such monstrous strength!?" he stammered, his voice trembling with fear.
Nolan, who had always been seen as weak, had been hiding his true power all along. It was something Meliodas had never even imagined.
"The world is vast, Meliodas Lyren. A proverb from my previous world says, ’Hide your strength, and you’ll live longer.’ And that proverb has proven true—I survived until now... while you will die here."
Nolan’s voice was cold and steady, as if he truly meant every word.
"D-Don’t joke around, Nolan Lorian! I... I am the Third Prince of the Ancient Kingdom of Eron. If you kill me—"
Before he could finish that cliché threat, Nolan slammed him into the floor with brutal force.
Boom!
The impact sent excruciating pain tearing through his body. His vision spun, and the crushing pressure in his chest made him groan loudly.
"Still trying to threaten me? It seems you still don’t understand your place, Meliodas Lyren."
Nolan’s purple pupils shifted, forming the symbol of the sun and the star.
"At first, I didn’t want to get involved in your affairs. I didn’t care about you slaughtering the young nobles in the hall earlier. But unfortunately..."
A grin spread across Nolan’s lips—more terrifying than the King of Hell’s.
"You touched something you shouldn’t have. Now accept your fate."
His eyes flared with blinding light.
A moment later, Meliodas’s agonized scream echoed dozens of meters away.
The third prince—hailed as the kingdom’s future king—met a tragic end.