Chapter 32

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In a time of great upheaval, even the distant capital, far from the Baybaron territory, was not immune to strange occurrences.

“Hah! Hahaha! Magnificent, absolutely magnificent!!!”

In the grand hall of the burning royal castle, the 130-year-old monster, King Yaldabaoth, raised his voice in thunderous applause. Before him, Prince Johan, his body streaming with blood but his eyes gleaming with a golden light, growled.

“Die, Yaldabaoth!!! I’ve hated you ever since I was a kid!!!”

With his sharp claws extended, Johan charged at his father. The speed granted by the "Dragon's Factor" he had been infused with was so great that it left sound in its wake. However,

“Nyyyyy! What a delightful thing to say, Johan! To such a beloved son, I must respond with all my might! -- Composite spell activation: 'Tyrant's Armor' --!”

-- As the lord of Gnosia Kingdom and the "strongest mage in the nation," there was no way King Yaldabaoth could not respond to an attack at mere supersonic speed. Enveloped in the magic of wind and lightning, he unleashed a punch that exceeded the speed of sound, striking Johan's jaw with it.

“Gahaaaaa!?”

In an instant, Johan was thrown through the roof of the castle and sent flying into the night sky. The shock was so great that he was on the verge of losing consciousness. Despite gaining superhuman durability from the dragon's power, Yaldabaoth's single blow shattered his jawbone and tore his body to shreds with the lightning and gale force winds. It was a miracle that his limbs were still attached.

Yaldabaoth's attack did not end there. He teleported above the flying Johan, his pure white royal robe billowing as he raised his arm and roared.

“Hahahaha! I must reward my son, who has returned after being raised to my liking! -- Composite spell activation: 'Tyrant's Judgment' --!!!”

-- At that moment, all the citizens of the capital looked up to the sky and screamed. A "Flame Star" with a diameter exceeding several hundred meters had appeared in the dark night sky, where only the moon floated --!

“Come, Johan... and the citizens of the capital, receive my loveeeeeeeeee!!!”

-- And then, the capital met its end. As Yaldabaoth swung his arm, the superheated and supermassive Flame Star fell toward Johan. Of course, directly below lay a town with over ten thousand inhabitants. If it were to fall, countless lives would be lost.

“Y-You...”

At that moment, as he understood the situation, Johan's soul was rekindled from the brink of death.

“You b-bastard!!! Yaldabaoth!!!”

Johan's cry of rage resonated with the Dragon's Factor. His small back bulged, and red dragon wings sprouted. He flapped his wings and charged at the falling meteor --!

“I will protect everyone's lives! As a prince -- and as the apostle of the wonderful 'Brother Rize'!!!”

With lightning enveloping both his hands, Johan struck the supermassive star hundreds of times per second. His hand bones shattered, and his nerves were burned by the heat, but he did not give up.

“I want to be recognized by everyone... to show that even a failure can do something! And I want to become the best lord, loved by all, just like Brother Rize!!!”

Just as the meteor was about to hit the ground -- Johan's desperate struggle brought about a miracle. As his hands were completely burned and collapsed, the meteor shattered with a deafening sound.

The fragments of the star that were blown away would still attack hundreds of houses, but compared to the impact and damage if it had fallen directly, it was relatively minor. Johan had risked his life to reduce the impact and minimize the number of casualties.

But... that was his limit. Having used up all his amplified magic and strength, Johan fell into the burning grand hall of the castle and lay motionless.

“Haa... haa... d-damn...”

Johan, bleeding from his entire body, could only breathe heavily. As he lay there, King Yaldabaoth, with a delighted laugh, descended to him.

“Hahaha! You really entertained me, Johan! That was quite a serious blow, but you held up well!”

“Grr...!”

Johan, enraged by Yaldabaoth's light-hearted words despite his attempt to massacre the citizens, could not move his body. Even with the dragon's power, he was still no match for Yaldabaoth. The man, who could wield all attributes of magic at an extremely high level, spoke to Johan with a delighted tone.

“Kukuku... Listen, Johan. I have always sought... a 'rebel' who could entertain the strongest human, me.

That's why I sent you, a prince, to Rize Baybaron, a man with unsettling movements. If you were killed, it would be a perfect excuse to start a war. But... Guhuhuhuhu...!”

Yaldabaoth grabbed Johan's dragon wings, a wicked smile on his face, and roared --!

“Rize... he surpassed my expectations!!! Who would have thought! Turning a kid into a monster and sending him back as an assassin is not something a normal person would think of!

I was truly surprised! It's the first time in my life that something has exceeded my expectations!!!”

In the castle enveloped in flames, the old king's laughter, filled with madness, echoed. Yaldabaoth had no sense of ethics. It didn't matter how Rize had transformed his real son. He was now overjoyed by the gift from his 130-year search for an adversary.

“Oh, I’m so glad I didn’t give up! I believed that one day the greatest enemy would appear. I even let the troublemakers run wild and sometimes helped the birth of the 'Demiurgos Cult' from behind the scenes!

If Rize hadn’t appeared, I would have had to die quietly!”

Yaldabaoth, who had brought the Gnosia Kingdom to prosperity by destroying neighboring countries, did not care about the nation's prosperity or the well-being of its people. To him, all beings were mere toys to entertain himself. If it meant getting a thrill, he would let his own country fall into chaos. That was the true nature of Yaldabaoth.

When he realized that Johan had already fainted, he smiled and faced the direction of the Baybaron territory. He grabbed the nearly dead Johan and, with a laugh, raised him --!

“This is your reward for satisfying me! Now, Johan, I will give you a chance to survive! If you manage to reach the Baybaron territory alive, tell my 'archenemy' that I want the greatest war with him!!!”

Yaldabaoth, with satisfaction, threw Johan with all his might toward the territory where his beloved rebel lived. As he watched his son fly through the night sky, he said, “You’ve really grown up, haven’t you?” in a carefree manner.

Thus, he finally decided to advance on the Baybaron territory. He would fabricate a pretext for the invasion. He could no longer bear the wait. The thought of an enemy trying to take his invincible life made Yaldabaoth's entire body boil with excitement.

“Rize Baybaron, I look forward to the day we meet!!!”

In the burning castle, Yaldabaoth roared into the night sky.

--- Later, when Yaldabaoth learned that the young noble lords of the Baybaron territory, brainwashed by Rize, had killed their parents, seized their estates, and placed the people under the control of the 'Demiurgos Cult,' he let out a joyful cry, “Hoooooaaaaa!!!? You’ve even incorporated the cult and are steadily building your army!!!? Rize’s murderous intent is so high!!!”

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This time, "Bottom-Rung Lord" has been added to the cumulative rankings! Thank you all for your many reviews and support! I really appreciate it!

As a commemoration, I made the final boss go wild.

I look forward to your continued reviews and feedback!