The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns
Chapter 259

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Chapter 259

“You… You lowly creatures dare!! Do you even know who I am!!”

Raging with fury, the one screaming was none other than the self-proclaimed bloodline of the gods — the King of Coral.

Except for a few who had collapsed bleeding, there was no one left standing by his side.

“I said unconditional surrender. That’s the only option, King of Coral.”

“Silence! You filthy peasants! How dare you speak of surrender to me!!”

Even before Duke Berli, the king did not back down and continued shouting with veins bulging.

Then, his gaze turned directly toward me.

“You… it was you. You’re the one who ruined my great plans!”

His eyes locked onto mine precisely.

At the same time, those standing between the king and me stepped aside, leaving no one in the space between us.

“You cursed wretch! How dare you… how dare you!!”

As he hurled curses at me, I asked him a question.

“What do you think of those who died for your sake?”

At that, he scoffed.

“You mean those useless fools who couldn’t even protect me? How dare they fail the blood of gods…”

[The Heart of the Machine God manifests.]

“Hey. Blood type O, RH+.”

He scowled at my words.

“Don’t stain divine blood with such common filth, lunatic. You could transfuse your blood right now, and you’d find a dozen people who’d be just fine.”

I spoke calmly as I slowly stepped forward and met his eyes.

“Divine blood, huh? You’re deluded. You’re not even close to that.”

Many of those steeped in supremacist ideologies truly believe their bloodline is something special.

But the truth they least want to admit is this: their blood isn’t particularly remarkable.

“Your genes, your blood — there’s nothing special about them. You sit on that throne purely by chance, and that won’t ever change.”

“How dare you… you lowborn bastard!!!!”

Enraged, he attempted to lunge at me.

The knights moved to stop him, but I raised a hand to hold them back.

Then, as he reached for a fallen sword and charged at me, I lifted my foot and kicked him hard in the abdomen, sending him flying.

So much blood has been shed because of this man.

It was only natural that I felt my blood boil.

WHAM!!

Like a soccer ball punted across a field, he flew through the air and crashed to the ground, groaning in agony.

“If you wanted to be treated like nobility, you should’ve acted the part.”

“Grrr… I’ll kill you… I’ll kill you all…”

Even now, he refused to yield.

And soon, we understood where that conviction came from — the strange box he pulled out.

“Ancient being! Radon! Take all here as your sacrifice and descend into this world!!!”

The box he revealed was, to say the least, grotesque — as if chunks of flesh were fused to its surface.

“Radon?”

“Isn’t that the name of some ancient monster from children’s fairy tales?”

Startled, everyone who saw the pulsating, levitating box instinctively drew their weapons.

Radon, the ancient monster — in a tale from Bata’s storybooks, it was said that a tyrant obsessed with gold threw his own daughter and son into a boiling cauldron of molten gold.

Enraged, the monster descended upon the world and devoured both the king and the kingdom whole.

Of course, it’s exaggerated.

Whether it truly existed is unclear.

Still, the sinister aura emanating from the box was enough to put everyone on edge.

Then, from the levitating box, a giant eyeball opened.

The grotesque eye darted around, scanning the surroundings.

As if searching for a sacrifice.

That’s when—

“That thing’s not waking up.”

Came the calm voice of Luna.

Shrrrrk…

The giant eye slowly closed again in apparent disappointment, and the box fell limply to the ground with a dull thud.

“W-what is this…?”

Everyone — the King of Coral included — was visibly bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

“Why?! Why won’t it awaken?!”

“If summoning Radon were that easy, it wouldn’t be just a fairy tale by now.”

“…”

Radon… it was definitely powerful.

Its strength alone rivaled that of the Forbidden King of the deep sea — but it also possessed strange, unnatural characteristics unlike ordinary lifeforms.

Though the king screamed and tried to rouse it again, the box gave no response, as if it had lost interest.

Apparently, he had considered the ancient being Radon his final trump card.

With that hope dashed, the king collapsed.

Duke Berli gave the order to bind and escort him away.

Thus, the war between the two nations — sparked by Coral’s provocation — had come to an end.

* * *

When news of the king’s capture spread across the land, Coral’s response was split in two.

Half of its people abandoned their lands and crossed over to the eastern continent.

The other half surrendered, giving up everything.

Meanwhile, the general sentiment among the people of Coral was one of welcome toward Bata’s arrival.

The royal court would be busy for some time managing Coral’s territory.

Still, proper rewards and punishments had to be dispensed.

There weren’t really any who deserved punishment — but there was one individual unanimously agreed upon to be deserving of honor.

Even though the kingdom was in a festive mood from the victory, this particular venue remained solemn and respectful.

At the center of the gathering, attended by nearly every noble of the kingdom, Princess Bata took a deep breath.

“Leon Cascadia. Step forward.”

Wearing a regal outfit that befit her role as acting sovereign, she called my name.

The nobles parted to either side, making a path for me.

Despite the many gazes fixed upon me, I walked forward calmly, knelt on one knee, and bowed my head before her.

“Leon Cascadia. In this war, your contributions were beyond question. Your dedication not only illuminated the future of the Bata royal family but also saved the lives of countless promising young citizens of this nation.”

I closed my eyes and waited quietly as the princess continued.

“Viscount Leon Cascadia. Beyond this recent war, you have served the Bata royal family time and again — saving His Majesty’s life, crushing the schemes of heretical cults that threatened our nation, and responding to Coral’s provocation with fitting Bata valor. Therefore, the royal family sought to grant you an appropriate title and reward, but…”

We had discussed it already — I would not be receiving a noble title.

“…as you declined the title, we now grant you a different form of reward in its place. If there are any objections, step forward now.”

No one moved.

Had it been the old Bata Kingdom, at least half of the nobles here would have stepped forward.

Especially those like the Vider family and others who had always looked unfavorably upon the Cascadia family.

But the current Bata Kingdom was under a significantly stronger royal authority.

“Leon Cascadia. Raise your head.”

“As you command.”

As I slowly lifted my head, I saw the princess smiling warmly at me.

“Speak your wish.”

“I, Leon Cascadia, as a loyal member of House Cascadia devoted to the royal family, have acted out of loyalty alone and desire nothing in return.”

“Admirable. However, if we were to deny even a reward in such a situation, who would remain loyal to the crown? Therefore, the royal family grants to House Cascadia, which has produced Leon Cascadia, the region of the Valt Plains—including the former capital of Coral, Kalis. Taking into account the size of your new holdings, we hereby elevate your status from a countship to a duchy.”

Her words caused quite a stir.

It was understandable to elevate a house to a duchy, but the distance between Coral’s capital and Cascadia was significant.

Naturally, managing the capital would be no easy task for House Cascadia.

But this was already something the princess and I had discussed beforehand.

The distance?

It wasn’t even an issue.

Because we planned to install a permanent gate between Cascadia and the Coral capital fortress.

Not just a regular mana gate, but a massive one of an entirely different scale.

Still, it was a sudden and unexpected decision, but the royal family had little choice.

Someone had to manage the now-vacant lands of Coral.

“Melissa Cascadia, Countess—step forward.”

“As you command.”

Melissa stepped forward and knelt on one knee beside me.

“Countess, do you have any objections to this decision?”

“How could I voice dissatisfaction in the face of such generosity? House Cascadia once again swears loyalty to the royal family.”

“Then, Duchess Melissa Cascadia. Your loyalty has been duly noted. From this day forward, not as a countess but as a duchess, I hope you will serve this nation with all your strength.”

Afterward, she bestowed upon me the title of Guardian of the Kingdom.

It wasn’t just an honorary title.

Unlike designations like Royal Swordmaster or Expert, the title of Guardian came with considerable authority.

Frankly, I wasn’t too thrilled about it either, but it wasn’t something I could outright refuse.

Once Melissa and I stepped back, the princess continued calling forward those who had contributed to the war and rewarded them accordingly.

“Today, we have eliminated all remnants of the rebellious forces that once betrayed Bata and reclaimed most of the territory stolen by Coral. Therefore, in the name of the royal family, I declare this day a national holiday, and I order a three-day celebration to commence from today.”

At her proclamation, cheers erupted from all sides.

Although festivals didn’t particularly benefit the nobles, no one could object to a celebration marking the end of a long war.

However, Luna had taken an interest in Radon’s sealed box and left with it early.

So in the capital, only Melissa and I remained.

It was a time to celebrate our survival, our victory, and, most of all, the fulfillment of our ancestors’ hopes through the restoration of lost territory.

Many nobles bore bright expressions befitting the occasion.

For now, aside from Cascadia, most of Coral’s lands would remain under royal administration, but in time, other nobles would surely get their chances too.

Leaning against the second-floor terrace of the banquet hall, I sat quietly while patting Grivy’s head as he munched away at his food.

Grivy, clearly enjoying the meat and desserts, was so busy stuffing her face that she couldn’t stop chewing.

“Our lands just grew by severalfold overnight. You think we can manage it all?”

“It’s only part of the Valt Plains, but you know that area’s a massive breadbasket, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll set up a permanent teleportation array between the former Coral capital, Kalis, and the Valt Plains.”

“What if someone tries to sabotage it…?”

“Unless they’re an 8th-circle mage or higher, they won’t even come close. I’m going to use orichalcum.”

“Sigh… I suddenly feel like I have a mountain of work.”

Melissa sighed softly, sipping her drink beside me.

“What’s with you? You’re a duchess now.”

“Since when does a count become a duchess overnight? You should’ve received the title and gone instead.”

“Do you have any idea how huge that territory is? No marquess could manage that. If I took it as a marquess, it’d just set a weird precedent. Besides, I’m not interested in titles for the time being.”

At my response, she gave me a side-eye.

“I just don’t get you. You lunatic. At this rate, Cascadia might actually become one of the 13 great houses of the continent like Mielephon.”

The Cascadia countship, which manages the Demon Realm.

Now also controlling Coral’s capital fortress.

And on top of that, a vast portion of the fertile Valt Plains.

It felt strange—realizing I had become a land baron overnight.

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