The Lion King

+++

The majestic throne room.

Before the raised dais holding two regal seats, innumerable vassals stood assembled in reverent rows.

In stark contrast to their usual composure, they trembled visibly overwhelmed by some intangible oppressive miasma permeating the very air itself.

“Uhhh, nnghh…”

“Kkhhnnn…”

Yet the crimson-haired man seated upon that towering throne – one of the Alliance’s paramount Two Mighties, the Lion King himself:

Remained utterly engrossed studying the report a prostrated vassal had presented detailing continental developments throughout his recent seclusion.

Though ostensibly covering broad geopolitical overviews, its contents focused far more intimately upon the personal exploits of a specific Apostle instead.

“Hmm.”

Grunting contemplatively while perusing that dossier with profound intensity, the Queen beside his throne smiled wryly in private amusement.

Considering the urgency gripping their crisis, that report’s contents remained rather concise out of stark necessity.

Yet each terse line represented utterly seismic revelations shaking the very foundations of their reality:

From the opening line itself, the Lion King’s eyes had widened sharply:

‘Boss Monster Hunter.’

He continued reading further:

[0 Months. Victory against Cradle instructor. Survived battle against commander of Demon Lord assassination squad raiding the Cradle. Contributed pivotally to Heineken’s Bilren coup.]

[1 Month. Top Cradle graduate. Thwarted Satan’s 18 Imp invasion on Rockenmeyer the day of his graduation.]

[2 Months. Excavated Razvolnic ruins on first expedition earning approx. 40,000 gold. Encountered the Dragon Road who subsequently joined the World Tree Guild under Apostle Doyun’s persuasion.]

[3 Months. Neutralized high-ranking Demon officer ‘Tsunami Tamer’ on first deployment.]

…

…

[6 Months. Designated ‘Human Siege Weapon’ for relentless warfront contributions, pushing frontlines to their current northern limits.]

[7 Months. Participated in Metapolis recapture alongside Paladins Heineken and Lei. Key victor against Vanguard General Berthe.]

[8 Months. Participated in Apophis Plains engagement. Solo flanking maneuvers annihilated 30% of enemy forces. Key victor. Confirmed possessing growth auxilliary skills.]

[9 Months. Unofficial match victory against Paladin Elizabeth.]

“Hmm!”

The Lion King grunted meaningfully under his breath.

9 months.

Less than a single year for this upstart Apostle – unknown to him before this recent disappearance – to soar into the elite upper echelons rivaling veteran Paladins.

An utterly unprecedented meteoric ascension surpassing even luminaries like Hwangbo Jun or Salomandre at their respective primes.

The Lion King surveyed the map unfurled before that dais by another vassal.

For decades, the Alliance had endured defensive sieges hugging the Great Celestial Extremis Barricade – their frontlines aligning almost perfectly alongside those fortifications.

Yet the frontlines demarcated on this updated map represented an entirely different scope altogether:

Vastly expanded territory reclaimed over just the past six months alone – their current conquered boundaries now nearly coinciding with the outermost barrier stone perimeters instead.

As if glimpsing a strategic overview from over forty years prior before the Demon Lord’s invasion forces had ever reached this deep into their domain, before the Celestial Barricade’s construction became necessary.

And this entire revised continental map could be wholly attributed to that very same man’s herculean endeavors alone.

“Hmm.”

A blazing crimson aura flared around the Lion King as his eyes narrowed in visible exhilaration, his entire presence radiating an empowered grandeur akin to a maned alpha predator flaunting its regal splendor before the looming heat of battle.

One elderly vassal recoiled in dismay, staggering sideways:

“Kkhhuhhh…”

“Your Majesty, allow me to assist…!”

A knight rushed over to steady that man before his legs collapsed completely.

Unlike the disconcerted vassals and guards, the Queen merely smiled demurely while commenting aside:

“My dear, you’re overwhelming our subjects again.”

“Hmm? Ah, my apologies.”

Only then did the Lion King relax his intense focus, that overwhelming aura dissipating as his presence reverted to an amiable middle-aged geniality occupying the throne instead of some wrathful deity.

The miasma that had saturated the throne room vanished, no longer oppressing those assembled there.

“Whew, haaahhh…”

“Ooohhhh…”

Audible sighs of relief echoed throughout the chamber from various directions.

“Still ascending to that higher realm, controlling my aura remains unfamiliar. I shall endeavor greater care.”

The Queen nodded with a soft smile, unfazed by her husband’s casual informality addressing subordinates so casually.

For the paramount sovereign realm, their throne room lacked a surprising amount of rigid decorum and protocol – more akin to the camaraderie Doyun had fostered within Pride Company’s tight-knit bond during their deployments together.

Yet regardless, the assembled knights still bore visible trepidation from that brief manifestation of the Lion King’s sheer monstrous presence alone:

‘Just what profound transformation did His Majesty undergo during this period of absence…?!’

That existential weight had swelled to such incomprehensible immensities, he barely even seemed human by their current perceptions anymore.

More akin to some sublime celestial flame descended unto this terrestrial realm, blazing with hallowed resplendence upon the mere mortal plane.

“Hmm…”

Reining in his overflowing aura conscientiously, the Lion King resumed examining that report.

Before long:

“Your Majesty! The Alliance’s paramount leadership have arrived from their council!”

The throne room’s doors opened to admit their awaited audience.

+++

The instant those massive doors swung open, Doyun flinched instinctively from the scorching miasma billowing outwards.

No, not heat – but an intensely saturated conflagration of mana suffused with pure fire attributes that his senses simply interpreted as searing warmth instead.

Even the mana-sensitive Lei recoiled slightly, shielding her face with one forearm in a defensive reflex.

“Kkhh…”

As Doyun and the other Paladins entered alongside the council members already present:

Muspelheim – that grandest kingdom serving as the Alliance’s paramount capital dominion itself.

Its throne room paralleled the imperial seat of power itself, equally vast and majestic without peer.

Yet that expansive space overflowed with a dense, blisteringly blazing mana aura utterly suffusing the entire vicinity.

‘Just what in the…?’

With every step inwards, Doyun felt that incomprehensibly overwhelming presence envelop him more intensely, leaving him utterly speechless.

As they approached, or rather, as Doyun neared that radiant epicenter directly:

“Hmm.”

Someone issued a short contemplative grunt from the forefront.

Yet the very moment Doyun turned in that direction:

Whuuuuuushhhhh-

The world turned pitch black around him.

“…?!”

Not literal darkness extinguishing all light, nor transitioning into some separate astral dimension either.

This represented Doyun’s own overwhelmingly immersive trance – a subjective mindscape where only the Lion King and himself existed alongside one another.

Lifting his head to regard this spectral vision before him:

[Groooaaarrrr…]

A lion.

An utterly massive lion towered there in all its regal magnificence.

Its entire body wreathed in blazing crimson flames spanning its proud resplendent mane, staring down at Doyun impassively.

A mana signature surpassing even Enoch’s own paradoxically bolstered reserves accumulated across seventeen regression lifetimes.

That sheer existential weight prompted every single hair on Doyun’s body to stand on end instinctively.

Then eventually:

[ROOOAAARRRRRGHHH-!!!]

That lion issued a thunderous roar engulfing Doyun completely.

Vermillion flames billowed outwards consuming that pitch blackness, only its colossal fanged maw and smoldering crimson irises remaining visible amidst the searing holocaust.

“…”

Doyun shut his eyes tightly as his onyx pupils ignited with a golden luminescence from within.

Concentrating his will to ‘incinerate’ that conflagration, the Dragon Heart smoldering within his Voidcore blazed forth resolutely.

Soon after, those scarlet flames crashed against his phantasmal form overwhelmingly.

Yet the roaring lion’s eyes snapped open once more in visible surprise:

[…!?]

Its inferno simply could not overwhelm the flickering golden flames enveloping Doyun in an ethereal shroud as some form of instinctive self-defense.

Whuuushhhhh-

In fact, those flickering auric embers soon blazed forth overtaking the crimson firestorm itself in an expanding deluge of radiant incandescence.

Whuuuusshhhhhhh-

Until finally, only those golden flames remained consuming that entire scarlet realm including the lion’s own immolated visage completely.

Doyun reopened his eyes, his surroundings reverting to that physical throne room vista once more.

“…”

“…”

Lion King and Doyun regarded each other wordlessly across that chamber.

From the side, the Queen marveled in hushed tones while glancing between them both:

“Oh my, well would you look at that.”

For them to interact with such profound sincerity upon their very first encounter – clearly her husband found this Han Doyun quite the intriguing revelation as well.

This Apostle seemed rather remarkable indeed for having withstood that unscathed without any visible strain – she had expected him to struggle far more against her husband’s prowess.

A boldly tenacious man displaying compatible mettle – perhaps he would prove quite the compatible counterpart for her beloved after all.

“Your Majesty-! Amidst these ominous clouds looming over the Alliance…”

“Among our active Paladin forces, Elizabeth remains unaccounted for…”

The others present remained oblivious to that rarefied exchange, prostrating themselves while babbling urgently about this imminent crisis threatening them all.

‘Huhh…’

Doyun suppressed the lingering heat from his Voidcore embers as he scrutinized the Lion King more intently.

Seated on that twin-throne dais beside his wife – the Lion King’s outward appearance proved rather unexpectedly ordinary compared to his earth-shattering reputation.

‘…More mundane looking than I had envisioned, I suppose.’

The first aspect catching one’s eye remained those signature crimson tresses symbolic of Muspelheim’s royal lineage. Yet the Lion King’s shade burned with a darker, richer hue compared to his Queen’s lighter shade.

Then that genial, almost avuncular countenance suggesting more a kindly neighborhood uncle than any regal sovereign majesty whatsoever.

The Lion King regarded Doyun with a faint, mildly eager smile as if genuinely delighted by some unknown matter beckoning his intrigue.

Yet that very endearing amiability only reinforced an inexplicable sense of intimate familiarity, like greeting an old affable acquaintance frequently encountered in daily life.

Not an unattractive visage by any measure, yet utterly devoid of any overt dynamism or charismatic presence typically associated with such paramount figures.

However, Doyun’s initial impression could not be more starkly polarized in its visceral intensity:

‘A true monster.’

An absolute, unequivocal monster – any prior reputations had been grossly underestimating this existence’s true worth until now to an utterly absurd degree.

Compared to the Saint King he had battled just three days prior, this Lion King represented an adversary on an entirely transcendent plane altogether elevating such bewildering disbelief over his depreciated standing until this very moment.

‘Or perhaps some profound transformation occurred during his period of seclusion instead?’

In any case:

The Alliance’s Paramount Existence – that remained an irrefutable certainty beyond any conceivable doubts.

“Hmm!”

The Lion King issued another indecipherable grunt.

“You there.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Doyun sank to one knee formally in a gracious bow.

Those who had been noisily addressing the King while prostrated fell silent, all attention shifting towards Doyun instead.

The very first words from the paramount Paladin existence towards the world’s savior hero – that statement emerged as:

“Are you unattached?”

“…Pardon me?”

Doyun found himself reflexively repeating that query aloud in utter disbelief despite the grave impropriety.

Yet the Lion King showed no signs of displeasure, elaborating nonchalantly:

“Would you consider wedding our princess then?”

“…”

Utterly speechless at this shocking turn, Doyun could only gawk back in mute astonishment.

“She takes after her mother with quite the lovely looks and culinary talents as well…”

Into that silence echoed only the Queen’s bashful girlish giggles as she coquettishly covered her mouth demurely.

Paladins, elders and vassals alike could only stare back in mutual stupefaction at their sovereign’s utterly incongruous train of thought.