'At least I can confirm that this isn't a bad thing. But why is it that, even though the power I control is the same, the Lord of Mysteries and God Almighty are different from the Demon of Knowledge? Why am I unaffected by following this path?' Lynn couldn't help but mutter in his heart.
'Or is the problem not about how much power the true body possesses, but a deeper conceptual issue? Perhaps the concepts behind the Lord of Mysteries and God Almighty are inherently tied to the true body…' Lynn frowned in thought but couldn't figure it out after pondering for a long time. So, he temporarily buried the question deep within his mind.
He then stretched and glanced at Sasrir, who seemed relieved, flashing a bright smile, "Sasrir, let's go enjoy the Giant King's Loot next!"
...
Giant King's Court—
Unlike its decline in later times, the Giant King's Court still flourished. Though it didn't have a decisive advantage in the war against the Ancient Sun God, it was still a dominant force in the world.
Badheil walked through the vast corridors of the Giant King's Court, which seemed overwhelmingly large for an ordinary person. He glanced at the familiar palace surroundings, but his gaze remained indifferent.
To him, the court where he had lived for centuries wasn't so much a home as it was a cage.
As the eldest son of the Giant King Aurmir, Badheil should have respected and revered his father, and he should have earned the respect and love of the giants. But the truth was, he neither loved his father nor had ever received his father's love. As for the respect and adoration of the giants—he once had that, but it vanished with the birth of his youngest brother.
The Gods were chaotic, mad, and dangerous. They were emotionless monsters—or so he had always believed, for his father, Aurmir, the Giant King, fit that description.
As the Giant King's eldest son, Badheil was born during his father's most deranged period, and he witnessed his father's most insane actions. Thus, he had long since stopped seeking his father's affection. Perhaps he had held a few fleeting fantasies in his early years, but over the endless centuries, those naïve and laughable hopes had long since withered away.
He once believed his father would always remain this way—mad, emotionless—until the eventual destruction that might come.
But later, he realized he was wrong. When his father began to cast off the undesirable traits, bit by bit, and reclaimed a sliver of clarity from the madness, he saw that his father was capable of love.
His father loved those two long-dead mortals, sealed in the forbidden coffin deep within the palace, even refusing Badheil, his son, from approaching their remains—despite Badheil perhaps being their grandson by blood.
His father loved the youngest son, born after reclaiming some semblance of emotion, albeit a meager amount of love.
He also loved the giant kingdom he had built, even if his affection was perhaps just for the enjoyment it brought him.
Perhaps he even loved his mother, despite almost killing her in his madness.
In that moment, Badheil was almost stunned to realize his father loved many things—everything except him.
Why?
He had pondered this question, eventually concluding that he was simply unlucky.
Unlucky to have been born during his father's maddest period, unlucky to witness his father's most frenzied actions, and thus unlucky enough to become the child his father did not love.
Fortunately, Badheil did not love him either.
As he thought this, he couldn't help but glance at the sky.
It was nearing Twilight. The golden and red hues blending together painted a breathtaking scene, and he found himself momentarily entranced.
Twilight seemed about to end.
"Your Highness Badheil, are you here to see His Majesty?" a guard at the palace entrance reminded him, pulling Badheil from his thoughts. As usual, he flashed a hearty smile, "I have urgent matters to discuss with my father."
"Please, go in." The guard naturally wouldn't dare to stop him. Even if he wasn't the Giant King's favored son, as the eldest and a Sequence 1 Hand of God, Badheil still held considerable status.
Thus, he easily entered the familiar palace. Deep within the palace, Aurmir, the Giant King, sat, drinking.
"What are you here for?" Aurmir glanced at Badheil, his tone indifferent.
But the next second, Aurmir's expression changed drastically, his face twisting in anger and surprise as if he had just discovered something shocking.
"How dare you…"
Before he could finish, the tranquil darkness of the night and the blazing light of the sun simultaneously appeared within the palace, enveloping Aurmir.
It turned out that Badheil had not come alone. Alongside him were several others, concealed by the power of night—none other than the Evernight Goddess and the Ancient Sun God.
"Father, you're old now. And I'm done with this cage." Badheil spoke as he watched the gods before him clash.
There was no doubt he had betrayed the Giant King Aurmir.
As for when this betrayal was born?
Perhaps it was when the Sun God approached him, or maybe it was even earlier, when him realized that his father could love, just not him.
But Badheil no longer sought his father's love. Now, he only wanted to consume the remaining Characteristics of the Hand of God and its Uniqueness, becoming the next Twilight Giant.
He would protect his mother, but as for his other siblings and this giant nation…
What did they have to do with him?
They had never loved him.
Badheil thought coldly.
...
Meanwhile, as the battle raged within the Giant King's palace, other giant gods who had sensed the situation immediately set out to assist their king.
But before they could reach him, they were intercepted by their own opponents.
"Hello there, sir. I've just ascended to the rank of Knowledge Emperor, and I'm a little itchy to test my skills. Would you mind being my punching bag?" Lynn grinned brightly at the giant deity before him.
(End of Chapter)
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