I Obtained the Final Boss' Power-Chapter 1 : Forced Conscription (1)

Forced Conscription (1)
A village was swept up in a massive inferno. Countless buildings burned like firewood, and the sky turned black with smoke.
The flaming spectacle, like a scene from hell, was nothing more than an ordinary barony.
The baron who ruled it had no greed for power and simply wished for a peaceful life—there wasn't a speck of corruption about him.
The only thing he wished for was to spend everyday life with his family in the domain he built.
Compared to other nobles who abused slaves or embezzled funds, he could be considered exceptionally pure-hearted.
Nobles like the baron existed in other parts of the empire as well, though they all shared some similarities.
They had little desire for power and simply sought unremarkable lives.
They tried their best to avoid being drawn into power struggles among other nobles.
They kept their hands off anything—be it military strength or resources—that other nobles might covet.
Because of this, the forces stationed in their domains were not particularly strong.
And finally, all of them ended up being branded as criminals and had their territories attacked. It was all too common a tale.
Whoosh—
The lord's manor, too, was engulfed in flames. With the fiercely burning manor at his back, the baron fell bleeding to the ground.
"I'm sorry... truly...."
The fallen baron reached out to his wife, whose breath had ceased before his own.
Because he believed this situation had come about entirely because of him, he shed tears.
'If only I hadn't attended that gathering....'
A few months earlier, there had been a gathering of nobles.
There, the baron's son had a conflict with the child of another house.
They resolved the issue fairly, through swordsmanship, and the baron's son emerged victorious.
The opponent had received expert training from a high-ranking knight, yet the baron's son, aside from his noble blood, was just a twelve-year-old child.
Naturally, the onlookers at the time and even the baron himself had been shocked.
Rather than anger at his son's defeat, the duke was impressed. It seemed the matter had concluded peacefully—but an even greater issue followed.
Shortly after the gathering, a letter arrived from the duke.
The baron's face hardened as he read it.
The duke coveted his son's talent, proposing that the boy be raised as part of the imperial forces.
Of course, the choice was left to the baron, and he rejected it outright.
The duke tried to entice him, saying it would benefit the baron if his son became a force of that caliber, but the invitation stank of something foul.
'Why offer up someone else's son when he has his own? What kind of nonsense is this...?'
The duke was rumored to be aligned with the "7th Legion", which defended the empire from the demon realm.
The 7th Legion was famous for fighting vicious monsters from the demon realm and for the heavy casualties among its soldiers.
'It's known as a place with high mortality; that's why they always use criminals.'
Given the recent rumors of a manpower shortage in the 7th Legion, it was all too likely the duke wanted to sell his son off to that infamous unit.
It was even rumored he was in cahoots with slave traders.
Being of higher status than the baron, the duke was not someone he could challenge.
But....
'No matter what happens... I won't allow my son to be taken.'
There was nothing as dangerous as losing the trust of a noble of higher rank, but to the baron, nothing was more precious than family.
To be thrown into the so-called 7th Legion meant certain death—being fed to monsters after dying.
Not even a seasoned knight would survive there easily.
No matter how talented his son was, to be assigned to the legion after years of training would be a death sentence.
'What does he think other people's children are...?!'
Of course, he refused, but the letters kept coming. Only the phrasing changed—never the content.
Day by day, the messages turned more sinister.
They explicitly threatened that if he did not comply, he would face "unfortunate consequences".
'He's gone insane...!'
The lines in the letter radiated an obsessive madness.
Was he really so desperate to send someone else's child into the demon realm?
And why, of all people, did it have to be his son? There were plenty of prisoners to use—why this obsession?
The letter was full of praise for his son's talent... Enough is enough already!
So what if he was talented—was there even any guarantee he would survive?
'Shit...!'
Even a man as good-natured as the baron couldn't help but curse under his breath.
After countless refusals, shocking news came to the barony.
He had been branded a criminal.
They charged him with absurd crimes—accusing him of monopolizing property that was meant for the imperial family.
Property for the imperial family? He had never touched such a thing.
In all his years as a lord, he had never even heard of such property.
As soon as the news spread, bandits descended on the domain and began setting fires.
They were unusually large in number for mere bandits.
Their combat abilities crushed the barony's soldiers without effort.
Though the local forces were weak, they did have knights skilled in aura.
Even they were overwhelmed by these so-called bandits—it defied belief.
'It's obvious...!'
He didn't even need to wonder who had hired these 'bandits'.
It was clear they were actually knights posing as outlaws.
'If they attack the village like this....'
Slave traders cherished regions ruined by conflict.
Children found there were perfect for taking as slaves.
To not only frame the baron as a criminal but also to destroy the village—one could easily guess what would happen next.
'Louis....'
The baron tried to call out his son's name as he was being dragged away by bandits.
But with his lungs pierced by their blades, no sound left his lips.
His wife was dead, and his son was about to be taken to the demon realm.
Watching the scene unfold before his eyes, the baron was overwhelmed by helplessness and about to breathe his last in sorrow.
Nearby, bandits laughed, using the baron's pitiful corpse as entertainment.
Crunch!!-
Crack!!-
But suddenly, with a sickening noise of flesh tearing, the bandits' laughter stopped.
The bodies of the bandits dragging the son away suddenly burst apart.
'Huh...?'
Amidst the remains, as if struck by a massive iron ball, stood his son, now changed.
He had only swung his arm once.
To see a young child reduce two grown bandits to shredded meat with a single gesture was beyond belief.
Naturally, the dying baron was shocked—but there was more to come. His son's body swelled and transformed into a monstrous form.
A giant monster with four black wings and a face like a dragon or beast. The sight of it paralyzed the bandits.
"Eh...?"
With a tiny death rattle, the baron's life ended—his face fixed in horror at that incomprehensible final scene.
At his father's death, the monster began to roar madly. The bandits instinctively knew death awaited as the monster took a step.
****
Even Louis, in that moment, couldn't understand what was happening.
From the start, becoming 'Louis' had been an inexplicable twist.
He had been a guy tapping at a keyboard in his room—and now, suddenly, he was the child of a noble family.
Still, he had little to complain about. Just being born into wealth, with two loving parents, was luxurious.
He had already spent twelve years with them.
Reincarnation or not, he was now inseparable from them.
Out of loyalty, he wanted to repay them in some way.
But those damned bandits had destroyed everything.
"Graaaaaah!!"
With just a swing of his arm, the lower bodies of the bandits disappeared.
They screamed in agony as blood poured out.
Just moments ago, they had drawn swords on Louis and pinned him down.
For them to be blown away by a mere gesture—Louis himself couldn't believe it.
'What's going on?'
The guys who had mocked and tied him up suddenly called him a monster and tried to run.
Louis's viewpoint was now elevated, as if standing on a rooftop.
His palm was large enough to crush an adult man; his whole arm was covered in fur.
'A mirror would be nice.'
But there wasn't a mirror handy for him to check this massive new body.
There was nothing reflective nearby; only the burning hellscape.
And the cause of it all were the bandits—setting fire to the lord's manor and many other buildings.
But could flames really have spread to the mountains around the domain so quickly?
Everything had happened in a blink, and it was baffling.
Even the captives from the village were nowhere to be seen. His mouth felt burning hot—foreboding.
'No...'
Was that even important anymore?
Those bastards who'd stabbed his parents—Louis breathed fire at them.
The bandits' arson was nothing compared to the flames from the monster's mouth—the village burned up even faster.
The bandits before him vanished without leaving even ashes.
'Not yet.'
Some were still alive.
They no longer seemed a threat, but their scent still stung Louis's nose.
He hefted aside the debris of a ruined building where the scent lingered.
"Huh...?"
"Eek!"
Cowering inside were two bandits—the gang's leader and second-in-command.
Louis smacked his lips at the sight.
One had sliced open his mother's back, the other had stabbed his father through the heart—all while grinning.
"Y-you monster!"
The one who killed his mother trembled and pointed a sword at him.
Judging by the dark aura shimmering on the blade, he was at least at expert level.
No wonder the barony's soldiers had fallen so easily. He'd killed so many himself, but... monster?
Crash!—
With a single swipe, Louis smashed the bandit's sword—and his arm.
Even an aura-enhanced blade, empowered by magic power, was nothing before the monster's blow.
He didn't know what kind of monster he had become, but he decided to think about that later.
"Gaaaaaaaaaah!!"
The bandit, missing an arm, screamed so loudly it seemed the earth would split.
Remembering his mother's death, Louis bit into him.
"Please, spare meeeeee!"
Crunch!—
"Aaagh! Gaaah!!"
Maybe it was vengeance for his mother.
Even as he crunched a human being as if he were eating a snack, Louis felt nothing.
Instead, letting his instincts take over, he turned to face his father's killer.
"W-why...."
Staring at impending death, the second bandit spoke in despair.
"T-the Chaos Dragon... why here...."
Crunch!—
He, too, was chewed up and swallowed.
But even after avenging his parents, Louis felt only an urge to devour more people.
'There's still more?'
He could smell humans beneath the ground—children from the village hiding in the cellar.
He knew this, yet, ruled by the monster's instincts, Louis licked his lips.
He was about to become a monster not just in body but in heart as well.
'Chaos Dragon?'
Suddenly, the dying bandit's last words echoed in his mind.
Chaos Dragon was the final world boss in the game's universe.
'I....'
Thanks to that memory, Louis recalled who he was.
After defeating the final boss in the game, he had reincarnated into that world and spent 12 years as the baron's son, Louis.
One thing was for sure—he hadn't been born as a monster.
That peculiarity allowed Louis to regain his senses for a brief moment.
'I have to return.'
He couldn't stay like this. For fear of succumbing again to that impulse, Louis fought desperately.
Perhaps thanks to that struggle, his monstrous body shrank and he turned back into a human.
But the backlash from resisting so violently caused him to cough up blood and collapse.
In the burning heart of the village, Louis lost consciousness.
****
By the time the fire died down, a group of merchants arrived at the village.
Accompanied by mercenary guards, they surveyed the burnt ruins in shock.
"Those bastards went way too far, didn't they?"
"Even when setting fires, there's a limit! There's nothing left for us to take!"
The merchants raged at those who had reduced the village to ruins. But they weren't angry at the inhuman acts—their motive was different.
In fact, the bandits and these merchants had coordinated everything in advance.
The bandits would attack first, eliminating adults, and then the merchants would arrive to 'rescue' the children.
Under the guise of saving the unfortunate, they acquired new stock for sale.
But the plan had been to set only small fires—now the entire domain and surrounding mountains were scorched.
"They probably botched the job and fled, right?"
"You sent the message pigeon?"
"Sent it ages ago, but still no reply."
Everything was burnt beyond recognition.
As they neared the lord's manor, charred bodies lay sprawled all over the ground.
"This is odd. The former knights from the imperial family wouldn't have botched the job."
"They were supposed to act like bandits—not go on a real rampage."
They had been hired to pretend to be bandits, not destroy the whole region—so the merchants were even angrier.
"But why are these two the only ones who died cleanly?"
Reaching the manor, they spotted the baron and his wife, both killed by impalement.
While the others were burnt beyond recognition, these two had not been touched by the fire—it was confusing.
While they puzzled over it, a mercenary found something.
"There's a child here!"
The merchants' eyes sparkled at the news.
Another mercenary shouted that he had found a passage to the cellar, but that could wait.
For the merchants, the child—who would fetch a high price—was more important.
Fortunately, the child was still breathing.
Other than unconsciousness, he seemed unharmed.
Then, looking closer, a mercenary said,
"Looks like the baron's son."
The two merchants were perplexed.
Why was this kid the only one found when there were no other survivors outside?
And how did he survive the inferno, untouched?
"Could it be...."
"Don't be ridiculous."
Could a kid barely in his early teens have killed all the bandits and burned the domain and mountains?
If this were a novel, it would be so absurd that the book would be tossed or even burned.
For the merchants—blinded by profit—none of that mattered.
Besides, their employer had wanted the baron's son, and here he was.
"This is where you're going now."
Stripping off the boy's shirt, the merchants branded him with a sinister, magic power-infused mark.
[7th Legion]
That phrase would remain on the boy's back forever. The merchants cackled, satisfied that they had gotten exactly what they wanted.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Pretty intense for a first chapter... Damn...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】