The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 444: An Unpleasant Reunion Between Two Brothers

"Hah... Hah... Hah..."

King Maldrin gasped for breath as he weakly stared at the Cardinal of Greed standing before him.

"What’s the matter, Maldrin? Have you given up?" The cardinal chuckled softly, making a taunting gesture toward him.

Maldrin slowly stood up, drew his sword, and thrust it forward.

"No, I haven’t lost! I haven’t used all my power yet!" he exclaid coldly.

How could he possibly give up?

The deaths of millions of his people were his greatest regret. And now, the main perpetrator of that tragedy was standing right before him.

He had to kill him—no matter what!

"Oh? Still stubborn and unaware of your situation, are you? How annoying."

The Cardinal of Greed’s voice turned irritated.

"Whether in the past or now, you’ve never changed, Maldrin! I hate your unyielding attitude so much that I want to tear you apart with my bare hands!"

King Maldrin was shocked. He narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, "What do you an?"

"Hehehe..." The Cardinal of Greed laughed darkly. "Do you know why we ca here?"

King Maldrin stood frozen in place. Of course, he didn’t understand why the Cardinal of Greed and the mbers of the Underworld Gate had co to the imperial palace.

He assud they had co to take revenge on the Great Velmora Empire for the massacre it had carried out against the Underworld Gate in the past.

"Pfft! You don’t even know our purpose. Fine, I’ll tell you." The Cardinal of Greed sneered. "We ca to slaughter all the guests present and make the Great Velmora Empire the scapegoat! Hahaha!"

He laughed loudly before continuing, "All of this is on the orders of soone... the Demon Emperor!"

Upon hearing the na of the Demon Emperor, King Maldrin’s eyes widened in horror.

"The Demon Emperor, you say?"

"Yes, the Demon Emperor! Surprised? Hahaha!" The Cardinal of Greed looked at him with a playful grin. "The one we’ve been waiting for for a thousand years has finally risen. It’s only a matter of ti before his resurrection is complete. When that happens, not just the Great Velmora Empire, but all the kingdoms and empires across the continent will be wiped off the map!"

Thump!

King Maldrin’s heart pounded violently, his body trembling uncontrollably.

The Demon Emperor was a na that had struck terror across the world for centuries.

Even after a thousand years, his cruel legacy remained etched in everyone’s mory.

He had slaughtered humans and all other races without rcy.

If the Dragon Emperor hadn’t intervened back then, the Demon Emperor might have succeeded in conquering the entire world.

And now, that terrifying figure had apparently returned. The very thought of it sent shivers down Maldrin’s spine.

"Are you afraid? Hahaha! Don’t worry—not only you, but all living creatures in this world will tremble in fear! But before that..."

The eyes behind his mask flashed with a playful malice. "I will torture you and avenge my past defeat!"

With that, he opened both hands. Black chains materialized in his grasp.

He swung the chains into the air and aid them straight at King Maldrin.

Seeing this, Maldrin leapt out of the way just in ti.

Boom!

The ground beneath him was struck hard, forming a hole two ters deep.

’What a terrifying attack!’ King Maldrin exclaid in shock.

Unfortunately, he had no ti to think. The chains shot toward him like snakes locking onto their prey.

Clang!

King Maldrin swung his sword, blocking the chain coming from his left. But from his right, another chain shot out so fast that he couldn’t react.

Wham!

The blow sent King Maldrin flying fifteen ters away. He crashed into a tree, knocking it down on impact.

"Pufft!" King Maldrin spat out fresh blood as excruciating pain spread throughout his body.

"How about now? Do you feel the difference in my power compared to the past?" The Cardinal of Greed sneered as he casually stepped closer. He stopped right in front of him, staring down coldly. "It’s different now. The current can defeat you easily, Maldrin."

His voice was filled with unmistakable arrogance and pride.

"Ahem!" King Maldrin coughed, raised his head, and asked, "Who are you exactly?"

It was strange, but he felt a sense of familiarity with the Cardinal of Greed, as if they had been connected in the past.

"?" The Cardinal of Greed chuckled softly. "I wanted to keep it a secret from you. But that’s fine. You’ll be dead soon anyway."

He pulled back his hood and removed the mask covering his face.

Instantly, the face of a handso man was revealed.

His eyes were dull yet sharp, like carefully honed blades.

His hair was short and bluish-black. And upon closer inspection, his face resembled King Maldrin’s—especially the nose, mouth, and eyebrows.

King Maldrin’s heart pounded erratically. His mouth opened and closed, as if he wanted to speak, yet no words ca out.

"You... you’re Julius!?"

Julius was the first prince of the Kingdom of Lorynth.

By both blood and title, he was Maldrin’s older brother—soone who had disappeared long ago.

In the past, their father had chosen the heir through combat rather than direct appointnt.

As a result, Maldrin had defeated Julius decisively. After that, Julius shut himself away in his room and rarely appeared in public.

Maldrin had never wanted hostility between them. In truth, he had never wanted the throne.

To him, his brother was far more deserving. But his father forced him to ascend the throne and beco the new king.

On the day of Maldrin’s coronation, Julius disappeared.

From that mont on, there was no news of him—no trace, no information.

Sothing Maldrin could never have imagined in his entire life had beco reality: Julius had joined the Underworld Gate and had even beco one of its Cardinals.

The most painful truth of all was that he was the mastermind behind the deaths of millions of his people.

"Why..." King Maldrin lowered his gaze, his teeth clenched. "Why did you kill those innocent people?"

"Why, you ask? Pfft!" Julius laughed mockingly. "Maldrin, are you still that naive? I killed them to complete the cult’s mission. Do you really think there was any other reason?"

King Maldrin fell silent. He took a deep breath, as if suppressing the urge to kill that was about to erupt.

"How could you be this cruel? What did those millions of lives do wrong?" He raised his head, staring at Julius with a sharp gaze that seed to pierce straight through him.

Julius staggered back for a mont but quickly regained his composure. His expression returned to cold indifference as he replied, "They were innocent, indeed. But all of this happened because of you, Maldrin!"

"?" King Maldrin was stunned.

"Yes, you!" Julius roared. "Because of your existence, the throne that should have been mine was taken away! It’s all because you were born, damn it!"

The hatred born from the loss of power was unbearable. He should have been king after that old bastard.

But why Maldrin?

Why did the old man choose him?

Just because he lost the battle? That made no sense!

King Maldrin lowered his head in silence. Then, suddenly, a blue aura erupted from his body, tearing through everything around him.

Julius quickly retreated, shielding his face with his arms.

"Damn it... Has he beco even stronger?" he muttered with hatred.

"Julius..." King Maldrin straightened his posture and locked onto him with murderous intent. His eyes shone with a brilliant blue light. "I’ll kill you, bastard!"