Case Study of a Ruined Comic Protagonist

In this fantasy world where gods and sorcery reign, the Crimson Tyrant—who slaughtered the old king, bathed the royal court in blood, ignited an apocalyptic war, and vowed to exterminate all believers—was, against all expectations, nothing but an utterly ordinary mortal.

— His ambitions and desires knew no bounds. Beneath his feet lay countless corpses and rivers of blood. He manipulated all, seduced all, deceived all.

— He even dared to attempt killing this world’s male lead, the true Divine Favored One, only to be beheaded by that chosen one. His ashes were scattered by the protagonist’s allies and devotees, leaving not a trace of his corpse.

The male lead, reborn at the comic’s beginning, stared at his pale, emaciated, deathly-looking young nemesis. After a long silence, he slowly offered a tender smile.

“Greetings, my moon—the celestial illusion I chased like a rabid hound across lifetimes.”

…

After finally landing a secure teaching post in a foreign world, Nova Brody thought he could at last enjoy a stable life—teaching students, doing a bit of research, and living peacefully on his modest but reliable theologian’s salary.

Little did he know, some guy claiming to be the protagonist would come crashing in, kicking over his iron rice bowl—and then tell him that this world was actually the setting of a Western fantasy manga, and that he was the story’s final villain, the archenemy of the savior.

The chronically timid and socially anxious professor: Wait, are you sure he’s talking about me?

…

The Empire of Silver Iris—silver radiance blooming from suffering and flesh. The clergy are hypocrites, the king a fool, the nobles decadent beyond redemption, and the scholars spineless. Only the anguished cries of the commoners and slaves threaten to ignite the crumbling heavens. You, the chosen of the gods—hold fast to your courage. Your story is about to begin.

…

TL;DR: A reborn savior tries to recruit his nemesis—only to get outmaneuvered, outsmarted, and utterly obsessed.

CP:
Soft-spoken psycho / nurturing-mama-type ghost man / savior-gong
vs.
God-tier humanoid AI / galaxy-brain narrative team / ultimate villain-shou

….

① Not the typical swords-and-sorcery epic;
② Character morals ≠ author morals;
③ The shou has pathological mental divergence; the gong is equally unhinged;
④This work contains headcanons, references, homage, chunibyo syndrome, melodrama, and keyboard politics. Rational and kind discussion welcome—if it’s not your thing, please walk away peacefully.

Please refrain from reading if any of these elements discomfort you.