The Novel’s Villain

43. Welcome! Is It Your First Time Being an Emperor, Right? (2)

The Heavenly Demon Supreme Duan Yu-tian’s face was dyed with anger. No one had ever ignored him like this. He was the master of the world from the moment he was born, and he was able to attain a power beyond God by succeeding his former master’s technique. Yet, that man looked at him like a child.

Because he had the right to do so.

‘Even the Heavenly Demon Technique….’

He mastered the Heavenly Demon God Technique that he had barely realized just now, by looking at it once. No, it was more developed than that, going beyond being mastered; it had been improved. What the heck was this guy? Duan Yu-tian felt like he was going to grow ill. Even though he had been insulted, he couldn’t attack easily.

On the other hand, Jin-woo was relaxed.

In the original novel, the Heavenly Demon Supreme exuded an overwhelming presence. The protagonist almost died over and over again by his hand, and many lives disappeared. Some even wondered if Duan Yu-tian was the main character. He was the strongest being in the East World, but he seemed too weak to Jin-woo.

‘I think he’ll be reasonably useful.’

He was just on the level where Jin-woo wouldn’t get hit by his attacks. He was the weakest Emperor among those under his command, probably even weaker than the Emperors who turned into magical girls. Still, he ascended into becoming an Emperor with a human’s power, so Jin-woo decided to use him appropriately.

Whoosh!

Duan Yu-tian raised all his qi and carefully took a stance. He was doing his best. The demon energy that Duan Yu-tian emitted was amazing. However, since he was not an Emperor from the beginning like Heo-young, the quality of his demon energy decreased a little. It was dark gray, not black.

Whoosh!

Duan Yu-tian blurred, appearing in front of Jin-woo. He was so fast that it looked like he teleported. His fists swung furiously, digging out the ground and breaking apart the walls with each blow.

‘Umm…’

Jin-woo thought for a moment while avoiding and blocking his offensive. He had never done his best against the Emperors until now. He dealt with them either by using his subordinates or trapping them. And, despite Duan Yu-tian’s all-out offensive, let alone feeling tired, Jin-woo was so relaxed he might as well have been out fishing.

“Humph!”

Duan Yu-tian stepped back and compressed his demon energy. It was one of the Heavenly Demon God Techniques called the Heavenly Demon Super Bullet. When Duan Yu-tian reached out his hand, a huge ball-shaped projectile careened toward Jin-woo.

‘It’s pretty cool.’

Jin-woo was slightly impressed, feeling like he was watching some cartoon he had seen as a boy. As the bullet approached, Jin-woo swatted it away with the back of his hand as if he were chasing off an annoying fly.

Bang!

When the bullet hit the wall, part of the cave was destroyed. Duan Yu-tian looked at Jin-woo with his eyes wide open. That attack, containing the entirety of his power, couldn’t even wrinkle Jin-woo’s collar. Jin-woo knew better about the Heavenly Demon God Technique than Duan Yu-tian himself. He could even fold the law of destruction it embodied with his eyes closed.

“Uargh!”

Duan Yu-tian ground his teeth and rushed in, throwing out all the chain attacks and skills he knew at random. His arrogant appearance had vanished, leaving only a loser swinging crazily. However, Duan Yu-tian’s attacks couldn’t even graze Jin-woo.

“Haaa, haaa…”

Duan Yu-tian stopped as his qi bottomed out. His hair was a mess, his clothes tattered, and he was drenched in sweat.

“Why…?”

“Hmm?”

Jin-woo, looking elsewhere, turned to regard him, noticing his eyes were full of despair.

“Why don’t you attack me?”

“I’m going to take you in safely. I’ll be in trouble if you’re broken before I use you.”

He could just beat him recklessly, but he was worried that the M-Dragon Association incident would happen again. Jin-woo wanted to take Duan Yu-tian in a normal state if at all possible. Among the Emperors who passed through Jin-woo’s hand, Arcana was the only one who retained her original form.

Duan Yu-tian clenched his fist at Jin-woo’s words.

“I am Duan Yu-tian! As the Heavenly Demon Supreme, I will not give in to anyone!”

“Um, right. That’s how a warrior is.”

A warrior would die a warrior. Duan Yu-tian was saying that.

‘Shall I use some force?’

Even if it wasn’t his full power, Jin-woo wanted to try something like an attack. He wondered how powerful the Great Emperor was. After all, he hadn’t tested it properly yet. He thought he would control his power better if he knew exactly how strong it could be.

Jin-woo clenched his fist for the first time since showing up. His expression turned serious, and the soothing atmosphere quickly disappeared, replaced by an overbearing pressure. The pressure of a Great Emperor wasn’t something that a weak, newly ascended Emperor could handle. Duan Yu-tian staggered and backed away.

Jin-woo’s sleeping mana arose. Until now, he had rarely gathered this much. The Heavenly Demon Cave, no, the entire Hundred Thousand Great Mountains were shaking. Duan Yu-tian stopped thinking. Those who succeeded in mastering the Heavenly Demon God Technique were said to be like looking into another sky. He thought that man was at that level.

But that idea was wrong. He was the universe itself.

Flop!

Duan Yu-tian, losing the strength in his legs, collapsed. Jin-woo’s fist, which was filled with enormous mana, stretched forward. A light flashed. At first, there was no sound as the golden light swallowed up the earth and sky in its brilliant radiance. It devoured the Heavenly Demon Cave, passed the Demon Sect, and swept the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. It was so beautiful that Duan Yu-tian sat mesmerized.

But that wasn’t the end. Black energy fluttered in the golden light, and the light exploded further.

Boom!

Shock waves swirled around them, erasing the dark clouds above to reveal the blue sky.

“Ugh!”

The Heavenly Demon Supreme, sitting down, was swept away by the shock wave and thrown to the side. The Heavenly Demon Cave had long since disappeared, and the huge site where the Demon Sect was located was neatly destroyed along with a part of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Jin-woo’s hair fluttered wildly, a heat assailing him as if he entered a sauna.

“Oh…”

Jin-woo was amazed by the warm sunlight shining on him. The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, the base of the Demon Sect, was named so because it had numerous peaks. However, now it was not in a position to be called that any further. The Heavenly Demon Supreme, pulling himself from the wreckage, sat down and stared blankly forward.

“…Ha, haha…”

It was so ridiculous that it made him laugh. It was just one move. With that simple punch, the Demon Sect disappeared along with a part of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. It was a power that easily surpassed the level of a natural disaster. Everything he had done so far felt so futile.

“It’s a good thing I tried it.”‘

He had a sense of what it could do now. His power appeared to have increased overall, perhaps due to the influence of becoming a Great Emperor. Jin-woo turned his gaze to Duan Yu-tian. It was fortunate that he sat down. Otherwise, he would’ve become a star with the rest of the mountains.

“Ah…”

Duan Yu-tian fell into deep thought. He seemed to have come to a realization, but then he shook his head. He could not reach the man in front of his eyes, even if he had attained enlightenment thousands of times over. He thought he was detached from death, but he wasn’t. In the end, the regret that he had achieved nothing, and his fear of death, held him back.

Jin-woo looked to Duan Yu-tian.

“Then…”

Jin-woo raised his fist again to finish it properly.

“…About that…”

“Umm?”

“I’m good at washing dishes.”

Jin-woo laughed at Duan Yu-tian’s response and lowered his fist. After all, it was best to end things peacefully.

[Duan Yu-tian obeys the Great Emperor of Gold.]

[The Heavenly Demon Supreme is the Demon Sect itself. The Demon Sect has been taken over.]

[The M-Dragon Association exerts enormous influence by spreading the unique ideas to the Nine Schools & One Sect and the Martial Arts League.]

‘Leader Zhuge! W-what is this?’

‘This is the latest volume of the martial arts novel. It was very difficult to obtain. This seems to be your first time reading it, sir.’

‘Oh, ooh! Indeed! Even the cover is unusual.’

‘More than that, I heard that you are suffering from overwork these days, Sir’

‘Hahahaha… I have so much work to do…’

‘Actually, I have come to preach a very good technique that transforms pain into pleasure.’

‘Hmm? Pain into pleasure…?’

[The Leader of Martial Arts League fell in love with the M-Dragon Association’s unique ideas and gained guidance. Zhuge Mi-xian has begun to control the Leader of Martial Arts League from behind. She has been reborn as the black screen behind the White Path!]

*In the Shaolin Temple, the Unbreakable Diamond Buddha Technique was born!

*Masters of the physical technique begin to appear across all sects.

*The light of the Yellow Cross has grown stronger.

[The Great Emperor’s rank rises from their great achievements.]

Jin-woo reached SS+ rank as information flooded his mind. He didn’t mean to take control of the martial arts world, but that was how things turned out. Anyway, wasn’t that enough because everyone was happy?

“L-Leader?”

“Gasp!”

The Demon Blood Swordman, Silver Moon Leader, and members approached Duan Yu-tian. They had been diving deep, so they weren’t caught up in the explosion. Duan Yu-tian’s brain spun violently. Of course, he was quick-witted. He knew that he would be treated like a slave in the future. If so, it would be comfortable to have his subordinates with him.

“I-I think it would be helpful if we take them too.”

“Yeah, wash them.”

“Pardon?”

Jin-woo spoke lightly as if he was just saying something randomly, but once he gave in to Jin-woo, there was no way out. Jin-woo’s order was absolute. Eventually, Duan Yu-tian had to wash them all. The first thing he did as a slave was washing human dishes. Duan Yu-tian intuitively felt that a new hell had opened up for him.

He was the Heavenly Demon Supreme. As such, his intuition was close to prophesy and was never wrong. Jin-woo returned to the Sanctuary with Duan Yu-tian. Since a newcomer had arrived, the Emperors under Jin-woo all gathered. Heo-young, Maze, Arcana, Arorong, Haruring, and the General Manager all appeared. The General Manager was specifically there because he had gone beyond humanity to become an Emperor.

Everyone looked to Duan Yu-tian. The youngest, Haruring, approached Duan Yu-tian. Duan Yu-tian wondered for a moment at the little doll approaching him, but he recognized Haruring’s essence and broke into a cold sweat. When he looked at her, fear came over him as if he were experiencing a nightmare.

“Hey, who are you?”

“Yes?”

“Yes? Yees? Yeeeees?”

When Haruring glared at him, Duan Yu-tian naturally stood a little taller.

“M-my name is Duan Yu-tian.”

“What were you doing outside?”

“A-about that… t-the Demon Sect… there…”

“What? Where’s your voice?”

Haruring frowned. Despite his previous display, he became extremely timid.

“I-I was the leader of the Demon Sect!”

“Demon Sect? Pfft! Senior, he said he was a leader.”

“What? Leader? Pfft!”

In response to Haruring, Arorong, standing next to her, laughed at Duan Yu-tian. When Duan Yu-tian wore an awkward smile, Arorong stopped laughing and looked him up and down.

“What are you laughing at? Hah? Is your senior funny?”

“No! I’m sorry!”

“Is your life as an Emperor over with an apology? Huh?”

Duan Yu-tian was sweating profusely. Yesterday, he laid down in the warm Heavenly Demon Great Palace and enjoyed delicious food. He was looking down at the martial art world while receiving the respect of his subordinates. But now, he was just a newbie. The glory of the past was useless here. All the Emperors had a past just as brilliant, if not more so. All of them were dimensional rulers or comparable existences.

Arorong looked at Haruring.

“Is this what you call newbie training?”

“I’m sorry! I will educate him well!”

“You’re my mentee, so do well. Got it?”

“Yes! I understand!”

Haruring became Duan Yu-tian’s mentor. Heo-young was sitting in a corner wearing a thick jumper. She yawned, but then slightly changed her posture when the General Manager glanced at her. Maze lay on the floor and rolled around, and Arcana was standing behind the General Manager.

Haruring rubbed her hands as she approached Heo-young.

“Senior Heo-young, you don’t have to worry about it because I will give him a good education. You are very busy these days, so I will take care of everything.”

“Well, whatever.”

“Yes!”

As Heo-young spoke softly, Haruring smiled brightly and bowed her head. As Maze rolled around, they bumped into Haruring. Haruring fell down, but almost immediately jumped back up and bowed her head, looking at Maze.

“Oh! I’m sorry! Senior Maze! You can go this way!”

“Yeah, good job!”

“Yes!”

As the Emperors gathered together, the mood became different from usual.

‘Umm…’

Jin-woo felt like he was looking into a military barrack. Maze was like the thoughtless senior sergeant, and Heo-young was like a twisted corporal. Arorong and Haruring were private first-classes; the General Manager was an administrative assistant, while Arcana seemed to be a sergeant.

“Well.”

When Jin-woo spoke, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

“This guy came from the East World. Treat him warmly. Heo-young, you said you needed a manager, right?

“Yes, that’s right.”

“He’ll be useful if you teach him well. He moves quite fast.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Heo-young politely bowed her head toward Jin-woo. Heo-young raised her head and looked at Duan Yu-tian, an evil smile painted on her lips. Duan Yu-tian’s face turned blue when he saw it. He was quick-witted, so he was able to figure out what that meant almost immediately.

The General Manager looked at Duan Yu-tian. He could understand how strong he was just by feeling the General Manager’s aura.

“Master, can I borrow him when he is not working? We don’t have enough hands in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, he said he was good at washing dishes.”

“Oh! Is that so?”

General Manager welcomed Jin-woo’s words and looked at Duan Yu-tian. Arorong and Haruring looked dissatisfied. They didn’t like the fact that the newcomer, who had just arrived, was receiving the General Manager’s attention.

“Senior, the newcomer said that he is so good at washing dishes.”

“Hah, anyone can talk. I wonder if he is good at it?”

“That’s what I am saying. His washing dishes level should be at least on the level of an Emperor. If he’s not better than me, he’s not good at it.”

Drip-drip!

Duan Yu-tian’s sweat was pooling on the floor. He almost cried. The magic girls decided to take charge of his new etiquette education. After indoctrination, he would be put into labor in earnest. There was a lot of knowledge that he needed to know because he had to work on Earth.

Boom!

Thick books fell before Duan Yu-tian, ranging from Earth history books to more common sense tomes.

“Memorize it.”

At Haruring’s words, Duan Yu-tian could not hide his embarrassment.

“About that… I… don’t know w-what these letters are…”

“Are you talking back to me? You can solve it by being persistent, right? Can’t an Emperor do that?

“I’m sorry! I will memorize it!”

“You’ll have an exam in an hour.”

“Yes!”

Duan Yu-tian picked up the book with trembling hands. He was able to figure out what unit an hour was by looking at the clocks around him. He had a very good understanding, but he could not memorize this many books in an hour. He had no power over language.

Maze, after rolling around on the floor, looked at him and approached. They took one of the books out of the subspace.

“You’ll know the letters if you look at this.”

“T-thank you! Sob…”

Duan Yu-tian eventually broke down and began to cry. He was moved by Maze’s consideration. Maze patted the sobbing Duan Yu-tian’s back and disappeared again. Jin-woo watched the scene with his hands behind his back and nodded. He liked the family-like atmosphere.

“It’s peaceful.”

The Sanctuary of Gold was as peaceful as the East World.