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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Villain's Victory
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Bang. Bang. Bang.
Countless lights embroidered the dark night sky.
Where that Demon King had stood, brilliant white light burst forth, as if flashbangs were detonating.
[Aaaargh----!]
In harmony with this, a beautiful melody could be heard.
Yes, the sound of the Demon King melting. After taking dozens of Holy Cannon Beams, how could he *not* melt?
While the King of the Demon Realm, who looked capable of annihilating an entire nation, was bubbling and melting, I stood with my back to that artistic display of light, facing the camera, and offered my thanks to the audience who had watched my show.
"Thank you. Thank you."
[Grrrkkkk---- Ugh---!]
*
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL damn]
[Pure madness LOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[Shouldn't *we* be the ones thanking *you*? LOL]
[Seriously, when did he even prepare that? LOL]
[The Demon King's gently melting~ (literally melting)]
[(Roughly, a GIF of Jerry bowing)]
[What? Is it really over? Just like that???]
*
Just then, a chat message caught my eye. Oh, come on. 'Just like that'? Do you know how much effort went into preparing this?
Lost in thought, I watched the Demon King, still screaming and dissolving into light, as if observing a bonfire. It really is great when their weaknesses are so clear. In the original story, I always discovered weaknesses *after* the events were over, leaving nothing but a sense of futility... But thankfully, in this world, I possess all that knowledge.
And so, beneath the moonlit night sky, I savored the picturesque moment, watching the Demon King melt away nicely.
...If my memory serves, this guy is likely the final mid-boss level villain of this phase, and almost the last large-scale event. The next main event after this is the long-awaited Moonlight Cult.
I've certainly come a long way.
I found myself muttering inwardly.
When I suddenly fell into this world, I wondered what on earth I was supposed to do, but I've already come this far. Now, if I can just stop that next terror—the Moonlight Cult portal incident, the gate incident, whatever you want to call it—then I can finally start to rest. After raising Stardust well, of course...
[.....I'll ....Grrrk, re...turn...]
"Oh, looks like it's over."
Lost in my thoughts, I only rose from my spot when I heard the Demon King's voice from somewhere.
After instructing Seoeun to cease the offensive, I approached and saw only the Demon King's form, now a black puddle, having uttered his final words. He went cleanly.
"'I'll return...' he says."
Pfft.
I chuckled involuntarily.
Yeah, no, you won't. Live well in the afterlife.
I offered a brief moment of silence to the Demon King, who had, in his own way, shown quite the impact. It's a bit absurd that he died right after being unsealed, but he dies in the original story anyway, doesn't he? He would have died even without me. Just after causing more damage to South Korea.
...But now that I think about it, it's funny. Is it a tradition for those under the Moon God to die right after being unsealed? This Demon King guy, and Eunwol in the original story too.
Well, anyway, the conclusion is that I finally crossed a big mountain today.
Lost in thought, I poked through the deceased Demon King's remains with my Holy Spear. As expected, I saw a Moonlight Stone. I knew it. Those Moonlight Cult bastards are involved in everything.
I discreetly smashed it with my spear, out of sight of the camera, and only turned my head after seeing it scatter into dust.
"Alright, everyone! We've caught this strange old man who was disturbing someone else's business space, so that concludes today's broadcast. I'll return with high-quality terror that can't be compared to this low-grade stuff, so I hope you're all on edge. Thank you for watching today!"
*
[What????????]
[No, why end it here!!!!!!!]
[Coolly exiting right after stopping a villain who was about to destroy a city... This is... a villain?]
[What's 'high-quality terror' even mean, damn LOLOLOL]
[Today, this villain saved the country again.]
[Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick!]
[We are living in the age of Egoistic.]
[Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you]
*
Leaving the still-chaotic chat window behind, I turned off the camera and prepared to head home. They'd just burn out in a few days and forget about it anyway, so it didn't matter... *Phew*, I really did something big today. I'm dead tired after using my body for so long.
...But that's not the problem right now.
First, I headed towards Stardust, who was collapsed. When I saw her earlier, she seemed relatively fine, just exhausted, but I couldn't be too careful.
What met my eyes when I returned was her still lying there, leaning against a ruined wall in the same position as before. Her eyes were closed, so she must have lost consciousness. Wait, surely not, right?
Just in case, I quickly ran over, knelt on one knee, and checked if she was breathing. *Phew*, thankfully, she was breathing well. Of course, that's what I expected, but you never know. If something had gone wrong, wouldn't I have to go down to the underworld to save her?
Lost in thought, I looked down at her, collapsed and breathing softly. ...It's truly amazing how someone can be so beautiful, even covered in dirt in a ruin after a battle. Is this that protagonist buff, or something?
Anyway, she was so exhausted she'd even fainted. In the latter half of the original story, after she became stronger, she would only become unable to move her body no matter how much power she used, but she never lost consciousness. Today must have been truly exhausting for her.
...Indeed, she really did suffer today. From eating an energy bar and beating up all the demons underground in the morning, to fighting the Demon King in the evening. Even thinking about it again, it's hard to believe she accomplished all that in just one day. The original story really has changed a lot.
"...You worked hard, Stardust. As expected... it's you. Haha."
I stood up, whispering words she couldn't hear. Alright, time to go. Association staff would probably be here in a few tens of minutes. And with the sound of helicopters, it seemed the broadcasters were finally approaching, now that the situation was over.
As I stood up, feeling the cool night breeze, about to leave, Stardust, lying alone in the ruins, suddenly caught my eye. ...It's already chilly, won't she catch a cold lying like this? Of course, the Association would arrive soon... but what about until then? Worry is worry.
After a brief moment of thought, I took off the cloak from my back and draped it over Stardust. Well, I have plenty of cloaks at home.
Of course, I wondered what she'd think when she woke up and saw it... but given her villain-hating thought process, she'd probably just assume I was 'teabagging' her, so it wasn't a big deal. 'Are you mocking me for lying here helpless?!' She'd probably think something like that and get angry.
With that thought, I chuckled to myself, then stood up again and turned my back to her, moving to teleport. Ugh, I'll probably need another IV drip when I get home.
With that final thought, I teleported away.
Because I left immediately, at that moment, I didn't know.
"...."
After I left, Stardust stirred slightly.
-Fingers twitching.
That she had tightly grasped the cloak draped over her with one hand.
***
[Shock! K-Villain Egoistic Saves South Korea Again? Netizens 'Horrified' by His Unexpected Abilities! We are Living in the Age of Egoistic... Egoistic Sweeps All Real-Time Trending Videos.]
[Horror! Was Egoistic Just the One Who Landed the Final Blow?! Stardust, Who Accomplished Everything Alone, From the Demolition of the Demon Castle to the Elimination of the Demon King! "South Korea Runs Because Stardust Exists." Why Did an Anonymous Association Official Praise Stardust to Tears? Her Good Character Re-examined!]
South Korea, which had barely managed to prevent another city from collapsing and the nation from falling today, was once again ablaze with that issue the very next day.
In truth, it wasn't the first or second time the nation had nearly fallen only to miraculously survive, yet the media churned out articles like mad, as if each time was fresh and thrilling. Of course, considering the immense scale of this self-proclaimed Demon King, it was understandable. Many still found the sight of the Demon King descending in the heart of downtown Seoul, with black and red clouds gathering and his red eyes glinting, utterly chilling.
Anyway, the Demon King was dead, and the Trade Center, which had transformed into a Demon Castle, reverted to its original state as soon as the Demon King died, with all those black, viscous liquids vanishing completely. Of course, the things destroyed in the battle would need to be rebuilt... but even so, it was a good outcome.
As the nation regained its calm, the public's discussion naturally turned to Egoistic and Stardust, who had stopped this terror.
[[Exclusive] Could the Terrorist Group 'Moonlight Cult,' which produced the Moonlight Priestess, be involved in this terror incident? Exclusive Report by Reporter Chae Nayoung!]
Of course, there were genuine people trying to uncover the truth behind this terror, but the general public showed little interest in past incidents.
And so, terrestrial broadcasters endlessly played footage of poor Egoistic, who, as a villain, had no portrait rights. Meanwhile, under the Association President's uncanny grasp of rising hero and Association popularity, videos of Stardust's past exploits were also being uploaded like mad.
Furthermore, fan cafes, whether the Mango Corps or the Stardust Corps, saw their subscriber numbers explode side-by-side. Even National Assembly members immediately seized on the issue, clamoring to petition the Association Headquarters to promote Stardust to S-rank...
Thus, the days of chaos continued.
Regardless of all that, I was resting peacefully in a large, quiet house, far from the commotion.
"Ah... the second Cathedral meeting is starting soon, isn't it?"
Until I looked at the calendar.
Ah, it's about time to go see our worldwide S-rank villains again.
"Old man Atlas, I'll see you again."
I popped a piece of apple into Seojiyoung's mouth, who was lying on the floor, then took a bite myself and mumbled.
...This should be fun.