The Novel’s Villain

22. What Is an Emperor? (2)

Ten percent of the Demon Realm was made up of desert. They were places where the power of demons weakened because there was no demon energy. It was a sanctuary because the Hall of Glory was there, but it was a sanctuary in name only, and the demons dared not even approach it.

Of course, it wasn’t included in the territory handed to Jin-woo, thanks to Gallord’s choice of land.

‘Here it is.’

Jin-woo took a portal, moving closer to the desert. He was chasing after the great energy emitted by the Emperor. The desert in the Demon Realm was similar to the desert on Earth, the only difference being that it was gray like burnt ashes.

[B] Gray Desert

It is a land where no living creatures can survive following the aftermath of the Great War. The Great War was a war that occurred when the Demon Realm and the Heavenly Realm were connected through a dimensional rift that occurred when the Emperor of Greed ate the Emperor of Maze.

The monarch was also a nuisance on a different scale. The Emperor of Greed, the Emperor of Vanity, and the Emperor of Maze all were in the Demon Realm, so it was no wonder that they were worn out. After understanding the post-war situation, the Demon Realm was the victim.

‘The Emperor setting is really…’

The Emperor was like a being that instinctively called for destruction. It lacked description or explanation because they exploded every time.

Jin-woo looked at the desert. A sandstorm was raging and sweeping through the surroundings, and he could faintly see a huge pyramid rising from the center.

‘I never thought I’d see the Emperor of Maze in real-life…’

It was greater than the Emperor of Greed. Jin-woo had no choice but to be nervous at the overwhelming sense of intimidation felt by its size.

[S+] Emperor of Maze

One of the Twelve Emperors was made up of mazes. It is a huge structure called the Devil’s foot, possessing the power to connect through walls of dimensions. It is the Emperor with the most legends because it frequently appeared in other dimensions long ago.

Jin-woo examined the information in more detail, looking for hidden pieces.

[Hidden Information]

‘Don’t come in. I want to be alone.’

The Emperor of Maze was a pacifist who loved mountains and trees. It is a pitiful being whose heart was broken after being harassed by the Emperor of Greed

The Emperor of Greed ate the Maze’s body, and the reason why the Maze had the power to penetrate all dimensions was to run away from it. Whenever it escaped and reached another dimension, beings from Middle-World and the angels broke into its body and turned its organs upside down. Arriving in the Demon Realm, it grabbed the destroyed parts and cried itself into a long sleep.

The Lord of Maze was the only Emperor who wasn’t sealed. Fearing that the Emperor of Greed would come again, it tried to escape to the safest dimension possible, using its only friend, the Dark Ego. It had discovered a new dimension.

That was great information. It wasn’t an evil Emperor.

‘Although it is a huge structure….’

After all, it was the body of an Emperor. Hunters and competent people in novels always broke into the maze or tower; they even destroyed it. No one understood how the Maze felt. From the Maze’s point of view, they were the same as a virus. The reason its ego was described as weak was that it had shrunk from a lifetime of bullying.

‘Umm…’

It was difficult, but it was barely understandable. While Jin-woo examined it, part of its body came out and fell into the desert. It spread out rich energy and began to merge with the sands of the desert. It was the Maze Army that appeared in the original story. The Emperor of Maze released many soldiers into the Demon Realm before disappearing into the dimensional gap.

Although the main character struggled to prevent it, the Demon Realm suffered so much damage that it was impossible to revive. Then, demons began to invade Earth through Japan. Based on Tang Xiao Zhen’s sacrifice, the main character was able to break the core of the Maze and gained the power to leap through the dimensions. Thanks to that, he was able to get in and out of other dimensions freely. It all happened after the international competition.

[B+] Maze Bait

A bait to divert the gaze of Greed. It was made by removing a part of the Maze. It multiplies in large numbers to attract attention.

The Emperor of Maze cuts its tail like a lizard and tried to escape. The Maze Bait was scattered, and soldiers were formed. It was like seeing Qin Shi Huang’s terracotta warriors that he had only read of in textbooks. The sand soldiers who embodied the demons, angels, and the beings of the Middle-World quickly rose in ranks.

‘I think I can talk to it.’

Jin-woo approached the Emperor of Maze. At the top of the Emperor of Maze was the shape of a large eye shining in blue light, the core of the Maze. He could see a huge stalk of mana caught in that eye.

[Kyaaaah!]

As Jin-woo approached, a bizarre sound came out from the huge maze. The sand soldiers around it began to rush forward like crazy, now ten thousand of them buzzed about. There was an energy that attracted the Emperor’s gaze. It had a fascinating aura and a large amount of experience.

[The Dark Ego is calming the Emperor of Maze.]

[The Dark Ego is troubled by the Maze’s complaints.]

[It asks for help.]

There didn’t seem to be any major problems since it ate mana. When he looked down, Digent and the other Demon Kings were lying there. They fainted, but it seemed their lives weren’t in danger.

“Umm…calm down. The Emperor of Greed is dead.”

The whole maze shook at Jin-woo’s words. Transparent water flowed out of the huge maze-like tears. Jin-woo raised his hands and approached slowly. It was an enormous maze, but it seemed very delicate. He came closer and stroked the wall.

Right, good boy, good boy. He kept saying that.

The Dark Ego explained the Maze’s condition.

[It was touched by your warm touch and grace.]

[It says it wants to go somewhere dark, where no one is around]

The Maze was a social reject.

‘Where there’s no one…’

Jin-woo pondered for a moment and then came up with the Sanctuary of Gold. It could accommodate the Emperor of Maze.

“I’ll help you, so get rid of those soldiers.”

The gigantic body of the Maze trembled. The lizard’s tail, which had fallen off, squirmed wildly out of the main body’s will. It couldn’t be recovered or attached again. It was just running around to be faithful to its role as a bait.

[The Emperor of Maze says it doesn’t want to harm the demons.]

[The Dark Ego says it doesn’t matter what happens to the demons.]

[The Emperor of Maze and the Dark Ego begin to argue. The Emperor of Maze is sorry to hear about the situation.]

“…I’ll just wait.”

Anyway, he had to stop the army first.

* * *

Unlike the original story, the demons were currently gathered around Sarah Vriac’s estate. Blocking the army was a priority. Jin-woo, who returned to Sarah Vriac’s estate, informed Gallord of this fact. Gallord was, of course, panicking. However, he recovered quickly, probably because he had suffered many surprises these days.

You’ve grown a lot, Gallord!

“If so many are advancing…forming a defense line and evacuating the residents should be the priority.”

“Fufu, Gallord, are you afraid of such trivial things?”

Sarah Vriac was always the same, even in this situation.

“If Lady Sarah Vriac takes the lead, the Emperor must be reassured.”

“T-that’s right.”

Jin-woo wasn’t sure about Sarah Vriac, but he decided to trust her for once. In the name of the Emperor, Gallord summoned all the forces of the Demon Realm. There were no demons who dared not respond.

Gigantes Canyon was the only way from the desert to all of the Demon Realm. It was the place where the territory of Hallas was, and now there, ancient history was being recreated again where their brave ancestors stopped the angels.

The Emperor of Maze was so large that it could be seen far away in the Gigantes Canyon. The demon soldiers gathered under Sarah Vriac’s command were all nervous looking out at it. Originally, they belonged to different Demon Kings and tribes, but not now. They have united under the Demon Emperor, who the great Emperor protected.

The battle between the Emperors that would shake the entire dimension was about to begin! It would be a greater war than the Great War of Angels and Demons.

All the demons gulped back to fear when Jin-woo appeared. There were also quite a few soldiers among the army who witnessed the great weapon incident in person. Jin-woo paid them no mind as he looked at the army marching in the distance. It felt like he could somehow patch up what happened in the Demon Realm as long as he could stop them.

He could feel the gazes of the many demon soldiers behind him. He was very sorry.

‘I am such a nuisance.’

All of this happened when Jin-woo came down to the Demon Realm. Jin-woo stood in front of the defense line to prevent it somehow without any major damage. He would try to reduce the number as much as possible by using the Black Flame Dragon or whatever he could.

‘Come to think of it…’

Thanks to his Influence reaching Rank A, he broke the ordeal and gained a new power, but he hadn’t checked it out yet. Jin-woo checked it now.

[S] Emperor’s Summoning Order

Summon an immortal army with the power of the Emperor of Gold and the Incarnation of Evil. The Emperor protects the army during the summoning time to withstand harsh environments, and they will be reverse-summoned before losing their lives.

*Caution! It is better to do it in a large open space.

*The experience points obtained by the army are monopolized by the Emperor of Gold.

Jin-woo was between the canyons. It was a fairly wide canyon.

‘Army?’

Did he have anything he could call an army? Perhaps it was a legacy that the Emperor of Greed secretly left behind.

Ddddrrrrrrr!

Tens of thousands of sand soldiers were now visible to the naked eye. There was no time to check the details.

‘If it could help…’

Jin-woo raised his left hand. As Jin-woo raised his left hand, the demon soldiers who had built the defense line were buzzing.

“I-is he summoning a meteorite?”

“The power that destroyed Giganter…”

“The power of destruction!”

Jin-woo flinched slightly, but Sarah Vriac smirked.

“Look! The Emperor is about to perform a miracle! With the Emperor, I am invincible! We are invincible! The Demon Realm is invincible!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaargh!”

“We are invincible!”

The Emperor was now an ally. The fear and despair caused before by the Emperor turned into infinite morale. Sarah Vriac was a smooth-talker at heart.

‘Umm….’

Jin-woo could feel everyone’s burdensome expectations. Still, it was an S rank, so he was wondering if something would come out. Mana spewed out along Jin-woo’s left hand. A long golden pillar that stretched across the sky became a rain of meteors that poured down.

It was a fantastic show. The meteors sparkled beautifully and created a huge portal inside the canyon. Jin-woo looked at the portal with anticipation.

He waited for a while, but nothing changed.

‘Is nothing going to happen?’

Jin-woo let out a small sigh when nothing happened in the golden portal. As Arina said, there seemed to be nothing left. It was when Jin-woo removed the bandage on his right hand…

The portals were now swarming.

‘Why are you guys coming out of there?’

An army that Jin-woo couldn’t have imagined came out of the portal and stood on the desolate land.

* * *

[The Emperor of Gold, Lee Jin-woo, has declared summons. You are qualified to respond to the summons.]

[The Emperor is waiting. Hurry up!]

[Rewards are awarded according to achievements through the Golden Power!]

[Golden Power will automatically arm you.]

[Would you like to accept the summons?]

The General Manager was talking with the high-ranking judges and the maids. More elves needed to be educated, so with the permission of their master, the high-ranking judges and maids were being prepared to join the training.

“Hehe, Master needs us. What an honor!”

As the General Manager nodded, a splendid portal was created in front of him. The General Manager, high-ranking judges, and maids disappeared surrounded by golden light. Meanwhile, Ella and Gallock were having a meeting to make a long music video by combining the stories of elves and orcs. They jumped from their seats when the Emperor’s Summoning Order was suddenly declared.

“What happened to the Emperor?”

“Ooh! Is it war? Finally…!”

The elves and orcs responded to the summons together with the chickens. Their chickens were always hungry for battle, after all.

Yoo-na was meeting with the Vice President of G&P, the head of the Future Strategy Office, and the professors at the Research Institute. The Research Institute had created very dangerous things, and the Vice President of G&P and the head of the Future Strategy Office disagreed with them.

‘What are you doing…’

Yoo-na looked at Jin-woo’s empty seat. Everything would be sorted out if Jin-woo came and said a word, but Jin-woo had been away for a while now.

‘Where is Sir Jin-woo…?’

Choi Hee-yeon also attended the meeting. She participated in each meeting because of Jin-woo, but she hadn’t seen him in a while.

Yoo-na was startled by the sudden voice.

“I have an urgent matter, so please excuse me first.”

The meeting was abruptly stopped. Yoo-na came out of the meeting room and looked around, and then she went into the women’s bathroom. She opened the door to the toilet and entered, then responded to the summons. A portal appeared in front of her. Yoo-na looked at the portal for a moment, and then she went inside.

Shashasaaaaash!

Feeling suspicious of Yoo-na’s behavior, Choi Hee-yeon secretly followed her. Choi Hee-yeon also wanted to know the secret shared by Yoo-na and Jin-woo. She didn’t feel anything when she went into the bathroom. She had just gone into the bathroom, but there was no one there.

“Miss Yoo-na?”

A golden light was flowing through the door. When she opened the door, she saw a golden crack that looked like a Gate. After a moment’s hesitation, she ran inside before it closed.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

Heo-young smiled and greeted the drama director. Her insides were turned over with annoyance, but her acting was in the realm of God. The Director, as well as the filming staff, thought of her as a very nice, innocent, and sometimes easy-going actress. It was a position that was bound to be loved by the masses.

“Heo-young, your acting was good today. The ratings are all thanks to you. That’s why…!”

“Oh! I’m sorry, Director. Suddenly, something urgent….”

“Uh-huh? Well, yeah.”

The Director tilted his head as he saw Heo-young running away fast.

“Heheheheh…!”

It was a good opportunity to release the stress she had accumulated so far. Heo-young, who arrived in a place where there was no one else, let out a mean laugh. She looked completely different from her image as an actress.

Arina, Black Skeletons, Dwarves, and all the monsters of the dungeons in China were also summoned.

* * *

Jin-woo, who had half the bandage off, blinked and looked at the Golden Army that marched out of the portal. They were all wearing golden and black equipment that was exquisitely harmonized. It ate a lot of Jin-woo’s mana to appear so splendidly. He looked at them blankly.

“Did you call us?”

The General Manager, high-ranking judges, and the maids appeared first. They were wearing pitch-black outfits, but what caught his attention was the fancy cutlery they wielded. Thousands of elves and orcs riding chickens followed. The chickens were wearing golden armor, as were the elves and orcs riding them. The dark elves were wearing obsidian armor.

“I’m…coming.”

Not long after Heo-young appeared, the Black Skeletons and the Death Knights of the dungeon showed themselves. She was about to shout with curiosity, but she changed it respectfully when she saw Jin-woo’s eyes. Heo-young wasn’t wearing her helmet but only thick black armor. Arina showed up next, with the dwarves wearing bizarre shells on their backs.

“Young Master?”

Whoosh!

Last but not least, Yoo-na showed up. As the portal was about to disappear, Choi Hee-yeon flew through. Choi Hee-yeon, who rolled on the ground brilliantly, instinctively placed her hand on her sword and looked around.

“Ah…”

Then, her expression went blank.

The General Manager, Arina, Heo-young, and Yoo-na looked at each other. The General Manager found Ella and Gallock first. Ella waved when she saw the General Manager.

“Oh! How are you? General Manager.”

“Aren’t you Miss Ella? Oh, that’s a nice chicken. Um, that one…?”

“I’m Orc Chief Gallock!”

“I have heard from Miss Ella. Nice to meet you.”

Ella and General Manager, who had already met, greeted each other first, then Gallock introduced himself. Yoo-na and Arina greeted each other.

“Are you Arina?”

“Yes, You must be Miss Yoo-na, right? Nice to meet you. Thank you so much. Please look forward to the album this time as well.”

“Alright.”

The scene looked quite serene. Only Choi Hee-yeon couldn’t understand the situation with her eyes turning around. Ella and Arina, who were currently very popular singers, talked differently, and Ahn Heo-young, who played the lead in a popular drama, was surrounded by skeleton knights wearing armor. She was an actress who projected a clear image and stole the hearts of many men. Choi Hee-yeon even wanted to be like her, but now she held a huge sword while cruelly smiling.

Whoosh!

A large number of gray troops were flocking in front of them.

Choi Hee-yeon turned her head back. Jin-woo was there, surrounded by a black current. Behind him were countless demon soldiers.

This was…

“A dream?”

Choi Hee-yeon had no choice but to think so. Jin-woo remained firm in the unexpected situation.

‘How can I explain this?’

Jin-woo grabbed his face with his left hand, feeling a headache forming. As Jin-woo sighed, the bandage on his right hand was unfolded, and a huge dragon appeared. Sarah Vriac followed Jin-woo and laid her hand on her face.

‘The sign of the cross…!’

It was a slightly altered form. Her sharp eyes flashed through her fingers. Then, the demons around her quickly followed along. To them, it seemed only like a sacred sign of protection. That was because a huge army had appeared, the invincible army owned by the Emperor.

And there was also the Black Flame Dragon.