Chapter 32: Viva! Apocalypse Part 4

A man adorned in extravagant ornaments.

The hand of the Empire’s Golden Duke trembled.

He had faced countless crises to reach this point, but it had never been this severe.

Even the most extraordinary situations should have their limits, ‘shouldn’t they’?

‘The Iron-Blood Duke, the Founder Dragon, and now even the royal family are siding with him. Everyone has completely lost their senses.’

That outrageous rumor was true.

Somehow, within just a month, Riyan had gathered all these influential figures to his side.

The result? An utterly horrific outcome.

What should have been a simple probe ended up as a complete backfire.

Perhaps he had long been a thorn in the eye for Riyan, who had minions planted within the Academy.

Riyan seized this attack as an excuse and magnified the issue beyond control.

He hinted at resignation, worsening public opinion.

Brazenly inflicting self-harm before the Founder Dragon.

In the blink of an eye, he became the most hated man in the Empire, with every powerful figure throwing stones at him.

‘He must have been waiting for me to strike first.’

There was no way this was a mere coincidence.

It was clear just how favorable the situation was to Riyan.

The justifications and chances of victory were all on Riyan’s side.

In every possible way, he was painted as the clear villain.

Riyan was burying him without dirtying his own hands or image by staying uninvolved in the riots.

And by showcasing the dreadful end of anyone who dared to oppose him, from today onwards, there would be no one willing to challenge his authority.

Unrivaled power would fall into Riyan’s hands.

‘…If that happens, my life ends here.’

He hadn’t even sent an assassin yet.

If he was this inclined to bury someone over a simple jab, the result was all too predictable.

He would likely execute him mercilessly as an example.

He would have made the same decision if he were in Riyan’s shoes.

‘Now is not the time to be picky about methods.’

This was an all-or-nothing situation.

If he didn’t kill his opponent, he would be the one to die.

With that judgment made, the Golden Duke immediately headed to the warehouse. His only hope of turning this situation around lay there.

***

The underground passage.

He bypassed numerous locks until he finally reached the sight of a doll made from flesh.

Among all his priceless possessions, this was the most valuable.

It was an artifact he had obtained from a dungeon where six of the seven elite mercenaries he hired had perished.

‘It manipulates causality to lock in the worst possible future.’

It didn’t merely bring bad luck.

This sacred object mocked causality itself, ensuring the most horrifying outcomes among all possible universes.

It could only be used once, and it required the souls of 666 innocent people to be pre-fed to it as a price.

But its power was beyond imagination.

With this, he could even kill the Founder Dragon.

All he had to do was fix the possibility that Sion’s mind would deteriorate, driving him to suicide.

‘Using something this valuable here is a painful loss, but if it saves my life…? It’s well worth the trade.’

Resolving himself, the Golden Duke drove a nail into the flesh doll and muttered Riyan’s name as the curse’s target.

A malevolent aura spread from the doll.

The curse was undeniably, assuredly complete.

All that awaited Riyan now was a brutal downfall.

This whole scenario was crafted by him.

Neither the Golden Duke nor the deputy director ever attempted to assassinate him.

Once this truth was revealed, Riyan would be abandoned by all.

He would be stoned to death for the crime of deceiving everyone.

That wretched end surely awaited him.

‘Underestimating me was your fatal mistake.’

Riyan’s capabilities were undeniable.

Gathering such forces in this short span was something not even a deal with the devil could achieve.

But the professor had been too arrogant.

Overconfident in his abilities, he failed to see that there were opponents he should never provoke.

‘Farewell, Riyan. I may not wish you peace on your journey.’

Assured of his victory, the Golden Duke smiled faintly.

Even when cornered by a tiger, there was always a path to survival.

The worst times were not moments to stop thinking.

***

The apocalyptic atmosphere.

As disconcerting as this situation was, I racked my brain for a way to resolve it… and found it.

A solution that could turn this crisis around in one stroke.

‘Couldn’t I use the current situation to my advantage?’

This riot was clearly excessive.

I didn’t care what happened to the woman who almost killed me with her sudden attack.

But hunting down the board members just for supporting my punishment was a bit too far.

What if I now shouted, ‘Did you really think this conflict and violence would make me happy? Was this for my sake?’ and rebuked everyone?

It would surely work.

If it didn’t, that would be the real surprise.

Rumors had turned me into a half-dead man.

But if I appeared unharmed and shouted, everyone would cool their heads and reconsider their actions.

If I showed disappointment, the guilt-ridden would probably fall silent.

No one would stop me even if I declared I was leaving.

Fulfill my wish and resolve the issue—a perfect two birds with one stone.

There was no reason not to carry out this plan.

I mustered the last of my meager magical power, amplified my voice, and announced to everyone, “End this meaningless fight here.”

…Yet something felt off.

I had intended to scold them all.

Instead, what came out was an unusually calm voice.

“Allowing anger to consume you in an instant, causing innocent blood to be shed—I cannot tolerate such foolishness.”

A strange, ominous aura surrounded me suddenly.

My mouth moved on its own, ignoring my will completely.

I couldn’t even undo it.

It was neither magic nor a curse, but a mystery originating from the artifact.

This was a realm of miracles that defied any explanation.

“Karin, did you carry out the mission properly?”

A figure clad in black nodded, having appeared without my notice.

In Karin’s eyes was the conviction that I had anticipated her actions.

What she had brought… was an old man.

The catalyst of this entire situation.

The deputy director, who was supposedly on the brink of death after being caught in an explosion.

“The treatment was successful. The herbs from our promised land proved their worth.”

Karin, her voice filled with admiration, bowed her head to me.

“You must have something to say about this situation.”

But I paid no mind to her flattery and focused my gaze on the elderly man behind her.

He met my eyes, as if resolved.

Swallowing nervously, the old man stepped forward and shouted with all the anger he could muster.

“Who are you to impersonate my niece?”

The woman acting as the deputy director—supposedly his niece—was exposed as not a true relative.

Even I didn’t know what he meant by this, but my mouth continued to move as if I had known all along.

“Imitation mask. I encountered this trick a few times while working as a fixer in the slums. She planned to fool the Founder Dragon’s eyes with a physical method rather than magic. …Did you really think such a petty trick would work on me?”

The deputy director’s eyes trembled violently.

A knight, who had been restraining her, ripped off her mask to reveal a repulsive woman’s face underneath.

Faces filled with shock spread throughout the crowd.

Students exclaimed, wondering if she was truly a demon.

I wanted to shout, ‘What kind of being do you take me for, to torture her thinking she wasn’t a demon?’ but my voice had already been taken from me.

Instead, what emerged was a bizarre statement.

“Every member of the board had fallen under the enchantment spell cast by this thousand-faced demon. If you continued to fight and shed blood, it would only fulfill her desire.”

No such thing as a thousand-faced demon existed.

That woman wasn’t even strong enough to cast enchantment spells recklessly on high-ranking officials in the Academy.

In truth, she was merely a small fry who had probably received only an imitation mask from the Golden Duke.

“But why did I mention an enchantment spell?”

I understood the answer soon enough.

“Aah….”

Dozens of old men wept like infants.

People from the Golden Duke’s faction shed tears of gratitude.

To them, my words must have sounded like, ‘I forgive your sins. I shall graciously turn a blind eye this time, but do not repeat such misguided choices.’

As if to confirm, telepathic messages poured into my mind.

One by one, the high-ranking members of the Academy pledged eternal loyalty to me.

The entire board was now falling into my hands.

A situation as dreadful as it could be.

But my misfortune didn’t end there.

The professors and students of the Academy, burdened with guilt over attacking innocent people “for my sake,” looked mournful.

In front of those tormented by guilt, my mouth opened again.

“Though the situation was urgent, I am deeply grateful that all of you stood up for me.”

I walked slowly toward everyone, my voice reaching them all.

Receiving everyone’s gaze, I asked playfully, “But in a way, I am a little disappointed. Did none of you trust me that much?”

A bright, annoyingly cheerful smile.

I smiled at the crowd and declared, “There’s no way I would leave you all behind.”

The moment my words ended, cheers erupted.

Everyone chanted my name and rushed toward me.

I was tossed into the air by the students, lifted into the sky over and over again.

Where moments ago there had been screams and blood, now there was nothing but laughter filled with joy.

…It was a happy ending, for everyone but me.