How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 209

A profound silence settled over the battlefield.

The scene was still marked by the remnants of explosive clashes between the curse of annihilation and the powers of healing.

But more important than that—

“……”

Alongside the mesmerizingly radiant “Orb”—

Anne Carson, who had sought to burn the world to ashes, was gone.

“Is it… really over? Truly?”

“Phew, I thought I was going to die for real.”

As Beatrice and Jamie’s voices echoed from behind me—

[Hah, so that’s what it feels like. Quite satisfying!]

—the golden dragon Hazteon appeared, spinning leisurely in the air as he muttered to himself.

‘It went just as I predicted.’

No matter how powerful Anne Carson was, as the Red Mage who harbored dreams of becoming the Demon King—

Her essence was still that of the Spirit of Wrath.

Weakened by the Orb, which had absorbed every one of the Seven Deadly Sins, she had ultimately been consumed by it.

Tap!

“Kang Hyunsoo.”

At that moment, Kyle placed a hand on my shoulder and, with his usual bright smile, continued.

“Good work.”

“…You too.”

If he hadn’t delivered that final blow correctly, Hazteon wouldn’t have been able to absorb her.

Even if Kyle Perion was destined to vanquish the Demon King, he hadn’t yet reached the necessary level of strength.

‘He’s just a first-year. In the original, we’re barely past Chapter 100.’

As I indulged in these trivial thoughts—

“Hey, disciple.”

“Master Kamon!”

Before I knew it, my master and Beatrice had approached, both looking at me with concern.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

I nodded in response to Jamie’s slightly petulant tone.

“After all that hellish work, the first thing you say is, ‘Are you alright?’ Some teacher you are.”

“This has nothing to do with you. Back off, you pathetic cat.”

“Huh? Excuse me. I’m the dean of the Academy, and Kamon here is a student. So I have every right to be involved, don’t I?”

“Tch.”

As the two started bickering again, I shook my head, ready to say something.

But at that moment—

“Um, excuse me… Ah!”

*Whoooosh!*

Suddenly, everything in the world stopped.

Simultaneously, all things began to turn monochromatic.

As if everything had transformed into one massive sculpture.

And at the same time—

I felt an overwhelming surge of power within me, making it hard to keep my focus.

‘What… the hell is happening?’

It felt like my entire body was about to explode.

And in that instant, I had the sensation that, if I released this power, I could obliterate everything in my sight.

‘Damn it!’

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, I didn’t know what to do.

Then—

*Bzzzzzzzzz.*

A single point of bright white light appeared amidst the dark gray sky.

And then—

【Oh, shit. So it actually came to this?】

‘What the… who is that?’

【I had a feeling something was off from the start…】

A young man’s voice echoed from the light.

【Damn, if I’d known it would turn out like this, I would’ve intervened sooner. Well, it’s too late for that now, isn’t it?】

Listening to the voice, I got the sense that this was some kind of “god,” someone with omniscience over this entire world.

Before I knew it, the light had come right up to my face.

【Hey, snap out of it. Awakening as the Demon King isn’t easy, is it?】

‘De… Demon King?’

With his words, I understood the true nature of the immense power raging within my body.

‘I absorbed all of the Seven Deadly Sins.’

The spirits absorbed through the “Orb”—

Airsya, the Spirit of Envy.

Frilla, the Spirit of Sloth.

Hazteon, the Spirit of Greed.

Kamon Vade, the Spirit of Arrogance.

And finally, Anne Carson, the Spirit of Wrath.

While I had only directly captured five of them, Anne Carson had already absorbed Lust and Gluttony, so now all seven spirits resided within the Orb.

And thus—

‘Gathering all the Seven Deadly Sins’ spirits would break the seal and resurrect the Demon King.’

Of course, it wasn’t clear if this resurrection referred to the literal revival of the Demon King or just the acquisition of his power.

‘…It’s probably the latter.’

Judging by the way this being of light was talking, it seemed I had awakened as the new Demon King of this world.

And then—

“Aaaaaahhh!”

An excruciating pain surged through me, as if my entire body was about to be torn apart.

BOOOOOOOM!

A massive shockwave burst out from me, spreading in all directions.

【Tsk. Don’t be so dramatic…】

Whoosh.

A sensation of limitless power surged through me.

In that state, I lifted my head.

Then—

The “god,” who had appeared as a pure white light, had taken on a human form.

A young man, annoyingly handsome, exuding an air of smugness.

【Oh? What’s with that look? You can finally see me now, huh? Awakening as the Demon King must have raised your status a bit.】

“…Are you the god of this world?”

【God?】

At my question, he chuckled and nodded.

【Well, some people call me that. Yeah, you could call me a god. But the proper title is “Administrator.”】

“Administrator?”

【Yep, I’m the one who manages the story the Creator made. I don’t actually have any immense power or anything; I’m just here to make sure the story flows as it should.】

He shrugged, speaking as though he didn’t care.

But then, his expression twisted into a scowl as he glared at me.

【And yet, the one who’s made my job infinitely complicated is standing right in front of me.】

“So?”

【”So what if ‘so’? If the story concludes like this, this world will cease to exist. It’ll literally be over. And that means I’m no longer needed as the Administrator. Not to mention, I couldn’t even keep a single story on track… Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it.”】

The Administrator shook his head, muttering under his breath, before turning back to look at me with renewed determination.

【”So, though it’s a bit of a hassle and very annoying, I’m thinking of putting everything back the way it was.”】

“What?”

【”It’s beyond my authority as Administrator, but if I sacrifice some of my essence and lie low for a few hundred years, it should work. And as for you…”】

The smile faded from his face, replaced by a cold, sharp expression.

【”You’re going to spend that time suffering unimaginable pain in the deepest depths of the Abyss. I’ll make sure of it.”】

“Really?”

【”Yep. You awakening as the Demon King has complicated things, but this is still the best solution. Better to fix everything, even if it’s a little painful, than let us all perish together, right?”】

As this so-called “god” sneered at me, I let out a soft chuckle.

“That’s hilarious.”

【”Hilarious? Well, I do have a bit of a comedic touch, don’t I?”】

He chuckled, and I nodded, still smiling.

“An excellent sense of humor, really.”

【”Just so you know, it’s probably best to give up any thoughts of resisting. Even with the power of the Demon King, it’s meaningless before the power of a ‘god.’”】

As he said, I now possessed an immense power from my awakening as the Demon King.

An energy so overwhelming that it felt like I could pierce through and shatter anything—whether it was this world or the dimensions themselves.

On top of that—

‘Knowledge is flowing endlessly into my mind.’

With the Demon King’s power came knowledge befitting my new status. And so, I knew that no matter how powerful I’d become, I couldn’t resist a “god.”

But there was one thing—

‘Hey, Kamon. Can you hear me?’

I immediately summoned Kamon Vade, the Spirit of Arrogance.

Since I’d fully awakened as the Demon King, resurrecting the absorbed Seven Deadly Sins spirits was no longer an issue.

[Uh… uh… what…? Kang… Hyunsoo?]

‘Get it together, Kamon Vade. The time you’ve always wanted has finally come.’

[What?]

‘The bastard in front of us right now—that’s the god of this world.’

[…]

‘I want to bring this bastard down. How about it?’

[I’d welcome that any day.]

Kamon Vade had spent his life fighting against the fate imposed upon him. And perhaps, the “god” standing before us now was the true culprit behind it all.

‘Besides, I owe you for letting me use your powers so far. I thought I’d repay the favor this time.’

[Keh keh keh. Just seeing that bastard show up is repayment enough, if you ask me.]

‘Can you enhance the Orb with ancient magic? We’ll need a force strong enough to absorb even a god.’

[Ancient magic, huh…]

The source of ancient magic came from beyond this dimension, a foreign power unrelated to this world. Even Anne Carson, who wielded the Demon King’s strength, had trouble with it.

Of all the people I knew, Kamon Vade was the one most familiar with ancient magic.

[…It’s possible.]

“Really?”

[With the strength you now wield as a near-demigod, combined with ancient magic, you should be able to completely absorb that smug-faced bastard, Kang Hyunsoo.]

“Alright, then—”

I nodded, ready to respond, when Kamon Vade cut me off with a warning.

[But once you absorb the ‘god’s’ essence, this world will fall into your hands as well. Will you erase this world?]

“This world?”

[Yeah. I’m asking if you’re planning to erase this damned story-world once you have control over it.]

“And what do you want?”

[I’d rather see it all destroyed. I’d love for it to end, just like that.]

Kamon Vade gave a cruel smile, bringing back memories of the despair he felt when he learned the truth of the world.

[…But that’s just my personal wish. Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. Do as you will, Kang Hyunsoo. Make your own choice, freely.]

“That… we can think about after we crush this bastard.”

[Alright, fair enough.]

With an oddly synchronized understanding, Kamon Vade and I prepared to absorb the “god.”

【Hmm? Why so quiet all of a sudden? I doubt you’re surrendering, so you must be plotting something, huh?】

Seeing the Administrator still babbling smugly in front of me, I couldn’t help but grin.

“Hey, god.”

【Still smiling? This is the worst possible time for that, you know.】

“Didn’t you see earlier?”

【See what?】

“The way the final boss got absorbed when he thought he was invincible.”

【Wha—?】

“You’re going down the same way.”

With those words, I grabbed hold of the Administrator, gripping him with the hand embedded with the Orb, and shouted.

“Kamon Vade, now!”

【What do you think you’re doing? Hah, that’s rich. Wait… what?】

Suddenly, the gray, monochromatic world around us began to light up with a brilliant rainbow radiance from the Orb.

And then—

*Vroooooooom!*

【Wh-what’s happening? This is impossible. How could something from the lower realm absorb an entity from the upper realm…?】

“Why do you gods always say the same things? ‘Impossible this, impossible that.’ Well, it is possible, just like last time.”

With the same words Anne Carson had shouted before her defeat, I began absorbing the Administrator’s very essence through the Orb.

“This is it. This cursed world—I’m done with it. Thanks for nothing, and let’s never meet again!”

【Stop! Please, stop. Let’s make a deal! If you stop right now, I’ll let you go. I’ll leave you be, so please…】

“Sorry, too late. Just go.”

My firm answer crushed his pleas, and he struggled desperately, resisting with everything he had.

【I can’t die like this! I won’t let it end like this!】

The “god” flailed, releasing a torrent of power, but it was already too late. The combined force of the Orb and ancient magic had grown too strong to resist.

“I told you—stop saying it’s impossible. It’s happening!”

【No! Noooooooo!】

Vroooooooom!

Fueled by Hazteon’s power of Greed, the Orb’s ability to absorb was unstoppable, even consuming the Administrator himself.

And then—

Bzzzzzzz.

As the Administrator was obliterated, his powers, authority, and knowledge all flowed into me.

Whoosh!

In that moment, I felt myself being summoned somewhere.

“……”

And the sight before my eyes—

Taptaptap.

—a small, messy studio apartment. A young man sat in front of a computer, typing furiously.