I Became the Master of the Villain

[In the year 1840 of the Imperial Calendar, a mage destined to bring about the Empire's downfall shall be born.]

That prophecy was spoken by a seer who appeared before the Emperor twenty years ago.
To prevent its fulfillment, the Emperor ordered the execution of all infants born with magical power that March.
Or so he believed. The child in the prophecy had survived. And the moment he reclaimed the power that had been sealed—

A colossal pillar of light split the night sky in two, and a dazzling brilliance engulfed the entire area.
As though exhaling after a long-held breath, the atmosphere trembled.
The earth shuddered, as if in terror of the man who had just awakened his power.

Every tree planted along the roadside was uprooted. Stones were torn from the ground and flung violently.
A catastrophic storm of destructive mana—like a natural disaster.
At the eye of that storm, Kian was holding Olivia in his arms.

Like a dam bursting and unleashing a long-contained flood, mana poured from his entire body.
Mana that had been pooled near his heart now surged to the ends of his nerves, pulsing through him like blood being forcefully circulated by the heart. It was a strange sensation, as though his very cells were being reconstructed.
Kian had no idea where this sudden power had come from.

But to him, that wasn’t important right now.
The fury consuming him remained unresolved. The only thing he could feel was a murderous rage that refused to be extinguished.
Kian gently laid the unconscious, pale-faced Olivia on the ground.

Then, he took a step forward—toward the black-robed mage.
***
The destructive storm had ripped apart everything in sight. Bracing against it with all his might, the mage let out a shocked, pained groan.

Right after that enormous pillar of light, which looked as if it could cleave the world in two, a mana storm had struck. And at the epicenter of that destruction was that man.
Just moments ago, he had been a slave with not a shred of magic. Yet now, mana so dense and overwhelming that it made the mage’s skin crawl was erupting from him.
Could that truly be magic power possessed by a single human being?
How can this be… This is absurd.

His mind rejected the reality before him.
But he couldn’t remain dazed forever. The storm had died down, and the figure that emerged from within was beginning to move.
The silver-haired slave—no, now a mage—turned his eyes, filled with hostility, toward the mage.

He wasn’t even trying to conceal his murderous intent. The mana flickering around his body like flame was enough to suffocate by sight alone.
Every nerve screamed a warning. Cold sweat dripped down his back.
But failure meant death. Retreat was not an option.

This had to end here.
He didn’t know how that man had awakened as a ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) mage, but if he didn’t know how to wield the power, it was meaningless. In fact, the man was simply letting mana spill into the air, giving it no form whatsoever.
That’s right—there was still a chance at victory.

The mage gathered all of his mana, drawn up to the limits of his body, and focused it into his hands. His cold mana quickly coalesced into a massive spear of ice. As he extended his hand, the spear burst forth, filled with lethal intent.
Its terrifying speed created a vortex as it scraped across the ground. Earth and stones exploded into the air. The wounded land cried out.
The enormous ice spear, wrapped in cold that could freeze breath itself, struck its target. With a deafening roar, a white curtain of frost erupted on impact.

The mage gasped for air after releasing his all into that attack. He had exhausted himself entirely and could barely breathe.
But strangely, the air now caught in his throat. It was hot—as if he had been transported to a desert.
Something was wrong.

And then, reflected in his pupils—was swirling flame.
The enemy who should have been impaled by the ice spear was still standing. The silver-haired man, Kian, remained completely unscathed.
Did he use defensive magic?
But just moments ago, he hadn’t even known how to wield mana. How had he suddenly mastered its use?

There was too little information. His thoughts hit a wall.
Instead, instinct urged him to deal with the crisis in front of him.
Flames shot forth from Kian’s hand, sweeping across the battlefield in a blaze. The mage, eyes wide with fear, quickly deployed a defensive spell.

But the mana he had left was too little. The shield he conjured tore apart like paper.
“Gahhh!”
Searing heat consumed him. The inferno raged like hellfire, melting skin and licking at bone as it devoured him.

As he was engulfed in flame, without mercy or compassion, the mage had a single, final thought.
Why… Why am I the one dying?
He should’ve been able to crush that life like a bug. So how had the roles reversed in an instant?

Everything was a mystery. And with that, the mage exhaled his last breath.
When the flames receded, all that remained was scorched ash.
The mage could never have known. His allotted pages in this story ended here.

***
He had killed someone.
Kian slowly stared at the mage he had burned alive with his own hands.

There was no guilt.
Instead, a feeling he had never experienced in his entire life took hold of him—
The violent thrill of controlling someone else’s life.

And it… didn’t feel bad at all.
For twenty years as a slave, Kian had always been on the receiving end of violence. Being beaten simply because his master was in a foul mood had been routine.
He had always said, “It’s okay,” like a mantra. That was how he survived as a slave.

It’s okay. This pain will pass soon. It’ll be over. I can endure it.
In hindsight, those were all lies he told himself. That phrase—It’s okay—was nothing more than self-deception.
The truth was, none of it had been okay.

He wanted to erase the people who had tormented and hurt him from this world.
He had locked away those dark thoughts deep in his heart, behind an iron door.
But now, that door had swung wide open.

The monster locked inside had been released. A beast that had grown massive over twenty years—he planned to let it run wild.
But first…
Kian picked up the fallen Olivia.

Her body in his arms was cold. He bit down hard on his lower lip.
The first thing he had to do was take her back to the mansion.
Holding her as delicately as fragile glasswork, Kian heard the sound of hooves drawing near.

Ahead of him, in the direction of the road leading to the Capital, a thick cloud of dust rose.
A group of knights was galloping straight toward him. Kian recognized the imperial crest engraved on their silver armor.
Royal Guard.

What are they doing here, at this hour?
Kian stared at them with cold, sunken eyes.
The knights quickly closed the distance and came to a halt a few steps from him. Gazing over the devastated land, one of them muttered in a dazed voice:

“…What in the world…”
Uprooted trees strewn across the ground. Land torn open as if bombed. Flames still flickering in scorched patches of earth.
It looked as though a monstrous beast had gone on a rampage.

The knights eyed Kian warily as he walked calmly through the hellscape. One by one, they reached for the hilts of their swords.
The leading knight spoke.
“Who are you? State your name and identity.”

“…”
“Are you responsible for that pillar of light?”
Only then did Kian understand why they were here. Even so, he had no interest in indulging them in conversation. To him, they were nothing but nuisances.

He stared straight at the knight and said,
“Move.”
The knight stiffened for a moment under the sheer force of his presence. But, true to his pride as a knight, he straightened his shoulders and responded firmly.

“I cannot. Until you identify yourself, you may not take another step forward.”
They had no intention of backing down.
One warning was enough. And the price for ignoring it… was steep.

Kian replied in a cold voice,
“Then I’ll just have to clear the path myself.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, explosive mana burst from Kian’s body. The ground trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake.

From where Kian stood, mounds of dirt and boulders began rising skyward, defying gravity.
“Gasp…!”
One of the knights involuntarily sucked in a breath. Only now did they realize what kind of being stood before them.

The knights’ faces paled all at once. Panic spread across their expressions.
The leading knight shouted urgently, his voice echoing across the plain:
“Everyone, fall back—now!”

Massive boulders filled the sky.
Kian was about to send them crashing down like meteors, crushing the knights and drenching the field in blood.
But at that moment—

“Kian…”
A voice he thought he’d never hear again reached his ears.