The Betrayed Red Becomes the Leader of Evil

Countless media reports began to spread uncontrollably. Information was expanded, reproduced, and shared.

Enough. The Red Dragon resurrection scenario came earlier than expected, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it proceeded according to plan.

"Red Dragon, I beg of you. Please, stay alive, come back alive...! Only you can defeat Emperor Ractor! You can save this star! You are our final hope!!"

Dr. Hyun grabbed my hands, tears streaming down his face. His nose turned red, and his glasses fogged up. Seeing that expression, I felt a strange pang in my own heart. Truly, it was a breathtaking performance.

"Understood. Doctor, please evacuate."

The actors playing the assistants forcibly dragged the doctor away from the scene. Even until the very end, Dr. Hyun didn't miss a single beat in his tone or the movement of his fingertips. I have to admit, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he is a genuine master actor. For reference, Dr. Hyun's real name is Kim Deok-bae. He’s a fifty-six-year-old unknown actor who used to drift between back-alley theaters. Irua found him, and I wrote the script.

I turned my body to face Pegasus. Well, the plan went well so far, but this guy is a bit of a problem. Thanks to the resurrection perk, my stats are enough to at least put up a fight, even if they aren't quite enough to face the Galactic Empire head-on. Obviously, I can't just knock everyone down single-handedly, and the Emperor is still out of reach. The problem is the modifiers. There's no guarantee I can deal damage based purely on my stats. That’s how game systems usually work. Can a level 1 character holding a max-level sword go straight into a high-level raid? Of course not. The attack power gets penalized and weakened. I have to set my job as a Villain to fight this guy. That’s the only way the organization and the Squadron Vengeance will level up when I defeat him. Not the rank designated by the Association, but the rank and level recorded by the System. However, the reality that Vengeance's rank is still low is the problem. I can't fully exert my stats. Since my goal is the head of evil, the system is designed so that I only get stronger as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my organization grows. Setting my job as a Hero would be simple, but then Vengeance would stay stagnant while the Hero Association and the Dragon King Squadron would grow stronger. It’s not just a matter of numbers. That is the role assigned to me as a 'Player.' Deciding the direction of the world. I have to act as a Villain so that even while I'm playing the role of the Red Dragon, Georgius can be respected and Vengeance can easily grow. If I defeat this guy as a Hero, the public will be more likely to trust the Association President's rebuttal when he eventually claims the Red Dragon was murdered. I’d never let that happen.

And one more condition. The public knows the Hero Red Dragon has only one ability. The Dragon King Squadron and the Association know it too. 'Arrow of Light.' That is one of the Red Dragon's four skills, 'White of Plague.' When I was a Hero, I only used that skill in front of others. To be precise, I also used 'Red of War,' but that doesn't really stand out. I can just pass it off as my own physical strength. The reason was simple. The other two skills were too grotesque to be called Hero abilities. The ability of the scythe from 'Blue of Death' is one thing, and 'Black of Famine' goes without saying. I can't use those two here. Those must be saved as skills used by Georgius. Because in my plan, the person who will defeat the Emperor is not the Red Dragon, but Georgius. If I use Death and Famine here, and then Georgius uses them later, even an elementary schooler could figure out the formula: Red Dragon = Georgius. That’s the same reason I haven't used 'White of Plague' as Georgius until now.

Tsk. If I fought alongside Irua, I could handle this easily. I glanced back at the Dragon King Squadron. Ji Se-hwa, Shin Yu-kyung, Kang Ye-rin, Choi Min-seo. Useless bunch. They couldn't even handle one executive. The orphanage is further down this path. I can't let Pegasus advance any further. Stat restrictions, only two skills, and I have to take down a Galactic Empire executive one-on-one. Well then. What the hell, let's do it.

Shin Yu-kyung was curious about how he was still alive. She still held the belief that he was an enemy and a villain. But she wanted to ask about the switch. She wanted to know the truth—if he had really been using Excalibur, Longinus, and Clarent alone in that agony for their sake.

Choi Min-seo wanted to run to him right now and embrace him. She didn't care about the truth anymore. She wasn't in a state to worry about sins, punishments, or Jung Ui-seok's feelings. The only person who could support her heart right now was Jung Ui-seok. But she couldn't, as her legs had given ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out, her stomach was churning, and she was convulsing.

Ji Se-hwa's emotions were complex. She didn't even know what they were herself. It was certain that now that he had returned alive and all the truths were exposed, everything she had built up was starting to crumble. Even as anger and resentment welled up, a corner of her heart ached. She didn't realize that it was guilt and regret. Because of that, she couldn't decide on a firm stance and was stuck, unable to do anything.

And Kang Ye-rin.

"Ah, aah."

She was relieved, relieved, and grateful. Hope began to well up that she could turn everything back, even now. She was so happy at the fact that she could convey the words she had wanted to say, the words she had to say. No, such rational thinking didn't exist. She was just so happy, so incredibly happy that she could see his face again. She realized she had to move before her head filled with positive clouds and stopped working. Even after it had come to this. You ended up like that because of us. You were trying to protect us. And yet, you went out to fight again. I was the one who was wrong. I shouldn't have doubted you even for a second. I have to tell him. I have to tell him before he leaves again. Kang Ye-rin desperately moved her lips. Where to start? What to start with? She remembered her first meeting with Jung Ui-seok. The hero who saved her and her father. The four syllables she couldn't say back then. Start there. Let's start from the beginning.

"—Ui-seok-ssi!!" Kang Ye-rin strained her voice with all her might. "Thank you—!!"

Starting with that gratitude she couldn't express back then. With everything in her heart. That was how she shouted.

What is she thanking me for? Is she thanking me for dying like a fool? Thanking me for being deceived? Or does she misunderstand that I appeared in front of Pegasus to save them? Well, I wasn't expecting an apology. I don't need one either. Still, it’s a bit baffling since it wasn't the word I expected to hear as a reunion greeting. She must be a plain crazy woman.

I put on my helmet.

"Transformation."

I prepared a larger size for the helmet and suit to maintain the dragon form. Now, shall I kill him?

"Is the melodrama over? I'll tear that weak body apart, inferior species!"

Clop, clop, clop. Pegasus charged, kicking up dust. As expected of a four-legged creature, he’s quite fast.

"Red of War."

There's no time to spare this time. I'm going all out from the start. *Boom!* I exerted my leg strength to the maximum, diving into his blind spot. The ground I stepped on cracked in a 10-meter radius. I intended to strike his heart immediately, but the guy who wields a spear has fast reaction speeds too. Pegasus defended against my strike with efficient movements. He’s no pushover. We continued to trade blows. He has long hind legs. I tried to circle around to target his rear, but he’s well-trained and knows that’s his weak point. If it were 'Blue of Death,' I could have gotten behind him in an instant, but it’s sealed. This isn't easy. If I could land 'White of Plague' on his main body, I might have a chance, but he’s too fast. He’d dodge an 'Arrow of Light' that requires casting time in an instant with those four legs.

"Ha! There's no chivalry to be found! Acting like a rat, only aiming for the opponent's weak points!"

Chivalry. It just makes me laugh. This is war. Whether it's cowardly, cruel, or abandoning pride. The victory belongs to the one who stays alive. The victory belongs to the one who kills. There must be a gap in that value system.

"Aiming for weak points? Isn't that exactly what you're doing right now?"

"What?"

"You have no right to talk about chivalry. I am originally an 'Archer.' A warrior who fights with a bow as my main weapon. You, who are forcing me into a close-quarters fight with all your might, are the cowardly rat."

"Wh-what...!" Pegasus's face turned red.

"Is it the chivalry of a great Galactic Empire Knight Commander to not even give an archer a chance to fire his bow?"

"Grrr, y-you! How dare you! Shut that mouth! I am a great knight! Go ahead and fire your arrow! I will strike it down with my spear without dodging!"

Pegasus roared, having a seizure. "I will prove it! You are not losing to me because you can't fire your bow!"

"Hoho. You won't go back on your word, will you?"

"On the name of the Galactic Empire!"

He took the bait. I widened the distance between us. 10 meters.

"White of Plague."

A sphere of light floated in my hand. The brilliantly unfolding light drew an arc, becoming a bow. A sharp arrow was etched into existence. There was no string. The target was Pegasus. I aimed precisely. I released my hand. *Whoosh!* The light shot out. It collided with his spear. Giant sparks flew.

"Hnnngh!!" Pegasus poured strength into both arms holding the spear. He struggled against the arrow of light. Will he deflect it, or will he be pierced? That moment of tension—I had no intention of watching it to the end.

"—You?!"

As soon as I fired the bow, I ran and stuck to Pegasus. I jumped at point-blank range. The arrow of light that was clashing with the spear. I grasped it in my hand once more.

"Stereotypes. That is your defeat, Pegasus."

"Wh-what?!"

The next moment. The arrow he was clashing with was nowhere to be seen, and the spear was entangled with the bow of light. The bow's frame was aiming at Pegasus's brainstem.

"This light is neither an arrow nor a bow."

I whispered softly as I fired the next arrow directly into his head.

"It's a plague."

*Pop— Crack— Boom!!*

A void erupted from Pegasus's head. His skull distorted and was sucked into the void. Pegasus's brainstem disappeared. Blood spurted like a fountain from the neck of the creature that had lost its head. It's coming.

"■■■■—!!!"

Pegasus's body turned red and began to thrash. Berserk mode. Just before death, executive-level monsters unleash a final strike with their last breath. The fatal spear was thrust at me. I generated a void once again to twist its trajectory. Still—it's an immense power. Just from the wind pressure and force. *Crash!!* My body was shot into the ground. *Thud!* Fortunately, his attack didn't continue, and the giant half-man, half-horse corpse collapsed.

"Whew."

I let out a sigh of relief and dissipated the light on my palm. I stood up. The ability to handle light that can become a bow or an arrow and generate void spaces. That is 'White of Plague.' 'It's a good thing I didn't use the other moves.' It worked out well. The problem is the current situation where I used the Red Dragon resurrection earlier than expected. I need to accelerate the operation. 'I need to meet Emperor Ractor immediately.' That was the conclusion I reached. Just then, a voice reached my ears.

"Ui-seok... ssi."

I turned my head. Kang Ye-rin was in the lead, with Ji Se-hwa, Shin Yu-kyung, and Choi Min-seo standing behind her.