The Authentic Heavenly Demon
"What the hell is this!"
A shout so loud I doubted it had come from my own mouth. The Cheonma standing before me was momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer volume. But I had no attention to spare for that. Only rage. A blazing fury so intense it cast aside even the last scraps of polite speech I'd been clinging to.
"How dare you! You dare insult Michael Jackson-nim?"
"W-what kind of Western bastard is supposed to be the Heavenly Demon!"
"Shut your fucking mouth!!!!!!"
The sight of the Heavenly Demon being pushed back by me as I ground my teeth and charged forward. Any hunter who saw it would probably declare I'd lost my mind, but none of that mattered right now.
"Have you ever even watched a single one of his videos!!! Do you even know who he is in the first place!!!"
"This seat knows as well! Is he not simply an existence who dances rather well?"
"Rather well? Rather well? Are you insane? You call that 'rather well'?"
Unable to contain my fury, I slammed both fists down onto the desk. A thunderous bang sent books and writing tools flying high into the air. My gaze cut sharply through the scattered debris.
"You bastard! Do you even know what the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step is!"
"Of course this seat knows! That is the very foundation of the Heavenly Demon! How can you ask the meaning of footsteps that tread as though ruling the world!"
"Then can your footsteps shake the entire world with a single step!"
"T-that is not possible."
"Michael Jackson-nim moves and shakes the world with nothing more than a single step!!"
Blood vessels rose in my eyes. My heartbeat accelerated as if urging me onward, and my fists—clenched far too tightly—had already turned bone-white.
"And can you knock someone unconscious with nothing but your footwork!"
"Who on earth faints people with footwork!"
"Michael Jackson-nim can!!!!!"
"Don't make me laugh! Where does such footwork even exist!"
"Does the Heavenly Demon Moon Step look like a fucking joke to you!!!!!!!!"
That's a passive.
I immediately worked my phone. What I pulled up was a video of Michael Jackson-nim.
"What the hell is this so-called Heavenly Demon Divine Art you're babbling about!!!"
"The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is stronger than anything and overwhelmingly..."
I started the video, leaped from my seat, and shoved the screen directly in front of the Heavenly Demon's eyes.
"Are those eyeballs just decorations!!! Can you not see that this is the Heavenly Demon Divine Art!"
"T-that is..."
"You still don't understand after watching his dance, his breathing, every single gesture!!!"
"....."
I brought the phone so close it nearly touched the Heavenly Demon's face. As if to burn the image indelibly into his eyes.
"You still cannot perceive the profound principles of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art contained within this!!! And with that, you dare call yourself the Heavenly Demon!!!"
A brief silence fell. The only sound was Michael Jackson-nim's video playing on loop.
I slowly steadied my breathing, calmed my mind, and returned to my seat. The Heavenly Demon remained frozen where he stood, unable to speak a word.
"Never disrespect Michael Jackson-nim again."
I spat the words at him and began gathering the books and stationery that had scattered across the floor. The Heavenly Demon didn't move an inch until I'd picked everything up and sat back down.
"If you wish to call yourself the Heavenly Demon, first go watch every single video of that person from his lifetime."
"......"
"If you still cannot acknowledge it, I'll fight you anytime you like."
"......"
His continued silence stoked my anger all over again.
"Answer me!!!!!"
"I-I understand! I will definitely keep it in mind and watch them!!!"
"If you understand, then get the hell out!!!"
At my roar, the Heavenly Demon spun around and fled the classroom as if running for his life. Only then did the tension finally drain from my body.
I had no regrets. How dare he insult Michael Jackson hyung-nim. That was something I could never tolerate.
When I glanced sideways, Hye-ji was staring at me with wide, stunned eyes. Her face said she genuinely hadn't expected me to lose it like that. Meanwhile, Jung Ayeon had gone deathly pale, mouth hanging open in a daze. It looked like she'd suffered a severe shock from watching her idol run away.
"Shinwoo. You really are a crazy son of a bitch."
"Young master... are you truly in your right mind?"
"I don't know, fuck. That bastard disrespected Michael Jackson hyung-nim."
"Even so, you act that way toward Cheonma-nim?"
It was strange that Hye-ji kept showing concern. No matter how famous he was, how famous could he possibly be that everyone was making such a fuss?
"But is that old man actually famous?"
"'Actually'? Did you truly charge in without knowing anything at all?"
My words brought life back to Jung Ayeon's face. What followed was her grabbing my collar and venting her resentment. Tears even welled up in her eyes—she was clearly a genuine fan.
"He is the pinnacle of us martial artists and the being every warrior dreams of becoming!"
"Is it that big a deal?"
"It is not merely that big a deal! From the beginning, it is only natural for every martial artist to harbor the ambition of becoming the Heavenly Demon!!"
"Then your goal is also to become the Heavenly Demon?"
"As embarrassing as it is, yes. This one also wishes to become the Heavenly Demon."
The Heavenly Demon wasn't some idol, yet he was the ultimate goal of all martial artists.
Oh, right.
At that moment, Hye-ji's sharp observation cut in like a blade.
"But Shinwoo, that means you tore their idol to shreds, huh?"
"Watch your words with 'tore to shreds.' You could violate election laws saying that."
That particular word was extremely sensitive. After all, I'd already been disciplined once because of it.
Hye-ji suddenly spoke as if something had occurred to her.
"Shinwoo, what if Cheonma-nim comes to personally fuck you up?"
"......"
"...You didn't even consider that?"
"Ah."
"You're actually going to drive me insane."
Once the excitement faded, one objective fact rose to the surface. An academy student talking back to Cheonma like that would be headline news. It was completely insane.
I pictured the worst-case scenario—a fight with Cheonma. One side was a supreme-tier hunter. The other was a pathetic idiot who couldn't even reinforce his body properly and had already lost an arm. The outlook felt terrible from the start.
Besides, Cheonma could fire death beams. He had more than enough long-range options. Meanwhile, the only thing I could rely on was close combat. And even if I somehow got close, I doubted my blade would pierce that seemingly rock-solid body.
Fuck, I don't see any path to victory here.
"Hye-ji, if we end up fighting, can you make me some gloves that shoot fire?"
"Why?"
"Since I'm screwed anyway, I might as well hit him with them while calling it the Cheonma Punch to piss him off."
"Young master! At the very least call it the Heavenly Demon Divine Fist!"
Jung Ayeon fiercely objected from the side. Ignoring her, Hye-ji gave me a dose of reality.
"Shinwoo, if fire comes out, wouldn't that just be Fire Punch?"
"True. Then I should call it Volcano Punch."
"Young master. Fuck, seriously."
I'd need to engrave the character for Heaven, but would it be fine if I did it with a machine gun?
It seemed like it would work out somehow.
Anyway, the first and second periods today were supposed to be handled by the daily professor—Cheonma himself. But with his mentality completely shattered, he'd pulled an Itachi and vanished. Which meant one thing: free period.
Having received an unexpected break, we headed toward the cafeteria to rest for a bit. That's when the bulletin board caught our eyes.
"Is it the candidate promotion period already?"
"Yeah, Shinwoo. But that bald ear-picking bastard got his candidacy revoked, so it's a single-candidate race."
"Doesn't a single candidate just win automatically?"
"It doesn't seem that simple. Want to take a look?"
We walked over and examined the election posters. Since it was for the World Tree Reception Representative, the poster naturally featured an elf.
The photo showed a female elf. A sky-blue butterfly-shaped earring adorned her right ear. I assumed she was also a high elf. What stood out was how her ears looked subtly shorter than usual. And then there was the pink bob haircut I'd never seen on any elf before.
"The atmosphere is completely different from that ear-picking bastard last time."
"No kidding. Just thinking about that ear-picking bastard still pisses me off."
"Miss, young master. What impression do you get when looking at this?"
Jung Ayeon suddenly asked us a question, her eyes fixed on the female elf's photo.
"Well, she's pretty because she's an elf? A high elf? Pink hair?"
"......Her chest is fucking huge. How dare an ear-picker like her."
Hye-ji's eyes gleamed with dark intensity. As I felt a slight chill, Jung Ayeon spoke in a calm tone.
"Pink hair cannot appear among elves. Not even among high elves."
"What are you trying to say?"
"High elves are mostly purebloods. That's why they view everything except other elves with disgust."
"But fuck. Then why the hell did that ear-picker keep hitting on me and acting crazy!"
Hye-ji's anger suddenly swung toward Jung Ayeon. With an awkward expression, Jung Ayeon scratched her cheek and continued.
"T-that is because the elf named Lucian is an exception."
"True. Sesshomaru hated humans with a passion too."
"But he still made two half-demons just fine."
"Non-marriage ideology is ultimately completed through marriage."
The conversation had suddenly drifted off-topic, so Jung Ayeon hurriedly steered it back.
"Anyway, this woman is a high elf, yet that hair color could never come from pure blood."
"So she's mixed, not pureblood?"
"Correct. Her ears are slightly shorter than other elves, aren't they? I estimate she's half or three-quarters."
The three-quarters option seems more likely.
Then one thought occurred to me.
"Then wouldn't the elves reject her too?"
"Well, since she's still a high elf, openly rejecting her would be difficult."
"Shinwoo, let's go. Every time I look at this poster I feel sick."
Hye-ji's eyes were locked onto the elf's enormous chest, filled with deep, dark hatred. It seemed her hatred for the ear-picker had combined with her hatred for large breasts.
Respecting Hye-ji's feelings, we quickly left the area.
Don't hate breasts too much. People who don't have them understand just how precious they are.
The next day, Professor Pilyong returned. But before he could begin class, the classroom door suddenly opened and someone entered.
It was Cheonma.
He wore the same clothes as yesterday, but one thing was different—his eyes. They looked hollow, and the dark circles beneath them suggested he'd been up all night.
Suddenly, Cheonma strode right up to my desk. He approached without making a single sound, then silently began glaring at me with a menacing expression.
I tensed up, wondering if an attack was coming.
"This seat is truly grateful that you have enlightened my ignorance."
"......Huh?"
Suddenly, Cheonma bowed to me at a perfect ninety degrees. An utterly unexpected action. Everyone remained silent, completely dumbfounded. Even Professor Pilyong looked shocked, so he clearly hadn't known about this either.
Cheonma raised his head again and spoke.
"I realized it yesterday."
"R-realized what?"
Cheonma smiled faintly. Then he performed a fist salute and declared with pride.
"Michael Jackson-nim is the authentic Heavenly Demon."
Emotion surged through me. He'd finally realized that Michael Jackson hyung-nim was the true, legitimate Heavenly Demon.
Starting today, grandpa is one of us too!
With a heart full of emotion, I returned the fist salute to Cheonma.