The Villainess is my fiance: But she is gentle towards me

Chapter 279: Chapter: 279 A man who masterd all.[1]

"Did you get any information on that other continent?" the emperor asked as he lifted his glass and took a slow drink.His eyes stayed on Vivian, calm but focused.

"Yes…" Vivian nodded lightly.

He raised his own glass and took a small sip.

The taste hit him almost instantly. It was bitter, with a strange heavy warmth that spread down his throat.

It wasn't his first time drinking whisky, but he had never liked it.

Still, he kept his face steady.

In front of his father-in-law, he did not show even the slightest reaction.

He swallowed it calmly, like someone used to it, even though the taste still felt unpleasant to him.

"That continent is called Axian," Vivian began, his voice steady as he placed the glass lightly on the table.

He paused for a moment, then took another sip.

This time, the warmth spread faster, reaching his chest.

A faint redness slowly appeared on his cheeks, but his expression remained controlled.

"It is a continent ruled by someone known as an eternal ruler…" he continued, his tone growing a little heavier. "His name is Vern Kael."

The name lingered in the air for a moment.

Vivian's fingers tightened slightly around the glass as his thoughts drifted back.

Before he had turned the clown into a death knight… before everything ended… he had learned these things piece by piece.

At that time, hearing that name had shocked him more than anything else.

He had been chasing something for so long without even knowing what it was.

And when he finally found out…

It had felt strange.

Shocking… yet relieving at the same time.

At least now, he knew.

At least now, it had a name.

"It was… a relief," Vivian said quietly, almost to himself. "To finally know who it was."

The emperor watched him carefully.

"You say he is an eternal ruler?" he asked, lifting his glass again but not drinking yet.

A faint frown formed on his face.

"How is he eternal?"

There was a sharpness in his voice now, mixed with confusion.

Vivian let out a slow breath.

"He has been ruling that continent for a very long time," he said, his tone turning heavier.

"No one knows his age. No records… nothing clear."

He paused, thinking carefully.

"Even the people he keeps close to him… they live much longer than normal humans."

The emperor's frown deepened slightly.

Vivian continued.

"The clown…" he added quietly, "he has lived for thousands of years."

There was a brief silence after that.

"But even he didn't know everything."

Vivian slowly lifted his gaze and met the emperor's eyes.

"And about his strength…" he said, his voice lowering, becoming more serious.

"You must have heard the stories about the celestial race… and the demon race, right?"

The emperor gave a short nod.

"I have," he replied, leaning forward slightly.

His brows were tightly drawn now, his face filled with thought.

The more he listened, the heavier his expression became.

A man who lived for unknown years…

Someone who controlled an entire continent alone…

Even without hearing everything, it already sounded hard to believe.

Still, he waited.

"…But why do you ask?" he said, pouring more whisky into his glass, though his movements had slowed just a little.

Vivian leaned back slightly in his chair.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Even now… even after everything…

The next words still felt difficult to say.

His grip on the glass tightened a little.

"…Because," he said slowly, his voice calm but heavy, "he killed them."

The room went silent.

"The celestial race…" Vivian continued, his eyes steady, "and the demon race…"

"He killed them."

The moment those words left his mouth…

The emperor's hand froze mid-air.

The whisky bottle tilted slightly in his grip, but he did not move.

His eyes widened.

For a brief moment, it was as if his mind refused to accept what he had just heard.

The calm, controlled expression on his face cracked.

"…What?" he said under his breath.

It wasn't loud.

It was barely even a voice.

His fingers tightened around the bottle as he slowly placed it down on the table.

His gaze remained locked on Vivian, searching his face, as if trying to find even the smallest sign that this was a joke.

But there was none.

Vivian's expression was steady.

Serious.

There was no hesitation in his eyes.

The emperor leaned back slowly in his chair.

The weight of those words settled heavily on him.

A man who lived for ages… was already difficult to accept.

But a man who had wiped out entire legendary races…

That was something else entirely.

His brows lowered deeply, his face now filled with disbelief and tension.

"…You're telling me," he said slowly, his voice no longer as steady as before, "that a single person… did that?"

Vivian did not look away.

"Yes," he replied quietly.

Vivian could clearly see the disbelief in the emperor's eyes.

Even though the emperor tried to stay calm, it did not work.

His face tightened again and again, his brows pulling together as if he was trying to force himself to accept what he had just heard.

But it wasn't easy.

Vivian understood that.

Anyone would struggle to believe something like this.

After all… even the existence of the celestial realm and the demon realm had never been fully confirmed.

They only knew about them through old religious texts.

Stories passed down through generations.

In those records, the celestials were described as gods… beings of light and purity.

The demons, on the other hand, were described as creatures of darkness… evil and destruction.

Every religion had its own version.

Different names, different stories… but the idea was always the same.

To most people, they were nothing more than myths.

Just stories used to guide belief.

Only a small number of people truly believed those beings had ever existed.

Vivian was one of them.

And the emperor… was one as well.

Because of that, the shock they felt was not about whether those races existed or not.

They had already accepted that possibility long ago.

But this…

This was different.

Those beings… wiped out.

Completely gone.

And not by some unknown force…

But by a single person.

A human.

That was what made it so hard to accept.

Even for them.

Vivian had taken time to accept it himself.

Even after hearing it… even after seeing the truth behind it… it had not felt real at first.

But in the end…

He had no choice but to accept it.

Because everything pointed to the same answer.

"Father…" Vivian spoke again, breaking the silence.

His voice was calm, but there was a quiet weight behind it.

"Do you know what emotions are?"

The emperor blinked slightly.

The question caught him off guard.

He slowly lifted one brow, confusion clear on his face.

"…What do you mean?" he asked.

Vivian did not answer immediately.

Instead, he reached for the bottle, poured more whisky into his glass, and lifted it.

This time, he did not sip.

He drank it in one smooth motion.

The liquid burned as it went down his throat, but he did not react.

He placed the empty glass back on the table with a soft sound.

Then he leaned forward slightly.

"There is no cultivation stage beyond Ascended," Vivian said, his voice steady.

"You know that… right?"

The emperor nodded slowly.

"Yes…" he replied, still watching him carefully.

"There isn't."

"As the control over mana reaches its peak… and the Genesis Heart is fully completed… that is the end."

He paused for a moment, then added,

"There are no further stages beyond that."

His frown deepened slightly.

"But why are you asking this?"

Vivian leaned back in his chair again.

His eyes lowered for a brief moment, as if he was choosing his next words carefully.

Then he looked up again.

"What if I told you…" he said quietly, "there is another path?"

The emperor's expression changed.

Not fully shocked yet… but alert.

Suspicious.

"And you already know about it," Vivian continued.

There was a short pause.

"I'm sure you know how the celestial kings… and demon kings… were born."

The emperor stayed silent for a moment.

Then he slowly nodded.

"…Yes."

His voice was lower now.

"They were said to be born with a single emotional inheritance."

"That's what the ancient records say."

Vivian gave a small nod.

"You're right."

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze steady.

"But those same records also say something else."

The emperor did not interrupt this time.

He just watched… waiting.

Vivian's voice grew quieter.

"Humans… have the highest potential among all races."

The room felt still.

"And…" he continued, his tone turning heavier,

"emotions… are the next path."

Silence followed.

The emperor did not react immediately.

His eyes stayed fixed on Vivian, but his expression slowly changed.

Confusion.

Doubt.

And then…

Realization.

His fingers tightened slightly around his glass.

"…Emotions?" he repeated under his breath.

As if trying to understand what that truly meant.

Vivian nodded slowly.

"Yes."

There was no excitement in his voice.

No pride.

Only a calm, serious certainty.

"The celestial kings… and demon kings… were not just powerful because of mana."

"They were born from a single, pure emotion."

He paused briefly.

"Anger… faith… fear… desire…"

"Each of them… carried one emotion to its absolute limit."

The emperor's breathing slowed.

His mind was trying to connect everything.

The long lifespans…

The overwhelming strength…

The existence of beings beyond normal understanding…

"…You're saying…" he began slowly, his voice no longer steady,

"That power… comes from emotions?"

Vivian met his eyes.

"Yes."

Another silence filled the room.

But this time… it felt heavier.

The emperor leaned back slowly.

The glass in his hand lowered slightly, forgotten for a moment.

His face showed it clearly now.

Shock.

"…And that man…" he said quietly, almost as if speaking to himself,

"That Vern Kael…"

His grip tightened.

"…he reached that path?"

Vivian did not look away.

His answer came without hesitation.

"Yes."

And that single word… was enough to make the weight in the room grow even heavier.