Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 334 : In the name of Sloth (7)

Eerie shrieks erupted from the ghostly white creatures as they launched into a ruthless slaughter of the shadowy entities surging toward the troops.

Dozens of ebony shapes were pulverized by their bone-white lances while they pressed forward.

Still, the shadowy entities spawned by Sloth kept reforming in some hidden spot inside the domain.

They pounced on the white creatures wielding their lances and struck back fiercely.

Resembling hunted animals facing ruthless hunters, the pale entities were ripped apart and vanished in a flash.

Nevertheless, despite the endless stream of shadowy entities flooding in—

The pale entities, known as the “Apostles,” showed no signs of weakening.

Quite the opposite—as moments ticked by, their ranks swelled even more.

“……”

One soldier gaped in stunned silence at the unfolding chaos.

A shadowy entity impaled by a sweeping white lance crumbled away, only to reform into another ghostly white creature.

The demise inflicted by the Apostles birthed fresh pale entities.

A bizarre loop of rebirth.

Celaime and Parkline breathed out in relief, all while they gazed in awe at the spectacle.

For these creatures weren't arrayed against them.

And before long, their—

No, all eyes converged on Sloth and Radan.

In contrast to earlier, with no noticeable shifts, Radan now looked markedly altered.

His ebony armor radiated a sinister vibe with a single look, and those crimson eyes brimmed with crushing might.

Most strikingly, just by standing still, a subtle yet menacing force emanated from him—a type of mana eerily akin to Sloth’s inherent malice.

Though everyone knew Radan wasn't hostile, his presence alone chilled them to the core.

“....”

Sloth, whose eyes had bulged at Radan’s sin-fueled awakening, had settled back into his typical blank face.

He gazed at Radan without a word.

Yet Alon sensed Sloth wasn't merely detached.

For now, torment and deep thought flickered in his gaze, emotions absent until this point.

“Are you… going to continue to ‘exist’ here from now on?”

Sloth finally broke the silence.

A question that came completely out of nowhere.

But Radan offered a slight smile, like he'd anticipated it all along.

“No.”

“Then?”

“Maybe twenty minutes, then I’ll disappear.”

Radan delivered the fact with utter calm.

“I see.”

Sloth gave a brief nod.

A single utterance.

Yet that quiet reply carried layers of meaning, prompting Alon to nearly voice a query when—

“In that case, I’ll simply fulfill my duty.”

Violet strands started leaking from Sloth’s form.

At once, the dark beasts' actions sped up in an unnatural surge.

Crackkk!

And beyond that— the mighty figures that had fallen before now stirred once more, glowing with a vivid violet sheen.

The fearsome violet mana, too wild to stay bottled within their frames, erupted outward in plain sight.

And right then—

-!

Sloth faded from view.

No, he shifted position.

Since none caught the motion, it just seemed like he'd vanished.

Sloth materialized anew right behind Radan.

Seizing an unseen instant, he swung a fist toward the rear of Radan’s skull—

Heh—

Sloth caught sight of it.

The very second his punch thrust out, Radan whirled around with a warped smile, like he'd been lying in wait.

Boom—!

***

The clash ignited.

Ghostly white creatures and shadowy forms tangled in a brutal frenzy.

Basiliora wiped out the resurrected masses of meat.

Eliban and Seolrang held off the reawakened fighters.

Yet undeniably, every stare locked onto one spot—the duel pitting Sloth against Radan.

BOOOOM!

That said, only a handful could truly grasp the showdown between Sloth and Radan.

Though they couldn't track it, the sheer force of the combat pressed down on them heavily.

BOOOOOM—!

In a split second, as their godlike shapes smashed together, a blast wave ripped through and shredded the terrain.

Simple motions alone split open the soil.

The troops found themselves mesmerized by the display, evoking a clash of deities from ancient legends.

And at the climactic instant—

BOOOOOM—!

Following a thunderous blast that rang sharp in all ears—

At last, Radan and Sloth came into clear view for everyone.

Figuring out the result proved easy.

Sloth’s state was obviously dire.

Evidently, the blows from Alon’s allies earlier had worn him down severely.

His frame hung together by a thread, wrecked beyond easy repair.

On the other hand, Radan seemed unchanged from the start.

Barring some dust, no real difference showed.

It screamed a total win for Radan.

Spurt!

Right up until scarlet blood sprayed from the fissures in Radan’s ebony armor.

“W-What—?”

As a voice gasped in shock—

Crimson fluid gushed from spots across Radan’s body, like it had timed the reveal perfectly.

Chaos gripped the soldiers.

Alon, too, creased his brow in astonishment.

He hadn't witnessed the true fight either.

He merely pieced together a vague picture by sensing the lingering magic traces in the atmosphere.

From Alon’s perspective, Radan had utterly overpowered the bout.

So that implied—

...The wounds stemmed from within, not from external hits.

As Alon pieced together his theory, Radan eyed the blood trickling from his armor and winced a bit.

“Guess I pushed it too far without any relics? I figured it’d be fine since I didn’t even use my ‘power.’”

Radan rubbed his head.

Still, urgency barely touched his expression.

Like the whole ordeal meant little.

And soon—

Before reactions could form—

Over Sloth’s ruined skull, a huge ram-like cranium materialized.

Next—

-!!!!!

Violet filaments stretched from the ram’s skull and started weaving a frame similar to veins.

They twisted and overlapped endlessly, crafting a colossal threaded construct.

Alon swiftly grasped the development.

Sloth was shifting into his beastly stage.

In that instant—

“Brother.”

A voice rang out abruptly.

Alon’s eyes snapped toward the sound on reflex.

Radan stood there.

But this version differed sharply from the one Alon recalled.

His locks turned pitch black.

His gaze burned crimson.

Still, that signature grin matched the Radan etched in Alon’s memory perfectly.

“All set?”

His upbeat voice stayed just as lively.

Radan addressed him with effortless familiarity.

And Alon sensed it instinctively—

This Radan hailed from a later era.

Not a path where he'd botched the villain’s rescue—

But a reality where the villain endured.

Countless queries surged up.

Yet dwelling on them would squander precious seconds.

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Brother. Looks like I couldn’t bring the relics with me. Even though I can keep the treasury open…”

With Radan tossing in that remark as if privy to Alon’s full scheme, Alon drew in a steadying breath and gradually shifted his focus ahead.

Sloth unleashed violet filaments, reshaping the dark domain into his fresh vessel and morphing into a monster.

“....”

When Sloth’s change finished, the fight’s momentum would flip once more.

Differing from the future Radan, limited in power for some unexplained cause—

The fully beastly Sloth would surpass his prior strength.

However, Alon had anticipated this exact juncture.

To be exact, the phase where Sloth froze amid the shift.

One flawless opening where his readied blow guaranteed a hit.

“Hoo—”

Alon inhaled deeply and eyed Radan.

“Radan.”

“Yes, Brother?”

“I think it’s time we show them.”

Radan grinned in understanding at the phrase.

Snap—

He flicked his fingers with casual ease.

A straightforward gesture.

Yet simultaneously, the shimmering azure tear expanded—

And an object started sliding out from its depths.

Then—

“W-What is that—?”

“A... ship?”

The moment a wizard stammered it, the thing pushing through the azure tear revealed itself as a vessel.

The exact treasury vessel Alon had once sailed on.

“……”

From the point Alon stepped off the vessel, he'd held back from any moves.

Not even when Sloth burst in and granted a brief window to counter.

Not when that window expired and Sloth turned on the fighters.

Not with Radan’s arrival.

Alon stayed quiet throughout.

For he understood.

Sin couldn't fall to standard strikes.

Thus, right from plotting the clash with Sloth, this formed the core of his approach.

A scheme forged purely to end Sin.

Devised in a hidden spot too concealed for Sloth to detect danger.

To seem harmless to Sloth, he'd even ducked below decks.

FWOOOOOSH—!!!!!

The vessel burst completely free of the azure tear.

From its hull, a brilliant white glow streamed out like an endless streamer, bathing the realm in radiance.

And the result— a vast glowing shape, akin to a starry cloud.

“...That’s—”

“—?”

Alon pressed his index and middle fingers side by side, pointing them at the morphing Sloth.

Afterward, he lifted his sight skyward.

Up there loomed the vessel, beaming a sun-like brilliance that devoured the azure heavens.

…In theory, unleashing a incantation from afar like this defied possibility.

But—

[Meow-!]

Blackie’s aid made it feasible.

Perched on the vessel’s vast prow, Blackie cocked its head in puzzled display.

…In reality, Blackie couldn't wield spells.

Elaborate incantation patterns overwhelmed it— even simple math proved tough.

However, this particular incantation they unraveled differed.

Magic Bolt skipped complicated incantation patterns.

At its core, Magic Bolt simply— transformed mana nonstop into raw power without limits.

Cough—

Which meant, with boundless mana flow—

Blackie handling the incantation posed no issue.

Alon swung his focus back ahead.

Sloth’s shift approached its end.

Violet strands, capable of seizing any they grazed, churned everywhere.

His frame, forged from the dark domain, towered bigger than peaks.

And the ram-like skull bearing Sloth’s essence channeled its creepy mana to shift the violet radiance—

Shaping a enormous sphere overhead, resembling a falling star.

But no worry.

For Alon held absolute confidence.

This one assault—

“Sniper of Oblivion.”

Would strike Sin true.

As Alon whispered the phrase with iron resolve—

-!!!!!

The starry cloud plummeted.