Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 366 : On Sin (4)
Previously on Became the Patron of Villains...
Time itself froze.
Seconds earlier, the crimson sky had choked with dust, but now it was completely gone.
Taking its place was—pure darkness.
An abyssal void, an emptiness devouring the entire heavens.
Within this dominating spectacle, Alon fixed his eyes on the entity ahead.
Truthfully, none of this made any sense.
He couldn't figure out why he'd gone from standing on the ship moments ago to being on solid ground now.
He also failed to grasp what the creature in front of him really was.
From what Alon recalled, even the Sin of Wrath in its second phase never looked like this.
Alon stared vacantly at the figure before him.
It felt more otherworldly than any sin he'd encountered.
The knightly form standing there lacked the brilliance or majesty of the others.
It held no overwhelming destructiveness like the rest.
It was merely—silent.
Like peering into an abyss through the cracks in its armor.
With just one arm gripping a lone greatsword, its stance was serene—far too serene.
That serenity only heightened its menace.
[Let me ask you again.]
As that idea flickered through his thoughts, a voice resounded.
Alon shifted his attention to it instinctively.
[Can you bear the burden of sin?]
The question matched the previous one.
A serene inquiry, echoing softly in his ears, hollow like the gaps between the armor plates.
Yet Alon remained unable to reply.
He didn't get the meaning behind those words.
He couldn't identify the entity facing him either.
Nothing like it existed, not even in Psychedelia.
That's why—
“What are you... exactly?”
Alon questioned back.
For a moment, the being simply regarded him quietly before responding.
[Why ask what you already know?]
It whispered gently, then gazed down at him.
[I am the Sin of Wrath. And at the same time—]
It raised its lone arm.
[—I am the One Who Bears It.]
Woooom—!
The exposed bony arm lifted, and the greatsword glowed with red light.
“Master!”
“My lord!”
With the glow came the voices of Seolrang and Radan, charging toward him.
In a flash, they positioned themselves between Alon and the One Who Bears.
But—
Crack!
Rather than slashing, the blade plunged into the earth.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gaaak!
The ground cracked wide as enormous spikes shot upward—giant thorns capable of impaling a beast entirely, exploding outward and ripping the terrain apart.
Cries from soldiers mixed with the hideous rumble of breaking earth.
And then—
“Are you all right, Master?!”
“I’m fine.”
The terrain had morphed into a sprawling web of twisting vines.
Saved by Seolrang, Alon glanced at the distant One Who Bears.
And there it was—
Lifting its sword once more, hovering majestically in the air.
Its stare locked straight on him.
[Let the trial begin.]
The One Who Bears intoned quietly, its sword releasing a faint blue mist.
[Let us see whether you can truly bear our burden.]
Craaaack!
A eerie noise rang out as the void engulfing the sky started to splinter.
One fracture.
Then two.
Then four—
Quickly, innumerable cracks spiderwebbed across the blackened sky.
And with glass-like shattering—
[Whether you can save this world.]
—the Milky Way emerged.
It dominated the night sky, immense and unprecedented, a view unseen by any soul.
[And whether this world truly needs to be destroyed.]
Against the glowing cosmos—
[Prove it.]
The One Who Bears hoisted its greatsword and proclaimed.
***
Even the soldiers who'd screamed in panic earlier, the knights shaking as they gripped their blades, the mages pondering fresh barriers— all eyes locked on one spot.
On the One Who Bears, poised grandly with a single sword, outlined by the stars.
All present understood.
They recognized the entity as a monster.
A disaster able to squash them like insects whenever it chose.
Yet— no one averted their gaze.
Why?
Did its awe-inspiring presence captivate them?
Its sheer dominance?
Its embodiment of despair?
Or perhaps fear gripped them?
A strange liberation from it?
Pity evoked by it?
Alon willed his reeling mind to steady.
He still hadn't fathomed what it truly was.
No—maybe it was inevitable he couldn't.
Its being, its statements— all defied his understanding.
Alon knew Psychedelia's conclusion involved purging every Sin.
After that, sin would lift from the world, ushering in peace—a joyful end.
That was Psychedelia's finale as Alon remembered it.
But this entity spouted something utterly contrary to his knowledge.
Can you bear the burden of sin...? Can you save the world...?
To Alon, such phrases rang hollow.
Suddenly, a recollection stirred within him.
"What I wanted to protect... was humanity."
The Sin of Sloth's final utterance before defeat.
Alon's gaze turned intricate as he remembered and eyed the figure anew.
Honestly, mysteries still abounded for him.
But one certainty stood out—
—something lay beyond his prior knowledge.
And thus.
“Seolrang.”
“Yes, Master.”
Regardless of lingering doubts.
Irrespective of truths unveiled.
His duty stayed unwavering.
“Get ready.”
Alon needed to halt it.
Failure meant ruin.
The moment Alon dipped into his coat, the One Who Bears moved its hand at last.
Crunch!
The crystal orb in Alon's grasp exploded.
A piercing tone reverberated through the whole ruin.
It was a pre-set signal with the Allied Forces—upon hearing it amid unforeseen chaos, every unit must withdraw instantly.
As the signal burst from Alon's palm, troops yelled and scattered together.
And then—
“!?”
The Sins materialized.
The Sin of Envy, hidden until now, ascended with eight enormous arms.
The Sin of Greed, felled before at Fildagreen, reemerged with countless spinning wings.
A figure remade via Ashtalon’s Black Calamity.
And Greed's haughty black dragon, yielding to none.
They assembled their forms, soon appearing in complete glory.
“This is insane—”
“Th-that’s—!”
Dread swept through the soldiers' lines.
That horror infected the withdrawing forces like a plague.
However—
Alon, who'd grimaced like everyone else, composed himself swiftly.
These Sins weren't authentic.
Despite appearances, their hue differed—pale and ashen, akin to the ground's spikes.
The power they radiated paled against the real Sins.
Of course, relatively speaking—they remained horrors by standard metrics.
BOOM!
Greed's dragon disappeared instantly, streaking toward Asteria’s troops faster than sight.
Quicker than light, swifter than mind—no reaction possible.
Fleeing soldiers never noticed.
Even the frontline commander couldn't process it.
In that split second—
Greed slashed its talon down.
Crack!
Until halted.
ZZZZZAAAP!
Golden lightning flared, lighting the ashen dragon.
Within shone a golden-bodied man, expressionless—the Thunder God.
“Rang-chang... rang-chang—”
Time—
“Lightning Strike.”
—flowed again.
BOOOOOOM!
In an imperceptible blink, Seolrang's kick hurled Greed's dragon away, smashing through thorny ground.
As if signaled, other Sins lunged too—yet none prevailed.
“Just as expected.”
Radan faced the coiling Sin of Envy, smirking assuredly.
“I’ve already mapped out their movements.”
Around the Sin of Greed unfurling wings, countless—nay, thousands—of golden coffins materialized midair.
“I won’t let that happen.”
And over Sloth's domain, tardily retracting, purple strands wove chaotically.
Each champion confronted their assigned adversary.
Though Sins were restrained, the odds stayed grim.
Even containing them left no one to challenge the One Who Bears.
And even then, triumph wasn't assured.
These puppet Sins wielded partial might still.
They could be stalled briefly, but not vanquished fully.
Despite that awareness, Alon's face stayed composed.
For among the fighters, others could tackle Sins too.
BOOM—!
A ominous black energy expanded everywhere.
From it, a shadowy limb emerged, grabbing the Sin clawing at golden coffins.
“Change of plans.”
Ryanga, with twisted horns pulsing dark sorcery, slammed Greed's advancing form, blasting a huge dark surge.
Shhhhk!
Slicing the dark filaments holding back domains, a steely-eyed woman—Historia—advanced.
Thus, equilibrium returned.
And then—
“My Lord.”
“Yutia?”
“I’ll help too. I’m confident in defense.”
Yutia stepped in.
“All right.”
White radiance spilled from her palm.
“...Diffraction.”
Combat ignited.
And shortly after—
RRRRRRRRRR—!
The Milky Way blazed.
Brighter than ever before.
