Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 473: Astarotte (4)

For how long had the subjugation of Astarotte been in progress? Alon perceived something unusual.

“...The sky has turned dark.”

“Indeed.”

Moments prior, even amidst the sky filled with countless Divine blood, the sun had valiantly pierced through any obscuring gaps. Now, however, it was gone. In its place, clouds of absolute blackness loomed overhead.

‘...Those do not appear to be ordinary clouds.’

They were far too dark to be classified as mere clouds. Alon gazed at them in silent contemplation before his attention shifted to Seollang. Similar to him, she was directing her gaze upward, as if observing something out of the ordinary. The further south they advanced—towards Astarotte's location—the more pronounced the darkness in the sky became. For an instant, Alon pondered if some entity lurked within those ominous clouds.

“Lord Alon, look over there—” Reacting to Evan’s voice, Alon turned his head. Soon, at the furthest edge of the horizon, he discerned ruins. It was a place where the evidence of past habitation was painfully evident, yet now, none resided there. Only the skeletal framework of walls remained, seemingly serving as a stark declaration of a former territory.

As both the Divine blood and Alon’s contingent surveyed the ruins—

“!”

Something materialized. Within the desolate ruins ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here), where only emptiness had been visible moments before, a Divine blood suddenly appeared. This was a Divine blood clad in black armor. For a fleeting moment, the subjugation force experienced confusion. Subsequently, their expressions contorted with disbelief.

[...What is that?]

From the completely barren ruins, black-armored Divine blood began to emerge in succession. First, two appeared. Then, four. Following that, eight. Soon, their numbers became so vast that enumeration was impossible. The subjugation force was thrown into disarray.

Naturally, they were bewildered. These Divine blood had not arrived from the horizon. They had simply materialized from thin air, as though conjured on the spot. And as the Divine blood stood frozen in astonishment—

[Attack—!]

Red Conviction, regaining its senses, issued a command. It might have been an impulsive decision, but the Divine blood charged forward without hesitation, hurtling towards the black-armored Divine blood. This action could be considered rash, but every individual understood: something was gravely amiss. Thus, as if by unspoken accord, their objectives aligned, and the subjugation force engaged the black-armored Divine blood.

───────────BOOOOM—!

The instant the Divine blood clashed, a terrifying sound reverberated. Had any ordinary human been in proximity, they would have been annihilated by the sheer force of the shockwaves alone. Explosions erupted in rapid succession, and before long, ghastly noises emanated from every direction. The battle had commenced.

####

The confrontation, which had ignited abruptly with the sudden appearance of the black-armored Divine blood, unfolded in a manner quite contrary to Alon’s expectations.

‘What is this…?’ A question formed in Alon’s gaze. Mere moments ago, he had been contemplating strategies for confronting Astarotte’s Divine blood. However, the unfolding situation deviated drastically from his projections. Even with the shared objective of subjugating Astarotte, he had anticipated significant casualties. Based on his existing knowledge, Astarotte represented a formidable adversary. But—

“...Lord Alon.”

“What is it?”

“...Isn’t this far too easy?”

Strangely, the battle proved to be significantly more one-sided than Alon had envisioned.

“......”

Alon directed his gaze forward. At the vanguard, Red Conviction and Clumped Eye were engaged in the ruthless annihilation of the black Divine blood. Yes—this was not a battle. It more closely resembled a massacre.

────────■■■■■!!!

A black Divine blood advancing on Red Conviction emitted a horrifying shriek. Its body began to dissolve. Crack—! The red Divine blood swiftly severed its neck as its armor and flesh distorted into a grotesque form. The scarlet cross suspended above Red Conviction’s head blazed with increased intensity as everything within its immediate vicinity disintegrated.

Thud—! Nearby, Clumped Eye was also dispatching the black-armored Divine blood with effortless grace. As if their adversaries were invisible, they swung their weapons blindly through empty space, only to be cut down with ease. The same held true elsewhere. A few Divine blood fell to the black ones. However, the overwhelming majority dominated them. It was far too simple.

And before long—

“...It’s over, isn’t it?” The engagement concluded. The resolution was far too anticlimactic, marked by the subjugation force’s conclusive victory.

‘...Does that even make sense?’ Alon observed the battlefield, utterly perplexed. The battle against Astarotte had culminated in an absolute triumph. Some were already commencing their celebrations. In a certain sense, this was not unexpected. According to the intelligence they possessed, Astarotte’s most powerful leader—the Descended One—was incapacitated, occupied with digesting fragments.

[......]

...Naturally, much like Alon, there were also those who regarded the swift conclusion with a frown of bewilderment.

“Master.” Seollang, who had been observing in silence, suddenly spoke.

“Those entities—they are identical to the ones encountered previously.”

“The ones from before?”

“Yes.”

At her nod, Alon looked momentarily blank.

Then he realized what she meant.

“The ones that felt like Divine blood, but weren’t?”

“Exactly.”

Seollang nodded.

Crack—

Something changed.

Subtle—but both Alon and Seollang saw it at the same time.

The corpses of the black-armored Divine blood, which had been lying cold on the ground—

were beginning to distort.

[...!]

Red Conviction, who had already found the situation suspicious, noticed it as well.

Crack-crack-crack—!

The corpses, now compressed into small spheres, suddenly shot off—

and began gathering in front of Red Conviction.

In an instant, the black masses converged, taking on a human-like form.

[!]

Red Conviction immediately struck, its cross blazing red as it brought its blade down.

BOOOOOM—!!!

A deafening explosion.

Power enough to obliterate an entire town was unleashed.

And yet—

All the Divine blood stared downward in shock.

Because—

there was a person standing there.

No—

it could not truly be called a person.

It wore tattered robes like a monk.

Its body was shriveled, like a dried corpse.

A hole pierced through the center of its chest.

It had a human shape.

But—

it had no head.

In its place were two spears.

The shafts of the spears crossed, embedded into its shoulders as though replacing a head—

and with a single finger, it blocked Red Conviction’s strike.

[The Descended One—]

Red Conviction spoke in shock.

[My brother’s ability does not have such a wide range. It also takes quite some time to deal damage.]

The old man’s voice rang out.

And the next moment—

Thud—!

Red Conviction’s head exploded.

A grotesquely massive thorn had pierced through it from behind the old man.

[!]

Clumped Eye immediately tried to retreat—

But—

Tsk—

The old man was already in front of it.

[My brother cannot use that ability unless contact is made.]

With that—

Crack—!

A fist slammed into its body.

Thud—!

Its heart burst instantly.

The Divine blood froze at the shocking sight.

But only for a moment.

[My brother’s ability becomes meaningless if focus is not maintained.]

As if it had been waiting, the old man—the Descended One—began killing them one by one.

[My brother’s ability is powerful, but easy to avoid.]

One by one—

[My brother’s ability—]

Calmly—

“!”

In that moment, Alon realized two things.

One—

the information the subjugation force had was wrong.

And the other—

Thud—

why the Descended One had created those black-armored Divine blood, fully aware they would lose.

‘To figure out their abilities...!’

The moment Alon realized that, the old man stopped.

No—

not stopped.

More precisely, it had finished its initial sorting.

It had eliminated those who had used their abilities in the earlier fight.

“......”

Alon realized that most of the Divine blood now lying dead had been the ones slaughtering Astarotte’s forces at the front lines just moments ago.

[Let me make you an offer, brothers.]

The Descended One spoke.

[Why not serve the great Astarotte?]

Calmly.

[If you abandon the path of heresy and serve Astarotte, we would gladly welcome you as one of us. Just like those before you.]

It was—

a strange proposal.

[Those before... you?]

[Yes. Like your comrades.]

[...You mean the ones you killed?]

One of the Divine blood asked, frowning.

[Kill? No. Of course not.]

The Descended One shook its head.

[They have simply become brothers.]

[What kind of—]

The Divine blood began to retort—

Then froze.

Because—

the corpses that had been spilling blood just moments ago—

had disappeared.

And—

[Look.]

They were reappearing.

[See? Alive. As servants for Astarotte.]

Clad in black armor.

[Within me.]

And then—

[...This is insane—]

[Impossible—]

[The information—]

A strange tension and fear spread among the Divine blood.

They had all witnessed it.

The leaders Red Conviction and Clumped Eye—

killed instantly.

Of course, the force gathered here had not lost all its strength.

Even if those two were strong, they were not overwhelmingly beyond the rest.

But still—

fear, once born from witnessing such overwhelming deaths—

was not easily suppressed.

[...Don’t tell me— you devoured even the Divine blood that follow you?]

[Choose your words carefully, brother. They have simply become one. For the sake of welcoming Him.]

The incorrect information only deepened the confusion—

and the fear.

“...Shouldn’t we run, even now?”

“This is seriously bad.”

Even Evan and Penia could not hide the fear in their eyes.

But—

Alon, who had been silently watching, turned to Seollang.

She looked back at him.

Saying nothing.

And finally—

after finishing his thoughts—

“...That won’t be necessary.”

Alon spoke.

With quiet certainty.