Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 601: Direction (3)

The Karma seat of Salvation stared blankly at the violet space that was eroding space itself, then turned his gaze.

At the center of that erosion stood Deus.

BAM—!

Until just a moment ago.

BAM— CRAAACK—! BAM!

Deus, sent flying after being struck by something, tore across the ground wrapped in sunset light.

An attack power on a completely different level from the attack he had received last time.

On top of that, it had happened without any warning at all, so Deus, who had not even been able to respond properly, flew away far too helplessly and slammed into the ground.

Cough—!

Soon, he struggled to his feet.

Only one blow.

A single blow.

And yet.

Drip, drip—!

Deus’s condition had become so miserable that it would not be an exaggeration to say it had plunged to the worst possible state.

Red blood poured from his mouth.

The armor that had protected his body even in Peach Blossom Spring had not merely been horribly crushed, but shattered.

He was, in every sense, battered beyond recognition.

However, even while looking at Deus in that state, the Karma seat of Salvation thought with a head that had gone cold.

‘Nothing has changed.’

That was the assessment he made of Deus.

At first, when Deus had suddenly changed, the Karma seat had been flustered.

The sense of wrongness he had felt in that instant had been enough to call up caution.

But once he grew used to that sense of wrongness and looked at Deus again, if he evaluated him coldly, he was not that threatening.

The sensation of a human was not easy to feel.

No, he could feel it.

About half.

In other words, the human before him clearly had the form of a human, but was no longer human.

‘How strange.’

Half was human.

But while looking at Deus, who gave off a strange sensation in the other half, the Karma seat continued making his judgment.

[.......]

Also, his force was certainly much greater than before.

But that was all.

The sense of wrongness, and the strength as well.

Neither could give him any further impression.

In their world, it might be absolute, but to the Karma seat, it was a level without much meaning.

Deus’s strength was merely that much.

Tap—

The Karma seat’s figure disappeared.

No.

It would be more correct to say he appeared in front of Deus.

Because, as always, no process existed.

His second finger reached Deus’s forehead.

[In the end, nothing has changed.]

“Is that how it looks?”

Deus’s short answer.

The Karma seat did not answer.

He only lightly pushed Deus’s forehead.

And then.

Deus’s body disappeared.

────────────!!!!

Next, a mountain collapsed.

As though something had struck it directly.

The mountain that had been filled with red sunset light collapsed.

Watching the rocks crush and break one another as they fell, the Karma seat calmly moved his feet.

Casually knocking aside the rocks pouring down.

Clearing away the rising dust as naturally as breathing.

He stepped forward.

And when he reached that place, Deus was there.

[I helped your understanding. How is it?]

Deus was in such a miserable state that he could no longer even be described as battered beyond recognition.

His body was buried beneath the cliff and could not be seen, but the red blood seeping out from between the rocks seemed to tell the situation for him.

Even in that situation, however, Deus quietly looked up at the Karma seat.

“.......”

An exchange of gazes in silence.

[Does it not hurt?]

The one who first spoke in that silence was the Karma seat.

His voice had returned from cold disdain.

Perhaps it was a little pleasant.

Perhaps it was a little comfortable.

With that sort of voice, he spoke to Deus.

[No, of course it hurts.]

Deus did not speak.

However, the Karma seat continued the conversation as he pleased.

[It must be agonizing. It must hurt. You must want to run away right now.]

“.......”

The Karma seat stared fixedly at Deus.

The clown mask was still showing a smile.

[There is no hope for you now. Even if you continue on like this, there will only be endless pain anyway.]

“.......”

Deus still looked at the Karma seat without saying a word.

[Are you perhaps thinking you can just die?]

“.......”

[If you truly think that, then unfortunately for you, I told you, did I not? Death is “salvation.”]

[Do you really think I would grant you salvation?]

The Karma seat’s voice turned cold.

As though he had some kind of manic-depressive disorder, his tension rose and fell to a bizarre degree.

Tap—

The Karma seat’s finger touched Deus’s forehead once again.

Then he began to speak.

[But.]

As though threatening him.

[But you see.]

Devoutly.

[If you wish for salvation.]

Laying out his sermon.

[Then.]

Like a saint.

[I will save you.]

Yes.

[Because I am the savior.]

Like a savior.

He held out his hand.

Telling him to take this hand.

Telling him that without any more pain, he would let him enjoy comfort and happiness.

He extended his hand.

####

And Deus, who had been staring fixedly at him, quietly murmured.

“......As expected. Lord Alon was right.”

The spiral-shaped bow was fired.

And immediately after Penia’s magic was fired.

[How unfortunate.]

Even after taking Penia’s attack head-on, the Karma seat covered her face with her fan as though nothing had happened, and behind her, the root could be seen scattering cherry blossoms without a single injury.

“......Hoo— hoo—”

Alon, breathing roughly, clicked his tongue briefly.

‘Was it not enough?’

In truth, he had thought Penia’s attack might not work on the Karma seat.

But he had not expected even Blackie’s attack to fail.

Blackie’s attack had been weakened, but in the end, it was also Alon’s attack.

[It seems the consumption is severe?]

At the Karma seat’s voice, he followed it and looked ahead. She was still floating before the root’s eyes, smiling.

“Ah.......”

Penia’s voice came from beside him.

She seemed to have expected it already, but even so, hearing her drained voice, Alon assessed the Karma seat.

Strangely enough, even though she had just been attacked, the Karma seat’s expression looked rather pleased.

As though this situation was quite welcome.

“.......”

Was it arrogance born from being strong?

Or was there something else?

[But you are quite calm, aren’t you? Your companion disappeared.]

While he was thinking, the Karma seat’s voice, a little coquettish, reached him.

Alon knew who she was trying to talk about.

Deus, whom the Karma seat of Salvation had taken away.

“......Why ask that?”

[Mm—because, when I think about your personality, it would be strange for you not to be worried?]

The Karma seat’s words.

Seeing her smile with her eyes, as though watching Alon’s reaction, Alon remained silent, then answered.

“Because there is no need to worry.”

[Hmmm?]

At Alon’s calm answer, the Karma seat’s expression, which had been smiling with her eyes until just now, changed for an instant.

“......The current Deus, you see.”

Looking at that Karma seat, Alon let out a strange murmur and merely prepared his next magic.

####

As Deus listened to the Karma seat of Salvation asking as though he did not understand, he suddenly recalled a memory from several days ago.

‘Keep this in mind, Deus. Among us, the one with the highest chance of being dragged away by the Karma seat of Salvation is probably you.’

‘......Me, sir?’

‘Yes. There is a high chance the Karma seat of Salvation will not take me or Penia. I have Blackie, and Penia has already shown that she has an understanding of spatial magic.’

At Alon’s words in his memory, Deus showed doubt.

‘......Is merely showing that she has an understanding of it not unlikely to make the Karma seat cautious?’

It was a natural question.

But in response to that natural question, Alon remained silent for a moment, then spoke.

‘No, that is not it. That alone will be enough for that thing to exclude Penia and try to take you.’

‘......Why?’

‘Do you remember when we encountered the Karma seat of Salvation?’

‘I remember.’

‘How was it?’

At Alon’s question, Deus fell silent, then answered.

‘......It was futile.’

‘Why?’

‘Because that thing was strong enough to crush us to death like ants.’

At Deus’s words.

Alon nodded.

‘That is why.’

‘......That is why?’

‘Yes. As you saw, that thing is strong. It could have crushed people like us to death for amusement. But it did not. It clearly called us there to kill us, and yet it did not kill us. No—’

—he spoke the truth he had guessed.

And.

Recalling that truth.

“How about correcting that?”

[......What?]

“You are not playing with me. You are simply—”

Deus put the truth Alon had spoken into words.

“—unable to save someone unless they wish for salvation, aren’t you?”

At Deus’s words, the Karma seat, who had kept his finger on Deus’s forehead until just a moment ago, closed his mouth.

[.......]

A very long and heavy silence.

A situation where, without a single word, they only looked at each other.

The gaze behind the mask turned toward Deus.

The gaze beneath blood-soaked hair turned toward the Karma seat.

And then.

[Ha.]

The Karma seat of Salvation smiled.

[As expected, that bastard is unpleasant.]

A smile distorted without limit, visible even beyond the mask.

No.

A grimace.

And the next moment.

─────────────!!

Deus’s figure disappeared.

Along with it, the cliff exploded.

[But—]

Looking at Deus, who had been slammed far away along with an enormous crater.

[Even if you found that out, what changes?]

The Karma seat, who had once again arrived before him, pressed his finger into Deus’s heart with a grinning smile.

With a chilling CRRRRUNCH—! Deus’s body pierced into the inside of the cliff.

Along with that, the cliff that had remained as one cliff split in half.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaa──────────!!

With Deus sandwiched between them, it crushed him.

The crushed cliffs pressed down with a chilling sound.

[That’s right.]

The rocks burst.

[Nothing changes.]

The cliff was carved away.

[Nothing at all.]

And so, in the center of what was now effectively nothing but short piles of rock.

The Karma seat approached Deus once more.

Violet threads rose from the black-eroded ground, but as though none of that mattered, the Karma seat reached him lightly with only a step, then faced Deus, who was effectively covered in blood from head to toe.

[Is that not so?]

“.......”

At the Karma seat’s words, Deus lifted his gaze and looked at him.

His face was still painted with calm.

And then.

“......Hey.”

[.......]

“Do you remember what I said?”

[What?]

Deus opened his mouth.

“—I wanted myself to enter this place.”

Staring fixedly at the Karma seat.

And at the same time.

Tsst—

The violet threads that had begun flowing out of the twisted skein started wrapping around Deus.

Slowly.

But surely.

As though preparing a puppet play.

At the same time, the Karma seat of Salvation saw it.

Deus’s right arm slowly beginning to rise.

Far too slowly.

But surely.

It rose.

And finally, the right arm that had risen near his heart soon stretched out as though pointing at the Karma seat.

Along with that, the open hand curled inward, leaving only a single finger.

A blood-soaked index finger.

It pointed at the Karma seat.

And.

In that instant, the Karma seat realized.

The meaning of that finger.

Whom the man before him was imitating.

[.......]

The expression behind the mask twisted.

Of course, that was impossible.

To begin with, it made no sense for it to be possible.

Something that had never been possible from the start—

Tap—

—the Karma seat could not finish the thought.

Because Deus, who had been a complete mess until just now, had appeared before his eyes in an instant.

As though he had been there from the beginning.

And.

“Are you not curious about that reason?”

Because the index finger he had stretched out—

[!!]

—was touching the Karma seat’s forehead.