Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 603: Direction (5)

[—For the cultivator who can succeed me.]

“......What?”

At those words, Alon had no choice but to ask that before he realized it.

Because the words that came from her mouth seemed to dismiss Alon’s guesses far too lightly.

But even at Alon’s question, the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation merely smiled.

[Star Eater, you kept wondering, didn’t you? Why I’m abnormally strong.]

“.......”

That was true.

To begin with, what Alon had been curious about regarding the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation was not her purpose, but why she was that strong.

At Alon’s silence, the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation smiled as though amused.

Then.

[But that’s only natural. My restriction is death, you see.]

“......Death?”

Penia frowned and asked back at the Karma seat’s words.

At that, the Karma seat nodded.

[Yes, death. The moment this barrier closes, I disappear.]

She spoke of her own death as though it were nothing.

“.......”

Alon looked at the Karma seat’s expression.

She was still smiling.

A smile far too calm, unlike the words she had just spoken.

That smile was so peaceful that, at a glance, it almost made the Karma seat’s words feel like a lie, but Alon soon had no choice but to realize it naturally.

The Karma seat’s words were not a lie.

Her strength was abnormal.

The space she had unfolded was the same.

Even more so than the Karma seat of Salvation, who was presumed to have placed countless restrictions on himself in order to obtain that power that looked like omnipotence.

However, if the restriction of that space had been created with her own death as the restriction—

“.......”

It was enough to understand.

This abnormal space.

And that abnormal strength.

“......Why would you go that far?”

Alon threw out the question.

A Karma seat was one who advanced toward omniscience and omnipotence, toward reaching godhood, as the next stage after Divine blood.

So why was she walking a path that denied everyone’s premise?

[Why, you ask?]

“......Was your goal not to reach godhood?”

At Alon’s question, the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation smiled.

[That’s only what you think.]

“.......”

[Do you think all Karma seats are the same? No, no. No, Star Eater, you’ve misunderstood something. Back then and now.]

“.......”

[You know? The world isn’t as one-dimensional as you think.]

The Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation murmured that and lightly shook the fan that had been covering her mouth.

A very small movement.

However—

■■■■■■■■■■■■—!!!

What appeared along with that small movement was not small at all.

“That’s—”

“......Monsters! And the bosses that only appear at night—!”

Alon looked around.

He could see bosses pushing their faces out like they were crawling up from hell, turning the foundation of Peach Blossom Spring into a wasteland.

Each one possessed power roughly comparable to Divine blood, and they were rising around Bon and Alon’s group, each displaying a grotesque appearance.

[Now then, since I’ve told you all of my purpose, shall we go a little further?]

Among those bosses, the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation—

No,

the cultivator opened her mouth.

[I’ll make you an offer now.]

“.......”

[Hand over the friend beside you.]

“......What?”

[Mm? Don’t tell me you thought I was going to make you into a cultivator? As if—]

The cultivator laughed and flicked her fan, then continued.

[Unfortunately, although you can become stronger here, you cannot become a cultivator. Obviously—how could you succeed me when you already have your own law? But—]

The cultivator’s eyes turned toward Penia.

[She is different.]

“.......”

[I guarantee it. The one beside you, that is—was her name Penia? She has more than enough talent. Even more than that one you brought with you “last time.”]

[So hand her over. If you do, I’ll end everything here. I’ll pass my power to her and disappear, and she’ll obtain my power. How about it? Isn’t that good?]

The cultivator wore a deep smile, as though the very thought delighted her.

However, Alon answered firmly.

“I refuse.”

At a glance, her words sounded extremely good.

A Karma seat’s power was mighty, and even if the law itself would be sealed, the power she displayed had already surpassed ordinary Divine blood.

But Alon knew.

There was nothing in this world without a price.

[Why?]

“Because there is no power without a price.”

At Alon’s words, the cultivator looked at him with a hmmm—expression and answered.

[The price isn’t that great. She’ll merely lose all her memories up to now and gain the heart of a cultivator. Nothing else will change, you know? Ah—]

Snicker.

[Weeell—getting close to her would be hard. After all, a cultivator’s heart is a little cold.]

At the sight of the smiling cultivator, Alon used Reverse Heavens as though there was no need to listen any further.

Woooong—!

Stars rose in the night sky.

The cultivator’s smile stopped as she watched Alon.

[Ah, my—now that I think about it, that’s true.]

[Right.]

The expression she made next looked slightly as though she had slipped up.

The words that came right after were—

[......You people considered things like that important, didn’t you?]

Just that.

As though she had failed to think of it.

[Ah—I always forget.......]

At the sight of the Karma seat expressing regret as though she could not recognize whether that was truly important, Alon realized once again.

That the thing before his eyes was not human, but a Karma seat.

[Well, honestly, I was planning to persuade you smoothly because dealing with the aftermath is bothersome, but now that it’s turned out like this, there’s no helping it.]

The Karma seat, who had been murmuring regretfully, soon let a smile appear around her mouth again.

[I’ll have to make her receive it by force.]

The moment Alon frowned at those words from the Karma seat—

“Ah—”

At the voice that came from beside him, Alon turned his gaze.

And he could soon see Penia, who had let out that single murmur.

“......!?”

The lotus flowers that had begun wrapping around her body—

####

“This is—!”

Penia came to her senses with a low exclamation and twisted her body, belatedly trying to escape from that place. Alon, who had recognized the lotus flowers, immediately used the Lightning God Form.

All of that happened in less than a single second.

However—

Crackle—!

Alon’s Lightning God Form, bizarrely, could not reach inside the lotus where Penia was and bounced away.

“!”

Penia, who had been twisting her body to get out, ended up trapped inside the lotus that began to close without being able to take any real action.

The final moment when their eyes met—

Within that moment.

“Lord Alon—”

Penia looked at Alon.

And just like that.

The lotus closed.

“......Ha.”

Alon stared blankly at the lotus, at something that had happened far too instantly.

[What was that action? Don’t tell me you thought I would quietly disappear?]

As though mocking Alon, the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation smiled round and round.

[As if that would happen. I’m risking my life too, you know. Well—but there’s no need to look so gloomy.]

“.......”

[I told you, didn’t I? She isn’t dying. She’ll simply be born again. As a cultivator, that is.]

[Strength? She’ll already be born as a cultivator and become dozens of times stronger than she is now. On top of that, through Immortal Cultivation, she’ll be able to grow several times faster than a human can.]

[Lifespan? Even that will increase to a degree humans would find ridiculous. So shouldn’t you be happy instead? Mm—of course, she won’t remember you, and she’ll become a little more violent.]

Smile.

[Still, compared to what she gains, it’s a cheap price, isn’t it?]

“.......”

The words of the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation reached him.

However, Alon was not listening to her words.

The only thing he was thinking of was the end.

The final moment when Penia was trapped inside the lotus.

He remembered that end.

The moment the lotus rose.

She had opened her eyes wide and tried to escape, only to stop, look at Alon,

softening the corners of her stiff mouth,

wearing a smile that was not fully formed.

‘Lord Alon.’

......As though to reassure Alon.

‘Don’t worry.’

Only Penia’s voice, speaking like that, was replaying in his mind.

[Hmm—I don’t know if this is something to get that depressed over? Well, if you’re that depressed, you can go in there instead before she comes out of that lotus—but I’ll say this now, you can’t. You already—]

“Or—”

Alon cut off the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation.

The Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation looked down at Alon with an mm? expression, though she still did not erase her round, smiling grin.

However.

“—I can just make you disappear.”

The instant he said that—

Tuk—

The Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation’s smile stopped.

Was it because of what Alon had said?

No.

Then was it because some other abnormality had occurred?

No.

The reason she suddenly stopped smiling—

was because.

[.......]

On Alon’s face, which had been close to expressionless,

she felt anger.

An anger far too clear.

Just like back then──────

And the instant she realized that.

[!]

The Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation saw stars rising in the night sky.

One to two.

Two to four.

Four to eight.

Eight to sixteen.

The stars multiplied.

Swish—

However, along with the Karma seat’s fan being swung, the thunderstorm that began pouring down again started erasing the stars.

Just as it had before, far too emptily.

They disappeared.

......They should have disappeared.

[......?]

The Karma seat looked up at the sky with a puzzled expression.

The thunderstorm was still striking down.

Killing the stars.

Falling to the ground.

However.

The stars that should clearly have disappeared because of the thunderstorm—

did not disappear.

They did not disappear.

They multiplied.

The stars multiplied.

Multiplied.

Endlessly.

Filling the pouring thunderstorm.

Avoiding the pouring thunderstorm.

The pouring thunderstorm—

[!?]

—devouring it.

The Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation looked down at the ground.

There, she could see Alon.

Alon, forming hand seals as red tears of blood flowed from both eyes.

The instant she realized that—the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation tried to swing her fan again, but—

Tuk—!

[......What is this—]

Her body stopped.

As though it had been caught in a restriction.

‘This is the one from earlier—!’

The Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation realized what magic she had been caught in.

It was surely the magic that had stopped her movements earlier.

It had to be that.

But it was strange.

The magic was clearly the magic the Star Eater had shown just now.

Yes.

That had to be the case.

Wooooong—!

The stars did not decrease.

Without decreasing,

they continued increasing.

And the instant she recognized that.

“Radiance.”

The phrase was recited from Alon’s mouth.

“Extinction.”

The stars that had been giving off pure white light began shining red all at once.

“Red Flame.”

The red-shining light soon became a burning crimson flame hot enough to scorch, illuminating the dark night brightly.

And then—

Third-tier magic.

The original form of Fire Burst.

“Light of Annihilation.”

Annihilating Flame Vault.

─────────────!!!!!

The world began to burn.