Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 606: Hol (1)

Some ruined castle.

“Ah—”

Black Eyes—

Along with Nataman’s low exclamation, the prisoner who had been silently still until just moments ago.

No, she opened her mouth.

“Why now?”

“No, I think the conclusion has been reached.”

Black Eyes’ words.

At that, the prisoner seemed to think blankly for a moment, then.

“Don’t tell me, I thought you were asleep because your eyes were closed all this time...... but you were watching that the whole time?”

“Well— yes?”

“......Um, sorry, but can I ask you one thing?”

“What?”

“You don’t, by any chance, love the same sex or seriously anything like that, right?”

At the words of the woman with tattoos drawn on her face, who wore a somewhat disgusted expression, Black Eyes made a face as though offended and—

“Don’t say things like that? Even for me, that’s a little much?”

“I’m saying it because, for someone who gets scratched by that, you look way too obsessed.”

“No, no— that’s not it. I think you’re misunderstanding something, but Alon and I are something that can’t be defined by the emotions of a mere human like that.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. Look, for example, right now, because I admire Alon so much, in order to become like him—”

Nataman said.

“—I’m deliberately not killing you.”

Chill—!

An answer that came out as if it were nothing.

However, at the terrifying pressure felt behind that answer, the woman’s eyes trembled for an instant.

“Ah— oh dear, sorry, sorry— I keep trying not to, but this just comes out by habit— it turns out like this.”

Black Eyes quickly smiled with his eyes, waved his hand, and continued.

“Alon wouldn’t do this even if something annoyed him. Goodness— I’m still lacking in all sorts of ways.”

Nataman clicked his tongue and murmured as if regretful, then soon turned his gaze.

Turning his gaze away from the prisoner, who had gone past feeling a chill and was now trembling faintly—

“Anyway, it isn’t that kind of emotion. This is, in a way, how should I put it—”

With those uniquely terrifying black eyes that reflected nothing, he looked beyond.

Nothing was reflected in the black pupils even now.

All that could be seen was a pitch-black abyss.

Even so, Nataman smiled pleasantly.

“Admiration.”

Revealing an endlessly satisfying sense of satisfaction across his entire face.

“Yes, admiration—”

He murmured like that.

“An admiration that makes me want to become like that no matter what.”

And, looking at the boundary of the otherworld that had begun to crack, he quietly recited.

####

Right after the scream that sounded like shock rang out.

The world stopped.

A world of silence where no sound could be heard.

───

The moment that soundless world broke.

────!

What appeared before their eyes was,

──────Kwa-dududududuk—!!!

the sight of the tree that had been scattering cherry blossoms bursting apart under Alon and Penia’s magic.

The sight of the tree’s trunk bursting apart as if being torn open.

The blow that had been made possible because all of that leeway had been focused on its own defense—

[Aaaaaaaaah—!!!]

brought down the Original.

Bang—! Crack! Bang—!

The enormous tree tilted and fell.

Along with it, the surroundings that had been blooming with fresh green sprouts until just moments ago slowly began to die.

The land died.

The fresh green grass turned ash-gray.

The petals flying through the sky crumbled into powder and vanished.

And so, Peach Blossom Spring collapsed.

As if everything that had happened only moments ago had been a lie.

Calmly.

Quietly.

Slowly—

“......”

Alon did not rashly open his mouth. He turned his gaze and looked toward the place where the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation had been.

Already, there were monsters there beginning to scatter into dust.

And among those monsters crumbling so emptily, he could see the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation looking at Alon with a hollow expression.

[To think it would end up like this again. I never imagined it.]

And yet, on the other hand, her expression looked a little relieved.

[Yes. This time, too, you won. Star Eater.]

Even after saying it herself, the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation let out a hollow laugh as though she found it absurd, and dropped the fan she had been holding in her hand.

The fan fell with a tap, touched the ground that was turning ash-gray, and disappeared so lightly it felt empty.

As though informing them that there would be no more attacks.

[It really is strange.]

“......”

[How you sacrifice yourself like that, and in the end, still save everyone.]

Maybe that is why that fool hated you so much, she murmured, and fell silent for a moment.

“Let me ask one thing.”

At Alon’s following words, the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation stared at him, then smiled and said.

[All right.]

“......What happens to Penia now?”

Alon’s question.

At that, the Karma seat wore a blank expression for a moment, then soon made an incredulous face.

[......That’s what you’re going to ask?]

“Yes.”

[Ha—]

At that answer from Alon, the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation looked at him with a somewhat fed-up expression.

No. It was different from a fed-up expression.

That expression was almost—

[Unbelievable.]

“......”

The Karma seat let out a small laugh and looked at Alon.

[I thought there would be a lot of things you wanted to ask—]

She looked at Alon.

With a gaze that felt extremely subtle.

And then, in that moment.

“......”

The body of the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation slowly began to crumble into powder and vanish.

[Ah—]

The Karma seat let out a low sigh as she watched her own body crumble emptily.

But that was only for a moment. As if what was meant to happen had happened, the Karma seat let out a short breath, looked at Alon, and spoke.

[You asked what will happen to that woman, didn’t you?]

“......Yes.”

[Is there any need to ask me? You already heard it before, didn’t you?]

The Karma seat spoke with a smile.

At that, Alon’s expression hardened, but the Karma seat paid no mind to his appearance and looked at Penia, who had at some point approached behind Alon.

It was not the bright face she wore when looking at Alon, but an inorganic expression that felt a little alien to call Penia’s usual expression.

Seeing that, the Karma seat let out a low sigh, as if looking forward to what would come next, and yet, on the other hand, very regretful.

[I’m curious. If only I could stay alive just a little longer, I feel like I’d be able to see it—]

“Shut up.”

Penia’s sharp rebuke.

However, the Karma seat still did not erase her smile, and after confirming that her own shoulder had at some point turned to powder and was crumbling away, she said.

[Well, do your best. It won’t change anything, though.]

With those words, she closed her eyes.

And Penia, who had been looking at the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation, opened her mouth.

“......I don’t know about you, but I won’t be like that.”

[Why? Because your talent is outstanding?]

The Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation sneered with a small laugh.

However, Penia still looked at her with a calm gaze.

“No. Because I have something you don’t.”

Then she opened her mouth.

At that, the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation stared blankly at Penia, then soon turned her gaze to the side and looked at the Star Eater.

The Star Eater.

And Penia, attached behind him.

[.......]

The body of the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation had crumbled up to below her neck before anyone realized it.

And then, at the very end.

[......How hateful, really—]

The Karma seat, who had been looking at Penia,

[Because you seem similar to me.]

left those words with a small murmur and completely vanished.

Watching that, Alon let out a sigh and turned his gaze as he thought of Penia and Deus, who still had not come out.

Bang—! Kwaaaaaang—!

At the sudden sound of an explosion ringing out, Alon and Penia turned their gazes.

“What......?”

And soon, Alon had no choice but to frown.

The Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation had definitely vanished.

That should have been the case, and yet—

■■■■■■■■■■■■■—!

The monsters of Peach Blossom Spring, which should only have been able to exist with her present, were now charging toward Alon from within that place that had returned to an ash-gray world.

“What is going on?”

“......Peach Blossom Spring still hasn’t closed properly.”

Alon muttered in confusion at the sight of the enormous number of monsters charging at them at a glance, and Penia answered.

“It hasn’t closed properly......?”

“Yes. The Original that maintained Peach Blossom Spring was destroyed, but— I think you can think of it as residue remaining.”

“......The kind that will all disappear once time passes?”

“Yes.”

Alon turned his gaze and looked at the monsters again.

......The monsters running toward them did not look like they were going to quietly disappear.

“......Looks like we’ll have to use a little more strength.”

Alon let out a sigh, but looked at Penia.

Because the words the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation had spoken a moment ago came to mind.

“I’ll help too—!”

But she was speaking brightly, as if the words the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation had said were a lie.

“......All right.”

So Alon decided to resolve the problem first.

####

Kuuuuuuung—! With a tremendous noise, the body of the monster that had been charging in with only its upper half remaining moments ago slammed into the desolate ground.

Along with that, the monster of Peach Blossom Spring began to slowly disappear into dust.

And it was not only that.

‘Is it finally all over now?’

Since the largest monster had been reduced to only its upper half, all the other monsters had already vanished. Only then did Alon let out a sigh, but he soon forced his body, which felt like it wanted to collapse at any moment, back upright.

He had dealt with the Karma seat of Immortal Cultivation, but now was still not the time to fall down.

Because Deus still had not returned from the Karma seat of Salvation.

“Peni—”

That was why Alon turned his gaze and looked at Penia.

“—a?”

And soon, his expression stiffened slightly.

“Ahaha—”

As Alon’s gaze went toward Penia, her dry laugh rang out.

An artificial laugh, as though she were trying to somehow get around the situation a little.

Alon stared blankly at her, then soon, without realizing it, his eyes widened.

“What—”

The reason was Penia’s condition.

No. Strictly speaking, Penia’s condition was not that strange.

Her blue hair dragging across the ground was the same.

The gaze that seemed to contain the Milky Way, ominous for some reason— yet, because he knew the one who had those eyes was Penia, he could pass it over without issue— was the same as well.

But one thing had changed.

‘Spatial distortion—!’

It was the space slowly opening behind Penia, as though trying to swallow her whole.

For a brief moment, Alon wore an expression that said he could not understand as he looked at the spatial distortion Penia had created again and again during the strange text phenomenon in the past.

Then his body instinctively used Reverse Heavens and reached out.

To save Penia, who looked as though she would be swallowed by the spatial distortion at any moment.

But—

“It’s all right, Lord Alon.”

“What......?”

At Penia’s words, as though she knew what he was going to do, Alon had no choice but to ask back despite himself.

However, even at Alon’s hollow question, Penia forced a smile onto her face, glanced slightly behind her, and spoke.

“I made this.”

Penia opened her mouth as if joking, saying that becoming a cultivator really did make her incomparable to before.

“......What are you talking about right now?”

At that, Alon opened his mouth with an extremely bewildered expression. But Penia still had a smile on her lips, and yet, on the other hand, she laughed awkwardly as if she felt ashamed.

“It looks like this is as far as I go.”