I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 342  [Event] [Dolphian Kingdom Under Ruins] [28] Where Is She?

"I thought you were dead! How?!" Reiner's voice seethed with anger.

Navas glared at his younger brother, his form blurring with intensity.

-BAM!

In an instant, he appeared before Reiner, his kick blocked by Reiner's trembling arm. The resulting shockwave sent tremors through the stadium, damaging the protective pillars imbued with mana.

"How can you attack our own kingdom?!" Reiner's accusation echoed, his sword slicing through the air, conjuring waves of water in an attempt to sever Navas's head. But Navas countered with his own manipulation of mana.

"It's ironic to hear that from the man who killed his own elder brother," Navas retorted, a chilling smirk playing on his lips.

Reiner's fists clenched. "You sought chaos for our kingdom. I did what was necessary."

"Chaos? I aimed to restore our kingdom to its former glory, to the heights of Sancta Vedelia. Look at what you've become, what our kingdom has become. It's pathetic," Navas scoffed.

-BAM!

Navas's fist connected with Reiner's cheek, sending him hurtling to the ground, the impact gouging deeply into the earth.

"Do you even hear yourself?!" Reiner staggered to his feet, blood trickling from his mouth. "The only time our kingdom reached the summit was to bring shame to our house!"

He vanished, sword slicing through the air as he pursued Navas relentlessly. Tendrils of water followed, attempting to pierce Navas's body in vain.

"Have you forgotten what Deborah Dolphis did to Sancta Vedelia?! There's no pride or good memories from what she caused!" "..."

"The Third Holy War!"

-BOOOM!

"She brought only destruction and death with Xenos Arvatra!" Reiner's voice thundered with fury.

Navas sidestepped each of Reiner's strikes, his gaze icy as he regarded his brother. "I thought you would have grown wiser and understood my intentions over the years, but you remain as narrow-minded as ever.

"SHUT IT!!!" Reiner's voice boomed.

-BOOOOOM!

Drawing strength from Anuket, tendrils of water enveloped Reiner, forming a magnificent armor around him. With a gesture, he conjured a greatsword made of water.

"You wreaked destruction here, endangering your own niece and nephew! Why? For your own selfish desires?!" Reiner shouted.

-BOOOM!

"You aligned yourself with Behemoth! The ones who killed Rhys! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!" Reiner's voice shook with emotion as he brought up the tragic death of Rhys Teraquin, the former King of the Teraquin's Kingdom.

Navas remained unmoved, continuing to evade Reiner's attacks.

"Take this! Anuket's Divine Floods!" Reiner unleashed a torrent of dangerous energy.

Even a 9th Ascension wouldn't emerge unscathed.

Navas extended his hand. "I'm only here for the Third Horn of Behemoth."

"What?!" Reiner's complexion drained of color.

An ominous aura emanated from Navas, his arms bulging and horns sprouting from his forehead.

Reiner's attack was effortlessly nullified.

'The Horn...!'

Until this moment, Reiner believed the Horn was secure, known only to him and his wife.

There had been a glimmer of hope when Reiner relocated the Horn after Navas's previous attempt to seize it years ago. But now, a sense of foreboding gripped him.

His sharp eyes caught sight of his castle, now reduced to ruins, smoke billowing ominously.

'Even if they destroy the palace, they shouldn't be able to reach–!'

Reiner's thoughts were interrupted as he searched for his wife.

"Doria has already been captured, Reiner. It's over," Navas said.

Reiner's hands trembled with worry for his wife and simmering anger. Yet, he remained confident in Doria's loyalty. So why was Navas so assured?

"…!"

Suddenly, a palpable sense of dread filled the air, a dangerous wave of Prana emanating from the palace.

"NOO!!!" Reiner's cry of horror echoed as he propelled himself toward the palace without hesitation.

-BOOOOOM!

His mighty sword shattered upon Navas's strike, and he was hurled backward, obliterating several buildings in his path.

Navas's lips curled into a twisted smile as he surveyed the palace. "I... I can feel it. Deborah. Your legacy."

***

John's memories of Earth were sparse, overshadowed by the few precious moments he shared with Shayna. Despite the murder of his parents' murder and the subsequent separation from Shayna as she underwent rehabilitation, she remained a beacon of light in his otherwise bleak existence.

In the absence of friends or family, Shayna became John's sole companion, their conversations a source of solace in the midst of his solitude. Though his own life held little of interest to share, Shayna's tales of college and her newfound friendships filled their exchanges with warmth and vitality.

Among her circle of acquaintances, Shayna often spoke of a man and a girl, her affection for the former evident, while her feelings toward the latter were more complex, tinged with a mixture of admiration and uncertainty.

Then, in an instant, everything changed. The news of Shayna's untimely death shattered John's world, leaving him adrift in a sea of grief and confusion. Despite his best efforts to uncover the truth behind her death, he found himself mired in a web of unanswered questions and inexplicable tragedies.

Rumors circulated of multiple student deaths at Shayna's college, hinting at a sinister undercurrent lurking beneath the surface. Yet, as an outsider with no influence or connections, John felt powerless to act.

Amidst Shayna's belongings, a lone memento caught his attention—a peculiar game she had often mentioned in passing. John didn't know why but he found himself drawn to the allure of this game, a tangible link to the world Shayna had left behind.

He began immersing himself in these Games as a way to cope with the pain of losing Shayna. What started as a distraction soon spiraled into an addiction, drawing him deeper into a virtual world.

The more he played, the more he marveled at the details and realism of the game's interactions, despite feeling a growing sense of unease. Despite this, he couldn't tear himself away.

Then, unexpectedly, he found himself thrust into the game as a young boy, experiencing its world firsthand. In this new reality, he found solace in a makeshift family, though it was not without its own troubles. His mother figure was gone, his father distant, and his sister enamored with a dangerous prince.

Just as he contemplated drastic action, he encountered another anomaly: Edward Falkrona, the main antagonist from the game's sequel, behaving strangely and looking different.

Despite his initial indifference towards Edward and the Second Game, his primary goal remained saving Layla from a tragic fate. Yet, to his surprise, he discovered that Edward had inadvertently aided Layla's survival.

Finding an unexpected ally in Edward, he took action in the Holy Garden of Eden, a moment where he helped Edward killing the King's younger brother. It was his own way to thank and apologize to Edward. Then together, they were transported to Sancta Vedelia, but amidst their mission to secure a happy ending in the game, he couldn't shake the ache of missing his family, especially his sister and father.

But they had to do it.

Their plan was clear: to rewrite the game's narrative, preventing further tragedies like Elona's and Thomen's deaths. Nothing else was planned, at least for him.

Yet Amelia appeared. It was already too late to draw back and he had no intention to do it anymore. ***

"How many monsters is this cursed Academy raising…" Nora muttered under her breath as she slipped stealthily out of the Palace.

She struggled to contain her presence upon sensing Victor's overwhelming mana, realizing he was overpowering Kara.

Their plan had been to strike during the exam, silencing the strongest opponents like Reiner Dolphis and James Raven in the stadium while taking students hostage. Meanwhile, they would infiltrate the castle miles away.

But some students had foolishly abandoned the safety of the stadium, rushing straight toward the Palace in search of them. It was a suicidal move.

"Kara might lose but… Lomar."

Nora's lips twisted into a sadistic smile as she dragged Doria by her dress along the ground.

Outside the castle, chaos reigned. Homes and shops were ablaze, and knights battled against overwhelming odds.

"Huh…"

Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down Nora's spine.

She gazed ahead and froze.

Someone was approaching her.

A dark red aura emanated from him, something more sinister than mana.

The young man had oddly floating white hair and deep red eyes fixed directly on her.

"You…" She recognized him immediately.

"How are you still alive…" She instinctively took a step back.

Lomar's poison should have ended him.

It would take skilled healers or months of recovery, even if he had been saved in time.

"...where is she?" John's voice echoed strangely.

Nora wasn't naive; she knew exactly whom he meant.

"D-Do you think I'll tell you?" Nora's smirk failed to conceal her deep unease.

Every instinct screamed at her to flee in order to survive.

John raised his gaze.

His figure suddenly blurred.

"...!"

-Spurt!

Nora instinctively dodged, but something brushed against her cheeks.

"W-What is that?!" She touched her cheeks, now stained with a dark red hue. Then, a searing pain shot through her skin.

"First Curse of Hecate."

As John muttered those words, the dark red stain spread across her entire face.

"HYAARGGHH!!!" Nora's scream pierced the air as she felt her skin boiling at unbearable temperatures.

"Where is she?" John asked again, appearing before her with cold eyes.

"..!" Nora released her grip on the Queen and leaped away.

"Second Curse of Hecate."

"W-What?!" Dark red hands seized Nora's legs, pulling her back to the ground.

Her boots vanished, her feet now coated in the same dark red hue.

Unable to stand, she collapsed to her knees, eyes wide with terror.

"Where is she?" John repeated, looming over her.

"I-I...can't...Lord N-Navas will kill...me..." Nora managed to choke out between tears.

"Third Curse of Hecate." John's voice was low as objects began to fall from his dark red aura.

They were tiny dark red snakes, wriggling and squirming as they fell from John's aura. They all converged toward Nora, slithering up her body.

"NOOO!" Nora tried to flee, but the hands still gripped her ankles tightly.

The snakes crawled over her skin, their movements slow and deliberate as they seeped into her flesh.

"....!!!!"

Nora's mouth opened wide in a silent scream, drool trickling down her chin.

She was unable to vocalize her agony as the pain surpassed comprehension. Her body burned from within, yet her organs remained intact, held together by John's curses. They were slowly consumed, eaten away from the inside.

John regarded this sight with total indifference as he asked again.

"…Where is she?"