I Became the Patron of Villains

153. Assault (4)

Alon knew nothing about the essence of the Golden Mane Tribe.

It was natural.

In the game Psychedelia, the essence of the Golden Mane Tribe was not used in such a way, but was merely an artifact that increased the player’s critical hit rate.

Even so, the reason he could advise Seolang was because he had confirmed it.

The array of pure magic that Seolang possessed began to twist abnormally, soon climbing up her body in a nonlinear pattern.

Originally, it was impossible for Alon to see that form.

The same went for other wizards.

Even the tower master who had reached the 8th rank.

Usually, it was possible to perceive the opponent’s magic, but it was impossible to know how the opponent’s magic moved.

But now, Alon could.

It must have been since he fought with Duke Komalon. He could faintly see the opponent’s magic array.

However, he hadn’t properly realized that fact until recently.

No, he didn’t take it seriously.

Even though the opponent’s array was faintly visible, it wasn’t detailed, and that level of detail wasn’t particularly helpful for magic research or combat.

But at this moment, Seolang’s magic array was too vivid.

For some reason, it was as if she had awakened.

That’s why Alon could give such advice to Seolang.

Seolang had reached the 6th stage.

Crackle-!

Alon stared blankly at her.

Seolang, who was looking down at the Apostle of Pride, her whole body dyed in golden light.

That appearance was so awe-inspiring that even Alon let out a low exclamation.

Just as she was about to strike again.

“Ha-!”

Seolgak moved his body.

Crackle-!

He stepped back, emitting black lightning different from Seolang’s, and frowned.

At the moment Seolang awakened, he couldn’t respond and got hit, causing his right arm to completely disappear.

“Ugh-!”

Seolgak barely grabbed his bleeding arm.

Grit-!

But instead of expressing pain, his face was filled with anger.

“…Alright, I admit it, you got me. Little sister. But still-“

Crackle-!

“Nothing will change.”

Similarly, he wrapped himself in black lightning like a cloak and charged at Seolang.

The black thunder began to strike.

####

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gak-!!!

Seolgak, who struck down the black thunder from above the colony and charged at Seolang, hit her body with such speed that even Seolang couldn’t perceive it.

Seolang, unable to react to the speed that far surpassed human limits, allowed the attack.

However, contrary to the situation, Seolgak’s expression hardened.

In that instant, he realized that Seolang had raised her hand to offset the impact.

Seolgak gritted his teeth and racked his brain filled with anxiety.

‘Now is the only chance.’

He knew.

What the Thunder God transformation meant to the Golden Mane Tribe.

He also knew that despite receiving the power of that being, he could never reach that state.

It twisted his insides.

What arose was inferiority.

And fear.

More than anything, he had longed for that state.

He had sacrificed his entire family without hesitation, even his younger brother, to serve as the vessel for that being’s power, so he already knew.

Now that Seolang had reached that state, he could never win.

Therefore.

‘Before that guy adapts to the Thunder God transformation- I must kill him…!’

Seolgak opened his magic with bloodshot eyes.

The overwhelming magic he received from that being devoured his body in an instant, granting him strength he could never have reached otherwise.

But strength without reason comes with a price.

The excessive power beyond his capacity began to devour and even collapse Seolgak’s body.

Nevertheless, he used his ability without hesitation.

The power bestowed by the sin of great pride allowed him to overwhelm most of the strong in this world, but…

This was not enough to reach that golden god.

He had merely bought a little more time.

“Somehow, I’ll kill you before you adapt-!”

Enveloped in the magic of arrogance, unlike Seolang, Seolgak, who had become the black magic itself, shot forward.

With this, it began.

Black thunder and golden thunder started pouring down across the colony.

The dark-colored lightning struck down, shaking the world.

The golden lightning struck down, engraving the heavens and the earth.

In that chaotic situation.

“The preparations are complete.”

Alon quietly muttered as he looked up at the sky.

####

In fact, it was impossible for Alon to participate in this battle.

Seolgak was desperately increasing his output to the point of self-destruction to kill Seolang, and Seolang was blocking his attacks, so there was no way Alon could keep up with their speed.

That’s right.

To him, this battle currently appeared as nothing more than a natural disaster with loud thunder and golden and black lightning striking down.

In other words, he did not have the ability to enter the world they perceived.

But Alon could calmly observe the current situation.

It was thanks to the lingering traces of magic left behind as the two fought.

The lingering traces of magic left behind by the two as they fought provided Alon, a magician, with a lot of insight.

Recently, he had been focusing on magical research.

Among them, the study of magical arrays according to the seal had been of great help.

Although he couldn’t perfectly grasp the current situation just by looking at the lingering traces of magic, he could still gather some information.

Among them, the two most certain facts.

‘The Apostle of Arrogance is overexerting himself to deal with Seolang, and Seolang has not yet fully adapted to his awakening.’

Alon looked into the void.

Still, he couldn’t see it properly.

Only the magic that could be inferred to appear and scatter continuously.

After taking a short breath,

“Hu-“

Alon formed a seal.

As mentioned, Alon could not participate in this battle.

It was impossible.

If it were the old him.

Alon looked up at the sky once more.

Along with the chaotic remnants of the two golden-maned tribes’ magic, Alon’s magic had already spread.

His magic, not yet materialized, floated invisibly in the air.

Magic originally had to go through a form of realization.

However, the reason Alon could break that common sense and draw out almost all the magic from his magic hall, leaving only the minimum inside, was thanks to his recent research with Penia.

The transformation of magic array according to the structure of the seal.

And the byproduct obtained while discovering new forms of magic molecules through the combination of seals.

This allowed him to fix his magic in the air in the state of magic molecules without realizing the magic.

Thanks to the ample time spent, Alon was able to scatter his magic throughout the battlefield.

Of course, due to the lack of abundant magic, the density had to be significantly low.

But for now, that was enough.

From the beginning, Alon’s intention was not to deal with Seolgak-

“Expansion.”

-but to create a momentary gap for Seolang.

Kagagagak-!!!

As Alon murmured, the magic molecules he had scattered began to swell all at once.

In that instant.

“!”

Alon could see.

Seolang, who was dragged out of the battle by the suddenly expanding magic in the air.

“What the-!”

And Seolgak, who was striking a blow at such Seolang.

Seeing that scene, Alon immediately uttered the next phrase without a moment’s hesitation.

“One point.”

The expanding magic instantly clung to Seolgak.

However.

Kwaaang-!

The magic Alon had prepared for several minutes, holding his breath, was shattered into nothingness by a single annoyed kick from Seolgak.

A single strike of the falling black thunder obliterated all the magic he had expanded.

A situation that unfolded in less than two seconds, leaving Alon in utter futility.

Yet, Alon let a crooked smile slip behind his expressionless face.

Two seconds.

To him, two seconds was barely enough time to even manifest magic.

But to Seolang, two seconds was…

“!”

Enough time to deal with Seolgak and still have time to spare.

Alon did not take his eyes off the sky.

There, with a look of astonishment, Seolgak was looking up even higher.

“Rangchangrangchang (狼槍狼槍)-“

And then, descending.

-Raeryonggangrim (雷龍降臨).

There was a golden dragon.

Kwaaa-!!!

The world turned white.

####

Immediately after.

A crater of unbelievable width and depth appeared there.

And in the center of the crater stood Seolang.

With the thunder god’s transformation undone, she silently lowered her gaze to the ground where the apostle of arrogance, Seolgak, lay.

With a massive hole in his heart.

“Foolish, indeed-“

Despite the fact that his heart was pierced and he could no longer sustain life, he glared at Seolang with wide-open eyes.

“You will regret this, sister- You will surely regret this day when you discarded the power arranged for you… You will definitely regret it!”

Seolgak’s desperate outcry.

But Seolang, expressionless, simply lifted her leg.

“I don’t need such things.”

Thud-!

As if there was no need to listen any further, she crushed his head.

“Because I’ve already gotten what I wanted.”

Seolang, watching Seolgak turn to dust and disappear as if it had never existed from the beginning.

“Ah, Master-!”

He quickly turned his gaze to confirm Alon’s presence and tried to leap up.

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Thud-!

But he collapsed right there.

Alon hurriedly ran over to check Seolang’s condition.

“Huh? I can’t put any strength into my body at all.”

At Seolang’s nonchalant words despite having collapsed, Alon let out a small sigh of relief.

“It’s probably because you overexerted yourself a bit.”

“Is that so? Master?”

“Yes.”

Seolang nodded briefly as if to say, I see, and then whispered quietly.

“Thank you, Master.”

“…Suddenly?”

“Yes. You taught me how to use the Thunder God Technique. Thanks to that, I was able to kill him.”

Thank you, indeed.

After a moment of silence, Alon spoke.

“Seolang.”

“Yes, Master?”

“…Are you okay?”

“Huh? In what way?”

“…You cherish your family, don’t you?”

At Alon’s question, Seolang smiled.

A bitter smile that Alon had never seen before.

However.

“…Yes, Master. I cherish my family.”

“……”

“But you know what?”

This time, a bright smile appeared on Seolang’s face.

“I will never think of doing something that would make me lose something more precious. I’m not a fool.”

“……”

At Seolang’s firm words, Alon realized something without even knowing it.

He, too, had been judging her arbitrarily, just like Seolgak.

Just as Seolgak had perceived Seolang as that immature and weak child from ten years ago.

Alon had also been thinking of Seolang as one of the five great sins that kept appearing in Psychedelia.

Even though they had been building memories and continuing their meetings, he had been looking at her with biased eyes.

Not as Seolang, who had become the first Baba Yaga of the colony, showing him a lively smile.

But as a character in the game, who could become one of the five great sins at any time.

But now, he realized.

Seolang was no longer one of the five great sins from the game, nor was she someone Alon had to carefully care for.

She cherished her family as much as her own life, but if necessary, she could make a choice without hesitation.

…Perhaps, she had grown to be even more admirable and resolute than Alon himself.

“Is that so.”

Feeling much lighter, Alon unknowingly smiled at her.

“Master… you could smile?”

“……”

Seolang looked up at Alon with a more surprised face than ever before.

It was a faint smile, but it touched the heart.

After a short time had passed.

Right after hearing that Rine had dealt with the Scorpion, Seolang, who had been resting against the ruins to get some help, said.

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“Do that again.”

“That?”

“The ear pressing thing.”

“…Why?”

“It felt good, that.”

With a giggle, Seolang burst into laughter, and Alon gently pressed her ear again.

Slowly closing his eyes, Seolang opened his mouth.

“Master.”

“Why?”

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

“…Of course, I couldn’t help but worry.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Alon’s answer.

To that.

“…I see.”

A small smile appeared on Seolang’s lips.

It was an afternoon when the setting sun was visible beyond the broken walls of the colony, beyond the horizon.