The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

71. Sword Demon Rebecca (4)

There was no room for compromise from the start.

No matter what I say, as long as it’s alive, it will continue to slaughter, and it will dye the path it walks with blood.

Anyone who gets in the way will be eliminated, and even if someone is helpful, they will be discarded without hesitation the moment they lose their utility.

“…Do you really not intend to reconsider?”

“Are you talking about the proposal to create a sea of blood together?”

“I’m Grandeuro, and you’re Esperanza. If we combine our powers, who can stop us?”

The words had a hidden meaning.

The one who could stop the tyranny was overflowing in this world.

“Do you forget?”

“Huh?”

“You should know best who blocked your sword at the end.”

At that moment, the sword demon’s gaze changed.

The sword demon’s sword, which could cut through anything, couldn’t cut through the last target.

The sword demon’s sword finally stopped, and it disappeared into history.

“Then, I’ll ask you, Sion Esperanza.”

The sword demon, wearing Rebecca’s mask, retreated. The bullet I fired was split in half and scattered around the sword demon’s feet.

“Do you really think you can stop me with just one small pistol?”

It was clearly over ten meters away.

However, in the next instant, the sword demon’s face was right in front of me.

It was a short time, just enough to blink an eye. The sword demon had closed the distance with a single step.

Rebecca’s sword flashed before my eyes. I anticipated its trajectory and jumped up fiercely.

At the same time, I used ‘Weakness Detection’. I struck the sword demon’s body, which was glowing red.

Ting—!

All the bullets I fired bounced off the sword demon’s sword. The sword demon had deflected all the bullets with a single slash.

As the sword demon stood still, I took a few steps back. The sword demon’s weakness, which was marked in red, gradually disappeared.

But it was strange.

Normally, the sword demon would have closed the distance instantly. There was no need to keep a distance in close combat.

If the sword demon wanted to catch me, it should have closed the distance and attacked with its sword. I shouldn’t have been given time to escape.

Instead, the sword demon raised its left hand.

“I don’t want to hurt you. Rebecca wants that.”

Click—

It lightly snapped its fingers. The action was simple, but the result was more than that.

Creak—!

The empty air twisted. The distorted space cracked and shattered, creating a small rift.

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An unnatural, artificially created gate.

Normally, this pattern would only appear in the sword demon Rebecca’s final phase, but the sword demon had carelessly pulled out its strongest card.

“Grrr… Creak… Creak…”

“Krrr…k…”

Two red wolves emerged from the cracked space.

The size of the rift was small, and the wolves that emerged were only mid-level monsters. The sword demon still hadn’t fully devoured Rebecca.

It hadn’t seen blood, and the [Sword Demon] trait couldn’t fully exert its power.

Now was the chance.

The sword demon was still incomplete.

“Are you going to back down quietly?”

“I have a promise with Rebecca.”

“You, with Rebecca?”

Even if Rebecca was inside, it seemed like she didn’t know everything.

The two wolves that emerged from the crack waited for the Reaper’s command. To be exact, they waited for the Reaper’s words to end.

The Reaper closed its eyes and stood still, as if momentarily recalling memories. It would likely take quite some time to dig through Rebecca’s memories.

Rebecca had a complicated inner world, just like me.

“…I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem like a lie.”

In the end, the Reaper gave up on reading memories.

“Unpleasant.”

The sword was drawn. A red light flashed along the trajectory.

I lowered my body to avoid the sword’s trajectory. However, I couldn’t handle the two wolves charging at me simultaneously.

“Kung!”

First, I shot a bullet into the mouth of the wolf charging from the left. Its mouth caught fire. The wolf that was charging rolled on the ground.

Udok—!

“……!”

However, I couldn’t stop the wolf charging from the right. It bit my arm, but its teeth couldn’t penetrate my school uniform.

Even so, the pain was still unbearable.

Kwajik!

“Krrr!”

I raised my dagger and stabbed the wolf’s muzzle. It wasn’t enough with one strike, so I struck again. The wolf finally let go of my arm and retreated.

I grasped my magic.

The bullets of conviction couldn’t be used yet. They could only be used after midnight.

I aimed at the wolf’s forehead before it could regain its posture and pulled the trigger.

A green light bloomed in the air. The wolf, engulfed by the storm, finally stopped after crashing its head into a pillar.

“Kung!”

However, one more red wolf remained. Judging that my stance was crumbling, it charged at me with its mouth open.

If I faced it head-on, I would be overwhelmed by its strength. Unless I was a muscle monster like Kai Alma, I couldn’t withstand the wolf’s power.

I threw myself to the ground. I barely passed under the wolf’s belly, firing bullets from my chest to my abdomen.

The wolf crashed its nose into the ground and no longer moved.

“Oh….”

The Reaper still stood still. Only when I tore my school uniform did the Reaper react late.

Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.

The sound of soulless applause continued, and the Reaper smiled benevolently.

“You’re amazing, Sion Esperanza.”

“…….”

“Still, it’s a pity that we can’t be together.”

The Reaper raised its left hand again. Before the Reaper’s fingers touched, I shot a bullet between them.

The Reaper was startled, its face genuinely surprised.

“…Isn’t once enough?”

“So?”

However, the sudden sense of dismay also disappears in an instant.

“I’m not satisfied yet.”

I still have a relaxed posture. It’s not an unfounded confidence, but a real one.

Geom-gwi can easily take down someone like me if he wants to. But after he once kept his distance, he didn’t try to attack me again.

It’s as if we’re facing each other like swordsmen.

Like cowboys facing off in a Western movie.

He’s standing still, keeping his distance from me.

If I think about it logically, it’s hard to understand why the one with the gun is me, and the one with the sword is Geom-gwi.

Rebecca, who’s strong in close combat, is retreating from me instead. On the contrary, I’m not a swordsman, but a hunter. If I keep my distance, I’ll have the upper hand, and it’s not the other way around.

Except for the fact that Geom-gwi can use his sword, he’s not complete yet. If he forces his magic, he’ll collapse from the inside out.

I saw Geom-gwi as a [Hunter’s Association] member. My additional ability, ‘Weakness Detection’, read Geom-gwi’s weakness.

The weakness is marked in red. Right now, Geom-gwi has no weakness. His entire body is dyed blue.

But when I took a step forward…

A weakness that didn’t exist before suddenly appeared in red. It spread throughout his body like a gentle wave, and then slowly disappeared.

In that moment, the weakness marked in red turned blue again. The weakness that had appeared was no longer a weakness.

It’s not just a matter of distance. There must be a more complex factor at play.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for a weakness to appear and disappear like that. Just looking at Geom-gwi, who’s not doing anything, I can tell.

At that moment, I realized what Geom-gwi’s weakness was.

Geom-gwi’s weakness isn’t bullets or anything like that.

I’m Geom-gwi’s weakness.

“That’s why I hate people who are quick-witted.”

Geom-gwi didn’t move anymore. He just smiled quietly, as he always did.

“So, are you going to kill me, Sion Esperanza?”

He knows how to handle his sword like a toy.

If my hand touches his body now, something critical will definitely happen.

It’s not because I have a rosary in my left hand, nor is it because of the sacred artifacts of another church.

Geom-gwi knows.

The longer we face each other, the more he’ll cut his own life short.

Of course, Geom-gwi can suppress that feeling. If he crushes Rebecca’s will with his strong ego, that’s it.

But even so, he can’t completely block it.

Geom-gwi’s body refuses to do so. Rebecca, trapped inside Geom-gwi’s body, refuses to do so.

The more Rebecca wavers, the weaker Geom-gwi’s power becomes. Right now, it may be faint, but it’s not a meaningless resistance.

Just as Geom-gwi controls Rebecca’s ego, Rebecca’s emotions also affect Geom-gwi’s emotions.

I finally got another clue to pull out Geom-gwi. His eyes were filled with genuine shock.

“You can’t use that.”

I grasped the sacred artifact of the church. Instead of answering, I broke the seal.

I used Gaithen’s cloak.

The brilliant light that burst out from my fingertips illuminated the entire room. A wide-area buff was applied.

The effect is to use divine power to repel evil.

The divine power dwelling within me heals the wounds of the injured and raises the sick.

However, my opponent is a demon, a [Ghost Sword] that slashes people for fun.

The various buffs that would benefit me would instead become debuffs for the Ghost Sword.

Gritting—

The Ghost Sword wavers.

For the first time, the Ghost Sword, which had never been shaken before, spoke with a mix of resentment.

“Are you not afraid of the consequences? If you, who are not even a priest, do this, the Inquisition will come for you.”

“You have no right to speak to me, who has taken my younger brother’s body and is committing evil deeds.”

“Si-on, Esper-ant…!”

My [Ki] is screaming.

If I’m going to take the gamble, it has to be now.

I approach the Ghost Sword, which cannot control its body. Although it tries to escape this realm, the divine power’s buff will keep it trapped.

As I fully close in, the Ghost Sword cannot resist. It can only glare at me with its eyes wide open.

This is possible because it’s an incomplete Ghost Sword. That’s why this is my only chance.

If I miss this opportunity, there won’t be another.

“What reason do you have to reject me? Why do you do this? I can offer you more than Rebecca can.”

As the Ghost Sword growls, I cover its face with the cloth I’m holding.

“If you kill me, Rebecca will die too. Can you do that? Can you really kill Rebecca?”

“No.”

The Ghost Sword still speaks with a mix of resentment, but I remain calm, covering its face with the cloth.

“You’re the only one who will die.”

At the same time, I release the Rosary in my left hand.

The overwhelming light, which has become incomparably stronger, envelops the Ghost Sword’s body.