The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

75. The Unseen Story (3)

Click-

Sion pulls the slide. He approaches the Ghost Reaper without hesitation. A silent message appears simultaneously.

Item possession confirmation – Grandeur Ruby Necklace

……The conditions are met, and the main quest is newly updated.

──[New Goal]──

▶[Main] Frenzied Dance (New!)

Goal: Survive within the time limit or defeat the Ghost Reaper within the time limit

◇ Reward:?

*Additional Goals

□ Survive without being caught by the Ghost Reaper

□ Ensure Rebecca von Anastasia Grandeur’s survival

──────────

Event time limit – 00:07:59

A timer appears before Sion Esperanza’s eyes.

Only 8 minutes. He realizes that it’s the Ghost Reaper’s final outburst.

At the same time, it’s Sion’s last chance.

The goal is to survive within the time limit or defeat the Ghost Reaper within the time limit.

The former encourages surviving without being caught by the Ghost Reaper. What lies ahead after surviving is unknown.

It’s likely that they’ll safely pass the first act. There won’t be any casualties among the main characters, including me, Amelia, and Kyle.

If there were any casualties, there would be a greater uproar in the community. The professors, who have already belatedly grasped the situation, would be returning to Arsen with the hunters.

However, a fundamental question remains unanswered.

‘…Then what about the Ghost Reaper?’

When the story enters the epilogue of the first act, there’s a high probability that Rebecca will be lost. When day breaks, the Hunter Association will storm in, and the Ghost Reaper will either flee or be defeated and killed.

Therefore, the second option appears before Sion’s eyes.

“Within the time limit, defeat the Grim Reaper.”

The words “defeat the Grim Reaper” literally mean to kill the Grim Reaper, including Rebecca inside it. If this happens, the main quest will be completed, but it would go against Sion’s will.

The outcome depends solely on Sion’s hands.

Originally, I had to choose one of the two options, but an unexpected event occurred, opening up another possibility. There’s another way that’s not listed in the options.

Right now, Sion’s hands hold the power of exorcism. The rosary borrowed from Isabelle’s sacred sect is in Sion’s possession.

The Grim Reaper’s body, as seen in the [Hunter’s Insight], is a deep, blood-red color.

As Sion confronts the Grim Reaper, Rebecca inside it begins to waver, slowing down the Grim Reaper’s movements.

No matter how weak the resistance may be, there’s a crack in the Grim Reaper’s inner self.

Though it may be a small weakness, the Grim Reaper’s dominance has clearly weakened compared to before. The visible weakness that doesn’t disappear is proof of that.

…Then, let’s try.

“…….”

The Grim Reaper stood up, using one hand to disrupt the magic circle and forcibly cancel the ongoing spell.

The gravitational field breaks apart, and the scattered swords on the ground return to the Grim Reaper’s hand. It’s an unnatural, eerie scene.

The Grim Reaper glares at Sion, its gaze mixed with suspicion, but only for a brief moment. There’s only one thing to do.

“I’ll kill Sion Esperriend.”

“You… I’ll capture you with my own hands.”

The Grim Reaper smiles, its eyes sparkling like a flower blooming.

“Sorry, Sion Esperriend.”

“…….”

“I didn’t know I’d be able to cut you down twice. You’re not sorry, are you? You’re hurting Rebecca twice.”

The Grim Reaper slowly raises its sword.

“No, it’s three times. Counting the time you declared your separation from Rebecca.”

In the moment Amelia blinked, the Grim Reaper had already reached Sion. The vertically descending sword would have cut Sion down in an instant.

Kaang-!

But Sion blocks the sword with their left arm.

Originally, Sion would have been cut down instantly, but the rosary Isabelle lent Sion is wrapped around their arm.

Even if all the other buffs were canceled, this rosary remains. The holy light wrapped around Sion’s arm doesn’t allow any impure invasions.

Even if it’s the Grim Reaper’s sword, the blessed rosary can’t be easily cut down. Sion’s knee may bend, but they block the Grim Reaper’s sword.

In the brief moment the Grim Reaper is stunned, Sion makes a quick judgment.

Sion pulls the trigger. A green light bursts out of the muzzle.

“Kuh?!”

As the Grim Reaper stumbles back, hit in the abdomen, Sion fiercely clings to it, pinning its face to the ground.

“…In the name of Arid, I condemn you.”

“Do you forget what you couldn’t do and pretend it never happened?”

“Leave that body and disappear.”

At that moment, a beam of light bursts out. Even Amelia, a third party, can recognize it as the holy power emanating from the rosary.

“Kuh……!”

But it’s different from before. Sion’s hand is digging into the Grim Reaper’s soul, burning it from the bottom up. This is Sion’s original power, not influenced by any buffs.

Event time limit – 00:06:21

The Grim Reaper resists. Its wildly flailing sword pierces Sion’s shoulder, causing wounds and blood to splatter everywhere. Amidst the chaos, Sion grabs the Grim Reaper’s hand.

The weakness of the “Hunter’s Consolation” still remains valid. Although all methods to capture the “Sword Demon” have failed, there is still one remaining way.

– I’m Rebecca von Anastasia Grandeur, the student council president of Arsen.

– And I’m Sion El’Heart.

This is the key to bringing down the Sword Demon’s power right now.

Although our encounter was unjust, the bond I’ve built with Rebecca until now is not false.

The Sword Demon’s weakness is that it is not yet complete.

And it’s that the Sword Demon hasn’t fully consumed Rebecca yet.

Lastly, it’s that Rebecca inside the Sword Demon is wavering, looking at Sion. We’ll target that imperfection.

Just like how a gate starts with a small crack, we’ll destroy the Sword Demon from the inside out.

This method is only valid because the opponent is Sion Esperanza, and that’s why the Sword Demon is trying to pull Sion to its side.

It wants to make Sion its pawn and use it to overcome its greatest variable and weakness. It thought it could do so.

However, Sion doesn’t want to stand by the Sword Demon’s side. Instead, it chose to reach out to Rebecca, who has sunk beneath the surface. At first, it didn’t work, but something changed at some point.

‘…When did it start?’

The Sword Demon recalled its memories. It grasped a scene from Rebecca’s mixed memories.

That point in time was when Sion faced death.

Until then, Rebecca didn’t react, but now she does. She’s trying to break out of her thick shell.

‘No, Rebecca.’

The moment it realized that, the Sword Demon thrashed about violently. Its vision began to blur, feeling like something invisible was choking it.

Yet, time is still rapidly running out.

Event time limit – 00:05:32

“Si, on… You’re, me!”

The Sword Demon howled.

“Get out of that body and disappear.”

Sion is still blocking the Sword Demon. Time is running out rapidly.

Event time limit – 00:04:49

Even if its blood vessels burst and its muscles tear, it will never let go of the Sword Demon’s hand. Sion’s unwavering determination is adding invisible strength to its mental power, refusing to let it collapse.

The Sword Demon has a weakness, and Sion’s hand holds the power of exorcism right now.

And Sion’s unwavering determination is amplifying its mental power at this moment.

Sion Esperanza will never be overwhelmed by the Sword Demon.

…It won’t be crushed, even if it’s pushed back by force.

“Rebecca, Carl… Do you think you can save them?”

“…….”

[Event time limit – 00:04:11]

“You can’t stop it. How long do you think that fragile body can hold out?”

Wood-duck!

The Sword Demon’s opposite hand crushes Sion’s shoulder with pure strength alone, almost shattering its bones.

Sion grabs the Sword Demon’s hand and slams it to the ground. The Sword Demon trembled at that absurd strength.

Event time limit – 00:03:57

“No, you… Rebecca doesn’t want that. You’re going to make me kill you twice with my own hands, right?”

The Sword Demon’s sword emerges. This time, it pierces Sion’s chest. Originally, it aimed for the neck, but Sion pushed it away with a Glock.

“…Sion, you’re.”

However, Sion still didn’t back down. Even as he spat out blood, he pinned down the demonic sword. The demonic sword’s soul, which was already burning, was now barely half left.

“You, you want Rebecca that much?”

As if he didn’t feel any pain from the start.

He only looked at the demonic sword, making a cold declaration.

“In the name of Ad, I tell you this.”

“No way……!”

Before Sion could finish his declaration, the demonic sword twisted its body. It released its magic, reversing the situation.

“Die, ah……!”

…A moment of hesitation.

The gunshot rang out, and the empty shell casing bounced off the floor.

The bullet Sion fired grazed the demonic sword’s shoulder. In return, the demonic sword’s blade was pointed at Sion’s neck.

Sion no longer resisted. He didn’t even flinch at the blade pointed at his neck or try to respond in any other way.

He simply stared, his eyes fixed on the red eyes that looked down at him.

On the other hand, there was no movement above. The difference in power was clear, and once Sion had allowed the demonic sword to gain the upper hand, there was no way for him to escape.

…The sword that had reached his neck was trembling slightly.

Originally, he had intended to pierce his neck as soon as he gained the upper hand. That’s what he should have done.

But, the necklace that had fallen out of Sion’s collar, revealing the intricate engraving, remained.

The moment he saw that necklace, he couldn’t bring himself to wield the sword anymore.

“…Are you going to kill me?”

Sion Esperanza’s hand covered his eyes, his red hair fluttering.

“Rebecca-nim.”

“…….”

Tut-tut-tut—

Rebecca’s sword fell to the ground with a clanging sound.

Sion’s hand slowly reached out to Rebecca’s chin. A stream of tears flowed down Sion’s hand, tracing Rebecca’s jawline.

Event Time Limit – 00:03:17

The timer that had been counting down finally stopped.