The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

Chapter 78

78. A Story That Never Was (6)

Arsene’s Northwest, Underground Great Hall.

As the demonic beasts pouring out of the gate ravaged Arsene, the events unfolding beneath the ground were on a scale comparable to those happening above ground.

“What’s going on?!”

Pang—!

The magic circle floating in the air spat out flames. Elin, despite being flustered, swung her sword to deflect the flames.

Arsene’s main hall, with its enormous size rivaling that of a commercial district, boasted an equally vast underground area.

Kail looked up to gaze at Arsene’s underground great hall. Various magic circles were chaotically floating in the air, attacking all the students in sight.

“…Do they recognize us as enemies?”

Magic bullets, fireballs, lightning bolts, and electric explosions.

The destructive power was undeniable, unlike anything they had seen during training.

“We can’t go out. Let’s go inside.”

“But Elin has already gone out, hasn’t she?”

“Why did she go out, that person?”

“I don’t know. Elin, come back!”

“What’s the point of staying inside and doing nothing? Come out, Kail!”

Although we were barely protected by Lara Steelhyden’s barrier, we couldn’t recklessly venture outside the perimeter.

It wasn’t as if the inside was completely safe either. The barrier was being worn down by the relentless attacks of the floating magic circles.

The reason we were still unharmed was because Lara Steelhyden was maintaining the barrier with her immense magical power.

However, Elin’s opinion couldn’t be ignored either.

As Shion had said, they needed to restart the generator to revive Arsene’s barrier. The reason the buildings, including the dormitory, were being attacked by the demonic beasts was because the barrier protecting them had been disabled.

In the end, Kail went outside the perimeter.

Esil hesitated for a moment. Being left alone with Lara Steelhyden was a bit uncomfortable.

The Lara Steelhyden that Esilia remembered was causing a ruckus in the dormitory. The impression from back then still lingered, creating an awkward atmosphere.

“Is your name Lara?”

“…….”

“I’m Esilia. Esilia Silvergarden.”

At that moment, a fireball flew in.

Esilia drew her bow and shot the fireball. The arrow pierced both the fireball and the magic circle.

However, the magic circle only dispersed and then reformed.

Physical attacks were ineffective. They had to either disable the magic circle’s core or seal off the surrounding magical energy.

Either way, it was impossible for both Lara and Esilia at the moment.

Kyle and Elin, who had gone outside the barrier, were pushing forward, fighting against the pouring magic. Lara Steelhyden, who had been watching them for a moment, carefully put up a shield.

“Let’s go together.”

“Okay.”

A typical party consisting of a mage and a warrior was complete, but the situation was still dire. As Kyle and Elin pushed forward, another magic circle reacted.

The ground shook, and dust poured down from the ceiling. Kyle and Elin looked up simultaneously.

“What’s going on?! Again! Is this place collapsing?!”

“I don’t think so.”

They thought the dust was falling, but it was wrong. It was also an ancient spell engraved on the ceiling by Arsen.

Faint lights appeared, and the dust clumps stuck together. Kyle knew what it was.

A magic that had almost been lost due to efficiency issues.

The golem-like creatures made of earth, which they called “golems,” took shape.

Before the shaped creature could attack, Kyle beheaded the golem. However, the golem grabbed Kyle and slammed him to the ground despite its head being cut off.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“…….”

Kyle, who was lying on the ground, lifted his head. The golem’s head was cut off, but a new one grew back. The fallen earth clumps reattached to form a new head.

“…No way. This is…”

“This is the level of defense we need.”

The reformed golem attacked them again. Even though Kyle and Elin’s swords cut through its upper and lower body, it only stiffened for a moment.

Kyle temporarily retreated from the counterattack and switched to a video call.

“Can you see this, Senior Edel?”

-Yes, I can see. But the situation doesn’t look good.

Edel’s appearance on the screen was neater than expected. However, the door behind her was blocked by a tilted wardrobe and various trinkets.

“Did a gate open on the 3rd-grade dormitory side as well?”

-Ah, yeah! It’s almost closed. We’re fine here.

At the same time, Edel’s dormitory door creaked open with a “clunk.” Edel flinched but waved her hands to indicate she was okay.

-Ah, anyway! It’s worse on your side, isn’t it? Can’t you see anything?

“What can I see?”

-For example, some unknown machine device or… Well, go take a look! You’ll see something if you go.

From noble mtl dot com

Kyle was briefly puzzled but boldly moved forward. He transmitted the scene in front of him to Edel on the other side of the watch.

-…Found it.

On the screen, Edel stretches out his hand. Kyle’s head turns in the direction his index finger is pointing.

“Is that… what you mean?”

-Yes. That’s the core. If it’s broken, the magic circle will malfunction. If we fix it, the barrier will reactivate too.

I thought there would be a mixed mechanical device at least. But in the underground grand hall of Arsen, there was no such device.

A black sphere the size of a human head floated in the air. That was the core that operated Arsen’s barrier.

The destroyed golems regained their forms. The sight of them standing up again, despite being hit by arrows and broken by magic, was utterly terrifying.

“This has never happened before…”

“How long will it take?”

-I don’t know. Neither do I.

Until then, Ellen, who had been holding her breath, let out a frustrated cry.

“How can you not know! You’re a senior! You haven’t graduated in 5 years!”

-I’ve never seen anything like this before! How many times have I been to the Arsen underground?

…The murmured voice, saying “it’s not that I didn’t graduate, but that I couldn’t,” was only heard by Kyle, who was nearby.

-Anyway, just 5 minutes… no, 10 minutes will do. I’ll try somehow. I’ve seen something similar before.

“Is 10 minutes enough?”

-About 10 minutes! It might take longer. At least that’s the minimum required!

Kyle nodded, looking at his watch. The situation was not improving, and seemed to be getting worse.

“10 minutes…”

Facing the dozens of golems that had risen again before his eyes, Kyle drew his sword.

***

[Intuition] has always warned me.

That something bad would happen, that I had to act now.

I’m not exactly sure what [Intuition]’s reaction meant a little while ago. Was it telling me to save Rebecca or that I couldn’t save her?

But that’s just a ‘feeling.’ Sometimes it hits the mark, sometimes it’s off.

So I didn’t rely on [Intuition], but instead threw myself forward with my own will. And I reached out before it was too late.

Before it was too late, I grabbed her.

With one hand, I grasped Rebecca, and with the other, I grabbed the edge of the tower. The pain in my two arms, which felt like they were about to break, was endured with ‘unyielding will.’

“Sion, Esperand.”

The sword spirit looked at me. It was trying to take over Rebecca’s consciousness again.

“Do you really intend to kill me?”

“…….”

The sword spirit’s gaze was different from before. The smile it had maintained until now had crumbled.

“You are already a dead body, Iana-nim.”

“No… I’m not.”

“Why won’t you accept it? Don’t you know that your actions are hurting Rebecca-nim?”

Event time limit – 00:02:27

The timer started counting down. When the number reaches 0, Act 1 will end. Maybe the sword spirit is stalling for time by talking to me.

“…I’m going to save Rebecca.”

“That’s something Rebecca-nim doesn’t want, and you know it.”

But even so, I had to say this.

To the extent that I had inflicted wounds, Iana had also stabbed Rebecca’s heart, and that fact alone was enough.

I had to convey it through my mouth. If not me, there was no one to deliver it.

“Iana-nim, please let go of Rebecca-nim now. Don’t you know what’s right already?”

“…….”

The demon didn’t respond. It only raised its head and glared at me, but its gaze was not at all benevolent. The malice brewing inside it reflected in its eyes.

…There was no room for compromise.

The demon would harm me and resist until its last breath, and it would struggle even in its final moments. The moment our hands parted, the demon would break free.

The moment I realized that, I poured my divine power into the demon’s body. At the same time, the demon thrashed about like a wild beast.

“I’ll save Rebecca.”

“Only I can. I’m the only one.”

“No one can stop me. I’m Rebecca’s sister. If you, Sion Esperanza, try to stop me, I’ll kill you, even if it means tearing Rebecca’s heart apart.”

The demon’s long fingernails scratched my arm, and a bloodline was drawn along the scratches.

“I’ll save Rebecca……!”

However, the demon’s words were not completed. The artifact on Rebecca’s neck began to overheat and shine.

One of the two artifacts I had given her a long time ago.

The red gemstone necklace, along with the Rebirth Dagger, had been buried in the Laknia Cave.

The effect of the necklace was mental power correction.

Until now, it had been suppressing the demon’s ego and giving power to Iana, but now that the original owner had awakened, it was different. The magic that had been flowing in reverse began to find its original direction.

The remaining demon’s soul was burning out. Iana was about to disappear, fading away into Rebecca’s subconscious.

“Si, on……!”

Scratching, tearing, and crushing. The released magic pierced my school uniform. The wind, sharpened like a blade, swept across my forehead.

However, I didn’t let go of my hand. Instead, I gripped it even tighter, fixing it in place without wavering.

Time was rapidly running out.

Event time limit – 00:01:22

Even as blood splattered, my school uniform was torn, and my muscles and bones were twisted.

My unyielding willpower supported my mental strength, allowing me to observe the demon’s final moments with my own eyes. I would engrave the ending I had changed on my retina until the very end.

Event time limit – 00:00:47

“No way. Let go… Die, yeah. Die!”

“……!”

The firmly grasped arm, though wounded, didn’t break.

The demon’s burning soul had now dwindled to a mere spark. Its eyes flickered, and it seemed to sense its own demise, thrashing about even more fiercely.

However, I didn’t let go of the grasped hand. The more it struggled, the tighter I held on.

Time had almost run out, with less than 30 seconds left. Whether the demon’s soul would be extinguished or the time would reach zero, only time would tell.

All I could do now was to pour more divine power into the demon’s soul, faster and more intensely.

The divine power transmitted through my hand swept across Rebecca’s entire body, cleansing the remaining demon’s residue.

Event time limit – 00:00:13

With only about 10 seconds left, the demon gazed at me. I didn’t avoid its gaze.

“Do you think you can do it in my place, Sion?”

“…….”

“You don’t know anything. You don’t know anything about Rebecca. You don’t know anything about Grandeure. You don’t know what kind of burden Rebecca has been living with. You can’t lift that burden.”

It might be true.

The Rebecca I know is limited to her original appearance, and like people living in this world, each with their own circumstances, Rebecca also has her own hidden circumstances that she hasn’t revealed to me.

Because Rebecca is not an NPC, but a person.

Event Time Limit – 00:00:10

But even so.

“If you’re confident you can do it, that’s arrogance.”

“Then why—”

“Still.”

Event Time Limit – 00:00:07

I still held Rebecca’s hand, pleading with the demon.

“Is there a reason I can’t do it?”

Event Time Limit – 00:00:06

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t do it?”

I poured all my remaining magical power into Rebecca. The faint anger in Rebecca’s eyes began to subside.