Villain Hides His True Colors

Two figures emerged from the portion where the barrier had collapsed.

A woman in a clergy uniform who gave an immoral impression and a black-haired boy with a big smile on his face.

It was Samaria and Noah.

“Choi Noah…?”

Henri widened his eyes at the sudden appearance of the two.

How did they break through this place? The protective barrier surrounding the gym wasn’t something so easy to break.

Metal that could absorb mana and even a variety of magic circles that had reinforced the durability of the barrier.

It was practically impossible for even S-Rank heroes to break through in such a short period of time.

Regardless of a person’s capability, this was simply a physically time-consuming endeavor.

So…how did they get in here…?

He looked at Noah. When their eyes met, Noah quietly raised the corner of his mouth.

“It’s already low HP?”

“?!”

Henri instantly felt goosebumps all over his body. Helplessness and absolute fear as if he was a fly caught in a spiderweb.

Wh-what the hell is this feeling…

No matter how injured he was, Noah was merely a child of A-Rank.

As such, everything he was feeling now must be an illusion.

He came to such a judgment as he forcefully calmed his anxiety.

It was a natural conclusion for him. According to common sense, the strength of a little boy couldn’t exceed his.

Right. In any case, it’s a rather good thing it ended up being like this. If I could hog the credit this time…

The Evil God he worshiped might bestow him even more power as a reward. Sweet imaginations flowed one after another in his mind.

He looked at Noah with a greedy smile.

“Huhu, truly idiots. I don’t know why the hell you’ve crawled all the way here, but I want to tell you it was a really stupid decision.”

Although the injuries he had suffered from Shirahui earlier were deadly, nevertheless, the power bestowed by an Evil God was still sufficient.

It’s easy enough if it’s just a child.

He lifted his finger and pointed at Noah. At the end of his finger, heat began to compress and soon it stretched in a straight line.

His purpose is as a vessel anyway, so keeping him barely alive is fine.

In front of the incoming beam of light, Noah stood still as if he was surprised and didn’t know what to do.

However, at the very moment,

Boom–!

Noah had suddenly grabbed a giant sword out from somewhere and slammed it down.

The beam directly hit the blade of the sword.

In the end, the compressed heat contained in the beam was absorbed into the blade. Meanwhile, Noah who was holding onto the sword showed no signs of injuries.

“Wh-what…?”

Henri had certainly controlled his strength, but he never thought Noah would be unscathed.

He once again raised his power and launched another attack.

Mana and heat that were incomparable to before. The power of fire bestowed by an Evil God extended towards Noah.

Baang–!

The surrounding temperature rose in an instant and the dust in the air burned all at once as an explosion reverberated.

This…was it too much?

Without realizing it, Henri had failed to control his strength due to the ominous feeling he had felt in the moment.

He belatedly realized it, but it was too late.

As such, he blamed himself. However, it was a meaningless worry.

Whoosh–

“?!”

After the flames disappeared, to Henri’s surprise, Noah’s figure was revealed again in its place.

The attack that had contained his full determination had been sucked into the sword again.

Noah tilted his head behind the giant shield-like sword. He was smiling like an innocent child.

“Charging finished.”

The sword in Noah’s hand burned red. It emitted a ghastly heat like the sun floating in the sky.

Similar to how Henri had stretched out his finger earlier, he slowly raised his sword and aimed the tip at Henri.

“To kill a bug, it’s best to burn it to death.”

At that moment, flames erupted from the tip of the sword. Like the dragon who died not long ago, the flames mercilessly swept Henri.

Henri scrambled to defend himself by squeezing out his remaining mana. In the first place, he was highly tolerant to heat, so he thought he could somehow defend himself against such an attack.

But…

“Keuaaaak!”

Pain far beyond imagination hit his body.

This wasn’t just a simple fire. He felt an unbearable pain as if I had been attacked by a divine power that opposed ‘evil.’

Th-the flames won’t go out.

Feeling his life at stake, he eventually used his last resort.

To escape from the inextinguishable fire, he shed the hard outer skin that he was proud of.

The shell that wrapped around his body disappeared and in its place was only a man of small stature left.

“Kuheuk…”

He cursed in his heart.

Meanwhile, his eyes looked towards Noah.

Noah was looking at him as he raised his sword again. Henri could feel a clear killing intent in the boy’s expression.

In that instant he sensed his end.

N-no…I’m going to die at this rate.

“S-stop him right now!”

He shouted to those who had betrayed others and drank water from him.

“Th-that’s…”

They seemed hesitant but also knew they couldn’t refuse Henri’s order.

Because they were already burdened with sin from the moment they had accepted his order and committed murder.

And at that moment, the influence of an Evil God entered their bodies.

“A-ah?”

“M-my body…”

The influence of the Evil God permeated their bodies and manipulated them. They rallied in front of Henri to protect him against their will.

As a result, the number of people who had gathered reached hundreds.

***

Reaper Scans

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

Join our Discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/reapercomics

***

Noah’s steps stopped. At such a sight, Henri smiled insidiously.

“H-hehehe…If you want to kill me, you’ll have to deal with all these guys here.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re the ones who have decided to follow me. So if I die, their lives will also be forfeited.”

“Mmm…”

“But I promise. If you let me out of here safely, I’ll spare everyone here.”

As soon as Henri’s words fell, a well-kempt man standing in front of him knelt down.

“P-please save me! I beg you. Don’t you see the countless people here?”

Then, as if waiting, the others next to him knelt down and begged Noah.

“I-I still have a little son at home…”

“Heuk…we’re victims too. I mean, I couldn’t help it.”

A heartbreaking sight to anyone who saw it. Somber sobs filled the interior of the gym.

Even the other survivors became sympathetic.

“Huhu, now that you understand the situation, hurry up and put away your sword!”

Having regained his confidence, Henri proudly puffed out his chest.

On the other hand, Noah tilted his head.

“What does that have to do with me?”

“Wh-what? I guess you didn’t understand me! I-if I die, everyone here will also die!”

“So?”

“?!”

Noah asked back while showing a perplexed expression.

Henri even thought Noah had made a slip of the tongue. However, Noah continued.

“I don’t know much about the law, but didn’t you say they were murderers? If so, I don’t think there will be any legal issues even if they die now.”

What was this boy saying? Henri felt confused.

Even though the many people here were murderers who had decided to follow him, it was an inevitable decision made in an extreme situation.

But even so, he was saying he was going to kill them all?

No…that can’t be.

He thought he understood human nature better than anyone else.

That was because the number of humans he had observed and killed so far had exceeded 10,000 at the very least.

If it’s the nature of a hero…

No, it didn’t have to be a hero. Anyone with normal thinking would never come to such a decision.

So what Noah had said was likely a bluff.

It was a trick to gain momentum and have the upper hand in negotiation.

Not a chance.

Having understood the situation, he uttered a threat in a low growl.

“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying, so maybe this will make you believe me.”

He pointed to a man nearby. From inside the man, mana expanded and soon his body burst into pieces as a result.

Flesh and blood scattered in all directions.

“What do you think? This much should be enough for you to believe me, right? I’m the one who is holding all these people’s lives!”

He then pointed to a woman standing nearby. In response, she shrank in fear.

“Honey!”

“N-no! N-not my daughter!!”

A man and an old couple standing next to the woman stood in the way as if to protect her.

However, regardless of that, the mana in the woman’s body began to fluctuate.

“Kyaaaak!”

The woman let out a pained scream as her body gradually began to expand.

“Hehe, this woman is next. If you don’t put down your sword right now, her life will be lost.”

“P-put down your sword! Quick!”

“She’s going to die at this rate, please!”

“You brat! Hurry up and do what you’re told!”

The woman’s family shouted with urgent expressions. Behind them, Henri spoke with a greedy smile.

“I’ll guarantee this woman’s life if you let me go. It’s not too late, so quickly put away your sword…”

As soon as Henri said as such with confidence,

Swiik–

A flash of light passed by like lightning. And at the same time, blood splattered on the floor.

“Wh-what the hell have you done…!”

The woman whose body was expanding and was in pain. And her family who was struggling to save her. Their bodies had split in half at once. 

Henri couldn’t easily understand what was happening in front of him.

It wasn’t just any hero but the most famous hero in the world right now that had just killed people so casually.

Not only that, it was a young child who didn’t even look to have entered elementary school.

It was a fresh shock to him who was known for his viciousness. Meanwhile, Noah’s voice came to his ears.

“It’s a legal Hunting Event. Why would I hold back?”

“Wh-what the hell does that mean?”

“Well, killing these miscellaneous mobs won’t amount to much anyway, but it’s better than nothing.”

They were words Henri couldn’t understand. However, the nuance of what Noah had said was fully conveyed.

“The experience you give must be sweet.”

Noah grinned, revealing his white teeth.

The moment Henri faced Noah’s smile, he realized that the creepy feeling he had felt earlier wasn’t an illusion.

Henri, who was just an ordinary rural man, was chosen by an Evil God because of his nature.

A cruel nature that considered people like worms. As a result, he was bestowed power and rose to the position of an Apostle.

However…

He…doesn’t see people as human either…

No, does he even recognize people as living beings in the first place?

Whoosh–

Noah lifted his sword as the tip was filled with red mana. The people who saw it turned their backs and ran away frantically.

However, even in that situation, Henri just watched blankly.

Erase the innocent look, erase the appearance of a young child, and erase even the common sense and beliefs he had held so far.

Only then was he able to see Noah’s nature for what it was.

“A-ah…”

There was a pure and great madness stirring that he had never experienced before.

What the hell was he? Was it okay for such a thing to exist in this world?

Even the Evil God he had worshiped felt insignificant in front of him.

And at the same time, he completely abandoned the idea that he could live.

Instead, he smiled with relief.

“Hehe…Euhahaha! Everyone was fooled. And so was I!”

He wanted to fill this nasty world with pain. So, he had been worshiping an Evil God and plotting for many years.

But now it didn’t seem to mean anything. Because…

“The real monster was already here! Euahahaha!”

As long as Noah was around, from the start, this world was destined to perish.

“Hunting Event!”

Noah wielded his sword as visible, extremely compressed mana were released.

“Keuaaaak!”

“Keuhuk!”

“S-spare me!”

People who were running away and those who laid face down on the floor to hide lost their necks against the blades of wind that flew out of nowhere.

An instantaneous moment where everyone had died.

As if the floor was originally red, it was filled with thick blood. A child with an innocent expression walked across such a pool of blood.

“Huu…It’s tiring.”

Noah’s mana had definitely become lighter than before. Maybe now there was a chance of Henri retaliating and winning.

However, Henri knelt down in front of Noah.

“The beginning of the end…Please fill this world with pain.”

“What are you saying?”

Swiik–!

“It’s a rule to skip the cutscenes.”

Regardless of Henri’s attitude, Noah wielded his sword without any hesitation.

Thud–

Tumble, tumble, tumble–

As his vision spun, Henri had a thought.

The one who will destroy this world wasn’t Evil God…It was him…

For some reason, his last expression seemed to be of someone who was very happy.