The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 102
Ami’s stamina and mana had significantly depleted.
His body, once more tightly bound than clay, now took some time to recover after being cut, and the protective shell that covered his entire body was peeling away in places.
On the other hand, Helion was only slightly out of breath.
Despite having consumed a considerable amount of mana and stamina, the power of each of his spells was still overwhelming.
This was partly due to Ami’s worsening situation but also a testament to Helion’s inexhaustible strength, like a never-ending spring.
Altife’s mana far exceeded that of humans by nature, but Helion dismissed this with sheer efficiency.
‘Salecius is pinned down. The one heading this way is Glashalabolas.’
While continuing the battle, Ami scanned the battlefield.
Salecius, who had arrived earlier, was not confronting Ami but was instead engaged with Frikkanrisk and Vargan at the edge of the battlefield.
The situation appeared favorable at first glance but was evenly matched.
Even though a bishop had been sent to capture that Vargan fellow, it seemed he had died without doing anything.
He was supposedly a student, but what… he must have been a monstrous being like Helion.
‘Still, it’s fine. If Glashalabolas intervenes, we can hunt down Helion.’
Indeed, Helion had noticed the change on the battlefield and was now pressing Ami more aggressively.
Receiving help from those who followed a different cardinal, even though they were both archbishops, was humiliating. But the situation was what it was.
The thought crossed Ami’s mind that he could very well be killed by Helion.
That realization suppressed Ami’s long-standing pride and awakened his survival instincts.
[You’re not going to call this cowardice, are you? Gang attacks are something you guys’ love.]
Despite being worn out from blocking Helion’s spells, Ami grinned lightly and taunted his opponent.
Glashalabolas, capable of transforming into various forms, was now in a flight form that pursued extreme speed.
If his presence could be sensed, it would only take an instant for him to arrive.
[I wanted to savor you slowly, Helion. It’s a shame, but… just die.]
Ami launched a final blow, squeezing out every last bit of his remaining strength. He poured all of his power into this attack, even dispelling all his defenses.
The target was Helion’s left side. The trajectory of the incoming Glashalabolas was aimed at his right side.
Helion, now in danger, focused his energy.
Using holy magic, he further refined two large shields.
The clash between Ami and Helion’s mana exploded once more.
Helion braced his feet against the ground, expecting a significant impact, while Ami pushed forward relentlessly.
Just then, the archbishop Glashalabolas arrived.
Ami, certain of victory, smiled.
Wait, what?
[Wait, why is the direction…?]
—Thwack!
His chest was pierced.
The muscles of the rapidly charging Glashalabolas were bulging. The grotesque monster landed, dragging along the ground, folding its wings.
As the searing heat radiated, his form began to change.
The folded wings were sucked into his body, and instead, a pair of hulking arms appeared.
The slender legs that had touched the ground suddenly bulged with muscles that looked ready to burst.
The heat around him was so intense that the surrounding snow melted.
[…….]
“This is… a completely unexpected situation.”
Helion fused the shields he had prepared for the shock into a single condensed sword.
Thump, thump.
The heart held by Glashalabolas reacted strongly as it came into contact with the outside air.
But the heart’s owner was not Helion, but rather <Archbishop Ami>.
Ami lied on the ground, a look of disbelief on his face.
Though his heart had been stolen, he did not die immediately, as if to emphasize his monstrous nature.
Ami, filled with rage, spat out blood and screamed.
[What the hell are you doing, you damn idiot! Did you mistake your target because even your brain is like a beast⎯⎯!]
Ami was angrier than he had ever been, even more than when he first experienced Helion’s overwhelming strength.
He roared in fury at the absurdity of the situation—how was it that it was he, not Helion, who now lay fallen?
What a ridiculous mess this had become!
[Glashalabolas! You half-baked mutt!]
Ami continued to hurl insults at Glashalabolas.
Fallen to the ground, unable to move, his eyes bulging with veins.
But no matter how much Ami cursed, Glashalabolas showed no sign of returning his heart.
At this point, a hint of uneasiness began to creep into Ami’s expression.
On second thought, there was no way this mongrel was acting on its own judgment. Could it be… could it be…!
Clinging to the last bit of hope, Ami asked.
[… did the Goddess Church abandon me?]
The answer came in the form of an action.
Glashalabolas gripped the still-beating heart firmly. Without hesitation, as if it had always been his intention, he crushed it completely.
Ami watched with his own eyes as his heart was obliterated.
The lifeline was cut.
[Damn… it.]
With those words as his final breath, the light faded from Ami’s eyes.
All that remained of his shattered heart was a round gem.
Soon, thousands of souls that had been absorbed by his body over the years began to flow out into the world.
They poured out endlessly, like fish escaping from a narrow stream.
Most of them had no bodies to return to, so they flew off to some distant part of the world.
One of them squeezed into Helion’s left arm.
The decayed, withered arm began to show signs of life.
Helion flexed it, feeling the restored sensation. It was the first time in 15 years that he had moved his left fingers.
“…….”
Though the moment should have been emotional, Helion gazed down at the corpse of Ami with a calm expression.
Ami’s body crumbled like dust and scattered into the light breeze. It was an empty, fleeting death that belied his title as archbishop.
[Crrrk.]
The one who caused all of this, Glashalabolas, opened yet another mouth on his chest and prepared to devour Ami’s core.
A creature that grew stronger by consuming others—this was Glashalabolas. Helion knew this all too well.
He would not just stand by and watch.
His newly restored left arm, still unstable, fiercely lashed out with greater power, wielding a blade that purified evil.
The speed was explosive, enough to make anyone gasp in awe.
His movements were those of a master of the sword and magic.
If his opponent were anyone but Glashalabolas, he would have been purified in an instant.
The magic that even Ami, having liberated his powers, had barely managed to hold off.
But Glashalabolas blocked it with the thick hide and bones that formed his shield-like skin.
[Crrrk.]
He let out a harsh breath.
The archbishop’s glowing eyes shone with a wild, bloodthirsty gleam.
Despite Helion’s interference, Glashalabolas pushed Ami’s core into the mouth on his chest.
Then, his body pulsed violently, loud enough for everyone around him to hear. Thick saliva dripped from his jagged teeth, and his muscles writhed.
“…!”
Helion, recognizing the danger, used his ultimate magic to kill Glashalabolas before Ami’s power could settle within him. This creature was too dangerous to let live!
His magic, previously used on a massive scale, was now focused solely on destroying this single being.
Helion pulled his right arm back, taking a stance to thrust his fist forward. The brilliant white light was blinding.
Glashalabolas’s instinct, honed beyond his five senses, detected the danger, and he began to transform his body.
⎯⎯!!
Helion’s fist shot forward.
The light that sought to obliterate the target’s very existence consumed the archbishop, as though swallowing him whole.
For just a brief moment, it was as if a flash grenade had gone off, revealing the world before the light disappeared and left only results behind.
“…”
There was nothing in front of Helion.
It wasn’t because his attack had landed and erased something.
He hadn’t even felt it connect, and the trace of the flickering violet mana revealed the truth.
For a moment, it seemed as if the figure had changed appearance, but it appeared to have been a form of emergency escape.
“… I lost him.”
Archbishop Glashalabolas had managed to escape from Helion’s unique magic.
***
Vargan had managed to hold Salecius in place using Alicia’s illusion.
In the end, Salecius was allowed to flee, but not before leaving her gravely injured.
…
The battlefield changed quickly after that.
Ami, their commander, had fallen in battle.
With the departure of the two archbishops, the battlefield was swiftly cleared.
With their leader dead, the soldiers lost morale and began to flee.
The most deaths in a war occurred when victory was within reach and the retreating enemies were pursued. Capturing those who had lost the will to fight was no longer a war but a hunt.
Aside from two bishop-level and twenty priest-level enemies that were spared for experimentation and interrogation, the rest were massacred and turned to dust.
Meanwhile, on the side of the heroes, though many were wounded, not a single person died. This was largely thanks to the efforts of Helion and his companions.
They had managed to capture an archbishop, wipe out his remaining forces, and secure Dortmund.
Before the war, Dortmund had been tensed due to issues related to the divine beast and Craine, but now the atmosphere had completely shifted.
People sang songs of praise for the heroes and lined up to donate to the church in gratitude and reverence.
Even Vargan and Finn, who had been students at the Academia, were included among those praised. Despite their young age, they had greatly contributed to performing miracles, making them a topic of admiration.
Particularly, Vargan, a descendant of the prestigious Schugenhartz family, received even more attention.
“… tsk.”
Vargan, the hero in question, was now sitting in a hospital room.
In stark contrast to the cheers outside, his face was tightly scowled, his expression unyielding. His mood was visibly sour.
Reflecting on the moments in the battlefield.
Though his mana reserves were substantial, pushing his output to the limit had taken a toll on his mana circuits.
His senses had been distorted by Salecius’ curse, and the wound inflicted by the red aura had barely stopped his bleeding.
Even though he had managed to sever one of Salecius’ arms with a curse, it would heal in a matter of days.
From an outside perspective, it looked like the prodigy, not yet a full-fledged hero, had defeated an archbishop while also dealing with the injured divine beast.
People were eager to heap praise on him, but Vargan felt nothing but bitter humiliation.
‘Was there no better way to achieve a greater result?’
He replayed the events, considering various possibilities.
He had anticipated the shape-shifting trick but had not accounted for the full range of options.
So, what could he have done to maintain control?
What could he have done to keep Ami’s power from being taken and to obtain the Judgment Weapon?
As he ran through countless simulations, his rage slowly burned out.
This wasn’t so much the character of the Vargan from the novel but rather a reflection of his true nature.
…
He had been so deeply absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t realize Helion had entered the room.
Helion examined Vargan’s entire body and spoke.
“It’s a miracle you didn’t lose an arm or a leg.”
Such was the extent of Vargan’s injuries.
Though he wasn’t one to complain, no one would have been surprised if he had screamed during the healing process.
Momentarily pausing his thoughts, Vargan turned to Helion.
“In exchange, one of my precious familiars was severely injured.”
“Isn’t it a relief that it was only a familiar?”
“One of my <precious> familiars was severely injured.”
His familiar, Taesan, whose hand had been severed, had recovered shortly afterward.
However, his other familiar, Darkie, who had always leaped from Vargan’s shadow to protect him, had been sliced in half by the red aura during their push against Salecius.
It would take a long time for Darkie to fully recover.
For now, Vargan had ordered Darkie to rest in his shadow.
If he didn’t, the familiar would surely emerge on its own to serve as a shield once more.
“Even though familiars take longer to recover because of their attributes, I think I can help you heal.”
Helion had already treated Finn successfully.
The strength of the Holy Mage Helion lied not only in his combat ability.
“It will only take a moment.”
The magic unfolded instantly.
Helion’s healing magic was visible to the eye.
What this meant was that the process of recovery was unfolding vividly before him.
The flesh regrew where it had been torn away, and damaged skin tissue regenerated.
This was why Helion’s power was often likened to a saint’s <miracle>.
As he continued to heal, Helion spoke.
“Once you’ve recovered enough, you’ll be summoned to the church, Student Vargan. Not for interrogation exactly, but there are many people curious about you.”
“I despise being bothered…”
“Well, the church isn’t going to ignore someone who took on an archbishop and the Frikkanrisk incident.”
“… I suppose not.”
Vargan responded indifferently, as if he had expected it.
Helion, sensing his lack of interest, brought up a topic that might catch Vargan’s attention.
“Since your mentoring period still has plenty of time left, once things in Dortmund are wrapped up, I’ll start training you and Student Finn more intensively.”
“There’s no problem with starting now… though there’s still one thing I need to take care of.”
“One thing?”
Vargan responded to Helion’s curiosity.
Cardinal Zepard would eventually be part of Vargan’s path. When the time came, he would easily crush him.
Even though he had been struck this time, there was much to be gained from this episode, and he would repay the debt later.
This was still the beginning.
It was time to prepare for the future.
After all, hadn’t they already planted many seeds during the Dortmund episode?
“The task of punishing a criminal remains.”
The time for the first harvest had arrived.