The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 80
Ding!
Condition: Overcoming <Death of a Comrade> and <Extreme Fear>.
The [Special Skill] can now be used after fulfilling the conditions.
At the sound, Liam could sense the changes happening within him.
There was no need to read the description in detail.
Instinctively, just like before, the skill naturally embedded itself into Liam’s body.
Crackle!
The blue lightning that once only enveloped his sword now coursed through Liam’s entire body.
The electricity instantly enhanced Liam’s body, allowing him to reach a level that was previously impossible.
At this moment, all of his physical senses—reflexes, strength, agility, and speed—were heightened to the extreme.
Crackle!
The sound of electricity filled the air.
Liam swiftly closed the distance between himself and Zagan.
He thrust his sword forward.
A strike like a bolt of lightning.
Slash?!
Zagan’s left arm was severed.
Liam’s sword didn’t stop there.
Again.
Slash.
Zagan’s remaining arm was also cut off.
Lucaiel, watching this scene, found it hard to keep up with the speed even with his eyes. It was definitely the same Liam he knew, but the skill he displayed was several levels above his previous self.
[An interesting human, more than I thought.]
Despite losing both arms, Zagan remained unfazed.
No blood spilled from her severed stumps. The wounds bubbled, signaling regeneration, while Liam, like a predator, aimed for her neck.
With Liam’s current power, perhaps he could actually fight her…!
But Lucaiel’s hope was short-lived. Zagan, who had now grasped Liam’s new speed, did not allow any further damage.
She tracked every move of Liam’s swordsmanship, which far exceeded human limits, with her eyes and dodged gracefully, evaluating his attacks.
[If you had this, you should have used it earlier. Not bad.]
Zagan’s movements grew smaller and lighter, quickly adapting to Liam’s speed.
This human was quite strong.
For someone so young to have such speed and power was impressive. If he became a hero, he would likely gain considerable fame.
Perhaps, in the future, he might even grow strong enough to kill Archbishop.
Clang.
Liam’s sword was caught.
As if it had struck an unbreakable rock.
[But so what? You’re still a small fry.]
Crack?!
Zagan, now fully regenerated, pulled Liam’s sword and delivered a powerful kick to his abdomen as he was dragged closer.
Even though he wasn’t armored like the heroes, the impact was strong enough to knock Liam unconscious and send him flying like a cannonball.
Even though Liam had acquired a special skill, the gap between him and Zagan could not be bridged. Reaching the peak of a mountain didn’t mean reaching the sky, and Liam was no different.
“Liam… Liam…!”
Seeing Liam crash into a wall, Nikela sobbed as she called out his name repeatedly, drawing more mana.
Since summoning Ifrit to fight, she had already been pushing herself to the limit.
Even creating a simple fireball was difficult now.
But she didn’t give up and threw it.
A weak effort that couldn’t even scorch Zagan’s skin. She resisted feebly.
Lucaiel, having lost both legs, charged at Zagan using his claws and teeth, while Haliana, with her broken left arm, shot elemental magic with tears in her eyes.
Zagan, who was taking all these attacks directly, had a sudden thought. It stemmed from a childlike, pure desire.
Ah, I’m bored.
You all should leave now.
Crunch.
Snap.
The sound of plastic breaking echoed just as Liam, charging like lightning, aimed at Zagan again.
“Hee-hee! It’s too late.”
In mid-air, as Liam charged, he saw it.
Lucaiel’s head exploding; leaving the insides hollow. Haliana’s upper and lower body separated.
Nikela, frozen in horror, stood there like a mannequin.
“Zagan! Zagan???!!”
Their deaths were so sudden and <meaningless>.
Liam didn’t even get to see their final moments. All that remained were corpses. No last expressions, no final words, nothing.
With his sword taken, Liam filled his fists with lightning. As if expressing his intense emotions, his punches were fierce.
But Liam’s desperate outburst was easily blocked, making him feel even more wretched and miserable.
Zagan smiled and gradually applied more pressure on his hand.
She didn’t use her full power. From the first time she saw him, she had felt that there was something unusual about him. He was worth observing.
Crack.
Instead, she inflicted pain just enough to prevent him from fighting back anymore.
Zagan enjoyed playing around, but she also found it unexpectedly delightful to quietly observe intriguing subjects.
Even as the bones in his fingers shattered, Liam didn’t let out even a small scream. He clenched his teeth, showing deep emotions as he pushed forward with bloodshot eyes.
“Ugh, argh!”
He poured out more electricity.
Whether it was effective or not didn’t matter.
For now, he pushed with all his mana and strength.
Crackle, sizzle!
Even with the excruciating pain from his shattered fist and the continuous strain, Liam converted his agony into rage, driving himself forward without giving up.
The tragedy of his comrades kept replaying in his mind.
It was all his fault.
If he hadn’t made that crazy proposal.
If he had acted alone without telling anyone. If he had acted on his own. This disaster wouldn’t have happened… they didn’t have to die…!
“Aaaahhh??!”
The death of characters close to the protagonist was a significant moment in a novel.
In most stories, parting with comrades or cherished ones was rare, and when it did happen, it was accompanied by a long description and dramatic scenes.
A desperate final word delivered. All of it was usually depicted.
But look at this.
Even if he wasn’t the protagonist. Even if those who were important in the story were meant to meet such a tragic end, it wasn’t supposed to be so meaningless.
Ophelia was a noble from a distant kingdom. A leader with potential, she appeared until the end of the story he knew.
Lucaiel was a member of the important antagonist Vargan’s group. Haliana was supposed to pull Lucaiel out of Vargan’s ideology, becoming his lover and playing a crucial role.
Nikela was supposed to leave the Academia after this trial, but even with the trauma she faced, her fate wasn’t supposed to end so tragically.
Everything had changed because of his choices.
He wanted to be cursed, at least.
For bringing them here to their deaths. For coming up with such a ridiculous plan. For failing to foresee this situation despite knowing the future!
[Guess I’ll have to quiet you down first.]
Zagan’s fist struck Liam’s entire body.
For her, it wasn’t even close to using all her strength; it was just a light warm-up.
Every time the fist landed, all of Liam’s bones, veins, and everything else that made up his body burst apart. Liam’s consciousness wanted to escape from his body.
In the midst of this, they both heard a faint sound, so weak it seemed it might vanish at any moment.
“… lease save him.”
A woman, crawling on the floor, grabbed Zagan’s ankle. She wasn’t trying to harm him.
She had no more will to resist or anger left.
“Please… please… save Liam.”
“Ni… kela…”
Zagan’s eyes widened.
He tossed Liam, who was making a raspy sound while drenched in blood, onto the floor and grabbed the hair of the still-breathing Nikela, lifting her up.
Nikela was barely managing to breathe. It was astonishing. Zagan had surely taken over her body, yet the only sign of it was mana depletion… ah, so that was what happened.
[It seems there was a spirit who cared enough for you to sacrifice its life instead. Kyahaha. This is hilarious! A spirit dying for the sake of mere humans!]
Nikela no longer cared about herself.
Anyway, in her current state, even if she were to escape, she likely wouldn’t survive.
She only wished for one thing: for the man she had come to love for the first time in her life, Liam, to survive.
“I’ll do anything… I’ll even give my life….”
Once, she had awakened her talents through communication with spirits, and she had come to Academia to save everyone suffering under Altife’s oppression, including the villagers.
But now, in front of Altife, humanity’s enemy.
She was crying tears of earnestness, pleading for the life of just one person.
“I beg you…”
If that one desperate wish could be granted, Nikela felt she could close her eyes with no regrets.
Hey, you know…
[How many people do you think have begged for their lives from me so far?]
Countless people have done so. And they all say similar things in the end. Kyahaha. It was all so desperate and amusing.
Zagan continued speaking,
Shattering Nikela’s hope with her own twisted logic.
[But they all died.]
Wouldn’t it be unfair to them if I let that boy live now? All lives are equally precious, after all.
When Zagan finished her experiment with Liam, she planned to savor his body or dismember him, as she had done before.
Zagan had no intention of considering the emotions of this woman named Nikela. She simply did not want to save him.
[Still, aren’t you lucky to leave such a beautiful final request? You’ve survived admirably. So now, that’s enough.]
Die.
Just as Zagan’s hand was about to strike.
Caw!
A crow’s cry echoed.
A black crow flew in like an arrow.
Surprised by the sudden appearance of the mysterious creature, Zagan turned her head.
Ziiing…
The space behind Zagan warped.
From within, a golden-haired man holding a sword with a crimson blade swiftly emerged and sliced off the arm that was gripping Nikela.
His movements were precise and unhesitating.
The severed part showed only faint writhing.
Rapid regeneration didn’t occur. Zagan started to take the sudden change seriously.
Thud!
[Kuh… ack…!]
A gust of wind blew.
For the first time, a sound of pain escaped Zagan’s mouth.
The man who had flown in like a missile drove his fist deep into Zagan’s abdomen. The man, with disheveled hair and thick eyebrows, had wrapped his fist in an incredibly dense aura.
Swoosh!
But the man wasn’t the only one who appeared from the fierce wind.
A white-haired woman, with eyes as sharp as a raptor’s, sliced off Zagan’s remaining arm with a gleaming blue sword.
Zagan prepared to leap away, trying to put distance between herself and the newcomers.
She had a rough idea of what was going on. Reinforcements had arrived. She needed to create some distance first, assess the situation, and then…
Oh, shit. Her legs were frozen.
For a brief moment, ice gripped Zagan’s ankles, making a quick escape impossible.
As Zagan’s face started to show signs of panic.
Crack!
A heavy mace struck her fiercely.
The ice that held her in place shattered, and she was slammed into the wall.
With a loud crash, Zagan kicked up a cloud of dust as she was flung back.
Liam, whose eyes were so swollen he could barely see, took in the sight of the figures who had caused the current scene.
They were all familiar faces, each one an incredibly strong warrior with hardly any weaknesses.
The man with the darkest hair among them spoke.
His sharp gaze was as piercing as ever.
“You idiot. What are you doing, playing the damsel in distress, getting kidnapped by the Demon King?”
With a fierce look, he surveyed the situation.
His expression darkened as he confirmed the deaths of everyone except for Nikela and Liam. He seemed somewhat angry.
The man unfolded a white handkerchief and took out a ring from within. Even at a glance, it was a precious treasure, a relic.
He slipped it onto his finger, and his ominous mana surged.
The sheer quantity and quality of his pure mana alone was overwhelming, as if it could swallow the entire space.
He looked at Liam, who was lying on the ground, and spoke. It was as if he were staring at a pitiful creature, filled with both disgust and rage.
“Just sit there and watch with your eyes open.”
You miserable protagonist.