The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 81
“This way! Everyone, just come this way!”
The situation at the entrance of the nest was rapidly intensifying.
Saint Diphelia had remained here, taking on the role of protecting and leading everyone. Just now, the second team that had entered the cave had reappeared.
Now, excluding the first team, only two teams remained.
The students from Academia followed the saint’s instructions without complaint, maintaining their formation. The formation was efficient, based on their abilities and combat styles, regardless of which class they belonged to.
If someone got injured, they were quickly pulled back to receive healing magic from the emergency team.
Among the arriving team members, there was one who had injured his right arm and was bleeding profusely, and they promptly treated the wound.
Diphelia stood atop a large tree, directing the situation. As always, the wooden wheelchair she sat in was now the tree she was standing on, serving as her legs.
[Krrrrrk!]
As Diphelia’s hand moved through the air, a massive tree trunk blocked the path of the priest-level Altife forces charging at them.
Afterwards, thorns shot out immediately from every surface of the tree trunk, attacking them.
‘If things continue like this, we’ll be okay.’
Diphelia was right.
Though they were still first-year students, the formation at the entrance of the nest was solid enough to turn the charging priest-level enemies into minced meat.
The problem was not here but inside.
Specifically, where Vargan had led everyone.
[Kriiiiiik!]
Another team member fled from a distance, with the Altifes pursuing him. Diphelia, expelling as much mana as she could, thought to herself.
‘I will guard this place thoroughly as I was entrusted to. I won’t let a single one die. So don’t worry about us, and everyone over there…’
Come back safely.
The saint prayed earnestly.
***
The team that ambushed the main altar consisted of five people.
Arterion Vi Ocell.
Leon Banteolo Ocell.
Erica Troa Portlet.
Alicia.
And Vargan Troa Schugenhartz.
This hastily assembled team, composed of those who ranked at the top of their class and garnered all of Academia’s attention, worked together as if they had been doing so for a long time.
It was as if they knew each other’s skills and levels, moving as if they were extensions of each other’s bodies.
Therefore, Zagan who dominated this space could be pinned to the wall in such a damaged state.
[Kyarrararak! How fun. How fun. Finally, some real toys to play with.]
Zagan, who had disappeared in a whirlwind of dust, reappeared from the inner wall, laughing long and heartily at the current situation.
However, there wasn’t just pure joy in her eyes as before.
From her horizontally elongated pupils, a creeping hostility emerged. She was now prepared to engage seriously in this situation.
In Zagan’s thin hand was something thick.
It was something that hadn’t been there before. It seemed to have emerged from her body.
“Oh! Is that the Judgment Weapon? It’s quite uniquely shaped!”
Leon spoke with fascination, seeing in reality the object he had only read about in books or heard about in tales. He was bold, without a hint of fear.
“Why are you happy about it?”
“Isn’t it a good opportunity to test our current state!”
Erica couldn’t understand why he was pleased when not only was the enemy’s weapon formidable in appearance, but an already strong opponent had borne their fangs.
Called the Judgment Weapon, it got its name because it was said to judge heresy.
It was one of the two features held by those of archbishop rank or higher within the Goddess Church, practically a part of their body, that could be summoned at will.
Aside from her left arm, which was cut by the red aura and would take time to recover, all of Zagan’s body had fully healed.
A scythe, larger than her upper body, was now attached to her right arm.
The scythe was composed of a combination of unknown bones, its shape so grotesque that merely looking at it evoked discomfort.
[You can be happy since I’m bringing out something I’ve kept for a long time. That means you are high-quality toys I haven’t found in a while.]
—Oh, you’re saying you won’t wait? Good, I prefer it that way.
Young heroes charged from all directions.
In the rapidly progressing situation, Zagan read the situation.
A man with a red aura and a white-haired person infused with wind mana were at the forefront.
Behind them were two presumed mages and one martial artist.
That female mage used warp magic. She was likely to target the sides or rear again this time. If so.
Crack!
Zagan swung her scythe horizontally, blocking the swords of Arterion and Alicia simultaneously.
Even with their combined strength, Zagan, wielding the Judgment Weapon, could fend them off.
And then.
As if planned, the spaces on either side of Zagan began to distort.
She expected this.
Zagan smiled broadly.
Two spheres formed above her.
They were aggregations of mana, emitting an ominous purple light, ready to pierce through even thick steel plates.
As the figures began to emerge from the distorted spaces, preparing to extend their compressed mass into a straight line.
[…!]
The spheres scattered into the air after colliding with a new mana sphere formed right next to them. They dissipated without even exploding.
An overwhelming concentration of mana had interfered with the mana cannons.
Who was it?
Zagan’s eyes met a man who was quietly watching from afar. That guy, who was leisurely observing alone.
He interfered with the ambient mana to block the release of the mana cannons. The precision was remarkable. No, it was not just remarkable. This was approaching the realm of the incomprehensible….
A gap had formed.
Taking advantage of this gap.
-Ziiing.
Erica and Leon appeared on either side of Zagan.
And at the front, Arterion and Alicia.
A critical situation. As the situation grew more interesting, Zagan laughed broadly, baring all her teeth.
Inside her mouth, a small sphere of the same purple mana as before had formed.
Though small in size, its density was even higher.
Before all the attacks could reach Zagan.
Aghck.]
She bit down on the sphere.
““…!””
All the other people except for Zagan were hit by the shockwave and were thrown in all directions, like water droplets spreading out after hitting the ground.
Even as Leon was smashed into the wall, he shouted boldly.
“Hahahaha! Indeed, a monster!”
Zagan didn’t pay attention to her surroundings.
Immediately, she charged at one man, sharp as if targeting prey crawling on the ground.
She extended her scythe long. This guy could be troublesome later, so she should cut off his head in advance.
The distance shortened as if folding through space.
When her arrogant gaze locked onto his properly. From the corner of her vision, a red aura flashed.
[Impressive.]
Zagan could see from the corner of her eye that the red light was aiming at her neck.
She read the straight space, where time seemed to flow slowly.
The Golden Knight.
She thought he was taken out, but seeing the broken ice wall behind him, it looked like the mage woman blocked it.
They were fighting cooperatively, like a well-coordinated team of veteran warriors.
[Interesting, interesting…!]
Schwaak⎯
From the severed end of Zagan’s arm, cells rose up and rapidly restored it to its original state.
Though it was a huge consumption of mana, it seemed worth it for these toys.
Zagan planted her feet into the ground as if rooting them, halting her movement.
Crrrack.
She then twisted her body, and with an impossible movement for human body, caught Arterion’s red blade with her hand as he flew at her.
A move that was impossible for a mammal.
Zagan’s hand burned, but she handled it boldly as if using a disposable item.
After briefly clashing with Arterion, she deflected the impact of Arterion’s sword.
As Arterion paused from the pain of his injured organs, Zagan left him and rushed toward Vargan.
First, she needed to take down Vargan. That would make it easier to deal with the others one by one like dominoes.
A scythe targeted Vargan’s neck.
Vargan didn’t move, either unable or unwilling to dodge. His unblinking eyes irritated Zagan.
However, just as Zagan was about to reach Vargan.
Clang—!
A white-haired woman, appearing like a typhoon filled with killing intent, intercepted and deflected her. This happened because she couldn’t fully exert her strength.
‘An interruption…!’
The white-haired woman entered her field of vision again.
Zagan finally saw Alicia’s face clearly.
Amidst the ongoing battle, she narrowed her eyes and examined Alicia closely.
[Huh? Are you… not? No… you look like her.]
She was sure Alicia looked like her.
But then again, maybe not.
Her appearance was somewhat similar, but the atmosphere felt entirely different.
[Oh, whatever. I can check later when I have her corpse. It’s not that important now.]
Though the white-haired woman bothered her, it was a matter for later.
As the battle continued and she found it harder to maintain control, Zagan decided she needed to create some distance to reestablish her stance.
After dodging a series of attacks in an almost grotesque manner.
She leaped onto an altar and spoke.
This sentence was meant to mock Vargan.
[You’re well protected, aren’t you?]
Though she didn’t explicitly call him a coward, this statement was meant to provoke Vargan and observe his specific abilities.
That guy smelled like someone who had killed at least one bishop.
He was the only one whose abilities remained unclear.
Judging by his mace, he seemed to be focused on close combat, but considering the quality and quantity of his mana, he was undoubtedly a mage.
And a <considerable level> one at that.
Even though Zagan hadn’t yet <liberated> her power and was just standing by; this guy’s mana was strong enough to control even her own archbishop-level magic cannons.
Heroes with this much mana pressure had been extremely rare over the centuries.
Everyone here was potentially a threat to the Goddess Church, but this guy was especially dangerous.
He must be killed before he grew any stronger.
It was a pity to end the game, but it was time to finish.
The play ended here.
Zagan’s small body began to tremble, and her aura changed. Her entire musculature writhed like living worms, and her skeletal structure transformed.
This was one of the abilities she possessed as an archbishop.
Her original power surpassed even the Judgment Weapon.
<Liberation of Power>
Until now, Zagan had been in a restrained, incomplete state. Once she released her true form, annihilating everyone with her archbishop’s power was a simple task.
This was also why she could maintain her smile and playfulness no matter how unfavorable the situation seemed.
As Zagan’s body started to change…
… huh? What was this?
Zagan, who was about to release the restrictions on his power through <Liberation of Power>, finally realized the current situation.
She couldn’t unleash her power. The flow of mana within her body felt off.
Off? No, she could feel the flow of mana. She could release her power. Instinctively, it was possible.
It just took time. Between 2 minutes and 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
… that long?
That couldn’t be.
Zagan, sensing something wrong, spotted the black-haired man again. A smirk was on his face.
As if mocking Zagan’s plight.
[Ah… right. It was a curse.]
The man who had been standing far away hadn’t been idle. He had been the busiest of them all.
Using his allies to distract Zagan, he had cast curses one by one.
A cunning snake-like human.
Whoosh—!
Two swordsmen wielding blades rushed in, generating a fierce wind pressure.
The distance closed rapidly, and Zagan bared her teeth to the point of almost breaking them.
Exciting.
Yet, simultaneously irritating.
For an archbishop like her to be in such a predicament.
Thinking calmly, with just her Judgment Weapon and without releasing her power, their strength was on par with hers.
Normally, in such a situation, the longer the fight dragged on, the more advantageous it was for her with her overflowing mana, but they also had someone who acted as a mana wellspring.
Maximum 3 minutes until liberation.
Until then, she had to deal with these toys and wait for the right moment.
Once she was liberated, these things could be devoured in an instant. When the time came, they could be hunted easily.
Zagan stuck out her tongue.
It had been a while since she could properly enjoy a feast.
[Until then, let’s have some fun!]
Arterion and Alicia. Zagan, pulling out her purple mana. Just as the two swords and Zagan’s scythe were about to clash.
—Rumble!
The ceiling collapsed.
More precisely, a circular hole formed in the center, and debris fell to the floor.
Among the debris, figures quickly moved. One of them shot forward like a bullet, confronting Zagan head-on.
Eyes gleaming with rage.
A body honed to perfection through rigorous training.
“Playtime’s over, you monstrous bastard.”
Boom—!
The one who caused the massive impact, almost like an explosion, was Louisa, the professor in charge of first-class.
‘… now things will get sorted out.’
Vargan thought as he listened to the booming sound.
If Zagan had already liberated her power, it would be a different story, but before that, there was no way she could handle the current forces.
Vargan had gathered the elite among the first-year students not to kill Zagan but to buy time. Time for Louisa and her team to arrive and end the situation.
… although it was an incomplete nest, he hadn’t expected them to break through the ceiling.
—Thud!
A magical field spread, pressing down on his body.
It was a spell aimed only at Zagan, but its power was enough for those nearby to feel it.
Unlike Vargan’s pure mana, the magical field had a specific nature. Louisa, known for killing her enemies horrifically in that magical field.
02:55
Approximately 2 minutes and 55 seconds remained until Vargan’s curse on Zagan was lifted.
That much time was enough.
Louisa, glaring through the dust, spoke.
“You’re dead.”
She ground her teeth like a beast.