The Tyrant's Shadow

Tyrant Vivian.

She was, quite literally, a legend.

And legends are born on battlefields.

It happened on the day of the first all-out war between the Imperial Army and the Demon King's forces — the very day she first saw combat.

The survivors of that day described the moment Vivian appeared like this:

— ……A monster.

She didn't even do anything. She just appeared and walked forward, yet everyone lost their will to fight.

— After becoming a knight, I wanted to run away for the first time. Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠though I knew Lady Vivian's hostility wasn't directed at me. I just wanted to run.

But they couldn't.

— ……We couldn't even move.

In the end, all they could do was stand there and watch her.

Her allies exhaled in relief. Her enemies froze, tears streaming down their faces.

When she raised a hand, hundreds fell.

When she swung her foot, thousands fell.

When she drew her weapon, tens of thousands fell.

The Demon King's vanguard — once thought absolutely invincible — was annihilated.

— The moment Lady Vivian arrived, that place was no longer a battlefield. It was simply…

Vivian's domain.

And now, once again.

The tyranny that had crushed everyone that day was being reproduced in the heart of the Underworld.

Creeeaaak—

The first to react were those of low rank who had been about to do something.

"Kuh—…"

One collapsed, making a sound.

"……."

"……."

"……."

Fifteen people collapsed without even screaming, foaming at the mouth.

They had one thing in common.

They had all tried to break the gray sphere that had suddenly appeared in the hideout.

Rrrrip…

From the sphere, which was gradually crumbling apart, a masked man stepped out.

'Where's Yuria?'

Paloma cared more about the order his family head had given him than the identity of this stranger.

But the next instant—

"Ah. Got it."

The moment the unidentified man approached and fully opened his aura—

Thud.

Over a hundred people standing guard over Paloma froze in place.

One thought followed immediately.

We're going to die.

It wasn't doubt. It was certainty.

In that place where everyone was frozen and unable to move, only one man moved freely, carrying the moonlight on his shoulders.

A man with crimson eyes flashing, his robe billowing alongside his vast aura.

Why was it that seeing him brought Vivian to mind?

"Huk… huk…"

Everyone shed tears.

It was as if their necks had already been severed, and they were looking at the world through those cut necks.

Everyone standing there felt the same sensation.

'…Mom.'

'…What exactly was I living for.'

'…I wish I could at least see the sky before I die.'

Since their lives were clearly about to end, everyone prepared for death in their own way.

It was unavoidable.

That was a pure disaster that no human body could possibly resist.

There was no need to be angry.

No need to doubt.

No need to struggle.

Just accept it.

Paloma thought the same.

But one thing regretted him.

'…If I'd known it would come to this, I shouldn't have refused the family head's direct guard assignment.'

He'd been trying to prove he was worthy of becoming the family head, and now he was just going to lose his life for nothing.

'Though…'

'Even if I had, I couldn't have beaten that monster.'

'Right. What's the point now.'

I—

No, everyone here—

"……."

Was just going to die to that monster anyway.

Paloma quietly closed his eyes…

"……Paloma."

…and opened them again.

"Hey… Paloma."

A voice like a quiet whisper.

'Could it be the family head came to save us…?'

Paloma raised his head, and—

"Hey. You bastard Paloma."

"Ah."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

He met the source of his terror.

Paloma Ramis.

Eldest son of the Ramis family, and the early-game mastermind who turned Yuria into a villainess — the one who would later bring the Salvation Cult into Zion and let them run rampant.

"Hey. You bastard Paloma."

I was taking him out far earlier than planned.

"Aa…!!"

He couldn't even tremble. He was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠completely frozen.

'Well, I suppose that's only natural.'

The skill currently active was none other than Tyrant Vivian's Overpowering.

Meanwhile, Paloma's rank was A-.

And without the Ramis family's items, that would drop to B-.

So—

"Explain."

"W-well, which part…"

"Everything."

Paloma couldn't resist me.

'And neither could the others.'

I looked around to see if anyone was holding out, but they were all still frozen from before.

Some of them had even—

"Urk!! Urghhh!!"

"Cough!! Kyaah…!!"

"……."

—had their insides shaken apart, vomiting blood or collapsing unconscious on the spot.

I pointed at them and asked.

"Do you all need to die before you talk?"

"N-no! No…!!"

Paloma barely managed to shake his head.

"T-the family head… told me to… cough!! I-integrate the Underworld…."

"Why?"

"I don't know beyond ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that… Huk, huk… Ah! He said he was… hiding something…."

He was at his limit now.

His face was as pale as a corpse, and his bloodshot eyes had turned from red to black.

It wasn't just Paloma.

"Guh…."

"Kuh…."

"Cough…."

Even those who had been holding on a bit longer were dying, trailing long streams of blood.

Only after watching this in real time did I realize once again that this was reality.

The moment I realized they weren't extras in a novel but individual human beings—

'…I guess killing people…'

Something I'd forgotten rose to the surface.

But there was no choice.

I only knew how to activate the skill, not how to cancel it.

I'd already made my resolve.

Saving the world was far more important than the lives of a few dozen villains like these.

I knew that clearly, and yet—

'…I still don't really like killing people.'

I focused my mind the way I did when activating a skill, looked up at the night sky, and muttered.

"Stop."

And just like that—

The skill ended at my will.

But then—

What the hell was this?

'Sub mission complete?'

It seemed like something had been given to me, but sorting out the situation came first.

I dismissed the system window and assessed the situation after the skill ended.

Thump.

Starting with someone who had been holding on, everyone who was still standing collapsed.

Most had lost consciousness, but not the ones wearing robes like Paloma.

"P-prince…!!"

"Get up, cough! Wake up, you bastards!! Hah!"

"Ugh…!!"

They were decently strong, it seemed — even battered and broken, they were trying to get up.

"Stay down."

"Justice… will triumph…!"

"That's what I was about to say."

Looking at it any way, I was the hero and they were the Demon King's side, right?

Even so, about three guards tried to push themselves up from the ground.

The one who looked like their leader shouted.

"Shut… up!! I… we…!! The Ramis family will never fall!!"

"Are you a hero?"

I warned them.

"If you die, you'll fall down."

It was a ridiculous bluff from Eugene, an F-rank extra with no aura and no mana.

"…I, I am."

"…I'm sorry, Lady Shasha."

But that was enough.

To them, I was a monster they'd never encountered in their lives.

"Get up!! Fight against evil!!"

"Aa…."

"Lady Shasha…."

Two of the three who had been getting up collapsed, but the one called Shasha finally stood.

"Ugh…!! Even at the cost of my life…!! I will definitely rescue Prince Paloma…!!"

"Oh."

Now I remembered.

Shasha.

A girl from a minor branch family, taken in by Paloma and made his direct guard knight.

And—

— Sorry, Shasha.

— I… trusted you.

A girl who was manipulated by the Ramis family without knowing anything, and ultimately discarded.

'I'll save her along the way.'

I recalled what I knew about Shasha.

'She liked fairy tales, right?'

A girl who admired the heroes in fairy tales and took up the sword to become a knight.

And right now, she looked exactly like—

"Kyaah…!! Take this…!!"

—a hero straight out of a fairy tale.

But now it was time to open her eyes to reality.

It was time to open her eyes to reality.

I selected a skill while gripping the sword the large man had given me.

Since she was blinded by her admiration for heroes—

I'd have to open her eyes with a hero's sword.

SHIIING!!

The brightest light erupted from the darkest blade and struck Shasha.

"Kuh…."

"……."

"……What? That was… wh…at…."

Thump.

After whispering something to her as she staggered, I approached Paloma.

"Been waiting long?"

"…M-monster."

"Never mind. Let's answer faster now, okay?"

Korean.

Fast, fast.

Above all, Yuria — whom I'd sent to Cheolsoo — would be coming back soon.

'I need to find this out before then.'

This information was something only I should have, so the plot wouldn't twist.

"Understand? Fast, fast?"

"Y-yes! I understand!"

Paloma nodded quickly as I drew the sword and pressed it to his neck.

'Alright, how should I phrase this question?'

Considering the original novel's content, the information I'd gathered so far, and the events that had unfolded—

I thought of a question and lightly asked Paloma.

"What's your dad doing right now?"

Paloma answered immediately.

"By now… he's probably sleeping."

……Not that, you idiot.