Everything Was Just a Game
The past of the villain Rotten Bendision was filled with events that made his descent into madness understandable. What he had done could never be forgiven, yet the circumstances that had twisted him into this state were clear enough to comprehend. But was this truly a revenge play born of his own pure will? Or had it all been a lie from the very beginning?
"Who the hell are you, and how did you find this place?"
Rotten Bendision gripped his sword as he spoke. I glanced briefly at Arian Liberin before replying.
"I followed the trail of the kidnappers who took Arian, and here I am."
"Is that so?"
He didn't look fully convinced. He had clearly used a stealth artifact, so it must have been baffling to him how I had known he was abducting Arian and tracked him here. That was how much he had overestimated the artifact's effectiveness.
"You're wondering how I noticed you even though you used a stealth artifact, aren't you?"
"That's right. I'm curious. Can you tell me?"
"Of course. I simply have the power to detect it. The mana of Terenity clinging to you is especially vivid to me."
Rotten Bendision's gaze, which had looked as though he thought I was joking, gradually shifted into one of shock.
"Incredible. You know of Terenity's mana? No, it seems you know about him."
Though surprised by my words, there was no hostility in his eyes toward me.
"I no longer wish to see any more blood spilled. Could you step aside? After offering Princess Arian as a sacrifice, I intend to either die by my own hand or turn myself in and accept the death penalty."
He sounded sincere as he spoke. However, the moment I arrived at this altar, I had sensed Terenity's presence lingering within the chamber. More precisely, the mana Terenity had indirectly infused here had taken on a will of its own.
'No villains in sight.'
Yet unlike in the original story, there were no villains present. It seemed that because Seo Moon-hyun had never fought Rotten Bendision here, the villains who would have withdrawn with him had all remained and been killed by my hand. In the original, the villains would have ambushed Rotten Bendision, but I had prevented that from happening in advance.
"I can't leave. I won't let Arian die."
Having said that, I decided it was time to clear away this irritating mana.
'Eternal Dragon Terenity. Now that I'm sensing your mana up close, it's really starting to annoy me.'
In the original story, this energy instilled terror in those who had reached a level where they could perceive it clearly. The stronger one was, the more one came to understand Terenity's true nature. And the stronger one was, the more one feared Terenity's overwhelming power.
'Even the heroines and famous heroes in the original story felt overwhelming terror from it.'
But Arian Liberin was not yet strong enough to fully grasp this energy. She could only sense something ominous. In a way, it was fortunate that her weakness kept her ignorant.
"You say you cannot leave. Then I suppose I must make you leave."
As Rotten Bendision drew his sword, I saw Arian Liberin, lying gracefully atop the altar, tense up. She knew I was strong, but she had no idea just how powerful I truly was. Having personally experienced Rotten Bendision's strength as one of the more formidable villains, she could not help but be wary.
"Sleep for a while!"
Rotten Bendision coated his blade with mana in an attempt to knock me unconscious. I imbued my own sword with the light attribute and effortlessly sliced through his weapon.
"What?!"
Rotten Bendision's face twisted in shock as his sword was cleaved apart like tofu. He stared in disbelief at my blade, which had cut through not just steel but mana-infused steel as though it were nothing. I then used my mana to slam him to the ground.
"Guh!"
Arian Liberin watched in astonishment as Rotten Bendision collapsed, crushed by an invisible weight. She was stunned by the vast gap between our abilities, having seen me defeat an opponent she could barely contend with so effortlessly. Yet the level of power I had just displayed was still far below what the original Arian Liberin would show in her third year.
"Rotten Bendision, you only won because Arian is still inexperienced. If she had another six months, she would have surpassed the power I just showed."
If I trained her, Arian Liberin's growth would far outpace what it had been in the original story. Combined with her second-highest entrance exam scores, she would eventually overwhelm Seo Moon-hyun, who was considered the second strongest, and force him to taste defeat once more.
"You're strong… Outside this place, I would have stood no chance. But here, Lord Terenity can grant me power!"
He seemed to believe he could grow stronger by drawing on Terenity's strength, but unfortunately for him, that would not happen.
"You really think so?"
"What?!"
Rotten Bendision was horrified to find that Terenity's power was not reaching him. In a place steeped in Terenity's mana, the dragon's strength should have been flowing into him. Yet nothing came. He remained pinned to the floor beneath my power.
"Eternal Dragon Terenity. The sudden dimensional shift that brought the Liberin Kingdom into our world, and most of the misfortunes plaguing our realm, are all connected to him."
My words were not wrong. When one traced things back, both villains and monsters ultimately stemmed from Terenity.
"That creature has left quite a bit of its power here. Did you really think I wouldn't block it?"
"Block it?"
"That's right. I've sealed off all of Terenity's mana. Not that it would mean much to you right now anyway."
It truly would not. At this moment, he was nothing more than Terenity's puppet, dancing diligently in a play without even realizing he was a doll.
"You're nothing but Terenity's puppet. Well, since you chose this path yourself, there's no room for sympathy."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Lord Terenity granted me the mercy of allowing me to take my revenge."
Rotten Bendision answered without the slightest wavering.
"Though my revenge against Princess Arian failed… thanks to him, I was able to avenge my family."
"Avenge your family, huh… Do you really believe that? That it was truly your own will?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"Yucheon Group already knew about Terenity. They knew that monster was preparing to invade this world. And they knew everything about your past as well."
I pointed at the burn scar on Rotten Bendision's face.
"Rotten Bendision. How did you get that burn on your face?"
He did not answer immediately.
"My burn scar…"
Rotten Bendision seemed to try recalling something, but nothing came to mind. After a moment of blankness, his expression returned.
"It seems my investigation was lacking. The burn was inflicted by Aizina. After she killed my entire family, I glared at her with killing intent, so she attacked me in self-defense and left this scar on my face."
Arian Liberin wore a pained expression at his words. She seemed to hope it was not true. But this time, things would not go her way.
"So that's how it's been distorted?"
"Distorted?"
"Yes. It wasn't Aizina who gave you that burn."
There was something I needed to tell him first.
"The mana bomb explosion that killed the Bendision family. The organization behind it was Yeokcheon, wasn't it?"
"…That's right. I killed them all too, thanks to Lord Terenity's help."
Now it was time to reveal the cruel truth.
"'Aeternum Somnium,' 'Yeokcheon,' and 'The End.' The three strongest villain organizations. It's well known that they are hostile toward one another. But they all serve the same being. The Eternal Dragon, Terenity."
"What? What kind of nonsense is that?"
"It's not nonsense. The mana bomb that killed your family was also Terenity's work."
"You expect me to believe that?"
Of course he wouldn't. No matter what evidence I presented, he would refuse to accept it. He genuinely believed his current reality was the truth. Still, I told him this in advance because I was about to judge the real him. For Arian Liberin's sake, I needed to let her confront him in his complete, unaltered state.
"You should listen while you still can. Once I free you from Terenity, you won't be able to hear my words again so easily."
Having said that, I revealed one more fact.
"The location of the mana bomb, and the fact that its explosion was centered on your family, was no coincidence. Even Arian's grandmother believes it was an accident."
"…Are you mocking me?"
"No, I don't have that kind of hobby. Still, even if everyone knows all this… was it really just a coincidence?"