I Became the Patron of Villains

26. Isn’t it a bit too much? (2)

Delman, the Master Knight of Caliban and known as the third sword among the Great Five Swords, was in a very good mood.

It was because he had killed Klkan, one of the eight chieftains and rumored to be quite strong among the chieftains, during this expedition.

Of course, the way he killed Klkan was something that would not be recognized either in Caliban or among the barbarians.

He had challenged Klkan to a duel, and when he came out alone, he used the hidden troops, various traps, and poisons he had prepared in advance to kill him.

Although Caliban and the barbarians were at war, they had always respected each other’s honor in war, and this was an incredibly despicable act.

But instead of thinking he had done something despicable, Delman smiled at the thought that he wouldn’t have to give up his third position among the newly arrived Five Swords to Deus, and massacred all the barbarians present.

Not a single one survived the battlefield, all of them.

It would have been impossible for him alone, but the numerous soldiers he had stationed outside to prevent them from seeing the duel made it possible.

Having successfully achieved his merit, all that was left was to return and report his achievement, so Delman returned to one of Caliban’s outposts.

“……”

He saw it.

With red hair matching his symbolic ability to control fire, he looked at the outpost on the grayish land with a tense expression, along with his knights of Hongyeom.

He saw what had been the outpost.

On the grayish land, with red bloodstains and a few ruins, and thousands of corpses lying around as if nothing had happened.

But their gaze was all focused not on the ruins, but on the man in the center.

Clad in the distinctive leather garb of the barbarians, he stood defiantly in the center of the ruined outpost, soon turning his gaze towards Delman and then began to walk towards him.

At first glance, it seemed like a death wish.

Unlike the lone barbarian walking towards him, Delman had a hundred knights and numerous soldiers at his disposal.

No matter how formidable the eight chieftains were, they could never face such a large force alone.

Yet, despite being fully aware of this, Delman’s expression was filled with tension.

The first reason was the ruins, shattered beyond recognition, that could no longer be called an outpost.

The other reason was the aura.

Even though he had committed vile acts, he was a swordmaster.

He had stepped into the realm of superhumans, capable of slicing off mountain peaks with a single stroke and reaping the lives of dozens of barbarians with one swing. He could clearly feel it.

The ominous aura emanating from that man.

And then.

[Are you Delman?]

The man’s voice echoed.

It was a voice that didn’t seem human, one that shook the mind just by hearing it, leaving Delman momentarily stunned.

“Who are you?”

Delman instinctively raised his aura blade and responded.

[Then tell me, Delman. Why did you defile the great and sacred duel?]

“…What?”

[Answer me. Why did you defile the great and sacred duel, the battle for the honor of both?]

[Speak.]

With the barbarian’s continued words, Delman realized that the ominous barbarian before him was referring to the duel with Klkan and spoke.

“Ha, this is a battlefield. Believing in a duel here was a mistake, wasn’t it?”

As if he had nothing to lose, dismissing the duel as a foolish act, the barbarian stared intently at Delman and spoke.

[How dare you describe the great duel in such a manner.]

His tone was clearly filled with displeasure.

“I told you, didn’t I? This is a battlefield.”

[This is your last chance, mighty one who has reached a high level for a human. Duel me. If you win, I will let you go.]

At the man’s words of a last chance, Delman did not respond.

He simply said.

“Everyone, prepare for battle.”

He gave the order to the knights.

As soon as his command fell, the knights and soldiers drew their weapons in perfect unison.

The Crimson Flame Knights, who had fought countless battles in the northern war alongside Delman and led them to victory, all drew their swords with resolute expressions and unleashed their auras.

The barbarians watching the scene.

[As expected, do beings called ‘knights’ have no honor?]

With a sigh, and a mutter filled with contempt,

Creak- Creak-!

The surrounding corpses began to rise.

“What, what the-!”

The knights were taken aback by the sudden change, but the phenomenon had already begun, regardless of their emotions.

A knight with his head split in half.

A soldier with half his body blown away.

A rider with his upper body torn apart.

Slowly, they awakened.

And then-

“Painpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpain-!”

“Kill me, kill me- please- urgh”

“Gurglegurglegurgle”

The screams of the dead filled the gray earth.

[……Mortals who lack even honor are not needed in this world.]

No, it- disappeared.

“!?”

Even Delman, who had reached the realm of superhumans, couldn’t follow the speed for a moment.

However.

[But-]

Delman turned his gaze to the voice that had suddenly appeared, and the barbarian was already striking the ground.

Boom-!!!

As soon as the ground was struck, the earth exploded in an instant.

Rocks and pebbles scattered into the sky, and the soldiers and knights who had been holding their positions were all lifted into the air.

And, with a single swing of the barbarian’s foot in the air.

Crack-!

The soldiers and knights who had risen into the sky were turned into chunks of meat by the rocks and stone fragments scattered in the air.

Without even a chance to scream, they became mere pieces of meat, spreading across the ground and creating countless red flowers of blood.

“!”

Delman, who had been about to swing his sword, realized at some point that his arm was gone.

“Argh-!!!”

As Delman’s scream echoed, the soldiers who had not yet grasped the situation began to understand what had happened.

In a single moment, the Master Knight and most of his knights had been annihilated.

The sudden spread of fear gripped the soldiers.

“Ah, ah-!”

The fear that had taken root in their hearts spread like a plague, robbing the soldiers of their will.

And in the midst of the massacre that had turned into a pandemonium.

“You, you are-”

Delman, who had lost his arm, looked at the barbarian in disbelief.

Soon, that barbarian-

No.

The god of all barbarians and the father of duels.

[One cannot grant an honorable death to a barbarian who knows no honor.]

With his rough hand, Ultultus crushed Delman’s internal organs completely, and only then did he look down at Delman as if he had finished his task.

A moment later.

“Pain, pain- pain- pain- pain- pain────!”

Despite his internal organs being completely crushed, Delman stood up, spraying blood on the gray snowfield, and screamed in agony like the others. Ultultus smiled in satisfaction as he watched.

[All barbarians gathered here.]

He looked at the soldiers who were still alive, their faces filled with fear.

[Prove yourselves through a duel.]

And then.

[Prove that you are not barbarians.]

He proposed a duel.

[If so, I will grant you an honorable death.]

On the blood-red colosseum made of the dead.

Master Knight and the fourth disciple of the Sword, Biran, could not comprehend the current situation.

The reason he came here today was simply to deal with a noble from the Kingdom of Asteria at the request of his friend and, in fact, a very precious supplier, Carmine.

Of course, given that the six kingdoms were bound together under the framework of the United Kingdom, it was originally right to show some courtesy even to nobles from other countries.

If any trouble arose, it could quickly become a national issue.

Nevertheless, the reason Biran accepted Carmine’s proposal without hesitation was not only because of the item he proposed but also because, considering various situations, the likelihood of the matter escalating seemed nonexistent.

Biran had three reasons for this judgment.

One was that among the six kingdoms under the framework of the United Kingdom, the kingdom that held the most influence was Caliban, which always blocked the barbarians descending from above.

The second was that the rumor of Count Palatio had not yet spread again, and his reputation was still that of a lucky fool who became a count, with no connections in Caliban.

The third was that even if the situation got a little complicated, his master, Fiola, who stood at the top of Caliban, would somehow smooth things over.

Though not as much as Deus, he was always under the care of his master, who had an overflowing talent for the sword.

For these three reasons, Biran intended to deal with Count Palatio, believing there would be no harm to himself, and originally, his judgment was not wrong.

However, there was one thing Biran did not know.

That was.

Crack-!

“Ugh!”

Count Palatio was, in fact, a benefactor of Deus Macallian, who had recently been praised as a hero in Caliban.

“Gah-!”

Deus Macallian, who had earned the nickname “Swordless” by killing Kurga of the Snowfield, one of the eight chieftains, in a duel.

“Argh!”

Biran, who was slammed into a tree with a grotesque sound, opened his mouth with a face full of fear and defiance-

“W-wait! Lord Deus-! You can’t do this to me-ugh!”

-could not finish.

Before Biran’s mouth could open, Deus’s foot had kicked him in the stomach.

Along with that, the knights of Yuzon, who had shown respect just a moment ago, instinctively tried to draw their swords.

“The moment you draw your swords, imagine what will happen.”

“……!”

Just by turning his gaze and speaking, the knights swallowed their breath and fell silent.

And thus began the one-sided beating.

And Alon, who was watching the scene, looked at Deus, who had appeared in an instant and was beating Biran mercilessly. On the outside, he was expressionless, but inside, he was smiling with great satisfaction.

‘You’ve grown up wonderfully……!’

Alon looked at Deus with a face as if he were looking at a son he had raised very well.

……What father would think that way while watching his son mercilessly beat another person, but Alon at least felt this feeling as something akin to a father’s feeling.

No, to be honest, he even felt a strange sense of gratitude beyond a father’s feeling.

Alon had been thinking about it continuously on his way to Caliban, but he thought that Deus would not be very fond of him.

He might be fond of him, but just that. He thought that Deus would never have any feelings beyond that.

Alon had never had a personal conversation with Deus, and above all, Deus had never sent him a letter.

Therefore, when Deus called him a benefactor earlier, Alon felt a sense of satisfaction on his face as if he were being rewarded for raising a son until now.

“You hit well.”

“Indeed.”

Soon, watching Deus destroy Biran in real-time, he smiled gently, and about three minutes later, he felt a sense of relief in his heart.

Alon felt grateful to Deus for doing this much for him.

But five minutes later.

“Count.”

“……Why?”

“Isn’t he going to die?”

Alon felt something unusual as he watched Deus mercilessly beating Biran, who was clinging to his pants and begging for forgiveness.

“No way. Would he?”

“Well, he might…….”

But still, would he kill him? With that thought, Alon watched Deus’s beating for five minutes.

“…….”

Alon, who confirmed that Biran’s face was so damaged that he couldn’t recognize the sly corner he had shown ten minutes ago, broke into a cold sweat and suddenly recalled.

The Deus in front of him,

‘Oh…….’

Was one of the five great sins.

Of course, that didn’t mean the feeling of gratitude disappeared.

It didn’t disappear, but.

‘I’m glad he did this much for me…….’

Alon looked at Deus, who was walking towards him, leaving Biran, who seemed to have become half-paralyzed.

“I will escort you.”

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he bowed deeply, causing the soldiers and knights to stir momentarily.

“……Alright.”

Alon thought as he looked at Biran, who was covered in blood.

‘Isn’t that a bit… excessive?’