I Became the Patron of Villains

43. Seollang (5)

The grotesque beast Malyam was fully aware of Seollang’s strength.

The presence she had shown in the colony so far was even more intense than Kalman Arentz, who had been active as a Baba Yaga for a very long time.

However, despite this, neither Malyam nor Kalman thought they would be overwhelmed by Seollang in this fight.

Kalman Arentz and the grotesque beast Malyam were both Baba Yagas like Seollang, and more importantly, they had absorbed the Abyssal Entity.

The Abyssal Entity.

Malyam did not know the exact structure of how the Abyssal Entity granted power.

All he knew was that if someone of a certain level used the Abyssal Entity, they would somehow be granted power.

But for Malyam, that information was sufficient.

Even now, as they fought Seollang, both of them could feel that their strength had nearly doubled from its original level just by using the Abyssal Entity.

Boom-!!!

When Malyam’s fist struck the spot where Seollang had been, the entire cavern shook as if an earthquake had occurred.

Crack-!

When Kalman’s foot stomped the ground, the floor collapsed.

And that wasn’t all.

Boom-!!!

Malyam displayed an unbelievable ability, tearing off the head of the upper castle of the forgotten city and throwing it at Seollang.

The overwhelming power, clearly beyond human limits, brought despair to the mercenaries, wizards, and beastmen fighting the assassins.

However, despite displaying such unbelievable power and fighting as if they were about to destroy the entire cavern, the expressions of the two were growing worse as time passed.

The reason was Seollang, who was still continuing the battle against them.

With a crackling flash, the golden-eyed figure disappeared and reappeared in front of Malyam, striking his waist, then blocking Kalman Arentz’s attack from behind and landing a punch.

Boom-!

Malyam and Kalman were smashed into the wall of the grand cavern.

‘This is impossible…!?’

Malyam frowned as he looked at Seollang.

Her body was undoubtedly covered in wounds.

Her shining hair was stained with blood, and her eerie body was riddled with scars.

Yet, despite this, she was overwhelming.

Against the two Babayagas, who had absorbed the abyssal entities and become twice as strong as their original state, she did not retreat an inch.

“You monster…!”

Mariam frowned as she transformed her grotesquely altered right hand into the shape of a sword.

‘She doesn’t seem to be emitting black magic, so she probably hasn’t absorbed the abyssal entities…!’

Her strength was enough to gain the upper hand against the two Babayagas who had devoured the abyssal entities.

‘…Dealing with her by force is, as expected, impossible…!’

His once relaxed expression vanished, and he frowned deeply as he stared at Kalman.

“Tsk-“

Kalman, having confirmed the prearranged signal, clicked his tongue and his body shot forward.

Not towards Seolang, but towards the beastmen.

“!”

At that moment, Seolang realized that Kalman was charging towards his tribesman Ralga, who was fighting the assassins at the forefront. He immediately moved his body-

Crash-!

-Intercepting Kalman’s outstretched fist.

Boom-!

The shockwave from just their fists colliding was so terrifying that Seolang frowned for a moment.

Seolang soon felt something was off.

Because, despite having a serious expression just moments ago, Kalman’s lips were now curved into a clear smile.

At that moment.

Stab-!

“?”

Seolang turned his gaze to the burning pain he felt from behind.

There stood Ralga.

“Finally…!”

With a twisted smile, Ralga had stabbed a knife into Seolang’s back.

In that moment, Seolang’s eyes were filled with confusion.

“Cough-!”

Blood trickled from her mouth.

Bang-!

Seolang, who had flown straight to the ground at Kalman’s kick, couldn’t comprehend the current situation.

Her eyes were filled with nothing but questions.

Questions. Questions, and more questions.

Her eyes, as if unable to understand the situation, looked at Ralga.

He had a fishy smile on his lips.

Seolang couldn’t understand it at all.

“……Why?”

A question escaped her lips.

As Seolang rolled on the ground due to Ralga’s betrayal, the expressions of the wizards, mercenaries, and beastmen turned to despair, and a sneer formed on Kalman’s lips.

Relief filled the eyes of the assassins, and a sense of victory was evident on Malyam’s face.

All this information entered Seolang’s field of vision, but she was solely focused on Ralga.

“Why……?”

Seolang voiced another question.

And then.

Ralga, who had been sneering all this time, took a step towards Seolang.

Seolang tried to move her body, but.

“!”

She realized that her body wouldn’t move.

“Since it’s coated with Kamonasis poison, you probably won’t be able to move for the next hour. You should stop wasting your strength.”

Ralga, who had been looking down at the surprised Seolang, was now right in front of her.

Unlike his usual serious demeanor, he twisted his lips and squatted down.

“Ah…… what was it? Did you say why?”

He soon removed the gauntlet from Seolang’s hand.

“I wanted this.”

“……What?”

“Didn’t you hear? I said I wanted this.”

Ralga, shaking the essence of the Golden Mane Tribe as if mocking her, grinned. Seolang blinked slowly.

“Because of that… betrayal?”

Still, there was no anger felt. Ralga made a face of incomprehension for a moment, then spat out a voice mixed with a sneer.

“Because of this? Hey, Seolang, what do you think is keeping the guild you created together? Huh? Do you really think the blood kin gathered to play your disgusting family game? No, no.”

Tap, tap-

“It’s because of this. The reason the blood kin are still in the guild is because of the power they can get from you.”

As he tapped her face with his gauntlet, Seolang’s expression gradually twisted.

“Why do you think it’s not?”

“……”

In fact, Seolang was somewhat aware that Ralga’s words were not wrong.

She knew that the reason she could quickly gather the Golden Mane Tribe in the colony was because she had the essence of the Golden Mane Tribe, a gift from the Great Moon.

However, even so, Seolang did not think that the blood kin had stayed in the guild only because of the essence of the Golden Mane Tribe until now.

Even if they had gathered for power at first, the time she had spent with the blood kin during the two years since she formed the guild was real. She believed she was truly creating a new family.

No, she believed it.

“That can’t be-!”

Seolang gritted her teeth, but despite her denial, Ralga did not erase his sneer and stared at her intently.

Then he chuckled and snapped his fingers.

Snap-

And then.

“……”

As if they had been waiting, the rest of the Golden Mane Tribe began to line up behind Ralga, and Seolang looked at them with an expression of disbelief.

Even the blood kin she had greeted warmly two days ago.

Even the blood kin who had come here talking with Seolang earlier, stood behind Ralga as if there were no exceptions.

Soon, Seolang confirmed that there were no wounds on their bodies, unlike the mercenaries,

“Ha……”

For the first time, she let out a hollow laugh.

Not the warm smile she had shown to the blood kin until now, but a bitter, cynical one.

“Wow- now you look like you’ve woken up from a dream. Satisfying.”

Ralga, who was chuckling with satisfaction, mocked Seolang as he tapped her head.

“Honestly, every time you acted up, I was so disgusted. Seeing you rampage with power that doesn’t even suit you because you got lucky… it was really unpleasant. How do you feel now that you’ve woken up from the dream?”

“……Are all the others, traitors too?”

Surlang, who answers a question with a question.

Ralgah, who glimpsed the betrayal and hatred hidden behind the smile laced with bitter cynicism, twisted her lips as if amused and tried to speak.

“That’s enough, let’s get this over with.”

Before Ralgah’s lips could even part, Maliam stepped forward in front of Surlang and immediately transformed his arm into the shape of a sword, raising it high.

“If you move again, it’ll be troublesome.”

At the moment he swung the sword to execute Surlang on the spot, as if to leave no room for any chance.

Swish-!

A small question arose on Surlang’s face, which had been wearing a resigned expression until just a moment ago.

She wasn’t the only one.

Ralgah, who had been sneering.

Liyan and the wizards, who had been wearing despairing expressions.

Even Kalman, who had been smiling as if he found it interesting until just a moment ago.

All of them wore puzzled expressions.

The reason was.

“Ah-?”

Because a huge hole had been pierced through Maliam’s head, who had been thoroughly intoxicated with a sense of victory until just a moment ago.

Thud-!

Maliam’s body collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

At the moment when everyone was expressing their doubts about the absurd death of the colony’s Baba Yaga.

“Ah-?”

Liyan, who had been staring blankly at the scene, suddenly realized that his breath had turned into white steam.

And at the same time, everyone there could see.

In the distance.

A man walking out from the forgotten city of the god Kahara, without saying a word.

Crunch-

With each step he took, white frost descended, freezing the path, and the grayish-white magic rising from the bracelet on his left hand wrapped around his body like a thin ice barrier.

Thud- Thud-

The man’s steps were unhesitant.

Despite the presence of a Baba Yaga and dozens of enemies in front of him, his expression remained indifferent.

Everyone began to tense up at the sight of him walking out expressionlessly, without any sentiment or emotion.

Just a moment ago, Ralga, who had been mocking Seolang.

Kalman, who had been wearing a relaxed smile.

All the enemies present, tense up as they see the man who appeared expressionless.

Because they had seen it.

The head of Malyam, who was called Baba Yaga, pierced through in an instant.

“Ugh-!”

As the man slowly approaches, Ralga instinctively steps back.

Not only that.

All the beings there, defined as the man’s ‘enemies’, naturally took a step back.

Because just standing there, they felt an irresistible sense of awe and fear that choked their throats.

Even the strongest among them, Kalman,

‘What is that, exactly-!?’

Instinctively felt a primal fear as he saw the black and blue eyes behind the man, knowing that recognizing them properly would shatter his mind.

“Master…?”

And finally, Alon, who approached Seolang, who had a sword stuck in her back, stared at her intently.

“Ice Crystal.”

He uttered a phrase different from before.