Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 121

Chapter 121
“…Outer gods have been seen within the Kingdom of Ashtalon?”

“Confirmed. And not only there. There are also reports from Laksas and Caliban.”

Alon’s brow furrowed deeply.

“…Several Outer gods manifesting simultaneously?”

“That is correct.”

“And these are not mere fragments, but complete incarnations?”

“According to the intelligence, yes.”

‘This cannot be,’ Alon thought to himself. The situation felt wrong. In all his time in Psychedelia, he had never witnessed multiple Outer gods arrive at the same time. While he could not state it was absolutely impossible, the event was decidedly unnatural.

The ‘descent of an Outer god’ typically happened through a living vessel from this world, which included humans. An Outer god could only attain a full physical form by depending on the host body it possessed. For so many to materialize at once pointed to only two plausible reasons.

Either a large group of Outer gods had been concealed and chose this moment to reveal themselves, or—

‘…Artificial Outer gods.’

The idea summoned the memory of the fabricated Outer gods he had faced in the Holy Kingdom—beings that were not native to Psychedelia. As Alon weighed these two options, Evan delivered another piece of information that firmly decided the matter.

“Every one of the Outer gods uttered the name of Duke Komalon from the Kingdom of Ashtalon?”

“Yes. They all referred to him as the Seeker and showed extreme, fanatical loyalty.”

Alon’s doubt crystallized into certainty. These were not the true Outer gods he knew. They were imitations.

Duke Komalon had fabricated these artificial Outer gods, and he had proceeded even further—to the creation of abyssal entities.

“…We depart now.”

“To the Kingdom of Ashtalon…?” Evan asked, his eyes widening.

“Yes.”

“But, sir, the reports say the area is extremely perilous. Is that wise?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll make the arrangements immediately.” Though he grumbled under his breath, Evan rushed off to prepare. Alon watched him go, his mind working.

‘The name Duke Komalon is not one I recognize from Psychedelia.’

But that was no longer relevant. The crucial fact was that Duke Komalon was the architect behind the abyssal beings—a truth that had never been uncovered in Psychedelia’s original history. Furthermore, he might be the Outer god long presumed to be concealed, the Forgotten One.

Releasing a heavy breath, Alon rose to his feet.

There was no time to lose.

“Everything is prepared, my lord,” Evan declared.

“We proceed.”

They departed at once for the Kingdom of Ashtalon.

Over the next five days, Alon learned three critical facts:

First, the Outer gods had materialized without warning and slaughtered almost every noble present at a ball hosted by Duke Komalon.

Second, the killing was not confined to the ball; it extended to the peasants, soldiers, and knights residing within his lands.

Third, Duke Komalon had already ravaged four adjacent territories, reducing them to absolute desolation.

One question persistently nagged at Alon.

‘Why destroy the neighboring lands?’
The mass killing itself was not a shock. Outer gods, once descended into living hosts, inherently saw humanity as their foe. However, their aim was seldom wholesale slaughter for its own sake—it was usually a consequence of their pursuit of a greater purpose.

But this… This was not the same.

The actions of Duke Komalon, who was believed to be an Outer god, superficially matched typical Outer god behavior. Yet, the immense scale of the carnage was puzzling.

Alon looked down at the map Evan had given him. It highlighted the four territories Duke Komalon had obliterated.

“Evan.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“The territories Duke Komalon assaulted—were they not reportedly at peace with him?”

“That’s right. In fact, relations were said to be amicable. The Duke was not known for causing discord in social matters either.”

“I see…”

The four ruined territories, while clustered together on the map, were not physically connected. This eliminated the chance that their destruction was merely collateral damage from movement toward a bigger objective. Instead, the territories themselves had been intentionally targeted.

This confused Alon. Outer gods regarded humanity as their adversary, but they did not usually make widespread massacres their primary goal. Their deeds were motivated by a foundational purpose that went beyond simple butchery.

Yet Duke Komalon’s actions suggested that eradicating humanity itself was his final aim, indiscriminately destroying any land he came across.

Spreading the Chaos

“…There is substantial devastation reported beyond Ashtalon’s borders as well?”

“Yes. While Ashtalon has suffered the most, other nations have also had territories effortlessly erased—one or two in each.”

Even the artificial Outer gods, assumed to be Duke Komalon’s creations, appeared to lack any defined goals. Their sole reason for being was to kill humans.

“Interesting…”

Alon examined the map again with a strange look. After a moment of sifting through his memories, he shook his head.

‘Duke Komalon never actually appeared in the game.’

Instead, the abyssal beings he had made were the ones that featured. Even they were poorly detailed, leading to player complaints about their sudden introduction for the sake of game balance. Beyond that, there was no background lore about them.

“It appears we are about to cross the border into the Kingdom of Ashtalon.”

“Is that so?”

“If our information is correct, Duke Komalon’s next intended target is the Lumiere Territory. Should we proceed there?”

“We shall.”

“But, my lord,” Evan interjected with concern, “is it truly wise to charge in so directly? I understand you intend to stop Duke Komalon, but we have not yet evaluated the enemy’s capabilities.”

Evan’s voice dropped to a mutter, recalling how Alon had acted similarly before. Alon considered his words quietly.

Unlike previous conflicts, where his knowledge from the game had provided an edge, Duke Komalon was an enigmatic foe, veiled in secrecy. Despite this, Alon gave a firm nod.

“We may proceed.”

“You are certain?”

“Yes. All necessary preparations are complete. And I have my methods for estimating their strength.”

Alon’s fingers lightly touched the artifact suspended from his neck—the Necklace of the Snow Eater. He remembered one of its concealed properties.

“Well, if you insist…” Evan shrugged, yielding reluctantly.

Alon looked up at the sky. In stark contrast to the dark rumors and turmoil spreading across the country, the heavens were tranquil and clear, appearing utterly indifferent to the horrors below.

***

Precisely a day and a half later, Alon reached the Lumiera Territory, governed by Count Lumiere.

“…What in the world.”

Evan’s low, shocked curse was met with a horrific spectacle atop the castle walls: an artificial Outer god was causing rampant destruction, releasing raw, guttural cries as it tore the territory to pieces.

The monster possessed a colossal form, with hundreds of malformed appendages merged together into the shape of a spider. Beneath it, the territory was ablaze, swallowed by fire. From the inferno rose the tormented screams of those perishing.

The devastation was not the only horror.

The spider-like Outer god’s wide-open mouth was filled with the remnants of what were once people. Lifeless bodies dropped from its jaws, while on the ground, soldiers and knights fought a hopeless battle.

Alon’s eyes scanned the scene—the defenders’ futile struggle against an overwhelming foe.

Knights desperately chopped at the monstrous limbs, even as their comrades were smashed underneath. Some sacrificed themselves to create a momentary opening for others.

Amidst the dying, one knight finally broke through to the monster.

SLASH!
With a powerful, sweeping blow, he cut through one of the creature’s massive legs.

The disgusting limb crashed to the ground, its impact demolishing several houses. Blood sprayed in all directions as the creature shrieked in agony.

For a brief second, a look of victory shone in the knight’s eyes.

But that look swiftly transformed into utter hopelessness.

From the severed end of the Outer god’s leg, hands started to grow.

One hand emerged, then another, and another, multiplying without end.

The hideous regeneration resembled living muscle, and within moments, the creature’s leg was completely restored.

The sacrifice of more than fifteen knights, who had died to create that single opportunity, was now utterly in vain.

The remaining soldiers could only stare vacantly at the regenerating horror.

The many eyes of the Outer god turned toward the knight who had struck it.

Its attention focused intently on him.

“Ugh… Aaaaaaahhh!”

The knight, frozen in sheer terror, let out a piercing scream.

Alon observed as the spider-like artificial Outer god contorted its grotesque mouth into what seemed like a satisfied smile in reaction to the knight’s cries.

Maintaining his composure, Alon formed a hand seal.

‘…To call this thing an artificial Outer god is too kind.’
To Alon, true Outer gods were undeniably his “enemies,” but they were still divine in nature, regardless of their appearance. However, the entity before him now—it was nothing more than a vile monster aping divinity.

“A sigh.”

Calming his mind, Alon lifted his hand.

He was aware that magic was not the optimal solution here.

A single, overwhelming strike might have been perfect, but with such rapid regeneration, the only certain method to destroy it would be to use the Necklace of the Snow Eater to locate a vital weakness.

Still, he could not simply stand by and observe the massacre.

As he rapidly considered dozens of tactics, just as he was on the verge of incanting a spell—

“Master!”

“…?”

A well-known voice made him turn his head instinctively.

“…Seolrang?”

“Wow! It really is you, Master!”

Bounding towards him with her tail wagging was Seolrang.

Her face was bright with exhilaration as she rushed to his side, a beaming smile on her lips.

“Master! What brings you here?”

At that very moment—

Crunch.
Alon’s eyes registered it.

Behind Seolrang, the gigantic creature that had just been lifting its leg to crush the knight was now staring directly at them with its huge eyes.

Had her voice been too loud?

Alon frowned briefly at the notion, but the thought was short-lived.

“…?”

The Outer god produced an eerie noise, its monstrous form pivoting to face them.

And yet—

“Master! What are you doing here? Oh, and Evan is here too!”

Even as the massive beast advanced, scaling the castle walls, Seolrang appeared completely unbothered, wagging her tail while keeping her attention fully on Alon.

“I was about to ask you the same, but before we converse, it appears we must handle that.”

“That?”

Seolrang finally shifted her gaze.

There, the monstrous being loomed, its movements now aimed at them, seemingly attracted by Seolrang’s voice.

“Hmm… Repulsive.”

Pulling a face of distaste at the sight of it, Seolrang turned back to Alon.

“Master, please wait here, alright? Since it seems to be annoying you, I will handle it.”

Before Alon could respond, she began walking toward the monster.

“Wait—Seolrang!”

Alon tried to call her back.

He knew Seolrang was powerful, but her opponent was an Outer god, even if artificially made and considerably weaker than authentic ones.

It still carried a trace of divine essence.

But Seolrang was already several paces away, her eyes locked on the creature as golden sparks began to flare from her body.

Crackle!
Golden lightning erupted outwards, consuming the surrounding darkness and illuminating the area.

The ground fractured under her feet, and her hair, previously lying flat down her back, now stood on end, charged with lightning and sharp as spikes.

And then—

“Rangchangrangchang (槍狼槍)…”

A whisper so quiet it was almost inaudible left her lips, too faint for even Alon to decipher.

In a flash, she disappeared.

Before Alon and Evan could even process where she had gone, they witnessed:

The enormous body of the artificial Outer god, which had been wreaking havoc across the territory, was suddenly hurled into the air, defying gravity.

Simultaneously, from below the creature, a blazing arc of lightning shot upwards, ripping through its form and climbing into the sky.

The soldiers and knights, who had been submerged in despair moments before, stared, their eyes pulled to the brilliant lightning.

Crack! ZZZZT!
“…!”

The radiant lightning pierced straight through the creature’s core, splitting it apart as it soared higher and higher into the night.

Everyone watched, their jaws slack with incredulity.

Even Alon and Evan were no different.

Finally—

“…How is that possible?” Evan mumbled, utterly astounded.

Alon did not answer.

Instead, he gazed blankly at Seolrang, who was now high in the air, waving both her hands at him with great enthusiasm.

‘…How can she possess such strength?’
Alon’s mind was a whirl of bewilderment as countless questions descended upon him like sharp hooks.