Became the Patron of Villains Novel MTL - Chapter 219

Chapter 219

A dim, yet strangely luminous deep tunnel.

Walking through it, Alon was struck by a thought.

‘……I’ve never heard of this kind of passage existing.’

Naturally, his ignorance wasn’t surprising.

The game Psychedelia was played from Eliban’s viewpoint.

Thus, it was not unusual for game settings unknown to the player to remain concealed.

However, what troubled Alon was that this path introduced a strange inconsistency into the known lore of Psychedelia.

‘……………Even the barbarians seemed to regard the Horizon as a kind of sacred place.’

He lacked specific details, of course.

In Psychedelia, the northern barbarians were simply designated “antagonists.”

No elaborate background or narratives about them were ever disclosed.

Yet, he vaguely remembered that this particular piece of lore existed.

‘…….If this place truly connected to the Horizon, the barbarians wouldn’t have left it unguarded.’

A fleeting idea crossed his mind—perhaps this location wasn’t actually linked to the Horizon.

Alon briefly entertained this notion before thinking of Yutia, who had directed him to this route.

‘Now that I think about it, what exactly was the Pope’s command?’

He hadn’t pressed her for specifics, not wanting to trouble Yutia.

But ever since she showed him this passage, Alon had been curious.

What precisely was the directive Yutia had received from the Pope?

‘I’ll ask her when I get out.’

With that resolve, Alon kept moving steadily until he finally reached a massive chamber.

‘…….This is… a shrine?’

The moment his eyes fell on the structures built inside the cavern, that term instantly came to mind.

It felt ancient, yet simultaneously radiated a holy aura.

‘I should inform Yutia about this when I return.’

Letting out a faint sound of admiration, Alon went past the shrine and continued his journey.

After an indeterminate amount of walking, he noticed a faint light ahead, indicating the cave’s exit.

He accelerated his pace, moving toward the light source.

And when he finally emerged—

“……This is, the Horizon.”

The words escaped him involuntarily as he stood, gazing in stunned silence at the vista before him.

Even Alon, typically reserved and indifferent, couldn’t help but gasp in wonder.

It wasn’t due to anything extraordinarily brilliant.

The scenery was identical to what he’d always encountered in the North.

The perpetual grey sky, the snow-covered terrain, and—

A colossal, domed building standing solitary in the immense landscape.

It was too simple to be called magnificent.

Yet, Alon found it beautiful nonetheless.

It was as if the firmament itself had descended to rest.

The breathtaking Horizon was displayed across the vast, pristine white snow coating the ground.

It felt as though the celestial and terrestrial realms had swapped places.

Spellbound, Alon stared at the view, then slowly took a single step forward.

The untouched, flawless white snow, free of any prior prints.

He was the first to mark it.

‘……Honestly, I suspected it might not be the real thing.’

Even as he traversed the passage, he had considered the possibility that the place at the end wasn’t the Horizon.

The path had been so easy that believing it was a deception felt more plausible.

‘I really ought to get Yutia a token of appreciation or something.’

He was suddenly filled with gratitude toward her.

At that very instant—

[Meow?]

The little black creature hidden against his chest abruptly poked its head out.

Hop!

It immediately jumped into the snow.

With a soft poof, its entire body was enveloped by the snow.

Yet, apparently unfazed by the chill, it examined the snow around it with lively curiosity, utterly engrossed.

‘Did Blackie always like snow?’

Meanwhile, Basiliora also materialized.

[This location is quite unusual.]

“What makes it unusual?”

[……………Hmm. It’s difficult to pinpoint, but that’s the sense I get.]

“A sense?”

[Yes. It’s almost as if this area is fundamentally detached from everything else… That’s why I chose to come out.]

“Ah. Is that why Blackie is behaving oddly?”

Muttering to himself, Alon watched Blackie begin to consume the snow.

[Meow—]

He swiftly gathered Blackie.

He had already spent a considerable amount of time walking, and he didn’t want to keep Yutia waiting any longer.

So, with Blackie safely tucked away in his chest, Alon moved forward and halted before the enormous structure.

A massive domed edifice.

Its colossal entryway stood wide open, seemingly inviting entry.

[This place feels even more peculiar.]

“Does it?”

[Indeed. It doesn’t appear inherently dangerous… but it gives me a strange feeling, so remain vigilant.]

Nodding in acknowledgment of Basiliora’s counsel, Alon cautiously entered the shadowed opening.

The moment he did, complete darkness engulfed him.

However, the faint light seeping in from the outside provided a dim illumination of the interior.

Relying on that subtle glow, he walked deeper inside and soon reached the core of the building, where the ceiling was open.

There, he found a door.

A door so ancient that manipulating its handle felt likely to produce the screech of corroded hinges.

It stood alone amidst the flawless snow.

Slightly bewildered, Alon reached out and gripped the handle.

And the instant he pulled the door open—

[You have arrived.]

A voice spoke.

---

Great Chieftain Luraka.

He was enraged.

No, beyond mere rage—he was consumed by incandescent fury.

The cause?

A girl had violated the barbarians’ sacred sanctuary.

With a light-hearted smile, she had casually desecrated the hallowed ground that had been protected for over a millennium and shattered countless protective enchantments.

All because of one single girl.

And when she revealed her motive for the intrusion—

His anger flared so intensely that he nearly blacked out.

The sanctuary was as precious as life itself to the barbarians.

Only the most distinguished warriors were ever permitted entry, and only once in their lives, to receive their sacred markings.

Yet, this girl had walked all over a place held by all barbarians as dear as their own souls—

Solely for the purpose of using it as a shortcut.

She had demolished every sacred spell that had endured for over a thousand years.

There was no reason left to hesitate.

Every barbarian, without reservation, lunged toward her.

Luraka was no exception.

Originally, he had numerous questions for the girl standing before him.

How she had discovered the sanctuary.

How she had so effortlessly broken the sacred enchantments that even the greatest shamans could not undo.

Moreover, caution was also paramount.

However, the moment the girl spoke those words—

Luraka, overtaken by fury, lost every last trace of his composure.

Forgetting even to give orders to the barbarians under his command, he swung his axe and charged.

And the outcome was—

“……”

It materialized before him in the most terrible way possible.

“Ah—”

Luraka let out a faint sigh.

It happened in an instant.

His view was no longer of the barren, grey earth but of a landscape drenched in gore.

The mounded snow, saturated with crimson, melted into the ground, transforming it into a muddy mire.

The freshly spilled, bright red snow that hadn’t yet melted froze solid in the cold of the snowy mountains, forming eerie, crimson streaks.

And in the center of it all—stood the girl.

With only a few motions, she had turned the desolate land into a bloody expanse.

She had crushed countless of his kin into pools of blood in mere moments.

Amidst a world dyed red, she stood there, her eyes shining even redder.

Simply standing, completely unmoved.

“……”

Luraka ground his teeth together.

He could feel it on his skin.

The sheer terror of death that had just moments ago been masked by rage in his comrades.

No one was exempt.

Even the chieftains leading the barbarians were seized by utter shock and dread at the power the girl had demonstrated.

“Kh—”

Luraka was no different.

His hands, clutching his weapon, were shaking.

He tried to steady himself, but his body was already beyond his control.

The only thing he could manage was to cautiously shift his eyes and look ahead once more.

And there—the girl still stood.

Composedly, perhaps even casually.

Yet, it was precisely that inscrutable demeanor that dragged the barbarians deeper into the chasm of fear.

“……Turtur.”

“Your command, Great Chieftain.”

“Sound the Black Horn.”

In the end, Luraka made his definitive choice.

His lieutenant, Turtur, briefly widened his eyes at the order but responded immediately.

“Understood.”

Without hesitation, he pulled the Black Horn from his clothing and blew into it.

Woooooong—!!!!

A noise so tremendous it echoed throughout the massive snowy mountains.

The fear that had just overwhelmed the barbarians began to recede.

Luraka, too, shed the terror that had weighed heavily on him.

And as he turned toward Yutia, who remained standing there so casually—

“You will regret not stopping us now.”

The moment he spoke—

It descended, abruptly and without warning.

Kwaaaaaang—!!!!

The sky and the earth shuddered violently.

Snowflakes covering the ground were flung into the air, whipping up a ferocious blizzard.

The blood-soaked mire was shattered, buried beneath the upheaval of earth and snow.

And then, emerging from the destruction—

[Hmph—]

The dark-skinned Outer God,

who had arrived in the North months prior and concealed his existence, was finally revealed.

[You have summoned me.]

Neltar, the Undying One.

Like a devil, horns protruded from his head.

Four enormous arms and four towering legs loomed over everything.

At the sound of his voice, tinged with sinister amusement, Luraka bowed his head in deference.

“Yes. O Great Outer God, I wish to invoke the authority granted in exchange for a sacrifice.”

[So, what is your demand?]

“Kill that girl.”

There was zero hesitation.

Neltar, apparently intrigued, pressed further.

[You would expend my power for something so negligible? Are you certain?]

“Yes.”

[Well, it is the authority granted to you, so I will not question it. However—]

The corners of the dark-skinned Outer God’s mouth curved into a monstrous smile.

[If you desire to borrow my power again, you must present another five thousand living sacrifices, as you did previously.]

“I shall provide them.”

[Hmph—]

Power.

Five thousand.

Living sacrifices.

A dialogue filled with horrifying terminology concluded with a simple, anticipatory remark:

How exciting.

Then—

As Neltar’s gaze shifted toward Yutia, the faintest hint of regret flashed across Luraka’s expression.

He had offered captured Caliban soldiers and knights as living sacrifices to gain this authority.

He never anticipated needing to use it on the girl standing before him.

But he felt no regret over summoning the Outer God at this precise moment.

Because he had witnessed it firsthand.

The strength that defied comprehension—the power that, with a single action, had annihilated an entire Caliban advance base, where thousands had been stationed.

And so, Luraka simply observed.

As Neltar, like a child finding a new toy, took deliberate, expectant steps toward Yutia.

[Now, I suppose I should bid you farewell—]

However—

[Oh, fa—]

The instant Neltar reached the girl—

He could not complete his sentence.

In that moment, a question formed in Luraka’s mind.

“?”

“?!”

And then, he saw it.

Shudder, shudder, shudder—

The entity, an unfathomable existence he had been absolutely sure would erase the girl without a trace—

[Why… are you here…?]

Was now trembling with terror, his body shaking uncontrollably.

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Would you like me to elaborate on the relationship between the Horizon and the barbarians in Psychedelia?