I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain-Chapter 352

Ian blinked, finally snapping back to reality. A new quest window appeared before him, vivid and unmistakable. There were three quests in total.

[The Results of the Erosion.], [The Survivors of the Frontline.], and [The Priest of the Abyss.]

The sheer number was shocking, but there was no time to review the details. Ian quickly dismissed the windows, turning his head—then froze mid-motion. Miguel’s face filled his limited field of vision, framed by the deep hood that was pulled low.

"Y-You’ve awakened?" asked Miguel. His voice was low, almost a whisper.

At Ian’s brief frown, Miguel sighed heavily, placing a hand on his chest as though calming a racing heart.

"Damn it. I swear I just lost ten years of my life. Nobody noticed a thing, but seriously, were you entranced by the Black Wall or something?"

The hood had clearly been Miguel’s doing. Nila also continued walking steadily, unbothered. However, this wasn’t the time to explain everything.

"Erosion has begun. We need to halt the march immediately—" He’s eyes narrowed as he turned and caught sight of the troops following behind.

The entire formation of the army had changed. At a safe distance behind him, a brazier wagon carrying Lucia was now flanked by a protective circle of priests and about forty mounted soldiers.

Clop. Clop.

The rest of the infantry marched in tight, orderly rows behind them, their footsteps echoing in unison. Mounted centurions led each century, commanding their troops with practiced precision. The rhythmic sound of their steps reverberated in the air. Not a single supply wagon was visible. Every soldier was fully armed and prepared for battle.

As Ian processed the transformation, Miguel spoke, his tone awkward and sheepish. "Well, it felt like I had to do something. So, I ordered everyone to gear up and follow in battle formation. Also, I sped up the march."

He glanced at Ian hesitantly before continuing. "I told them you were receiving divine guidance from Karha. If you’re not happy with that, I can—"

"No, you did a brilliant job."

I didn’t expect you to pull off something this impressive.

"Well done, Deputy Commander," Ian added as he glanced back at Miguel.

"No, I mean, all I really did was worry myself to death." Miguel, who had looked genuinely surprised, eventually broke into an awkward, shy smile.

Ian, with the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, removed his hood and turned his gaze back to the legion.

"The erosion has begun." His voice, lightly infused with magic, resonated outward. The soldiers, who had been silently marching, all turned their attention to him in unison.

"If we’re late, Karlingion will collapse entirely. Stay in formation and advance as quickly as possible. Can you do that?"

"--!"

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The soldiers, who had been holding their breaths with eyes glinting, let out a brief, sharp cheer in unison.

Ian lightly shook the reins in his hand and added, "All forces, advance—"

Nila picked up the pace slightly. Once they reached a suitable speed, Ian lightly pulled the reins again and turned back to Miguel.

"I saw a vision of the front lines. It was this very moment."

"How was it?" As soon as he asked, Miguel swallowed dryly and lowered his voice. "Was it terrible?"

"Not yet. But it will be soon. It’s very dangerous, and we don’t know what variables might arise. You know what you have to do, don’t you?"

"Protect Lucy, and if it looks like I’m going to die, run without hesitation. Is that right?"

"That’s right. Don’t leave Lucy’s side. Deputy Commander."

"Understood." Pulling on the reins to slow down, Miguel added, "But here’s the thing. No matter what happens, I’d rather die than run off alone. Believe it or not, I’m a proper priest now. So if I kick the bucket—"

"That’s enough." Ian cut him off and looked back at Miguel. "Don’t say things that invite bad luck. Spit it out. Now."

"Huh?" Miguel let out a laugh, as if in disbelief, and then turned his head to the side and spat.

What are you laughing at?

Muttering inwardly, Ian turned his gaze forward again. The smile on his lips had already vanished without a trace.

The reason he brought it up with Miguel again wasn’t just because he cared for Lucia and him. No matter how much he thought about it, he knew he wouldn’t be able to take care of them as well. It seemed like it would be a struggle just to keep himself alive.

Boom... Rumble…

A low, distant rumble echoed from far away. Ian’s gaze shifted toward his left arm, where he felt an odd heat emanating from his tattoo. The sensation was faintly itchy, almost insistent, as if urging him to move faster.

You’d better satisfy me with your divine power. This time, I don’t care if my entire body burns to ash.

Before the thought could even finish, his brow furrowed sharply.

Ssshhhhh—

A searing pain flared up his left arm, as though someone was pressing a red-hot iron into his skin. The battle tattoo of Karha was expanding along his arm.

You’re planning to satisfy me, right? You’d better not disappoint me, butcher bastard.

Clenching his teeth, Ian turned his gaze. In the distant sky, beyond the growing rumbling sound, a crimson-black vortex was spinning more vividly than ever.

***

"Fire! Don’t stop, keep firing!"

Boom! Swoosh! Crack!

"Supply troops! More arrows! Bring more quivers, now!"

"Ahahaha. Hahaha!"

The air was thick with chaos. Shouts, curses, screams, and explosions collided in a cacophony atop the towering, heavily fortified walls. The battlements were a cauldron of pure madness.

Whoosh!

A boulder launched by the catapult arced through the air, and soldiers stationed at the lined ballistas worked relentlessly, firing and reloading.

"Thrust!" Lucas shouted, raising his sword high.

The soldiers gripping spears thrust them forward as if they had been waiting for the command. The spear tips plunged into the wings and backs of the black harpies that had landed on the wall. Sparks flew from the spear tips as they struck.

"Screech!" The harpy shrieked as it flailed its wings violently, struggling to bite into the head of a soldier pinned beneath its talons. The soldiers had already retrieved their spears and stepped back, leaving the creature vulnerable.

Whoosh—

Through the gap in its wings, Lucas charged forward, his sword slicing through the air. A streak of orange sparks trailed behind his blade.

Crunch!

The harpy’s elongated neck was severed in a burst of sparks that scattered in all directions. No blood spurted from the wound; only a faint hiss escaped, accompanied by a wisp of smoke. The fiery trail left by the blade had burned the severed flesh clean.

Without sparing the fallen head a glance, Lucas lowered his head. "Hey, are you conscious? Answer me."

"Yes, yes! Commander, thanks to you, I..." The soldier, nodding hurriedly, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His abdomen had likely been crushed under the harpy’s weight. One of his forearms, armor and all, had been deeply gouged, with blood streaming freely from the wound.

"Get him inside the fortress. Quickly." Lucas turned to a nearby spearman and gave a curt order.

The soldier, his spear still slick with harpy ichor, quickly set it aside and moved to support the wounded man, helping him toward the fortress.

In the meantime, Lucas grabbed the harpy’s corpse with another spearman and dragged it to the edge of the wall. The soldiers manning the ballista, aimed at both sky and ground, stepped back.

"Don’t stop firing. Make sure nothing lands up here!" ordered Lucas.

With that, Lucas heaved the harpy’s body over the edge. Its twisted form tumbled into the teeming mass below, where it was swallowed whole by the writhing creatures, leaving no trace behind.

"Screech! Screech!"

"Groarghhh!"

Below the fortress walls, a mountain of monster and beast corpses had already piled up—enough to fill the moat and then some. Yet the oncoming hordes paid no mind to the dead.

This doesn’t match the records at all. What is all this?

Lucas furrowed his brow slightly, his gaze falling on a one-eyed giant skewered by a ballista bolt. During the first erosion, the creatures that breached the walls numbered only in the thousands according to official records from all the fortresses combined. Even accounting for omissions, the numbers shouldn’t have reached tens of thousands.

However, here, at this very location, there seemed to be thousands already swarming. And with reinforcements yet to arrive, their current defensive force, roughly the size of a single legion, could hardly manage such overwhelming numbers. Perhaps over the past decade, those creatures beyond the wall had been multiplying endlessly.

Even so, not yet.

Despite everything, neither Lucas nor the other commanders and soldiers had given up hope. Even amidst the chaos of excitement and fear, they pressed on. Their preparations were proving effective, and every weapon and strategy was doing its part.

The catapults hurled projectiles with precision. Ballistas mounted on the walls and towers roared to life. Crossbows rained bolts down on the enemy. Spearmen, trained for the grim task of fighting invaders atop the walls, stood ready. Everyone knew their role and fulfilled it without hesitation.

We just need to hold out until the erosion stops.

Boom!

A sudden burst of blinding light interrupted Lucas’s thoughts. He winced and covered his eyes. Flames roared downward like a waterfall, spilling from the walls and spreading across the battlefield below.

"Ahaha! Hahaha! Such power! This is the might of the Black Wall!"

The source of the firestorm was a mage stationed in Lucas’s sector. The man had been laughing like a madman, spouting incomprehensible words for some time now.

Below the wall, the cries of monsters and beasts mingled with the oppressive heat and the stench of burning flesh. Lucas grimaced—not just at the chaos and the realization that the mage had undoubtedly fallen under the influence of the Black Wall’s madness.

Is the Black Wall fueling their magic somehow?

Despite unleashing massive spells, the mage showed no sign of exhaustion. The same was true of the other mages nearby. They seemed intoxicated by the surge of power coursing through them, their eyes gleaming with exhilaration. Though they knew this euphoria was the first step toward madness, none seemed to care.

Well, now isn’t the time to think about that.

As his vision adjusted, he peered down at the battlefield, now choked with smoke and ash. By standard protocol, a mage who succumbed to madness or became corrupted was to be executed immediately. But in the middle of a battle like this, they couldn’t afford to lose such valuable firepower—especially since the spells were still targeting the enemy.

"Ahaha, ugh. Hahahaha!" The mage burst into uncontrollable laughter, even as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He looked utterly delighted by the destruction he had caused.

"Keep firing! Don’t stop!" Lucas shouted at the soldiers, snapping them out of their daze. As they quickly resumed their work, cranking crossbows, Lucas scanned the distant battlefield. However, he couldn’t make out everything that was advancing toward the wall, as a dense, black fog had consumed the entire land of the dead.

The fog was a mix of dust, magic residue, monster blood, and the Black Wall’s madness, all swirling together into a thick, suffocating haze.

Boooooom—

Beyond the fog, the Black Wall continued to glow with a smoldering crimson, steadily eroding—slowly, but without pause.

Lucas had no way of knowing how much time remained. In truth, he wasn’t even sure how long it had been since the erosion began.

His body ached, his mouth tasted of blood, and it felt like this battle had stretched on forever. But he clung to one thought: if they could endure just a little longer, the end would come into sight.

Lucas’s gaze lifted upward.

But when did the sky turn into that?

The sky above the battlefield churned with a sticky, crimson-black vortex. From its eye, ominous streaks of violet light slithered outward, twisting and writhing like a living thing. The change had begun with the invasion. Initially, the vortex had been smaller, moving sluggishly. But now, it had grown, sprawling across the entire battlefield sky.

Rumble—

At that moment, a deafening roar erupted from the center of the vortex.

The center of the vortex spun faster, widening as it did. An ominous violet glow flickered along its edges, pulsing with a sinister rhythm. Beyond the gaping hole, the same unsettling violet light shimmered and writhed, hinting at the unknown horrors within.

Whoooom—

A bone-chilling wind howled from the rift, its sound like the mournful wail of the Black Wall. It was so eerie that it made Lucas’s skin crawl. However, what truly froze him came a moment later.

Swoosh.

Blinding streaks of violet light burst from the vortex, hurtling toward the ground. Each trail burned fiercely, leaving long, twisting tails of purple and crimson fire in their wake.

"What is that?"

"Lu Solar, my goodness."

The sight was enough to stop every soldier in their tracks, their movements faltering as they stared at the sky. Even the commanders forgot to give orders, their gazes locked on the three blazing trails tearing through the heavens, painting the sky with violet flames.

"Meteors?" Lucas muttered in a daze.

It was the only word that came to mind as he watched the fiery orbs arc downward with terrifying grace.

The only relief was that they didn’t seem as massive as they appeared at first glance. Perhaps their brightness came from burning away at a furious pace as they fell. However, that was where the good news ended.

Woosh—

As the deafening roar of the falling meteors grew louder, Lucas realized the colossal vortex in the sky wasn’t a natural disaster or a side effect of the Black Wall. It was the result of magic—immense magic, requiring painstaking preparation and unimaginable power.

Of course, that wasn’t the only thing he realized.

"Everyone, get down."

Lucas’s trembling lips quivered before stopping abruptly. He tore his gaze away from the approaching trajectory and turned to look over the wall.

"Get down! Everyone! Now—"

It was only then that some finally threw themselves to the ground, their eyes wide with shock. Even as they shielded their faces from the blinding light with their hands, Lucas raised his voice once more.

"Everyone, move—"

Boom!

At that moment, the radiant mass struck the towering fortress and the cliff behind it.

Swoosh, rumble!

A dazzling explosion erupted, accompanied by a seismic shockwave that made the ground feel as though it were collapsing. The force flung backward even Lucas, standing on the far side of the fortress.

Boom, boom, boom—

Fragments of the shattered fortress and cliff blasted into the air like fireworks, while a purple explosion surged skyward. The screams of those losing their footing and falling from the walls were muffled amidst the chaos. The sections of the wall closest to the cliff gave way, crumbling under the impact. The soldiers who had been stationed there were nowhere to be seen.

Lucas, who had sprawled on the ground, raised his head without sparing a moment to check his injuries.

Boom, crackle!

The half-destroyed, flame-engulfed fortress of Karlingion was tilting—and it was tilting toward the wall.

"Ev-everyone, fall back." Lucas croaked the words in a barely audible voice. However, before he could finish, the collapsing remains of the fortress slammed into the wall.

Crash—

Another tremor, as powerful as an earthquake, shook the wall. Dust clouds erupted into the sky, shrouding everything.

Rumble—Crack!

Covered in dirt and dust, Lucas finally lifted his head.

Dust hung thick in the air, obscuring everything around him. For now, even the monsters had fallen silent. His trembling arm moved to remove the helmet covering his head. The stifling view cleared up just a little, giving him a faint sense of relief.

Panting heavily and letting out a few dry coughs, he eventually pushed himself up to a sitting position. His gaze turned toward the collapsed wall. "Lu Solar."

The fortress was in ruins, flames consuming everything in sight. Survival seemed almost cruel—an unkind joke played on those who had endured.

Lucas groaned as he groped around the debris-covered ground, searching until his hand landed on his sword. Using it like a cane, he pushed himself up. His legs shook, threatening to give out, but somehow he stayed standing.

The view from atop the wall unfolded before him. The soldiers and commanders lay flat on the ground, faces pressed into the dirt, arms wrapped over their heads. They were the lucky ones. A third of the wall had been destroyed, reduced to rubble. The parts of the fortress that had fallen, along with the surrounding areas, were now nothing but scattered rubble and shattered remnants of buildings.

"Graaaaah!"

"Screech!"

The beasts and monsters moved first, quicker than any human. As if they had been lying in wait, they surged forward, sprinting along the broken wall and rushing into the gaping breaches. The debris from the buildings and fortifications scattered around them posed no obstacle to those creatures.

Of course, none of the humans on the wall could stop them. Most still lay with their faces buried in the ground, arms wrapped tightly over their heads.

As Lucas blankly watched the beasts disappearing beyond the wall, a sudden sound pierced his ears.

"---!"

It was a faint cry—far from loud, yet inexplicably clear and resonant. Lucas’s head turned dully toward the direction of the sound. He blinked slowly, his eyes struggling to register the reality of what he was seeing.

His eyes widened as if he had just spotted a meteor.

"Get up! Everyone, get up! Pick up your weapons!" His voice, trembling and weak, suddenly found strength. He whirled around to face the dust-covered soldiers and commanders atop the wall, shouting with all his might.

"Grab your weapons and stand up, now! Reinforcements! Reinforcements are here!"

"What, what did you say?!"

"Reinforcements?"

At last, one by one, the soldiers and commanders who had been pressing their faces into the ground raised their heads. Lucas extended his left arm toward the far side of the wall, his voice a desperate roar.

"The Superhuman of the North is here!"

As if answering his call, a thunderous war cry erupted from beyond the distant valley. The soldiers and commanders turned their heads, their eyes widening as they took in the sight.

Beyond the horizon, a legion bathed in fiery red was advancing, their battle cries shaking the very ground beneath them.