I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain-Chapter 443

“----!”

Inaskurgl roared and burst through the smoke, launching itself upward with explosive force. Despite the deep wounds and jagged gashes across its massive body, the beast spun midair, twisting its body as if wringing out every ounce of power.

Ashen magic spiraled wildly from its mane as it raised its greatsword—and brought it crashing down.

Crunch!

The instant the blade struck the ground, a series of gray explosions erupted outward in rapid succession.

Hyked, who had been about to charge again, hastily raised his sword. A deep-blue darkness spread like ink from his body, then surged upward to form a rippling shroud around him.

Boom, boom, boom!

The blast wave slammed into the shield of darkness.

Ian watched it all with a calm, observing gaze.

Lucia’s voice followed softly by his ear. “Yeah, I’m definitely not going anywhere near that thing. I’ll stick to ranged support.”

“A wise decision,” Ian replied.

Then he motioned to Moro. When Moro obediently stepped closer, Ian brought his hand—still gripping his sword—to the beast’s nape. A faint violet shimmer flickered in the center of his eyes.

Sssshhh...

Chaos energy rippled across Moro’s body, its gleam deepening along the eyes and mane.

As the light settled, Ian murmured, “Even if Lucy tells you to go, don’t get anywhere near that thing. If it comes near, run. No exceptions. Got it?”

Instead of answering, Moro gave a low, growling snort.

From above, Lucia watched Ian quietly, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. She could tell he didn’t trust what she’d said earlier. But she couldn’t blame him. There had been plenty of times before when she’d gone and done exactly what he told her not to.

“So, why exactly did Diana run back out there? I didn’t really catch what you said earlier.” Rather than argue, Lucia clicked her tongue and asked the question.

Ian pulled his hand from Moro’s neck and said, “She’s going to be the bait.”

“Bait? But that’s where Inaskurgl is—” Before she could finish, a sharp, grating sound ripped through the air. It was like the noise of a saw blade cutting through a tree trunk.

Lucia’s head whipped around, her eyes widening as the scene came into focus. The battlefield was visible from Moro, providing a perfect vantage point for her to witness what followed.

A black lion was tearing through the air, leaving a pitch-black trail behind it. And caught within that arc of shadow, Inaskurgl’s left arm was being severed clean at the elbow. A spray of black fluid scattered through the air. It looked like the attack had struck precisely where the chains didn’t cover.

The massive shield in the Black Lion's striking left hand was Gwellrod's. He must have charged past Hyked while the other was caught in the blast, heading straight for Inaskurgl.

“----!” Inaskurgl, now missing its left arm, let out a deafening roar. At the same time, it swung its greatsword horizontally with its remaining hand.

Swish—

The ashen trail of the greatsword crashed straight into Gwellrod’s shield. Caught off guard by the sudden counterattack, he had no time to brace himself—he was hurled sideways like a cannonball.

Crash—

Gwellrod slammed into the ground, bounced off it, and tumbled violently across the field. Eventually, he came to a halt in a cloud of dirt and dust, sprawled out and motionless. With effort, he staggered up to a sitting position, but blood gushed from his mouth beneath his visor, and his left arm hung limp, as if broken.

"W-We need to regroup, now. At this rate, we're all going to die." Lucia’s voice came out in a rush.

Of course, it was already incredible that he had taken two direct hits from a archdemon and lived. But there was no mistaking it—he wasn’t in any condition to keep fighting.

“No. Not yet.” Ian’s calm reply made Lucia tilt her head in confusion.

Her gaze shifted, catching sight of Hyked running forward again. Darkness clung to his body like fire, flaring and writhing violently. Inaskurgl, eyes fixed on Gwellrod, suddenly turned to Hyked and charged.

Clang!

The two blades collided—Hyked’s sword, wreathed in black flames, and Inaskurgl’s massive greatsword, trailing a gray arc of magic. Though the impact knocked his arm back, Hyked held his ground. Inaskurgl, too, didn’t budge. A shockwave burst forth between them, scattering mist and dust in all directions.

Woosh!

Again, Inaskurgl's greatsword fell with tremendous force. Hyked didn’t back down—he met it head-on.

Clang, clang— frёeωebɳovel.com

Three violent impacts rang out in quick succession. Even as the shockwaves rippled through the forest, Hyked never gave ground.

Rumble—

The nearby trees weren’t nearly as resilient. Cracks split through trunks, and they toppled in bursts of splinters. Even Inaskurgl’s greatsword was fracturing—hairline cracks crawling across its surface.

“My god... His Highness is truly... just as strong as Sir Ian...” Lucia breathed out in a hushed tone, awestruck.

Ian, who had been watching the battlefield in silence, gave a slight nod. “Don’t look at him. Look at that demon.”

“Inaskurgl? Why?”

“Look at its left arm.”

Lucia blinked—then furrowed her brow in alarm. Even in the middle of the heated exchange, Inaskurgl’s severed arm was growing back.

The muscle glistened red as it rapidly regenerated past the wrist, all the way to the fingers, which spread open like petals blooming. The flesh turned black as night, and fur sprouted across its surface.

“----!”

With a deafening roar, Inaskurgl exploded with a surge of gray, steam-like magic. It gripped its greatsword with both hands and raised it high. Hyked lunged forward again, throwing himself toward the beast’s chest.

That was when the shout rang out, clear and furious, laced with magic. “Right here! You dumb animal—”

It was Diana.

Even while swinging its greatsword, Inaskurgl’s head snapped to the right instinctively.

“Eat shit, you bastard!” Standing a fair distance away, Diana raised her right fist with the back of her hand facing out, spinning it in a taunting circle.

Despite her courageous actions, Diana's voice trembled slightly as she yelled. Still, it was enough to make Inaskurgl’s face contort in rage.

Hiss—

Distracted, the beast missed Hyked's jump, the greatsword falling harmlessly to the ground.

Boom!

A plume of dust burst upward as the greatsword slammed into the ground. Hyked used the force of the explosion behind him to propel himself forward, closing the distance to Inaskurgl in a single bound. His sword, burning with darkness like black flame, was raised high above his head.

Woosh—

A blazing arc of his blade carved a deep path from Inaskurgl’s neck across its chest, breaking its collarbone. As black blood gushed along the path of the strike, Inaskurgl twisted its face forward again, now completely distorted in fury. The swirling gray magic that had surrounded it suddenly pulled inward, as if sucked back into its own body.

“Raaaagh—” With a roar thick with rage, a shockwave of gray magic erupted from Inaskurgl’s entire body.

The force instantly swept Hyked away and sent him flying as he landed from his strike. Before the wave had even fully dispersed, Inaskurgl twisted its body sharply to the side.

Diana whirled around and dashed off almost instantly. The beast’s greatsword had left its grip and was now spinning through the air at terrifying speed.

Crack—

As Diana curved away in retreat, the greatsword spun like a windmill, scattering gray trails of magic in every direction before finally flying off into the distance.

“Grrr!”

But Inaskurgl didn’t even glance at the weapon. Its massive shoulders rose and fell as it locked eyes on Diana’s retreating figure. The gash that had split its torso had already stopped bleeding. The flesh beneath bubbled and knit itself back together, the regeneration visible even to the naked eye.

Then, Inaskurgl raised its newly grown left arm slightly. On the ground nearby, the severed forearm twitched.

Clatter—

A chain unraveled from the dismembered limb and, as if alive, slithered through the air and wrapped itself around the demon’s new left arm. A faint gray hue shimmered across the reddish surface of the chain, merging into it like smoke sinking into skin.

Fwoosh!

With a clenched left fist, Inaskurgl hurled itself forward like a projectile. It was beginning to follow Diana.

—Clever. Using its grudge like that. Not bad, Friend.

As Lucia watched, her mouth slightly open, a languid voice drifted through her mind.

—It only has fragments of its memory left. That’s why it clings so hard. Can’t see anything else now—not while that fixation’s burning.

“Only if Diana can just keep running, keep dodging without getting killed. And besides—Inaskurgl...” Lucia turned to Ian, finishing her sentence in a quiet voice. “It seems to be immortal, isn’t it?”

“I suspected as much. Looks like it.” Ian nodded without hesitation.

—Honestly, Lucy, I’m more surprised that you’re surprised... That thing’s a failure, sure—but it’s still broken free from mortality’s leash. And we’re standing in the heart of its domain. You really think it’s going to die that easily?

Yog’s whisper came with a stifled, mischievous giggle.

Lucia murmured, “So that’s why you were just watching.”

Ian glanced back at her, responding in an indifferent tone. "That wasn’t the only reason, but still..."

Then he looked away, fixing his gaze ahead. "You got any idea how to kill that bastard, Yog?"

—Hard to say…But One thing’s for sure—it’s unstable. That’s expected, though. It never fully ascended to something greater.

Yog chuckled low in Ian’s mind, its voice drowsy but amused.

—It’s barely keeping its madness in check with brute instinct. If we can break that balance… it’ll be consumed by the frenzy entirely.

“…And then what happens?” Lucia narrowed her eyes, sweeping her gaze across the battlefield. She watched Hyked running after Inaskurgl, then Gwellrod struggling to stand, and Seren rushing to support him.

—Even I don’t know that. But whatever happens… it probably won’t be good for him.

Yog’s answer was as careless as ever, but Ian gave a slight nod, as if that was all he needed to hear.

“I’m leaving Moro with you, Lucy. Keep an eye on His Highness, too.”

Lucia’s eyes widened, and just as she turned her head, Ian took off running. He sprinted in the complete opposite direction from Inaskurgl. For a moment, Lucia stared after his fading figure, understanding the true meaning behind his parting words.

Sir Ian… one day, he really might… with His Highness…

Just as her expression grew more conflicted, a deafening crash erupted from afar.

Lucia blinked in surprise and turned her head. The dust and mist were settling beyond the area where fallen trees had created a clearing. And at the center of it all, Inaskurgl’s back came into clear view—its entire body wreathed in what looked like ashen fog. So did the three thick, towering tails rising behind it.

“Diana?” Lucia whispered, eyes wide. Then she exhaled in relief.

Through the dispersing haze, she spotted Diana’s profile as she sprinted at full speed. She was fleeing for her life.

“Let’s go too, Moro.” Lucia tugged on the reins.

Moro ran—not at full speed, but steady and purposeful. It was likely obeying Ian’s orders to the letter.

—You’d better listen to Ian this time, Lucy.

Yog’s voice drifted faintly in her mind again, sounding even weaker now.

—I don’t think I can help you anymore. I can’t fight the drowsiness…

A slight smirk touched Lucia’s lips. “Don’t worry, Yog. I’m not about to let you die in your sleep.”

—Sharp little thing…

The amused snickering faded away. Lucia could feel Yog's presence settling, going quiet as it coiled itself around her left middle finger like a ring and fell still.

Then she looked back at Inaskurgl.

Clang—crack—

The beast turned, slamming a sword into the ground with its left hand. At the same time, it raised another blade to its right. It had drawn the twin swords that had been crossed behind its back.

That sword…

Lucia’s eyes narrowed the moment she recognized the reddish blades, colored like rust. The ends of the straight blades jutted forward like fangs, sharp and predatory.

She had seen something similar before. A beastfolk warrior named Charlotte had once tried to take her life with swords like that.

These looked wider and longer than Charlotte’s, but in Inaskurgl’s massive hands, they seemed almost small—like it was wielding a pair of short swords. Then, without warning, Inaskurgl drove the fang-like sword in its right hand into the ground.

Thud!

In the next instant, it yanked both arms down and hurled itself forward. Not only its legs, but its arms too, seemed to push off the earth, adding to its terrifying momentum. It didn’t just charge—it rocketed through the air like an arrow.

“My god…” Lucia breathed the words softly and nudged the reins, guiding Moro in a different direction.

Ian didn’t seem to believe her, but this time, she truly meant it—she had no intention of getting close. With her current state, there was nothing she could do to help in that fight.

The divine power remaining in her stigmata was running low. Even now, the divine power of the sacred blood was trickling in, but to fully recharge it would take days. And it wasn’t as if she had magic to spare, either. Overexerting herself risked magical exhaustion—and that, above all, had to be avoided.

She had to save her energy for when she really needed it.

“Sir Diana— Don’t stop!” Hyked’s voice cut through the air as he streaked past Lucia, blazing once more with that dark-blue flame. His whole body pulsed with chaotic energy again.

He’s like a different person.

Her gaze naturally followed him. Setting aside where all that chaos was even coming from, what struck her more was how utterly numb Hyked seemed to fear or terror.

He carried the dignity of both a lord and a knight, no doubt about that. But even so, something was precarious about it. He was charging in alone, after all.

Seren was far behind, still supporting Gwellrod. Rejoining the fight would require time for them.

It must be His Highness’s command.

Just as Lucia looked back, another explosive crash rang out. A shockwave swept over her, rattling through her entire body.

Crack—

Inaskurgl had slammed its right sword into the ground again. Diana had barely dodged it—she tumbled across the dirt, thrown by the impact.

Swoosh—

Inaskurgl drove the fang-like sword in its left hand into the ground, carving a deep scar through the earth like a plow as it twisted its body to turn.

“Moro. Faster.” Lucia’s voice came out urgently.

Diana was seconds away from being caught. As Moro raced forward, its mane billowing, a flicker of orange danced in Lucia’s eyes.

Fwoosh.

Palm-sized flames bloomed one after another around her, glowing with sacred light. Without taking her eyes off Inaskurgl, Lucia extended her hand forward. The searing flames shot out all at once, like arrows loosed from a bow, blazing toward Inaskurgl.

Visit freewe𝑏nove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience