I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain-Chapter 450

He felt no pain. Instead, his vision dissolved into gray, and all other senses vanished instantly, as if washed clean. But his mind remained sharp.

Thrum... thrum...

In that moment where time seemed frozen, he felt only a faint, internal pulse. A strange sense of floating followed, but Ian didn't panic. By now, such phenomena were almost familiar.

Then, the texture of the grayness filling his vision changed, becoming like rolling waves. Beyond them, he sensed an immense presence, its form indistinct, and felt its gaze upon him. A gray, cross-shaped light shimmered like a mirage in the distance.

It was a familiar gaze. It was the Confined Wildness, Kruxica.

Are you satisfied now?

Ian thought, meeting the gaze calmly. Though only a thought, a low rumble answered, like the breathing of a colossal beast.

Ian pressed, Then give me something.

Kruxica let out another inscrutable sigh and languidly closed its eyes. The image of a massive, gray, nine-tailed beast curling up flickered like a dream.

Instantly, Ian's consciousness plummeted as if thrown.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The gray void darkened, and distant vibrations surged through him, becoming intensely real. A quest completion window flashed before him as all his senses rushed back.

Stench and tremors filled the air. The flickering light of his Light Sword, threatening to extinguish at any second, combined with a blazing purple haze to illuminate a narrow cave of flesh. He was inside the amalgamation's eye socket. The chaos eyeball and the gray explosion that had consumed him were completely gone.

Small teeth clattered in his mouth. Ian spat them out without hesitation and spun around, forcing his remaining magic into the Light Sword's Mantra circuits. His instincts screamed warnings.

Crack!

The wavering Light Sword, trailing purple fire, instantly sliced through the rib bones caging him in from behind.

Snap!

Before the severed bones could fall, Ian burst through the opening and launched himself upward, simultaneously dismissing both his swords in his pocket dimension.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

As the air trembled violently, the ground met his feet sooner than expected. The fierce earthquake threw him off balance, sending him tumbling. Yet, even as he rolled, he took in his surroundings.

The amalgamation's head had lost all shape, melting like ice cream and shot through with gray, vein-like cracks.

What the...

However, something else seized his attention: a giant gray spiral hanging high. It was unmistakably the ring that had floated above the amalgamation's head. Instead of vanishing with the creature's death, it had transformed into a pointed, whirlpool-like spiral. It descended slowly, etching countless smaller, stationary vortexes into the sky.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

And that was the source of the earthquake.

Ian scrambled up from the squelching ground, barely pushing himself upright.

Before him lay the hill of flesh, now collapsing under a web of spreading gray cracks. Beyond it, the outside scenery spun dizzily, filling his vision. Things closer seemed to whip past, while distant objects moved slower, making him feel like he was standing at the heart of a whirlpool. He even felt like he was constantly moving farther away.

Ian quickly realized it wasn't the world spinning—it was him. The giant spiral high above only looked stationary because he was rotating at the same speed.

Not that it mattered right now.

Squelch!

Kicking off the ground that sucked at his feet like a swamp, Ian sprinted forward. The hill of flesh could no longer be called a hill;it was a swamp of melting flesh.

The tentacles and beasts that had risen from it had already dissolved into flimsy lumps, flowing into the dense network of cracks. Beyond the dissolving mound, the warped, spinning surface of the land seemed to rise higher and recede farther away.

Is it unstoppable once it began?

Even as the thought crossed his mind, Ian unconsciously cast the Wind Blade, pushing himself faster. He only belatedly realized his mutated limbs had returned to normal—which probably explained why the newly grown teeth in his mouth were gone, too.

Perhaps this was Kruxica's reward: taking away not only the effects of the explosion but also the chaos that had corrupted him. Not that he felt grateful right now;his stats had probably dropped.

Crack, crackle!

A horrifying sound echoed from behind him. Ian reflexively glanced back, his eyes widening instantly.

The giant pointed gray spiral plunged toward the ground. Directly beneath its tip, land shattered like glass along the crack patterns and collapsed inward.

Beneath it, only an unnatural, pitch-black darkness yawned wide—proof that this collapse wasn't merely physical. The massive gray whirlpool was plummeting down into that darkness. Now that he was a bit farther away, it no longer seemed stationary but appeared to be slowly rotating.

Fuck!

Pushing his legs harder, Ian looked forward again. Beyond the ground, which now seemed to spin even faster than before, he saw something else.

"Agent of the Saint— Seren!"

A figure blazing with dark blue energy flashed past ahead—Hyked. He was struggling, unable to run forward because Gwellrod had grabbed him by the waist from behind. Even out here, they weren't entirely free of the collapse's influence;Gwellrod strained with all his might, dragging Hyked backward.

"Hurry! Get out, quickly! Don't stop! Agent of the Saint—" Hyked's desperate shouts faded sideways along with his retreating figure. To them, Ian probably looked like he was being helplessly swept away by the whirlpool.

Crack, crack, crack!

Amidst it all, the sound of the world collapsing drew steadily closer, much faster than Ian could run.

Ian didn't look back. There was no point. He just had to run faster now to get out of this zone.

"Sir Ian—"

His eyes widened again as another shout pierced his ears.

Running flat out, Ian snapped his head to the side. Far across the rotating landscape, he saw the profile of the demonic beast, Moro, running as if climbing against the warped terrain.

"Over here! Sir Ian!" Lucia yelled, riding atop the beast.

The moment she shook the reins in her left hand, Moro, which had been running parallel, veered sharply toward Ian.

It was like watching them run against the spin on a record player, somehow drawing closer across the warped landscape.

"Are you crazy? Fuck! That's the wrong way! Lucifer! Not this way!" Diana shrieked, her arms still wrapped around Lucia's waist from behind.

For once, Ian found himself agreeing with her.

"Turn back! Don't come!" he yelled, waving his arm frantically, his gaze fixed on Moro as it closed the distance diagonally. "Moro! Turn around right now! Get out of here!"

But Moro ignored his command, just bobbing its head and charging onward, seemingly intent only on reaching Ian.

"We won't leave without you, Ian! Absolutely not!" And Lucia clearly felt the same.

Ignoring Diana's continued squawks, she just shook Moro's reins harder.

They really fucking don't listen!

Despite the thought, Ian pushed himself to run even faster.

Even on the treacherous, muddy ground, Moro didn't stumble. At some point, they were no longer approaching at an angle but running straight toward each other, head-on.

"Just a little more! Sir Ian— A little faster!" Lucia screamed, her voice nearly breaking.

Though a terrifying cataclysm unfolded around them, her green eyes were locked solely on Ian, hurtling toward her, as if determined not to be separated, even in death.

Ian felt the same way.

Crackle, crack—

The sound of the world collapsing was now right behind him.

The instant the noise brushed past his ears, Ian kicked off the ground with every ounce of strength he had left and lunged forward.

"Sir Ian—" Lucia leaned far out from the saddle, nearly falling, her right hand stretching desperately toward him.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" Diana's scream echoed as gray cracks spider-webbed across the edges of Ian's vision.

Crack, crackle, crack—

The world shattered into pieces, collapsing around them. But Ian didn't spare it a glance. He just reached out his right hand, his eyes fixed only on Lucia's approaching face.

Rumble…

The moment their hands were about to touch, endless darkness swallowed everything.

***

Murmuring voices seeped into his ears.

He snapped his head up. An aromatic smell brushed his nose amidst the cool air.

He felt the soft cushion of a plush chair beneath him as the scene of a cafe unfolded before his eyes. People chatted across scattered tables, and one entire wall of windows opened onto a sweeping view of the coastline.

He sat alone at a table in the middle of the cafe, perfectly positioned to take in the sweeping view of the sea. It was almost ridiculous to think he'd dozed off with something so beautiful right in front of him—and in that short nap, he'd somehow drifted into an incredibly strange dream.

No...

Soon, one corner of his mouth twisted into a wry smile. He'd immediately realized it was the other way around. This was the dream.

Couldn't a bar have shown up instead? Or at least a barbeque house? Why is it always the street, public transport, or a cafe?

Despite the thought, he picked up the iced coffee sitting in front of him. The ice cubes hadn't melted yet, making it surprisingly cold. Savoring the slightly bitter taste, he calmly took in the view—the sea and sandy beach outside the window, and the quiet interior of the cafe.

The subconscious is really impossible to figure out.

He easily remembered the last time he'd been here.

It was during his job-hunting days, a trip he'd taken with his girlfriend back then—one of the few romantic memories he had left. He'd spent nearly half a year saving up for it, only for them to start fighting before they even arrived, and in the end, he spent most of the trip alone.

Why couldn't I appreciate this view back then?

Leaning back in the plush chair, he crossed one leg. The thought that this was no time to relax flickered through his mind, but he immediately pushed it away.

Even if he escaped this dream, a bleak reality awaited him. He was sick and tired of it all. He knew he couldn't avoid it forever, but he desperately wanted to look away, even just for a moment. Besides, he needed time to sort through his thoughts.

Vzzzt— Vzzzt—

The cell phone lying on the table vibrated. He had a good idea who was calling. Probably the girlfriend he'd fought with, whose name he couldn't even recall now.

He didn't bother checking the phone that was lying face down on the table. He just immersed himself in the quiet murmur of the cafe and the view of the sea stretching out under a moderately cloudy sky, sipping his cool, bitter coffee.

Ting-a-ling...

Just a few minutes later, a clear, bright chime rang out from somewhere behind him—the chime on the door. It was quickly followed by the sharp clatter of hooves, mingling with the soft sound of footsteps.

The cafe suddenly fell quiet. One by one, the customers' gazes drifted toward the area behind his back.

Ian silently pressed his lips together.

Is it that long-faced bastard again? he thought, sensing an unwelcome interruption had arrived.

It wasn't entirely unexpected. He didn't turn around because he didn't want this moment of peace disturbed any sooner than necessary.

"Good heavens. What on earth is this?"

But the sound of a low snort, followed immediately by a gasp of astonishment, was enough to make him look up sharply. Barely catching the coffee cup he almost dropped, he turned his head.

His eyes first fell upon a sleek black horse, which stood blocking the doorway. It was unclear how it had possibly gotten inside, but it was definitely the source of the snort he'd just heard.

And beside the horse, a red-haired girl dressed in shabby cloth clothes was slowly walking forward, looking around dazedly at the ceiling.

"Lucy?"

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