This Bastard is Too Competent-Chapter 242: The Identity of Faith

Ian’s Fury surged outward in all directions. The Emperor’s Sloth charged at the monster rushing toward the soldiers.

Boom!

Kieeeek!

In an instant, Ian’s black dragons tore through the oncoming monsters. Those that had dared to attack lost their will and collapsed, only to be cut down by the soldiers’ swords and spears. Just two men—Ian and the Emperor—had completely turned the tide of battle. The battlefield erupted in a roar from soldiers and citizens alike.

“Wooooaaaahhh!”

“It’s the Emperor! The Black Dragons are protecting us!”

“Cantum will never fall!”

Morale soared. The soldiers and citizens who had once despaired and dropped their weapons now found renewed strength, rising again to fight back. Witnessing this, Leon’s anger exploded.

[How dare you… you lowly creatures!]

Enraged, Leon charged toward them. But at that very moment— 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Clump…

His legs refused to move, as if rooted into the earth. It felt as though the ground itself was dragging him down. And that wasn’t all.

Scrabble!

His body gradually slowed down. It wasn’t an exaggeration—something truly was binding him, sapping his speed and strength. It was the power of Sloth, restraining him.

Furious, Leon roared:

[You bastard!]

His bloodshot eyes locked onto the Emperor.

[You dare?! You—just a mere sacrifice to fuel Sloth!]

But the Emperor remained calm. No—his eyes burned fiercely as he answered.

“A sacrifice, you say? You dare call me a mere sacrifice?”

A dark yellow aura of Sloth erupted from the Emperor’s body. Once consumed by the overwhelming force of the Seven Sins, he had since begun to regain control—ever since his meeting with Ian. It was as if Fury had ignited a turning point within him. Now, Sloth rose to confront Greed head-on.

[Aaaaarrrgh!]

Leon’s massive form pulsed with dark energy, resisting Sloth’s grip. But strangely, he began to shrink.

[Th-this can’t be…!]

It was inevitable. Greed was the selfish urge to claim what belonged to others. But as Sloth enveloped him, that desire faded—the more he craved, the more his strength diminished. Ian’s eyes sharpened.

‘Just as I thought…’

He had come to a clear realization while fighting Leon: that all the Seven Sins exist in a cycle of devouring and being devoured.

Fury and Sloth.

Jealousy and Lust.

Different forces, but hierarchies existed among them. Sloth, in particular, overpowered Greed.

Of course, Leon might still summon Lust—but even that wouldn’t change things.

‘Lust and Greed… both driven by desire to take what is not theirs. But Sloth is the only force that can nullify such longing.’

Sloth had the power to extinguish even one’s own desires. And naturally, the only force capable of overcoming Sloth was Fury—a power that would burn even the self to destroy its target. No matter how deep the despair, Fury would blaze through it.

Ian watched Leon intently, not letting his guard down.

‘The aura of Greed is fading. With no corpses nearby, he can’t draw on that power again for a while.’

Lust’s energy was also at its lowest. In a battlefield drenched in blood and death, there was no room for Lust to grow. No matter how powerful Leon was, he couldn’t harness it here. Ian had made sure of that.

‘As expected—Sloth is highly effective at suppressing Greed’s desires.’

Raising both hands, Ian let his Fury surge.

“Tear them all to pieces!”

Roaaar!

The black dragons, now even larger, burst from Ian once more. Ian charged into the monsters swarming the soldiers and civilians, shouting:

“Your Majesty! Now is the time!”

By now, the area around the Emperor had been cleared—only monsters remained. The Emperor gave a firm nod.

“I never imagined I could wield the very power that once imprisoned me like this…”

His eyes gleamed.

“I will fulfill my duty—right here, right now!”

At his words, the power of Sloth surged. A tremendous light radiated from his body, mingling with the light of Cantum.

[Aghhh!]

Leon’s body began to burn—not with flame, but with evaporating black energy. His monstrous form shrank, slowly returning to a human shape. Sloth was dissolving Greed. But the Emperor paid a price.

“Ugh…”

Thud.

He collapsed, having poured out all his strength. The haze of Sloth began to cloud his eyes again, threatening to consume him once more. Seeing this, Ian cried out:

“Your Majesty! I’ll help you!”

But the Emperor raised a hand in refusal.

“No. First, I must protect my people… my children.”

“But—”

“Noblesse oblige. Was that not what you expected of me? I’ve done my part. Now it’s your turn.”

Ian was speechless. He remembered saying those exact words once before. And now, the Emperor seemed truly safe. Soldiers and knights rushed toward him, with Princess Irene and the First Imperial Princess at his side. Supporting the Emperor, Irene nodded.

“Leave this to me, Ian.”

“I will protect His Majesty—my father,” the First Imperial Princess added, lifting the Emperor’s other arm.

Together, they slowly retreated toward the safety of the soldiers. Ian watched, then turned away with resolve.

“Understood. Then… I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Please do.”

At the Emperor’s words, Ian calmed the Fury burning inside him. But his gaze toward the Emperor was different now—deeper, reverent. For the first time, he had witnessed what it truly meant to be a mature and dignified adult. And in that moment, stirred by such a presence, the virtue of the Seven Virtues within him awakened.

Woong.

From Ian’s body, the power of Humility surged forth. Until now, it had been only a faint trace—its strength diminished by countless battles.

Wooooooong—!

But in that moment, Humility shone brighter than ever. It was as if the energy had drawn strength from Ian’s heart, reclaiming its lost power. Ian’s gaze locked onto the monsters with unwavering resolve.

“Be humbled. Before me, all shall fall silent.”

Crash!

As his words fell, a tremendous gravity descended upon the battlefield. In an instant, the charging monsters were pinned to the ground by the crushing force.

Kieeek!

Kieeeeeek!

With every glance Ian cast, another monster vanished. Terrified, they scattered and fled—none able to face him. Only Leon remained. Ian slowly stepped forward.

“Our unfortunate ties end here, Leon.”

He raised the royal sword, prepared to sever the twisted fate that had bound them—not only in this life, but in the one before. But then—

“Heh heh heh…”

Leon, now in human form, curled his lips into a smirk. Though Sloth should have left him drained and sluggish, his expression held no hint of weakness. Ian narrowed his eyes.

“What’s so funny? All your plans have crumbled to nothing.”

“Have they, truly?”

“What?”

“What I’ve sown… that’s not all. Don’t underestimate human greed, little brother.”

With that twisted grin, Leon looked past Ian—toward something behind him. Instinctively, Ian turned. And there—

Thwuck!

A blade suddenly drove into a chest. Blood spurted from the mouth and wound.

“Keuk!”

—but it wasn’t Ian’s blood.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“Brother! Why would you—?!”

It was the Second Prince. The one who had fled to save himself had returned—only to stab the weakened Emperor through the heart with his own sword. He had been hiding among the soldiers all along, his eyes clouded with a dark, evil intent.

“Now… I am the Emperor of Cantum! This empire is mine!”

He was completely consumed by Greed.

In that instant, Humility vanished from Ian’s body. And in its place, a violent wave of Fury erupted.

Boom!

“Agh!”

The black dragons descended, crushing the Second Prince in an instant. Ian, panic-stricken, rushed to the Emperor’s side.

“Cough…”

But the Emperor’s condition was critical—he had been pierced straight through the heart and was on the brink of death. A faint, bitter smile crossed his lips.

“Even at the very end… my sons are of no help…”

“Your Majesty!”

“I… it’s fine. Save the people… before me…”

He couldn’t finish his words. His head slumped forward.

Ian trembled with rage.

“Leon! You truly… are a monster to the very end!”

A son killing his own father—such a crime was something Ian could never forgive. His killing intent erupted in uncontrollable fury. Yet even in the face of that rage, Leon continued to smile.

“There’s something far more important right now, isn’t there?”

The power of Sloth was still emanating from the Emperor’s body. Leon extended his hand toward it.

“This power… is mine now.”

While Ian’s focus remained on the fallen Emperor, Leon seized the opportunity. He drew the Sloth from the Emperor’s body.

“Come to me! I am your new master!”

Leon absorbed the Sloth, and immediately his body convulsed.

“Gaaahhhhhh!”

Agonizing pain ripped through him. This was the price of consuming not only Greed and Lust, but now Sloth as well—three of the Seven Sins within one body. Yet even as his body trembled under the strain, Leon gritted his teeth and spoke.

“That makes three.”

He had achieved his goal—but his condition was far from stable.

“Cough…”

Sloth was a natural enemy of Lust and Greed. Balancing powers that inherently consumed one another was an impossible burden. Just then, Yung rushed to his side.

“Lord Leon! Are you alright?”

She hardly looked fine herself—her hair had turned stark white from overusing her power, and her skin had grown brittle and unnaturally dry. But Leon, still wearing a confident smile, declared:

“With the Jealousy and Fury you possess… that means more than half of the Seven Sins are gathered.”

No—it wasn’t just more than half.

Without warning, Leon plunged his hand into Yung’s chest as she leaned in to support him.

Squish!

“Khuhk… Lord Leon… why?”

Stunned by the betrayal, Yung could only gasp as his voice whispered coldly in her ear.

“Your usefulness has ended, Yung.”

“Bu… but…”

Ignoring her collapsing form, Leon withdrew something from her heart: Gluttony—the power to devour all. The true source of the strength she had wielded until now. Holding it in his hand, Leon grinned wickedly.

“That makes six. At last… they’re gathered.”

This time, he didn’t absorb it—he couldn’t. His body was already stretched to its breaking point with three Sins inside him. Merely holding Gluttony was enough.

“The moment I’ve waited for has finally arrived.”

Six of the Seven Sins were now together in one place. This was the moment Leon had long been waiting for.

Pride.

The leader of the Seven Sins. The force that had once split continents, the origin of all restraints. Leon raised his voice in triumph.

“Come to me, Pride! The time has come to correct the past and be reborn!”

And then—

Silence.

Nothing happened.

“Wh-what?! No! This isn’t right! What’s going on?!”

Leon shouted in disbelief. This wasn’t what the Great Master had told him.

“All six powers are here! Pride is supposed to appear now—it’s supposed to recognize me as its rightful master!”

But just then—

Woong!

Faith within Ian began to radiate with a brilliant light—brighter than ever before—causing Leon’s expression to freeze in shock.

“That light… No—it can’t be!”

His face turned pale. There was no denying it.

“H-how… how do you have it?! That’s Pride!”

Faith glowed within Ian’s body—and from its very core, a dark light erupted. It was none other than Pride itself.

Author's Thoughts

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