Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 294 : Sin of Greed (5)

The Sin of Greed had manifested.

As Alon processed this reality, his mind wasn't occupied by the dread of the Sin's birth, but by another thought entirely.

"Magrina."

"Yes, brother..."

"Tell me it isn't—"

Alon faltered, unable to complete his sentence.

It wasn't that he lacked the vocabulary.

The words were vivid in his mind.

He simply lacked the resolve to voice the question, letting the thought hang in the air.

"Do not fret, brother. The seal remains perfectly secure."

Upon hearing Magrina’s assurance, Alon released a heavy breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

The internal turmoil within him began to subside.

The emergence of a Sin was significant, but the fact that Rine had not transformed into the Sin of Greed was far more vital.

It was a massive relief.

This was a different side of Alon—one that deviated from his past self, who would have prioritized stopping a Sin above all else.

Unaware of this internal shift, Alon regained his composure and began to analyze the situation with cold logic.

Unlike the incomplete Sin of Envy he had previously encountered, this entity was whole.

The Sin of Greed standing before Alon was the finished version—the same nightmare he had faced in Psychedelia.

It was a calamity capable of toppling a monarchy just by existing.

A beast that would consume hundreds of thousands of souls.

It was a harbinger of ruin that would lead the entire continent toward total collapse.

Alon fixed his gaze on the Ash Seeder as it stomped toward Fildagreen.

Molten magma dripped incessantly from its massive frame.

Lush green forests were pulverized beneath its weight as it advanced.

The Ash Seeder—known as the "Mother of Greed"—was living up to its title by devouring every scrap of life in its path.

And positioned at the heart of these Mothers of Greed—

There it was.

The first thing to notice was its unnaturally pale, non-human flesh.

Then came the sight of numerous wing joints, twisted grotesquely and fused into its spine.

They were featherless, skeletal structures of bone.

Yet, hundreds of sheets of paper were impaled upon those bones, flapping like wings with illegible script covering their surfaces.

Finally, there were the inverted eyes.

Within black sclera, a green, soulless light flickered, staring ahead with a chilling sense of intellect.

Alon exhaled sharply as he observed the creature.

By nature, Sins require a period of gestation to reach their peak.

Because of this, players usually held an advantage by fighting them while they were incomplete, weakened, or had their skills sealed.

However, fate was not so kind today—

The Sin standing before Alon appeared to be almost entirely adapted to its power.

There was no room for delay.

"How are we supposed to deal with that thing?"

The whispered terror of a nearby elf reached Alon's ears.

The circumstances were dire.

Many were frozen in place by sheer fright.

Others ground their teeth, struggling to keep their fear from consuming them, though their trembling eyes gave them away.

Some simply stared into the distance, their expressions vacant.

As the Mother of Greed marched toward Fildagreen, stripping the land bare—

Concepts like bravery and hope were being devoured right out of the hearts of the soldiers.

It was a hopeless scenario.

That made it even more essential to remain focused.

As he steadied his mind and sharpened his thoughts, Alon—

"Master."

He shifted his attention toward Seolrang, who had called out to him.

"Should I eliminate them all?"

Hearing Seolrang's question, Alon made a swift calculation of their combat potential.

His decision was instantaneous.

"Seolrang, Radan, Ria. I require your assistance."

"My Queen, you must withdraw! Right now!"

On top of the ramparts, Ramu, who had been analyzing the threat alongside Alon, shouted with a face pale from tension.

The Mother of Greed continued its relentless march toward Fildagreen.

It looked as though the city would be swallowed whole at any moment.

"My Queen! I beg of you!"

Ramu’s plea grew more frantic.

But Magrina, her gaze fixed forward and her face unreadable, finally spoke.

"Ramu, please do not be so troubled."

Her tone was hauntingly steady.

"This isn't just a minor concern—this is a true catastrophe!"

Ramu gripped her chest in agony.

As a veteran of the Shadow Leaves, Ramu understood the terrifying power of those creatures better than anyone.

She knew the situation had changed, of course.

The Queen was now a wielder of magic.

The Primordial Elf who had previously defeated an Ash Seeder was also present.

Even so, the terror in Ramu’s heart wouldn't fade.

She knew better.

She knew this was only the beginning.

And then—

"What... what on earth is that?"

A voice cracked with horror echoed across the wall.

Ramu looked down immediately.

A gasp of pure despair escaped her lips.

Below them—

Greenskins with skin the color of ash were erupting from the red magma, sprinting toward the city fortifications.

The elves, who had been clinging to the last shreds of their courage, now looked on with faces full of hopelessness.

Even Ramu had to close her eyes against the overwhelming sight.

The number of Ashlings was beyond counting.

They were a gray tide that completely obscured the horizon.

"Ha—"

A soldier let out a hollow, broken laugh at the absurdity of it all.

No one corrected him.

Anyone faced with such a sight would lose their mind.

The sheer scale of the Ashlings was that suffocating.

"My Queen!"

Ramu turned back to Magrina, shouting once more.

But the Queen remained silent, staring ahead without emotion.

Just as Ramu prepared to speak again—

"Here I go—"

A quiet voice drifted through the air.

Ramu's eyes instinctively darted toward the source.

Seolrang stood at the very edge of the battlements, stretching her limbs and loosening her muscles.

Ramu could only manage a dry, disbelieving laugh.

She had sensed it before; this beastkin was incredibly powerful.

But to see her preparing to dive into that sea of monsters without a second thought—

It defied logic.

No matter her strength, there was no way she could repel such an impossible number.

"Stop! Don't be reckless!"

Just as Ramu reached out to stop her—

Crackle!

Arcing electricity began to spark from Seolrang’s skin.

Crackle—Zzzzzap!

The lightning originated from her golden gauntlets and surged across her entire frame.

And then—

Zzzzzap!

In an instant, Seolrang was enveloped in golden bolts, looking like a god of thunder.

"Rang-Chang-Rang-Chang (Spear-Wolf-Spear)."

A soft incantation left her lips.

The chant almost sounded playful, even cute.

But immediately after—

"!"

Ramu blinked. Seolrang had been standing there a second ago, but now she had vanished as if she were a ghost.

And then—

Flash.

Zap—

A blinding yellow explosion of light erupted.

The lead Ash Seeder let out a blood-curdling shriek.

A thunder god draped in golden lightning fell from the heavens.

The Ash Seeder she struck was instantly and violently torn apart.

-!!!!

"This is madness."

It was a sight that defied belief.

However—

Tap-!

As if that were merely the opening act, Historia vaulted from the wall, diving straight into the thick of the Ashlings.

Despite their leader being slain, the Ashlings swarmed forward, brandishing weapons at the falling threat.

Just moments before Historia hit the earth—

Click!

Her posture changed mid-air.

With her hand on the hilt of the sword at her hip, she crouched low.

The second her feet touched the soil—

Phase Two.

The charging Ashlings suddenly came to a dead halt.

It was as if time had frozen them in place.

Historia landed softly on the ground.

Click—

The moment she snapped her blade back into its sheath—an attack no one had even seen—

White Moon.

A massive, crescent-shaped wave of energy erupted, slicing through the ashen landscape.

Immediately following Historia’s annihilation of the swarm—

"Gasp!"

Radan, having centered his breath, was the final one to leap over the rampart.

Soaring even higher than his companions, Radan reached into thin air.

Crackle—Zzzzzap!

The air itself seemed to tear open with a violent sound as a weapon manifested in Radan’s grip.

It was the titanic greatsword from his collection—the same one used to butcher a sea monster larger than a galleon.

The massive blade, capable of splitting the heavens, emerged from a rift in space.

"What in the world is that!"

The despairing soldiers looked up at Radan in pure shock.

In that heartbeat, the colossal sword began its descent.

Radan didn't even need to swing.

He simply summoned the weight of the relic; no further effort was required.

Without a vast body of water, Radan couldn't fire his relics like projectiles.

But a sword that could cleave the sky—

Was more than enough on its own.

BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

-!!!!

The greatsword slammed into the earth, crushing another Ash Seeder like a hammer of divine wrath.

A massive cloud of dust billowed into the sky.

"......"

The elves, who had been ready to give up, watched in stunned silence.

Ramu, watching the spectacle in a daze, shook with a sense of awe.

"Hu—"

Alon was the last to make his move.

The ultimate outcome of the battle was still hidden behind the fog of war.

But one thing was certain—

Alon had to finish off the remaining Ash Seeders and confront the Sin itself.

—The synchronization is currently unstable, but it should enhance your martial technique to some extent. Do not keep it active for long. Unless you want your mind to burn out before you notice. Deactivate it if you feel an overload.

The warnings of Kylrus rang clearly in Alon’s ears.

—And most importantly—do not attempt to complete the process. Your current body cannot endure it.

Though the words were blunt, they were filled with genuine concern for Alon's life.

Kylrus had stressed many times just how lethal this technique was.

Nevertheless, Alon had committed to this path.

Without this power, he stood no chance against the Sin.

"Blackie."

[Meow-!]

At his command, Blackie scurried from his chest up to his shoulder.

Finally, Alon turned away from the watching elves and began to weave his hand seals.

"Of the Shadows,"

He began the chant,

"-Awaken (覺醒)."

He did not hesitate.