I Am The Game's Villain

"You've got to be kidding me…"

-Thud.

Rodolf dropped Ralf's limp body onto the jagged stone floor.

"What do we do now?" He growled, clenching his fists

Suddenly, the ground beneath our feet began to tremble. The ceiling—already cracked and unstable—let out a low, ominous groan. Bits of gravel and dirt rained down on us.

We couldn't stay here much longer. If the Behemoth didn't kill us, the cave would.

I cast a glance up at the hulking figure looming over us. "We kill it… and seal it back."

Rodolf let out a short, incredulous scoff. "Yeah? And how exactly do we do that?"

"It's already too late for that," Nikolas chuckled from behind us.

"No," I said, my eyes narrowing as they locked on the creature's twisted horns. "There's still a way. We sever the horns and bring it down before it fully awakens."

Nikolas's smirk faltered.

"Rodolf!" I yelled.

"I'm on it!" He called back, not hesitating for a second. With a burst of strength, he launched himself toward the Behemoth's massive frame, light flaring from his form as he shifted into one of his bestial forms mid-leap.

"You really think I'll let you?!" Nikolas surged forward, but he was intercepted.

Elizabeth cut in front of him like lightning. Her fist connected with his cheek in a brutal arc, slamming him into the rocky ground with a sickening crunch.

–BOOM!

"Roda!" I shouted over the chaos. "Take Amelia and get her out of here—now!"

Without a word, Roda nodded and sprang onto her wolf companion. The great beast bounded over to where Amelia lay unconscious. She hoisted her onto the wolf's back and disappeared down the tunnel.

[<Edward.>]

"Yeah?" I responded quickly, heart pounding. "You've got an idea? Something to stop this?"

[<No.>]

Then?

[<I just… wanted to speak with you. I need to speak with you.>]

No.

I knew about what, I felt it.

I felt something twist deep inside, as if an invisible hand was squeezing my heart. My throat dried out, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe.

[<Just a moment, Edward—>]

"Later, Cleenah," I whispered, cutting her off as I pushed forward.

Ahead, rocks were falling faster from the ceiling.

And then I saw it.

The creature's arm twitched.

A chill raced down my spine instantly. That thing wasn't just waking up—it was aware.

Rodolf's attacks—wild, desperate strikes glowing with raw Prana—were slamming into the Behemoth's horned head with everything he had.

But Behemoth didn't even flinch.

Its horns didn't crack. Didn't chip. Not even a scratch.

It was immune. Completely. The Prana was useless against it.

"Rodolf!" I shouted, coughing through the thickening dust. "Get the hell out of there! The whole place is coming down!"

He looked back at me, then the ceiling before he clicked his tongue and leapt back. On his way out, he grabbed Ralf, who was still lying on the ground, dazed and staring up at the monster with wide, awestruck eyes.

"Amazing…" Ralf breathed, as though the Behemoth were some kind of divine marvel.

As Rodolf's figure vanished into the distance, I turned my attention back to the sleeping colossus before me—the Behemoth.

Could I slice off its horns with Wrath?

A reckless thought, maybe. But I didn't hesitate.

I gripped Trinity Nihil tightly, its warm hilt firmly tuck in my palm. Steeling myself, I channeled Wrath into the blade once more—but the moment that searing power surged, I felt an intense heat bloom beneath my hand.

"Ah—damn it!" I groaned.

The pain was instant. My palm scorched like it had been pressed against molten metal. I instinctively let go of Trinity Nihil, the sword falling into the cracked earth with a heavy thunk.

I stared at my trembling hand. Red, blistered. Burned. Then looked back at the blade, still impaled in the ground like an abandoned monument.

Up until now, Trinity Nihil had endured the torrent of Wrath. But something had changed. The weapon had reached its limit or should I say maybe patience?

"Don't quit on me now, Trinity Nihil," I muttered through clenched teeth.

Despite the pain, I grasped the hilt again, forcing Wrath into it—but the result was the same. Another surge of searing heat crawled up my arm and forced me to release it once more.

"Rghhh..."

At that time, a low rumbling growl rolled through the cavern.

My head snapped up.

The Behemoth was stirring.

Shit. No, no, not now.

I whirled toward Elizabeth just as she came flying through the air—launched like a ragdoll, courtesy of Nikolas.

"Elizabeth—ugh!"

I caught her in midair, stumbling back under her momentum. We skidded across the cavern floor, dust billowing beneath our feet, before I finally dug my heels in and came to a stop.

She clung to me, arms wrapping around my neck, her body cradled in my arms like porcelain.

"Darling?" She murmured, looking up at me.

"We need to go. Now."

Without waiting for her response, I turned and sprinted toward the winding stairs we had used to descend here. The path was narrow and unstable, but there was no time to hesitate.

As I ran, I cast a glance over my shoulder.

Nikolas wasn't following.

He stood his ground, eyes fixed on the Behemoth as it rose from its slumber or should I say death.

"This is the worst timeline…" I whispered to myself.

Even in the game, this part had never played out this catastrophically. Sure, things always got messy—but this? This was chaos on an entirely different level.

Yet despite it all, Elizabeth nestled into my arms like it was just another walk in the garden.

"As long as Darling is with me, nothing could ever be worse," she said softly, brushing her cold hand against my cheek.

I looked down at her. Her expression was unreadable—calm, yet distant, with the faintest trace of a smile tugging at her lips.

I couldn't help it. I sighed, but smiled too.

"I'm really lucky to have such a wonderful wif—"

-BOOOOOOM!

My words were swallowed by a thunderous explosion that ripped through the cavern behind us.

The force slammed into my back like a tidal wave. I felt myself launched forward, weightless for a moment as the shockwave sent us flying out through the exit like discarded puppets.

"Ugh!"

I held Elizabeth tightly as we hit the ground, rolling across the earth before crashing into a tree. The trunk snapped with a sickening crack, falling aside with a final groan.

Dust and shredded leaves erupted into the air.

Coughing, I struggled upright, eyes stinging. My arms were still wrapped protectively around Elizabeth.

She was fine, of course. Not a scratch on her.

Me, though? I was winded. Sore. And annoyed.

Once again, I'd tried to say something sweet—and once again, the universe had cut me off mid-sentence!

-BOOOOM!

The explosion cracked through the night like thunder.

But I didn't have time to dwell on it.

Because a second later, an immense column of swirling black and gold energy erupted skyward, tearing the heavens apart. The very air around the capital shuddered. Windows cracked. Trees bent. Even the stars above seemed to blink at its raw ferocity.

It wasn't just a Prana Breath.

It was something else entirely.

Something deeper. Wilder.

I stared, jaw slack, as the night sky was overtaken—shadows bleeding into dark yellowish streaks, with trails of lingering Prana twisting through the air like ghostly ribbons. You could feel it from miles away.

And then, from the yawning, smoldering hole that had been blown straight through the cavern's ceiling, something leapt out.

No—something erupted.

A titan.

It landed with a ground-shaking thud, making the earth groan beneath its monstrous weight.

At first, I couldn't even comprehend it. My eyes struggled to adjust to the scale.

Easily over twenty meters tall—maybe even thirty. Towering like a living mountain, the creature stood beneath the pale light of the moon. Its silhouette was massive.

Three horns jutted out near the base of its skull, gleaming like obsidian daggers. Its face was bestial—somewhere between a warthog and a dragon—lined with dark, matted fur. Its arms were thick and powerful, almost gorilla-like, covered in muscle and dense hair. The legs were just as bulky, each step making craters in the earth. And its eyes…

Those eyes burned with a dark yellow hue—feral, ancient, and intelligent. Its jaws opened slightly, revealing rows of razor-like teeth as long as shortswords. Four massive fangs curved up and down from its gaping maw, like the tusks of a predator.

The sheer pressure of its presence crushed the breath from my lungs.

I'd never felt this much Prana before.

It was suffocating. Alive. It wrapped around my chest like chains, squeezing until I thought I'd pass out.

And yet, there it stood. Beneath the silver moon, illuminated against the dark skyline of Fangoria.

The Behemoth.

Everyone in the capital could see it now. You'd have to be blind not to.

It stood still for a few seconds, its chest rising and falling slowly, as if savoring the air of the world it had just broken into.

Then, with a slow motion, it turned its head—massive horns casting eerie shadows across the ground—and surveyed the city. Its jaw clenched, and the sound of grinding teeth echoed in the silence.

Then it opened its mouth.

And roared.

"RAAUGHHHHH!!!!"

The sound hit me like a battering ram.

I clutched my ears in pain.

"Ugh…!"

That roar didn't just echo through the streets. It rippled across rooftops, vibrated through the bones of every man, woman, and child. It rang out like a church bell for the entire city.

Then—its gaze locked on us.

I froze.

At first, I thought—hoped—it might be looking at something else. But no.

Its eyes narrowed.

It was definitely looking at us.

"Shit."

I scrambled to my feet, hauling Elizabeth up with me. We didn't even get the chance to start running before a large white blur tackled us from the side.

Roda's wolf.

It nudged us urgently with its head.

Without hesitating, I grabbed Elizabeth's arm and pulled her up onto the wolf's back behind me. She moved quickly, clinging to my shoulders as we settled in.

Just ahead, Amelia was sprawled unconscious on the wolf's back, between its shoulders and Roda, who sat at the front holding the reins—if you could call them that.

"Looks like he's pissed, Roda," I muttered.

"No kidding, Edward," she snapped, glaring at me over her shoulder.

"Roda?" Elizabeth tilted her head curiously behind me.

Oh crap.

"She, uh… skipped class to help us," I blurted.

"Hmm. I see," Elizabeth replied, nodding slowly.

She absolutely didn't buy it.

-BOOOOM!

Another explosion rocked the street behind us, and when I turned to look—

My heart dropped.

The Behemoth was chasing us.

Not lumbering. Not dragging its weight.

Running.

Its massive legs tore through the city, crushing buildings and roads like twigs underfoot. Each step flung debris into the air. Its speed was absurd. Impossible. Something that big shouldn't be that fast.

"Roda, we have to draw it out of the city!" I shouted.

"I know that!" She yelled back, voice strained. "But—look at it! It's keeping up with us like we're crawling!"

I turned to look again, hoping I was imagining things.

I wasn't.

Behemoth was gaining.

"Why is it chasing us?" Elizabeth asked something true.

My eyes dropped to the unconscious girl in front of us.

Amelia.

"…Maybe it sensed its creator's blood," I said quietly.

"Then we can leave now, right, Darling?" Elizabeth asked, her voice deceptively sweet as her arms tightened gently around my waist.

I blinked.

"You're joking, right?" I shot her a look over my shoulder. "We can't just ditch this. If that thing gets to Amelia, who knows what'll happen? I still don't understand all the details, but she's crucial for bringing back that psychotic Dolphian Princess."

Elizabeth let out a soft sigh and rested her cheek against my back. "Mmm. I suppose you're right. But you know, if we get in its way too much… that creature will kill us, Darling"

She said her voice turning cold at the end.

I couldn't argue on that…

I glanced back.

The Behemoth loomed behind us, the moonlight glinting off its massive horns and savage form. Each breath it took seemed to shake the air around it. Its steps carved craters in stone and steel alike. Even at a distance, the oppressive pressure it exuded made my lungs feel like they were wrapped in iron bands.

How the hell did they even manage to beat this thing two hundred years ago?