Villain Hides His True Colors

The moment Pamir felt his death, he saw a brilliant shield of light blocking Sophia’s attack.

Lying on the ground, he looked up at the person that had saved him.

Black hair and purple eyes. A young face that hadn’t lost its baby fat yet.

The boy in front of him was none other than Noah, the target of his mission this time.

…Why is this guy?

Because of this one boy, wasn’t the Hero Associations at odds with the trainees at the institute just moments ago?

Even in that situation, the guy who was hiding until the end…he came to save me?

It was a behavior that wasn’t easily understood.

In fact, from Noah’s point of view, weren’t those monsters and the Hero Association one and the same?

But to reveal himself like this, he could only think that there was something else going on.

Forgetting the current situation, he asked Noah in doubt.

“Y-you…? Why are you here…?”

Noah stretched out his arm toward him and answered lightly.

“…This is naturally where I’m supposed to be.”

“…”

A calm expression that didn’t match one’s age.

He even showed a noble sense of mission like a martyr with unwavering faith.

This…?

It was very different from the information Pamir had learned so far.

He simply thought he was a lucky kid who was running wild because he couldn’t control his power…

However, wasn’t what he was showing now the complete opposite?

Was there a mistake in the information collected…? Or is he putting on an act now?

In the short moment, while many thoughts were passing by, beyond the shield came Sophia’s voice.

“What’s this shoddy shield?”

At the same time, an attack containing tremendous mana hit the shield directly.

Bang–!

A deafening roar enough to burst a person’s eardrums.

Shockwaves spread from the impact as dust from the training ground soared in all directions.

“Keuk!”

Noah’s body staggered for a moment.

And whether it was due to the impact, but there was a stream of blood flowing down his mouth.

In addition, the shield that was attacked wasn’t as fully formed as before.

From the radiating shield, cracked pieces of light were falling to the ground.

Soon, through the gap, Sophia’s giant eyes glistened.

“Found you…Choi Noah!”

Sophia’s snout tore wide as she smiled.

“Now I don’t have to go looking for you. Huhu…You’ve saved me a lot of trouble.”

Unlike her terrible appearance, she spoke to Noah in a seductive tone.

“Hurry up and put that shoddy shield away and hand me the guy next to you. I had something to ask you anyway, so as long as you cooperate with me, I’ll spare your life.”

“…”

Perhaps her words had contained a strange spell, but just listening to it had caused Pamir’s mind to stir.

Also, there was the promise she would spare Noah’s life.

It could be said to be an alluring offer that would shake anyone in this situation.

Damn it!

At Sophia’s words, Pamir secretly examined Noah’s reaction.

If the same offer had been made to him, would he be able to resist?

Maybe…I would accept the offer.

Even though she was heretic, from a strategic point of view, it was a wise choice to accept her offer now and come up with a strategy later.

Would Noah be able to resist her offer? The result was obvious without having to listen.

Damn it…I still don’t have enough time to recover…

Was there any way out of this situation? If only he could stall a little more time…

As he continued to worry, Noah finally opened his mouth.

“No?”

“Huhu, right. Wise choice…Hmm? What did you just say? Did I just hear wrong?”

“No.”

“No, why? If you don’t believe me, we can sign a contract. I won’t kill you as long as you cooperate well.”

Flabbergasted, Sophia continued.

“I don’t think you understand the current situation…Do you think you can survive here now?”

“Let me tell you one thing. That will never happen. Everyone here is going to die today. I can guarantee you that.”

“So this preferential treatment can be called a kindness only given to you.”

She was convinced as if she was speaking the absolute truth. Pamir couldn’t refute her words either.

If he was to die now, the only remaining powers would be Shin Cheonho and the professors here.

It would be hard for them alone to stop such monsters.

“And…If you cooperate with me, you’ll have the honor of receiving the grace of becoming his vessel.”

“When that happens, you’re going to become an S-Rank instantly…Or even stronger than that.”

Money, authority, strength, ability…

There were indeed many different kinds of power in the world.

And those who had ever tasted such power always craved for more.

It wasn’t just villains but heroes too.

Especially those who were already powerful, the desire to be stronger was bound to be greater.

In that sense, Noah must have a greater desire for power than anyone else.

Sure enough, Noah, who had heard her, stood still for a while and looked as if he was thinking about something.

Soon, he withdrew his mana and released the shield that was in front of Pamir.

Sophia, who saw that, burst into laughter as her six breasts heaved.

“Hohoho! Wise choice. As expected, you’re smarter than I thought. You’ll definitely make a better vessel than that lizard…”

“I think you’re mistaken.”

“Hmm…? What do you mean?”

“Huu, you really don’t understand.”

Noah sighed briefly before slowly pulling out the sword he had on his waist.

Wuung–

An eerie cry resounded as blood red mana surged around his body.

Then, he pointed the tip of his sword at Sophia.

“I told you a while ago. Didn’t I say I was a hero? So I don’t side with bad guys. Ajumma.”

“Wh-what?”

She couldn’t believe his decision. There was a dazed look on her face as her three eyes blinked.

“…Foolish. You will surely regret your decision.”

As her words fell, Noah’s figure suddenly disappeared.

And where he reappeared, it was none other than right next to Sophia.

Looking at Noah’s action, Pamir’s eyes widened.

How the hell did he…?

Even though he was out of energy now, he didn’t think he wouldn’t be able to follow Noah’s movements.

It was as if Noah alone had momentarily entered a different dimension.

Sophia was also surprised as she raised her mana with an expression of shock.

However, her action was already a step too late.

Swiik–!

“Kuaaak!!!”

Noah, who ran at full speed, had sliced his sword across one of Sophia’s giant legs.

Immediately after, blood spurted out following the trajectory of his path.

Such killing intent was too violent to have come from an ordinary trainee.

Pamir stared at Noah.

Was he this strong…?

It wasn’t a power an A-Rank could show.

“Kuaak! Y-you little rat!”

Sophia desperately swung her arms, but she couldn’t keep up with Noah’s speed.

Swiik–

Swiik–

In the short moment, Noah had frantically chipped at Sophia’s body while she had no choice but to let her body receive such attacks and have her body turned into a bloody mess.

He was just a trainee, so how did he get that kind of power?

At this rate…Maybe he can finish it by himself.

Facing the incredible reality, Pamir stood in a trance.

But…

Noah’s movements at some point had suddenly begun to slow down.

The transcendent speed he had shown suddenly dropped to the degree of A-Rank.

“As expected…It was impossible to finish in one go.”

Noah frowned and stepped back while Sophia was bleeding all over and staring at him.

“You…You’re just a rookie…I’ll kill you!”

The angered Sophia shook her fists indiscriminately.

Bang–!

Bang–!

Every time she struck the ground, deep craters appeared as if a meteor had fallen in the training ground.

The sinister mana from her body had also expanded its force by corroding everything around it.

Noah desperately flew away whenever that happened, but his appearance seemed precarious, as if he would fall at any moment.

Sophia, noticing Noah’s condition, recovered her poise and smiled.

“Huhu, that’s good. Shall we see how long you can hold on? However, it seems time is on my side.”

Pitch black liquid was seeping into Sophia wounds and rapidly recovering her torn tissues.

Like this…it’s impossible to win.

What was the limit to Sophia’s crazy resilience? Considering Noah’s physical limitations, he was bound to be exhausted first.

And if Noah was defeated, the rest here won’t be safe either.

Damn! If only I had a little more time…

Just as Pamir was cursing inside, Noah suddenly looked back at him.

“Ahjussi! I don’t think I can hold out any longer, so hurry up and run!”

“…Run away?”

What was he talking about? Running away?

Is he saying he’s going to sacrifice himself for me?

Pamir looked at Noah to figure out his intentions.

However, as if not to waste time, Noah urged him.

“Ahjussi, you might still be able to live! Run for it!”

If Noah continued to stall, it was certainly possible to escape.

But…

At the moment of hearing it, Pamir unknowingly felt an irritation rising.

Who the hell does he think he’s talking to?

His tangled thoughts cleared.

Wasn’t even the Hero Association’s orders more like a recommendation?

He didn’t want to care about such things now.

There was only one thought on his mind at the moment.

“There’s only one person who can tell me what to do. So don’t be full of yourself, you little brat!”

His mind became sober and he quickly grasped the situation.

As a result,

Maybe…maybe it’s possible.

However, the reason why he didn’t think of such a method was because the probability of success was too low to implement in this situation.

But…what if I had the power of his shield?

For the first time, Pamir chose to trust someone.

He raised his sword and asked Noah.

“We have no chance of winning if this continues. But…if you can buy me just a minute, we might have a chance.”

“You’re saying we can defeat her?”

“That…I’ll guarantee you once I succeed in my skill. I’m sure it can defeat her. But there shouldn’t be any disruption in that one minute.”

“I understand. Just leave it to me.”

***

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

At the same time, Noah summoned the giant shield of light again.

And unlike before, it shrunk and was transformed to surround Pamir.

Wrapped in the shield, Pamir felt an unknown sense of relief.

It was surprising for him who usually believed in no one but his God.

I never thought I’d trust a kid and use this skill…

However, that kind of thought only lasted for a moment.

Bang–!

Bang–!

Perhaps Noah was attracting the eyes of Sophia outside, but there were rough sounds of shock.

Hearing the noises, Pamir slowly closed his eyes.

I only have one chance.

A high-level magic that wasn’t easy to cast.

He arranged the mana in his body in a particular order and recited a particular prayer.

After speaking in a strange dialect with his eyes closed for an unknown amount of time, at one point he lifted his eyelids.

Behind it, his eyes were completely white and emitting light.

And in his hand, the large crooked sword was burning with sacred flames.

Just…one chance!

Bringing God’s power from his dimension was a very taxing act.

As a result, there won’t be any more chances after this.

Barely adjusting the power that was trying to get out of control, he shouted at Noah.

“Keuk! Now! Move!”

As if Noah had been waiting, he immediately lifted the divine shield and rolled across the ground further away.

“Th-that’s…What the hell!!”

Sophia, who saw the sword in Pamir’s hand, had a very shocked expression as if she could feel the power within it.

“Let’s end it. Monster.”

“W-wait a minute…”

Pamir squeezed all of his remaining strength and flew at Sophia.

She hurriedly circulated all of her mana to protect herself but it made no difference.

And at last, the holy sword of sacred flame pierced her body.

“Pay the price for your sins.”

“N-no. Kuaaaak!!!”

Sophia’s entire body was suddenly engulfed in flames. In a split second her body disappeared, leaving nothing but white ashes.

Pamir collapsed on the spot as soon as he saw it.

As expected…I overdid it…

Holy Sword of Judgment. God’s magic that could destroy the world with a single sword.

Although it was only a fraction of time, the price of borrowing such enormous power was very painful.

I don’t know how much causality I’m going to have to shoulder for this…

He had used up all his strength and it was no longer easy to even lift a finger.

In any case, the power of the Holy Sword had gone back to where it belonged, and his sword, which had fallen to the ground, lay scattered in pieces in the aftermath of its power.

Maybe it might have been wiser to just choose death this time.

However…

For some reason, there wasn’t much regret in his decision.

“You succeeded!”

He raised his head and turned towards the black-haired boy running towards him.

Choi Noah…

It was the new Irregular designated by the World Government recently, the very one he had to secure in this mission.

The world would be out of control if there were Irregulars who had power beyond the norm.

And in a world beyond control, the most weak and vulnerable would die.

As such, it was his mission given by God to prevent that from happening.

But…

Maybe…maybe I can keep an eye on him a little longer.

Leaving such an uncertainty behind was a stupid thing to do, but for some reason, he wanted to watch the situation unfold a little more this time.

While he was organizing his thoughts, Noah had walked up to him.

“Ahjussi, are you hurt anywhere? How’s your condition?”

To say so, Noah wasn’t in very good condition either.

He was covered in blood, and here and there were deep wounds.

However, even in such a situation, he had worried about another person first.

Pamir felt a strange feeling he had never felt before.

And although the feeling was strange, it wasn’t bad either.

“It’s hard for me to move my body now, but I’ll slowly recover after a while.”

“Hmm…I see. That’s great!”

“Yes. So you don’t have to worry too much. Rather, your physical condition…Hmm? What the hell are you trying to do now?”

Pamir looked at Noah with a perplexed expression. Why the hell was he suddenly bringing out his sword again?

Wuung–

An eerie cry resonated from the sword. The sound was heard vividly as if it was right in front of his nose.

“Oh, there’s still something else to deal with.”

Wasn’t the monster defeated just now? But there was another one here?

Now Pamir really couldn’t move a finger. A new enemy in such a situation.

It was really a crisis this time if that was the case.

“Where’s the enemy? You mean there’s a guy I didn’t find?”

Flicking and turning the red haze sword, Noah answered calmly.

“What do you mean you can’t find it? It’s right here.”

“What…A-ah? Don’t tell me…?”

“Yes. We have to wrap it up cleanly.”

Pamir saw Noah was smiling brightly.

And the moment he saw it, he felt his body chilled.

“You villain! Did you plan to do this from the beginning?!! What the hell is the reason?! Why would a hero do this to the same hero?”

Pamir shouted in anger.

Noah raised his sword with a slight frown as if he was annoyed.

“I hate people who interrupt me when I play games.”

Games? What game was he talking about? When did he ever interrupt his game?!

Pamir let out his simmering anger and shouted.

“Keuk…You villain! You’re gonna regret what you did today…”

Swiik–!

Thud–

Tumble, tumble, tumble–

In the end, Pamir could no longer carry on with his words.