To be the Villainess

O29.

Chapter 29

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“M-MASTER, what are we going to do?” Seraphim’s voice trembled, her gaze fixed above us. Her smoke flickered wildly, betraying her panic, and I could hear her heavy, ragged breaths.

I placed a hand on her head and forced a smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll defeat it,” I said, my voice calm, though my heart raced in my chest. She glanced up, the fear still etched on her face, but a smug grin followed.

“Bet you can’t,” she muttered, the sarcasm in her voice breaking the tension.

I rolled my eyes. Comforting these creatures… what a mistake.

“Let’s g—” Before I could finish, the ground beneath me seemed to fall away. The world spun violently, pulling me into a vortex of swirling darkness. My stomach churned, and I struggled to keep my balance, feeling as though I’d been tossed into an endless void.

And just as quickly as it began, it stopped.

I stumbled, my feet hitting solid ground. The scene around me shifted into view. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the chaos before me.

The capital was in ruin. The eclipse had swallowed the sky, casting everything in an unnatural darkness, broken only by the dim, eerie glow of flames flickering in the distance. The streets were filled with panicked screams, and shadowy figures ran in every direction, desperate to escape. Monsters swarmed like locusts, clawing and snapping at the fleeing people. The knights, though vastly outnumbered, formed desperate lines, their swords flashing in the meager light as they fought to protect the terrified citizens.

Blood splattered the stone streets as the monsters tore through the defenses. The ground was slick with it. I watched as a knight fell, his armor torn open by the sharp claws of a beast. He didn’t rise again.

Seraphim floated beside me, her dark smoke flickering like a candle in a storm. I could feel the weight of her fear, but she said nothing.

And then, meters beyond the chaos, I saw it.

The otherworldly monster.

Its grotesque form rose above the ruined city like a nightmare given flesh, a massive, pulsing body that stretched and bulged, dripping with a strange, viscous liquid. It had no eyes, no mouth—just a writhing, featureless mass that seemed to feed on the destruction around it. Even from this distance, I could feel the pull of its presence, as if it was devouring the very air.

“Thank me later,” Seraphim muttered, breaking the silence. “I can travel through dimensions, you know? So, this was just a piece of cake.”

I didn’t respond. My eyes were fixed on the beast. “So… this is the otherworldly monster.” The words barely escaped my lips. I’d seen it in the game before, fought it using Cecelia’s avatar, but seeing it now—up close, surrounded by destruction—was different. Far more terrifying. Its body twisted unnaturally, absorbing everything in its path, a force of pure devastation.

“My lady! You need to evacuate!” A knight’s voice broke through the chaos as he ran toward me, his eyes wide with urgency.

I turned slowly to face him, meeting his gaze with a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Evacuate? I plan to fight that thing. Don’t mistake me for someone weak,” I said, the edges of my lips curling into a smirk.

He flinched, his face paling when he saw my expression. “L-Lady Loughsin! I… I’m sorry, but—”

Whatever excuse he was about to make was cut short by the desperate cries of children behind us. He froze, torn between me and the rising chaos around him.