I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain-Chapter 578

Splat—

Dark green magic scattered from the dark mage like a dying breath, the aftereffect of his broken spell. After a final convulsion, he fell backward like a log.

Ian was no longer looking at him. Keeping low, he took a slanted step and turned.

Swoosh—

A corrupted sailor lunged, bringing down a rusted blade. The Cloak of the Undying, saturated with crimson divinity, flared, and before the strike could land, a hexagonal wall of Platinum Barrier surged forth.

Crack—

The surface of the shield slammed into the side of the sailor who had struck the cloak. The impact sent the sailor flying sideways like a cannonball.

Crash!

The corrupt sailor tumbled across the deck and crashed into the opposite railing like a wooden doll. Already unconscious, it would topple into the sea the moment the hull rocked. Of course, Ian was already kicking off the deck toward the next charging sailor.

Every damn one of them looks sickening.

This one was covered in a glistening slime. It was clutching a slime-drenched harpoon like a spear. Before it could even thrust, the bladed edge of the shield embedded itself deep in the middle of its anglerfish-like face. As its long, torn mouth gaped open, the Vacuum Explosion blew its head clean off.

Boom!

As fluids and flesh scattered in all directions, Ian slammed his knee into the creature’s torso and pushed forward.

Crunch, crackle—

The slime-covered body slid to a stop. Ian, who had been pressing it down with his knee, slid a little further, the fluids from the severed neck soaking his leg and foot. However, he had no time to care.

"Die—"

He was in the middle of a charging horde. A creature that looked like a fusion of a man and a crustacean shouted, raising the pincer that had replaced its right hand. Next to it, a bloated, glistening sailor thrust a rusty sword forward. On the other side, another one whipped a long, octopus-like tentacle.

Feels like I’ve seen monsters like this in an old pirate film.

Even as he thought this, Ian glanced at the dark mage's body lying in the distance.

Swoosh—

The sword that had been embedded in the dark mage’s face flew back toward him. The fading glow of the blade left a long trail behind it. Ian raised his Platinum Barrier and held his right arm out beneath it.

Clang—

The giant pincer slammed down on the barrier like a mace just as the hilt of the sword slapped into Ian’s right hand. As the magical blade flared brilliantly once more, Ian swept his right arm forward.

Crack, crunch!

Even though it hadn't fully regained its form, the Light Sword effortlessly sliced through everything it touched—the bloated one’s lower half, the crustacean brute’s carapaced torso, and the mass of sucker-lined tentacles that had been about to strike.

"Gurgh!"

"A-Aaargh—" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Amidst the sailors’ screams, the severed tentacle flew past Ian. He brought his right arm to a forceful stop and kicked off the deck.

Crack—

Ian’s shield smashed and forced back the screaming crustacean-sailor's upper body. Ian was looking past it, at the octopus-headed creature staring at its severed tentacle.

Slice!

A diagonal upward slash of the Light Sword sent its head flying. The blade continued, severing the arm of another sailor who had been charging in.

"W-What the hell? Is he a monster?"

"Gyaaaah—"

The screams, shouts, and deaths created by the bright yellow arc continued without pause. Ian cut down the corrupted sailors without a shred of hesitation or mercy. He couldn't afford to waste time. At this very moment, Thesaya was struggling against the sea beasts.

That was also why he was using skills like Willful Grasp and the Platinum Claws without restraint. All he needed to do was last an hour. Using this much power was risky, but he had to hold on until the fight was over.

—This is completely one-sided.

Yog’s amused whisper trailed close behind. The creature wove through the scattered corpses, feasting on the chaos the corrupted left in their wake.

—Huh.

It paused after a few seconds, after Ian had created several more corpses.

Hiss—

The blue light that enveloped the ship like a mist suddenly grew more sinister. The wave of corrupted magic spreading from somewhere below deck intensified as well.

—Looks like I’m not the only one who thinks so.

A bluish mist seeped through the cracks in the deck, and the expressions on the faces of the corrupted sailors, which had been a mixture of terror and rage, vanished. At almost the same moment, Ian, who had been continuing the fight blankly, raised his Platinum Barrier.

Fwoosh— Boom!

The thick blue mist suddenly burst forth with a shockwave. Ian slid backward, along with the bloody heaps of corpses and Yog, who was among them.

"Indeed! Incredible. Dragon Slayer!" a voice, mixed with anger and admiration, boomed through the shockwave.

The captain was on the raised aft deck, steering the ship.

Creak… Creak…

Beyond the swirling mist, the bodies of the corrupted sailors began to writhe and mutate. What little humanity they had left was disappearing as they were reborn as true servants of the deep.

"Just as the rumors said… no… even more so!" the captain shouted, still holding the wheel with one hand, shrouded in a blue, steam-like chaos.

His blue eyes, under a mess of writhing tentacles, were fixed on Ian, who was now hidden behind his cloak and Platinum Barrier.

"I thought you had disappeared and become a legend…. It seems you’ve returned from the dead, just like that damn offering and its minions. But of all the ways, I never thought we’d meet like this!"

It was then that Ian swung his Platinum Barrier, shaking off the last of the fading shockwave. As his cloak billowed and concealed him, Ian looked up at the captain with sunken eyes.

"So, the rumors about me have crossed the sea."

"Of course! The blazing red divinity! The sword of light and shield of gold. They say you commanded thunder and killed a god’s avatar. Seeing you in person, it seems you were more than capable—"

"Good, then you know. So just give up and wait," Ian cut him off and launched himself at the mutating sailors.

"Then I’ll make it quick for you."

Muttering almost to himself, Ian swung the Light Sword once more. The corrupted sailors, their mutations still incomplete, were cut down without resistance.

"This is not the time for us to be fighting, Dragon Slayer!" the captain’s shout continued.

From behind him, sailors who had finished their transformation staggered out. Even the ones who had been firing the large crossbows on the stern had turned into mindless puppets.

"We share a common enemy! If you kill me here, you’ll be throwing your own life away as well!"

Ian didn’t respond. He simply continued to cut and smash his way through anything that stood in his path, heading for the stairs.

"Grrrk…"

"Screech—"

The fully transformed sailors charged, letting out guttural, beast-like sounds, but nothing changed. Ian was still fast and ruthless, and the Light Sword and Platinum Barrier in his hands minced and dismembered everything in their way.

"Damn it. Listen to me! Do you really want us to die together?" the captain screamed as if in a fit of rage, still holding the wheel with one hand.

New tentacles were sprouting from his face like a beard, and dark blue scales were appearing all over him. "If you stop, so will I. Let’s talk! Just for a moment, let’s talk!"

The desperate plea changed nothing. Ian reached the stairs in an instant and continued to produce death as he ascended. The shockwave, the obscuring mist, and the minions of the deep could not stop him.

"You think I’ll die alone? I could sink this whole ship right here! Drag you to the depths with me if I wished—" the captain shrieked in desperation, just as Ian finished climbing the stairs and stepped onto the aft deck.

Ian, having cut down a shark-like sailor, finally turned to the captain. He narrowed his eyes slightly, steadying his ragged breath. It was impossible to tell whether the threat had worked. The creature he had just killed was the last of the minions.

"I-I’m not bluffing!" the captain continued, meeting Ian’s sunken gaze. "If I die, you’ll die soon after. I’ve already slowed the ship. There’s nothing you can do. Only I can control this ship."

His voice and tentacles were trembling, a detail he couldn't control. No beast of the Black Sea, not even a fleet commander, could have slaughtered the sailors blessed by the deep so one-sidedly.

"You have a talent for making pleas sound like threats," Ian finally said in a low tone, letting the Light Sword in his right hand hang loosely at his side.

It was a change significant enough to give the captain a sliver of hope.

"Because it’s the truth. This ship only follows my command, blessed by our Father. Just as my men you killed did." The captain glanced at the glowing blue essence bead embedded in the center of the wheel, then looked back at Ian. "You don’t want to die either, do you, Dragon Slayer? So let’s cooperate. I’ll even forget that you killed all my men. I can always find more mindless fools like them."

The captain raised his left arm to point past the stern. Below the waves behind them, a crimson light was shimmering, slowly closing the distance. The distant sounds of explosions and roars still echoed chaotically.

"You deal with those bastards. I’ll steer the ship from here. Don’t worry about betrayal. I’m no match for you anyway. Let’s escape this inner sea together."

"So you can’t move from there," Ian added calmly.

The captain nodded again. "That’s right. I have to be holding this to control the ship."

"Then if you let go, you can’t self-destruct, either."

"Of course. What?"

The moment the captain repeated his word, Ian thrust out his right arm without warning. The Light Sword left his hand, spinning as it shot forward.

Slice—

The captain’s right arm, gripping the helm, was severed. Not even his thick, scaled arm could withstand the blade condensed with the dragon's magic. He still had his left arm, but he couldn't grab the wheel again.

Swoosh—

Ian was already charging, his Platinum Barrier held out in front of him. The pointed edge of the shield slammed into the captain’s neck.

Crack!

The captain fell backward, pinned under Ian’s knee as he slid across the deck. He couldn't even scream properly as the Platinum Barrier dug deeper into his neck.

Reaching out his right arm, Ian added, "Thanks for the explanation."

The Light Sword flew back into his grip. Grasping the hilt, Ian swept the blade across the top of his shield.

Slice—

The captain’s severed head rolled to the side. His hat fell off completely, revealing countless tentacles that wriggled in a grotesque frenzy.

Splurt—

Blood gushed from the headless torso. Ian stood up and immediately brought the Light Sword down again, splitting the body vertically.

"Gack… Cough…"

The captain’s head, lying amidst the writhing tentacles, coughed up blood. He hadn't died immediately, even after being decapitated. He was just lying there, his face twisted in agony, continuously spitting up blood from his severed neck and mouth.

After observing him for a moment, Ian turned away, deactivating the Platinum Claws. The Platinum Barrier faded a moment later.

Sheathing his Truesilver Steel Sword, Ian walked straight to the wheel.

"Cough… Gk… Khhh… Hehehe…" The captain, who had been coughing up blood, finally let out a chuckle.

He watched as Ian dropped the grappling hook and grabbed the wheel, and his bloody lips parted.

"You’ll regret this… Dragon Slayer. This ship truly… only I…."

His gurgling voice faded, not because death had finally taken him, but because he felt an unfamiliar wave of power emanating from Ian.

Swoosh…

Just then, the bluish, glowing essence bead in the center of the wheel turned purple. The blue light that had been shimmering around the ship like a mist did the same. The captain’s eyes, which had been watching blankly, finally filled with horror.

"Cha… os?"