The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 34: The One Who Wants to Be a Hero vs. The One Who Wants to Save a Child (2)

Isaac's gaze was directed at the ground.

Nosebleed dripped onto the floor.

The bleeding started to stop quickly.

Before facing Red, Isaac used a healing kit.

It was a potion that rapidly healed certain wounds.

The effects immediately manifested in his body.

His oddly bent arm bones returned to their original position, and the wounds on the impacted areas healed.

However, pain still lingered in his body, saliva dripped from his mouth, and his thoughts weren’t functioning properly.

Isaac strained his neck, veins bulging, as he shouted.

"Khh… How cowardly… A sneak attack!? You! How could you do this!!"

"Cowardly? What nonsense. The conversation was already over. Besides…"

Despite Isaac’s furious outburst, Red was unfazed and retorted while glancing around before continuing.

"You’re not really in a position to say that, considering what you had prepared."

At Red’s remark, the confusion lingering in Isaac’s mind dissipated.

His expression regained some composure.

The fog still remained.

The situation was still in his favor.

Isaac believed that he had only been caught off guard earlier.

But now, it would be different. He would not let his guard down again.

A twisted smile appeared on Isaac’s lips.

"Kukuku. Out of consideration for our bond, I was planning to end this rather painlessly… But if that’s how you want to play it, I won’t hold back anymore."

With those words, a surge of magical energy erupted from Isaac’s body.

A chilling aura spread.

"Haaah!!"

A frigid storm swirled around Isaac.

As the cold spread, freezing the ground beneath him, Red quickly retreated to escape its range.

In that brief moment, Isaac swiftly concealed himself within the fog.

"I told you. I know you better than anyone! This is a fight I can’t possibly lose!!"

As Isaac moved his hand, the cold solidified, forming hundreds of ice arrows behind him in an instant.

With a swing of his arm, all the arrows shot toward Red.

Sensing something coming, Red lightly leaped backward.

The barrage of ice arrows struck the spot where she had just been standing.

Red spun and dashed away.

"It’s useless."

The remaining arrows adjusted their trajectories, relentlessly pursuing her back.

A cruel smile spread across Isaac’s face.

She wouldn’t be able to run far.

Isaac directed the arrow barrage to change directions and overwhelm her, but at that moment, Red’s gaze flickered toward him for an instant.

Their eyes met, if only for a fleeting moment.

Isaac felt a chilling dread run down his spine at her icy stare.

That’s impossible.

That’s what Isaac thought.

After all, the fog was obstructing her vision. The mist concealed both presence and magic completely. There was no way she could know.

Shaking off his unease, Isaac moved to command the arrows as planned.

Suddenly, Red stomped the ground, kicking up a head-sized fragment from the cracked floor, then spun her body and launched the fragment mid-air with a powerful kick.

A deafening roar tore through the air as the fragment shot forward.

Crash—!

The fragment pierced through the ice arrows as it flew.

The wind pressure it created shattered all the arrows.

The fragment grazed past Isaac’s head.

His expression twisted as pain flared where it brushed his cheek.

Isaac touched his cheek.

A moist sensation spread across his palm, and a sharp sting followed as it touched his skin.

The wound disappeared quickly.

Isaac's face turned pale. A chill ran down his spine.

If it had hit his head properly, it might have exploded like a firework.

The thought of such a scene made his stomach churn, and he covered his mouth.

Isaac gritted his teeth.

As if trying to shake off his fear, he swung his arm forcefully, forming ice spears.

This time, there were far more than before.

“Uwaaaaah!”

Isaac let out a scream, clenched his fist, and swung forward.

Unlike before, Red crouched low and kicked off the ground.

Red dodged all the incoming ice spears and charged forward.

Realizing that spears were useless, Isaac concentrated his magic in one place.

“Then how about this…!”

Behind him, a massive ice eagle with blue feathers emerged.

Following his will, the ice eagle spread its wings wide and soared straight ahead.

Its overwhelming size and the sheer amount of mana it radiated exuded an immense pressure, enough to make an ordinary person recognize the gap in power and surrender instantly.

With just a flap of its wings, everything in its path was swallowed by ice.

Its power had the ability to freeze not only the body but also the mind and soul of its target.

This was Isaac’s trump card.

Isaac's face was filled with confidence.

Red slightly furrowed her brows.

The atmosphere changed.

Even though the fog obscured vision and sound, she could sense something rushing toward her.

But Red didn’t care.

She raised her arm, snatched one of the ice spears flying toward her, and swung her arm with all her might while running.

A flash of blue light flickered, followed by a loud burst.

A blue streak shot through the fog, aiming for the ice eagle.

Boom!

The spear struck the eagle.

Isaac, watching his shattered ice eagle, stared ahead with his mouth half open.

Through the countless fragments, he caught sight of a red-haired woman charging toward him.

Just as he snapped back to reality and tried to react, her fist was already flying toward him.

“Guh!!”

Her punch landed in his abdomen, contorting his delicate face as he was sent flying.

His mind went blank for a moment.

His body rolled across the ground multiple times before crashing down, finally bringing him back to his senses.

Isaac wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

Then, he slammed his palm onto the ground.

Ice spikes shot up from beneath Red's feet.

Of course, Red easily dodged them and rushed toward him.

‘How does she know exactly where I am?’

Isaac gasped for breath as he struggled to stand.

The veins in his neck bulged.

He lifted his head from the ground, his eyes wide open as he roared.

“You think you’re the only one good at close combat!!”

A fierce gust swept through, and cold energy wrapped around Isaac's body.

As the frost surrounding him dispersed, a noble knight clad in magnificent ice armor was revealed.

General Winter Mode.

A skill that enhanced all his stats, including speed, power, endurance, and simultaneous endurance.

“Here I gooooo!!”

Isaac lunged at Red with his fist.

Red threw a punch of her own.

As their fists collided, the earth shook.

The air rippled, and the ground cracked.

‘Guh….’

Isaac frowned.

Even with the armor on, sharp pain surged through his arm.

Then—crack—the entire arm he had swung cracked.

His eyes widened at the sight of his armor getting damaged.

Impossible.

He panicked internally but soon felt relieved as the cracks quickly repaired themselves.

‘Yeah. With this, I can win.’

Isaac had analyzed all of Red’s techniques.

Since their physical abilities were evenly matched, he was convinced he could take her down.

He smiled triumphantly.

Just as he was about to move for a counterattack—

Thud!

‘Huh...?’

A strange sound rang out.

Isaac belatedly realized that one of his legs had buckled to the ground.

What just happened?

At that moment, a sharp pain struck his face.

Something had hit him hard.

Isaac staggered.

Through his blurred vision, he saw Red clenching her fist.

"You’re such an idiot."

Muttering under her breath, Red unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.

Fists and kicks rained down without a moment's pause.

Each strike was swift and precise.

Isaac groaned as deadly blows struck his vital points.

Even with his armor protecting him, he could feel his organs rupturing and his bones breaking.

His wounds healed quickly.

And then they shattered again.

Only to heal once more.

Ironically, the recovery kit he had used on himself was now preventing him from passing out.

As Red pummeled him, Isaac couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

He had always thought he knew her well.

In the game, whenever they clashed, he always emerged victorious.

Even if it wasn’t a landslide victory, at the very least, the fights had been evenly matched.

But this wasn’t even a fight.

Amidst his endless suffering, Red’s voice rang in his ears.

"You think you know me well? That this is a fight you can’t lose? Ha, I’ll throw those words right back at you. You will never defeat me."

Isaac seethed with rage at her condescending tone.

But the pain consuming him quickly scattered his anger.

"Do you know why? Because you have no talent for fighting."

No!

He wanted to retort.

But he couldn’t even open his mouth as the barrage of attacks continued.

"You have more mana than most people. You received exceptional procedures that gave you outstanding physical abilities. But that’s it. Everything else about you is garbage. Your body reacts slowly, your situational awareness is poor, and you haven’t even properly learned any martial arts. What’s the point of having an amazing body if you don’t even try to master it?"

Isaac wanted to shut her up.

But Red didn’t give him a single opening.

"That’s why, when we worked together, I kept telling you to train. And what did you say? Ah, right. You said it wasn’t a problem."

Like a teacher lecturing a student, Red listed his flaws one by one.

Her words only made Isaac feel more miserable.

"Showing off your strength to those weaker than you might work. But what happens when you face someone as strong as you—or stronger? This. This is what happens."

The final nail in the coffin.

Ever since the man possessed Isaac’s body, he had been reveling in his newfound talent.

The problem was, he mistook Isaac’s abilities for his own and grew complacent.

That arrogance had led to this moment.

And even now, Isaac still failed to grasp the truth.

Red clenched her fist tighter.

With speed beyond the human eye, she landed eighteen consecutive punches on his torso.

His armor shattered completely, revealing his true form.

Just as Red prepared to deliver the final blow, Isaac, barely clinging to consciousness, grabbed her arm.

A wide grin spread across Isaac’s face.

Red’s arm was swallowed by the frost.

Just as Isaac was about to pour more mana into it to freeze her completely—

Red shifted her weight and twisted his arm with all her strength.

“Gaaahhhh!!”

His joint bent far beyond its limit, making him scream in agony.

Even as his face became a mess of tears, Isaac stubbornly reached out with his other hand.

The moment he spread his palm, a blast of cold air engulfed her.

At this close distance, she had no way to dodge.

Panting heavily, he grinned in triumph—only to suddenly let out a pained groan as a strike landed on his side.

“I’ll give you credit for your persistence.”

He turned his head and saw Red standing there unharmed.

Isaac snapped his fingers, summoning an array of ice weapons behind him, poised to rain down diagonally.

Red crouched low, planted her hands on the ground, and spun her leg in a wide arc.

Isaac stumbled.

Taking advantage of the opening, she flipped onto her hands, delivering two sharp kicks to his head.

Then, as she swiftly got back up, she delivered a powerful kick straight to his abdomen.

Thud!

Isaac’s body was sent flying, slamming into the ground.

He lay there, completely motionless.

The mist cleared.

Red slowly approached him.

“It’s over.”

She stepped on his body and raised her fist.

“No! It’s not over yet!!”

A surge of mana erupted from Isaac.

Red lifted her head.

Isaac had risen, floating over ten meters in the air.

“I am the protagonist! The protagonist of this world!! I will never lose!!!”

His blood-covered face was twisted with obsession and madness.

He stretched both hands upward, conjuring over a hundred massive ice pillars above him.

Pouring all his emotions—rage, resentment—into it,

he swung his arms down, sending the ice pillars crashing toward Red.

Red leaped, using the falling ice pillars as stepping stones to charge straight toward him.

“Huh...?”

The attack he had meant to finish her with had, ironically, paved a path for her.

Isaac’s face drained of color.

“Don’t come….”

His broken and missing teeth made his words slurred.

“Don’t come….”

As Red closed the distance, terror consumed him.

“Don’t come any closer!!!”

She stepped on the final ice pillar and leaped once more.

As a last desperate measure, Isaac used all his remaining mana to encase himself in a thick sphere of frost.

Sharp spikes protruded from its surface, as if to ward off any external threats.

Isaac planned to use this moment of hesitation to strike back.

Visions of his destined future flashed before him.

The world celebrating his victory.

A happy life with his heroines.

If he could just overcome this trial!

He could have it all!

Isaac had no doubt about his victory.

After all, he was the protagonist of this game.

And the protagonist always wins.

“I am the hero who will save the wor—”

“No!!”

With that cold declaration, cracks spread across his ice barrier.

Isaac’s eyes widened.

As it shattered into pieces, so did his illusions.

Through the countless fragments of his broken dreams, a fist came into view.

And the next moment—

Isaac’s face took the full impact of Red’s punch.

“You’re no hero.”

The man who had always considered the sacrifices of others a given in his pursuit of victory—

was sent plummeting to the ground by the fist of a true Problem Solver.