The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 35: Warmth

It was as if a monster straight out of mythology had been brought to life.

A massive body with fifty dragon heads.

It closely resembled a Hydra.

A monster created from countless amounts of blood radiated an enormous presence.

Even well-known Problem Solvers might be left speechless before it.

The sheer pressure from the aura it exuded weighed down the entire space.

It was violent and aggressive, spewing immense cold from its mouth, and annoyingly, even if its heads were cut off, they regenerated instantly.

Isaac had created quite an astonishing creature.

He didn’t seem smart enough to pull off something like that.

The world was already on the brink of chaos, and if that thing had been let loose outside, it could have become a catastrophe for the city.

But the catastrophe had met the wrong opponent.

“Krugh…! Grrr…!”

The once-mighty monster now had only five heads remaining.

Its once beautiful, pristine water-colored body was now charred black in several places.

Completely tattered, it staggered on the ground.

Yet, the determination in its eyes had not died.

I briefly glanced at my left shoulder.

I lightly brushed off the frost that had settled there.

“Kraaaah!!”

At that moment, one of the heads opened its jaws wide and lunged at me.

I had taken my eyes off the monster, but not my awareness.

With ease, I swung the sword in my right hand.

A blue sword aura cleanly severed the attacking head.

The now-headless neck lost its strength and collapsed to the floor.

Normally, the head should have regenerated immediately.

But from the severed wound, dark blue flames erupted. The flames hindered regeneration.

No matter how much it struggled or spewed cold air from its other mouths, the fire did not go out.

The flames grew even fiercer, mocking its futile resistance.

I swung my sword once more.

Swoosh!

A clean diagonal slash was drawn across another neck, and the severed head tumbled away.

Now only three remained.

‘Isaac’s mana outside feels weaker. It’s time to finish this.’

I extended my left arm toward the monster.

I spread my palm wide.

Black flames surged from beneath the creature.

Starting from its lower body, the flames grew larger, engulfing it entirely.

The flames burned only the monster.

“Graaahhh!!!”

The creature thrashed, trying to escape the black fire consuming it.

But its struggle was meaningless, and it flailed helplessly within the flames.

Its screams were swallowed by the sound of the fire.

As I lifted my hand slightly, the monster's body slowly rose into the air.

Clenching my fist tightly, the black flames engulfing the monster began to shrink.

Soon, the flames condensed into a black sphere.

The black sphere burned brightly, like a miniature sun.

But instead of heat, it radiated an icy chill.

As if an eclipse had arrived, darkness filled the entire laboratory.

‘May your next life be in a far better place than this one, and may you find happiness.’

I swung my sword in a wide arc toward the black sphere.

A long slash was drawn across space, and the sphere split cleanly in half.

The black sphere disintegrated into ashes and dust, scattering into the air.

Light returned to the laboratory, lifting the darkness.

Beep—!

Beep—!

Beep—!

As the monster perished, an emergency alert rang out, followed by a mechanical voice announcing the end of the crisis.

The barrier surrounding the laboratory was lifted. The sealed-off passage reopened.

I looked around.

This was troublesome.

I had fought while carefully controlling my power to avoid leaving traces of the Grim Reaper’s mana.

Yet, despite my efforts, the vast laboratory was completely wrecked from the aftermath of the battle.

All the machinery was destroyed, the floor was cracked, and the walls bore marks from my sword.

Hmm…

What should I say to explain this?

Alright. I’ve made my decision.

I’ll just feign ignorance. I know nothing about any of this.

—Thank you.

—Thank you so much.

—Thank you.

At that moment, faint voices echoed in my ears.

I bowed my head slightly at their gratitude. Then, once again, I made a wish.

That those who had been sacrificed for one man’s desire would, in their next life, live far better lives than they had in this one.

That they would get a fresh start in a world much kinder than this.

Now, it was time for me to act like a kidnapped girl again.

But before that, there was something I needed to do.

I turned my gaze toward the passage.

My eyes narrowed.

It would have been better if things had ended there.

Yet, foolishly, he had walked straight into his own grave.

No—perhaps he had come this way precisely because he was a fool.

As the Grim Reaper, it was my duty to bring him death.

It was time for him to pay the price for what he had done.

“Cough, cough…! Cough!”

A mouthful of blood was spat out.

A pained cough echoed down the long corridor.

Isaac was staggering forward, leaning against the wall for support.

His emergency return device had activated, something he had kept on him just in case of a worst-case scenario.

“Cough! Cough, cough…!”

But he was far from safe.

The effects of the medical kit had worn off, and his body was completely tattered.

His face was drenched in blood.

His entire body was covered in wounds.

His usual refined appearance was nowhere to be seen.

He was so gravely injured that it was hard to believe he was Isaac.

“Where… where did it all go wrong? Everything was supposed to be perfect….”

A splitting headache and overwhelming dizziness clouded his thoughts.

Even so, he didn’t stop thinking.

He struggled to understand why he was in this state, why his plan had collapsed, why all this misfortune had befallen him.

But no matter how much he tried, he simply couldn’t comprehend it.

The reason for his failure was painfully simple.

He had placed all his faith in his knowledge of the original story and the protagonist’s absolute power.

He believed without a doubt that he could manipulate the world as he pleased.

He was convinced that his actions would inevitably lead to a good ending.

Just as every protagonist in a story overcomes trials and hardships…

He thought his journey was also leading to a happy ending.

But in reality, his blind optimism, arrogance, and foolish choices had brought about his downfall.

And yet, even now, Isaac failed to grasp this simple truth.

Instead, he was desperately searching for someone else to blame.

—Murderer.

“No! I’m not a murderer!!”

—You just want to win the game. You just want to win and claim the rewards.

“No, no, that’s not it! I did it to save the world… to protect everyone. Why won’t anyone understand…?”

—You’re no hero.

“I-I am the protagonist of this game… the protagonist…!! Cough, cough…!!”

Isaac’s eyes were filled with deep anger and resentment.

“I’m not done yet… not yet…! Cough!”

Isaac had reached the end of the passage, intending to unleash his masterpiece upon the world.

With it, he planned to eliminate everyone who stood in the way of his story and steer it back in the direction he desired.

It didn’t matter if the masterpiece couldn’t be controlled.

If the world refused to acknowledge his greatness and his noble cause, then it was better off being destroyed.

“All of this…! Yeah, this is all your fault…. It’s the world’s fault for failing to understand me…. Ugh… Heh… hehehe….”

Struggling to walk, Isaac finally emerged from the passage and arrived at the laboratory—only to freeze in place.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

The laboratory was in ruins.

And standing alone within the wreckage—

Was the silver-haired girl who should have been dead.

Lily.

“Why…? Why are you still alive…?”

Beyond Lily, Isaac’s eyes landed on a shattered, massive glass chamber.

The overwhelming presence that should have been inside was nowhere to be felt.

Why? How?

Sensing that something had gone terribly wrong, Isaac quickly scanned the scene.

As his mind processed the information at high speed, his gaze locked onto the dark blue sword gripped in Lily’s right hand.

No way!!

“What the….”

Isaac couldn’t finish his sentence.

For just a brief moment, behind the girl—

The phantom of a skeletal knight clad in black armor flickered into existence before vanishing.

Isaac’s eyes widened in shock.

A faint smile crept onto his lips.

He recognized the identity of the skeletal knight.

And naturally, that meant he now understood the girl’s true identity as well.

Gripping his forehead with one hand, Isaac let out a breathless chuckle.

Then his shoulders shook violently as laughter erupted from him.

“Heh… hahaha…! So that’s how it is. That’s how it was all along!!”

Isaac shouted as he stared directly at Lily.

“You…! You were the Grim Reaper all along!!”

No one could have ever imagined it.

That the Grim Reaper—the subject of terrifying urban legends in this city—

Was actually such a small and beautiful girl.

Regaining his composure, Isaac stretched his arms wide toward the Grim Reaper.

“Grim Reaper! Join me! With your power and my knowledge, we can save this world!!”

Isaac might have already lost his mind.

Desperate to escape from the cruel reality before him, he clung to absurd fantasies and spouted complete madness.

Lily remained silent in response to his insane ramblings.

Then, as he looked at her face, Isaac flinched.

For the first time, the expressionless girl—

Showed emotion.

Her gaze turned dangerously sharp.

Her blue eyes, once as cold as ice, now burned with fury.

Realizing what that meant, Isaac tilted his head back—

And laughed like a madman.

“Heh… hahahahaha…!”

His maniacal laughter echoed through the ruined laboratory—

Until it suddenly stopped.

Isaac's eyes widened as he bared his teeth at the Grim Reaper.

"Grim Reaper!! Prepare yourself!!!"

With the last of his mana, he solidified the blood flowing from his right arm into a scythe.

A fitting weapon for facing the Grim Reaper.

Gripping the crimson scythe, he strode forward with rapid steps, charging toward the Grim Reaper.

The madman closed the distance, but Lily remained still.

Isaac's grin stretched even wider.

He thought to himself.

The reason he had ended up like this. The reason he had failed. It was all the Grim Reaper’s fault.

And so, he poured every emotion into his strike, determined to kill the Grim Reaper.

At that moment.

As the Grim Reaper and the madman crossed paths, a gentle breeze stirred.

Step. Step.

Isaac took a step past the Grim Reaper, then another. But then, a diagonal slash appeared across his body, and blood gushed out.

Letting out a death cry, he collapsed forward.

Flames erupted from his wound, instantly consuming his body.

The Grim Reaper, unscathed, let her sword dissolve into the air. Without even glancing back at his death, she moved on.

What had made him that way?

Had he always been like that?

Or had this city shaped him into that person?

Or perhaps, had he been corrupted by his near-omniscient knowledge and power?

Maybe it was all of the above.

The man who had deluded himself into thinking he was the protagonist—

Met his fitting end at the hands of the Grim Reaper.

His flesh was devoured by hellish flames, and even his soul was completely erased.

After dealing with Isaac, I found a suitable place to lie down.

Then, I closed my eyes and waited for them to arrive.

In the darkness, I heard hurried footsteps rushing toward me.

And then.

"Lily!"

At Red's cry, I slowly opened my eyes, as if I had just woken up.

I sat up.

My eyes met Red's.

This part was crucial.

I had already come up with several explanations for the horrors that had taken place here.

Now, I just had to put on the right facial expression and deceive her.

But in that instant, she rushed forward and pulled me into a tight embrace.

My eyes widened.

Completely caught off guard by her sudden action, I flailed my arms awkwardly.

"It's okay now. I'm here to rescue you. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Hearing those words, my panicked arms suddenly froze, as if it had all been a lie.

Thinking about it, I realized—

No one had ever come to save me like this before.

Being held like this was also a rare experience.

I had been hugged back at the zoo, but this… this was much warmer.

A strange tickling sensation spread in my chest.

Normally, I would have found this unfamiliar and pushed her away with both hands.

But right now, in this moment—

Just for a little while, I wanted to sink into this warmth.

So, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly in return.

It was warm…