The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 35

It looked like something pulled straight out of myth—a monster born of nightmare.

A colossal body, with fifty dragon heads.

It was reminiscent of a hydra.

A beast forged from blood, pulsing with immense, overwhelming power.

Even some of the more renowned fixers would likely be paralyzed with fear just standing before it.

The energy it gave off compressed the entire space with sheer pressure.

Savage and aggressive, it belched freezing air from its mouths, and even when its heads were severed, they regenerated almost instantly.

Isaac had created something astonishing.

He hadn’t exactly seemed like the type to have the brains to make something like that.

And in a world already hanging by a thread, if that thing had ever been let loose in the city, it could’ve spelled catastrophe.

But this catastrophe had picked the wrong opponent.

“GRAAAHHH! GRRRRHHH—!”

The many heads that once roared with pride had been reduced to just five.

Its once-beautiful, water-colored body was scorched black in several places.

Now it staggered across the floor in tatters.

Even so, the will in its eyes hadn’t faded.

I glanced toward my ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) left shoulder.

I brushed off the frost clinging to it with a light flick.

“RAAAAGH!!”

One of the heads suddenly lunged at me, mouth wide open.

I’d taken my eyes off it—but not my awareness.

I lightly swung the blade in my right hand.

A blue arc of energy cleanly sliced through the attacking head.

The neck that had lost its head dropped limply to the ground.

Normally, the head would’ve regenerated immediately.

But from the severed end, dark blue flames erupted. The fire stopped it from regenerating.

No matter how it thrashed or tried to douse the flames with freezing breath from its other mouths, the fire refused to go out.

The flames only grew stronger, mocking its struggle.

I swung the sword once more.

Slice.

Another neck was cut clean on the diagonal, and the head dropped along the seam.

Three left.

Isaac’s magic feels weaker outside. Guess it’s time to end this.

I extended my left arm toward the beast.

Opened my palm.

Black flames erupted beneath it.

They started at its lower half and quickly spread, swallowing it whole.

The fire burned nothing but the creature.

“GRRAAAAAAARRRGGHHH!!”

The beast thrashed to escape the black fire consuming it.

But it was futile. It flailed, howling in pain, only to be drowned out by the sound of the flames.

I lifted my hand slightly.

The monster’s body slowly rose into the air.

I clenched my fist.

The black flames devouring it condensed into a single black sphere.

The sphere burned like a black sun.

Not with heat, but with a chilling cold.

Darkness fell over the entire lab, like an eclipse.

Please... let your next life be in a better place than this one. May you find happiness.

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

A long slash tore through space, splitting the sphere clean in half.

It disintegrated into ash and dust, scattering into the air.

Light returned to the lab, pushing away the darkness.

Beep—!

Beep—!

Beep—!

As the monster vanished, the emergency alert system sounded, signaling the danger was over. A robotic voice announced the end of the situation.

The containment field surrounding the lab was released. The sealed-off hallway reopened.

I glanced around.

...This is bad.

I’d tried to hold back, to avoid leaving behind any trace of the Reaper’s power.

But that effort was in vain—the entire lab was wrecked from the aftermath of the fight.

Every machine was destroyed. The floor cracked. The walls scarred with sword marks.

Ahem...

What kind of excuse could I even come up with?

Right. Decided.

I’ll just play dumb. Pretend I have no idea what happened here.

—Thank you.

—Thank you so much.

—Thanks...

Faint voices brushed my ears.

Words of gratitude.

I bowed my head slightly. And once again, I made a wish.

That those who were sacrificed for one man’s selfish desire...

Might live far better lives in the next one.

That they be reborn in a world much kinder than this one.

Now then—I should probably start pretending to be the kidnapped girl again.

But first, there’s something else I need to take care of.

I turned my head toward the hallway.

My eyes narrowed.

It would’ve been nice if it ended here.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

But foolishly, he had come all the way to his own grave.

No—maybe it’s because he’s a fool that he came this way.

As the Reaper... I’ll bring death to him.

It’s time he paid the price for what he’s done.

*

“Kh... khak! Cough!”

A mouthful of blood spilled out.

His ragged coughs echoed down the long corridor.

Isaac was dragging himself forward, limping and clutching the wall with one arm.

The emergency return device he’d stashed away for a worst-case scenario had activated.

“Cough! Khak khak khak!”

But it couldn’t be called a safe escape.

The effects of the recovery kit had clearly worn off—his body was in shreds.

His face was soaked in blood.

Wounds covered every inch of his body.

That usual pretty-boy appearance was nowhere to be seen.

The damage was so severe it was hard to believe he was even Isaac.

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

A pounding headache and heavy dizziness clouded his thoughts.

But even so, he didn’t stop thinking.

Why was he like this? Why had his plans collapsed? He struggled to understand the disaster that had befallen him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t grasp it.

The reason for his failure was absurdly simple.

He had placed his faith in two things: knowledge of the original story, and the absolute power of the protagonist.

He was convinced that he could control the world however he wanted.

That all of his actions would inevitably lead to a happy ending.

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Just like every story’s hero, he believed he too was headed toward a triumphant future.

But this was the result—brought on by blind optimism, arrogance, and sheer foolishness.

And of course, even now, even in this very moment, Isaac still hadn’t realized it.

Instead, he looked outward for someone else to blame.

—Murderer.

“No! I’m not a murderer!!”

—You just wanted to win the game. You only wanted the reward that comes from victory.

“No! No, that’s not true! I—I was trying to save the world... to protect everyone... Why can’t anyone understand that...?”

—You’re not a hero.

“I’m... I’m the protagonist of this game... the prota—!! Cough, cough!!”

Isaac’s eyes seethed with fury and resentment.

“It’s not over yet... It’s not... Cough!”

He had reached the end of the corridor. He was planning to unleash his masterpiece into the world.

He would use it to erase everyone who’d interfered with his story, and force the world back onto his desired path.

Even if it got out of control, that was fine.

If this world couldn’t understand his ideals or his noble cause, then it deserved to be destroyed.

“All of it... Yeah, this is all your fault... You’re the ones who didn’t get it... This world is what’s wrong... Kh, haha...”

Staggering through the corridor, Isaac finally reached the lab—and froze.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

The lab was in ruins.

And standing in the center of it, alone, was a white-haired girl who should’ve been dead.

Lily.

“Why...? Why are you still alive...?”

His eyes drifted beyond her—to the shattered glass tank.

The enormous presence that should’ve been inside was gone.

Why? How?

A surge of dread raced through him as he quickly scanned the scene.

Processing what he saw, his gaze locked on the dark blue sword in Lily’s right hand.

No way...

“What the—”

Isaac couldn’t finish his sentence.

Behind the girl, the ghostly image of a black-armored skeletal knight briefly flickered and vanished.

Isaac’s eyes flew open.

A faint smile crept to his lips.

He knew exactly what that knight was.

And from that, the girl’s true identity snapped into place.

Isaac pressed a trembling hand to his forehead, laughing with disbelief.

His shoulders shook as wild laughter burst from him.

“Kh... hahahaha...! That’s it. That’s what this was!!”

He shouted, staring straight at Lily.

“You! You were the Reaper!!”

No one would’ve ever imagined it.

That the urban legend, the monstrous Reaper of the city, was this beautiful, tiny girl.

Regaining his composure, Isaac raised his arms toward her.

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

He may have lost his mind entirely.

Clinging to delusion, trying to look away from reality, he spouted madness to cover the truth.

Lily said nothing in response.

Isaac flinched as he looked at her face.

That blank expression—so devoid of emotion—had finally cracked.

Her gaze was fierce.

Her small, blue eyes burned with fury.

Seeing that, Isaac tilted his head back and laughed manically.

“Heh... hehahahahahaha...!!”

The echo of his crazed laughter faded.

Then, Isaac locked eyes with the Reaper and shouted, eyes wild, mouth stretched wide—

“Reaper!! Prepare yourself!!!”

With the last of his strength, he hardened the blood on his right arm into a scythe.

A perfect weapon for facing the Reaper.

Gripping the red scythe, he charged toward her in long, fast strides.

A madman closing the gap—but Lily didn’t move.

Isaac’s grin widened.

In his mind, he was certain.

Everything that happened to him—all his failures—were the Reaper’s fault.

And so, he poured all his emotions into killing her.

Then.

The moment the Reaper and the madman crossed paths, a faint breeze stirred.

Step. Step.

Isaac walked past her, one step, then another—until a diagonal gash split across his torso and a fountain of blood erupted.

He let out a final cry and collapsed forward.

From the wound, black flames surged up and swallowed his body in an instant.

The Reaper stood unscathed. Her sword vanished into the air, and without a second glance at his death, she walked away.

What had made him this way?

Was he always like this?

Or had the city twisted him into it?

Or had it been the godlike knowledge and power that had corrupted him?

Perhaps... it was all of the above.

The man who had convinced himself he was the protagonist—his body burned in the Reaper’s flames, and his soul was erased completely, leaving nothing behind.

*

After finishing off Isaac, I collapsed in a convenient spot.

Then I closed my eyes and waited for someone to arrive.

Footsteps echoed in the darkness—fast and desperate.

Then—

“Lily!”

Red’s voice called out.

Right on cue, I slowly opened my eyes, as if just now waking up.

I sat up and met Red’s gaze.

This part was important.

I’d already thought up a dozen explanations for the devastation around us.

All I had to do now was play it off with a few facial expressions, fool her, and I’d be in the clear—

But before I could do anything, she rushed forward and threw her arms around me.

My eyes widened.

Completely caught off guard, I flailed my arms in a panic.

“It’s okay now. I’m here. You don’t have to be scared anymore.”

At her words, my flailing arms froze like a lie.

Now that I thought about it... no one had ever come to rescue me like this before.

I’d almost never been held like this either.

Well—there was that one time at the zoo. But this was so much warmer.

My chest tingled.

Normally, I would’ve pushed her away awkwardly with both hands, not knowing what to do with this kind of feeling.

But just for now...

Just this once...

I wrapped my arms around her too.

So warm...