Fated to Be Loved by Villains

0% “Keuk...!”

The pope made the Holy Body step back while letting out a groan.

Unlike before, when he was able to completely take the lead and corner his opponent, the punk was now able to match his ‘power output’ after being pierced by Severer.

He hated to admit it, but that cheeky punk was definitely a formidable enemy.

“Your Holiness, be honest.”

Dowd continued while laughing.

“When you made the Holy Body, you probably never thought that you’d lose, right? You never considered the possibility that you’d die either.”

The more perfectly prepared someone was, the more arrogant they would become, just like the punk whose head he had crushed in the Magic Tower before.

But Dowd Campbell was used to fighting with enemies that were more powerful than himself.

In fact, his unbelievably quick reaction during the battle with the pope, where he was clearly controlling all the variables in the battle while establishing the best strategy he could utilize according to the circumstances...

Just straight up exceeded the pope’s own capability.

That was probably why he could reverse the situation so easily just now.

“H-Hey, don’t twist that around when I’m moving my body...!”

“I-I can’t help it...! Your wound would widen if I don’t do this...!”

“...”

Still, it didn’t change the fact that how embarrassing the pope felt like for being cornered by something like this.

The Saintess, who was releasing her Divine Power in a daze, had an expression that suggested she had given up thinking. Meanwhile, Yuria looked as if she was about to cry as she twisted Severer around while trying to match Dowd’s movements.

But the highlight of this was the man standing tall between them.

He had become some sort of a stand for the sword, with bloodshot eyes and blood pouring out of his mouth as he kept on squeezing out spells was a sight to behold...

Although, in contrast to his power, he didn’t look threatening at all.

It’s not over yet...!

I can still win...!

After all, I’m the only one among us who could grow stronger the more time passes. As long as I can drag this out, I’ll be the one who’ll come out on top...!

“Oh, you’re still going at it, huh?”

But such a cold ridicule interrupted his thoughts.

Dowd held the Rosary tightly with both hands.

Blood started coming out from his hands, and at the same time, Demonic Aura started to gather on the Fallen’s Seal that he hadn’t used even once so far.

“Too bad, we have no intention to drag this out any longer.”

The moment the pope saw the ‘muzzle’ that was aimed towards him, his eyes widened.

Severer...?!

Actually, this could be seen as an idiotic decision.

After all, there was no point in putting all of the Demonic Aura into a sword. It would be way more efficient to stab someone with it, then put Divine Power into it and turn it into a lightning rod for Divine Power of some sort instead, although it was rather bizarre of a method.

But soon after, they revealed the reason why they did this.

As soon as the Demonic Aura from the Fallen’s Seal and the Divine Power were ‘mixed’ and permeated the Severer, Dowd Campbell walked forward and took the sword out of his body.

And then...

“Gooooo—!”

“Stop acting all cool while throwing someone—!”

Yuria—who was already being put on a leash again, who knows when that happened—was being thrown again.

Even until the end, it didn’t look like a serious attack, but that was the reason why it was so hard to predict it.

“It fucking hurts, seriously—!”

Of course, the attack required violent motions that such a scream came out automatically out of Dowd’s mouth, but seeing how he was still relatively fine, it meant that he was powerful enough to endure the pain.

Although, compared to the pope who could just brush off everything, this was a little laughable.

“-!”

The Black Devil, the Devil Dowd had ascended into, the Black Demonic Aura that he possessed...

Its attribute was ‘intimidation’.

The Aura could make even the most outstanding and most powerful people on the continent freeze for a moment ‘just by facing it’.

If he were to gather the Aura at a large quantity and let it spread like this, the power would even affect the Holy Body, completely overriding its immunity to most attacks.

Sure enough, the pope’s body immediately froze when he faced it.

This...!

The pope never expected he’d use it at such a timing because he hadn’t used it so far.

He knew of its existence, he was that meticulous, after all, so he knew that it was a variable that he should consider in a real battle, but...

Being cornered like this, it was hard for him to account for every single little thing.

And when it came to utilizing such single little things...

Dowd Campbell was definitely someone who had reached master-level.

Because there was no one on the entire continent who could match him in terms of his experiences in life-or-death situations.

“Do you think a fucker who has never risked his life and only ever tried to control others from the shadow can match someone who had overcome being thrown in tens of snake pits?!”

“...All that hardship was caused by your own womanizing tendencies, though.”

“Shut up, Saintess!”

Now, with the pope being exposed to the Black Demonic Aura, even if he was only affected for one single second...

It was enough for them to kill him. Especially considering that the one who’d be delivering the finishing blow was a master-level who could utilize that short time as if it was an eternity.

“Hhmmpppfth—!”

-!

-!!!!

Clenching her teeth, Yuria swung the Severer which had been injected by the most powerful Power possible to be injected into a weapon.

Then, just like that, the pope was cut. He didn’t even have the time to move the Holy Body.

Gone was the sight of him receiving attacks as if he was invincible, replaced by the sight of him being cut in half like tofu.

This is bad...!

Meanwhile, a red alarm noisily rang inside the pope’s head.

The Holy Body’s prowess came from its defensive power that ‘could receive anything’.

If it was complete, this sort of attack wouldn’t be a problem at all. It would be able to resurrect itself infinitely just like the pope before he united himself with it, but its current state was far from complete.

In other words, he could actually die from this.

...I can’t believe that I have to resort to this...!

He had been letting Dowd’s words enter his one ear and let it out the other, but the punk was right about one thing.

The fact that he always prepared for the worst case scenario.

Indeed, he had already accounted for the scenario when a problem arose while he was inside the Holy Body.

The pope concentrated while gritting his teeth.

All the organisms that had entered the Holy Body would be ‘evaporated’ into pure ether.

As long as he could get out while maintaining such a state, he’d become invincible; nobody would be able to attack him.

Of course, he wouldn’t be able to do anything either, but being invincible was enough as his goal was to escape.

No matter what kind of monstrous attack the punk unleashed, he was confident that there was no way he could get rid of someone who was essentially fused into the atmosphere.

“Right, I knew it. A sly motherfucker like you would have an escape plan ready.”

But, at that moment, uneasiness crept into his heart.

Even though he had written such a great escape story, his opponent didn’t look taken aback at all.

As if he had predicted that things would turn out this way.

“Too bad for you, the one who wishes to kill you has been out for your blood since the very beginning.”

And from that sentence, the pope realized something.

There was one thing...

One way to attack him from the ‘inside’...

No way...!

Before his brain could even finish processing the horror he felt, ‘Magic Power’ suddenly formed inside the Holy Body.

It was...

Duke Tristan’s, whom the Holy Body had eaten earlier.

Who existed ‘inside’ the Holy Body in the same state as he was.

“What the...!”

Just how is he able to stay sane in this state?!

How is he able to unleash his Magic Power?!

Questions arose, but he was sure of one thing.

The reason why the duke let himself be eaten was for this exact moment.

I knew that there’s a reason why he’d do that, but I never expected this at all...!

“The stronger and more grand someone’s wish is...”

And then, at that moment...

Dowd’s ridiculing voice echoed in his ears again.

“The more miserable they would be when they failed to achieve that. But, I guess you already know that, huh?”

The almost-’complete’ purifying spell that the pope had been pursuing his whole life, was soon emanated in the form of light.

And accurately attacked him who was inside the Holy Body.

●

“-Whoa, that was quick.”

The Prophet said with a grin.

“It seems they’ve wrapped it up over there. This is why diligence is key.”

While saying such words, she swung the Holy Sword in her hand in a crescent shape.

The current Hero, Iliya Krisanax, had a style of swordsmanship that relied on her senses. It was carefree, but at the same time, sharp like a beast.

And the way the Prophet swung her sword wasn’t so different from that.

The only difference was...

Its ‘level of completion’ was on a whole different level.

Eleanor and Illiya’s bodies that were on her sword’s path were flung away at the same time.

“Which means, we have to wrap this up quickly too.”

Both of them were injured all over; there wasn’t a part on their body that was uninjured, as dust and dirt covered them.

Considering their capabilities, it was an astonishing sight.

“...Student Council President.”

“Mm.”

“I don’t want to say this, but...”

“What?”

“...This bitch’s a monster.”

Hearing that, Eleanor went silent.

On her face was a rare look of complete agreement.