Raising Villains the Right Way

The Apostle of Sloth was momentarily startled by Alon’s sudden appearance.

However, he quickly tried to seize him.

“!”

His eyes widened.

The black magic, which was supposed to move according to his will, did not respond.

And that wasn’t all.

‘The magic is disappearing?’  

The black magic was scattering under the golden flashes of light.

He couldn’t comprehend the sight before him.

But soon, a realization struck him.

He immediately turned around.

‘The core!’  

But it was too late.

The black crystal, the source of power that connected and sustained all the eggs and thousands of black threads, was being shattered by crackling lightning.

The Apostle of Sloth turned back to face Alon.

His face was filled with fury.

Alon, who had been looking at him indifferently, sighed inwardly.

‘Did it work?’  

Alon glanced back at Sili.

Anyone could see the marks of severe torture on her, but she was still alive.

‘Thank goodness.’  

He was truly relieved.

If she had died, it would have led to an unimaginable catastrophe.

At that moment,

“You… How did you…?”

The apostle’s voice rang out.

Alon turned his gaze back to him.

The apostle was still staring at the dispersing black magic, his expression filled with shock and disbelief.

It was impossible.

Every place touched by black magic, no matter where it was, was under his influence.

In other words, if it was within his field of vision, he was aware of it.

That meant, no matter what or who entered the black magic, the Apostle of Sloth would immediately ‘sense’ it.

‘But I didn’t feel anything at all.’  

And yet, the man before him— Marquis Palatio, who had eliminated the Apostle of Greed— had accomplished the impossible with ease and appeared right in front of him.

And it wasn’t just that.

‘…How did he know?’  

The black crystal.

So naturally beyond his perception, it had been destroyed first— the artifact that was the core of the barrier.

All in a single move.

As if he had experienced this situation multiple times before.

With no hesitation or error whatsoever.

The apostle’s face contorted further.

‘Good. Everything went as expected.’  

Seeing that reaction, Alon let out a breath of relief.

Originally, he should never have entered the black magic.

His affinity with black magic was the worst possible match.

There was no way he could have lasted even ten minutes inside it.

However, not only did he bypass the influence of the black magic, but he also evaded the apostle’s perception and appeared right before him.

The reason was simple—Alon knew the weakness of this black magic.

More precisely, he knew the flaw in this situation itself.

The black magic spread widely from this central point.

Its range was immense.

However, it was strictly bound to the ground.

It did not extend into the sky.

In other words, as long as one could move through the air, they could avoid the effects of black magic entirely.

Even knowing this, very few could actually exploit the weakness.

Even in Psychedelia, it was only discussed as a theoretical vulnerability, but no one actually used it to fight against the Sins.

That was because the range of the black magic spread too widely on the ground.

Unless a human could stay airborne indefinitely, they would eventually have to land within its reach and be detected by the apostle.

Fortunately for Alon, that wasn’t a problem.

He had both the conditions and the personnel necessary to take advantage of the flaw.

The enormous Rain Altar, so vast that even the manifested Basiliora had to climb it, and Reinhardt, who possessed the ability to manipulate gravity.

Simply put, Alon climbed the Rain Altar, used Reinhardt’s ability to launch himself as high into the sky as possible, then used his Thunder God form to descend in a single strike into the apostle’s central zone.

‘Though thanks to that, I’ve used up all my magic power and messed up my landing…’  

Alon subtly moved his leg.

His shin throbbed painfully, indicating that while it wasn’t broken, the pain was strong enough to make him let out a groan.

Moreover, although he had saved Sili, he had exhausted all his magic, leaving him vulnerable to being captured by the black magic.

Of course, by disrupting the structure of the barrier itself, he had temporarily nullified the black magic.

But that wasn’t enough to put his mind at ease.

Even if he destroyed the core of the black magic, unless he dealt with the caster, the barrier would eventually regenerate over time.

‘Though I’m not sure if the magic will recover the same way, since this wasn’t created through Sloth’s Sin ability but rather through an artifact…’  

As Alon pondered, he looked at the Apostle of Sloth.

The apostle let out a short, incredulous laugh and turned his gaze to the sky.

“Amazing, Marquis Palatio. I never imagined you would use such a method.”

“……”

“It’s also surprising how you pinpointed this barrier’s weakness as if someone had told you about it. However…”

A sneer curled across his lips.

“It seems you know one thing but not the other.”

The moment the Apostle of Sloth smirked in blatant mockery, from the previously empty air, black magic began to reassemble as if time was rewinding.

Along with it, the artifact that had been the core of the black magic was also regenerating.

Watching this, Sili gasped.

“Ah…”

A quiet, despair-filled sound escaped her lips.

As if in response, the apostle’s smirk grew even more twisted.

“No matter how many times you destroy the sphere, it will continue to regenerate. As long as I am alive, that is.”

“……”

“What a pity. If you had taken me down in a single strike, the situation might have been different. Well, even if you had aimed for me, I wouldn’t have died in one hit anyway.”

—The apostle sneered as he added those words.

However.

“I know.”

Alon remained completely unfazed.

“What?”

“I said, I know.”

He spoke calmly.

“I knew that you wouldn’t die in a single blow, and I knew that the sphere I destroyed would regenerate shortly after.”

As if he felt no regret about this situation.

“Hah, then are you saying you came here just to die?”

The apostle, momentarily stunned, scoffed again.

“No. I’ve already finished what I came here to do.”

Alon shrugged lightly and looked at Sili.

“What are you—”

The Apostle of Sloth, frowning as he tried to ask, suddenly realized something.

The black crystal that formed the core of the barrier had already fully regenerated.

It should have been functioning normally.

And yet, the black magic was not spreading.

Sensing that something was wrong, the apostle quickly turned around.

And then he saw it.

A web of violet threads coiling tightly around the entire artifact from which black magic was seeping.

Beyond that, lines slashing through the very fabric of this world.

And in front of them,

Step— Step—  

A man was walking forward.

In one hand, he held a sword.

In the other, he grasped the countless threads that seemed to slice through this world itself.

His eyes burned with rage and hatred.

A chilling aura, as if he would drench the entire world in violet, poured out of him.

“I’ll kill you—”

Deus Macallian.

***

Creaaaak—!  

A wire-like noise echoed sharply in everyone’s ears.

At the same time—

Snap!  

Black threads and violet threads snapped apart, marking the beginning of the battle.

Alon could barely perceive the clash—it was too fast.

With just one exchange of blows, the surrounding trees were obliterated.

The atmosphere trembled, rippling with the remnants of destructive magic.

CRACKLE— CRACKLE—!!  

Hundreds, thousands of slicing threads appeared and vanished repeatedly, tearing through the air and the ground, leaving deep, razor-sharp scars.

It was a battle beyond what a mere human could ever achieve.

It was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

“Holy—”

Reinhardt, who had led the knights inside once the black magic dissipated, couldn’t help but curse at the sight of the inhuman battle before him.

The countless knights following him were also overwhelmed by reverence, unable to follow the movements with their eyes.

However.

‘Deus is losing.’  

Alon coldly analyzed the situation.

He couldn’t see the details of the battle clearly, but through the shifting energies, he could tell who had the upper hand.

The current situation was inevitable.

Even if their abilities seemed similar, the apostle wielded the power of sin, unlike Deus.

And more than anything—

‘He’s too emotional.’  

BOOOOM—!!  

Alon saw Deus get thrown out, bouncing between the tangled black threads.

It hadn’t even been a few minutes since the battle started, yet his body was already in shambles.

His dark armor was shattered, with parts of it completely missing.

His body was riddled with deep gashes from the threads.

In contrast, the Apostle of Sloth had regained his composure, his earlier panic gone.

With a relaxed smirk, he wove together dozens of trees with black threads, suspending them in midair.

A stark contrast.

If Deus wanted to turn the tide, he needed to do more than just calm himself down.

And so—

“Deus.”

Alon called out to him.

***

Thump— Thump— Thump—  

His heart pounded wildly.

Feeling its rhythm, Deus glared at the figure before him with bloodshot eyes.

The apostle, still full of ease, had effortlessly suspended the shattered surroundings in the air with his black threads.

Clench.  

Deus gripped his sword tightly again and prepared to charge.

He knew well how foolish it was to let anger take over in battle.

Even so, he couldn’t suppress his rage.

Sili, his younger sister.

When he arrived at this place, the sight that filled his vision—

…was too similar to that moment.

“Hah—”

Deus’s vision momentarily turned gray.

What he saw was a memory he never wanted to recall.

Under the silent night sky, a man repeatedly slamming a woman’s head into the ground, howling.

A woman, half her head crushed, stabbing a knife into the man’s stomach.

And behind his mother and father— grinning wickedly,

[The Black Lamb has chosen you.]

The Apostle of Sloth.

Clench—!  

A powerful aura surged from Deus’s body.

His bloodshot eyes burned with fury as he glared at the apostle.

The violet magic bursting explosively from his body transformed into countless slicing threads, dividing the world once more.

And just as he was about to charge forward—

“Deus.”

A voice reached his ears.

A voice completely different from the boiling rage inside him—so cold and composed.

A voice he knew all too well.

And then.

“For the sake of revenge, calm yourself.”

As if peering directly into his heart, the words struck deep.

Deus felt as if he had been doused with cold water, his mind clearing in an instant.

The wild pounding of his heart gradually faded.

Only then did things he hadn’t noticed come into focus.

And then.

“Remember this.”

“What you see is not the only thing that can be sensed.”

“……!”

At Alon’s words,

Deus’s eyes slowly widened.

‘This situation isn’t so bad after all.’  

The Apostle of Sloth wore a relaxed smile.

Unlike his initial panic, the situation was not as dire as it seemed.

‘I just need to neutralize Deus first, then kill them one by one. First, the knights. Then Marquis Palatio. Then his little sister— No.’  

A smirk.

‘Killing the marquis first wouldn’t be a bad idea. Breaking his spirit a little and then finishing with his sister… That might make for a nice sequence. First…’  

He formulated, revised, and finalized his plan.

All for the sole purpose of deepening their despair.

‘Right after I show them the overwhelming difference in power.’  

Having made up his mind, the Apostle of Sloth moved, pulling at the black threads.

Boom! Crackle—!!!  

At the same moment—

The trees and boulders bound by black threads above him began to crumble and shatter, forming a massive sphere.

The sphere rapidly expanded in size.

Soon, it had grown large enough to obscure the vast sky.

“What the hell is that…?”

A meteor.

The knights standing below could only stare blankly up at the sky.

A massive, black-thread-wrapped sphere had taken over the heavens.

And then.

“You may have grown stronger, but in the end, you’re no different from when you were a child, Deus Macallian.”

The Apostle of Sloth sneered at Deus, who stood panting while gripping his sword.

His gaze then shifted to the remaining violet threads.

The battle’s outcome was already decided.

Thinking so, he smirked in amusement.

“You still can’t protect anything.”

With a flick of his fingers—

“…?”

The Apostle of Sloth felt a strange sense of dissonance.

Something that should have been obvious—yet was now beyond his grasp.

The inexplicable loss of something fundamental unsettled him.

Stunned for a brief moment,

“What…?”

He belatedly realized what was wrong.

‘Why… isn’t my magic moving?’  

The very black magic he controlled— was not responding at all.

As if it had been shackled by something.

And then.

‘No way!’  

Realizing the terrifying truth, the Apostle of Sloth’s eyes widened.

And at that moment—

“I only need an instant.”

As if waiting for this moment, Deus released a surge of violet magic.

Slash—!  

The violet threads began slicing through the black ones without hesitation.

Dozens.

Hundreds.

No—thousands of threads.

Cut down mercilessly.

At the same time, the massive meteor above— collapsed.

But.

Instead of letting it fall unchecked, the violet threads wrapped around it completely.

Scrape—!  

Carving into its surface.

The debris that broke off rained down upon the forest and ruins, laying waste to everything below.

And from that destruction— a massive, violet-tinged conical spear emerged.

“But for now—”

The towering, oppressive violet spear—

“This should be enough.”

Rip—!  

With a violent tearing sound, it plummeted toward the ground.

And then.

Macallian Eclipse.

Violet Nebula.

A violet star.

Fell toward the earth.