Raising Villains the Right Way

The world stopped.

Just moments ago, the red sky had been thick with dust, but now it had vanished.

What replaced it was—darkness.

A darkness like the abyss, an emptiness that swallowed the sky whole.

And in that overwhelming scene, Alon stared at the being before him.

To be honest, nothing about this situation made sense.

He couldn’t understand why he, who had been standing on the ship just moments ago, was now standing on the ground.

Nor could he comprehend what the thing before his eyes truly was.

As far as Alon knew, even if the Sin of Wrath entered its second phase, it didn’t take on this form.

Alon gazed blankly at the being before him.

It was more alien than any sin he had ever seen.

The figure of the knight standing before him was neither dazzling nor grand like the others.

It wasn’t as overwhelming or destructive as any of the other sins.

It was simply—silent.

Like an abyss glimpsed through the gaps in its armor.

With one arm and a single greatsword in hand, its figure was calm—too calm.

That calm made it all the more dangerous.

[Let me ask you again.]

As that thought crossed his mind, a voice echoed.

Alon turned his gaze toward it before he realized it.

[Can you bear the burden of sin?]

It was the same question as before.

A calm question, resonating faintly in his ears, as empty as the void between the armor’s plates.

But Alon couldn’t answer.

He didn’t understand what those words meant.

Nor could he recognize what the being before him truly was.

He had never seen anything like it, not even in Psychedelia.

That’s why—

“What are you... exactly?”

Alon asked in return.

For a while, the being merely stared at him in silence before answering.

[Why ask what you already know?]

It murmured softly, then looked down upon him.

[I am the Sin of Wrath. And at the same time—]

It lifted its single arm.

[—I am the One Who Bears It.]

Woooom—!

The bare, skeletal arm rose, and the greatsword began to radiate crimson light.

“Master!”

“My lord!”

Along with the light, the familiar voices of Seolrang and Radan reached him as they rushed in.

In a blur, they stood between Alon and the One Who Bears.

But—

Crack!

Instead of swinging, the sword was driven deep into the ground.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gaaak!

The earth split open as spikes erupted skyward— massive thorns large enough to pierce a monster’s body clean through, bursting in every direction and tearing apart the ground.

Screams of soldiers and the grotesque sound of shattering earth filled the air together.

And then—

“Are you all right, Master?!”

“I’m fine.”

The ground had turned into a vast network of writhing vines.

Escaping with Seolrang’s help, Alon turned his gaze toward the distant figure of the One Who Bears.

And he saw it—

Raising its sword again, floating solemnly in the sky.

Its gaze fixed directly on him.

[Let the trial begin.]

The One Who Bears spoke softly, and the sword in its hand exhaled a pale blue haze.

[Let us see whether you can truly bear our burden.]

Craaaack!

With a chilling sound, the abyss that had swallowed the heavens began to fracture.

One crack.

Then two.

Then four—

Soon, countless fissures covered the once-dark sky.

And with the sound of glass shattering—

[Whether you can save this world.]

—the Milky Way appeared.

It filled the night sky, vast beyond comprehension, a sight no one had ever seen before.

[And whether this world truly needs to be destroyed.]

With the radiant heavens behind him—

[Prove it.]

The One Who Bears raised his greatsword and declared.

***

Even the soldiers who had been screaming in terror moments ago, even the knights who trembled as they drew their swords, even the mages debating whether to raise their barriers again— every gaze turned to a single point.

To the figure of the One Who Bears, standing proud with only one sword, backlit by the stars.

Everyone there knew.

They knew the being before them was a monster.

They knew it was a calamity with the power to crush them like ants at any moment.

And yet—none of them could look away.

Why was that?

Was it because the being was awe-inspiring?

Because it was overwhelming?

Because it was despair itself?

Or was it because they felt fear?

Because they felt a sense of release from it?

Because they felt sorrow from it?

Alon forced his dizzy mind to stay calm.

He still hadn’t grasped what that thing truly was.

No—perhaps it was only natural that he couldn’t.

Its existence, its words—none of it made any sense to him.

As far as Alon knew, the ending of Psychedelia was to eliminate all the Sins.

Once that was done, the world would be freed from sin, and peace would follow—a happy ending.

That was the ending Alon had always known for Psychedelia.

And yet, the being before him was saying something completely different from what he’d learned.

Can you bear the burden of sin...? Can you save the world...?

To Alon, those words were meaningless.

Then suddenly, a memory surfaced in his mind.

”What I wanted to protect... was humanity.”

The last words of the Sin of Sloth, just before it was defeated.

Alon’s eyes grew complicated as he recalled them and looked back at the figure.

To be honest, there were still countless things he didn’t understand.

But if there was one thing he was sure of—

—it was that there was something beyond what he knew.

And so.

“Seolrang.”

“Yes, Master.”

No matter how many questions he carried.

No matter how many truths he came to realize.

The task before him never changed.

“Get ready.”

Alon had to stop it.

Otherwise, destruction would come.

At the same instant Alon reached into his coat, the One Who Bears moved its hand for the first time.

Crunch!

The crystal sphere in Alon’s hand shattered.

With it came a chilling sound that echoed across the entire ruin.

It was one of the signal codes he had arranged with the Allied Forces in advance— if something unexpected happened and this sound was heard, all troops were to retreat immediately.

As the signal flared from Alon’s hand, soldiers began shouting and moving all at once.

And then—

“!?”

The Sins appeared.

The Sin of Envy, who hadn’t shown itself until now, rose with eight massive arms.

The Sin of Greed, once defeated at Fildagreen, returned with hundreds of whirling wings.

A man reborn through Ashtalon’s Black Calamity.

And the proud black dragon of Greed, who bowed to no one.

Each began forming their bodies, and soon, they manifested in full.

“This is insane—”

“Th-that’s—!”

Unease rippled through the ranks of soldiers.

That shock spread like an infection among the retreating troops.

However—

Alon, who had frowned just like the rest, quickly steadied himself.

‘They’re not the real ones.’

The Sins he was seeing were not their true forms.

Even if they looked identical, their color was different— ashen, like the spikes that had erupted from the earth.

The aura they emitted was far weaker than the true Sins.

Of course, that was relative—they were still monstrous by any normal measure.

BOOM!

The dragon of Greed vanished in an instant, flying toward Asteria’s soldiers at a speed beyond perception.

Faster than light, faster than thought—no one could react.

The soldiers fleeing didn’t even realize it.

Even the commander standing at the front had no time to grasp what was happening.

In that fleeting instant—

Greed brought its claw down.

Crack!

Until something stopped it.

ZZZZZAAAP!

A flash of golden lightning illuminated the ashen dragon.

In its glow appeared a man with a body of gold and a face devoid of emotion— the Thunder God.

“Rang-chang... rang-chang—”

Time—

“Lightning Strike.”

—moved once more.

BOOOOOOM!

In an instant too short to perceive, the dragon of Greed was smashed aside by Seolrang’s kick, shattering through the thorn-covered terrain.

As if on cue, the other Sins moved as well— but unfortunately for them, none succeeded.

“Just as expected.”

Before the twisting Sin of Envy stood Radan, wearing a confident grin.

“I’ve already mapped out their movements.”

Around the Sin of Greed, who had begun to spread its wings, hundreds—no, thousands—of golden coffins appeared, multiplying in the air.

“I won’t let that happen.”

And above the territory of Sloth, who had failed to withdraw its domain in time, violet threads intertwined wildly.

Each hero faced their designated foe.

Though the Sins had been contained, the situation was far from favorable.

Even if they held them back— there was still no one who could stop the One Who Bears.

And even if someone could, victory could not be guaranteed in this state.

Even if those Sins were mere puppets conjured by it, they still possessed their powers—at least partially.

Meaning, they could be held off for a time, but never completely defeated.

Yet even knowing all that, Alon’s expression remained calm.

Because among those present, they weren’t the only ones who could fight the Sins.

BOOM—!

A sinister black aura spread in all directions.

From within it, a dark hand rose and seized the Sin tearing at the golden coffins.

“Change of plans.”

Ryanga, horns grotesquely extended and radiating eerie magic, struck down the charging body of Greed, unleashing a massive wave of dark energy.

Shhhhk!

Cutting through the black threads binding each spreading domain, a cold-eyed woman—Historia—stepped forth.

With that, the balance was restored.

And then—

“My Lord.”

“Yutia?”

“I’ll help too. I’m confident in defense.”

Yutia joined them.

“All right.”

White light scattered from her hand.

“...Diffraction.”

The battle began.

And then, soon—

RRRRRRRRRR—!

The Milky Way began to shine.

Brighter than ever before.