Chapter 222: A villain’s demise

[Ren Asahi]

Help me!

"?"

A message arrived for Regina Dean, who was in the U.S. after overseeing the second-year exchange program. Her hesitation lasted no more than three seconds.

"Quasar, I have an urgent matter to attend to. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to handle things without me."

The blonde, green-eyed woman known as "Quasar" was taken aback.

"What are you talking about? You want us to fight the monster without our dealer? Hey, Regina!"

But Regina had already propelled herself toward South Korea at an incredible speed. To any casual observer, it would seem as if a black streak flashed across the sky.

Upon returning to Korean territorial waters, Regina immediately deployed her search net, pinpointed Ren Asahi’s location, and descended.

’The fact that Ren Asahi called for me means the situation must be dire and requires my intervention.’

Soon, Regina discovered Ren Asahi floundering within a storm of destruction.

"Argh! Jingsu-chan! Please, be gentle! Don’t kill me!"

’What on earth is that?’

SF...? Cosplay?

A girl with violet hair, donning goggles, is locked in battle with a mysterious black entity, wielding a scythe in her hands. Regina gauged the strength of the adversary and found herself feeling slightly disconcerted.

’Are there villains of this caliber in Korea?’

They were formidable.

If the "Death Collector" was indeed a villain, even Regina might have trouble facing them without drawing her own masterpiece. In that case, how was Ren Asahi still alive?

Soon, Regina realized something was amiss.

’Isn’t the purple-haired girl a villain?’

On the contrary, was she protecting Ren Asahi from the villain?

During the brief 10 seconds it took to discern friend from foe, numerous objects in their surroundings crumbled to dust and were swept away. A storm of destruction raged throughout the heart of Seoul. Though the evacuation seemed to be complete, the environment around them continued to shatter and disintegrate moment by moment. Cracks relentlessly spread across the ground.

’The black villain...’

The black villain was engaged in combat with something that protected Ren Asahi.

’Wasn’t Ren Asahi the one in danger?’

Upon closer observation, the villain "Xenovia" seemed familiar.

A combatant villain who employs a fully integrated body is a masterpiece. Resembling Kali Masi, a black breed native to India, everything but the skin is pitch black.

She melds into the night, barely visible, yet continues to assail the girl wearing high-cut leggings. The aftermath alone sends vibrations akin to an exploding bomb reverberating throughout the vicinity.

"*Cough!*"

Xenovia is struck and slammed to the ground until her cherished Masterpiece armor shatters in half. Even when her adversary can no longer move, the Deathtaker’s relentless assault does not relent.

Wielding a large scythe, she lifts Xenovia’s incapacitated torso, swinging it indiscriminately while crushing her bones. As if to hang a defeated foe, she displays Xenovia insultingly at the tip of her scythe, then begins to mercilessly pound her with a satisfyingly cool two-handed hook!

"Jingsu-chan, that’s enough. If you continue, she’ll die!"

Regina grasps the Deathtaker’s arm.

"Regina!"

’I never imagined I’d come to assist my boyfriend and end up saving a villain’s life.’

Xenovia was teetering on the brink of death. Her ribs jutted through her skin, and her face had become unrecognizable. Her once-black masterpiece lay shattered and strewn across the floor.

Regina held firmly to the idea of being responsible for creating such an S-class villain.

"Ren Asahi. What happened here? Have you lost control?"

"Well... I don’t think it’s entirely out of control."

"Liliana? What’s become of Liliana?"

She was taken aback. Ren Asahi held Liliana, who had lost consciousness, in one arm.

"She’s unconscious, but she’ll be fine."

"Now, calm down. I’ll find a way to handle this."

Ren’s trembling ceased. Regina allowed herself a small smile.

’That’s why he’s my boyfriend.’

One must have the mental fortitude to overcome such a dire situation. The important thing was that she could help.

"I’ll try my best to deal with Jingsu-chan. It seems like she’ll listen to me."

"Really? In that case, I’ll take care of our uninvited guest."

Like a hyena drawn by the scent of blood,

There was something else. Regina perceived it and unveiled another entity concealed within this space. It was a young woman with large, curling goat horns atop her head.

"Xenovia. What manner of appearance is this?"

Though her words seemed to mock her comrade, the tone of her voice carried an icy chill. Her skin was as pallid as a corpse, and her breasts and thighs were ample. Her arms and legs were bound behind her, swallowed into the void, rendering her joints invisible. It was akin to taxidermy—crafting an animal to appear as it did when alive.

Would this be the result if one chose to display a person on a wall instead of a portrait? It was defenseless and bizarre.

But such was the unpredictability of this villain. Regina had not missed the magical energy emanating from the goat horns. As the ethereal whip reached out as if to collect Xenovia’s body, Regina pointed, and it burned away to nothingness.

"...Meddler. Master Hunter. Regina Dean."

I spoke to the woman with pale skin, large breasts, and goat horns.

"Apologies, but I am unsure of your identity."

"I can’t quite get used to this; it’s like talking to a corpse."

Everything about her was pale. Her hair was a washed-out blue, and her overall appearance lacked vitality. Yet, it wasn’t some ventriloquism act; the woman, draped in an ethereal manner, was truly speaking.

"Hand over Xenovia’s body. That’s all I want."

"You expect me to release the villain who tried to kill my lover?"

"Isn’t the masterpiece scattered on the floor enough compensation?"

Indeed.

On the ground lay fragments of a powerful mystical force, which could be converted into a fortune in coins, enough for any ordinary person to live a life of luxury. Anyone would have been unable to resist the urge to hurriedly gather them up. However, the woman with goat horns, realizing that bargaining with a master hunter wasn’t the right approach, corrected her stance.

"Hunters are under no obligation to capture villains."

"You don’t have to get entangled in this troublesome situation," said the villain with a persuasive tone.

"Exactly. If I had such an obligation, I would have killed them all before going to the airport."

"..."

Centered around the woman with goat horns, demonic beasts began to rise.

Enshrouded in monstrous demonic limbs, these beings wore the guise of humans, yet they were anything but. They were an array of aberrant demons, each one rivaling an A-rank hunter, and the villain had summoned dozens of them all at once.

"Care to repeat that?"

"Should I kill them now? I’ll target all 1,532 of your family members behind you."

"..."

"Ah, make that 1,531 now."

Upon hearing this, the villain with the goat horns retracted all the disparate demons back into himself.

"Weren’t you planning to attack me with that charming little masterpiece?"

"...Monster. An unending torrent of mana emanates from you."

"To use my abilities, unlike you, I have to shield the eyes of the satellite."

"Jingsu-chan! Don’t! Regina is on our side! They’re trying to protect us!"

Regina cast a fleeting glance behind.

’Sure enough, this high-legged girl is far stronger than that villain... How did she know I had a weapon aimed at her head just in case?’

"Regina! Jingsu-chan says you’re going to attack her. Please, say something!"

"I apologize. I’ll spare your life. You’re quite perceptive."

"What were you aiming for?"

The villain simply tilted his head.

"In the sky."

Regina pointed up at the sky.

The villain also looked up, but there was nothing except the vast night sky.

"Uh, not there. Higher up."

"Higher up...?"

The moon shone particularly brightly. It seemed the goat-horned villain had realized something.

"I... I’ll go back."

"What about your friend, Xenovia?"

"She’s not more important than my life."

The goat-horned villain vanished, merging into the space around him, just as he had appeared.

"What was that? Who was that goat-horned girl?"

"She’s a villain who seized an opportunity. How about you? Did you control your weapon well?"

"It seems to obey me better when I’m attached to it."

I’ve never been that close before.

I felt a pang of jealousy. Regina stared intently at the busty, high-legged girl.

"Ren Asahi. It seems you have a lot of hidden powers at the academy."

"Ugh..."

"I’ve seen two things you didn’t even tell me about."

"Apologies, I can’t explain it."

The power to seize control of space itself.

And this time, the ability to summon a servant as potent as oneself.

Which deity could have favored him so much that he received such gifts? Regina was slightly curious.

Since ’the secret to obtaining powers’ is information that can’t be heard anywhere else in the world,

There must be a line of SS-class hunters willing to offer money or anything else. It’s a big deal. It felt like the competition would increase.

Regina sighed as she took out her phone.

"Regina?"

"I think I’ll be summoned to the Blue House for violating Korean territorial waters at breakneck speed."

"You had no choice, in order to catch the villain."

"That one?"

He pointed to Xenovia, who was already dying.

"That’s what you did, Ren Asahi. I didn’t do anything."

"But..."

"If it’s burdensome, say it was Liliana who did it. Maybe she’ll like that."

"...Would she? She says she’s her older sister."

Regina hesitated.

"Is her family the villain?"

What a peculiar story!

Regina furrowed her delicate eyebrows. She had spent little time in Korea over the past five years and was unaware of such heartbreaking stories.

The connection between Xenovia and the White Devil eluded her as well.

They both used a similar type of masterpiece. That was the extent of her thoughts.

"Listen to me by your side, too. I’m sure there are many things weighing on your heart that you want to say."

"Thank you for the advice. No, thank you for your help."

"Are you going to treat me like a professor in the end?"

Regina puffed up her cheeks, sulking.

"Please do that. I mean... I’ve left everything I was doing behind to come here."

"..."

Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red.

Such a coy display towards a man younger than herself...

Though it felt embarrassingly mortifying... The hand wrapped around Liliana appeared so steadfast.

Ren, having laid Liliana down for a moment, rose and pulled Regina towards him.

"Ah!"

"Let’s embrace."

"Uh, um..."

Tightly.

Regina found herself enveloped in Ren’s arms.

Ren gently stroked her head like one would a puppy, while his other hand caressed her rear.

"Ah... haa... *whimper*..."

"Do you like it?"

"Yes... Please, keep stroking me."

"Well done, Regina."

The words ’well done’ echoed through her empty mind.

Regina felt that if she were petted like this for just a minute, or even ten minutes, she would lie down and expose her belly.

’I love Ren Asahi’s hands so much... ?’

Slurp. *Slurp.*

Regina effortlessly sucked on the fingers he brought to her mouth.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I must stay by Liliana’s side. Another villain might appear."

"Are you planning to make Liliana your girlfriend too?"

"First, let’s think about how to send Jingsu-chan back... She doesn’t seem to want to leave."

The high-legged beauty that Ren referred to as Jingsu-chan lingered by his side, seemingly wanting something.

"Perhaps you secretly want me to do something naughty for you?"

"No way... It’s not like Regina."

"What’s the difference? ?"

*Rub.* *Rub.*

Regina reveled in the sensual caress of Ren’s hands all over her body, right up until the moment someone was about to arrive at the scene.