Chapter 65: Dominic Huaton
“…Huh?”
Fenry, lost in a dream of gold, blinked her eyes and looked around.
The mountain of glittering coins in front of her had vanished like a mirage.
Gone, too, was Dorneth. Now, the only thing in her vision was a hellscape of blood-soaked corpses.
Even someone as hardened as Fenry couldn’t help but recoil at the grotesque sight.
When her gaze fell on me, her brow furrowed.
Covered head to toe in blood, I must have been a strange sight. After a brief moment of hesitation, she asked, as if confirming something:
“It’s not, is it?”
“It is.”
“If you summoned me by accident…”
“I wouldn’t make that mistake.”
“You don’t look even remotely like you’re dying.”
“Well, you can’t call for help after you die, can you? Here, take this.”
I tossed her a scroll.
It was an illusion scroll that summoned a swarm of white butterflies.
I had purchased it from a magical shop in Beneta, specifically for a scenario involving Arena.
The reason I handed the scroll to Fenry was simple: there was a 99.9% chance that her opponent would be Arena.
Arena carried a deep trauma tied to white butterflies, one so severe that even in her monstrous state, she would freeze at their sight.
Fenry, cunning as ever, would never miss such an opening.
Hearing my explanation, Fenry scowled, her expression darkening. Her eyes seemed to ask, Why the hell are you giving me this?
“It’s for emergencies,” I said.
“What kind of bullshit are you spouting?”
“You’ll understand soon.”
“…Hmph.”
She glanced up at me for a moment, then stretched her arms leisurely before standing.
I immediately put some distance between us.
I knew that posture well—it was the stance she took right before hitting someone.
Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “Where are you going?”
“Only use the scroll at the worst possible moment.”
“Stop babbling and get over here.”
“Oh, and if you have a potion, toss it my way. Quickly.”
“What?”
“Before I die. Thanks!”
I dashed forward before she could grab me.
She leapt to her feet, ready to yank me by my hair, but I was faster.
“Look ahead! Ahead! Ahead!”
“You little—if you really want to die so badly…”
Just as she was about to retort, her gaze fell on something past me.
Clang—
The gold coins she had been holding clattered to the ground, rolling in every direction.
It was a sight shocking enough to make her forget her beloved gold, even if only briefly.
Screeeaaaach—!
Roooaaarrr—!
Fenry blinked several times, trying to make sense of the chaos in front of her.
“They’ve all gone completely mad…”
Her words hit the mark perfectly.
In the heart of the battlefield, countless Chimeras were tearing into one another, clawing, biting, and tumbling in a chaotic frenzy.
It was a pit of hellish chaos, the kind of place where anyone caught in the crossfire would be shredded to death.
And the problem was that that idiot had just thrown himself into that pit.
Fenry inspected her palm urgently.
“…This damned…”
The glyph of the Mark of Life glowed faintly on her hand.
It was a signal that the covenant had been activated.
“This crazy bastard…”
Fenry quickly regained her composure and took off after me.
The expression on my face had been far too calm for someone who had just activated the Mark of Life.
Fenry didn’t want to believe it.
Just moments ago, she had been daydreaming about piling up more gold than she could carry.
And now, the one who had summoned her had dragged her into this hellscape.
The Mark of Life came with a heavy penalty: if the one who activated the mark died in her presence, Fenry herself would pay the price.
Now, my back looked less like an ally’s and more like an enemy’s.
Still, Fenry knew better than to act on impulse. She valued practicality over grudges.
“You damn brat, take this!”
Fenry pulled a potion from her pouch and hurled it with all her strength. It was her own special formula, a potion she didn’t share lightly.
Her first instinct was to throw a dagger into my back, but she knew I had to survive at all costs in this situation.
“Thanks!”
“‘Thanks’? That’s all you have to say, you little shit…”
I shouted something about a “potion delivery service” and sprinted off again.
Fenry briefly considered restraining me with sorcery, but by then, I had already thrown myself into the heart of the chaos.
The Chimeras’ attention shifted to me. Detecting an unfamiliar presence, they snapped their jaws open and charged.
Flash—!
Golden light burst forth, momentarily blinding the Chimeras.
Fenry summoned her dual claw weapons into her hands, cursing under her breath as she tracked my movements through the blinding light.
She spotted me sprinting deeper into the battlefield, heading toward the center. At the very end of my path stood Dominic.
Having pieced together my intentions, Fenry let out a dry laugh, crossing her claws with a swift motion.
“He got me good.”
I hadn’t activated the Mark of Life because I was truly in mortal danger—it was a calculated move.
Had I planned this all along when I first demanded the mark?
No way.
Predicting everything from our first encounter to this moment was impossible, not even if her grandfather had taken her place.
“I don’t know what you’re after, but I’ll let it slide. Just this once.”
Someone willing to burn their one and only covenant mark for this purpose clearly had a goal in mind.
Interrupting me now might lead to unpredictable chaos, so for the time being, Fenry decided it was best to feign cooperation and ensure my survival.
Her eyes darkened, signaling the activation of her shadow sorcery.
Fenry’s body sank into her own shadow, merging with the darkness.
A chilling wave of killing intent surged toward me—a petite monster moving at incredible speed, aiming a deadly punch straight at me.
It was Arena Huaton, the very person Dorneth had repeatedly warned about.
If left unchecked, Arena would undoubtedly kill me.
Fenry shot through the shadows and positioned herself directly behind me in an instant.
The ferocious punch struck Fenry’s crossed claws instead.
Boom—!
A deafening explosion erupted, centered on me.
“...Hah!”
The air exploded with light and sound, a blast so intense that my hair was blown into a wild mess.
The small fist had stopped mere inches from my face.
It was blocked by Fenry’s crossed claws, just three handspans away.
‘Holy crap, when did she get here?!’
My heart sank as I realized just how close I had come to losing my head.
While most Chimeras shrieked and fled from the golden light I radiated, this small monster had charged straight through it without hesitation.
No, that wasn’t right.
Ssss—
Even as her skin sizzled and burned in contact with the light, Arena’s expression didn’t falter in the slightest.
How could a girl’s blank face be this terrifying?
‘I almost died.’
This confirmed that my plan had been the right one.
The final piece of the puzzle.
I glanced at Fenry, who was glaring intently at Arena with a grim expression.
Her focus was unwavering, fixed on Arena’s fist. In a low voice, she muttered, “I swear I’ll save you today. But someday, I’ll kill you myself.”
“…Hahaha.”
It seemed I had officially earned her wrath.
I’d baited her perfectly into helping me, and thankfully, it had worked.
I wasn’t too worried about the consequences.
‘I’ve already thought of a way to calm down this greedy elf later.’
Exchanging only a glance with Fenry, I widened the distance between us and turned to sprint up the hill.
As I ascended, I felt a menacing killing intent behind me.
Arena was on the move again, her sole focus on eliminating me.
She must have been ordered to kill me.
Ignoring her, I kept running.
Fenry had already promised to save me, and I trusted she would do just that.
“Not so fast!”
The ground darkened as dozens of shadowy hands emerged, wrapping tightly around Arena to immobilize her.
Having sealed Arena’s movements, Fenry charged forward with her claws raised.
“So you’re supposed to be strong, huh? Let’s see if the dwarf’s warnings hold true!”
“……”
Boom! Boom!
A series of thunderous blasts echoed behind me.
It seemed the two had fully engaged.
I had no time to look back.
Fixing my gaze ahead, I sprinted toward Dominic.
At the summit of the bloody hill stood Dominic—and, emanating an overwhelming presence, the Heart of the Immortal, Retonicalus.
Dominic was making his way toward the heart, climbing steadily up the hill.
Chimeras were still tangled in chaotic battles along his path, clawing and tearing at each other, but none dared attack Dominic.
The heart loomed just ahead of him, its blood-red glow pulsing ominously.
Dominic was closing the distance, step by step.
Watching this, I finally reached the base of the hill and came to a halt.
Hoo—
I exhaled deeply, steadying my ragged breathing. My gaze shifted upward toward the peak of the hill.
Dominic’s back came into view, the distance between us narrowing.
If I reached out, I felt like I could almost touch him—and perhaps even the heart beyond.
‘Finally, I’ve made it this far.’
A flood of thoughts rushed through my mind.
When I first fell into the depths of Laup Forest and found myself imprisoned, I had thought mere survival would be a miracle.
The Heart of the Immortal, Retonicalus—a power so coveted that even the Butcher, Kamel Blazer, had abandoned any attempts to claim it.
The Hundred Hearts Event was originally designed as an impossible chapter, a gauntlet no one could overcome.
But then I met Karl and the others. Then I awakened the power of the glyphs. And finally, through my encounter with Fenry, what had once seemed like a gamble beyond reason became something I might actually pull off.
Luck had played a massive role as well.
‘So far, everything has gone according to plan.’
Just as I had anticipated, the crimson beast had been taken down by Dominic, and the heart’s disruptive influence had plunged everything into chaos.
The Chimera swarm? Neutralized with the ancient glyphs.
Arena Huaton? Countered by summoning Fenry.
Now, all that remained was the final piece of the puzzle: Dominic himself.
‘I’ll take care of Dominic personally.’
I had to eliminate him before he could touch the heart.
No one else could kill Dominic—not the Chimeras, not Fenry, not even the Butcher if he were here.
The only one who knew how to exploit Dominic’s weakness was me.
Dominic Huaton, one of the central villains in the novel Happens When Villains Grow Strong.
Could I defeat him?
Truthfully, I was scared.
But…
“There’s no such thing as a free meal in this world.”
If I were content to live as an extra in this story, I never would have made it this far.
The novel’s end was one of devastation and ruin. To survive in a world hurtling toward destruction, I would have to pay the price and grow stronger.
I took a moment to recall my unique ability as I turned my gaze back to Dominic.
The grotesque sight of the corpse-covered hill filled my vision. The mound of flesh and blood led directly to Dominic.
After briefly surveying the slope, I began sprinting up the hill.
As I approached, several Chimeras snarled and lunged at me.
Flash—!
Activating the glyph, I quickly assessed my physical condition.
Aside from a faint ache in my previously broken wrist, my body moved without issue.
The light from the glyph caused the Chimeras to recoil in pain, clearing a path for me. I charged forward without hesitation, closing the gap rapidly.
I could feel Dominic’s gaze shift toward me.
Realizing the Chimeras couldn’t stop me, he halted his climb and turned to face me.
Dominic’s attention was now fully focused on me.
I stopped in my tracks and kept a safe distance, locking eyes with him.
We stared at each other in silence for a long moment.
“….”
“….”
The tension was unbearable.
I furrowed my brow and muttered a curse under my breath. Blinking repeatedly, I tried to confirm if what I was seeing—or rather, not seeing—was real.
‘Damn it. Can’t something go smoothly for once?’
My unique ability.
It was supposed to activate the moment I confronted Dominic.
But nothing happened.
‘There’s no way… Could it be?’
The conditions for activating my unique ability were clear.
My power only triggered when I faced individuals marked by Divine Names—those destined to bring significant change to the world, whether through good or evil.
In other words, my ability wouldn’t fail unless Dominic lacked a Divine Name.
‘Dominic didn’t receive the Divine Name?’
Dominic was supposed to gain the Divine Name Hundred Hearts as a result of defeating the crimson beast.
But if he hadn’t received it, that could only mean one thing: my interference had disrupted the flow of fate.
If that were true, it left me with one unpleasant reality.
‘I’ll have to take him down without relying on my ability.’
Even so, I felt confident.
Reassured by my assessment, I raised my dagger and started running toward him.
I burned all the mana I could muster, igniting every ounce of power I had.
The distance between us closed rapidly.
30 meters.
Two giant Chimeras charged at me, their bodies radiating violet light. Unlike the others, these two weren’t affected by my golden glyphs—they charged through the light, targeting me with ferocious intent.
The violet aura surrounding them must have been nullifying the glyphs’ power.
Two giant Chimeras were formidable foes, but my goal wasn’t to defeat them—it was to evade them.
Boom—! Bang! Crash!
I darted swiftly between the uneven terrain of the hill, narrowly avoiding their attacks.
I didn’t need to fight them. As long as I stalled for time, the chaos among the Chimera forces would inevitably draw them away.
As expected, the surrounding Chimeras swarmed the two giants, biting and clawing at them relentlessly.
Pinned down and unable to advance, the giants were forced to contend with the horde.
Using the distraction to my advantage, I slipped past them with ease.
10 meters.
I was now close enough to see the details of Dominic’s expression.
The stage was set for a one-on-one confrontation.
“Madman!” I shouted.
Dominic’s brow twitched in response to my provocation.
Without hesitation, I hurled my dagger at him.