I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain
Chapter 474

Chapter 474

The gaping maw passed overhead—followed by a massive, thick, slate-gray body that swept right over their heads.

—I didn't intentionally keep quiet this time. I couldn't properly sense the outside.

Yog's whisper flitted through Ian's mind as Yanar's gale-force passage pressed down on them like a collapsing sky. Almost simultaneously, the worm's massive head smashed through the far wall of the crumbling Sand Prison.

Boom—

Ian, his torso bent forward by the force, turned his head and looked up.

It's truly, incomparably bigger than the larvae.

The creature's grayish-black hide looked so hard that the word shell seemed inadequate. Its form, too, was more like that of a giant eel than a worm.

Rumble…

As if reacting to the chaos mixed in the shockwave, the bead of chaos essence pulsed. Not that he had time to dwell on it.

Before the aftermath of the Yanar sweeping over the party had even subsided, darkness began to surge and flood in.

It was a sandstorm.

Boom, boom, boom!

The roar hit like a war drum against their bodies, and the howling wind pelted with sand. The entire dome shuddered as darkness whirled around them—and in the middle of it all, Ian's golden-brown eyes flared to near gold.

Just in time, the spell finished.

Swoosh—

From his raised left hand, chaos-infused magic spread out in a concentric circle. The gale that had covered the area and the sand that had been swirling like pitch-black darkness instantly pushed back in a spiral.

—We should hurry, Friend. I just realized something: there are more of the little ones.

You've got to be kidding me, really.

Muttering inwardly, Ian shoved himself upright. Beyond the spinning spiral of sand, vague figures were rushing toward them. He had no interest in finding out what they were.

Ian forcefully clenched his raised left hand.

Crack! Thud!

The sand cyclone collapsed inward, sealing them in an instant. And just as it did, one of the shadowy figures broke through—straight toward them.

Ian grimaced and threw his upper body back.

Thud—

The creature slammed into the inner wall just as the Sand Prison solidified. It failed to break through and bounced off, tumbling toward the center of the dome, straight into the group.

"Everyone back—" Ian shouted, raising his right arm.

His right hand, which had been in his pocket dimension, emerged, gripping a sword hilt—Truesilver Steel Sword. Golden runes blazed across its white blade, glowing like sunlight.

"Fuck!" Diana cursed, and the others scattered in all directions.

Only Moro stayed firm, unmoving.

Crunch—

Moro whipped its head, batting the incoming silhouette toward Ian. Ian brought down the blade, which had glowed with a bright yellow magic.

Shkk—

The creature, bisected in a single stroke and sprawling on the ground, was, of course, a sandworm larva.

As the bright yellow magic blade embedded itself deep into the sandy floor, Ian let go of the hilt and stomped directly on the larva's head section..

Crunch!

The maw of the larva, still writhing even after being cut in half, was completely crushed. Sticky mucus burst from the severed section, splattering near the blade of the Light Sword, which was fading.

"This is insane..." Diana exhaled sharply as the chamber, which had flared brilliantly bright just moments ago, returned to its dimness. "Yanar? That’s Yanar?"

"T-That thing just now—that was Yanar!" Lucia, who'd been thrown against the far wall of the dome, jolted upright and shouted.

"I'm certain." The one who answered was Seren from the opposite side.

Rising with a sweep of dust and sand, she added, "It appears Yanar Tash has sent its kin along with the sandstorm."

"What… so this is like a portable, makeshift domain or something?" Ian muttered, grinding his boot into the larva's tail.

Diana shot to her feet at the same moment. "That's not what matters right now."

As Lucia and Seren gathered near Moro's front, Diana pointed to the wall.

"That crazy worm bastard is still out there! We're rats in a trap. We got lucky this time, but next time—"

"Maybe not. You all know." Ian, cutting her off, looked down at his right hand. "So stay on high alert. If we just know where it's coming from, we should be able to avoid it."

Diana hesitated, her expression twisting in a mixture of doubt and dawning realization.

—I'm trying my best, my friend.

Yog's whisper slithered through Ian's mind.

Seren and Lucia turned their attention to Ian's right hand instinctively.

—I could sense it until just now, but I lost it as it moved away. Since it's a big one, it'll need time to come back.

There was a trace of amusement in its voice, but it was far more cooperative than usual. That in itself spoke volumes about the danger they were in.

"We probably don't have that much time left. So, we need to prepare," said Lucia.

"More preparations, besides getting ready to dodge?" Ian asked, meeting her gaze.

In truth, his plan was very simple.

After all, the internal space of the Sand Prison was larger than Yanar. If they could just predict the location of its attack, it was worth trying to endure by dodging here and there. If this sandstorm really was some kind of mobile domain, then all they had to do was endure until it passed.

And if it still comes at us after that, then we just fight.

Just as Ian mulled over this conclusion, Lucia nodded and continued.

"Take out the storage box. Let's tie all of us to Moro. That way, even if someone gets thrown off or caught in the storm, they won't get left behind."

"And if one of us gets eaten, that probably means we all get eaten." Even as he muttered indifferently, Ian reached into his pocket dimension with his right hand and took out the storage box.

As Lucia opened the lid, she shook her head. "That's not going to happen. The rope would break before that. And if it got that far, we'd all be worm food with or without it."

"... Fair point."

While Ian nodded, Lucia pulled out a coil of rope from the storage box and tossed it toward Seren. "Let's untangle the mess first. We'll probably need to cut it in the middle too."

"Yes, understood." Seren nodded with a peculiar expression, realizing it was the same rope that had once tied her.

In the meantime, Lucia, having closed the lid of the storage box, looked at Ian. "Please put it back quickly. It would be a huge problem if we somehow lost it."

"Yeah. And just so you know, I'm not getting tied," Ian replied as he grabbed one of the side handles of the box.

Lucia just gave a small nod as she turned and walked toward Seren. "I never expected you to tie yourself up in the first place, Sir Ian."

Right. She knows me too well by now.

Ian, chuckling softly, returned the storage box to his pocket dimension and gripped the hilt of the Truesilver Steel Sword that was embedded diagonally in the ground.

As he waited for Yog's next whisper, he drew the blade.

"Engrave… that spell onto me too, Ian." Diana, who had been standing with a conflicted gaze, blurted out.

—Hmm?

As Lucia, who was untangling the rope with Seren, glanced back. Ian tilted his head toward the hand holding the sword.

"You mean its spell?"

"Yeah. That snake." Diana sighed and nodded. "I can't be the only one hearing its warnings late. Not when it's life or death."

This fairy really never changes.

Ian, letting out a faint, dry laugh, nodded.

—Finally… smart move, Friend.

With a whisper that sounded as if it had been waiting, a stinging sensation spread from the inside of his wrist. Simultaneously, Yog, turning into smoke, shot toward Diana like an arrow.

She immediately thrust out her left hand. Perhaps because of the urgent situation, her eyes looked desperate rather than showing her usual disgust.

Swoosh—

The smoke seeped between the plates of her glove, swelling beneath the palm until the surface bulged.

—It'll sting a bit, Pointy Ears.

Diana couldn't hear the whisper, but her eyes twitched behind her mask. As he felt the coalescing dark spell and the strange resonance spreading within him, Ian approached Moro.

"It would be best to tie it to our wrists, right?"

"Yes. One should be enough."

On either side of Moro stood Lucia and Diana, each holding a cut length of rope.

They were looping the cords through the saddle rings to anchor them. The shorter rope was for Seren, who would tie it to herself alone. The longer one linked Lucia and Diana, binding it to their wrists on opposite ends.

Ian approached Moro, letting his left arm drop loosely at his side.

Grrrng...

As if sensing Ian's gaze, the creature gently snorted. Ian brought his right hand, the one holding the sword, to the creature's head.

Then, channeling a handful of chaos power, he added, "Dodge well. And protect the three of them."

Moro rumbled again as if in reply. The purple light emanating from its eyes, mane, and between its armor plates became even more distinct.

—At last, we can talk properly, Pointy Ears.

In the meantime, Yog whispered, after finishing engraving the spell.

Diana blinked, surprised. The smoky form of Yog slipped back toward Ian's wrist and coiled there again.

—Now hurry. That worm's coming back.

"Diana, catch!"

As Diana's eyes widened, Lucia, who had tied one end of the rope to her left wrist, threw the other end. Diana quickly caught it and wrapped the rope around her left wrist.

"Which direction is it coming from?"

—The way you're looking, my friend.

Ian turned fully to face the front wall of the dome, raising his sword to the side. "Everyone get to that side."

Moro, which had shot up the moment the whisper spread, quickly backed away. Seren and Lucia, with ropes tied to their left arms, followed, and Diana moved, anxiously tying the knot on her rope.

Ian lowered his stance and stared at the inner wall of the Sand Prison. The magic flickering in his pupils scattered for a moment, then gathered again, faintly. Since it would collapse upon impact with the Yanar anyway, preparing the next spell was more efficient than trying to maintain the current one.

Rumble… Rumble…

It was then that the bead of chaos essence suddenly resonated. As a slightly larger amount of chaos spread through him, Ian's senses sharpened as if a veil had been lifted.

Simultaneously, he felt chaos approaching at an incredible speed. It was undoubtedly the Yanar.

—It's coming.

At Yog's confirmation, everyone tensed and dropped low.

Crash!

Instantly shattering the outer wall, which had crumbled bit by bit, Yanar abruptly appeared.

Ian launched toward the opposite end, but even in motion, he didn't take his eyes off the thing. Fragments of the dome scattered around him, and its gaping maw was wide open like the entrance to hell.

Jagged, stalactite-like teeth, and behind them, rows of reddish, gleaming eyes peered from its segmented head. A shimmering reddish-brown similarly tinged its grayish-black body.

Chaos?

—Oh no. Get down. All of you.

As Yog's whisper spread, a wave of chaos erupted from Yanar.

Boom!

Though just a simple shockwave, it instantly shattered the Sand Prison and sent Ian and the group flying beyond it.

Fuck!

The spell he had been preparing scattered into pieces, and in an instant, swirling darkness engulfed Ian. It felt like being thrown into the middle of a hailstorm.

Crash! Boom, boom, boom—

Even amidst the deafening roar that shook him, Ian neither exhaled nor opened his eyes. It was a miracle he hadn't lost his grip on the Truesilver Steel Sword. And yet, Ian's consciousness remained perfectly clear.

What now...

Even in the sensation where time seemed to flow infinitely slowly, Ian inwardly clicked his tongue.

He still hadn't properly shaken off the aftermath of the impact. Even if that weren't the case, he couldn't be sure if he could complete a spell in the middle of this sandstorm. However, even so, he had to succeed. If he wanted to save the group members who, like him, had been thrown into the sandstorm.

Thump… Thump... Thump…

It was then that the pulsation from the bead of chaos essence became as clear as if its volume had been turned up. Ian felt chaos surging into him like a tidal wave.

He didn't know why, but it brought an odd sense of calm.

—Hmm? Hold on a second.

At the same time, Yog's whisper continued. Even in a situation where his concentration was at its peak, the creature's whisper felt no different than usual.

Come to think of it, it has always been like that. Perhaps the cognitive abilities of the familiar were also accelerating in step with Ian.

—I think I can do something new now. Like… tricking your chaos, for example.

As the creature's whisper continued, Ian felt the impact racking him and the pressure of the storm lessen in an instant.

Thud— Clang—

At the same time, he felt the sensation of the ground against his back and the back of his head. He bounced off but felt no pain.

His body felt significantly lighter. Ian, taking a breath, soon realized that he could breathe in this sandstorm without any pain at all.

Simultaneously, his vision instantly brightened. Countless reddish-brown trajectories were swirling chaotically as if stars had been scattered. And yet, he still hadn't opened his eyes.

Chaos vision?

However, Ian wasn't particularly flustered. He had experienced this sensation, like seeing the world through an infrared camera, a long time ago. It was likely a phenomenon created by the chaos power circulating in his body like blood. He had now become able to maintain his chaos senses without undergoing a mutation.

Crack, crack, crack!

Ian twisted his body and landed on the sand as if sliding. Even as he slid backward, Ian could perceive everything around him—the violet trail chasing him and the Yanar Tash's chaos, chaotically mixed within the sandstorm.

Boom, boom, boom—

Up ahead, a long, large, reddish-brown silhouette burrowed into the ground as if diving beneath the water's surface—it was undoubtedly Yanar. And beneath the ground, many more, much smaller reddish shapes were writhing. However, Ian paid no mind to the piranha-like swarm closing in on him.

His consciousness drifted toward the scene unfolding beyond him. He could distinguish Morro's clear purple silhouette and Lucia's, which blazed a vivid orange, reminiscent of a torch. Opposite them, a figure enmeshed in hues of indigo and violet was likely Seren, with an almost palpable purple aura emanating and dispersing around her.

So my chaos is indeed seeping out.

As that thought passed through his mind, Ian came to a complete stop, bending his knees once more.

—Well? What do you say, my friend? If you just give the word, I think I might be able to pull something off right now.

Even at this moment, Yog's voice came, lazy and unhurried.

Next time. Right now, my strength should be enough.

Ian replied only in his thoughts, then launched forward with force.

Tap, tap, tap!

Even amidst the raging whirlwind, he didn't stagger at all and dashed forward like an arrow. It felt like running against the current of a slowly flowing stream.

Leaving behind a purple trajectory like an afterimage, Ian ran toward his companions without stopping. Of course, the small, writhing reddish-brown creatures were also rapidly closing in.

Fwoosh—

The silhouettes at the forefront, clearly larvae, shot up like arrows. Almost simultaneously, strength flowed into Ian's right hand, which gripped the sword hilt.

Swoosh—

With a blinding flash, a brilliant yellow blade of magic burst upward, cutting through the thick, stormy darkness.