I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain
Chapter 476

Chapter 476

Roar…

As Yanar's scream subsided, Ian somersaulted over the creature’s torso. He twisted his body in mid-air. The overloaded Platinum Claw scattered bright yellow trajectories in the air.

Boom—

Ian then slammed onto the sand in an arc. He didn’t slide far. This wasn't due to the sandy terrain, but because he had already twisted his body to prepare for the landing.

He slid backward in a low stance, quickly coming to a stop. His clenched left fist dragged across the ground. His right arm, holding the sword, was extended to his side. Only then did a throbbing impact begin to spread through him.

Thump… Thump…

The pulsation from the bead of chaos essence became as clear as if its volume had been turned up. Ian, exhaling the breath he had been holding, finally deactivated the Platinum Claw.

Swoosh—

The bright yellow blade, which had been erupting violently beside him, transformed into a dazzling shower of light and dispersed.

Ian staggered to his feet amidst the fading light. Beyond the draconic magic scattering like embers in the storm, he briefly stared at the sprawled Yanar, then began to walk.

—Quite a tough one, isn't it….

Yog’s mocking whisper continued. Yanar, though severed in two, still thrashed about. Both its upper section, where the head lay, and its considerably longer tail writhed on the sand.

Thwack— Boom!

However, this did not mean the creature would recover.

With every thrash, the gap between its two halves widened. Reddish-brown chaos was also spreading from various points on its torso; the surfaces severed by the Light Sword were even turning a boiling reddish-brown.

Thump… Thump…

Closer and closer, it became more and more distinct.

Despite the essence bead’s pulsing resonance shaking him, Ian kept walking.

Fwoosh!

Immediately after, reddish-brown chaos erupted explosively from the seething, severed surfaces of Yanar. The surge spread rapidly across Yanar, rising like a fountain of red flame.

To Ian, it looked like a massive explosion. Indeed, the blast filled his entire field of vision, rolling toward him in a dense wave.

But Ian didn’t stop.

—A very wise choice, Friend.

Walking as if to meet it head-on, he merely spread his arms slightly to the sides.

Of course, it was a somewhat dangerous choice. However, to replenish the chaos consumed in this battle in one go, this method was the best.

Swoosh!

The surging reddish-brown wave engulfed Ian, sweeping over him. He felt as though a massive tidal wave was carrying him away.

This was no mere sensation. Ian instantly realized what had happened. His consciousness flung loose, swept up in the explosion. It felt like an out-of-body experience. As other senses blurred, his vision became much wider and clearer.

I definitely didn’t see this coming.

Even as he thought, Ian accepted the unfolding situation without much panic. He already knew from countless experiences that there was little point in resisting. Focusing on what he'd soon see proved far more beneficial.

Swoosh—

Meanwhile, his consciousness drifted like a dandelion seed caught in the wind. It continued its steady ascent.

Below him, the full view of the desert being swept by the sandstorm spread out clearly. He was already in a position where the figures of Yanar or his companions were no longer visible. Instead, the reddish-brown chaos shimmering within the sea of black sand became distinct.

Ian immediately realized that they were monsters hiding their bodies in the sand. The chaos mixed in the sandstorm was twinkling like embers and seeping into them.

Don’t tell me.

His vision moved beyond the sandstorm right after. However, the number of reddish-brown embers entering his sight was still large. In fact, they grew more numerous the higher he went.

It almost looked as if these ominous, twinkling particles completely veiled the night sky. He watched as some of them began to squirm and writhe.

So this wasn’t just a mobile domain to drive me away...

At last, Ian realized the true purpose of the colossal sandstorm. It also served the role of turning the monsters of the black desert into Yanar Tash’s minions.

It was questionable whether its dominion would be strong, but at any rate, it would surely be able to issue simple commands.

Yanar's level of control was uncertain, although it was likely capable of executing basic commands.

Like commanding to find the intruders and kill them.

It was a choice that a creature feeling fear would more than likely make.

The sandstorm might have merely been the opening move.

With this thought, Ian focused all his attention on what his vision showed him. It was critical, now more than ever, not to miss a single clue.

Swoosh!

And soon, he noticed a long, empty stretch carving through the middle of the desert like a path, right through the blinking red stars. His consciousness flowed upstream along it.

This is Yanar’s… path of movement, is it?

Ian quickly realized that he'd found the trail of the demon and its offspring he'd just killed. They had literally devoured everything in their path as they moved forward.

Woosh—

And in an instant, a vast expanse of gray filled his vision.

It was another desert, looking as if covered in ash, which, in contrast to this black desert, felt almost bright.

The Desert of Death?

Just as Ian instinctively realized that this must be Yanar Tash’s dominion, his consciousness slowed.

Swoosh…

The entire desert began to ripple, viscous and sluggish, like oil rolling across the sea.

The moment he realized it was drawing a giant whirlpool, Ian’s consciousness plummeted into its center.

Bwooooom—

A deafening roar, as if shaking the ground, grew closer. And then, from the middle of the undulating gray sands, something massive surged upward like a breaching whale.

It was another Yanar, its maw wide open.

The colossal abyss that stretched beyond it filled Ian’s vision as he fell at tremendous speed. The abyss engulfed him, and instantly, his consciousness shot out at the speed of light.

Bwoooom…

With a ringing cry like an auditory hallucination, his senses returned as if doused with cold water. As Ian momentarily staggered, a quest window sharpened before his eyes.

[Uninvited Guest of the Desert.]

Thump… Thump…

As the stable pulsation of the essence bead spread, fluttering reddish-brown lines appeared in his dim vision. The wind brushed past him the moment after.

—Looks like you had some fun on your own again, my friend.

Yog’s murmur followed as Ian’s eyes twitched.

It wasn't just because he realized he was out of the storm's domain. The magical he’d been clutching in his left hand had vanished without a trace.

—I’m gonna take a quick nap. I need time to digest that burst of chaos I just ate…

Closing the quest window, Ian moved. He dragged a hand down his face, brushing away the sticky sand as he opened his eyes.

He blinked a few times, frowning slightly. The form of the giant desert worm, severed and sprawled out, filled his vision—Yanar. The creature's still, dark-gray body was already partly covered in sand.

Ian strode forward without hesitation, passing directly through the remains.

Swoosh—

The vast curtain of dark clouds was now receding into the distance. It looked like it wouldn't stop until it had swept over the entire desert. Though Ian knew exactly what that implied, he nonchalantly looked away.

His steps slowed slightly right after that. In the middle of the vast sandy expanse, the Sand Prison, looking like a giant egg, still stood, half-buried.

Woosh…

It was slowly scattering from the top as if the wind were blowing it away.

"Phew..." Ian, after watching until the upper part had completely disappeared, finally let out the weary sigh he had been holding back.

He slumped to the ground and closed his stinging eyes. At the same time, of course, he started checking the information window.

The durability really is…steadily decreasing, isn’t it?

The Truesilver Steel Sword was no exception. Not only was the Mantra circuit's magic nearly gone, but its durability had also dropped significantly for a single fight. This had to be the price for overloading it.

Thanks to that, he had survived without major injuries, so it could be said the gain was sufficient. Moreover, the bead of chaos essence, which had gotten larger, was also brimming with chaos power. His experience points had also risen noticeably.

I got a new quest too.

Ian, having returned the Truesilver Steel Sword to his waist, finally began reading the contents of the new quest. He brushed sand from his face, hair, and all over him.

Fwoosh…

As he did so, the Sand Prison, which had been crumbling rapidly, finally scattered and vanished completely, like a mirage.

“Good heavens….”

Beyond it, the rest of the group came into view.

Standing beside Moro, Seren gaped, her sharp teeth showing as her lips parted in stunned disbelief.

"To think he took on that Yanar... alone in the sandstorm..."

She and Moro were the only ones still staring at Yanar’s fallen body in the distance.

Diana, finally shifting the leather water pouch she had been hugging to her left hand, untied the knot on the rope binding her right wrist.

Lucia, who had already untied her knot, left Diana behind and strode out.

Her eyes widened the moment she spotted Ian. “Sir Ian! Are you alright?”

“As you can see, not at all,” murmured Ian.

Tilting his head sideways, Ian clapped the sand out of his ears with his palm as he spoke. The sand was pouring out from inside his ear canal. It was no exaggeration to say he was a sandman at that moment.

“You’re alright then. Thank goodness.”

Of course, Lucia was likely surprised by the traces of blood on his face and head. The sand scarred his face, and dried blood caked the back of his head and nape. It was likely the aftermath of being swept by the Yanar’s shockwave.

Of course, the bleeding had long since stopped, and the wounds were already healing.

“And you all?” Ian asked, staggering slightly as he finally stood up after Lucia had stopped.

“As you can see, not at all,” Lucia replied, pulling off the mask that covered half her face along with the iron mask beneath it.

A thinner cloth mask lay beneath even that, and as she tugged it down, a cloud of fine sand puffed into the air.

“So it seems. You look quite grimy.” Ian replied with a slight smirk.

The mask that had covered his face had disappeared without him even realizing it, but it didn’t seem to matter.

“It’s fortunate that we survived again, but….” Diana’s voice followed from behind Lucia. Holding the leather water pouch, she slowly walked, surveying the surroundings.

“The terrain has completely changed. The direction, of course, I have no idea.”

She glanced back at Ian and tossed him the water pouch.

As Ian caught it, her voice continued, “So give me a little time, Ian. I’ll figure out soon enough which way to get out of this terrible desert.”

“Before that, we have to make a choice,” said Ian, opening the cap of the water pouch.

One of Diana’s eyes narrowed automatically. “What choice?”

“Soon, all the monsters in this desert will come swarming to kill us. Maybe they already are.” Ian, shrugging as he answered, brought the water pouch to his lips.

His words were enough to make both Lucia, who was dusting off her hair, and Diana freeze.

Diana stared blankly as Ian’s throat bobbed with each gulp, then finally stammered, "What in the... what kind of beastfolk shit is that supposed to mean?"

“It means everything that’s swept up in the sandstorm becomes Yanar Tash’s minion.” Ian finally lowered the water pouch from his lips. He let out a sigh as if he could finally breathe again.

As Diana's expression twisted, Ian offered the water pouch to Lucia. “So, we have to choose. Do we fight our way through the desert, with monsters attacking from all sides? Or...”

His gaze shifted to his left. “Do we go straight into the Desert of Death and eliminate the cause of all this? For reference, the path that way is wide open. Though I don’t know how long it will stay that way.”

As Lucia took the water pouch, both she and Diana naturally turned their heads to look.

Yanar’s massive corpse lay sprawled in the sand. Moro, which had approached its side at some point, had its head buried in the creature’s corpse. It was diligently moving its jaw.

“It’s huge.” Beside it, Seren, her wrist still bound by the rope, was looking at the corpse with eyes mixed with admiration and awe.

Ian watched the half-demon’s dazed expression for a moment, then turned his gaze back to Lucia and Diana. “So, what should we do?”