I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines
Chapter 133

Chapter 133 - Traitor (4)

Death Dragon.

In the original story, it was clearly stated as the "First Calamity."

Among the countless trials, it stood as one of the most tragic, a boss that drove numerous supporting characters to their deaths… a creature for which the title "Death" was fitting in every sense.

Even Gallimard Academy, which boasted the size of a small city—

That peaceful, cozy landscape was trampled underfoot by a single flap of the calamity’s wings.

The story plunged into despair.

So shocking that even among players, the episode was frequently discussed.

Its devastation was not easily forgotten.

---

[Category: General Discussion Board]

[Title: Thinking back on the Death Dragon episode…]

It was pure despair.

All the reliable supporting characters kept dying like it was nothing.

I honestly still don’t know if that thing was meant to be beatable.

And they kept showing the ruins of the academy buildings while all this was happening—

That sense of hopelessness was insane.

It felt like I could smell blood through the screen.

Seeing all those familiar faces turned into corpses… it messed with my head.

Even the protagonist party crying out at the end—that hurt.

Only episode I’ve never been able to replay.

[Agreed, it’s too heavy to revisit.]

→ Each character died in such a brutal, tragic way.

[Seriously, that useless headmaster can go die.]

→ Still getting flamed today, huh, JOAT

→ He gets dragged every time the plot comes up lol

→ Classic WWE moment

[It really was the most hopeless episode.]

→ Felt like even the last traces of that “school life” atmosphere were gone.

→ Even after they managed to win, it just felt… empty.

---

An episode overflowing with wounds.

Only torn-up sprouts were left in the wake of the calamity.

It felt like wandering through a nightmare from beginning to end.

---

[Category: General Discussion Board]

[Title: Thinking about why the Death Dragon episode was so impactful]

It was probably the deaths of the faculty.

Early on, they were like your solid, dependable allies.

They’d help you when you were in trouble, give you advice on abilities—you’d built a bond with them.

And then those emotional anchors got shredded apart like nothing.

Whether you were the protagonist or the player, it was a guaranteed mental breakdown.

All the people you relied on? Gone.

But that made it all the more powerful.

Like there was truly no one left to lean on, and the world’s fate rested solely on the protagonist’s shoulders.

That struggle through hopelessness stuck with me.

[Regardless of taste, it was a really well-made episode.]

→ I liked it too, personally.

→ Paincore enjoyer.

[The Death Dragon was stupidly strong for a mid-game boss.]

→ Faculty had to twist their bodies to pull off the kill. If they failed, probably would’ve lost entire nations.

→ And this was at the academy, supposedly where all the continent’s elites are.

[Only 30% of the faculty survived—that was the real shock.]

→ Honestly, it was only doable because it happened at the academy.

→ If that thing had spawned in a random area? Easy 100,000 dead minimum.

→ The professors are crazy competent.

→ The fact that student casualties stayed under 100 is a miracle.

→ There’s a reason the faculty always die first…

---

Calamity. Or death itself.

And now, I stood before the creature bearing every one of those titles.

I raised my gaze to meet the colossal form.

“……”

Its sheer size was overwhelming.

At least fifty meters tall, with wings that blanketed the shattered temple and a tail that rippled with weight.

A lifeform the size of a whole apartment block stood before me—

Its body dripping with blood and flesh.

So massive it overflowed from my vision.

A sight that provoked a primal, instinctive fear.

Even the normally composed fox and princess were frozen stiff.

I clicked my tongue softly.

‘The worst-case scenario I’d anticipated.’

Our eyes met.

As I stared into its blood-colored reptilian gaze, an indescribable chill crept down my spine.

The killing intent that stretched across the underground seized the entire space.

Reason, scraped away in real time.

It had been a long while since I felt such density of aura.

I gathered shadows at my fingertips.

A dragon.

A being already classified as transcendent by nature.

And to that corpse, they had layered on curses.

Death had been unleashed, steeped in human malice—and what remained now was nothing but a monster craving slaughter.

To simply call it a chimera was to diminish it. Its intrinsic rank was far too high.

A power beyond reason.

A force that defied order.

Exaggerating only slightly, it was on par with a [Star].

I furrowed my brow and muttered.

“First, we take care of this.”

The plan had gone off course.

If I wasn’t careful, the tragedy from the original story might repeat itself.

It had to be stopped—here and now.

I called out to the girls.

“You two… Are you alright?”

The girls snapped back to their senses.

Their response was hesitant.

They seemed to have been overwhelmed by the sheer pressure of that killing aura.

They each wiped cold sweat and nodded, but their legs trembled, like they could collapse at any moment.

It was, after all, too much for girls whose growth was still incomplete.

Even so, they were admirable.

‘So they endured it.’

Their eyes were still alive.

The temptation to run, reason crumbling beneath terror, awareness slipping away—

Even amidst that instability, they stood firm.

Clutching their swords tightly.

They had realized it instinctively.

If that monster were to rise aboveground, only catastrophe would await.

That was why the fox and the princess couldn’t take a single step back.

A kind of stubbornness.

“…I’m fine. Just got a little nauseous, is all.”

“Mhm. I won’t run.”

Their altruistic nature shone through.

The light within their hearts banished even fear.

Their eyes, resolute, turned to me.

“Because we believe in you.”

“I want to help you, Judah.”

The fruits of careful guidance.

In their black and blue irises shimmered unshakable determination.

Perhaps it was proof of the bond we’d built.

Even as they stood on the boundary of life and death, they had no doubt—

That I could resolve this.

“…Heh.”

A quiet laugh escaped my lips.

I couldn’t betray expectations like these.

I released my output.

And declared, as lies surged around me—

“Then… shall we begin?”

I stepped forward.

It was time to hunt even death itself.

---

Time was short.

Even a moment’s distraction, and the calamity would reach the surface.

We needed to buy time—at least until I could land the finishing blow.

The girls—red and platinum—readied their swords.

And stepped forward, brave and determined, toward the death looming before them.

The dragon’s gaze bore down on them in turn.

“It’s coming!”

A cry from behind.

Then—its breath, thick with blood and flesh, came pouring down on us.

Charlotte stepped forward and expanded her domain.

Vines of steel wrapped around the area, shielding the group from the breath.

Explosions rang out between the colliding waves of mana.

A weighty shock.

BOOOOM—!

“Hold it there!”

As the princess strained to hold the barrier—

A red blur shot out.

The fox, now wreathed in flame.

The surrounding air distorted from the heat.

Irene launched forward like a bullet, her sword engulfed in fire.

The blade sliced through the darkness, compressed heat turning her strike into a scorching slash.

Then—

KRA-KOOOM—!!

The blow struck true.

For a moment, the dragon’s core faltered.

Its breath veered off-course.

Barely dodging disaster, the fox and princess began preparing their next move.

They had experience in real combat, after all.

They worked together surprisingly well—even in the face of danger.

They exchanged signals.

“Mhm. Just like before.”

“Easier said than done… This fire has limits, y’know?”

“If you don’t, we die here.”

“…Damn it.”

Once again, the fox cloaked herself in fire.

The tide wasn’t bad.

They were each fulfilling their role precisely.

Their plan was simple and clear.

Charlotte and Irene would hold the dragon’s attention—while the snake, in the background, charged up the decisive strike.

The same method I’d used against the Conductor’s creations.

The girls gave it their all.

Solely to draw attention.

ROOOOOAAAAR—!!

A shriek so loud it threatened to tear ears apart.

Enraged?

The dragon’s rampage intensified over time, turning the underground into a vision of hell.

The air reeked of decaying flesh.

And yet—

“Sword…”

The girls pressed the attack.

“…Awaken.”

The princess extended her domain once again.

The steel garden she cultivated spread across the battlefield, forming a protective barrier around us.

Just enough to block the dragon’s breath for a few seconds.

—

CRACKLE—!

Thick vines lashed out, binding its movements.

The curling tendrils wrapped around its wings and legs.

Though torn apart by its thrashing, they never stopped growing—piercing, slicing its hide with pointed edges.

Most shattered against its armored skin.

But that was enough.

“Haa… haa…!”

Perhaps from the strain of fine control—

The girl suddenly began to bleed from her nose.

Yet she didn’t even try to wipe it.

Her focus was entirely on maintaining the domain.

So long as they could hold its legs for even a second—

“Ghh…!”

The fox would strike the calamity head-on.

Her only edge: speed.

She wielded it to its fullest, slashing with her blade.

The crimson flames—perhaps proof of her training—were starting to sting even the dragon.

And unlike before, she now had far more ways to use her power.

FWOOOSH—!

A sudden burst of smoke blinded the enemy.

Or she’d raise a wall of flame.

Or launch blazing slashes from afar.

All to ensure that the dragon never once turned its gaze toward the snake or the princess.

A dazzling performance, even against such a monster.

She shone.

“Over here!”

WHAM—!

Flames struck it square in the face.