[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-became-the-patron-of-villains":3,"chapter-became-the-patron-of-villains-became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-392":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Became the Patron of Villains",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},759682,1006,"Chapter 392: Budding (7)","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-392",392,"\u003Cp>The black Black Tree that had started in the royal palace split the heavens and earth into thousands of strands as it surged upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what came a beat later was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>■■■■■■■■■■-!!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The screams of those horrific anomalous entities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sound like hundreds—thousands—of people screaming together echoed through Colony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black tree that had been holding its form until just a moment ago slowly began to fade away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fruit that had been hanging from the tips of its black branches all started dropping to the ground at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds, thousands of anomalous entities—each one something an average fighter couldn’t properly stop on their own—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>hit the ground so pointlessly, crumbling like soft fruit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Didn’t you say it yourself?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Acaron muttered blankly as he watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind had already figured out who’d done this without much trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would’ve been strange if he couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, aside from the First Prince who was trying to hand them over to those monstrous anomalous entities—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>there was only one person in that royal palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What did I say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That thing’s just... stronger than the Golden Flash?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Acaron’s whole body broke out in a sticky, crawling chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without meaning to, the sight in front of him dragged the Golden Flash to mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Colony’s first Baba Yaga.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strongest of all the Baba Yagas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Golden Flash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Acaron knew how strong that person was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the last few battles, the one who’d helped the most in holding back anomalous entities had been the Golden Flash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If other Baba Yagas died in the battles to come, Acaron would probably stop at showing brief regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if the Golden Flash fell—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Acaron would pull out of that fight without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if the Golden Flash had fallen, that meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>even if every remaining force in Colony joined hands, they still couldn’t win against whatever did it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was how strong the Golden Flash was in Acaron’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the scene in front of him now—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s just... a god—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>was so overwhelming it made even him spit something like that out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......Seems like the rumor wasn’t exaggerated after all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kazan, who’d been standing there dazed as well, nodded along—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another spine-chilling blast tore out of the half-destroyed royal palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>■■■■■■■■■■■-!!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anomalous entities so disgusting you frowned just from looking at them began pouring out again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me—after that many died, it’s not over!?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Acaron shrieked at the impossible situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But only for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tch, hurry up and grab the baggage!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Kazan’s shout, Acaron snapped back to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scowling, he hooked the collapsed soldiers under both arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They immediately started moving toward the colosseum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>####\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'......Evacuation’s finished.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Black Tree vanished, anomalous entities fell from the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now Colony’s royal palace had been completely shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon watched that scene and confirmed the plan had succeeded—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ha—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sound came from beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Alon turned his gaze, Karaan was there, letting out a hollow laugh like it was absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karaan’s condition was obviously not normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The body that had been waiting for Alon’s death with a look of bliss the moment the anomalous entities were summoned—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>was no longer intact anywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of his limbs, the only thing left was a single right leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there were at least three huge holes punched clean through his torso.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A state so horrific that for an ordinary human, it would be an instant death in practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Karaan was alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......Just like the rumors. That fame didn’t come out of nowhere.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But too bad for you. I’m not dying.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon quietly stared at Karaan’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only was he alive and talking—his body was slowly recovering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only difference from before was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his flesh was changing, becoming less human and more like the anomalous entities that had just been summoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Alon didn’t show any surprise or shock at that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To begin with, Alon had found it easy to predict Karaan would have a hidden move like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For someone supposedly without power, Karaan’s behavior had been far too bold, and he’d been overflowing with confidence even with Alon right in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So to Alon, Karaan’s current state was nothing more or less than proof that his read hadn’t been wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you planning to do by regenerating on your own? Looks like I dealt with most of the anomalous entities you summoned.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh—don’t worry. Even aside from the creations you killed, there are still plenty left to scatter around.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwaddeudeuk—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if to prove it wasn’t a lie, anomalous entities started pouring out from the outer grounds of the royal palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......So there were two summoning circles.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Too bad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karaan wore a cheerful smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now, watch with your own two eyes. The moment the creations rule this city with fear, that one will appear. Ah—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was grinning, but he looked emotionally on the brink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the smile on his face, his eyes were full of confusion and doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"—No, no. Should I be asking first whether you’ll even be able to see it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Alon watched Karaan, he suddenly realized the anomalous entities—creations of Divine blood—had already gathered around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even by a rough count, it looked like well over a hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon stared at the things approaching from afar, their massive bodies making grotesque footfalls—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then looked back at Karaan, who was sneering while hiding a tangle of emotions, and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you think I can’t deal with them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course not. After watching your power with my own eyes, there’s no way I’d think that. You’ll probably be able to wipe these things out again and again. But—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karaan’s mouth curled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But can you keep doing it a hundred times? Two hundred?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he muttered, magic circles like before began appearing one after another behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The army of that one is endlessly vast—far beyond what you think. What I called here is only a small part of it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just how long do you think you can last?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karaan’s thinking was rational.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If what he was saying was true—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon wouldn’t be able to last very long against an endless army like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To begin with, Alon’s mana hole and Reverse Heavens weren’t suited for a prolonged fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, Alon didn’t panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For two reasons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, because he judged there was a decent chance Karaan was dressing up lies as truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Divine blood had only started showing up across the continent in earnest and causing a stir about a month ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, even before that, reports had come in that anomalous entities had appeared—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but creating that many anomalous entities in a span of only a few months was practically impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And more than anything—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>if Divine blood could directly handle that many anomalous entities,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then no matter how important fear-based faith was, there was no reason to only reach for Colony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if every word Karaan said was true—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Too bad, but I’m not planning to last.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon had no intention of holding out here in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What—?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Karaan frowned like he couldn’t understand what that meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bzzzt—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>golden lightning—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—wrapped around Seollang’s entire body in gold as Seollang landed in front of Alon,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then launched, shielding him as they shot away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karaan could only stare blankly at the spot where Alon had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......You bastard—!!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t take Karaan long to realize that the civilians were gathered at the colosseum under the fighters’ protection—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and that he’d been played.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>####\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right after escaping the royal palace with Seollang’s help—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thanks, Seollang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, Master! More importantly—are you okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alon landed in front of the colosseum, patted Seollang’s head as Seollang looked worried, and faced forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......So it’s already started.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe because a battle with anomalous entities had already broken out once—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the scene in front of him was a wreck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Groans rose from everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Corpses of anomalous entities and fighters were mixed together, strewn all over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Marquis!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you all right?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Alon silently took it in, Penia and Evan came running up in a panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From them, he was able to hear how things had gone without much trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'First, the plan worked.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Alon’s plan had succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While he drew Karaan’s attention and the Baba Yagas handled the soldiers so word wouldn’t reach the royal palace—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>they’d evacuated all the civilians into the colosseum, preventing indiscriminate slaughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even if the plan had gone the way he wanted, that didn’t mean everything was over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To begin with, what he ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ still had to deal with was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You—!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Divine blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the voice, Alon turned his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karaan—who had definitely been in the royal palace just moments ago—was now looking down at Alon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......That’s the prince?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Penia asked, the thing Karaan had become was so far from “normal” there was hardly any comparison left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of his body had already warped into something similar to the anomalous entities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even his eyes, the last part that had seemed intact, had twisted into something eerie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like you tried to be clever—! But that doesn’t change anything—!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if that madness-filled voice was a signal,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>anomalous entities began closing in around the colosseum as magic circles formed one after another, like they’d been waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fighters all spat curses, and Alon held his breath to cast—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ggud—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karaan’s back, staring down with eyes full of insanity, suddenly began swelling grotesquely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karaan looked down at his own body with a baffled expression,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then, as if realizing what was happening—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"W-wait—! Please, hold fast! Divine blood!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he blurted out desperately, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ggud—! Ggudeudeuk—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his body swelled even more violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Divine blood! Keep your promise!! I—I’ll offer everything! I’ll offer everything of everyone here! I’ll fulfill every promise perfectly—!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karaan thrashed like someone who’d sensed their own end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease—!!!!! Kyaaaaaaah—!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The body, swelling out of control,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>tore completely through Karaan’s skin and silenced him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>what emerged with it was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwaddeudeudeudeuk—!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a gigantic leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So huge—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Insane—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a spider’s leg towering past the height of the colosseum as if it were nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It burst out from Karaan’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Worship.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deep, echoing voice rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As ‘that thing’ crushed Karaan’s skin like a rag and clawed its way out through a space that shouldn’t have been able to let anything through—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I—]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>at last, before Alon and the others—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[the venom-swallowing one.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it fully revealed itself.\u003C\u002Fp>",1771,"2026-06-02T12:43:45.413Z",1,"novelbin.me","4cc873e4d16c9335655907942b0d4e71760711540a59c82f7a79386a3f3212d6","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-393","became-the-patron-of-villains-chapter-391",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecame-the-patron-of-villains-cover.jpg"]