[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-a-villain-so-what":3,"chapter-i-am-a-villain-so-what-i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-80":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Am a Villain, So What?",{"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},1506500,1956,"Chapter 80: Terror Attack [End]","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-80",80,"\u003Cp>The Grand Hall was no longer a room. It was a meat grinder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My shotgun roared, obliterating three Imps that had leaped from the balcony. Their small bodies disintegrated into gore, but the mist of blood only seemed to excite the swarm behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skitter. Skitter. Skitter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They’re too fast!\" Alicia screamed, swinging her wand like a baton. A whip of fire lashed out, severing the wings of an Imp mid-air, but another one latched onto her leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get off!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She kicked it away, but the creature took a chunk of her stocking—and a strip of skin—with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Close ranks!\" I shouted, reloading with practiced desperation. My hands were slick with sweat and demon blood. \"Don’t let them surround us!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We backed toward the heavy oak doors, but the horde was endless. The Rift pulsed, vomiting out dozens more every second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Outside the Mansion – The Plaza]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horror wasn’t contained in the mansion. The Imps had spilled out through the windows, swarming into the park like a plague of locusts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Help! Please!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wealthy merchant, too slow to run, tripped over a cobblestone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could stand, a red blur landed on his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Imp didn’t stab him. It bit him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its jaw unhinged, clamping down on the man’s neck. A spray of arterial blood painted the pavement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"AGHHHHH!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scream was cut short as three more Imps descended. One grabbed his hand, gnawing through the fingers with needle-teeth like it was eating a chicken wing. Another ripped his ear off with a wet tear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was primal. Brutal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the Orcs, who crushed you instantly, the Imps ate you alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael watched the scene from fifty meters away, helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swung his sword, cleaving an Imp in two, but his arms were shaking. His mana was dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kael! Behind you!\" Mariella shrieked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned just in time to catch a jagged dagger on his hilt. He kicked the Imp away, but he was panting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everywhere he looked, civilians were being dragged down. The beautiful CrystalVale had become a banquet hall for demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have to close the Rift!\" I roared, blasting a path through the swarm. \"If we don’t close that Gate, the entire capital will be overrun!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We can’t!\" Celestia yelled back, her voice cracking with despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She unleashed a cone of frost, freezing a dozen Imps, but the ice cracked under the weight of the ones behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My mana isn’t strong enough to seal a dimensional tear! We need a Grand Mage! Or a Holy Relic!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have neither!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I checked my ammo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Shells Remaining: 4]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at the Rift. It was widening. The red light was getting brighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A larger claw—something bigger than an Imp—was starting to push through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were going to die here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lucien,\" Lyriana whispered. She was standing behind me, holding a small dagger with trembling hands. She wasn’t looking at the monsters. She was looking at me. \"Save yourself. Take the girls and—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t talk stupidly,\" I snapped, racking the bolt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I aimed the shotgun at the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we’re going to die, we’re taking this whole building down on top of us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I prepared to shoot the support pillars. It was a suicide play, but it would bury the Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before I could pull the trigger...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the smell of sulfur. It wasn’t the heat of fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp, cutting pressure that made the hairs on my arms stand up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>VMMMMMMM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sound echoed from the sky—a high-pitched whine, like a jet engine spinning up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Imps stopped screeching. They froze, their animal instincts screaming a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the shattered windows, beyond the violet barrier that caged us... I saw a star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A green star falling from the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It hit the apex of the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRAAAAACK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no explosion. Just the sound of something absolute breaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive violet dome that covered CrystalVale—a barrier strong enough to withstand siege magic—didn’t just crack. It shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It disintegrated into millions of particles of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And through the rain of mana, a single strike descended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Grand Sword Art: Tempest Severance]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A colossal blade of green wind aura—easily fifty meters long—sliced through the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It cut through the roof of the mansion like it was paper. It cut through the swarm of flying Imps. It slammed into the ground outside, sending a shockwave that knocked every standing demon off its feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust and debris filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence fell over the Grand Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Imps cowered, shrinking back toward the rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the hole in the roof, a figure descended slowly, floating on a current of wind magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crimson cape fluttering. Silver armor gleaming. A rapier held loosely in one hand, glowing with a terrifying emerald light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She landed softly between us and the horde.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t look at us. She looked at the Rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Filthy things,\" she muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was calm, cold, and utterly terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instructor Samantha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Platinum Rank Knight. The Wind shear of the Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She flicked her wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crescent of wind blade flew from her rapier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a large attack. It was precise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sliced through the twenty Imps standing in the front row. Their heads slid off their necks in perfect unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instructor Samantha’s arrival didn’t just turn the tide; it broke the dam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the barrier shattered, the sound of war horns echoed from the perimeter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble. Rumble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground shook as the heavy iron gates of CrystalVale were smashed open. A flood of steel poured into the park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"FOR THE EMPIRE!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knights bearing the crests of Ashborne, Solmere, Belmont, and the Imperial Family charged in. It was a chaotic, beautiful stampede of armored horses and mana-infused blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t hesitate. They rode straight into the swarm of Imps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Squish. Slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lances skewered the small demons. Swords decapitated them. The Imps, terrifying against unarmed civilians, were nothing more than pests against fully armored knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the nightmare wasn’t over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SCREEEE!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Rift in the Grand Hall was still open. Even as the knights slaughtered the vanguard, more creatures clawed their way out—Hellhounds, Gargoyles, things with too many eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s not stopping!\" Alicia shouted, blasting a gargoyle out of the sky. \"They’re infinite!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not for long,\" Lucien spoke as he saw a group of mages at the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Make way for the Enchanters!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A specialized unit of mages in white and gold robes rushed in, flanked by tower-shield guards. They didn’t carry weapons. They carried heavy, glowing staves and scrolls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Imperial Sealing Corps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They surrounded the Rift, slamming their staves into the ground in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bind!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Golden chains of pure light erupted from the floor, lashing out like vipers. They wrapped around the tear in reality, tightening, pulling the edges together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>KIEEEEK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demons on the other side screamed as the door began to slam shut. The void resisted, the pressure cracking the floor tiles, but the Enchanters held firm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"SEAL!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a blinding flash of white light, the golden chains constricted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SNAP.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Rift vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The oppressive red light faded, replaced by the natural sunlight streaming through the hole Samantha had cut in the roof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The connection to the Demon Realm was severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining monsters, cut off from their mana source, shrieked in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Clean them up!\" a Knight Captain roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What followed wasn’t a battle. It was an extermination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>****\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty minutes later, the fighting had stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I holstered the Benelli M4 back into my inventory and began the walk back to the VIP area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The park was silent, save for the weeping of survivors and the orders of the medics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I walked down the main avenue of the Entertainment District. It was a ruin. The colorful stalls were smashed. The cobblestones were slippery with blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near a popcorn stand, I saw the body of a woman. She was dressed in common clothes—probably a nanny or a maid. Her throat had been torn out. Beside her lay a half-eaten bag of candy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further down, a man lay twisted at an unnatural angle, his eyes wide with frozen terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’This is reality.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped over a pool of blood, my expression hardening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>InAsteria Online, this was just a background texture. Dead NPCs were just assets to set the mood. You walked past them to get to the loot chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But here? The smell of iron was overpowering. The flies were already gathering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a second, a cold thought gripped my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’That could be me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I hadn’t leveled up. If I hadn’t bought the shotgun. If I had been just a little slower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could be the one lying there with my eyes eaten out by an Imp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Could I have done more?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought bubbled up. If I had warned the Academy sooner? If I had ambushed Silas before the ritual started? Maybe this woman would be alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped. I closed my eyes and crushed that thought instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’No.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shook my head, opening my eyes. The cold, pragmatic light returned to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Self-doubt is for heroes. Guilt is for the weak.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was a villain. I was Lucien Ashborne.\u003C\u002Fp>",1536,"2026-06-06T04:52:02.137Z",1,"novelbin.me","66b7e67508dc0138c06b8f4bd97ba6746a2a2deb3f449c8e87749130234a987c","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-81","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-195",230,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-a-villain-so-what-cover.jpg"]