I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 337  [Event] [Dolphian Kingdom Under Ruins] [23] Attack In The Stadium

"The show is over."

The booming voice of a man filled the entire stadium where the exam was taking place. His bald visage exuded an air of authority, draped in a long coat that seemed to float around him.

King Reiner Dolphis remained unflinching, his gaze locked onto the figure before him, whose piercing green eyes mirrored his own. There was recognition in Reiner's expression, a familiarity tinged with dread.

"N-Navas..." Reiner's voice trembled slightly as he addressed the figure before him, a name that carried weighty memories of a past he could never forget—the face of his older brother, whom he had once slain with his own hands.

Navas Dolphis, an Executive of Behemoth, held the same stature as Nikolas Tepes, one of their four leaders.

"Everyone, evacuate the stands immediately and gather with me!" James Raven's authoritative command cut through the tension, his swift understanding of the danger at hand driving him to action.

Navas Dolphis was an extremely dangerous person, and the timing of his appearance was strategic—a calculated move that placed the First and Second Year students in imminent danger.

James Raven's priority was the safety of all present, yet bitterness gnawed at him as he considered Reiner's presence. While Reiner possessed the strength to face someone of Navas's caliber, the situation was dire. As a fellow Great Noble, James had known Navas and understood the circumstances surrounding Reiner's past actions.

But Navas Dolphis was meant to be dead, his death supposed to have occurred a decade prior.

Panic erupted among the students as Navas appeared alongside several dozen individuals, clad in makeshift armor but bearing a disturbing resemblance to half-human, half-beast creatures. They were Hybrids—abominations born of mingling human and beast.

"Kill them all!"

"Damn nobles!" n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Their voices mingled with deranged laughter as they descended upon the students, launching relentless attacks. Despite the students' valiant efforts to defend themselves, the Hybrids fought with ferocity, showing no mercy and disregarding the value of life.

"Behemoth..."

The realization struck James Raven with chilling clarity. The attack bore the unmistakable mark of Behemoth, implicating Navas Dolphis's allegiance to the notorious organization.

"Everyone, protect the students!" James transmitted the urgent message to his colleagues through his device before springing into action, rushing to aid the besieged students.

Although concern for Reiner gnawed at his thoughts, James knew the King would hold his own in battle. After all, Reiner was one of the esteemed Kings of Sancta Vedelia.

***

Are you kidding me?

Attacking during the exam directly?

On top of that, that freak Navas Dolphis was there too.

"Ahahaha! Look at this chick!"

"She is hella hot! Let's play with her!"

"Oy! Come down and we will treat you 'gently'!"

Amidst the chaos wrought by Navas Dolphis and his accomplices, several men lunged towards us upon sighting Alvara's captivating figure, seated gracefully atop her plant with her umbrella positioned in front of my tied figure.

Since Navas Dolphis and his cohorts had made their presence known, Alvara's demeanor had grown even colder.

The Hybrids hurled lewd remarks in an attempt to provoke her, slashing at her plants in a bid to reach her.

-Spurt!

Suddenly, from the stem of one of Alvara's plants, a thorny vine shot forth, impaling one of the men directly through the heart. The unfortunate soul hadn't even anticipated the attack, succumbing instantly as the vine extracted his still-beating heart, casting it callously to the ground.

"Disgusting."

Alvara's expression twisted into one of profound revulsion, a sentiment so palpable I had never witnessed it before. Without sparing the assailants so much as a glance, she repeated the word with disdain.

"Disgusting."

-GUARRRH!

-Spurt!

"Disgusting."

-ARGHHHH!

-Spurt!

"Disgusting."

-BUARGHHH!

-Spurt!

"Disgusting."

As she muttered the word under her breath, her eyes flickered between shades of green and gold, her thorny plants launching relentless attacks on the Hybrids. They showed no mercy, tearing into the invaders with a ruthless efficiency that turned the battlefield into a crimson sea.

Sensing the loosening grip of the vines around me, I swiftly descended to the ground, unsure if Alvara even noticed my departure.

Her expression was one of pure contempt, her eyes twitching strangely as more plants instinctively surged forth, encircling her in a protective floral barrier against the bloodshed and the grotesque visage of the Hybrids.

It was clear that Alvara harbored a deep-seated hatred for Halves, but her reaction to the Hybrids was even more visceral. To her, they were not even worthy of being considered living beings, eliciting a response of pure disgust.

She was grappling with something far beyond mere aversion—it was a visceral loathing that bordered on obsession.

The students around us seemed more terrified of Alvara's relentless onslaught than of the Hybrids themselves. The air was thick with the stench of blood, flesh, and organs as the gruesome spectacle unfolded before us.

Yet, despite the carnage, more and more half beasts continued to converge upon us. I shook my head. John.

I dialed his number again, but he remained unresponsive.

Could he have fallen into their clutches? Is he... dead?

No, I refused to entertain such a possibility. John was not one to succumb easily.

[<He is alive.>]

"How do you know?"

[<I'm a Goddess, Amael.>]

Cleenah's exasperated response did little to ease my concern.

"Then where is he?"

[<I'm not omniscient!>]

No cockiness anymore huh?

Regardless, I trusted that John could handle himself. After all, there was no way Hecate would allow him to die, especially considering the favor she had asked of him.

With John's safety momentarily set aside, I refocused my attention on the pressing matter at hand—securing the Horn.

"Look at him!"

"He's one of our targets! Capture him!"

Amidst the chaos, voices singled me out as a prime target. It seemed they had their own agenda separate from the main conflict.

There were too many of them, and I couldn't afford to waste time dealing with these distractions.

Summoning the Anathemas Fire, I surged forward, to break through their ranks.

Nora needs to be close to either the Queen or the King to obtain their appearance. That's why in the Game, she became close to Amelia to take her appearance to get near to the King and the Queen.

With John and I intervening to thwart her plans, it's clear that Nora won't have the opportunity to exploit Amelia's appearance this time. They're running out of time, and they can't afford to take the friendly route to achieve their goals.

Now, with the King present, their likely target will be the Queen. However, the real issue lies in the fact that neither the King nor anyone else will understand Behemoth's true objective, as they are unaware of Nora's existence.

***

"W-What is happening?!" Queen Doria exclaimed, startled by the deafening sound that reverberated through the building, causing it to tremble.

"I-I don't know, Your Majesty! Please stay here!" The knights accompanying the Queen hastily rushed out of the healing room to investigate the source of the disturbance.

Doria's expression hardened slightly as she turned her attention back to the bed nearby, where Adrian lay sleeping.

Reaching out her hand, she gently stroked Adrian's hair, her face etched with sadness. "What happened… why…?"

Just when it seemed that things were finally moving in the right direction and Adrian appeared to be letting go of his obsession over Alicia, he suddenly slipped into a coma. Even the healers were baffled by his sudden deterioration, despite his initial speedy recovery after his previous ordeal.

-Boom!

Another explosion echoed through the healing room, causing Doria to immediately rise to her feet, her expression filled with concern.

"We should leave…" she began, moving to lift Adrian from the bed. But before she could do so, a threatening presence loomed behind her.

Her hand froze as she began to gather mana, but before she could react—

-Spurt!

A sharp sting pierced her shoulder, sending a numbing sensation coursing through her body, rendering her immobile.

"You make things easier for us, Dolphis Queen," Lomar's voice echoed through the room as he withdrew his stinger.

Doria coughed up blood, her trembling hands reaching out towards Adrian, but Lomar's tail coiled around her arm, pulling her back.

"Don't kill her in the process, Lomar," Nora's voice interjected as she entered the room.

"Shut your mouth and do your job," Lomar retorted, his tone dripping with contempt.

"We need her alive to reach that room. Only the King and the Queen can," Nora insisted.

"Then do your weird thing once we are inside the Dolphis Palace," Lomar replied dismissively as he dragged Doria with his tail.

"The Third Horn of Behemoth should be there," Nora added.

"..." Doria's expression twisted into sheer horror at the mention of Lomar's words.

The Third Horn of Behemoth.

The Abomination of Behemoth was created by Deborah Dolphis three hundred years ago. When the Hero Quinn Victor Raven fought it, he defeated it by slicing off its three horns, which were subsequently guarded by three countries. One of them, the Third Horn, remained within Dolphis Territory, untouched for three centuries and heavily secured to prevent anyone from obtaining such a dangerous artifact...

"The Tree of Eden won't save you this time."