How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 63

Chapter 63: The Voodoo Doll, Vandyke

Crack—!

“……”

A Chira ca hurtling through the air, slamming into the tree trunk I was standing on.

As the tree began to collapse with a creak, I kicked off to another branch, landing on a high perch. From there, I once again looked down at the chaotic battle below.

“Ha, this is never-ending.”

I scanned the battlefield with a weary expression.

The barren ground, devoid of even a single blade of grass, teed with Chiras.

In the expansive clearing, far enough from the cliffside entrance to the laboratory, the crimson beast was at the center of the carnage. Surrounded on all sides, it was engaged in a brutal lee, its attacks fueled by raw madness. Yet no matter how many Chiras it killed, their numbers only seed to grow.

“How many of them did he even bring?”

I had estimated around 7,000 to 8,000, but I had clearly been wrong.

Even in the middle of this battle, new waves of Chiras were continually pouring in from all directions.

They were the ones scattered across Laup Forest, now converging here far later than anticipated. And there were far more than I’d calculated.

Even the number of large Chiras I could spot exceeded twenty.

‘And this is after I disrupted his plans?’

A groan escaped my lips.

Surveying Dominic’s forces, I realized how unbelievably lucky I had been to make it this far.

If his legion had arrived just one day earlier and joined forces with the lab’s defenses…

‘Dorneth and I would’ve been dead.’

Well, Dorneth might have survived. But ? I’d be rotting in a Chira’s stomach by now, half-digested.

With a deep breath to calm my nerves, I returned my focus to the ongoing battle.

“This isn’t going to end anyti soon.”

The flow of the fight was currently a one-sided slaughter by the crimson beast, but this was only the prelude.

The Chiras charging at it were all smaller ones. The larger ones hadn’t even begun to move.

From the looks of it, Dominic was testing the beast’s abilities by throwing the lesser Chiras at it as cannon fodder. The real fight would begin when Dominic and Arena finally stepped in.

‘They’re probably lurking nearby, waiting and watching.’

I hadn’t pinpointed their exact locations yet. Just the thought that they might be around made my chest tighten, but as long as their attention was fixed on the crimson beast, I didn’t think they’d pose a significant threat to .

As long as Dominic didn’t react, I was safe.

Which ant…

“It’s ti to hunt the rat.”

Before we parted ways, Fenry had given so critical information.

[There wasn’t any human army, but I did sense a stinking rat hiding around here.]

[A stinking rat?]

[I’m only telling you so you don’t bother calling for help later.]

[And you’re only ntioning this now?]

[The rat didn’t seem interested in us, so I didn’t think it mattered.]

Soone who knew the lab’s location, wasn’t interested in us, and carried a foul aura.

‘And soone tainted with unholy energy.’

To an elf like Fenry, “stench” referred to unholy energy, which likely ant the target was a necromancer. With this clue, I had a pretty good idea of who this rat was working for.

‘It’s got to be soone sent by the Butcher.’

As a regressor, Kal Blazer would have detailed knowledge of Dominic’s operations. It was obvious he’d sent this rat to retrieve Dominic’s research logs.

But those logs were already in my possession, which ant the rat’s mission had failed. Now, I just needed to deal with it.

‘If Kal finds out what’s happening here, it’ll complicate things for .’

Crouching low, I began carefully observing my surroundings.

BOOM—! CRASH—! BOOOM—!

More Chira bodies, like oversized baseballs, ca hurtling through the air, crashing into trees, rocks, and the ground before exploding into bloody pulp.

They looked like artillery shells. I had to dodge a few myself just to stay safe.

Surely, I wasn’t the only one being cautious in this chaos.

Hiding among the leaves, I waited and watched as if I were dead.

Not long after, there was a loud thud—! as a Chira swept through a tangle of vines across from , and I saw it.

A shadow, pitch black, rose briefly before disappearing again.

‘Found you.’

Gripping my dagger tightly, I moved through the trees using Crux’s silent footwork technique.

Beneath , through the gaps between branches, I could see the edge of a cloak wriggling below.

The rat had ducked back into the tangled vines, using its dark green cloak to blend in with the forest. It seed to be heading toward the cliffside entrance to the laboratory.

Clearly, it was waiting for the right mont to infiltrate the lab.

‘I’ll take care of it before it makes a move.’

I perched on a branch directly above the rat, leaning back and preparing to strike. My silent approach had gone completely unnoticed.

If this thing really was a necromancer, it would be particularly vulnerable to ambushes.

Like a predator stalking its prey, I waited patiently, keeping my presence concealed.

A mont later—

Rooooaaaaarrr—!!

“……!”

The crimson beast suddenly grabbed a group of Chiras and swung them like a club, smashing them into others before hurling the remains in all directions. The impact sent hundreds of Chiras flying into the forest.

Once again, they rained down like artillery shells.

When a Chira’s mangled body rolled toward the vines, the rat made its move.

The black shadow shot upward.

‘Now!’

I leapt down from the branch, dagger in hand.

“Got you.”

The rat flinched at the sound of my voice.

As it looked up in midair—

Thunk—!

My enchanted dagger pierced straight into its forehead, lodging deep into its skull. The attack was precise, penetrating directly into its brain.

A flawless ambush.

“Yes, it’s done—!”

I was about to celebrate my success when a sudden chill ran down my spine.

The dagger wouldn’t co out.

Without hesitation, I released the dagger and twisted my body away.

The rat’s cloak flared violently as a sinister energy surged forth. A gust of foul wind carried an intense killing intent that sent shivers down my spine.

Instinctively, I raised my left arm to shield my head.

BOOOM—!!

“…Urgh!”

The impact rattled my brain.

It felt like I’d been smashed by a hamr.

I was flung to the ground, tumbling several tis before coming to a stop.

Is this what a concussion feels like?

A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, and my vision swam. As I tried to shake it off and get up, my legs gave out, and I collapsed again.

‘Shit, it’s broken….’

Lifting my left wrist, I saw it limp and useless, completely devoid of strength.

On my wrist was a bracelet enchanted to serve as both a magical item and a defensive guard, capable of deflecting sword strikes.

Even with it, my wrist had snapped from the force of the blow.

‘Is this thing even human?’

Ignoring my useless left arm, I grabbed my crossbow with my right hand.

Even with its head pierced, the rat was still moving.

Kal must have sent this monster knowing the true value of the research logs.

I backed up quickly and aid my crossbow, watching as the rat slowly stood up.

My eyes followed its rising figure.

“For a rat… you’re disgustingly big.”

It was massive.

I hadn’t realized it while it was crouched, but now that it stood, its size was monstrous—easily three or four heads taller than an average person.

It had to be over two ters tall, at least.

And this thing was supposed to be a necromancer? No, its body looked more like a brute knight’s.

Clicking my tongue, I cursed under my breath as it charged at , arms wide.

If it caught , I was dead.

I nimbly stepped backward and pulled the trigger. My crossbow, a Crux captain’s model, could fire three bolts in rapid succession.

Thwip-thwip-thwip!

The bolts, enchanted for maximum penetration, struck its lower body cleanly. Yet, the rat’s montum didn’t slow in the slightest.

I had aid for its weak points, but the attack didn’t work.

“Goddammit! What the hell is this thing?!”

Desperately, I twisted my body to avoid its swinging fist.

BOOOM—!!

The massive, cloth-wrapped fist slamd into the ground, creating a crater and sending up a cloud of dust.

If I’d been hit, I’d have been flattened like clay.

Clutching my hamring chest, I released a glyph of light right in front of its face.

Flash—!

The sudden burst of light was supposed to blind it, but instead, sothing unexpected happened.

The cloth covering the rat’s body darkened upon exposure to the light, then slowly regenerated.

It only paused montarily before swinging at again. Ducking quickly, I rolled out of the way as its fist smashed a tree, uprooting it completely.

One punch, and the tree was gone.

‘What the hell is this thing?!’

Clenching my teeth, I hurled another dagger. This ti, I didn’t aim for its body.

My target was the flapping edge of its cloak.

When the dagger cut through the cloak, the fabric shot upward, revealing the figure beneath.

The sight before made laugh in disbelief.

“…A voodoo doll, Vandyke?”

Though I’d never faced it before, its distinct features made it imdiately recognizable.

Its entire body was wrapped in white cloth.

Red inked seals covered its figure in various places.

And its glowing crimson eyes stared directly at .

This was a voodoo doll controlled by Rengua, the necromancer.

Which also ant that the old bastard Rengua was likely watching right now through this doll.

Rengua was the sa man who had tortured in the past. If he recognized my face, things would get ssy.

Carefully touching my face, I adjusted the cloth concealing it.

Thankfully, I’d anticipated this and covered my face beforehand. If I hadn’t, I’d have been in serious trouble.

I needed to tread even more cautiously now.

The voodoo doll charged at like a rabid boar, and I quickly widened the distance, releasing another glyph of light.

Just as I’d suspected.

When the light hit it, the cloth darkened, and the doll hesitated montarily before charging again once the cloth recovered.

The glyph clearly bothered it, but the cloth seed to neutralize its effects.

‘Soone as experienced as Rengua would’ve prepared counterasures for abilities like mine.’

Vandyke was powered by dark sorcery.

Being intangible, physical attacks were ineffective.

I’d been going about this all wrong from the start.

‘And with my arm completely useless…’

Unable to reload with one hand, I abandoned the crossbow and gripped my last dagger tightly.

After a brief mont of deliberation, white light began to spread across the blade.

I had two types of enchantnts at my disposal.

The first was piercing, the standard enchantnt.

The second, which I had only recently gained, was Sacred Power.

The power to restore order.

Sacred Power carried the purifying qualities of the ancient glyphs I used. No, the more I used it, the more I realized they were essentially the sa.

‘If the glyph’s abilities are influenced by the wielder’s unique traits, that would explain why the Siren’s Hymn manifests differently for .’

Sacred Power was highly effective against dark sorcery.

If the cursed cloth neutralized my light indirectly, I’d just have to force it through.

As Vandyke crouched low and prepared to charge again, I hurled my dagger straight at it.

This ti, I wasn’t aiming for physical damage.

The blade embedded itself deep in Vandyke’s shoulder, and the white light from the enchantnt began to seep into its body.

And then—

Screeeaaaach—!!

A blood-curdling scream erupted from Vandyke.

The cloth darkened and began to char as the doll dropped to one knee, montarily immobilized.

It’s working!

Clenching my teeth, I surged forward.

When I was just three steps away, Vandyke suddenly raised its head and swung its arm at .

I leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding its grasp, and grabbed the dagger still lodged in its forehead.

“Die already—!!”

Flash—!

I poured every ounce of Sacred Power I had into the blade.

A blinding light exploded from the dagger, and Vandyke’s forehead began to glow intensely.

The cloth covering the doll burned and disintegrated, revealing its true form.

Its face was horrifyingly blank—completely featureless.

Monts later, the cloth crumbled to ash, and Vandyke’s body vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind but swirling dust.

I had successfully destroyed the voodoo doll.

Rooooaaaaarrr—!!

“…God, I’m dizzy.”

I wanted nothing more than to collapse and rest, but with the chaos raging around , that was impossible.

Staggering to my feet, I gathered my equipnt and retreated behind the largest tree I could find. Pulling out a potion, I began administering ergency treatnt.

The pain in my broken wrist flared as the potion’s effects set in, making grimace and curse under my breath.

“Rengua, that damned old bastard… I bet he’s just fine, isn’t he?”

Vandyke’s destruction ant Rengua now knew of my existence. And that also ant the Butcher would soon learn about . This was far from good news.

Even if they hadn’t seen my face, my use of Sacred Power had been revealed.

Sacred Power—the natural enemy of chaos, destruction, and disorder.

To a nest of necromancers like theirs, I had just beco an enormous threat.

There was no way they’d connect to the decoy I had left behind… right?

‘I need to confirm my unique ability as soon as possible.’

Just as Fenry wielded her shadow affinity to use shadow sorcery, I could likely channel Sacred Power into unique techniques of my own.

But the activation conditions were so specific that I hadn’t been able to test them properly yet.

If anyone could et those conditions, it would be Dominic. This might be my best chance to verify my ability.

With so ti left before the main battle erupted, I focused on recovering my strength.

Night fell, blanketing the surroundings in darkness.

But the chaos continued. The sll of blood in the air only grew thicker.

Finally, when the madness reached its peak—

Rooooaaaaarrr—!!

Another roar erupted from the crimson beast.

This one was different.

It was laced with panic and rage.

BOOM—!!

“…!”

A deafening explosion snapped my head toward the battlefield.

The crimson beast had been slamd into the ground, its massive form sliding across the dirt.

For the first ti, the beast had been overpowered.

I dusted myself off and quickly moved.

Dominic was on the move.