Chapter 74 – It Was Just a Dream
‘...What the hell.’
I stared blankly at the situation before .
Waking up, I couldn’t make sense of what was happening. What kind of situation was this?
‘Could it be… a dream?’
Yes, it was a dream.
As soon as I gathered my wits, I imdiately realized that this wasn’t reality.
Inside a dimly lit tent, the mass murderer Kal was standing right in front of , yet he didn’t seem to notice at all.
[Donecolint, show the enemy what fear truly is.]
[Their screams will blanket the battlefield. You can look forward to it.]
Kal’s words were directed at Donecolint, the dark shaman who had already died by my hands. Now, he was kneeling on one knee before Kal.
Seeing the ancient glyph of The Siren’s Scream carved onto Donecolint’s hand confird it even further.
That glyph belonged to .
This was definitely a dream.
And yet, it felt so vivid.
Could I have died?
It was possible. After using Arena as a at shield and detonating a Boom spell, her small fra wasn’t enough to contain the explosion, and my limbs had been completely obliterated.
If Fenry had fed the Heart of Retonicalus, there was a chance I’d survive, but there was no way to confirm that here.
After all, I couldn’t see my physical body.
Donecolint, after bowing respectfully to the mass murderer, turned his back and walked right through . It felt as if I were a ghost, entirely devoid of substance or presence.
Drawn by so compulsion, I followed him outside.
Thoom― Thoom― Thoom―
Heavy drumbeats echoed across the misty campgrounds.
Even under the bright full moon, the thick fog blanketing the camp gave it an eerie, foreboding atmosphere.
But where were all the soldiers?
For a military encampnt, it was far too quiet.
At that mont, I heard the sound of weapons clashing beyond the mist.
“Gaaahhhh!”
“Kill them all!”
Suddenly, frantic shouts and bloodcurdling screams erupted.
I finally realized it: this was a battlefield.
Donecolint, accompanied by a dozen masked figures, quickly disappeared into the fog, heading toward the source of the screams.
As I stared at his retreating figure, I rembered his earlier words:
[Their screams will blanket the battlefield.]
Those words echoed in my mind, and I hurriedly pushed through the mist to chase after him.
‘This situation…’
The unfolding events, the dialogue, the ominous atmosphere—it all reminded of a scene from the novel When Villains Gets Stronger.
This was Donecolint’s first battle after being recruited by Kal.
It was one of the novel’s key monts, a scene I had once been obsessed with, replaying it vividly in my imagination.
The main event, the climax of One Hundred Hearts, and the mont Kal spread his wings to begin his ascent.
‘The Fall of Beneta.’
My walking pace turned into a sprint.
I couldn’t help but feel anxious.
As I ran, the mist gradually cleared. My blurred vision sharpened, revealing a harrowing battlefield before .
Standing still, I stared blankly at the raging inferno.
The once-beautiful city walls of Beneta, crafted ticulously by dwarves over countless years, were ablaze.
Beneta—the city of many races—was burning.
On the walls, panicked figures of various races scrambled to extinguish the flas, only to be consud by the fiery rain that poured down on them.
The shamans’ lair.
The hellfire they unleashed was engulfing Beneta.
It was hot.
And utterly repulsive.
…Was this truly a dream?
It was far too vivid to be just a dream.
When I turned my head, I saw Kal atop his horse, leading his elite guard onto the battlefield.
The mass murderer Kal surveyed the carnage with an emotionless expression.
As Kal arrived, Donecolint, standing amidst the chaos, slowly raised his right hand.
Flash—!
The ancient glyph on his hand emitted a sinister, sticky glow.
A haunting, ritualistic wail filled the air, consuming the battlefield.
Kiiiaaaaahhhh—!
The Siren’s Scream struck the battlefield like a storm.
The rcenaries and multi-racial armies defending the city gates fell into a trance, turning their blades against their own comrades.
The defensive line on the walls collapsed in an instant.
The dwarven knights, who had stubbornly held their ground against the Blyer Knights, found their retreat cut off and were surrounded, leading to their annihilation.
Beneta’s knight commander, Natone, lost his head to Lyon’s blade.
[Kill the shaman!]
The remaining knights of Beneta charged at Donecolint, only to be slaughtered by the assassins hidden around him.
A unit of assassins guarded Donecolint closely, led by a one-ard man who commanded them.
Karl Bastain.
Seeing Karl—one of the novel’s original villainous aides—I swallowed hard.
The events were unfolding exactly as they had in the novel, not the altered story I had created.
Beneta’s gates finally crumbled, and Blyer’s entire army poured into the city.
I closed my eyes tightly.
There was no need to see any more.
The forces inside had likely already been massacred.
Beneta was now nothing more than a ruin. All the buildings had collapsed, and the lord, Dorneth, was left battered and broken.
The Hamr of the Frostlands was shattered, his armor torn to shreds as he knelt in despair.
The organization that supported him, the Black Roses, had also fallen.
The bodies of the Black Roses littered the center of the city.
Standing among the corpses was Fenry, holding Arena Huaton’s severed head in one hand, grinding her teeth in fury.
One Hundred Hearts.
While that monstrous ritual devoured most of Beneta, Blyer launched a surprise invasion.
Though they succeeded in killing Arena Huaton, they lost everything in the process.
There was no stopping it now.
Dorneth, having discarded his shattered armor, looked up at the sky with a desolate expression.
He had avenged the fallen Sharbadin, but his victory led only to destruction.
[Bring the lord of Beneta to his knees before .]
At Kal’s calm command, Lyon, Rengua, and Karl each led their forces in a final charge.
“Run! You idiots! You can’t win!”
Standing beside Dorneth and Fenry, I shouted for them to flee. But this was only my wish. The events would continue to follow the novel’s script.
[Run, you little coward. You’re not alone, are you?]
[Shut up, you dwarf bastard. Has even that shriveled up now?]
[Beneta’s history will soon be buried. When that happens, just do what you’re best at—running away.]
Gripping an abandoned halberd, Dorneth led the remaining forces to face the enemy.
Kwooooom—!!!!
A massive explosion turned the area around Dorneth into a sea of fire.
The shamans’ lair.
Rengua unleashed a barrage of firepower against the desperate defenders, obliterating Dorneth’s remaining forces in an instant.
Amid the scorched bodies, Lyon and Karl pressed Dorneth relentlessly, hacking his flesh apart.
Boom—
A powerful quake shook the ground as Beneta’s castle began to sink into the earth.
Dorneth had personally destroyed Beneta’s entire history.
Now, only the survivors would rember its forr glory.
[Fenry Chaser!]
Dorneth’s anguished cry echoed as Fenry lted into the shadows.
Clenching her fists so tightly that they bled, her face twisted with rage, and her sorrow-filled eyes gazed downward.
With her head hung low, Fenry disappeared, marking the end of Beneta’s resistance.
[Well done.]
Donecolint, having successfully completed his debut battle, knelt before Kal. Monts later, a battered and chained Dorneth was dragged before the mass murderer.
[You cowardly…!]
Sssk—
With a single gesture, Dorneth’s head fell to Lyon’s blade.
The Fall of Beneta.
This was the final scene of One Hundred Hearts, an event that unfolded over the course of a year.
Standing before the execution, I clutched my chest.
It was just a fleeting connection, but…
It hurt.
Was I mourning Dorneth’s death? Or the slaughter of Beneta’s people?
Seething with anger, I glared at Kal.
But then,
“……!”
Kal, sitting atop his horse, turned to look directly at . Drawing his sword, he pointed it at and sneered.
His bared teeth radiated unmistakable killing intent.
[You’re next, Arthur Clayton.]
***
"Guhhk!"
I jolted awake, gasping for the breath that had been blocked in my dream.
Panting heavily, I sat there for a while, dazed. The cold sweat dripping down my face served as a vivid reminder of the nightmare I had just experienced.
Did he say… I’m next?
The story had been progressing as expected, but why did things suddenly go haywire at the end?
“......”
A thought crossed my mind, and I cautiously raised my left arm.
My left arm was still there.
That realization made greedy for more answers.
Please… he really said I was next.
Closing my eyes for a mont, I slowly opened them again and glanced at my right hand.
“Ah….”
I stared blankly at the ancient glyph clearly etched onto the back of my hand.
After a brief, bitter laugh, I dusted myself off and stood up.
Maybe it was just a foolish hope.
A faint wish that everything that had happened until now was just a dream.
That perhaps I had returned to where I was born, to the place I had lived.
But no. I was still journeying through this new world, and it seed the entity that had brought here had no intention of sending back anyti soon.
“Now then….”
Where was I?
The room was incredibly luxurious. The bed I had been lying in was at least three tis the size of a king-sized bed, and the texture of the blanket was exquisite.
Whoever set this up must have spent a ridiculous amount of money.
Getting out of bed, I inspected my body. I tried to recall my condition right before I lost consciousness. My left arm had been completely blown off, and other parts of my body had been torn to the point where bones were visible.
‘Practically a zombie.’
At the ti, there had only been one way for to survive.
Obtaining The Heart of Retonicalus.
“Did Fenry succeed?”
She must have.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be standing here now, alive and well.
I thought of it as having secured one very solid life insurance policy.
Placing a hand over my heart, I tried to sense any changes, but I felt nothing unusual. It didn’t feel particularly different, but I figured I’d need to confirm this directly with Fenry later.
“Or… maybe there are so significant changes after all.”
Standing up, I realized I was stark naked.
The massive mirror in front of reflected my figure back at . Awkwardly, I waved at the reflection.
The person in the mirror waved back.
It was definitely .
Light bronze-colored hair.
Though my gaze had grown sharp and piercing, the platinum glow of my bright eyes softened the otherwise intense impression.
Perhaps due to the influence of the Heart, my skin had beco as clear and smooth as a child’s, which felt oddly mismatched with my muscular physique.
I looked like… a giant baby, in a way.
Thanks to that, I now had the kind of looks that could easily make several won cry.
Fascinated by the changes in my appearance, I began striking various poses in front of the mirror.
Had I ever taken the ti to properly look at myself like this before?
No, surviving had always taken precedence. I’d never had the luxury to care about such trivial things.
Crash—
The sound of sothing shattering snapped out of my thoughts, and I turned around.
Standing in the doorway was an elf, dressed plainly, looking utterly flustered.
It seed she had dropped the tray of food she was carrying after catching sight of my naked state. Her face… looked familiar.
Golden hair, sapphire-blue eyes—a stunning elf woman.
Covering myself hastily with the blanket, I greeted her with an awkward smile.
“Elf Nella. It’s been a while.”
“…You’ve finally regained consciousness.”
“Have I been asleep for long?”
“It’s been quite so ti.”
Letting out a sigh, Nella called in a servant to clean up the ss and ordered a new tray of food to be brought in.
She then walked over to the window and drew back the curtains.
Bright sunlight stread in through the large window, and the outside scenery ca into view.
Perhaps because I had just witnessed the burning fortress in my dream, the sight before struck differently.
In the distance, the castle where Dorneth resided ca into view.
The emotions I felt were… indescribable.
[The history of Beneta will soon be buried.]
But the Beneta before was still intact.
Gloriously so.
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