LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 87
Chapter 87: The False Hero, Saintess of the Dead
“Die.”
“Perish.”
Bang!
As the mace and the hero’s fist came crashing down in front of her, Entamia crossed her arms.
The white skin of the elf peeled off, revealing the shiny black body of an ant underneath.
Despite appearances, Entamia was a queen.
Well, not a real queen, but she had the qualifications to become one and had the authority to control the soldier ants in place of the queen, as a princess ant.
She was, in effect, a queen.
All the nutrition, malevolent energy, and mana consumed by the soldier ants were absorbed by Entamia, making her power surpass that of a Chaos Ant long ago.
The strength of her exoskeleton exceeded even that of most steel alloys.
Even modern weaponry wouldn’t faze her, she was certain.
She had also developed mana resistance strong enough to deflect arrows and swords imbued with the elves’ spiritual energy, just in case.
If she could endure, she would win.
If she could just hold out, she would win!
Time was on her side.
Outside, countless Chaos Ants were already waking from their slumber and tearing through the ground toward the Great Forest at her signal.
Even the camouflaged entities in the large cavity had been forcefully awakened.
‘I don’t need to defeat the hero and the saintess. As long as I don’t die. No, even if I die, it doesn’t matter! As long as I gather the fragments…!’
Crunch!
[Ka, ack!?]
What was that?
I was sure I blocked it…?
She blocked Yujin’s fist with her arm and caught Shia’s swinging mace with her hand.
Yet, the arm that had blocked the hero’s fist was crushed entirely, hitting her own face.
And though she thought she had grabbed the saintess’ mace, the sheer force pulled her hand along and shattered her face.
Dazed from the impact, Entamia realized she was floating in midair in the large cavity.
[Ah…?]
In the brief moment when the mace and the fist hit her, she had blacked out.
Regaining consciousness, Entamia quickly turned her body upon sensing someone behind her.
Yujin, who had swiftly moved to the spot where Entamia’s body was falling, cracked his knuckles like a batter eyeing a ball.
[This can’t be…!!]
[Reincarnation—if you’ve been struck on the right cheek, offer your left.]
Crack-crack-crack-crack!!!
What had been a single fist from Yujin now seemed like multiple fists shaking all at once, hitting Entamia’s back simultaneously.
[Guh, argh!!]
It felt like her spine had been shattered.
Even though it was an artificial spine created while mimicking an elf, the pain was real.
The impact was so severe that Entamia couldn’t even scream as she was flung in the opposite direction.
And there…
“Hero.”
[….!]
“That was a foul!”
Crunch!
“You can’t even throw properly!”
“Hah, you try it then.”
Before Entamia could raise her arm, Shia, who had been waiting, swung her mace with both hands.
Boom!!
[Urgh, bub!!!!!]
“And wasn’t that a home run?”
“No, it was a double play.”
“You, damn!”
Thud!
Before Entamia could catch her breath, Yujin and Shia were already behind her.
When did they move?
Entamia had been the one sent flying by their fists and mace, yet somehow the saintess and the hero were moving faster than her!
It was a simple explanation.
Yujin and Shia could clearly see where Entamia was flying and their speed far outstripped the velocity at which she was launched by the brutal blows.
That’s why Entamia couldn’t even release her fury, nor could she finish preparing for a counterattack.
Crack!
Before she could think of her next wicked plan, something inside her broke again.
Crunch!
Her spine shattered, and her exoskeleton and head were being crushed.
[Urgh, bubb!!!!]
“Hero! That was a garbage shot~!”
“Hah, does a saintess talk like that?!”
“You’re not my hero~ How dare you compare yourself to her? My hero is much more beautiful and—”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re so great!”
Crack!
[Urk!]
Ants usually don’t have sensitive pain receptors like humans.
But after transforming into an elf, a significant portion of her body had become attuned to human-like senses.
Yujin and Shia’s merciless violence was now soaking Entamia in a world of pain that reached deep into her brain.
Bang!
Thud.
Boom!
Crash!
Even Entamia’s exceptionally strong exoskeleton, which was tougher than that of other Chaos Ants, was being shredded like wet tissue paper.
The shocks and pain, etched into her brain and soul, were making it impossible for her to think.
‘How, did it, come to this…?’
Entamia, the princess ant of the Chaos Ants, had been born in the Great Forest that had appeared on Earth.
Though born an ant, she possessed exceptional intelligence.
Naturally, she came to view herself as superior, considering the other soldier ants and worker ants, who only followed orders and acted on instinct and hunger, as inferior.
I am superior.
I am meant to rule.
With her intelligence, Entamia became aware of her destiny and turned her gaze toward the Great Forest, where a massive dungeon lay, and the elves who owned it.
However, no matter how many Chaos Ants she sent, Entamia knew that the elves would not easily surrender the Great Forest.
Ten Chaos Ants were no match for a single elf.
Each elf was a long-lived species that had honed their swordsmanship and abilities for hundreds of years.
If the elves had been overly proud or inclined toward arrogance, or if they had been staunch individualists, there might have been a chance to defeat them one by one.
But they weren’t careless.
They even operated organized knight orders and surveillance units.
At this rate, Entamia knew that even after hundreds of years, the Chaos Ants would never drive the elves out.
Entamia was enraged.
She was resentful.
She was full of hatred.
She despised the elves.
If only she, like her mindless kin, lacked intelligence, she wouldn’t have to endure such fury…
We are forced to eat dirt, dust, and rotten corpses underground…
So why do you bask in the sunlight, blessed by fresh leaves and trees?
Why only you?
Why?
Why?
Give it to me too.
Share it with us.
No.
It’s mine.
It’s my food.
It belongs to us.
It’s what we should be eating.
In this way, Entamia nurtured her malevolence.
Murderous intent, hatred, curses toward the elves and other living beings, and a deep envy for the sun burned within her.
The moment Entamia harbored this malevolence, another voice began to whisper to her.
[Come, join me.]
The voice was sweet and seductive to Entamia, who had made contact with something unknown when she embraced her malevolence.
There was no reason to refuse.
She would unleash all this hatred upon them.
I will release this filthy jealousy.
[Let us, together, become evil.]
Fine.
[Let us, together, become the Demon King.]
Fine!
And so, Entamia stood on two legs.
The knowledge related to elves, extracted from her mother who gave birth to her, flowed into her mind as if it had always been her own experience, allowing her to blend in naturally with her most hated enemies.
Of course, the process didn’t go entirely smoothly.
Most of all, her mother’s voice, who had birthed Entamia, echoed in her mind every day.
Telling her to stop.
Begging her not to do it.
Of course, that plea never reached Entamia.
Thus, although Entamia was a princess ant, she became a queen.
Not a weak queen who would lead the Chaos Ants, but Entamia, filled with hatred and malevolent energy, became a new queen.
In this way, Entamia lived among the elves as if she had been there from the beginning.
It was then that she gave herself the name Entamia.
Her mouth was filled with lies and deceit.
She wanted to bite off those detestable creatures’ heads right away, but now possessing even greater intelligence than before, Entamia had patience.
She slowly spread ant venom into their lakes, water sources, land, and trees.
Without the blessing of the World Tree, the elves were not immune to diseases, and they grew weaker little by little.
If a fatal disease had spread all at once, those hateful elves might have fled somewhere or sought large-scale help from the humans, so she slowly and gradually planted a thorn deep inside them.
Everything went according to plan.
She would devour those loathsome beings completely, and one day, she would rise above this land.
She would become the Demon King, the King of Malevolence, and devour the Great Forest and the vast world beyond.
[Kaah, ha… haaah…]
But what is this?
What is this?!
I am a queen ant!
With the nutrition and mana I have accumulated and gathered over a long time, I have a body of steel.
Even more so, my body has been strengthened by the fragments of the Demon King!
And yet, you crush it and smash it to pieces like a toy?
The hero’s fist ripped apart the mana resistance surrounding her exoskeleton.
And following that, the saintess’ mace shattered her ruthless exoskeleton like glass.
She couldn’t even put up a proper fight, let alone resist.
Am I now supposed to lose everything I’ve built up to these nobodies I’ve never even heard of?!
[I won’t allow iiiiiiiiit!!!]
Along with Entamia’s desperate scream, her enlarged ant legs and sharp mandibles burst forth.
Although the elegant appearance of the elf remained intact, the grotesque insect body that emerged from between her form was truly horrific.
[I will kill you….!]
“Be quiet!”
As if to silence her, the hero’s fist exploded again.
Thud!
[Guh, bub!]
“Behave yourself!”
Smack!
Then, the saintess’ mace once again smashed Entamia’s head.
[Guh, gyah… aaah…]
Entamia, who had boldly attempted to switch to a battle stance, was completely overwhelmed again.
An invisible shockwave twisted the large cavity, and on the ground lay Entamia’s crushed body, twitching in pain.
“Anything dangerous….”
Crunch!
[Guh, guh… urk…]
“…needs to be removed, right?”
Then, Shia ripped out the ant legs, mandibles, and other dangerous parts that had sprouted from Entamia’s fallen body with her bare hands and fed them to the tentacles around her waist.
It was a wreck.
She could do nothing.
The hero and the saintess, those two beings, were overwhelmingly powerful and hateful.
Entamia could feel the fury of the Demon King residing within her body.
However, with only a fragment, there was no way to deal with a fully powered hero and saintess.
‘No, there’s still a chance.’
There was only a small number of malevolent energies and lives left to truly awaken the fragment of the Demon King.
She just needed to kill a little more here.
Just a little more.
She didn’t even need to face the hero and the saintess.
Yes, this was just a strategic retreat!
Entamia commanded the elves she had awakened into camouflage forms.
Do whatever it takes to kill the elves in front of you!
“………….?”
What’s going on? Why is it so quiet?
Why am I not hearing anything?
When their kin and family, friends even, transformed into camouflage creatures and attacked their fellow elves, there should have been chaos.
“Huff, huff…”
“I’m an elf. I’m an elf… I…”
“Sob, no. No…”
“If I become an ant, I won’t even be able to feel emotions like this…”
“Hic, sob…!”
[Huh…?]
They were back.
The elves, whose mandibles, spikes, and legs should have burst through their exoskeletons, were keeping their forms intact.
Why?
I clearly awakened all of them earlier…?
“Your expression says it all. Even if your intelligence has increased, your ability to understand the situation is a bit lacking, isn’t it?”
[……He, hero….]
Yujin, with a mocking smile, grabbed Entamia’s face.
Where her mouth and eyes should have been, black blood was flowing.
“I am the false hero. If the true form of those you’ve transformed is the truth, and the elf exterior is a lie, then naturally, I won’t affirm the lie, will I?”
[…..!]
Of course, Yujin’s power wasn’t omnipotent or perfect.
The camouflage creatures, which had awakened into their original forms due to Entamia’s power, had merely reverted to their elf exteriors as a strengthened falsehood, as if time had been rewound.
As a result, some of the camouflaged creatures had cracks on their skin or hands that had turned into sharp, ant-like legs, showing slight physical alterations and side effects.
However, they had not lost their rationality.
Instead of becoming mindless monsters, like the soldier ants, their reason and intelligence remained intact.
It was all thanks to the false hero, Yujin, who had affirmed and strengthened their “falsehood.”
“Thank you, fake hero. If my Great Healing had optimized their bodies, I might have accidentally strengthened the soldier ants as ants.”
“Hah, you handle the rest. I’m too tired to do anything now.”
“Huh? Fake hero, are you maybe suffering from mana deficiency?”
“Do you even know how big of a deal it is to affirm the falsehood of thousands of camouflaged creatures? And no, I don’t have any of that crap.”
“Then is it mana exhaustion?”
“…I’m seriously questioning whether you’re really a saintess.”
“Of course I’m a saintess! You’re just not my hero!”
As the hero and saintess bantered playfully, Entamia crawled on the ground, feeling despair.
It was over.
Everything was over.
Entamia felt her vision blur from the pain and the accumulated shock.
‘No, there’s still a chance…!’
Even if the camouflage creatures had failed, there was still the massive Chaos Ant army approaching from the outside.
In addition to the camouflaged creatures, thousands of elite soldier ants were advancing toward the Great Forest, along with reserves and immature Chaos Ant forces that were still growing.
The elf patrols and guards sent out for emergencies wouldn’t be able to stop this army.
Even if the camouflage creatures didn’t follow my orders, those mindless monsters still obey me!
If it’s them, if it’s them…!
Those useless things—if they could just kill a few elves and fulfill the Demon King’s fragment, there was still a chance.
Entamia used her abilities as a queen.
As a being who held the authority to see through the eyes of the other soldier ants, she naturally possessed such powers.
And then…
[Severance—Blossom]
Crack!
‘Wha…?’
The moment she shared her vision, Entamia saw a small rose.
No, to be precise, it was the sight of a rose-shaped sword energy cutting through the soldier ants.
The enormous sword energy, scattering like petals, slashed through dozens of soldier ants with each swing.
‘What is that now?!’
Entamia quickly shifted her vision.
To find out exactly what was happening.
“Whoever you are, thank you for helping!”
“Hurry, someone inform the captain of this at the Great Hollow!”
“Join the knight! Everyone, attack!”
A knight clad in massive plate armor swung a greatsword, blocking the ants’ advance, while elf sentinels and patrols fired arrows from behind, supporting the knight.
The path to enter the Great Forest was extremely narrow, so no matter how many ants charged, it was pointless if they couldn’t break through that single passage.
Who is that? What on earth is that?!
Where did that freak of nature come from?
No, that thing isn’t even a living being!
It’s undead. It doesn’t even have a trace of life, so why did it suddenly appear to help the elves?!
If it’s a skull-headed undead, it should be attacking the elves, not helping them!!!
“Oh my, things aren’t going well for you, are they?”
[……!]
Shia grinned and lifted Entamia’s contorted face.
Her dangerous arms, legs, and spikes had all been plucked out, so she couldn’t even resist.
Entamia could only glare hatefully at Shia, dangling in the air, caught in her hand.
[Kill, me…]
Fine, kill me.
It’s all ruined.
Everything was ruined because of these wretched beings!
I didn’t even get to unleash my full power.
But everything was ruined because of those abnormal creatures—the hero and the saintess.
I had even successfully sowed discord among the council and prevented them from uniting, but that too was ruined.
The fact that the camouflage creatures didn’t awaken, that they refused my commands, none of it was anticipated.
If only I had killed Olgania, the last child of the World Tree, everything would have become so much easier!
But what is this?
Where did these freaks come from?!
What is a hero?
What is a saintess?
And who is that cursed skeleton knight?!
I hate it.
I’m jealous.
I want to kill them.
I want to curse them.
I hate them so much!
If only it weren’t for you, if only it weren’t for you…!
Yes, kill me. Kill me! Just end it!
[Miracle—Great Healing]
“…?”
Suddenly, Entamia’s body felt better, and she stared at Shia with a bewildered expression.
It wasn’t just that she felt better—her body was in perfect condition.
“I made a vow.”
[?!]
In the next moment, Entamia’s eyes widened as she saw holy power bound around her arm like shackles.
What’s going on?!
“As a saintess, I swore that no life in this place would die. I failed once in the previous world… but not a second time.”
[Miracle—Great Seal]
[!?]
“I forbid your arms from moving.”
[Miracle—Great Seal]
“I forbid your legs from walking.”
[Miracle—Great Seal]
“I forbid your spikes and mandibles from rising.”
What is this? What are you doing?!
“What do you think? I’m keeping my vow as a saintess. No one in this place will die.”
[W-What… What are you doing to meeeeee?!]
Ignoring Entamia’s desperate screams, Shia smiled brightly.
“Now, children of the Great Forest and the World Tree!”
Then, Shia raised her voice and shouted.
“Here is the one who ruined your lives and violated your kin.”
[What are you doing, you damn wretch!!!]
Shia’s clear voice echoed through the Great Hollow, heard by all the elves.
“As the saintess of the elves, I cannot offer you comfort. Unfortunately, I am Shia, the Saintess of the Dead. A broken… twisted saintess.”
However…
“I can at least let you vent your anger with your own hands.”
“…!”
“…..”
“…..”
“As the Saintess of the Dead, I guarantee it. No one will remember what happens today, and what occurred here will not leave this place. It will be as if a quiet night slowly passed.”
Shia then flashed a cruel smile and tossed Entamia, fully bound by miracles, toward the elves.
“Do whatever you wish.”
Although Entamia’s body had been restored to perfect condition thanks to Shia’s Great Healing, she was completely paralyzed, unable to move a single finger due to the powerful miracles binding her.
[N-No…]
Realizing what Shia intended to do, Entamia’s face turned pale.
You call yourself a saintess! You call yourself a saintess!!!
“If you’re going to cause others pain, shouldn’t you have at least been prepared to face that same pain in return? And like I said, I’m not just any saintess.”
I’m not just a saintess.
I’m the Saintess of the Dead.
And at that moment, Entamia finally understood.
It wasn’t because her body was strong that she had withstood the attacks from the saintess and the hero.
Those two could have killed her long ago.
Their speed and strength were beyond anything she could have imagined, but the only reason they hadn’t taken her life was simple.
Death, after all, would have been mercy.
Watching the elves slowly approach her, Entamia closed her eyes.
Please, let it end quickly.