The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 43: Before the Grim Reaper, Merely

The square, crowded with people, was extremely noisy.

Originally, they were supposed to be participants in the game as Adam intended, but they remained motionless due to Red's chilling warning.

Wait. Stay still.

People did not feel inclined to defy those words.

However, since their freedom of thought was not suppressed, different opinions emerged from various places while they waited.

Would it really be okay to just stay put?

Shouldn't they take this opportunity to escape from here?

Some even couldn't let go of their lingering attachment to the game’s prize money.

An enormous sum that they could never touch even if they worked their entire lives—money that could allow them to do anything, to live happy days.

For those living at the bottom in the outskirts of the city, it was truly an enticing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Give that up?

No!

Even if it meant trampling others, they wanted to seize it.

Those who were dissatisfied with not being able to play the game subtly expressed their grievances and tried to stir up the crowd so that the game could proceed.

But every time they did—

"Ouch!"

"Ah! Hot!"

"Ugh, my back... it's burning. Why is this happening all of a sudden...?"

The silver-haired masked girl had secretly spread tiny particles of her magic throughout the square, giving a sharp sting to those with wrongful thoughts.

She was preventing any incidents from breaking out.

Of course, her playful scolding, akin to a child's mischief, couldn’t completely erase human greed.

The atmosphere in the square remained tense, as if an accident could happen at any moment.

As the tension filled the air, the situation took a sudden turn.

"What is that!?"

"A m-monster!! It suddenly appeared out of nowhere in thin air!"

"Aaaaah! What the hell is going on!?"

Four massive monsters suddenly appeared in the square.

Each monster had a grotesque appearance, as if they had crawled out of a terrible nightmare, and the chilling, eerie aura they exuded dominated the entire square.

Some people in the crowd suffered panic attacks, and the square nearly descended into total chaos.

But rather than running wild, everyone became paralyzed with fear.

Like prey before a predator, their whole bodies trembled uncontrollably.

"We're going to die. We're all going to die."

"Damn it. Why did I come to this place...?"

"Ugh..."

Even in the face of hell itself, there were always some who refused to succumb to fear.

Among the silent crowd, the Problem Solvers lurked.

They felt a strange sense of discomfort in the fact that the monsters weren’t taking any action.

They suspected that something was wrong with the creatures, and they considered the possibility that now might be the perfect chance to eliminate them.

After exchanging thoughts and opinions, the Problem Solvers decided to send forward those who were somewhat skilled.

Several of them stepped up to confront the monsters.

The moment the brave Problem Solvers charged at the monsters, the creatures, which had been still, began to move.

And so, battles were about to erupt at each location.

First—

The monster standing in the northern position was called [Death].

It was an incorporeal being cloaked in a tattered hood.

Its appearance closely resembled that of the Grim Reaper, and just as humans cannot comprehend death, its face was filled with pitch-black darkness.

[Death] wielded a large scythe to reap life and spread death.

The one facing such a monster was a burly, stocky man with a rough demeanor.

"Je-hahaha! Even if it looks like some ghostly thing, everything ends in front of my fist."

The man's right hand was equipped with a massive gauntlet.

The material embedded within the gauntlet had the power to disintegrate anything except for a select few exceptionally durable substances.

The man charged forward, followed by several Problem Solvers backing him up.

As he activated his device and swung his fist at [Death]—

Ssshhk—.

[Death] swung its scythe wide.

In an instant, the man and the Problem Solvers who had followed him shriveled up like mummies and soon turned into bare bones, their ashes scattering into the air.

The people who witnessed this scene turned deathly pale, swallowing back the screams that almost burst forth.

...

The monster positioned in the south was called [Abyss].

It was shaped like a giant sphere covered in pure white wings.

Though it appeared relatively normal, the eerie energy radiating from it was anything but ordinary.

The one confronting such a monster was a cheerful man with a well-trained physique.

"I don’t know what it is, but if I burn it, it’ll disappear."

Inside the man's body were numerous mechanical components.

Thanks to that, the man could unleash powerful and scorching flames from his body even without a flamethrower.

The man took the lead, followed by several Problem Solvers.

As the man wrapped flames around both arms and threw a punch to launch the fire.

Multiple wings spread out, covering the sphere.

At the center of the sphere was an eye, which had been closed but now opened.

They say when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

The man of flames and the Problem Solvers who saw the eye of the [Abyss] were instantly overwhelmed by an indescribable, intense fear that devoured their minds.

The human mind was far too weak to endure the abyss.

The Problem Solvers who stood against the [Abyss].

Blood trickled down from their facial features, and soon their bodies swelled up like balloons and exploded.

Ordinary people either screamed at the horrifying sight or vomited onto the ground.

"S-S-Someone... just exploded."

"Ugh!"

The monster positioned in the east was named [Gluttony].

It resembled a deep-sea fish dwelling in the ocean depths.

With smooth skin, a plump body, and four chubby legs.

Above all, its grotesque and repulsive appearance induced disgust.

Before such a [Gluttony], a werewolf stepped forward.

On the werewolf’s back was a large fork and knife.

"Awoooo~ Fish is nothing more than my prey."

The werewolf stared intently at its target with the gaze of a predator aiming for the head before kicking off the ground.

Other Problem Solvers followed suit, emboldened by the werewolf’s brave stance.

The werewolf let out another refreshing howl and lifted the fork and knife strapped to its back, ready to swing.

At that moment, [Gluttony] opened its mouth wide.

From deep inside its maw, countless arms stretched out and immediately grabbed those charging at it.

The hands that had captured their prey pulled back inside, and [Gluttony]’s mouth shut tight.

People clamped their hands over their mouths and averted their eyes.

"This can't be..."

"No way. I heard that werewolf Problem Solver was quite skilled. And he went down that easily?"

The monster positioned in the west was named [Despair].

Seated leisurely upon a massive throne made of skulls, [Despair] was a giant skeleton adorned with numerous glittering jewels.

"Ahaha, even though it looks scary, it’s nothing special!"

"How’s that? Witness our strength!"

"If it's just this one, maybe the rest will be easy to take down too."

The Problem Solvers who charged at [Despair] wielded their weapons with triumphant smiles.

People looked at those Problem Solvers with stunned expressions.

[Despair] chuckled, letting out a sinister laugh.

Moments later.

"Huh...?"

The lone remaining Problem Solver glanced around as if something was wrong.

Problem Solvers lay dead on the ground, bleeding.

Looking down at them, [Despair].

The lone remaining Problem Solver seemed to grasp the situation, their face turning pale by the second.

What they had struck down was not [Despair], but their own comrades.

As if rewarding the delightful performance, [Despair] erased the remaining Problem Solver with a simple gesture.

[Despair] chuckled.

At the sound of that cruel laughter, people covered their ears and tightly shut their eyes.

“Ugh… I’m scared. Please, spare me.”

“We’re all going to die.”

“Sob… I just want to go home.”

The monsters that had annihilated the Problem Solvers challenging them once again grew quiet.

These four monsters were powerful enough that Adam could confidently boast about them to Red.

Seeing their overwhelming strength and the Problem Solvers fall so easily,

the people sank into deep despair.

Money, or anything else, no longer mattered.

They just wished for someone to get rid of those monsters.

After a brief moment,

as the still monsters suddenly began to move in a strange manner, the people recoiled in fear.

Ah, it’s over.

Just as everyone thought that, a deep darkness blanketed the entire plaza.

Within the darkness, the monsters lifted their heads, all gazing at the same spot.

A tiny black sphere had appeared on the ceiling.

That black sphere had swallowed all color and sound within the plaza.

The monsters stared at the black sphere.

No, they focused on the small, white-haired masked child standing beside it.

The moment the monsters saw the small child, they immediately realized.

The energy flowing through that tiny body was so immense, it felt like the very depths of hell.

Their instincts screamed at them to flee, but as mere game pieces, they could not escape without Adam’s command.

Until further orders were given, they were to stand by. However, they were allowed to kill anyone who tried to escape the plaza or attack them.

All four monsters moved in unison.

The first to arrive, [Death], swung their scythe at the Grim Reaper, aiming to deliver death.

Yet, the scythe was blocked—by a single, lightly raised small index finger.

With a simple wave of the Grim Reaper’s hand, black flames erupted upon [Death]’s body, instantly consuming them.

As if greatly displeased by a mere imitation daring to act like the real thing in front of the true one.

Engulfed in the flames of hell, [Death] met its demise and was utterly obliterated.

Next, [Abyss] spread its wings wide and soared toward the Grim Reaper.

Yet, like wax wings challenging the sun, its feathers melted away.

The moment [Abyss]’s eyes flashed open, trying to reveal its depths,

the brilliant radiance emanating from the Grim Reaper blinded it completely.

It plummeted back to the ground and crumbled into dust, scattering into the air.

[Gluttony] gaped its mouth open, as if it intended to devour even hell itself.

From within, countless arms extended outward, their grasping hands reaching for the Grim Reaper.

But at that moment, a dark blue sword was hurled, shredding through the arms, piercing straight into [Gluttony]’s throat.

In an instant, [Gluttony]’s massive body shriveled inward, growing smaller and smaller.

The dark blue sword within absorbed everything that made up [Gluttony]—completely devouring it.

Kekeke.

The moment a wicked laugh was heard, black threads wrapped around the Grim Reaper’s body.

As the Grim Reaper lightly turned their head toward [Despair],

the sword that had been floating in the air after absorbing [Gluttony]

swiftly flew and grazed [Despair].

A long vertical line appeared on [Despair]’s body as they cackled, and with that laughter, their body split in two and vanished.

The four monsters that had stood against the Grim Reaper all met their end.

The time it took for them to perish—

a mere 12 seconds.

As the black sphere disappeared, the darkness covering the entire plaza also vanished.

“Oh? What just happened?”

“The monsters? Where did all the monsters that were here just now go?”

“More than that, was this place always this cold? It suddenly feels chilly.”

Unable to comprehend what had occurred,

the people were bewildered.

They simply trembled from the sudden cold and felt a slight sense of relief.

They realized that staying here was extremely dangerous, but at the same time, remaining still was the safest choice.

One by one, they abandoned their greed for money and quietly stayed put.

“…What exactly happened?”

‘Who knows.’

At Lena’s question, filled with curiosity, Lily simply shrugged as if she didn’t know.

“What the hell happened? Why have all the game pieces I sent disappeared!?”

The darkened screen flickered back on, showing the plaza once more.

Seeing that the monsters he had sent were gone, Adam was left in confusion.

“…”

Red’s eyes, as she watched the screen, held a strange hint of sorrow.

Then, after closing her eyes for a moment, she opened them again.

Turning her head, she faced Adam.

“The game is over.”

“Ugh… This can’t be happening. Why…? Just why…?”

As Adam stomped his feet in frustration, he suddenly paused as if realizing something.

Then, he muttered under his breath.

“No way?! No, if that’s the case, then I can understand why the Grim Reaper Cult made this request.”

“The Grim Reaper Cult?”

Red’s eyebrows twitched at the words she couldn’t just ignore.

“Don’t tell me this is related to the Grim Reaper Cult?”

“Hah, a soon-to-be dead person doesn’t need to know.”

“You better spill everything you know.”

“Ahaha, just because the game is over, don’t act like you’ve won everything. I was surprised by something unexpected, sure, but nothing is over yet.”

Adam spread his arms wide, a grin stretching across his face.

Red, too, smirked, revealing her sharp teeth.

“My power is one that can rule over people, cities, and even the world itself! Before my power, your shallow sense of justice will be torn to shreds!!”

“Oh? Now that’s something to look forward to.”