The Sponsored Heroines Are Coming for Me-Chapter 272

The Shadow Chains coiled around Four’s ankles.

“W-what is this?!”

He screamed in shock.

It was understandable for him to be flustered.

The distance between Four and me was at least a hundred steps.

No matter what kind of magic was cast, he should have been able to see the projectile coming and dodge or counter it.

But his feet were bound without any visible projectile. Of course, he was caught off guard.

“You set a trap! That’s cowardly!”

“It’s a bit disappointing to hear the word ‘cowardly’ from the Bloodstone Cult’s greatest strategist.”

“You… you bastard!”

“Besides, it’s not a trap. I just cast magic normally.”

“Then how did I not notice it?!”

I gestured toward the ground with my eyes.

“The ground?”

“My attribute is Earth. I can channel my mana underground as much as I want.”

His mouth fell open in shock.

Well, that was expected.

It was an unconventional way to use mana. Most magic and sorcery relied on the air as a medium.

“But you should have at least considered the possibility. You must have seen magic that binds feet with vines at least once or twice.”

“S-shut up. That’s not common at this distance. How could you use such underhanded tactics…?”

Four ended up giving me a backhanded compliment.

Even at a glance, he was flustered. It seemed that irritating his composure had worked well.

“A-anyway, why isn’t this coming off…?!”

He flailed around, using all sorts of Blood Arts, but the Shadow Chains didn’t budge.

“Don’t bother trying. I tied you up nice and tight.”

“What the hell is this?!”

“I don’t know either.”

“Wha—?!”

Four looked up at me in disbelief.

Even if he stared, I had no answer for him.

“I just reverse-calculated your mana and created chains that can never be broken with magic.”

“Y-you’re insane.”

“If you’re desperate to escape, cut off your own legs and run. Not that it’ll help—more chains will just bind your arms.”

Four clenched his teeth, glaring at me.

But what could he even do?

I grinned and stepped closer to him.

“I have a few questions for you.”

There was a reason I captured Four alive.

He was, without a doubt, the Bloodstone Cult’s brain.

Handling all sorts of matters under the Cult Leader, he must have known a lot.

I pointed behind him with my finger.

“What is that?”

“What do you mean—”

Crack.

I helpfully summoned a few more chains to forcefully turn his head.

“Ugh!”

He coughed up a bit of blood, but at least now he was looking at the same thing I was.

Now he could answer properly.

“You see it clearly, right?”

“… Yes.”

“Sorry, but I don’t have the time to be polite. Let’s cooperate, shall we?”

“… Fine.”

“Glad we understand each other.”

I patted his shoulder with a Shadow Chain.

Sometimes, a little encouragement was necessary.

“Now, explain what that is in a way I can understand.”

Cough.

After coughing up another mouthful of blood, Four spoke.

“… It’s an existence beyond humans. A Divine Entity. A being that crossed over from the Void.”

“A Void Divine Entity. I already know that much.”

“H-how do you know that?!”

He looked up at me in disbelief.

“You don’t need to know. What I want to ask is—why did the Cult Leader summon that thing?”

“Blood Demon… Cough!”

After spitting out blood, Four continued.

“The Blood Demon believed that to ascend to the rank of a Demon God, one needed the rank of another god. That being is meant to be a vessel for the Blood Demon’s body.”

“Using a divine entity from another dimension as a vessel?”

“That’s correct.”

Using a god as a container for a human.

It was utterly absurd.

‘Then again.’

The Bloodstone Cult was a gathering of lunatics.

It wouldn’t be surprising if their Cult Leader was the biggest lunatic of all.

“Is that even possible?”

“Void beings originally exist in a state of ‘nothingness’ within the Void. They only gain form when they cross into another dimension, meaning even their Divine Entities become something we can manipulate… Cough. Since they don’t ‘exist’ in the Void, their power is… nothing.”

So, in short, a Divine Entity from the Void was weak?

I wasn’t sure how they managed to extract it in the first place, but that wasn’t the important point right now.

“How do I send that thing back?”

“Where to?”

“The Void.”

“Keuk! … Hahaha!”

He suddenly burst into laughter.

How annoying.

I considered smacking the back of his head but decided against it.

For some reason, I could feel myself slightly losing control too.

Fortunately, Four spoke up just in time, preserving my calm image.

“In a dimension where nothing exists, the Void is made up of beings that devour each other while longing for existence. Now that they’ve finally obtained physical bodies and the ability to consume existence, do you think they would willingly go back?”

He had a point.

If I were in their position, I’d cling to this world with everything I had.

“You didn’t think this through, did you? If the Void Beings consume the entire continent, it won’t matter even if the Blood Demon ascends to Demon Godhood. There won’t be any humans left.”

“It is the Demon God! What does it matter what remains of the continent?! Moreover—”

Cough!

Even as he coughed up blood, he was passionate about his argument.

What would’ve happened if I hadn’t asked?

“Since we have made a Void Divine Entity into a vessel, we will be able to control the Void! Ahh… what a truly magnificent plan!”

Even though he was bound in chains, he still praised his own plan.

But it didn’t resonate with me at all.

Stretching my body a bit, I decided to ask my final question.

“Where is the Blood Demon?”

“He is in the process of becoming one with the Divine Entity.”

“So, he’s attached to that monster’s body.”

“… Cough!”

Instead of answering, Four coughed up a mouthful of bright red blood.

It looked like his internal injuries were quite severe.

“Thanks for answering.”

“No need to thank me. This is simply my act of generosity toward you all.”

“Generosity?”

His shoulders shook.

“Keuk… keuk keuk keuk.”

Had he completely lost his mind?

Just as his eerie laughter was starting to annoy me, he suddenly shouted.

“Kuhahahahaha! You’re all going to die anyway!”

Drip, drip.

As he laughed, blood trickled down from his eyes.

“What’s so funny?”

“That’s because—”

Even as he shed bloody tears, he gritted his teeth and spat out his words.

“I have served by the Demon God’s side, offering my body and soul in devotion! Keuk… kuhuhu!”

“…”

“You will all die in the end! The Demon God will rule this world, and whether you are alive or dead, you will suffer endlessly!”

“I see.”

“Let’s meet again in death. No matter what, I will be standing above you! Mark my words! Kahaha…! Cough! Hah!”

What an impressively deranged man.

A textbook fanatic.

This moment only reaffirmed that the Bloodstone Cult was nothing more than a cult of lunatics.

Well, not that it had anything to do with me.

“But Four.”

“What is it, Ian?”

“You seem to be mistaken about something.”

“?”

“I’ve already read through all of your Blood Arts.”

“So what?”

Even as he dripped bloody tears, he smirked.

I whispered softly.

“It means your soul won’t be wandering anywhere else.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I plan on giving you and your kind a very dignified funeral.”

The Bloodstone Cult absorbed the very existence of their victims.

That didn’t just include their bodies and life force, but also their souls.

— Shrrrkk!

From the ground, several more Shadow Chains erupted.

They wrapped around Four and dragged him into the shadows.

“This is also possible.”

The ground, darkened by shadows, swallowed him whole in an instant.

Not a single scream was heard.

It was a fitting death for him—utterly empty and meaningless.

“Become the eternal fertilizer of this continent. That is the only atonement left for you.”

Gurgle.

As if responding, the ground rippled.

No—Four had been completely absorbed into the earth.

If it were any other Bloodstone Cultist, they would have absorbed this power for themselves.

“But eating something weird will just make you sick.”

I wouldn’t touch it.

Not this tainted energy.

Instead, I spread the power Four had left behind into the earth.

The ground, once swarmed by Void Beings, turned black.

And at the same time—

— Snap!

At the flick of my fingers—

— Kuuuuung!

The ground collapsed.

◆

The fourth strongest member of the Bloodstone Cult.

The amount of energy Four had accumulated was beyond ordinary.

In the western region of the Academy—

A vast, seemingly endless abyss split between the Shadow Forest and the Academy.

The pitch-black, writhing ground within it…

Well, once it had fully absorbed the Void, it would eventually fade away.

“Ahh…”

Beside me, I heard a sigh filled with ecstasy.

The Blood Witch was gazing down into the abyss, her flushed cheeks cradled in her hands.

“For a human to create a canyon like this… it’s utterly beautiful.”

Her eyes burned with excitement.

It seemed like her exhaustion from the large-scale spell had completely vanished.

“Huuh.”

I let out a small sigh and lifted my head.

I desperately wanted to take a moment to rest, but…

— Uwaaaah!

— Hold on just a little longer!

The shouts of battle were drawing closer from all directions.

That meant our side was being pushed back.

“I need to go help them.”

The problem was…

— □□□□□□□!!!

That thing, letting out a cry that shook the very depths of my soul.

An existence so terrifying, it could be called divine.

A Void God.

Stopping that took priority.

“… Damn it.”

A curse slipped from my lips before I could stop myself.

Not a human, but a Divine Entity?

What kind of sick difficulty setting did this damned game have for its ending?

“Are you afraid?”

At some point, the Blood Witch had stopped panting in excitement and was now watching me.

“It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t.”

As I responded, I cast a simple barrier.

Nothing fancy—just a veil to block sight.

North, east, south.

A barrier to prevent my allies fighting in those directions from seeing this monster.

At the very least, I didn’t want their morale to break.

The Blood Witch ran her fingers along mine and leaned in.

“You can do anything.”

Her voice was as sweet as death.

“I’ll die.”

“I’m looking forward to that too.”

“…”

“Ahh. Just how radiant will your final spell be, when you pour out everything?”

“So, you’re saying you want me to die?”

She looked at me and smiled playfully.

“If it means you’ll unleash everything, then yes.”

“…”

“Ahaha. Don’t look so serious.”

I wasn’t making a serious face, though?

“If it comes to that, I’ll gladly die, engulfed in your final magic.”

“That’s really encouraging.”

I tilted my head back and looked up.

It was massive—so large it felt like I could reach the clouds just by staring.

A thing that could be a skeleton, a monster, tentacles, or pure calamity.

I gazed at it from below, feeling its overwhelming presence.

“Let’s begin.”

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The footsteps that felt like they would never reach the ground…

…Finally guided me toward the conclusion.