The Sponsored Heroines Are Coming for Me-Chapter 277

The atmosphere grew warm and sentimental.

Amidst disaster, a touch of romance wasn’t so bad.

Of course—

There were always those who couldn’t grasp romance.

People who prioritized logic, often referred to as “T-types.”

Elena was a prime example.

“So how exactly are we supposed to reach the cult leader? Don’t we have to break through that massive monster? I’m curious about the method!”

Elena had a knack for pinpointing weak spots at times.

She picked apart the romanticized line I had just thrown out— “If we all unite our strength, we can defeat the cult leader!”

To be fair, I hadn’t actually provided any concrete plan or solution. That was on me.

Of course—

I wasn’t really the romantic type.

If anything, I leaned toward pragmatism—almost to a cynical degree.

Which meant—

I did have a plan.

Just as I was about to explain it, Lina whispered to Elena.

“Elena, at times like this, you just nod along. It’s to boost morale.”

“Oh. This Elena did not know such things.”

Lina finished her words with a wink in my direction.

As if saying, “You don’t actually have a plan either, right, Ian? I did well, didn’t I? Got it. Now, everyone, let’s do our best!”

Somehow, that hurt more.

“Yes, Ian is right! Let’s all give it our best shot!”

Even Silvia chimed in, trying to seriously back me up.

For some reason, I felt like I’d just died twice.

And what was this—this whole “let’s go for it” mood?

I hurriedly opened my mouth.

“No, I actually do have a proper plan.”

“But we don’t even know where the Blood Witch is. You can’t identify her with the naked eye. How do you plan to find her inside that massive body?”

The very person who had covered for me just moments ago—Silvia—had suddenly switched back to an utterly cold and rational demeanor.

—Snap!

I dodged a divine appendage that swept past me and spoke.

“You, Silvia.”

“…What?”

“Before the divine entity sealed itself completely, I scattered my elemental crystals around the Blood Witch’s location. Use tracking magic to find her.”

Back when I first encountered the Void God’s divine form,

I had soared into the air and scattered mana crystals around its surroundings.

Just in case they might come in handy.

“Master. And… the Blood Witch.”

—She was the Blood Witch?

I heard someone mutter in shock, but commanding took priority.

“Carve a path for me. A straight line is enough—as long as I can pass through.”

I made it sound simple, but it was the hardest task of all.

They had to lure the wildly flailing divine arms and create an opening.

The risk of severe injury was massive.

“Got it.”

“Understood, disciple.”

But I trusted them completely.

“Yerina…”

“…”

I hesitated over what to call her, and Yerina shot me a sharp glare.

“Big sister.”

Yerina smiled brightly in response.

“Alright. What do you need me to do?”

“Throw me. With all your strength.”

“All the way to the divine entity’s body?”

“Yes.”

“Even I can’t reach that far.”

“I just need propulsion. I’ll take it from there with my magic.”

“Got it.”

—Boom! Boom!

The divine entity’s attacks were ravaging the battlefield.

Given the circumstances, even Yerina had no further objections.

Next were the members of our Dessert Research Society.

“We need to wound the divine entity’s body. Only then can I slip through the gaps.”

“Got it, nyah.”

Elena and Lina both nodded.

There was no need for detailed instructions.

We had spent enough time together to know each other’s roles instinctively.

—BOOOOM!

A direct hit from the divine entity’s attack landed right beside us, signaling the start.

Dirt and rock fragments flew everywhere.

“I’ll take care of the right side.”

With those words, the Blood Witch transformed into a crimson sphere and shot forward.

The operation had begun.

As Master and the Blood Witch circled around on either side, the divine entity’s arms followed in pursuit.

Danya took aim with her bow, targeting the now-exposed front.

— Wooooong, woong, wooooong!

A green magic arrow.

Waves of energy gathered around it.

The arrow swelled, growing larger as if charging power.

“Ready?”

Before I knew it, Yerina had moved behind me and lifted me into the air.

“With all your strength, please.”

Yerina chuckled at my request.

“You’re the first man who’s ever asked me to give my all.”

“A true honor.”

“Alright then, show me what you’ve got, Ian.”

— Taeng!

Danya’s arrow was loosed, and right after—

— Paaaang!

Yerina hurled me toward the divine entity.

As expected, her strength was on another level.

The rapidly shifting view allowed me to see everyone’s expressions.

There was no fear—only conviction.

We all believed in each other.

Honestly, I was grateful.

Not a single one of them had asked how I planned to defeat the cult leader.

They just trusted me.

Just as I trusted them.

That trust strengthened us all.

— Sweeaaak!

I propelled myself further with another leap, accelerating past Danya’s arrow.

At that moment, an arm came flying toward me.

It was a rushed, crude attack.

It missed me, but—

— Pazit!

It disrupted Danya’s arrow.

The magic energy weakened.

The attack had been too fast to counter in time.

— Thwack!

The arrow struck the entity’s main body, and I landed as well.

— Fwoooosh!

The magic Lina had planted ignited.

— Tzzzzzzzt!

The violent reaction of two conflicting elements left scars on the divine entity’s body.

‘Damn it.’

The problem was, the wound wasn’t deep enough.

Through the small opening, I could see strands of white hair—but it wasn’t large enough to slip through.

“Lower your head, disciple!”

A distant voice rang out.

The moment I ducked—

— Pavat!

A sword aura and life energy stabbed into the wound.

Master’s sword strike and the Blood Witch’s blood magic.

But both were too exhausted to do significant damage.

‘If I use my mana here, my chances of defeating the cult leader will drop exponentially… What do I do?’

I barely had time to consider my options before—

— Sshhk!

A sudden flash split my vision.

A long, deep wound tore through the divine entity’s body.

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It felt as though the very air had been cleaved apart.

‘…What was that?’

There was no time to ponder.

The only thing that mattered was that its body had been torn open.

I hurled myself through the opening—

And there, I saw him.

The leader of the Bloodstone Cult.

The current Blood Witch.

He gazed at me calmly and spoke.

“You have arrived.”

As if he had known I would come.

A smirk tugged at my lips.

“Shall we have a little chat? Player to player.”

We had a lot to talk about.

◆

Final boss battle.

It goes without saying—fights against a final boss usually involve dazzling exchanges of techniques, desperate clashes, and fierce, drawn-out battles.

A full-scale war where everything is on the line.

In most games, the final boss battle unfolds in a backdrop of destruction, with everyone uniting to bring down the ultimate foe.

But my final boss battle… took a slightly different turn.

“Conversation, is it? Well, you’ve come this far, so I suppose you’ve earned that right.

Though, the setting is far from ideal—we are inside the divine entity’s stomach, after all.”

The Blood Demon spoke calmly.

“Couldn’t you just expand your domain?”

“A domain, you say… You mean Manifestation of Imagination? You caught on quickly.”

“I saw the Blood Witch use it. Naturally, I assumed you were the one who taught her.”

“I never taught that child myself, but she is perceptive… and skilled at imitation.”

A faint smile tugged at the Blood Demon’s lips.

With a light flick of his fingers—

— Shhhhhh…

A swarm of butterflies fluttered through the air, and in an instant, the scenery changed.

A vast garden stretched before me.

At its center stood a towering, pale pink tree, casting a long shadow over a wooden table placed beneath it.

It was peaceful. Beautiful.

Hardly the kind of place for a final battle.

The cult leader sat at the table, idly stroking his chin, then gestured for me to sit.

“Take a seat.”

“Well then.”

Before I knew it, I had unconsciously adopted a more formal tone.

I had intended to go in rough and modern, shake him up, and force out the player hidden inside him.

But that plan nearly crumbled.

So, instead, I opted for a direct jab.

“Speaking as a fellow player— You went as far as summoning a divine entity as the Blood Demon, yet you let me get this far? Aren’t you just… bad at the game?”

There was only one way to deal with someone stronger than me:

Break their composure and find an opening.

Lately, I’d found myself provoking people more and more.

The Blood Demon let out a sigh, his expression tinged with faint annoyance.

“You have quite the sharp tongue.”

“And you’re way too formal. Weren’t you just another Fantasy X Academy player back in the day?”

“Mind your boundaries. Though I once stood where you are now, that was 300 years ago. I am now the leader of the Bloodstone Cult. I am the Blood Demon.”

There wasn’t the slightest crack in his composure.

His perfectly refined mana remained steady.

His voice, deep and resonant as if echoing in my ears, carried the same enigmatic quality as before.

Even his gaze—one of boredom, looking down at the world from above—remained unchanged.

The cult leader was still the cult leader.

The strongest being on this continent.

His very presence weighed heavily.

After all—this was a man attempting to ascend to demonhood in a human body.

“So, you’ve been possessed for three centuries now?”

Even as I spoke, I felt a slight pang of unease.

Should I not have started with such a casual, taunting tone?

I adjusted my tone slightly, easing off the provocation.

Not because I was intimidated.

…Not at all.

‘No.’

It was just that three centuries was a long time.

That was more than enough for his past self to have been completely erased.

‘If that’s the case… then my plan to appeal to his past as a player is useless.’

Three hundred years in another world.

It was a miracle he hadn’t gone insane.

Then again, as the cult leader of the Bloodstone Cult, maybe he had gone mad.

So what now?

For now, I could only wait and see what the final boss had to say.