Young Master's PoV: Woke Up As A Villain In A Game One Day

Chapter 314: Fight Against The Moon Eater [I]As expected, Vaeghar did not take kindly to my words.

The shockwave from his deflected claw finished crashing outward, lilac water raining back down in heavy sheets.

Shredded petals drifted through the air like violet snowflakes, and I still didn’t move an inch from my spot.

I held his gaze, as if daring him to attack again.

And attack he did.

Turbulent vibrations tore through the air as the Eight Demon Prince moved.

One moment, he stood where he had been standing.

The next, his figure vanished in the blink of an eye, not from speed alone, but from the sheer collapse of space around him.

The lilac pond imploded where his feet were, water and flowers folding upward as if gravity itself had inverted to accommodate his will.

"Alexia, right!

" Lily shouted from the back rank, just a split second before Vaeghar reappeared.

Alexia heeded the warning instantly.

Drawing upon the maximum force of her innate power, she reinforced her body with aura until her entire armor-clad body was outlined in a faint orange radiance.

Yeah, she had summoned her bronze armor — cuirass, vambraces, greaves, and a plumed helmet, while the rest of her exposed parts were wrapped in black leather straps.

She looked nothing short of a Greek warrior princess, when a massive claw slammed into her raised forearm.

BOOM—!!

The impact reverberated like a fired siege weapon.

Lilac water flash-evaporated into steam, and the basin floor cracked outward in concentric rings.

Alexia was driven back a full dozen meters, her boots carving deep trenches through stone, yet she somehow managed to stay upright, even if only barely.

With teeth clenched and veins standing out along her neck, her aura flared intensely as she shrugged off the pain like it was nothing.

Vince, who had brought out his full Deck and was already in the middle of buffing everyone to the absolute limit his Soul Arsenal allowed, shot her a worried glance.

"I’m fine!

" she snapped, even as her arm trembled.

"Don’t let that bastard chain his attacks!

" That bastard chained the attacks.

Before we could even think about closing in, Vaeghar’s other arm swept out in a wide arc.

Once again, just a fraction of a second before he could carry out the swing to completion, Lily shouted at the top of her lungs, "Scatter!

" On cue, as soon as Vaeghar’s claws finished slicing through empty space, a booming thrum screeched across the entire caldera.

Then there was a flicker of bright flash around him, like the afterimage of a lightning strike...

before the world caught up.

The space his claw had passed through detonated a heartbeat later.

A crescent-shaped wave of compressed force tore through the basin, sundering lilac water, stone, and flowers alike, as if reality itself was being shaved away.

A moment after that, across the pond, a massive section of the caldera’s sloping wall exploded into a deluge of crumbled chunks of rock.

And while we dispersed just in time to avoid the direct hit, the displaced air still slammed into us with monumental force, sending us tumbling across the uneven ground like ragdolls.

It felt like getting smacked by a speeding car.

I hit the basin floor hard, water erupting violently around me.

My ears rang as dust and petals stung my eyes, but I scrambled upright almost instantly.

Essence surged through my body on its own, stabilizing my footing and reinforcing my limbs before I could even think.

I then looked around to see my companions had picked themselves up as well.

Michael, in particular, looked like he didn’t even fall.

He was staring at Vaeghar with a mix of fear and awe and anger.

I knew exactly what he was thinking.

And I shared his thoughts.

The Moon Eater’s actual attack didn’t so much as even graze us directly, yet it was enough to knock us around like toys.

I didn’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if it had connected.

We wouldn’t simply have been injured.

We would’ve been pulverized, reduced to a minced paste of flesh and bone.

Ahead of us, the towering twelve-foot demon glanced down at his own hand, looking all too pleased with himself.

Around him, the air continued to buzz and vibrate discordantly, droplets of lilac water suspended mid-fall in a quivering state, as if gravity had stopped trying anymore.

"Futile.

Fractured.

Fragile," he intoned, each word leaving his lips echoing like a death knell.

"That is what you all are.

" I felt a pang of irritation and tightened my grip around the Scorched Oath.

"If that’s how weak we are then why are you the one trapped here?

" Juliana, standing next to me, gave me a sideways look that very clearly asked, Is provoking him really the smartest move right now?

Vaeghar scoffed like he didn’t mind.

"Truthfully?

Because it was written in the stars.

I was fated to lose that day, so I did.

Your protectors sealed me with—" he gestured lazily at the shimmering golden cords wrapped around his limbs and neck, "—restraints forged from their Will.

At first, they rendered me immobile and suppressed.

But with time, they weakened enough for me to walk.

Now, I can wield my power.

" His gaze burned brighter.

"I cannot yet leave.

The farther I stray from the center, the heavier the chains become.

But my freedom is close.

Sooner or later, these bindings will rot away completely.

And when they do, your protectors will not be enough to save your world from what follows.

" "And how do you know that?

" Alexia shouted, slowly circling to position herself behind him.

"Is that written in the stars too?

" Vaeghar shifted his ember-like eyes toward her, but he didn’t fully turn.

"Yes.

It is.

I have read the fate of your world.

I have seen how this story ends.

You cannot fight it, only kneel.

Fate does not bend to anyone.

Believe me.

I have tried.

" "Oh, I do," I said, barely bothering to mask the edge in my voice.

"I know all about your attempts.

I know how you destroyed your own world, devourer.

Just because you gave up and surrendered to heaven’s will doesn’t mean we will.

" His lips curled back, revealing rows of jagged teeth.

"Gave up?

Surrendered?

To heaven’s will?

You mean the gods?

" He laughed softly.

I didn’t like that laugh, though I could hear the disdain present.

"Your tongue outpaces your wit, child.

You speak of things you cannot possibly comprehend.

I did not give up.

I did not surrender.

Not to the gods.

Because fate...

is not heaven’s will.

"