Chapter 22 - I Just Got Here, Why Am I Babysitting?
Somewhere far away, across a distant continent, within the grand palace, a man sat upon a throne of obsidian. His pale, smooth skin contrasted sharply with the deep black of his flowing robes. Vibrant scarlet eyes gleamed like molten rubies beneath the dim light, and from the sides of his midnight-black hair sprouted massive, glossy horns—like an elk's antlers, each tapering to a spear-sharp point.
Agrona Vritra slowly lifted his gaze, a faint frown marring his otherwise flawless features. His senses tingled as a ripple coursed through the very fabric of the world—a barrier had been breached. Someone who did not belong to this world had stepped through. To make matters more intriguing, one of his Scythes had perished in the same place.
With a flick of his fingers, Agrona channeled his mana, conjuring a mirror-like portal to observe the scene. The reflection shimmered before stabilizing, revealing an unassuming sight—two lesser beings resting, while another sat nearby, his posture relaxed yet composed.
Agrona narrowed his eyes. This was hardly what he expected. Dismissing the scene as unimportant, he prepared to close the portal. But just as he withdrew his power, the white-haired one—seated with an air of quiet dominance—turned his head. Their eyes met.
A chill ran down Agrona's spine.
The moment stretched into eternity as realization dawned. This being—this lesser—was aware of his gaze.
A second later, an overwhelming, devastating pressure surged through the portal, crashing into him with the force of a tidal wave. Agrona gritted his teeth as his mana construct shattered like fragile glass, the backlash sending ripples through his core.
For the first time in centuries, Agrona Vritra felt something foreign.
Unease.
The silence in the throne room was broken by the soft sound of footsteps. A figure emerged from the shadows, his presence imposing yet controlled. He bore only a faint resemblance to a human—his skin was ashen gray, his long hair a slightly lighter shade. Two large, dark horns sprouted from the sides of his head, curving into an elegant S-shape.
Cadell.
His crimson eyes flickered with curiosity as he took in Agrona's expression. Though subtle, the High Sovereign's momentary lapse had not gone unnoticed.
"Forgive my impudence, my liege," Cadell said with a deep bow, his voice smooth yet laced with caution. "But did something happen?"
Agrona's gaze lingered on the empty space where his shattered portal had once been. After a brief pause, he leaned back into his throne, his expression schooled into indifference.
"Nothing, Scythe Cadell," he replied coolly.
Cadell's sharp eyes studied him for a moment before he shifted the topic. "Are the preparations complete?"
Agrona exhaled softly, letting the remnants of the strange encounter fade from his thoughts—for now.
"All preparations are done, my liege," Cadell confirmed with a respectful nod.
Agrona relaxed slightly, but his mind remained elsewhere. His fingers drummed against the armrest of his throne as he pondered the anomaly he had just encountered.
The breach of the world's barrier was one thing.
The death of a Scythe was another.
But the existence of that white-haired being—one who could meet his gaze and crush his mana art with nothing but sheer presence...
That was something else entirely.
Back at the clearing, Rudra sat near the girl he had saved. At first, the world around him felt unfamiliar, but as he observed his surroundings and spoke with the elf girl, memories began to surface.
Then it hit him.
This was The Beginning After the End world.
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
And the girl he had rescued—she should have died a gruesome death at the hands of the Vritra.
His gaze shifted to the girl resting beside him, her breathing steady but weak. Seeing her like this, Rudra let out a sigh. He had intended to leave, but now that he had interfered, he felt responsible. At the very least, he needed to ensure she could get out of here safely.
Just as he made up his mind, he felt someone gaze at him.
Someone was watching him.
At that moment, a notification flashed before his eyes.
[Warning: Some creepy dude with horns is staring at you.]
Rudra's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, no kidding, System," he muttered, already turning toward the source of the gaze.
And there he was.
A man with pale skin, sharp scarlet eyes, and massive black horns curved like a warlord's crown. Even without prior knowledge, Rudra would have recognized the sheer authority radiating from him.
Agrona.
The realization barely had time to settle before something within Rudra reacted.
A sudden, crushing pressure erupted from his body—an overwhelming force laced with raw dominance.
Demon Haki.
The mirror-like portal shattered instantly, sending violent ripples of energy through the air as the connection between the two was severed.
Rudra blinked.
"Whoa... why did I do that?" he muttered, his voice laced with genuine surprise.
A moment later, his system chimed in.
[I dunno, maybe your demon side decided to flex? Alpha instincts and all that.]
Rudra frowned. "So, you're telling me I just subconsciously power-flexed on Agrona?"
[Pretty much. Big bad villain tries to peek, and your inner demon went 'Nah, not today, buddy.']
Rudra smirked. "You know what? That actually makes sense."
[Glad we're on the same page. Now, wanna start a villain collection? You just scared the final boss. That's main character behavior.]
Rudra chuckled. "Tempting. But let's not."
Just as he was about to relax, a sharp gasp broke the silence.
Alea had woken up.
Her body tensed, muscles coiling like a spring as her eyes darted around the dimly lit clearing. Her breath came fast and uneven, the aftershock of raw terror still gripping her senses. The overwhelming pressure that had jolted her awake was unlike anything she had ever felt. It had been suffocating, primal—a force that screamed danger.
Yet... nothing. No monsters. No hidden threats. Just the eerie quiet of the dungeon and Rudra lounging against a boulder, looking completely at ease.
Her sharp gaze locked onto him, suspicion flaring in her eyes.
"What was that just now?" she demanded, voice laced with wariness. "Are we under attack?"
Rudra barely lifted his head, his expression unreadable. "Oh, that? Nah, don't worry about it." He waved a hand dismissively, as if the suffocating aura from before had been nothing more than an afterthought. "Just a little accident. You should go back to sleep."
Alea didn't move. She wasn't buying it.
"An accident?" she echoed, tone cold. "That wasn't normal. Something woke me up, and it sure as hell wasn't just 'a little accident.'"
Rudra sighed, finally standing up and dusting himself off. His black coat shifted slightly with the movement, catching the faint light filtering from the cracked ceiling of the dungeon. "Look, if I wanted to do something to you, I would've done it already."
Alea's fingers twitched toward the hilt of her sword, her instincts screaming at her to stay alert. She didn't know this man—only his name. Rudra. He had appeared out of nowhere, fought off the monsters that had nearly killed her, and then acted like all of this was just another lazy afternoon stroll.
"Who are you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "You don't look like a soldier or an adventurer. And you sure as hell don't act like one either."
Rudra smirked. "Would you believe me if I said I just got here?"
Alea's brows furrowed. "Got here? From where?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he replied with an amused chuckle.
Alea scowled. "You think this is funny?"
"Not really. But your face right now is pretty entertaining."
Her grip on the sword tightened. "I don't have time for games. I need to report what happened here to the kingdom."
At this, Rudra finally stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders before stepping toward her. "Alright, let's go then."
Alea blinked, caught off guard. "Wait... you're coming with me?"
"Yeah," Rudra replied easily, tilting his head. "Is that a problem?"
She hesitated, her pride warring with common sense. She didn't know what he was or what kind of power he had, but she did know one thing—he had saved her. Whatever his real intentions were, right now, she had no choice but to accept his help.
"N-No! Not at all!" she said quickly, looking away. "Just... don't slow me down."
Rudra smirked again, his gaze flickering with amusement. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Without another word, Alea turned and started walking toward the dungeon exit. Her movements were a bit stiff—perhaps still shaken by whatever had woken her up. Rudra followed at a relaxed pace, hands in his pockets, watching her with quiet interest.
This was going to be interesting.