Why Did I Reincarnate as the Heroine When I Wanted to Be a Villainess?

Chapter 77: Chapter 77 – The First Blow

The legion roared.

Not hundreds.

Not thousands.

The sound carried the weight of countless demons, shaking every floating island until cracks raced across the black stone beneath the party’s feet.

The First Guardian slowly spread its massive arms.

The crimson sky darkened.

"You have survived the Trial of the Heart."

Its deep voice echoed like thunder.

"Do not mistake that..."

"...for surviving Hell."

BOOOOOOOM!!

Without warning—

The Guardian disappeared.

Kael’s instincts screamed.

"Scatter!"

The command had barely left his mouth before the island beneath them exploded.

Stone burst upward like a volcanic eruption.

Seraphina grabbed Tax out of the air.

"Emergency crow retrieval!"

"Caw!"

"I was retrieving myself!"

Chunks of rock flew everywhere.

Rowan rolled behind a shattered pillar.

Corvin raised a barrier just before several boulders smashed against it.

Lysette drew her sword, scanning every direction.

Atlas slammed his massive paws into the ground, shielding Corvin with his enormous Ironhorn body as stone fragments rained over them.

CLANG!

The First Guardian appeared above Daren.

One finger met Daren’s sword.

For an instant...

Nothing happened.

Then—

BOOM!!

Daren was blasted across three floating islands before crashing through an enormous crimson cliff.

Dust swallowed everything.

Lysette’s eyes widened.

"Daren!"

The Guardian didn’t even look toward the smoke.

Its crimson eyes remained fixed on the others.

"One."

It counted calmly.

"Seven remain."

A chill ran down everyone’s spine.

It wasn’t counting victories.

It was counting prey.

Tax landed on Seraphina’s shoulder.

"...Boss."

"I’ve decided."

"Hm?"

"I officially dislike this oversized red employee."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow.

"Employee?"

"He called himself the First Guardian."

Tax nodded seriously.

"If there’s a first, there’s probably payroll."

Even now...

She couldn’t help herself.

Seraphina looked up.

"I have a question."

The Guardian slowly turned its head.

"...Speak."

"Do Guardians get promoted?"

Silence.

"...What?"

"Like..."

She gestured innocently.

"Is there a Second Guardian Manager?"

"Regional Guardian?"

"Hell’s Employee of the Month?"

Tax gasped.

"Ooo!"

"Do you get a shiny badge?"

Rowan covered his face.

"...Not again."

For one long moment...

Nothing happened.

Then—

The Guardian smiled.

Not with amusement.

With malice.

"You seek to mock me."

Its voice became frighteningly soft.

"I shall remember your screams."

The temperature plummeted.

Every breath turned white.

The air itself grew unbearably heavy.

Corvin stumbled.

"My... mana..."

Kael frowned.

"It’s draining us."

The Guardian slowly lowered one hand.

"This realm belongs to me."

"Your strength."

"Your stamina."

"Even your hope..."

"It will all become nourishment."

Atlas growled deeply.

"GRRRRR..."

His thick muscles tensed as he stepped in front of Seraphina without hesitation.

The Guardian glanced at the Ironhorn.

"A beast."

Atlas answered with a deafening roar.

"ROOOOOAR!!"

Instead of retreating...

He charged.

Each step shook the island.

His iron horns lowered.

Dust exploded beneath his paws.

The Guardian didn’t move.

It simply waited.

"Atlas!"

Seraphina shouted.

Too late.

The enormous Ironhorn slammed into the Guardian—

—or at least...

He should have.

The Guardian caught his iron horn with one hand.

The battlefield froze.

Atlas pushed harder.

Muscles bulged beneath his iron-gray fur.

The floating island cracked beneath his paws.

Still...

The Guardian didn’t move an inch.

Its smile widened.

"So."

"You possess courage."

It squeezed.

CRACK.

Atlas let out a pained roar.

"HROOOOAAAGH!"

Blood dripped from his horn.

Seraphina’s smile disappeared.

Instantly.

No jokes.

No songs.

No teasing.

Her golden eyes became frighteningly still.

Kael saw it happen.

The change.

She had stopped being playful.

Which meant...

Someone she cared about had truly been hurt.

The Guardian noticed as well.

"...There."

"So this is your real face."

Golden mana quietly gathered around Seraphina.

Not exploding.

Not raging.

Simply becoming denser.

More focused.

She looked at Atlas.

Then at the Guardian’s hand.

Then at every crack beneath its feet.

Her mind connected dozens of details in an instant.

She spoke only two words.

"Kael."

He understood immediately.

No explanation was needed.

His grip tightened around his sword.

Both of them vanished at the same time.

BOOM!

The First Guardian’s enormous hand crashed into empty air.

The explosion alone ripped apart the floating island.

Seraphina and Kael had already split in opposite directions.

The Guardian’s crimson eyes shifted.

"...Fast."

Kael didn’t answer.

His sword flashed.

A silver arc sliced toward the Guardian’s neck.

CLANG!

The sound echoed across the realm.

Kael’s strike landed.

It didn’t even leave a scratch.

Instead...

His arms went numb.

The impact nearly tore the sword from his grip.

"...Impossible."

The Guardian slowly turned its head.

"You mistake speed..."

"...for power."

Its elbow shot backward.

Kael barely crossed his blade.

BOOOOOOM!!

He became a silver streak, smashing through floating boulders before disappearing into a distant cliff.

Dust exploded into the sky.

"Kael!"

Seraphina didn’t run to him.

She trusted him.

Instead, her eyes remained locked on the Guardian.

Watching.

Learning.

The Guardian noticed.

"You observe."

"Good."

"Despair grows sweeter after hope."

Its foot stomped.

CRACK!

The battlefield split apart.

Massive pillars of crimson stone erupted beneath everyone.

Lysette leapt gracefully from one pillar to another.

Corvin extended both hands.

Dozens of glowing magic circles appeared around him.

"Compressed Wind Spears!"

Hundreds of emerald spears rained toward the Guardian.

For the first time—

The Guardian actually moved to defend.

Its massive forearm rose.

The spears shattered against its skin.

Tiny sparks danced through the air.

Nothing more.

Corvin’s pupils shrank.

"...Not even a wound."

A deep chuckle echoed.

"You possess remarkable talent."

"But talent..."

"...cannot bridge eternity."

Before Corvin could react—

The Guardian flicked a finger.

The air exploded.

Corvin’s barrier collapsed instantly.

He coughed blood as the invisible force hurled him across the battlefield.

Atlas caught him.

The enormous Ironhorn slid several meters before stopping.

"Hrrrrrr..."

His muscles trembled.

Not from fear.

From effort.

Corvin looked up in surprise.

"...Thank you."

Atlas simply snorted, lowering his body protectively in front of him.

Tax puffed his feathers.

"Atlas says, ’You’re the squishy one.’"

Atlas glanced sideways.

"Huff."

Tax nodded confidently.

"See? I speak fluent bear."

Rowan laughed despite the situation.

"I don’t think that’s what he said."

Tax gasped.

"How dare you question my international diplomacy."

A deafening roar interrupted them.

The Guardian.

"You continue laughing."

Its voice no longer carried anger.

Only curiosity.

"Why?"

"You stand before inevitable death."

"Yet..."

"...your smiles remain."

No one answered.

Because none of them truly knew.

They simply...

Did.

The Guardian slowly raised one finger toward the heavens.

The crimson clouds began rotating.

Far beyond the battlefield...

The endless legion moved.

Not charging.

Marching.

Perfectly synchronized.

One step.

Another.

Another.

The sound alone shook everyone’s hearts.

Rowan swallowed.

"...That’s..."

"There are too many."

Even Lysette’s calm expression faltered.

Thousands.

No...

Far beyond that.

An endless sea of demons.

The First Guardian smiled.

"You wished to challenge Hell."

"Very well."

"Challenge all of it."

The legion roared.

Atlas answered with an earth-shaking roar of his own.

"HROOOOOOOOAR!"

He slammed both forepaws into the ground.

The floating island trembled violently.

Huge slabs of rock shot into the air.

Corvin instantly understood.

"Perfect!"

He wove dozens of magic circles together.

The floating boulders ignited with emerald runes.

"Everyone!"

"Use them as cover!"

Immediately, the battlefield transformed.

Lysette darted between floating rocks.

Rowan used them to close the distance.

Daren burst from the distant smoke, blood staining his shoulder but his eyes burning brighter than before.

Without a word...

He charged again.

The Guardian watched the wounded swordsman approach.

"...Again?"

Daren answered with action.

His sword descended.

Not wildly.

Not recklessly.

Every strike flowed into the next with disciplined precision.

One slash.

Two.

Five.

Ten.

Silver sparks exploded with every impact.

For several seconds...

The Guardian stood still, blocking each strike with one hand.

Then—

It spoke.

"You have improved."

Daren’s eyes narrowed.

"During the fight?"

The Guardian nodded once.

"Conflict is the quickest teacher."

It grabbed his blade.

"...But the lesson ends here."

Its fist moved.

Seraphina appeared.

Golden mana wrapped around her leg.

She didn’t aim for the Guardian.

She kicked Daren.

"What—"

BOOM!

Daren was launched out of the Guardian’s reach a heartbeat before the fist descended.

The punch struck empty space.

The resulting shockwave obliterated an entire floating mountain behind them.

Silence.

Everyone stared.

Daren slowly climbed to his feet.

He looked at the missing mountain.

Then at Seraphina.

"...You kicked me."

She nodded.

"I did."

"...Thanks."

"You’re welcome."

Tax puffed out his chest proudly.

"Boss has mastered supportive violence."

For the first time since the battle began...

A faint smile appeared on Daren’s face.

The Guardian watched them quietly.

Its smile slowly disappeared.

"...How troublesome."

"You protect one another without hesitation."

"No calculations."

"No hesitation."

"No self-preservation."

Its crimson eyes settled on Seraphina.

"You are their center."

"If I erase you..."

"...the rest will eventually break."

The moment those words left its mouth—

Kael emerged from the collapsing cliff.

His uniform was torn.

Blood ran down one arm.

His breathing had become heavier.

Yet his gaze was colder than ever.

He slowly raised his sword.

"You..."

His voice was calm.

"...won’t touch her."

The Guardian looked at him.

Then...

For the very first time...

It drew a weapon.

From behind its back, it slowly pulled forth a colossal crimson greatsword.

The blade was taller than castles.

Ancient black chains wrapped around it, each one covered in glowing infernal runes.

The instant the sword was unsheathed—

Every demon in the endless legion fell to one knee.

Even the crimson sky seemed to darken in reverence.

The First Guardian rested the tip of the blade against the broken earth.

"I had hoped..."

"...to reserve this."

Its monstrous smile returned.

"But perhaps..."

"You children deserve the honor."

The pressure that flooded the battlefield was so overwhelming that even breathing became difficult.

For the first time...

Every member of the party realized the same terrifying truth.

Until now—

The First Guardian...

Hadn’t been fighting seriously.