The Villain's POV in the Academy

Chapter 261 : You Saved Me

“Phew…….”It had been a long time since ragged breaths poured endlessly from my mouth. My heart pounded, and my entire body felt as though it were burning alive.

Maintaining [Cloud Spider], Aaron raised his head toward the sky.

His body temperature had risen so high that every raindrop that touched his skin evaporated into steam within seconds.

The smell of the steam was absolutely foul. It would probably take two full days for this dreadful chemical odor to disappear.

But if he didn't do at least this much, it felt like his body wouldn't endure.

In fact, overload warning messages were continuously popping up.

Besides……

【Did you think this was overrrr!!】

The cocoon of threads surrounding the creature had already exceeded four meters in diameter.

Even so, it showed no signs of tiring and continued struggling relentlessly. Any ordinary monster should have already been crushed to death under that pressure, but it still hadn't lost its strength.

‘Damn Dragon.’

This was the first enemy I'd encountered that refused to die even after I'd gone this far. I knew Dragons wouldn't die unless their heart was destroyed, but I'd slashed it over and over again. The fact that it still showed no signs of exhaustion honestly felt absurd.

‘If it had fought in its Dragon form…… I'd rather not imagine it.’

Even now, I was constantly burning through energy just to maintain this thread prison.

If it had fought in its true form from the beginning... I might not have been able to handle it alone.

Besides, just as the Dragon had said, this wasn't over yet.

I had only restrained it temporarily.

I still hadn't taken its life.

In this state, piercing its heart seemed nearly impossible.

In the end, it would come down to who collapsed first.

Would the Dragon be crushed first under the pressure of the thread prison?

Or would my body fail first from overload?

Most likely... it would be the latter.

I could probably hold out for a few hours somehow.

After that, I'd inevitably hit my limit.

‘What am I supposed to do…….’

I had charged in believing everything was going according to plan, but its durability and stamina far exceeded my expectations.

At this rate, losing to it was only a matter of time.

‘First, I need to figure out what to do about the location.’

If I released it here and continued for a second round, the city would be reduced to ruins.

But if I wanted to move somewhere else... where exactly was I supposed to drag this enormous four-meter ball of threads?

Besides, fighting somewhere without Anti-Rain while also dealing with the Otherworld Transformation caused by its mana made my chances of victory seem vanishingly small.

‘And that's another problem.’

The other Dragon.

The one supposedly connected to the Stingray Group.

This one alone was already a nightmare beyond imagination. Just thinking about having to deal with another one made me uneasy.

Seriously... what am I supposed to do?

Even as I wrestled with those thoughts, the time limit continued ticking away.

Whether it meant finding somewhere to recover my stamina...

Or somehow acquiring anti-Dragon weapons or modules...

Just as I was deep in thought—

Something unexpected happened.

“Aaron.”

Srrrk.

The blaring Code Red sirens vanished.

The Anti-Rain stopped.

The surrounding scenery turned completely black and white.

It felt as though I had stepped into another dimension.

Standing before me were numerous figures clad in black.

Every one of them concealed their faces behind Japanese-style masks and wore combat suits woven from carbon-tube fabric.

Ninjas.

They knelt on one knee before me and bowed respectfully.

They didn't appear hostile, but I couldn't help remaining on guard.

‘How……?’

These people...

Just moments ago, while I was fighting the Dragon, they had been observing from several kilometers away.

Yet somehow, they had appeared right in front of me.

The problem was...

Even my High-Sensitivity Mana Detection Module hadn't detected their movements at all.

Only then did I realize something.

The ninjas I'd fought back at the hotel...

They must have been the lowest-ranking soldiers among the ninja forces.

Or perhaps...

They simply hadn't fought me with their full strength.

I activated my scanner to inspect them once more, but almost nothing came up.

Their equipped modules were probably specialized almost entirely for stealth and mobility.

Of course, I didn't think my current self would lose against them.

Still...

Combat wasn't determined by specs alone.

Underestimating them would be foolish.

“Who are you?”

“We came under Lord Drake's orders.”

The fox-masked ninja standing at the front answered.

Listening closely, I realized his voice had been altered through his mask.

It was so natural that I hadn't noticed immediately.

“……Father?”

“Yes.”

“What exactly is your mission?”

“Our orders were to observe the situation while you dealt with the Dragon, Aaron, and join the battle if necessary. However, before we even had the chance to intervene, you had already subdued the Dragon. As expected of you, Aaron. Truly magnificent.”

“If you're going to waste my time with flattery, then disappear. I asked why you've chosen to reveal yourselves.”

“……”

The lead ninja hesitated briefly before speaking again.

“We have prepared a suitable execution ground where the Dragon can be finished. Lord Drake also does not wish for the city to become any more chaotic.”

“An execution ground?”

“Yes. Every part of a Dragon's body possesses immeasurable value. It would be inappropriate to dispose of it in a place like this. If you would cooperate—”

“Wait.”

I suddenly arrived at a single hypothesis before he could continue.

They claimed they had come under Chairman Drake Stingray's orders.

They claimed they were here to help me.

But...

Could I really trust their words completely?

‘Not a chance.’

I couldn't trust the Stingray Group to begin with.

Especially not after discovering they had ties with a Dragon.

There was no way I'd happily accept the helping hand they offered.

‘They're obviously plotting something…….’

The problem was...

I had absolutely no idea what that scheme actually was.

The Dragon I had captured wanted to destroy this world.

Did that mean the Dragon working with the Stingray Group was actually playing the role of the world's protector?

Could the situation really be explained by such a simplistic black-and-white logic?

‘I don't know.’

At present, I simply didn't know enough.

Several major puzzle pieces were still missing, leaving gaping holes in the overall picture.

There weren't enough clues for me to make a firm judgment.

Which meant there was only one decision I could make.

“Lead the way.”

They said that if you wanted to catch a tiger, you entered the tiger's den.

To be honest...

There wasn't much else I could do while dragging around this massive four-meter ball of threads.

Even if it was a trap...

I'd have to meet Chairman Stingray.

Or perhaps...

The Dragon standing behind him.

“……Please wait a moment. You may feel slightly dizzy.”

The fox-masked ninja stood, raised one hand as though offering a prayer—

And the world inverted once more.

In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed completely.

The world was still black and white.

But this clearly wasn't Sector E anymore.

“Release!”

The fox mask shouted.

Instantly, color returned to the monochrome world.

Only after light and color were restored could I properly recognize my surroundings.

‘An underground laboratory?’

A massive ventilation fan spun overhead.

Computers and strange machines filled every corner.

At the center of the room stood an enormous glass tank stretching several dozen meters long.

“Move it over here!”

The ninjas carried the thread cocoon containing the Dragon into the glass tank.

Once they finished, the fox-masked ninja turned toward me.

“You may release it now.”

“……”

“It's alright. You have nothing to worry about.”

There were still far too many things that bothered me.

Where was this place?

What exactly were that tank and those machines?

How had we teleported here?

But I couldn't think of a better option.

More importantly...

Maintaining my hold on the Dragon was becoming increasingly exhausting.

So, though still doubtful, I released the thread prison.

“Module Offline, [Cloud Spider].”

Sssshhh.

The massive four-meter ball of threads dissolved into the air.

At the same time, the Dragon trapped inside was freed.

But its appearance was completely different from before.

【KROAAAAAAARRR!!】

Green scales.

An enormous body.

Massive horns.

Razor-sharp fangs.

Reptilian features.

It looked exactly like a monster that had stepped straight out of a fantasy novel, roaring loudly enough to tear apart my ears.

【Kuhahaha! At last I'm free! Aaron Stingray! I'll burn you into nothing but charcoal!!】

The Dragon shouted triumphantly as it inhaled deeply through its gigantic jaws.

Flames began flickering inside its throat.

But the very next moment—

[Warning. Temperature Rising.]

[Dragon Breath Detected.]

[Converting cage to vacuum state.]

[Deploying Anti-Mana Mist.]

Along with an unfamiliar announcement, I heard the sound of air being sucked out of the tank.

A fine mist instantly filled the entire enclosure.

At the same moment, the flames gathering inside the Dragon's mouth vanished.

Soon afterward, the Dragon began choking as though unable to breathe.

‘It blocked Dragon Breath……!?’

I couldn't help staring in shock.

This was Dragon Breath.

The attack said to possess enough power to melt hundreds of hectares of land with a single blast.

Even I had built my entire strategy around preventing it from ever using Dragon Breath.

【What is this!?】

I wasn't the only one stunned.

The Dragon itself looked utterly bewildered that its Dragon Breath had been effortlessly canceled.

Then—

“Dragon Breath is an ignition phenomenon produced by mixing mana with a special volatile substance secreted from an organ known as the Dragon's oil gland. If both air and mana are blocked beforehand, ignition cannot occur.”

A voice came from behind me.

When I turned around...

A young child wearing a white lab coat came toddling over.

He was perhaps only slightly taller than Evangeline.

At best, he looked like an upper elementary school student.

The problem was...

He possessed the black hair and golden eyes characteristic of the Stingray Family.

And...

His facial features looked astonishingly familiar.

Before I knew it, I murmured his name.

“……Benedict?”

But contrary to my expectations, the boy didn't react.

Instead, someone else answered.

“That's not Benedict.”

A familiar elderly voice.

The moment it reached my ears, a chill ran down my spine.

Turning toward the entrance...

An elderly white-haired monster sat in a wheelchair while attendants slowly pushed him inside.

Chairman Drake Stingray.

My father.

“It's an inferior clone of Benedict. He isn't your younger brother, my son.”

“……”

"My son."

Just hearing those words made my skin crawl.

His voice replayed vividly in my mind—

The same voice that had annihilated Honeycomb City and shamelessly called it a "gift."

Suppressing every emotion threatening to surface, I calmly met his gaze.

The deep wrinkles across his face shifted into a broad smile.

Perhaps it was just my imagination...

But it looked exactly like the expression of a father overflowing with pride.

“You want an explanation. Yes... where should I begin... To put it simply... this father of yours was deeply moved by you……”

He looked at me with gentle eyes and moistened his dried lips.

Then, smiling faintly, he said—

“You saved me.”