I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Brian POV]

White hair, green eyes, a black robe, and most importantly... a black mask resembling the ones worn by the Performers of The Masquerade.

Could he be one of the members of that Heretic group?

"I recognize that mask you're wearing! You're one of those Heretics from The Masquerade!" I said loudly. "What do you want!? You're lucky the city is currently in danger. Otherwise, I would kill you and avenge my Mentor's death!"

Hearing my words, the man showed no expression whatsoever. Instead, he shifted his attention toward the dragon that was slaughtering the soldiers.

"Look at that scene. If we don't do something, everyone will die," the man said calmly. "There will be tens of thousands of human corpses by the time the Holy Knights and Grand Espada arrive here."

"Then what does that have to do with you, Murderer!?" I drew my sword and pointed it at the man. "Your group is made up of criminals who never care about human lives and only prioritize your own goals!"

The man looked back at me. For some reason, I felt strangely familiar with his demeanor. Could it be that I had met him somewhere before?

"I can help you stop that dragon, but on one condition," he said casually. "Promise me that all of you won't attack me once this battle is over."

Hearing his offer, I fell silent, unable to respond.

I had no authority whatsoever to make such an agreement. However, if he truly intended to help us...

"Brian! What are you doing up there, just standing around!?"

I heard someone call out to me from the side. A woman wearing armor leaped onto the building and approached me.

"Brian, we need to ret—" Her words abruptly stopped when she noticed the masked man standing before me. "That mask... You're one of the members of The Masquerade... What are you doing here!?"

I then explained the man's offer to Inquisitor Elvira. She seemed to think over what I had just told her before turning her gaze back toward the man.

"Very well. We will accept your offer," Inquisitor Elvira said as she took out a knife and pressed it against her palm. "Should we make a Blood Pact?"

A Blood Pact was a highly binding ritual in which anyone who broke the agreement would be killed instantly. The ritual was extremely popular for binding important contracts and agreements.

However, the man did not respond to Inquisitor Elvira's words.

"What is it? Didn't you want to seal this agreement with a Blood Pact?" the Inquisitor asked him.

"Of course. However, I don't want to perform the ritual with you," the masked man replied before looking at me. "I want to perform the Blood Pact with him."

Huh? Was there some difference between performing the ritual with me and performing it with Inquisitor Elvira?

However, I noticed the Inquisitor's expression change. She looked hesitant.

"What is it? Didn't expect your scheme to be exposed?" the man said.

What did he mean by her scheme being exposed?

"You're planning to sacrifice your own life and break this agreement once the battle is over, aren't you?" the masked man said casually. "The life of one Inquisitor is a cheap price to pay for killing or capturing a Performer."

I see...

The Inquisitor never intended to honor the agreement. She planned to attack the man once the battle was over. But why was she hesitant when the man wanted to perform the ritual with me?

I wasn't afraid of death if it was for the sake of the greater good!

"You're a special, Brian," the masked man said. "That's why your superior doesn't want you to become the sacrifice needed to capture me."

"Forget about that for now! We need to stop that monster as quickly as possible!" I shouted. "I'll perform the Blood Pact with you! Please, help us stop that dragon from slaughtering the city's civilians!"

Inquisitor Elvira tried to stop me, but I gave her a firm look, making it clear that I was serious.

"Very well."

The man approached me and took out a knife.

He sliced open his palm, and I did the same with my sword. We then shook hands, allowing our blood to mingle.

The masked man began muttering an incantation.

Not long afterward, a red magic circle appeared around us.

This was the first time I had ever seen or performed a Blood Pact Ritual firsthand.

"I—swear that I will help the Inquisitors and mages of the Empire stop that dragon without any intention of harming innocent people," the man declared.

"I—Brian, swear that I will not allow a single person from the security forces to attempt to harm you once the dragon has been stopped."

• Swiiingg!

After we finished speaking our oaths, a Rune suddenly appeared on both of our hands, signifying that the magical seal had been activated.

• Groooarrrr!

The roar of the monster echoed from the distance. The wingless dragon was spewing fire from its enormous mouth toward the soldiers fighting against it.

"We need to get back into the battle!" I said as I activated Acceleration.

"I'll keep an eye on you, Heretic!" Inquisitor Elvira said, glaring sharply at the masked man.

The man did not respond. He simply followed us from behind.

When we returned to the battlefield, all the mages here looked exhausted. The Knights and Inquisitors were also growing desperate, having no idea how to stop the rampaging dragon.

"Elvira! What does this mean!? Why is a Heretic here with you!?" one of the Inquisitors demanded.

Inquisitor Elvira and I explained the situation to them. Although the Inquisitors and mages clearly weren't happy about it, they had no choice but to accept this decision.

"We don't need help from our enemies, Elvira!" one of the Inquisitors protested.

"What will happen if other people find out that we were aided by a Heretic while dealing with a monster attack!?"

An argument broke out.

Some of the Inquisitors accepted the masked man's assistance, while others strongly objected to it. I could only remain silent and watch them argue. After all, I was merely a Squire and had no influence whatsoever.

"All of you, listen to me."

Everyone fell silent when they heard the calm yet chilling voice.

The masked man had spoken. Both I and the others turned our attention toward him.

His eyes were serious, carrying an expression that made it clear he would not tolerate anyone interrupting him.

"None of your magic or attacks can even scratch that dragon," the masked man said calmly. "Do you know why?"

What he said was true.

The problem we were facing was that we had absolutely no idea how to stop the dragon. None of our attacks were effective. Even my strongest attack had failed to leave the slightest mark on its body.

"Look at the scales covering that dragon." The masked man pointed toward the dragon, which was currently spewing flames and setting the surrounding buildings ablaze. "The scales covering its body possess extremely high magic resistance and physical defense.."

So that's how it was...

The dragon possessed a special physical ability. It seemed that every Magical Beast had certain special abilities that made them unique from one another.

"Then how are we supposed to stop it if the dragon is immune to our attacks!?" one of the mages asked.

"There is only one part of the dragon's body that isn't covered by those special scales—the eyes," the masked man answered. "However, attacking its eyes will be more difficult and requires extremely high magical accuracy. And judging by your performance so far, none of you possess a special technique capable of accurately firing magic from long range."

This tale has been pilfered from NovelPhoenix. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Hearing this, the mages looked annoyed. They clearly didn't appreciate having their combat abilities belittled by the masked man.

"That leaves us with only one way to defeat the dragon: launch an attack into its mouth while it is breathing fire," the masked man explained.

"Brian, you will gather as much Mana as possible and fire a powerful magical wave directly into the dragon's mouth."

Huh?

How did he know my name?

Ah... Could he have learned it during the Blood Pact ritual?

"I and several Inquisitors will keep the dragon occupied until you're ready. Understood? And change the shape of your magical wave so that it resembles a comet flying across the sky," he added.

The masked man then turned his attention toward the mages gathered around us.

"When the Mana Brian has accumulated becomes sufficiently powerful, the dragon will undoubtedly notice it and attempt to attack him. Your task is to restrict the dragon's movements for a brief moment using Earth Magic, so that the only way the dragon can stop Brian is by attacking him with the flames from its mouth."

"Wait, who's going to stop the dragon's flames? I'll be burned alive if no one protects me!?" I asked the masked man.

"Don't worry. I'll do something to hold back its flames when the time comes," the man replied before looking at everyone again. "Execute this plan flawlessly. If you fail, every civilian in this city will be slaughtered by that dragon! Now, go and carry out your respective tasks!"

Hearing his command, all the mages, Knights, and Inquisitors scattered to their assigned positions.

This was truly a bizarre situation.

A Heretic was giving orders to Imperial Knights and Inquisitors—the very people who were supposed to exterminate Heretics like him.

I leaped onto the tallest building in the area, while the Inquisitors and the masked man began distracting the dragon to prevent it from moving toward the civilians.

I raised my sword with both hands.

This time, I would gather as much Mana as I possibly could.

"Watch out for its tail! Don't overcommit to attacking! Our only task is to buy time!" the masked man ordered the Knights.

• Groooarrr!

The dragon looked furious.

At that moment, the masked man was standing on the nose of the gigantic monster.

The dragon swung its neck violently, trying to throw the masked man off its nose.

But he held on.

His sword began emitting a brilliant light. He then leaped and thrust his sword directly into the dragon's eye.

"Aaaghhhh! I will burn you into ash, Human!"

The dragon was furious.

The man appeared to mutter something under his breath.

• Bombb!

Suddenly, the dragon's eye—the one pierced by the masked man's sword—exploded, causing the gigantic monster to scream in agony.

The dragon slammed its head into the surrounding buildings. This time, the masked man had no choice but to jump down from its head to avoid the devastating impact.

My hands began to tremble.

The amount of Mana accumulated within my sword was already enormous.

But I had to gather more.

• Grooarrrr!

The dragon roared.

One of its eyes was now shut, blood running down its face.

It seemed the man's words had been correct.

The dragon's eyes could be injured because they weren't protected by the powerful defensive scales covering the rest of its body!

The masked man then leaped onto the building where I was standing.

"Brian, are you ready?" the man asked.

"I've gathered as much Mana as I can," I replied confidently.

"Good. When the dragon breathes fire, we'll jump and fall level with its head," the masked man explained.

• Groooarrrr!

The dragon roared loudly again, its gaze fixed on the two of us.

It seemed especially furious with the masked man for blinding one of its eyes.

The monster then began walking toward us.

"Now, mages!"

Hearing the masked man's signal, the mages activated Earth Magic. The ground surrounding the area beneath the dragon sank lower, forcing the gigantic creature to leap if it wanted to escape.

The dragon then opened its mouth.

Flames began to gather inside, signaling that it was preparing to unleash another fiery breath toward us.

My heart began pounding faster than usual.

This was the decisive moment.

If I failed here, the lives of all the city's civilians would be at stake.

Their deaths would haunt me for the rest of my life if I failed to defeat this dragon.

• GROOOARRRRR!

The dragon unleashed an enormous torrent of flames toward us.

The masked man and I leaped using Axio, avoiding the dragon's breath.

However, the dragon slowly raised its chin, causing its flames to follow us as we hung in the air.

My legs felt unbearably hot. My breathing became unstable, and sweat drenched my entire body as though I had been submerged in the ocean.

We reached the same height as the dragon's head and began falling through the air.

The dragon raised its head and unleashed another torrent of flames into the sky, attempting to burn us.

But the masked man, who was now beneath me, suddenly muttered an incantation and stretched his hand downward.

"Mirror Force!"

A Barrier materialized in front of the masked man's palm, shielding us from the dragon's flames.

"Now, Brian!" he ordered.

The dragon's mouth was still open after its fiery breath had ended.

I took a deep breath and swung my sword, which was now filled with an enormous amount of Mana, toward the dragon's mouth.

"IN—CURSIOOOO!"

A gigantic magical wave shot toward the dragon's mouth like a comet streaking across the sky.

• BOMMBBBB!

An explosion erupted as the magical wave entered the gigantic dragon's body.

The resulting shockwave sent both me and the masked man flying until we crashed into a nearby building.

I looked toward the explosion.

A powerful wind swept through the area, accompanied by a cloud of smoke that formed a gigantic mushroom-shaped plume around the site of my magical attack.

Several moments later, silence descended upon the battlefield.

I still couldn't see the dragon's condition because the thick smoke continued to obscure it.

Not long afterward, the smoke began to clear, revealing the dragon's body shattered into pieces scattered throughout the area surrounding the explosion.

"Is this really happening?" one of the soldiers said.

"Is this for real?"

Everyone still couldn't believe what they were seeing.

The gigantic creature they had struggled so desperately to fight—the creature that had never suffered even a single wound—was now reduced to countless pieces.

"We won!"

"We won!"

The joyful cries of the soldiers and mages echoed throughout the area.

All their sacrifices and efforts in fighting the dragon had finally paid off.

Some of them even wept as they called out the names of their comrades who had fallen during the battle against the dragon.

"Brian! Brian! Brian!"

Suddenly, several Inquisitors approached me and began tossing me into the air while shouting my name.

"The magic you unleashed was incredible!"

"How did you create such a powerful spell!?"

Hearing the praise from the Inquisitors and Veteran Knights filled me with pride over my achievement in defeating that monster.

I did it...

At last, I had protected everyone and defeated the powerful monster that had threatened the lives of the city's civilians.

• Wossshhh!

However, a powerful gust of wind suddenly swept through the area.

All of us turned our attention toward the remains of the gigantic dragon.

The dragon's scattered body parts began moving.

They slowly came together, forming the figure of a four-meter-tall humanoid creature.

Its body resembled that of a human, but black scales covered its skin just like those of the dragon before it.

A strange mouth had formed in the center of its chest, moving as though it possessed a life of its own.

Its swaying tail resembled a snake dancing through the air.

What exactly was this figure that had emerged from the shattered remains of the dragon?

"Ahhh... I never expected weak humans like you to force me to use my Humanoid form."

Huh?

It could speak the human language?

Was this creature the Humanoid form of the dragon we had fought earlier?

"But it's time to stop playing around," the creature said as it began walking toward us.

All the Knights and mages present could no longer believe their eyes.

The enemy they had already defeated—whose body had been completely shattered—had come back to life.

"...."

"...."

Suddenly, the humanoid creature appeared right in front of me.

"You're the first one I'll kill!"

It threw a punch toward my face, but I managed to block it with both hands.

My body was sent flying backward and crashed violently into the wall of a building.

My head throbbed with pain, and my vision began to blur.

Every part of my body hurt.

I tried to stand, only to see the humanoid creature brutally beating every soldier who attempted to attack it.

"Its strength is beyond reason..."

Activating Acceleration, I dashed toward the creature as it prepared to punch a Knight.

"Raging Blade!"

I unleashed a horizontal slash at the creature.

However, my sword only cut through empty air.

"Humans are truly slow and weak."

I heard a voice behind me.

Just as I tried to turn around, a sharp pain erupted from my right ribs.

The creature had kicked me with tremendous force, sending my body crashing onto the ground.

"Die, you bastard!"

"Fire Ball!"

Everyone attacked the creature once again.

However, none of the attacks from the mages or Knights could even leave the slightest scratch on its body.

The creature resumed slaughtering everyone in its path.

I tried to stand, but my body collapsed back onto the ground.

I had probably reached my limit.

My arms and legs were becoming extremely difficult to move.

"It's over. This monster can't be stopped!"

"I'd rather go back to my family than remain in this hopeless battle!"

Many Knights dropped their swords in despair, while the mages fell to their knees as their Mana reserves were nearly depleted.

Was this really the end?

"Time to kill you, boy!" the creature shouted as it charged toward me.

I closed my eyes...

Was I going to die here?

What was I supposed to do?

My strength still wasn't enough to defeat this powerful monster.

Damn it...

• Bammmm!

I heard the sound of a heavy impact.

Yet I didn't feel the creature's attack strike my body.

I opened my eyes.

Before me stood the back of a white-haired man, his black robe billowing in the wind.

He...

He had stopped the creature's attack with his bare hand.

The masked man thrust his sword toward the creature's eye.

However, the creature leaped far backward, maintaining its distance from the masked man.

"Do not lose hope, Knights of Aragon... Inquisitors of the Goddess Diana..." the man said flatly. "Have you forgotten? You swore an oath when you were inducted as Knights of this country."

The Oath of a Knight?

I remembered that Inquisitor Elvira and I had discussed this very thing earlier that morning.

"The oath first spoken by the Legendary Hero—Pendragon—and sworn by every aspiring Knight who would protect this country from that day until now!"

The masked man's voice grew louder, echoing through my ears.

For some reason, I felt chills run down my body as I listened to him.

"Do I need to remind you of the oath you swore!?" the masked man shouted.

"I swear! To keep this country safe from all dangers that threaten it! I swear! To always protect what is just and turn away from what is false!"

His voice grew louder and more powerful.

"I swear! To always protect the citizens from monsters and demons that seek to destroy humanity!"

The Knights around us clenched their fists.

One by one, they rose to their feet again and raised their heads proudly.

"This sword shall bear witness, and if I break the oath I have sworn, then calamity shall descend upon this land! Therefore, I will continue to fight. I will never surrender until my very last drop of blood... I will protect this country!"

• Woooshhh!

The moment the masked man finished reciting the Knight's Oath, an intensely dazzling light suddenly appeared before him.

Tiny particles gathered at the center of the light.

They gradually merged together, forming a sword.

Not long afterward, the light vanished, revealing a golden-colored sword with a Rune inscribed upon its blade.

"There is no mistake... That's the Holy Sword Excalibur!" one of the Knights exclaimed.

"How can a Heretic summon the Holy Sword that has always been wielded by the Heroes!?"

I had the exact same question.

I was confused.

Every Knight was confused.

But then I remembered what the Inquisitor had told me that morning while we were at the museum.

"The Holy Sword Excalibur will appear once again when the Hero performs the Knight's Oath."

But...

I was the chosen Hero!

Master Pendragon himself had told me so, because I possessed the Codex Pendragon that had always been inherited by the Heroes of the past.

How could a Heretic summon this Holy Sword!?